Funeral of their own liberties, by the lurid light of the revolutionary torch. The tumult of the paffions fubfided, the wisdom of the administration was perceived, and America now remains a folitary monament in the defolated plains of liberty.

A

HAVING remained at the head of the treasury feveral years, and filled its coffets; having developed the fources of an ample revenue, and tetted the advantages of his own fyftem by his own experience; and having expended his private fortune; he found it neceffary to retire from public employment, and to devote his attention to the claims of a large and dear family. What brighter inftance of difinterefted honor has ever been exhibited to an admiring world! That a man, upon whom devolved the talk of originating a fyftem of revenue for a nation; of devifing the checks in his own department; of providing for the collection of fums, the amount of which was conjectural; that a man, who anticipated the effects of a funding fyftem, yet a fecret in his own bofom, and who was thus enabled to have fecured a princely fortune, consistently with principles esteemed fair by the world; that fuch a man, by no means addicted to an expenfive or extravagant style of living, fhould have retired from office deftitute of means adequate to the wants of mediocrity, and have reforted to profeffional labor for the means of decent fupport, are facts which must inftruct and astonish those, who in countries habituated to corruption and venality are more attentive to the gains than to the duties, of official ftation.Yet HAMILTON was that man, It was a fact al. ways known to his friends, and it is now evident from his teftament, made under a deep prefenti

ment of his approaching fate. Blush then, minif ters and warriors of imperial France, who have deluded your nation by pretenfions to a disinterefted regard for its liberties and rights! Difgorge the riches extorted from your fellow citizens, and the spoils amaffed from confifcation and blood! Restore to impoverished nations the price paid by them for the privilege of slavery, and now appropriated to the refinements of luxury and corruption! Approach the tomb of HAMILTON, and compare the infignificance of your gorgeous palaces with the awful majesty of this tenement of clay !

WE again accompany our friend in the walks of private life, and in the affiduous pursuit of his profeffion, until the aggreffions of France compelled the nation to affume the attitude of defence. He was now invited by the great and enlightened statesman who had fucceeded to the Presidency, and at the express requeft of the Commander in Chief, to accept of the fecond rank in the army. Though no man had manifested a greater defire to avoid war, yet it is freely confeffed that when war appeared to be inevitable, his heart exulted in "the tented field,” and he loved the life and occupation of a foldier. His early habits were formed amid the fafcinations of the camp. And though the pacific policy of ADAMS once more rescued us from war, and fhortened the existence of the army establishment, yet its duration was fufficient to fecure to him the love and confi dence of officers and men, to enable him to display the talents and qualities of a great general, and to justify the most favorable prognoftics of his prow

ÖNCE more this excellent man unloofed the helmet from his brow, and returned to the duties of the forum. From this time he perfifted in a firm refolution to decline all civil honors and promotion, and to live a private citizen unless again fummoned to the defence of his country. He became more than ever affiduous in his practice at the bar, and intent upon his plans of domestic happiness, until a nice and mistaken eflimate of the claims of honor, impelled him to the fatal act which terminated his life.

WHILE it is far from my intention to draw a veil over this laft great error, or in the leaft measure to justify a practice, which threatens in its progrefs to deftroy the liberty of speech and of opinion; it is but juftice to the deceased, to ftate the circumftances which fhould palliate the refentment that may be excited in fome good minds towards his memory. From the laft fad memorial which we poffefs from his hand; and in which, if our tears permit, we may trace the fad prefage of the impending catastrophe, it appears that his religious principles were at variance with the practice of duelling, and that he could not reconcile his benevolent heart to fhed the blood of an adverfary in private combat, even in his own defence. It was then from public motives that he committed this great miftake. It was for the benefit of his country that he erroneoufly conceived himself obliged to make the painful facrifice of his principles, and to expofe his life. The fober judgment of the man, was confounded and mifdirected by the jealous honor of the foldier; and he evidently adverted to the poffibility of events

that might render indifpenfable, the esteem and confidence of foldiers as well as of citizens.

BUT while religion mourns for this aberration of the judgment of a great man, the derives fome confolation from his testimony in her favor. If the rejects the apology, fhe admits the repentance; and if the good example be not an atonement, it may be an antidote for the bad. Let us then, in an age of infidelity, join, in imagination, the defolate group of wife and children and friends, who furround the dying bed of the inquifitive, the luminous, the ftientific HAMILTON, and witness his atteftation to the truth and comforts of our holy religion. Let us behold the lofty warrior bow his head before the Cross of the meek and lowly JESUS; and he who had fo lately graced the fumptuous tables and fociety of the luxurious and rich, now, regardless of these meaner pleasures, and afpiring to be admitted to a fublime enjoyment with which no worldly joys can compare to a devout and humble participation of the bread of life. The religious fervor of his last moments was not an impulfe of decaying nature yielding to its fears, but the refult of a firm conviction of the truths of the Gofpel. I am well informed, that in early life, the evidences of the Christian religion had attracted his ferious examination, and obtained his deliberate affent to their truth, and that he daily upon his knees devoted a portion of time to a compliance with one of its most important injunctions: And that however thefe edifying propenfities might have yielded occafionally to the bufinefs and temptations of life, they always refumed their influence, and would probably have prompted

him to a public profeffion of his faith in his Re deemer.

SUCH was the untimely fate of ALEXANDER HAMILTON; whofe character warrants the apprehenfion, that," take him for all in all, we ne'er shall look upon his like again."

NATURE, even in the partial diftribution of her favors, generally limits the attainments of great men within distinct and particular spheres of eminence. But he was the darling of nature, and privileged be yond the rest of her favorites. His mind caught at a glance that perfect comprehenfion of a subject, for which others are indebted to patient labor and investiga. tion. In whatever department he was called to act, he difcovered an intuitive knowledge of its duties, which gave him an immediate afcendency over those who had made them the ftudy of their lives; so that after running through the circle of office, as a foldier, ftatesman and financier, no, queftion remained for which he had been qualified, but only in which he had evinced the moft fuperlative merit. He did not diffemble his attachment to a military life, nor his consciousness of poffeffing talents for command; yet no man more ftrenuously advocated the rights of the civil over the military power, nor more cheerfully abdicated command and returned to the rank of the citizen, when his country could difpenfe with the neceffity of an army.

In his private profeffion, at a bar abounding with men of learning and experience, he was without a rival. He arranged with happieft facility, the materials collected in the vaft ftore-houfe of his memory,