fue. For a few years after he had quitted his tutor, he applied himfelf to the practical part of furveying (a knowledge of which is effentially neceffary to men of landed (With bis Portrait, elegantly en- property in that country), and was graved.) HIS great general, and able and upright ftatefman, to whom the North-American States are probably almost folely indebted for their independence, happiness, and tranquillity, was the fourth fon of Mr. Auguftin Washington, a man of large property and diftinguifhed reputation in Virginia. An ancestor of this gentleman, about the time of the revolution, fold his property near Cave in the Eaft Riding of Yorkshire, and went over to Virginia, where he purchased lands in King George's county; and here general Washington was born on the 22d of February 1733. He was the eldest fon by a fecond marriage; and having never been out of America, was educated (as youths of fortune in that country generally are) under the eye of his father, by private tutorage. A flight acquaintance with the Latin language, a grammatical knowledge of his mother tongue, and the elements of the mathematics, were the principal objects he was taught to pur appointed furveyor to a certain diftrict in Virginia; an employment rather creditable than lucrative; though it afforded him an opportu nity of choofing fome valuable tracts of land, and made him thoroughly acquainted with the frontier country. In 1753, when the governor and council of Virginia received orders from England to repel by force the encroachments of the French on the western frontiers along the rivers Ohio and de Boeuf, Mr. Washington, then a major in the provincial service, and an adjutantgeneral of their forces, was difpatched by governor Dinwiddie with a letter to the commander in chief of the French on the Ohio, complaining of the inroads they were making in direct violation of the treaties then fubfifting between the two crowns. He had alfo inftructions to treat with the Sfx-Nations, and other weftern tribes of Indians, and to engage them to continue firm in their attachment to England. He fet out on this perilous embally, with about fifteen attendants, late in October, and fo Kk 2 far far fuceeded, that, on his return with Monfieur de St. Pierre's answer, and in confequence of his fuccefs in his negotiations with the Indians, he was complimented with the thanks and approbation of his country. His Journal of this whole transaction was published in Virginia, and does great credit to his industry, attention, and judgment; and it has fince proved of infinite fervice to thofe who have been obliged to traverfe the fame inhospitable tracts. without any fuccour, until the July following; when his fmall force, reduced now to lefs than three hundred men, was attacked by an army of French and Indians, of eleven hundred and upwards, under the command of the Sieur de Villiers. The Virginians fuftained the attack of the enemy's whole force for feveral hours, and laid near two hundred of them dead on the field; when the French commander, difcouraged by fuch-determined refolution, propofed the lefs dangerous method of diflodging his enemy by a parley, which ended in a capitulation, in which it was ftipulated that colonel Washington fhould march away with all the honours of war, and be allowed to carry off all his military ftores, effects, and baggage. Soon after this, the French continuing their encroachments, orders were iffued by the English government for the colonies to arm, and upite in one confederacy. The affembly of Virginia took the lead by voting a fum of money for the public fervice, and raifing a regiment of four hundred men for the protection of the frontiers of the In the following fpring, the af colony. Major Washington, then fembly of Virginia determined to about twenty-three years of age, fend out a greater force; the forts was appointed to the command of Cumberland and Loudun were this regiment; and, before the end built; and a camp was formed at of May in the enfuing year, came Will's Creek, in order thence to up with a strong party of the French annoy the enemy on the Ohio. In and Indians, at a place called Red-thefe feveral fervices, particularly in ftone, whom he effectually routed after having killed and taken fifty men. Among the prisoners was the celebrated woodfman Monfieur de la Force, and two other officers, from whom colonel Washington obtained undoubted intelligence, that the French forces on the Ohio confifted of upwards of one thousand regulars and fome hundreds of Indians. Upon this intelligence, although his little army was fomewhat reduced, and entirely infufficient to act offenfively against the French and Indians, he advanced against the enemy, and poffeffed himself of an advantageous poft, where, in order to wait the arrival of fome expected fuccour from New York and Pennsylvania, he entrenched himself, and built a small fort, called Fort Neceflity. At this poft he remained unmolefted, and 2 the conftruction of the forts, colonel Washington was principally employed, when he was fummoned to attend general Braddock, who with his army arrived at Alexandria in Virginia, in May 1755The defign of fending out that army was to penetrate through the country to Fort Du Quêne (now called Fort Pitt or Pittsburg), by the route of Will's Creek and as no perfon was better acquainted with the frontier country than colonel Washing. ton, and no one in the colony enjoyed fo well established a military. character, he was judged highly ferviceable to general Braddock, and cheerfully quitted his command, to act as a volunteer and aide-decamp under that unfortunate general. The particulars of the defeat and almost total ruin of Braddock's army, confifting of two thoufand regular regular British forces and nearly eight hundred provincials, are but too well known. It is allowed on all fides, that the haughty behaviour of the general, his high contempt of the provincial officers and foldiers, and his disdainful obftinacy in rejecting their advice, were the caufes of this fatal difafter yet to the refolution and steadiness of these provincials and their gallant commander, were many a British officer and foldier indebted for their lives on that calamitous day. in the character and conduct of this extraordinary man, it may eafily be believed that no motives but fuch as (pring from a moft difinterested patriotiim could have prevailed with him to relinquish the most refined domeftic pleasures, which it was ever in his power to command, and the great delight he took in farming and the improvement of his estate. When it was determined at length in eongrefs, after every step towards an accommodation had failed, and every petition from America had been fcornfully rejected,-to repel by force the coercive measures of Great Britain,—the eyes of the whole continent were was called forth to the defence of his country; and it is perhaps his peculiar glory, that there was not a fingle inhabitant of thofe ftates, except himself, who did not approve the choice, and place the firmeft confidence in his integrity and abilities. He arrived at the continental camp at Cambridge, near Bolton, in New England, July 3, 1775, and there took the command of the armies of America. He was received with that heart-felt exultation which fuperior merit can alone infpire, after having, in his progrefs through the feveral ftates, received every mark of affection and esteem which they conceived were due to the man to whom the whole continent looked up for fafety and freedom. After general Braddock's fatal mistake, the colony of Virginia found it neceffary to establish her militia, to raise more men, to ftrengthen her forts, and to under-immediately turned upon Mr. Waßitake expeditions to check the in-ington. With one common voice he roads of the enemy. In all thefe important fervices, colonel Wafhington had a principal fhare, and acquitted himself to the utmost fatisfaction of his country, by difplaying on every occafion the moft perfevering indultry, perfonal courage, and military abilities. He was again appointed to the command of the Virginia troops, and held it with fignal credit till his refignation in 1759, when he married the young widow of Mr. Cuftis, with whom he had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds fterling in her own right, befides her dower in one of the principal estates in Virginia. From this period he became as affiduous to serve the ftate as a fena tor, as he had hitherto been active to defend it as a foldier. For several years he reprefented Frederick county; and had a feat for Fairfax county at the time he was appointed by the affembly, in conformity with the univerfal wishes of the people, to be one of their feven delegates to the first general congrels, which met at Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1774. It was with no fmall reluctance that he engaged again in the active fcenes of life: and, from every thing that has hitherto appeared Nor was his difinterestedness lefs confpicuous on this occafion than his patriotifm. For though congress had, previous to his nomination, voted, for the pay and expenfes of their future general, the fum of five hundred dollars per month (thirteen hundred and fifty pounds fterling per annum), he, on being informed of his appointment, aftured that affembly, in a fhort and modeft fpeech which ftands recorded in their journals, that, "as no pecu niary |