The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-10-10
DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE.
From TIE London Literary Journal Of July L.
GEORGE WyfSHINGTON, Sc. s.
REVIEW OF THE LIFE OF

cGONob " nOHfNGI YIN, &c. &C.
Compiled under the infpettion of the hon. Bufh-
rod Warrington, from original papers be-
queathed to him by his deceafed relative.
To which is pre6xed an introduction, con-
taiuiiig compendious view of the colonies
planted by the Englifh on the continent of
North America, from their fettlement till
the commencement of that war which ter
minated in their independence. BY John
Mariball, chief jufice of the United States,
&c. &c. vol. l. ito. IL. Is. Cd. X. Phillips.
ABCOK with this title naturally excites Gu
riofity. The fortune of the United States of
America, and the character of General WaGh-
ington have long been in the eyes of mankind
among the greatef objects on this globe. The
degree of fplendour to which the United States
have rifen among nations ;tbe recent date of
their origin; and the iingularity of the events
by which their hiftory has been diItinguiihed,
are ftrongly calculated to attract attention.
The man with whole name the greater number
OF the mot recent of thefc events, and the mott
diftinguilhable TO the public eye, are chiefly al
fociated, cannot fail to be an object of great Gu
roiity. To know the particulars of the con-
duct and character ofthe individuals they have
known or heard of, is propenlity of the bulk of
mankind 70 ttrong as frequently to give curren-
Cy to the lives of very inligni6cant perfons, e.
ven where the execution ofthe work is hardly
above the fubjett. A book, in which .anec-
dotes of one or more iuitrous perions are con-
tanned, is always greedily fought after. So
great is the name of Wilmington, that an ac-
count of his life, even though imperfect, will be
expected to be very interefing and when it's
1aid to be drawn from documents 70 ample, and
10 authentick as the whole collection of papers
left by himfelf i'll the pofefion of his family, it
feems as if our expectations could hardly be
RATED too high.
With one half of the hifory of the United
States, that hal! in which the tranfaSions, if not
the mott important, are at leaft the mott fri
king, the hitory of General Wilmington is 70
incorporated that the author of the work pre-
tented to U.S. conhders both as being the fame
thing : this latter part of the hitory of that
country he regards not as complete without
the former fince the caufes of the events which
occurred in the one period are frequently to be
found in the events of the other. A hiftory of
the United States therefore, from the irlt feeble
fettlements of the Englilh on the American con-
tnent to the commencement of the diiputes
which terminated in the eftabliihment of their
independence, he regards as necehary intro
duGtion to the life of Wilmington and by pre-
fixing this detail, he purpofes to exhibit in that
work complete hiitory of this new and iugu-
lar empire.
To this plan we have fome objections. The
hiitory of an individual and the hiftory of a ma
ton are two very different things, in whatever
degree the tranfactions of the nation may have
been influenced by thofe of the individual.
There are many actions of the individual which
have not iuch connection with the tranlaetions
of the nation as to deferve TO be mentioned in
its hifory. And many events and circumfan-
ces the nation dcierve to be minutely recor-
ded in its hiftory, which cannot have good IL
tie to place in the life of any man, however
much concerned in conducting its affairs. To
tumble together thefe two clalies of actions and
circumstances mutt obviouily tend to introduce
confuion and obicurity. We do not deny that
it may be pofible to write an interefing and in
ftruetive book, lin which thefe difcordaDt things
may he combined. But we are fure that the
life would be better were it written frcty as
a lie and the hitory trictly a hitory,
than either can be when they mixed up
together ard formed into one work. The
hitory mutt be injured whenit is interrupted TO
detail the particulars of the life and the narra-
tive of the life mutt be injured when it is inter-
rupted to detail many particulars of the hitery.
From the complicated nature of modern policy
the various particulars which intimately belong
to hitory are found 70 numerous and diverffied
a, fcarcely to admit of being woven into one con-
neGted narrative. 1t has accordingly been pro-
pofed to make a Qualification of thefe objects /;
and to form the hiftory of any country into a
number OF diRinct narratives ;-as the hiftory of
its military affairs that of its political regula-
tons that of its manners and of its arts and
licences ; and 70 on. This, it has been conceiv-
ed, would contribute greatly to difinttnefs and
fimplicitv. But if the objects of hiltorcai mar
rative are already too numerous, it mutt be par
ticuarly njudicous fill further to load ii with
the particulars of biography. No; the province
of biography, and that of hiitory are not the
fame nor ought the one to be allowed to en-
croach upon the other. The rules TO direct the
competition of the one are different from thofe
which belong to the other. And it is contrary
to good tate to compofe hitory in the ftyle of
a life, or life in the tyle of hiftory. This
diftinGion is carefully preierved by all the bef
hiftoriaus and biographers. Plutarch wrote the
lives of great warriours and ftatefmen /; yet his
life of Pericles, for example, on whom the fate
of Athens as completely depended during forty
years, AS that OF America on Warrington, is far
from being complete hifory of Athens for
that period, and contains many particulars of
the private life ofthat great man, which the u-
dicious Plutarch would not have inherited in that
hiftory. Again, Robertfon's Hiftory of Charles
the fifth, is not the hiltory of the emperour, but
of his reign. II wants therefore many things
which would have appeared in life of that
prince, and contains things which there, would
have been very much out ofplace. It is the bu-
linefs Of biography to defend to minute par
ticuIars, and in the mon private and ordinary