Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-01-08
BIZ PAUL ALLEN, ESQ.
TO THE PUBLIC.

II
TT seems a little surprising that amongst
4. SO many subjects rs have been present.
ed for American Biography, the lives of
those who have affixed their signatures 10
the Declaration of Independence have been
overlooked or disrcgarded. The eyes of
thousands have dwelt with rapture upon the
document that announced to the world that
these United Colonies were, and of right
ought to be, free, sovereign, and indepen.
dent states" while we are better acquain,-
ed with tie handwriting than with the cha
racters of many OF those iilustrious men
who have added their signatures to that in
strument. TIE founders of the only re.
maining republic en- the globe, have, with
graves, an9 IL behoves generous pos!erity,
sensible of their obligations, to preserve
their fame. The longer We neglect the
payment of so sacred debt, the more diff.
cult does the payment become. Traits of
Individual character are fugitive and eva.
nescent; and if they are not snatched by
the hand of the Geographic Muse, at an ear.
" season, from the cold grasp of death, will
soon partake of The oblivion of the body
Ii is not the object OF the present attempt,
to deal in that prolusiou OF indiscriminate
and unsparing panegyric, so often and SO
falsely digniGed with the name of Biogra-
ply: we wish to represent the characters
as they were they stand in need of no pa
negyric and we earnestly solicit from the
surviving relations and friends of those re-
evolutionary patriots all the information that
will tend to deveiopement Of character.
Man is the creature of circumstance, and
We wish To show the progress of those pa
triots from their first resistance OF colonial
aggression, until they stood forth the noble
an! undaunted champions of their country's
independence. All this can only be done
by familiar acquaintance with the lives of
these men, and whoever of the surviving
friends or relatives will furnish facts and
circumstances il their possession to unfold
and illustrate their characters, shall be ELI
titled to copy of the work as recon-
pense. 1t is contemplated, wherever il is
practicable, further to embellish the medi-
tated work with correct licensees of the
subjects of our biography, executed by the
most eminent artists in the country. For
this purpose we again solicit the assistance
of their surviving relatives and friends. Ii
they will transmit to the publisher any en-
craving or portrait from which copy may
be taken, the original shall be faithfully re-
turned, and shalt likewise be remunerated
with copy of the work. In the first num-
her il is proposed to give an account of the
Declaration of independence, from the first
motion that was made an the floor of con-
gress until its final passage into law, Pc
Rod embracing much curious and secret
history finally, we promise to add to our
last number the Declaration of Indepen-
dence itself, with, fac-simile engravings of
the signatures. We have now compendi-
ously stated the objects of our present UNI
dertaking, and we hope that il will be I'M
necessary 10 mention that no exertions on
our partshall bespared.
The public are now in possession of our
project, which does indeed seem 10 be de-
manded, by the avidiiy so recently display
ed for the possession of the Declaration OF
Independence, since it is of very little i'm
port to become acquainted with mans
hand writing without previous knowledge
of the man. The secret history OF our De-
clara ton of independence, the lives of those
who have affixed their signatures to tlatin-
strument, accompanied by their likenesses,
and finally the Declaration itself with fac
SMILES Of the signatures, will bring into one
compact view the prominent facts Of that
interesting crisis.
CONDITIONS.
|. The work will be published in num-
bers; or half volumes, Of $50 pages octave,