Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-01-25
BIZ PAUL ALLEN, ESQ.
TO TIE pUBLn

4 L seems h.lie surprising that amonrsI
L so many subjects as have been present..
ed for American Biography, the lives OF
those who have affixed their signatures 10
the Declaration of independence have beer
overlooked or disrcgaritd. The ewes q,
thousands have dwelt with rapture upon the
document that announced to the world thai
these United Colonies were, and CT RICH,
ought TO be, free, sovereign, and indepena
dent states;" while we are better acousint.
ed with the handwriting than with the cha
racters of Many OF those illusrious men
who have added their signatures to that in.
slrument. The founders of the only re.
maining republic en- the globe, have. with
a few splendid exceptions, gone to their
graves, and il behoves generous posteritv.
sensible of their obligations, to preserve
their fame. The longer we neglect III.
payment of so sacred debt, the more diff.
cuI does the payment become. Trails Of
individual character are fugitive and eva
nescent; and if they are not snatched BY
the hand of the Geographic Muse, at an ear.
ly season, from the cold grasp of death, will
soon psrtake Of the oblivion of the BODY
1t is not tie object OF the present attempt.
TO deal in that profusion of indiscrminate
and unsparng panegyric, so often and so
falsely disniied with the name OF Biogra
ply: we wish tn represent the characters
as they were :: they sand 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 lend 70 Development of character.
Man is the creature Of circumstance, and
we wish 10 show the progress Of those pa
triots from their first resistance of colonial
aggression, until they stood forth the noble
ami undaGnted champions of their couniry's
independence. All this can only be done
ny familiar acquaintance with the. lives of
these men, md whoever of the surviving
friends or relatives will furnish fact, and
circumsta noes il, their possession 10 unfold
and illustrate their characters, shall he en-
titled to copy of the work as a recon-
pense. II is contemplated, wherever it is
practicable, further to embel!ish the medi-
tated work with correct likenesses of The
subjects of our bioa rapby, 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 a copy may
be taken, the original shall be faithfully re-
turned, and shall likewise be remune rated
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 on the floor of con-
eress until its final passage into law, Pc
Rod embracing much curious and secret
history finally, we promise to add g. our
last number the Declaration of Indepen-
dence itself, with fac-simile engra, ings Of
the signatures. We have now compendi-
ously stated the objects of our present un-
der'aking, and we hope that il will be m
necessary to mention that no exertions on
our part shall be spared.
The public are now in possession of our
project, which does indeed seem TO be de-
handed, by the avidily so recently display
ed for the possession of the Declaration Of
independence, sine it is of very little i'm.
port to become acquainted with a mans
hand writing without previous knowledge
of the man. The secret history OF our De-
claration of independence, the lives ofihose
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 DUN
bsrs, or half volumes, of $50 pages octave,
and will be contained in ten numbers.
ii. II will be printed on fine paper made
expressly for the purpose, and delivered to
subscribers at two dollars and fifty cents per
half volume or number, payable on deliv-
cry.
JSubscriptions will be received at the
Office of the Alexandra Gazette.
December 90