Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-01-26
By PAUL ALLEN, ESQ.
TO THE PUBLIC.

TT seems little surprising that ar,oDrs,
4 so many subjects as have been present
ed for American Biography, tue lives Of
those who have affixed their signatures ,c
the Declaration of independence have been
overlooked or disrcgarded. The ewes Of
thousands have dwelt with rapture upon the
document that announced to the world that
these United Colonies were, AMI of right
ought to be, free, sovereign, and indep,.n.
dent states" while we are betteracouajnt.
ed with the handwriting than with the cha.
racters of many of those iIlustrions me,
who have added their signatures to that in.
s'rument. The founders of the only re-.
naming republic en- the globe. have. with
a few splendid exceptions, gone 10 their
graves, AM 1t behoves a generous posterity.
sensible Of their obligations, to preserve
their fame. TIE longer we neglect tbe
payment of so sacred a debt, the more diff.
cul does the payment become Traits of
individual character are fugitive and eva.
nescent: and n trey are not Snatched bv
the hand of the Geographic Muse, at an ear.
ly season, from the cold grasp of death, will
soon partake Of the oblivion of the bod "
1t is not tie object OF the present artemnt
TO deal in that profusioH of indiscriminste
and unsParing panegyric, so often and So
falsely disnihed with The name of Riogra.
ply: we wish to represent The characters
as they were, they stand in need of no pa.
negNric and we earnestly solicit from the
surviving rel tons ana friends of those re-.
volulionary patriots all the information that
will ten TO ierelcD2neBt OF character
Nm is the Creature OF circumstance. and
we wish tn show The progress Of those pa.
iriol> from their first resistance of colonial
aggression, until they st.'oi forth the noble
al undaunted champions of their couniry's
independence. All this can only be done
~ Il familiar acquaintance with The lives Of
these men, and whoever of the surviving
friends or relatives will furnish fact, and
circumstances IL their possession TO unfold
and illustrate their characters, shalI be ELI
titled to a copy OF The work as recon-
pense. 1t is contemplated, wherever'it is
practicable, further TO embelish the medi-
tated work with correct likenesses of The
subjects of our biograp ply, executed by the
most eminent artists in the country. For
this purpose we again solicit the assistance
of their surviving relatives and friends. If
they will transmit to the publisher any en-
craving or portrait from which a copy may
he taken, the original shall be faithfully re-
turned. and shall likewise be remunerated
with copy of the work. In the first num-
er il is proposed to give an account of the
Declaration of independence. from the first
motion that was made on the floor of con-
ress until its final passage into law, a Pc
Rod embracing much curious and secret
history finally, we promise to add to our
iast number the Declaration of Indepen.
'ence itself, with fac-simile ergravings of
the signatures. We have now compeudi.
orsly stated the objects OF our present I'M
dertaking, and we hope that il will be I'M
necessary TO mention that no exertions on
our part shall be spared.
The public are now in possession of our
project, which Goes indeed seem TO be de-
handed, by the syiiily so recently display
ed for the possession of the Declaration OF
independence, since j; is of very little i'm
port TO become acquainted with a mans
land writing without previous knowledge
Of the man. The secret history OF our De-
claration of Independence, the lives Of those
who have affixed their signatures to thatin.
strumem, accompanied by their likenesses,
and finally the Declaration itself with fac
Smiles of the signatures, will bring into me
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,
and will be contained in ten numbers.
III. 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.
pSubscriptions will be received at the
office OF the Alexandra Gazette.
December 90