Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1838-01-18
Biographical sketch OF Gen. Van Rensse-
Iaer. the Hero Of Navy Island.

Biographical sketch OF Cen. Van Rensse-
Iaer, the Hero OF Navy Island.
There are various kinds Of biography, as there are
various men whose biography has 10 be vanously
written. FIRST, there is the heroic biography, when
is confined 10 Putaychs men then there is the BIZ
ography Of poets and philosophers with which the
world has been inundated in ancient and modern
times; there is the chvalrous memoir, such as that
of Frossat and the old chronicers; there is the re-
cord Of galantry such as Brantome and Count An
hony Hamilton have left us; aad lastly, there is the
loafer biography, like that of Jonathan Wild Ferd-
nand Count Fathom, John Hardy Wax, and other
worthless of that erratic school, who have taken
torety az fame, and like many American writers, put
down "cclebrated" in the place of iafanous In
what category the subject Of the following memoran
da il 10 be Comprised must be left TO the candid udg
rneat of the discriminating reader.
Mr. Rensselaer, Wan Rensselaer,, az present, occu-
PIES very conspicuous position in the public atten
lion; and his name, like that of the hero of Virgil
seems destined
"voitare per vrum"
the permanency of his fame, however is dubious,
and the class of dlsng ilshed personages in which
ne is to be reckoaed, depends upon many csntngen-
ries If he dies in the field of glory, he will be emu
nerated among "the noble army of martyrs :" if
he succeeds in revolutonizing Upper Canada and
driving the British Lion from this continent with his
claws blunted, his teeth drawn out and his tail be-
tween his legs he will rank to Washington, and
we shall
With pencil OF light
That llunes all the volume, Van Rensselaer's !"
but, if he fail in his dread attempt and escapes an
scathed from the afiray, oh my counrymen, what a
falling off will be there he will not be regarded then
as another Brutus
who reared the purpl-i blade
And babe the father OF As country hai'
but he will be looked upon a very unmtgated loaf
or and vagaboad ribad bully, madman-one who
richly deserves the gallows all events, the mprs-
onment 10 which the laws of his cesAiry would nev
itaby consign him. So true il is that our actions
are not inrncally priced butresuts are the test of
merit and that
Men are the sport Of circumstances VIXEN
The circumstances seem the sport OF mea.
Our hero's life has been very varied and nysteri.
Gus ons agtated by strange Incidents almost from its
commencement and his destiny seems TO be that
OF a poodly bark tossed upon stormy, uouhlous and
ever -sureing ocean. He about IS years Of age
and very mysterious circumstances occurred to him
before he was Is. He had elder brother, (by the
bye we forgot to state the outset that he is the
of General Solomon Van Rensselaer, the post master
NJ Albany)-he had an elder brother we repeat, and
one fine morning they went into the woods together
with their guns, in search ofgame. After few hours
absence the future generalssimo of the of glory
now congregated at Navy Island, came home breath
less and agitaied, and communicated the astounding
intelligence that his brother was lying dead in the
wood and that he had seen him shot by an unknown
man, who had suddenly started up from behind a
BUSH and discharged his gun him with fatal effect
Sure enough the bo{y of the hapess youth was found
and in the sitsation described by the survivor bat
we have no, learned the particulars of the inquest or
The verdict rendered on that occasion.
Some years subsequent TO this fatal catastrophe an
other singular event attracted considerable attention
10 our hero's name. He was living in house Of
ms fathers on the Troy road, near Albany, and he
was the sole inmate Of it. II was very richly fur
nshed, and many articles of were deposited in
it, In the very wtching hour Of night, Mr.. Rensse-
laer Van Rensselaer, rushed with headlong haste into
Albany, shouting ost help help thieves, help
Numbers ran 10 his assistance when he declared that
the house had been broken open and the greater part
of the valuabes plundered and removed by the ma
RAIDERS. On reaching the house, they found evident
confirmation Of the tale, although there some
discrepancy between our hero's account of the CIR
cumstances snd the situation in which doors
and windows were found. No trace was ever disco
mains shrewded in as much mystery as on the morn
ing after is occurrence
About nine years ago he first aspired 10 the charac-
ter OF a public man, with the view of doing the state
some service. In Mr.. Adams administration he ac-
companied General Harrison, as secretary Of Lega-
tion in that gentleman. mission to Bogota, and re-
turned home with him. year two ago, he effected
some purchases of land in Hamilton county in this
state, and made his debut in Wall street as a fnan-
cer but the latter speculation very unfortunate
one, and the future general cid net his re-
treat but in the situation Of the simple reynard who
broke loose from the trap at The expense Of the bushy
honors Of his tail.
Our hero next tried his hand al newspaper publish
ing, and exchanged his lands in Hamilton county,
with some additional msnled consideration, for the
propreiorshp Of the Albany Daily Advertiser, which
is still published under his auspices.
Such are the principal ncidents OF hs career, pre-
vous TO the last and most glorious one when he set
out on his crusade against the grinding tyranny and
oppression Of the British IN Upper Canada. Like
Don Quixo,e he sailed forth 10 redress injuries, and
support the weak and in this design
"sr Knigh, resolved 10 quit his dwelling,
Ard forth he rode
tN. aho,,, al al rdo NJ he