Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1844-01-24

, obstacles opposed. His integrity wa
. most pure, his justice the most iniexibl'
have ever known, no motives of iuteres
> or censanguinity. Of friendship or haired
being able to bias his decision. He was
indeed, in every sense of the words, &
wise, good, and great man. His tenn
per was naturally irritable and high ton
ed; but reflection and resolution had OBJ
tanned a firm and habitual ascendancy
over it. If ever, however, it broke IT'D
bonds, he was most tremendous in his
! wrath. 10 his expenses he was honora'
bic, but exact; liberal IN contributions to
whatever promised utility; but frowning
and unyielding on all visionary projects
and all unworthy calls on his Charity
His heart was not warm in its affections;
but he exactly calculated every mans
value, and gave him a solid esteem pro.
portioned to it. His person, you know,
was fine, his stature, exactly what one
would wish, his department easy, erect,
and noble; the best horseman Of his age,
and the most graceful figure that could
be seen on horseback. Although in the
circle Of his friends, where he might be
unreserved with safety, he took free
share In conversation, his colloquial tai
ents were not above mediocrity, possess
ing neither copiousness of ideas, nor flu
ency ofwords. In public, when called
on for sudden opinion, he was unready,
short, and embarrassed. Yet he wrote
readily, rather diffusely, 10 an easy and
correct style. This he had acquired by
conversation with the world, for his edu-
cation was merely reading, writing. aud
common arithmetic, to which he added
surveying at later day. His time was
employed in action chiefly, reading little,
and that only in agriculture and English
history. His correspondence became
necessarily extensive, and, with journal
izing his agricultural proceedings, occu-
pied most of his leisure hours within
doors. On the whole, his character was,
in its mass, perfect, in nothing bad, in few
points Indifferent; and it may be truly
said, tina! never did nature and fortune
combine more perfectly 10 make a man
great, and to place HIM in the same con-
stellation with whatever worthless have
merited from man an everlasting rerse--
hrance. t. h:-@s-....S singular destiny
and merit, of leading the armies of his
country successfully through an arduous
war, for the establishment of its independ-
ence; of conducting its councils through
the birth of government, new in its
forms and principles, until it had settled
down into quiet and orderly train; and
of scrupulously obeying the laws through
the whole Of his career, civil and militia
ry, ofwhich the history of the world fur
nishes no other example.
How, then, can it be perilous for you
to take such man on your shoulders?-
am satisfied the great body of republi-
cans think of him as I do. We were,
indeed, dissatisfied with him on his ratiti-
cation ofthe British treaty. But this was
short-lived. We knew his honesty, the
wiles with which he was encompassed,
and that age had already begun to relax
the firmness of his purposes and l am
convinced he is more deeply seated in the
love and gratltnde Of republicans, than in
Pharasaical homage of the federal mon
archists. For he was no monarchist
from preference of his judgment. The
soundness of that gave him correct views
of the rights of man, and his severe jus.
lice devoted him to them. He has olien
declared to me that he considered our
new constitution as an experiment on the |
practicaDility Of republican government,
and with what dose of liberty man could
be trusted for his own good that he was
determined the experiment: should have a |
fair trial, and would lose the last drop of
his blood in support of it. And these dec
Iarations he repeated to me the oftener
and the more pointedly, because he knew
my suspicious of Col. Hamilton's views,
and probably had heard from him the
same declarations which l had, to wit,
that the British constitution, with its un.
equal representation, corruption, and 9TH
err existing abuses, was the most perfect
which had ever been estab-
lIshed on earth, and that reformation of
these abuses would make il an inpractic-
able government I do believe that Gen.
oral Washington had not firm conf.
1ence in the durability of our govern
ment. He was naturally distrustfuI Of
men, and inclined to gloomy apprehen-
sions and | was ever persuaded that a
belief that we mus. at length end in
like British constitution, had
some weight in his adoption of the cere-
monies Of levees, birthdays, pompous
meetings with Congress, and other forms
If the same character, calculated to pre-
rare US gradually for change which he
believed possible, and to let it come on
With as little shock as might be 10 the
public mind. (,
These are my opinions of Gen. Wash
ngton, which l would vouch at the judg.
nenl seat of God, having been formed on
10 acquaintance ofthirty years. / serv.