Litchfield enquirer., 1846-10-08

lions on proposed SUBJECTS, legal, phIlosophl-
cal and political. Trumbull, though full
ly en- dyed in the dui les OF his pro-
feSSIon, was one Of IFS most &C live member
The fate of the revolutionary war being now e.
ven'uallv decided by the capture of Lord Corn.
wallis and his army, the friends of the author
urged him to complete the poem of MFingal :,
and having obtained his promise, Immediately
put into circulation subscription for the
work. Thus situated, he employ cd his leisure
hours in revising the first half of the poem,
which he divided into two cantos, and in COM
posing the last The whole was 6nished, and
the first edition published at Hartford, before
the close of the year 1882 As no author, al
that period, was entitled by law to the copy
right of his productions, the work soon bee alne
the prey of every bookseller and printer, who
chose to appropriate it to his own benefit. A
mong more than thirty different impressions,
one ONLY, at any subsequent time, was publish
ed with the permission, or even the knowledge
of the writer; and the poem remained the
property OF newsmongers, hawkers, pedlars
and petty chapmen.
After the peace in 1888, the United States
were left without any efficient government,
and connected only by the Articles of Confed-
Grafton. Each State was an independent SOW
ereignty and pursued its own separte plans of
were every where unpopular, on account of
the extra pay fo' five years, granted them by
Congress in in lieu of half pay for life, which
was first stipulated Their remaining in COM
blnation by forming the society Of the Cincin-
natl was also subject of general jealousy and
Glamour A large addition to the national
debt arose from the unpaid arrears of the army.
and the sums promised to the soldiers, as a
compensation for payments in deprecated ills,
and as a douceur, to persuade them to retire
peaceably to their homes, on being disbanded
at the close of the war. The country was
greatly impoverished and almost every ind-
vidual believed, that he had already paid and
suffered more than his just proportion of tie
public expense.
Ir Connecticut, mo5s were raised to pre-.
vent the otficers,from receiving their certiicstrs
for the FIVE years pay. seif-constituted Con.
vention assembled to second the views Of the
populace, and for that purpose, TO effect revo.
luton in the State, and fill every Office with
the leaders Of dsorganization. Had not the
instruction of Shays, in Massachusetts,. been
speedily crushed the eastern States would
have become a scene of anarchy and con-
fusion. A considerable proportion Of III"
people of Connecticut were prepared to join in
general opposition to government, and in
volve the country in the horrors Of civil war
The friends of order, justice anu regular au
thority, endeavoured to counterfeit this spirit
by every effort in their poverty remonstrance,
Argument, rdicule and satire. Among other
occasional productions, course of essays was
published under the signature of Lycurgus, in
strain of ironical humour, exposing TO con-
tempt the principles and views of the jacobni.
cal party.
The public in time became sensible of
the want OF general and efficient governu enl;
and the contest happily in the adoption of the
federal constitution. During most of this Pc
riod, several Of the principal literary charac-
tiers of the State were resident in Hartford
and gave to the friends of order whatever as
sisance could De Afforded by their publications
| The principal work they produced was set o
/ essays, entitled American Antiquities, first prn
ted in the gazc,tes in Hartford and New Ha
ven, and reprinted in other newspapers, in al
most every part the United States. Al thi.
lime public curiosity had been awakened b.,
the discovery of ancient Indian foriticatior
with other relics, which were considered as
proofs, that this country had once been nhab-
tied by people highly advanced in the arts Of
civilized life. TIE story OF the emigration of
Madoc, with a body OF Britons and Wclch, a
bout the year 500, and of an existing tribe OF
their descendants in the interior part Of the
continent, was revived and circulated These
writers assumed the fiction, that in digging a.
mong the ruins OF one Of those forts, an ancient
heroic poem in the Easiish language was found
The essaye consisted Of supposed extracts from
tilut pOCHis WHY u olNltuS hC |NIulN
ad } accompanied with critical remarks il
prose. Colonel Humphreys, who had seen In
| England d similar work, called the Rulliad, as
cribed TO Fox, Sheridan and their associates
was the first proposrr of the design. Most Of
the essays were written in concert. The VIII
tiers were Humphreys, Barlow, Doctor Lemuel
Hopkins, aud our author. The publications OF
these gentlemen were supposed, at the time, to
have had ,nsdprable influence on the public
Taste aud opinions; and BY the boldness OF
their satire, TO have checked aud lnllmida'c cd
the leaders o. dsorganzaion ard intdel phi
Iosophy.
After the adoption of'he federal constitution
Trumbul was first called forth to act in a pub
lie capacity. In 1851, he was appointed Attor
ney TO the State for the county Of Hartford II
MAY 1852, he was representative of the icwT
Of Hartford in the State legislature, where he
took an active and influential part in their de-
bates and deliberations; particularly in obtain
ing an enlargement Of the funds, and an a'ter@-