Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1849-01-23
THE CHARACTER OF AARON BURR,

II Bennerhassett, had been the only
person ruined By Burr, in the prossecu-
ton Of his enterprises, charity would sug-
gest burial Of our remembrance Of the
exiIe's dessoIation. But the victims Of
Burr are to be numbered by hundre .--
The base and the peaks Of society, alike,
show the scathng marks Of his fiery Wis
ilution.
lie cherished no rriendship:--he re-
turned unhoncrcd the drafts Of gratitude:
he kindled by the very firesidc of hos
plta'''y, the flame Of lust, and felt little
pleasure IN bidding adieu to the Lares
OF his host until the dearest that flourish
ed in their shadows were sacrifccd.*-
The mans whole being conferred on tho
pivot Of selfshness. But for the afrec-
ton he manifested toward his daughter.
his sole moral merits seem to have been
courage and GOODNESS; and yet, cluster
ing as were the aurcls which they we'd
ded to his brow-his bascr passions so
predominated, that he held it more glor-
Gus to seducc womant than to glitter in
the field Of letters, TO scale the sleeps Of
philosophy, or to wave banner victor-
ously in battle.
Hc coured the man to corrupt his wife
the statesman to profit by his influence
the millionaire to obtain his Money
and the world to crafty his desires-~
lie was the more dangerous from the po:-
session Of an intellect massive, piercing,
brilliant, united to frame at once hand
some and vigorous His mind was BIZ,
the keen and resistless weapon with
| which his passions hewcd way to con-
quest. That weapon was Pro,ean. But
few could escape its everchanging attack.
If the victim came fully under the gaze
Of an eye--whose sharp light resembed
lightning imprisoned and forever playing
IN cloud, black rs night--he was lost
Burr's conversation was irresis,ablv fas-
cinating-for his band swept over every
chord of the human harp. He strcwcd
the rosy path Of the happy with flowers
Of a still brighter hue; he arched The
troubled sky Of the responding with the
rainbow Of hope; he conjured up before
the wrapt vision Of the avaricious, noun
,ains Of gold; and to the aspiring, he
pointed out the shadowy vistas of glory.
Thus he stood, gifted, unprinciplcd, ruth
less and terrible. The want of fortune
alone prevented his presenting in one u-
rid, dreadful and overwhelming mass,
that EVIL which he accomplished but too
successfully in many details. Chance
confined to valleys, comparatively hum
BILE, tempest which only waited for re-
lease to dcvastatc continents.
|. may be asked-''Is not his vallor on
the battle fields Of his country to be re-
membercd? Tho answer must be
"Ycsm That was redeeming trait
No matter from what motive his military
talents were exercised, our land rcaped
some benefit. But there arc many per-
sons who will doubt the real PATRIOTISM Of
one who was 30 ready to forswear,9 who
trampled on SO mach that was sacred, and
who held even his exploits against yran-
ny as less glorious than the moral dcs-
truc,ion Of a human being.
Age is expected to subdue; but with
Burr the winter Of time brought no SHOWS
TO cool the lava Of passion. At (orescore
and six, the crater wore n low as ardent
as at twenty. His faculties Knocked at u
century.
Age should bring the soothing calm Of
religion, 10 enable the barque which has
been tossed by the storms OF Lille, to pre-
pare for u,o.thy entrance into the sea
OF another world. Burr died as he lived.
practically an atheist. Age should bring
respect; Burr died as he had lived, with.
out the regard Of the good. His honry
hairs went down 10 the grave floating on
the breeze Of in fanny
In cunning an lago; in lust Tarquin;
in patience aCutaline; in pleasure Sybu
rite; in gratitude Il Malay, and in ambi-
ton Napoleon, he affords the world an
awful example Of powerful intellect, des-
titute Of virtue. His portrait would fifty
appear in a circle Of Dantc's Inferno
Let no one accuse me of stepping with
unsandalIcd feet through the solemn
vaults Of the sepulchre. AARON BURR be-
longs 10 history. Such ,cas The lot he
chose.
lie scduccd the wife and daughter of the
man who gave him .hc!tcr after the duel with
Hamilton.
Ills own assertion.
He wished TO claim hii right na Briti.!,
subject when in London. Lord Liverpool re-
iccted thu offer with contempt.