Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-10-29
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER
COL. BENToN's HISTORY.


1t is due to Col. BENTON to place before our
readers the subjoined PREDATORY statement Of the
plan and scope of the interesting historical work he
Is preparing and his motives for undertaking it. We
copy it from the Egening Post, which adds the in
formation that the Messrs Appleton, who are to
publish the work, have commenced printing IT, and
that it viii progress with all convenient speed, and
that the first volume may be expected to appear
early next year, printed in large octave double
column
PREFACE
MoTIvEs FOR WRITING THIS WORK.
Justice the with whom acted and to the cause
IN which engaged, is my chief motive for ensag
ing in this work secondary motive is the hope Of
being useful republican form of government in af
ter ages, by showing its working through long and
eyentfu period working well all the time, and thereby
Justyng the hope of its permanent good operatonn all
time come, if maintained in its purity and integrity
Justice the wise and patriotic who established our
independence and founded this Government is another
motive with me. i do not know how young | was when
first read in the speeches of Lord Chatham the enco
MUM which he pronounced in the House of Lords on
these founders of Republic but it sunk deep into my
memory the time, and, what is more, won't deep into
the heart aud has remained there since 'sWhen
your lordships look at the papers transmitted from
America when you consider their decsncy frmness,
and wisdom you cannot but respect their cause and
wish TO make it your own. For myself must declare
and ayow that in all my reading and obscrvatonand
1T has been my favorte study have read Thucydides
and have studied and admired the master States Of the
woldthat for solidy of reasoning force Of sagacity
and wisdom Of conclusion under such complication of
difficult circumstances nation body of men can
stand in preference the General Congress at Philade
'phia." This encomium, just and grand, SO grave
and measured and the impressive account of
its gravity and measure pronounced in the early part
OF revolutionary struggle in its first stage and before
long succession of GROWING had convert
it into history and to show Of how much those
were capable than they had then done. If the great
William pitt-greater under that than under the
title he long refuscdhad lived in this day had lived
to these making themselves exceptions to the
maxim Of the world and finishing the revolution which
they began them found government and ad-
minister il in their day and generation, and until gath
cred to their fathers" and oil with the wisdom,
justice moderation and decorum with which they began
1T if lie had lived to have al this his lofty
genius might have recoed from the task Of doing them
justice and may add from the task Of doing justice to
the people who sustained such Euogy is not my
task but gratitude and veneraon is the debt Of my birth
and inleg and Of the benefits which have enjoyed
from their abors and have proposed to acknowledge
this debtto discharge it is impossible-in laborng
preserve their work during my day, and in COM
mendng it, by the fruits it has borne the love and
81 posterity Another motive, hardly entitled to
the dignity cf being named has its weight with me- and
belongs 70 the rights Of " sclfdefence" have made
great any speeches. and have apprehension that they
may BE published after | am gone-published il the
gross, without due observation-disclosures preserve
perpetuate things sad both Of and measures, which
longer approve and would wish leave oblivion.
BY making selections of suitable parts Of these speeches
and wearing them into this work. may hope to prevent
r,,lf;c b,rp, IL
But Do not condemn all that leave out
2.-QUALaFIcATIoNs FOR THE WORK.
OF these have one, admitted by all to be consdera-
bic, but ~ enough Of itself. Mr.. Macaulay
Gays Of Fox aud Macintosh speaking Of their histories
Of the last Of the Stuarts and of the Revolution Of 1858
They had eminent qualification for writing history
they had spoken history, acted history, lived history.
eThe turns Of political fortune the ebb and ow OF popu
lar feeling the hidden mechanism by which parties
moved al these things the subject Of their
thought and Of their most familiar conversation. Glib
bonLas remarked that his history is much the better FOL
his having been officer in the militia and member
the House Of Commons The remark is most just. We
shave the smallest doubt that his campaigns though
che never saw enemy and lis parliamentary attend
sncc, though he made speech were OF far
him than years of retirement and study would have
been II the time that he spent parade and ut
in pshire the Treasury bench and Brooke
during the which overthrow Lord North AMI Lord
Sheburne, had been passed in the Dodeian Library
might have avoided inaccuracies; he might have
enriched his with greater number Of references
but lie could have produced lively picture
the court the camp and the senatehouse. In this
spect Mr. Fox and Sir James Macintosh had great ad
vantages almost every English historian since tn
time o. Barnett" / say | have these advantages
was ia The Senate the whole time OF which wrte-al
active business member attending and attentye in tn
confidence ,of half the Administrations, and close ob
Of the others had inside view of transaction
Of which the public only the outside and Of many
which tic two sides very different the
springs and hidden machinery by which and partie
70 be moved and measures promoted thwarted
patriotism and ambition their respective labors
and generally able to discriminate between them
80 far, have qualification but Mr. Macaulay say.
that Lord Lytleton had the same and made but poo
history because unable TO his material 50 il ma,
be with me; but, in addition my Senatorial means
knowledge, have to the unpublished papers
General Jackson and End among them some that he in
tended for publication and which will be used according
TO his intention.
3.-THE SCOPE OF TIE WORK
10 not propose a regular history but political work
to show the practical working Of the Government anC
and 10 illustrate the character Of institutions which arr
new and cOmplex-the first Of their kind and upon tn
fate OF which the eyes Of the world now fixed GU
duplicate form Of Government State and Federal is
novelty which has no precedent and has found no prac