Butte record., 1854-03-04
Washington.

His mind " as great and powerful,
without being of the very first order; his
penetration strong, though not so acute
as that OF Newton, Bacon, or Locke !;
as far as he saw, no Judgment was ever
sounder. 1t was slow in operation, be-
ing little aided by invention or imagin>
alton, but sure in conclusion. Hence
the common remark OF his officers, of
the advantage he derived from councils
of war, where, hearing all suggestions,
he selected whatever was best and cer-
tainly no general ever planned his bat
ties more judiciously. But if deranged
during the course of the action, If any
member of his plan was dislocated by
sudden circumstances, he was slow in
re-adjustment The consequence was,
that he often failed in the field, and rare
" against an enemy in the station, as
at Boston and York. He was incapa-
bic of fear, meeting personal danger
with the calmest unconcern. Perhaps
the strongest feature in his character
was prudence, never acting until every
circumstance, every consideration, was
maturely weighed; refraining if he SO W
doubt, but when once decided, going
through with his purpose, whatever OBJ
stacle opposed. His integrity was
most pure, his justice the most inhexi-
bic | have ever known no motives of
interest or consanouinity, of friendship
or hatred, being able to bias his dicision.
He was, indeed, in every sense of the
word, wise, good, and a great man.
His temper was naturally irritable and
high>toned; but reflection and resolu-
ton had obtained firm and habitual
ascendancy over it. If ever, however,
it broke its bounds, he was most tre-
mendous in his wrath. In bis expei
tscs he was honorable, but exact; liberal
in contributions TO whatever promi es
utility but frowning ana unyielding on
all visionary projects, and all unwor.
thy calls on his charity. His heart was
mot warm in its affections; but be exact
X calculated every mans value, and
gave him solid esteem propol toned >fo
it. Ms person, you know, was>fne,
his stature exactly what one would
wish; his department easy erect and no.
| bic, the best horseman of his age, and
the most graceful figure that could be
seen on horseback.
Although in the circle OF his friends,
when he might be unreserved with safety,
he took free share in conversation. his
colloquial talents were not above medi-
ocrity, possessing neither copiousness OF
ideas fuency Of words. In public, when
called on for sudden opinion, he was
unready, short, and embarrassed. Yet
he wrote readily, rather difusely, in an
easy and correct style This he had
acquired by conversation with the world,
for his education was merely reading,
writing, and common arithmetic, to
which he added surveying at latter
day. His time was employed in action
chiefly, reading little. and that only in
agriculture and English history His
/ correspondence OSCdllc HtCSScdIlf tx
tensive, and with journalizing his agri-
cultural proceedings, occupied most OF
his leisure hours within doors. On the
whole, his character was, in It's mass,
perfect, in nothing bad, in few points
Indifferent; and it may truly be said,
that never did nature and fortune CON-
bine more completely to make man
great, and to place him In the same
constellation with whatever worthless
have merited from man an everlasting
remembrance. For this was the sin.
gular destiny and merit of leading the
armies of his country successfully throu'
an arduous war, for the establishment OF
its independence of conducting Its
councils through the birth of govern
ment, 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 military. Of which
the history of the world furnishes no
other example.-Jtferson.