The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-02-22
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rience IN my own eyes, perhaps still more in the ewes
OF oherS has strengthened the motives to diidence
of myself
If it be possible to find a man among those whom
he esteemed, capable of Offering to him such a pres
eht IL Is impossible to believe that President Wash
in@ton was the man to whom such present would
nave been acceptable. They who knew President
W Washington, and his various endowments oualifica-
tons, and virtues, know that, aggregately consid-
cred, they formed 'tout ensemble" which hos
rarely been equalled, and perhaps never exceled.
mus much for presumptive evidence. will now
turn your attention to some that is direct.
The history (if it may be called) of the address
Is not unknown to me- but as | came to the knowl-
edge OF 1t under implied confidence | doubted when
hrst received your letter, whether | ought to dis
close II. On more mature reflection, became con-
VInced that if President Washington was now alive
ana informed of the facts in question: he would not
only authorize, but also desire me to reduce il to
Wrlung; that when necessary, it might be used to
nvalldate the imputations to which those facts
give color. This consideration terminated my doubts
90 not think that disclosure is necessary at this
moment, but | fear such a moment will arrive
whether shall then be alive, in capacity to give
testimony, Is so uncertain, that in order to avoid the
rlsk OF either, shall reduce it to writing and
commit 1t to your care and discretion, "de bene
esse,' as the lawyers say.
Some time before the address appeared, Colonel
Aafterward Genera) Hamilton informed me, That lac
mad received letter from President Washington,
and with it the draugh of farewell address, lchich
the president had prepaed and ,chich he requested
arr opinion. lie then proposed that we should fix
on day-tOr an interview at my house on the sub
Ject. day was accordingly appointed. On that
DAY Colonel Hamilton attended He observed to me,
III words to this effect-that, after having read and
examined the draught, it appeared to him to be
ceptbe OF improvement-that he thought the ca
slest ana best way to leave the draught untouch
ed and IN Its fair state; and to write the Uhoe Deer
c1M such amendments, alterations, and corrections
ne M0"9ht aeere advisable; and that he had done
lie then proposed to read it, and to make it the sub
Ject OF our consideration. This being agreed to- he
fead 1t; and we proceeded deliberately to discuss
ana consider it, paragraph by paragraph, until the
whole met with our mutual appreciation:
amendments were made during the interview, but
none OF much Importance. Although this business
had not been hastily despatched, yet, Of the
consequence of such paper, suggested the giving
II d turther critical examinations but he declined it,
saying that he was pressed for time, and was anx-
os TO return the draught to the president without
delay 1t atterward occurred to me, that certain
proposition was expressed in terms too general and
unqualified, and limited it in letter to the presi-
dent.
As the business took the course above mentioned,
recurrence to the draught was unnecessary and it
was not read. There was this advantage in the
course pursued-the presidents draught remained
(as decacy required) fair, and not obscured by in
terlineations, &c. BY comparing it with the paper
sent with it, he would immediately observe the par
tcular emendations md corrections that were pro
posed; and would find them standing in their intend
ed places Hence he was enabled to review and to
decide on the whole matter, with much greater
clearness and facility than if he had received them
in separate and detached notes, and with detailed
references to the pages and lines, where they were
advised to be introduced
With great esteem and regard
| am, dear sir,
Your obedient servant,
JOHN JAY.
1t will be perceived from these extracts, that Mr.
Jay, who had lived onterms of the utmost intimacy
with both Gen. Washington and Mr.. Hamilton ne
Vcr received from other intmatiOn that the
work was not substantially that of Washington-or
that the part taken in it by Hamilton was any thing
beyond the making of those amendments, alterations
and corrections, which latter considered advisa
ble To what extent these amendments &C. went,
does not appear by Mr. Jays statement for he ad-
mits that the draught f Gen. Washington was not
compared with Hamilton's. But Hamilton in a con
fdential interview with his friend Mr.. Jay, would
not have been likely, think, to state that he had
merely altered, amended and corrected paper, when
in fact, he had written new one wholly different
from the draught submitted to him, which he had
thrown aside as unworthy.
But, aside from Mr.. Jays testimony, there is
another circumstance OF a cha.a actcr unequivoca
as to prove beyond all reasonable doubt, that the
composition of the paper was in fact, the work OF
Gen. Washington. The first publication of the ad-
dress was made it is well known, in Claypoole's
Gazette in Philadelphia. The manuscript from
which it was printed all in the handwriting of
Gen Washington-not a fair copy transcribed for
the press-but paper which had undergone nu-
merous erasures, corrections and interlineations-
If we are not mistaken, these corrections occur in
every part of the composition and are all in Gen.
Washingtons hand writing. This manuscript was
carefully preserved by Mr.. Caypoole and after his
death was sold to James Lennox, of New York, who
owns the invaluable relic. Now, it is not to be
draught of Gen. Hamilton, he would have copied it
in his own hand, merely for the purpose of interim
ing and correcting it, so to impose upon printer.
The more natural and reasonable supposition is
that he retained copy of the draught he had to
Hamilton-that, upon receiving Hamilton draught,
with the alterations, amendments and corrections.
he adopted and inserted them so far as they met his
approval and that thus far, and farther the work
was Hamton's. Why General Hamilton should
have among his papers a copy in his own hand writ
ing, and why duplicate of it, in his handwriting,
should be in the hands of another person, is not
now, perhaps, susceptible Unsatisfactory explanation
but these two facts furnish but slender reasons for
denying to the foremost man of the world the merit
of work to which Mr. Jay, one of the most intimate
of his friends, and acknowledged to be a competent
Judge, pronOunces him altogether equal and which
is in all respects fit typeand representative of the
unequalled grandeur of his character and patriotism