New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-15

foresee in that line. Aroth.r Of my rishes IS 70
dep,nd as hti, as possible on The labor Of SLAVES.
BE refers to several projects having been brought
into bi, mind by the difficulty of reccuciling these
views but Of tie nature Of These P-oject' We are
| not informed. Meanwhile, however, be was cho-
cen TO represent the County Of Orange IN the State
| Legislature, whether tins time without treating
| does not sppesr.
Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee were both
members of that body, ard leaders IN it, bat Mr.
Madison at or e took prominent part IN its pro-
| ceedings and deliberations. He WAS made Chair
| man OF the Committee on Commerce, and IN that
capacity renewed the attempt, often before tried IN
Virginia to build up commercial centers BY re-
strictiDg foreign trade to few ports. The desire
siectusly to maintain these restrictions so lar
as the Potomac was concerned, led him 70 propose
taat conference on tie subject with the State of
Maryland, " bich was the iucpeat step toward the
meeting Of the Convection which framed the
Federal Constitution.
HIS great achievement however, was the carry
| ing out. so far as Virginia was concerned, of his
favorte idea Of tie complete divorce of State and
| Church. Tie plan had been started and WAS
favored by many Influential citizens, Of oblging
oil to contribute, 10 the extent Of moderate tax
10 the suppor: Of some form of Chr,tian worship.
bill to this feet was carried 10 third reading
by decisive vote But Mr. Madison, who had
warmly opposed it, procured delsy in its pas
sage for the purpose of obtaining, in the form Of
petitions, the sense Of the people upon it, He
crew Up memorial and remembrance, which WAS
scattered through the State. and so extensively
signed IS to cause tie bill to be abandoned
Ills at this point of Mr.. Msdsons life that the
first volume of Mr. Rlves's work terminates.
This work, though executed with great conscien-
tousness and in very good spirit, will dsappoint,
We fear, some of the expectations formed of it.
OF Mr Madison personally and apart from his
public career, it gives very few details. Though
tie author speaks in his preface Of " valuable and
autht mite materials recently come into his hands by
q public charge oufded to him., and Of Others
placed at bis disposal BY private courtesy" this
volume gives but few indications OF having been
derived from such sources 1t contains only few
letters not before published and those of very little
interest or value either in historical or biOgrsph
cal point Of view. While very defective IS a
biography, to a considerable degree perhaps un-
ayodably SO, from lack of material and the ns
twe of the subject it has no pretensions TO the
character Of history, either general history of
the Revolution or of the share Of Virginia in it
The very large proportion OF the volume devoted
TO the proceedings of the Continental Congress,
while Mr. Madison was a member of it, is very
fragmentary, and can hardly aspire to be called
history even of that body. 1t might with more
propriety be described as commentary on the
journals. We hope to find in the subsequent vol
umes more evidence of the possession Of unpub
shed materials, and greater degree Of artistic
skil in the use of those that are already in print