New-York tribune., 1903-03-28
ILEXANDER HAMILTON.
lrLeanings from His Correspondence

Mrs Atferton has followed up her West Indian
researches into Hamilton's origin and early hfe
to GOOD purpose She has unQuestionaoy proved
the main facts concerning this per1oo' on "h'Cn
her romance ''Tne ConQueror" was founoeo' ano
finally set at rest the questions OF fafnlly HE
tory about which Hamilton's biograpners nave
haen either uncertai- or Intentionally vague. In
this volume are given transcripts or recoruS "a
st croix telling Of the divorce OF John Michaei
Iev1ns from Rachael Levine, in 1913. two years
after her son Alexander Hamiltons birth. Sne
hs5 left Levine several years before ana "a3
living alone with her mother, Mrs Mary d."
cett at St Kits in II56. according TO the rec-
o-ds of that island. She died at tnlrty-I"o ~
fT6S according to the burial registry Oh 2.
Iohn's Episcopal Church in Christianspeo' dliU
she could have been little more than sixteen
when she WAS married TO Levine who, IN ASK
ing for divorce made no allegation against neI
.vcAn4 that she had ''absented hersen 1rol1
bt-n-Mrs Atherton says because OF III trea'-
,,ert She had a son, Peter Levine IN whose
hehslt as her "cnIy lawfully begotten son. liis
father brought a successful suit lot Het pr
.-+y arter her death though she had left II 10
her sons Alexander and James HannlitoL.
Levine died in South Car5ina ABOUT 1I0-' 1''U
rIa-,fY,on smoke of him as his halfbrotner IN q
- 80 c,a,or.I Greene James Hamilton, the
Gather of Alexander. early failed IN business O. O
n-,-5s and St Croix left his children anu INCL
-.+h.- with relatives, and went to ST. Vincent
ha-s he died in 1899. Alexander hao I'LL -
o,,ent but affectionate corTespolue0 -.
him and with his brother James.
o-ir5n while irregular, seems to nave peH
serded in the West Indies as respeo'0 -
1,orcs in that day was rare ana e@peA0' ~
9|oS.oI levine however good her reason 1oF re-
rao-,o Io - 80 mothers home, had no grouno
for proceeding in law, as 1t then S'Oot, o-;,-
TO the subsequent uhlon
ion was not severe. r,t- MAS
r-ts account Of the hurricane at ot' CLo41 ,,.
,,I,en IN q private letter written pS ,aI
= b;s father which was consloefeo ~ -
.sgas 81 interesting that IT was pIlil%'eu % - -
Do Oanisb-American Gazette ol I'm -.
sted II has long been the Iraoi'ioA- -, Of
os.,o+ton convinced Hamilton's rela1i'es %
proU - - Iad them to send him to New
~ :, <a ~, education but Il has no" iol 'iie
- 80 been dug out of ancient Mes - -
~, Ice, g description of the hurricane t.io- -
.oI,1couv on his own emotions OF A" oeeor+ -
"a .ha catastrophe written with d poS i0'- ,,oa
e+ eyphteenth century rhetoric ou1 IN ,ota,+y
q, h,,+s of that power, directness anu a.
Itch sfterward characterized hlIi'
rnecimen CT this curious piece o5
=. heran about dusk, at norm. "ens1ed a
- T-toIen+Iv till 10 o'clock 1hen Gosted
very 80 TnexDected interval, Wnlch hSft-
IIS,t on hour Meanwhile the wiz Ir " Iyhance
IN ne5
Ing rouno " 1;th TedoubIed fury and conuGuS5GI a5I
- tf near o'clock in the morning. I-nnossibIe
what horror and destructloltm to to-,, anv idea Of
g. +ne 70 describe-or you TO 1ortI ao - narure
Lof ne a-e6 ~ as If the total dissolution Oh 10 6
- takInz place. The roaring oL IL 1.-THE
wind-nery meteors hying aepue noTnetuaI Hghtring
the lash o< the falling houses-ano .UF7cieUt
niercing shrieks OF the distresseoi; ereat part
- rt-it<e aetonishYnent into Angels- "A go 80
tha huTIdIngs throughout tne ISIaIIo ISt -
Ireiiad 70 the ground--almost al! tne ad
rlocn 81 sit tterSI- rIIined-xhole families running
shnTt the streets unknowing WHete ~ Zen
Mace OF sheIter-the sick e1poseu ~ - LII lie Mnon
ness Of water and air-Ufthout oec " 70 nc to-borr
- drv covering to their bodes-ouI MAJ -, TVts -
;S entirely bare. In word, misery III o MLoIs
@ most a Ei4 tSe coIntry-A strong smell OF gun
nowder added somewhat TO tne YER eL o,o was
night; and IT was observed tnat ma. ~. t so hrack-
sI1nrisingly salt. Indeed, the water Is 80 VI IN,
ssh and full Of sulphur that there Is mar oily
drinking IT. <,,. m this friehtful
and melancholy occasion are SET foF'n III A'
lowing self-Giscourse: Ill 4L,, hoaeted
where now, OH vile worm! is an tny n oooS -
fortitude and resolution? What is pgconis 80 %
tbv srroRance and self-suficiency ?-Why o4SI
thou trernble and stand aghast? how nullluIe m @
how belpless-how contemptlpie you no" 1 Ip
go And for why? The Earring OF the ele
ppent.-the dfscord Of clouds? Oh! impotent,
presunptuous fool How darest thou oaeno ao. tn4 a.
orongncfence whose nod alone were suInclehI 70
1ueI the destruction that hovers over tnee, of
crush thee into atoms? See thy WretcnTo, neib -
less state and learn TO know tlS sen; 80 -
know thy best support DesplSe II! !%I1.iS,
adore thy God. How sweet-hoW u@ unutIeraoLy @
rveet-vere now the voice OF an approving Gor,
ecjence-tnen could'st thou saS-hence ge luIe
sierrs-vhy do I shrink? What have 10 rear
A nIesstne calm suspense? A short Fepose from
calamity TO end in eternal bliss! Lex one ed y.
renG let The planets forsake their course-let
the run be extinguished. and the heavens ourst
ssurder-yet what have 1 to dreaoI my staiI
csu never be broken-in oTnnlpotence uusl
The rest Of this volume is composed Of letters.
NoIAOff0nS-
selected with a view to presenting Hamilton as
the man. the friend and the lover Excepting
those to his wife, no letters written IN the latter
.,,4,x ara extant Instead Of concluding
that aside from the we'll known Reynolds analr
8ar7iton's domestic relations were creditaole-
the letters to his wife through all their years to-
getner show happiness and deyotion-Mrs- Ather-
toms instinct for the anours she WeaVes ABOUT
her Hamilton OF romance leads her TO specuIate'
..Perbaps he never wrote any. When a man has
the brain thoroughly to appreciate his weakness
for woman ne is often very careful OF himsen
on paper And HamiIton's short life was a phe-
ronenany busy one. 1t is q wonder he ever
found time to make love; inditing OF his senu-
uents must surely have seemed superhuous
But his annual receipts must have been heavy"
These letters have & surprisingly modern tone
For style and life they might have been written
yesterday, and all through them are touches
which account for the enthusiastic devotion
which ne inspired. With the greatest and most
precocIous mind In America he combined a boy
sb irnpuls!veness. playfulness and frank warmth
Of snectio, which must have been irresistible
to those who came at all under his spell. Writ
Ing to Laurens OF the capture OF andre. he ends
up with the pretty compliment: II congratulate
nv friend on our happy escape from the mis-
chiefs with which this treason was big. It is
new comment on the value Of an honest man,