New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-22

nj 2
er W7tb on frd Int Same by archer Butler
PIP. "a The Century Company.
wAsHIEGToN n the JhunlSnan Series With
century Company. pp' - Inc
The diary Of George washfncton,s horseback
trip from Mount Vernon to the Ohio Rasfn
which he made in the early fan of 17Ss. is care
fully preserved in the archives Of the Con-
OCCASIONAL Library. and is not unknown to his
-o-ians Mr. Hubert has himself referred to it
I'D quoted from it at length in his Historic
Ei-hways Of America: but this is the first time
that the contents Of the notebook. finely written
IN Washington's neat script, have ever been
printed in their entirety. AS a literary produc-
-fo0 II naturally makes no claim TO cur admira-
tsn- although. as the original publication of OBJ
se-vatons OF travel however personal and unpre-
teatious. made by our first President it would
merit more than passing attention The trip
vas taken avowedIy and apparently primarily
rs Washington for the purpose of looking after
lis personal interests in the region which he
visited. We have this on his own authority, as
ST forth in the opening paragraph:
I54rt8g found it in & necessay to visit
-a51s, and especially part of il which
hold II Cc-Qartnershp with Mr.. Gilbert Simpson,
Having determined upon tour into that Country,
and having made TIE necessary PFepaTations for
t=-) set o1t OF ny journey
upon with so much precision Of statement was
as precisely attended TO; and those who are
interested IN whatever pertains to the personal
affairs Of great men may read the minute de-
tails Of the authors journey and of the
measures he adopted to protect his property and
claims, Were it not that there is such a mass
Ct WashingtOl's private correspondence and
business papers available for the perusaI Of the
general reader these details would be more
ia
careful manner in which he Looked after his
PERSONAL fortune. thus enabling him to devote
his great abilities TO the service Of his country
without payment, however inadequate. for his
services
While. however. he never loses sight Of the
prime object Of lis expedition we soon see that
he had another and dominating reason for it
THIS crops up On the third day, in this entry:
ore object Of my Journey being to obtain infor-
nation OF he nearest & best communication be
wen the Eastern & Western WaceTs. and to
r--- u ne P5-onak. co2versed q good deal with
GEM Morgan On this subject
From this time on the question OF opening up
@ means Of communication by water between
he West and the East for the purpose Of afford
i2g an outlet for the products Of the trans-Ap-
7a-achian settlers TO the seaboard, Of faciIitat
inz emigration TO the Western country and Of |
firmly establishing for al time a commercial
union between the two sections, founded on
community Of interests absorbs more and more
Of his attention The diary takes on itself more
and more the Importance, if not the dignity Of
& state paper, and the purpose and significance
OF its present publication become apparent
With the exact details Of the plans Washington
had Il view We need not here concern ourselves /
They were painstakingly worked out according
10 the available, If scanty, information with
which he could supplement the result Of his own
observations. but they were never effectively
put into operation. It was left for the railroads
70 solve the problem that the slowly and pain
fully constructed Baltimore and Ohio Canal and
Washington's Potomac Company were too diIa-
tory and incompetent to handle
The real importance, then, Of the diary is IN
the light il throws on WashigtOn's least known
side rs Professor Manchester has expressed II, /
the unknown Washington, not Washington
the general and the President-but Washington
Tie man He appears IN these pages as Amer
ica's first exRansionist, not" in the words OF
MI Hubert ''for expansions sake, but for
country's sake and dUty's-" And this he would
rot have been had he not also been gifted with a
clear farseeing vision into the future, true
r7-ophet Of events rnouder Of nations des-
+friss In the thoughtful and exhaustive COM
7,a-4a-v which Mr. Hubert has written on the
Diary he points out with discriminating en-
-,hasis he manner in which Washington toreSaW
-,,7e-p and wherein Americas greatness was 10