station, there can be no doubt he would have been unanimously reelected. His valedictory address to the nation is too well known for comment. His last speech to congress was delivered on the 7th of December, 1796. He returned to mount Vernon to enjoy the pleasures of retirement; but he was not left to perfect repose. No sooner had war with France become probable (1798), than all eyes were directed to him as the person to lead the American army. President Adams nominated him to the chief command of all the land forces, and the senate unanimously confirmed the appointment. He accepted it, asking only not to be called into the field until his presence should be required, and refusing to receive any emoluments annexed to it before he was in a situation to incur expense. The occasion for his services, which was anticipated, did not happen. His devotedness to the cause of his country was not the less appreciated. His public toils were now finished; but the period allowed him for the enjoyment of a private life was short. On Friday, the 13th December, 1799, exposure to rain produced an inflammatory affection of his throat. He expired in the night of Saturday, having been early aware of the certainty of his fate. He manifested an equanimity, in his last moments, suitable to the whole tenor of his life. Funeral honors were paid to him in every part of his country, with the most sincere and impressive manifestations of sorrow. His character is thus drawn by chief justice Marshall: "General Washington was rather above the common size; his frame was robust, and his constitution vigorous, capable of enduring great fatigue, and requiring a considerable degree of exercise for the preservation of his health. His exterior created in the beholder the idea of strength united with manly gracefulness. His manners were rather reserved than free, though they partook nothing of that dryness and sternness which accompany reserve when carried to an extreme; and, on all proper occasions, he could relax sufficiently to show how highly he was gratified by the charms of conversation and the pleasures of society. His person and whole deportment exhibited an unaffected and indescribable dignity, unmingled with haughtiness, of which all who approached him were sensible; and the attachment of those who possessed his friendship, and enjoyed his intimacy, was ardent, but always respectful. His temper was humane, benevolent and concil iatory; but there was a quickness in his sensibility to any thing apparently offensive, which experience had taught him to watch and to correct. In the management of his private affairs, he exhibited an exact, yet liberal economy. His funds were not prodigally wasted on capricious and ill-examined schemes, nor refused to beneficial though costly improvements. They remained, therefore, competent to that expensive establishment which his reputation, added to a hospitable temper, had in some measure imposed upon him, and to those donations which real distress has a right to claim from opulence. He made no pretensions to that vivacity which fascinates, or to that wit which dazzles and frequently imposes on the understanding. More solid than brilliant, judgment rather than genius constituted the most prominent feature of his character. As a military man, he was brave enterprising and cautious. That malignity which has sought to strip him of all the higher qualities of a general, has conceded to him personal courage, and a firmness of resolution which neither dangers nor difficulties could shake. But candor will allow him other great and valuable endowments. If his military course does not abound with splendid achievements, it exhibits a series of judicious measures, adapted to circumstances, which probably saved his country. Placed, without having studied the theory, or been taught in the school of experience the practice of war, at the head of an undisciplined, ill-organized multitude, which was unused to the restraints and unacquainted with the ordinary duties of a camp, without the aid of officers possessing those lights which the commander-inchief was yet to acquire, it would have been a miracle, indeed, had his conduct been absolutely faultless. But, possessing an energetic and distinguishing mind, on which the lessons of experience were never lost, his errors, if he committed any, were quickly repaired; and those measures which the state of things rendered most advisable were seldom, if ever, neglected. Inferior to his adversary in the numbers, in the equipment, and in the discipline of his troops, it is evidence of real merit, that no great and decisive advantages were ever obtained over hin, and the opportunity to strike an important blow never passed away unused. He has been termed the American Fabius; but those who compare his actions with his means, will perceive at least as much of Marcellus as of Fabius in his character. He could not have been more enterprising without endangering the cause he defended, nor have put more to hazard without incurring justly the imputation of rashness. Not relying upon those chances which sometimes give a favorable issue to attempts apparently desperate, his conduct was regulated by calculations made upon the capacities of his army, and the real situation of his country. When called a second time to command the armies of the U. States, a change of circumstances had taken place, and he meditated a corresponding change of conduct. In modelling the army of 1798, he sought for men distinguished for their boldness of execution, not less than for their prudence in council, and contemplated a system of continued attack. "The enemy,' said the general in his private letters, must never be permitted to gain foothold on our shores.' In his civil administration, as in his military career, were exhibited ample and repeated proofs of that practical good sense, of that sound judgment, which is, perhaps, the most rare, and is certainly the most valuable quality of the human mind. Devoting himself to the duties of his station, and pursuing no object distinct from the public good, he was accustomed to contemplate, at a distance, those critical situations in which the U. States might probably be placed, and to digest, before the occasion required action, the line of conduct which it would be proper to observe. Taught to distrust first impressions, he sought to acquire all the information which was attainable, and to hear, without prejudice, all the reasons which could be urged for or against a particular measure. His own judgment was suspended until it became necessary to determine; and his decisions, thus maturely made, were seldom, if ever, to be shaken. His conduct, therefore, was systematic, and the great objects of his administration were steadily pursued. Respecting, as the first magistrate in a free government must ever do, the real and deliberate sentiments of the people, their gusts of passion passed over without ruffling the smooth surface of his mind. Trusting to the reflecting good sense of the nation for approbation and support, he had the magnanimity to pursue its real interests, in opposition to its temporary prejudices; and, though far from being regardless of popular favor, he could never stoop to retain by deserving to lose it. In more instances than one, we find him committing his whole popularity to hazard, and pursuing steadily, in opposi tion to a torrent, which would have overwhelmed a man of ordinary firmness, that course which had been dictated by a sense of duty. In speculation, he was a real republican, devoted to the constitution of his country, and to that system of equal political rights on which it is founded. But between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos. Real liberty, he thought, was to be preserved only by preserving the authority of the laws, and maintaining the energy of government. Scarcely did society present two characters, which, in his opinion, less resembled each other, than a patriot and a demagogue. No man has ever appeared upon the theatre of public action whose integrity was more incorruptible, or whose principles were more perfectly free from the contamination of those selfish and unworthy passions which find their nourishment in the conflicts of party. Having no views which required concealment, his real and avowed motives were the same; and his whole correspondence does not furnish a single case from which even an enemy would infer that he was capable, under any circumstances, of stooping to the employment of duplicity. No truth can be uttered with more confidence than that his ends were always upright, and his means always pure. He exhibits the rare example of a politician to whom wiles were absolutely unknown, and whose professions to foreign governments, and to his own countrymen, were always sincere. In him was fully exemplified the real distinction which for ever exists between wisdom and cunning, and the importance as well as truth of the maxim that 'honesty is the best policy.' If Washington possessed ambition, that passion was, in his bosom, so regulated by principles, or controlled by circumstances, that it was neither vicious nor turbulent. Intrigue was never employed as the means of its gratification; nor was personal aggrandizement its object. The various high and important stations to which he was called by the public voice, were unsought by himself; and, in consenting to fill them, he seems rather to have yielded to a general conviction, that the interests of his country would be thereby promoted, than to his particular inclination. Neither the extraordinary partiality of the American people, the extravagant praises which were bestowed upon him, nor the inveterate opposition and malignant calumnies which he experienced, had any visible influence upon his conduct. The cause is to be looked for in the texture of his mind. In him, that innate and unassuming modesty which adulation would have offended, which the voluntary plaudits of millions could not betray into indiscretion, and which never obtruded upon others his claims to superior consideration, was happily blended with a high and correct sense of personal dignity, and with a just consciousness of that respect which is due to station. Without exertion, he could maintain the happy medium between that arrogance which wounds, and that facility which allows the office to be degraded in the person who fills it. It is impossible to contemplate the great events which have occurred in the U. States, under the auspices of Washington, without ascribing them, in some measure, to him. If we ask the causes of the prosperous issue of a war, against the successful termination of which there were so many probabilities; of the good which was produced, and the ill which was avoided, during an administration fated to contend with the strongest prejudices that a combination of circumstances and of passions could produce; of the constant favor of the great mass of his fellow citizens, and of the confidence which, to the last moment of his life, they reposed in him, the answer, so far as these causes may be found in his character, will furnish a lesson well meriting the attention of those who are candidates for political fame. Endowed by nature with a sound judgment, and an accurate, discriminating mind, he feared not that laborious attention which made him perfectly master of those subjects, in all their relations, on which he was to decide; and this essential quality was guided by an unvarying sense of moral right, which would tolerate the employment only of those means that would bear the most rigid examination; by a fairness of intention which neither sought nor required disguise; and by a purity of virtue which was not only untainted, but unsuspected." -A selection from Washington's papers is preparing for publication, by Mr. Jared Sparks, and the first part may be expected to appear very soon. An account of these papers was published some time since, by Mr. Sparks, in a series of letters addressed to judge Story, from which it appears that it was a habit adopted by general Washington, at an early stage of his life, to preserve copies of all his important letters, as well those of a private as those of a public nature. The transcripts of his revolutionary papers occupy forty-four 81 large folio volumes. Each class of sub- Among other records is a private journal kept by him, in which his official acts and intercourse with the departments are daily noted down. His letters remained numerous and important to the end of his life. This great collection shows, in a striking light, the industrious, methodical and careful habits of Washington. WASHINGTON, William Augustine, a distinguished officer in the revolution, was the eldest son of Baily Washington, of Stafford county, Virginia. He was one of the earliest to engage in the struggle of his country with the British government, and was appointed to the command of a company of infantry in the third regiment of the Virginia line. His first essay in arms was at York island, where his conduct elicited warm applause. In the retreat through New Jersey, he was distinguished for the fortitude with which he sustained its difficulties, hardships and dangers. At the surprise of the Hessians, he led the van of one of the assailing columns, and, whilst rushing with his company to the attack, received a severe wound in one of his hands. Soon afterwards, three regiments of light dragoons having been raised, he was appointed a major in one of them, commanded by lieutenant-colonel Baylor. This corps was surprised, in 1778, by a detachment of the enemy, under general Gray, and almost cut to pieces. Washington, however, escaped, and, in the following year, was detached to join the army of general Lincoln, in South Carolina. There he was constantly employed with the light troops His first rencounter with the enemy took place betwixt Ashley ferry and Rantowle's bridge, in which he drove back the cavalry of the British legion, commanded by lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, and took several prisoners; but, being unsupported by infantry, he gained little advantage from his success. He has been exonerated from all blame in relation to the surprises at Monk's corner and Lanian's ferry, which had nearly caused the annihilation of the American cavalry, as, in both instances, he was acting in a subordinate capacity. Being compelled by these disasters to retire, with the remainder of his corps, to the borders of North Carolina, he solicited from general Gates the aid of his name and authority, to facilitate its restoration and equipment. The refusal of the general was severely punished in the battle of Camden, where the presence of a superior cavalry, led by such a soldier as Washington, might have done much to insure success, or, at least, would have prevented the terrible slaughter which followed the defeat. After this occurrence, lieutenant-colonel Washington was attached, with his cavalry, to the light corps commanded by general Morgan. By an ingenious stratagem, he carried the post at Rugely's, taking a large body of the enemy without firing a shot. Aware of the character of his opponent, Rugely, he fixed a pine log on the front wheels of a wagon, so as to make it look, at a distance, like a field-piece, and threatening immediate destruction if resistance should be attempted: the affrighted colonel begged for quarter, and surrendered at discretion. To the brilliant victory at the Cowpens, he contributed in a high degree, and received a silver medal from congress, in testimony of his gallant conduct. His ardor in this affair had nearly cost him his life. Anxious to animate the pursuit by his example, he was hurried so far in advance as to be surrounded by several officers of the British legion, and was saved only by the bravery of a sergeant and his bugleman, Ball, who, by a pistol-shot, disabled an officer, whose sword was raised for his destruction. After the junction of the two divisions of the American army at Guilford courthouse, his cavalry was made a part of a body of horse and foot, selected by general Greene, and placed under colonel Williams. In the retreat into Virginia, and in all the manœuvres subsequent to the recrossing of the Dan, he essentially aided in baffling the skilful efforts of Cornwallis to force Greene to a battle. In the affair at Guilford, he acted a very conspicuous part. By a spirited and judicious charge, he broke the regiment of guards commanded by colonel Steward, who was killed, and, in conjunction with colonel Howard and his Marylanders, nearly effected their entire destruction. Unfortunately, his hat fell from his head, and whilst dismounting to recover it, the officer next in command was so grievously wounded as to be disabled from managing his horse, which, wheeling round, carried him off the field, followed by the rest of the cavalry, who imagined that the movement had been directed. This accident saved the remnant of the guards, and, in all probability, the entire British army. At Hobkirk's hill, he obtained fresh laurels. By skilful manœuvring, he gained the rear of the British army, and captured eleven officers, and upwards of two hundred men. He was only able, however, to bring fifty of them off the field, in consequence of the retreat of the American forces. At the battle of Eutaw, he exhibited signal valor, and made repeated charges on the British light infantry, who maintained their ground with a steadiness worthy of the attack. In a last effort for victory, his horse was killed, and, becoming entangled, as he fell, in the ranks of the enemy, and unable to extricate himself, he was made prisoner. This was the final scene of his military performances. He remained a prisoner in Charleston until the close of the war. He then settled in South Carolina, having married a lady of that state, to whom he had become attached during his captivity. He subsequently served in the legislature, where he gave evidences of capacity for civil service, which induced his friends to endeavor to persuade him to become a candidate for the office of governor; but his modesty caused him to refuse every solicitation to that effect. When general Washington accepted the command of the army, during the presidency of Mr. Adams, he selected his relative to be one of his staff, with the rank of brigadiergeneral. After a tedious indisposition, he died in 1810. In person, he was tall, and possessed great strength and activity. As a soldier, he was better fitted, perhaps, for the field of battle, than for the planning of military operations. In disposition, he was hospitable, generous and benevolent in the extreme, combining uprightness with kind and courteous manners. WASHINGTON ISLANDS, OF INGRAHAM ISLANDS; a group of three islands in the South Pacific ocean, to the north-west of the Marquesas islands, lon.139° 5-140° 13' W.; lat. 7° 50-9° 30' S. They were discovered by captain Ingraham, of Boston, in 1791, and visited by captain Roberts, of the same place, in 1792. The latter gave them the name of Washington. They are fully described in captain Porter's Journal of a Cruise made to the Pacific Ocean in 1812-14 (New York, 1825, 2 vols.). The principal island of the group is Nooahiva, or Nukahiva. Stewart also gives an account of these islands, in the first volume of his Visit to the South Seas. WASHINGTON, MOUNT. (See White Mountains.) WASHITA (formerly spelled Ouashitta) is a river of Arkansas and Louisiana, which rises about intermediate between the river Arkansas and the Red river, in lat. 34° N. The Fourche Caddo, Little Missouri, and Saline, rise at no great distance from the Washita. It runs through a country, in Arkansas, that is generally sterile and mountainous. Pine, and that species of oak called pin oak, are the common kinds of timber in that region, and they denote an inferior soil. In the richer and alluvial tracts are found the trees common to that latitude. That beautiful kind called bois d'arc is here found in great abundance. In high stages of water, the Washita is navigable for steamboats 600 miles, to the Hot springs. A hundred salines, some of which are highly impregnated with salt, are found near the river. Its bottoms are very fertile after it enters Louisiana. Where it unites itself with Red river, it strikes the eye as the larger of the two. It has a course of nearly 800 miles. WASP (vespa). The wasps may be readily distinguished by having the upper wings longitudinally folded while at rest. They belong to the order hymenoptera of Linnæus, and have a pedunculated abdomen, terminated by a concealed sting, Their larvæ resemble those of the bee, and their history is also similar in most respects. They live altogether in societies, the individuals of which share in common their labors and danger. In general, they construct their habitations with a sort of paper, formed of vegetable fibres, agglutinated by a sort of gum. The cells resemble in form those of honeycomb, and are often disposed in several stories. They feed on animal substances, on meats exposed to the air, dead insects, over-ripe and sugary fruits, fragments of which they cut off with their mandibles, and carry away, for the purpose of feeding their young. WASSANAH; a city of Africa, on a river called Zadi, sixty days' journey southeast of Timbuctoo. According to an account given by Sidi Hamet to Riley, this city appears to contain twice as many inhabitants as Timbuctoo. It is surrounded by a very large wall, built of great stones loosely piled up. A whole day is required to walk around it. The houses are built of stones, without cement, and roofed with The country reeds and palm leaves. around is highly cultivated. The inhabitants are Mohammedans. The account of Sidi Hamet, above quoted, that, after embarking on the Joliba, at Timbuctoo, he found that river to flow six days nearly east, and then to take a south-easterly direction, seems to agree with the statements of the Landers (see Niger); but it is not easy to conjecture what was the city described under the name of Wassanah by Sidi Hamet. The king, according to the same authority, lived in a large palace, had 150 wives, 10,000 slaves, and a large army.-See Riley's Narrative (New York, 1817). WASTE-BOOK. (See Book-Keeping.) WAT TYLER, or Walter thE TYLER; famous in history as one of the leaders of the revolt of the lower classes in England, in 1381. (See Richard II.) It has been suggested that this name was merely assumed, as those of the other leaders of the revolt (Jack Straw, Hob Carter, and Tom Miller) appear to have been, to denote their mean origin, or to conceal their real rank. The immediate cause of this insurrection is said to have been the insolence of a collector of poll-tax, who, under pretence of ascertaining the age of the tiler's beautiful daughter, offered her intolerable indignities. The tiler, brought into his cottage by the outcry of the girl's mother, felled the tax-gatherer to the ground with a mortal blow. The villeins, and other poor people of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Sussex, were roused by the cry of the men of Kent, in which county lay Dartford, the scene of the occurrence above described, and, declaring there should be no more bondmen, assembled at Blackheath, in May, to the number of 60,000, and took possession of London. Their demands were, the abolition of bondage, the liberty of buying and selling in markets and fairs, a general pardon, and the reduction of the rent of * The case of the celebrated Jack Cade presents a similar instance. His real name was John Aylmere, and he was a physician, as appears from Ellis's Letters Illustrative of English History, second series. |
