Philadelphia-Subsequent Operations-Character of the Repub- American Affectation in Titles-Prisoners at Long Island-Super- numerary Officers-Character of General Lee-Military Anec- dotes-The Author enrolled in the Militia-Quaker Principles -Character of Dr Franklin-Mrs Macaulay-Milton's Senti- Constitution of the United States-House of Representatives— Yellow Fever-Political Differences-Insurrection suppressed by. the prudent Measures of the President-Treaty with Great Britain-Travels of the Duke de la Rochefoucault Liancourt— MEMOIRS OF A LIFE, CHIEFLY PASSED IN PENNSYLVANIA. INTRODUCTION. THE dealers in self-biography, ever sedulous to ward off the imputation of egotism, seldom fail to find apologies for their undertakings. Some, indeed, endeavour to persuade themselves, that they design their labours merely for their scrutoires; while others, less self-deceived, admit they have an eye to the public. The Cardinal De Retz is brought out at the request of a lady; Rousseau, by the desire of showing himself to a misjudging world, in all the verity of nature; Marmontel writes his life for his children at the instance of their mother; and Cumberland, so far as his motives can be collected from his introduction, because he lived and was an author. If, from these, we recur to the account given of himself by our own Franklin, we shall find, that, although addressed to his son, it is intended for the world; and that the acknowledged motives to it are a combination of family curiosity and personal vanity, with the desire of showing the connection between thrifty youth and re A spectable age,—a kind of practical comment on the useful truths contained in Poor Richard's Almanac. Next to the good fortune of having figured in some brilliant, active career; of having been the companion of a hero, or the depositary of state secrets; of having seen cities and men; of having wandered" through antres vast, and deserts idle," or been the subject of " moving accidents by flood and field;" the avowed inducement of Mr Cumberland is perhaps the most plausible. Unfortunately for the person who here presumes to appear before the public, he is without one of these claims to attention. He has no pretensions to fame or distinction in any kind, neither as soldier, nor statesman, nor traveller, nor author, He is not wholly without hope, however, that his presumption may be palliated, and that, in his object of giving a representation of the character, spirit, and more minute occurrences of his time, it will be perceived, that there is no form into which his work can be thrown with so much advantage, as into that of personal memoirs. By his own story, if he is not mis led by self-love, a kind of menstruum is afforded for the incongruous mass of his materials, serving to harmonize, in some degree, the abrupt transitions and detached details which a delineation of the various incidents of " many coloured life" requires. As to himself, he is fully conscious that it matters not To whom related, or by whom begot; and, therefore, he would fain buttress his undertaking by the opinion of an eminent poet, as vouched by Mr Walpole, viz. "That if any man were to form a book of what he had seen or heard himself, it must, in whatever hands, prove a most useful and entertaining one." A most seducing ignis fatuus truly, considering the latitude with which it is laid down! But, far from wishing to foreclose the reader by an opinion which he must own he considers a very questionable one, or to lure him on to an expectation of what he might vainly seek to find, he announces at his outset, that the pages here set before him hold out no other inducement to his perusal than such as may arise from the fidelity with which he will relate incidents within the scope of ordinary life, and depict some occurrences which came under his notice during the progress of the revolution, and since its consummation. In doing this, he will have occasion to speak as well of others as himself. He may sometimes resort to motives in account. ing for men's actions; and, as these receive their qualities from the mind of the agent, he will, with equal freedom and truth, disclose the complexion of his own, having little, he thinks no inclination that it should pass for better than it is. If the mould in which it has been formed is not the most perfect, so neither, does he trust, is it absolutely the most worthless if not calculated to produce a cast to the taste of worldly wisdom, one that may advance experimentally the sound philosophy of thrift, and practically mark the routes to private wealth and public greatness, it will yet be found abundantly fruitful in negative instruction on both points, |
