THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW, FOR MARCH 1800. GEORGE WASHINGTON. (WITH A PORTRAIT.) IME, which moderates the virulence volution brought on that period in which the life of this great man may be viewed free from those prejudices, both for and again him, which have been heretofore entertained. Death has put the feal to his fame, and his character and conduct will now be admitted to have been deferving of every tribute of praise which have been bestowed upon them. His coolness in danger, his firmnefs in diftrefs, his moderation in the hour of victory, his refignation of power, and his meritorious deportment in private life, have established a name which will go down to pofterity with thofe who have deferved well of their country-with those who are entitled to be confidered the benefactors of mankind. GEORGE WASHINGTON was the third fon of Mr. Auguftus Washington, a man of large property and diftinguished reputation in the state of Virginia, where the family had been fettled a confiderable time. The ancestor of this Gentleman, about the period of the Revolution, re. Yorkshire, where he poffeffed fome property, which he difpofed of, and afterwards invefted the money in the purchase of lands in King George's County. At this place the Hero of America was born, on the 22d of February 1733. He was the eldeft fon by a fecond marriage, and was educated under the eye of his father by a private tutor, from whom he derived a flight tincture of Latin, a grammatical knowledge of his mother tongue, and the elements of mathematics. For a few years after leaving his tutor, he applied himself to the practical part of furveying, and was appointed furveyor to a certain diftrict in Virginia; an employment rather creditable than lucrative. It however afforded him an opportunity of choofing fome valuable tracts of land, and made him thoroughly acquainted with the frontier country t. On the Governor and Council of Virginia receiving orders from England, in October 1753, to repei by force the encroachments of the French on the Weftera He had four brothers, Lawrence, Samuel, John, and Charles, all Gentlemen of confiderable landed property, and a fifter who married Colonel Fielding Lewis. His elder brother, Lawrence, went out a Captain of the American troops raised for the Carthagena expedition, and married the daughter of the Hon. William Fairfax, of Belvoir, in Virginia, by whom he left one daughter; who dying young, as well as his fecond brother alfo dying without iffue, the General fucceeded to the family feat, which, in compliment to the gallant Admiral of that name, was called Mount Vernon, and is delightfully fituated on the Potomack River, a few miles below Alexandria. For thefe facts we acknowledge ourselves indebted to "A Sketch of Mr. Washington's Life and Character, dated Maryland, May 3, 1779," appended "to a Poetical Epiftle from an Inhabitant of the State of Maryland," printed at Annapolis, 1779. A a a frontiers, frontiers, along the rivers Ohio and De Boeuf, Mr. Washington, then a Major in the provincial fervice, and an AdjutantGeneral of their forces, was dilpatched by General Dinwiddie with a letter to the Commander in Chief of the French on the Ohio, complaining of the inroads they were making in direct violation of the treaties then fubfiiting between the two Crowns; he had alfo inftructions to treat with the Six Nations and other Western tribes of Indians, and to engage them to continue firm in their attachment to England. He fet out on this perilous embally, with about fifteen attendants, late in October 1753; and fo far fuc. ceeded, that on his return with Monfieur de St. Pierre's anfwer, and his good fuccefs in the Indian negotiation, he was complimented with the thanks and approbation of his country. His journal of this whole tranfaction was published in Virginia, and does great credit to his induftry, attention. and judgment; and it afterwards proved of infinite fervice to thofe who have been doomed to traverse the fame inhofpitable tracts. Soon after this, the defigrs of the French becoming more manifeft, and their movements and conduct more daring, orders were iffued out by Adminiftration for the Colonies to aim and unite in one confederacy. The Allembly of Virginia took the lead by voting a fum of money for the public fervice, and railing a regiment of four hundred mes for the protetion of the frontiers of the Colony. Major Wathington, then about twentythree years of age, was appointed to the command of this regiment; and, before the end of May, in the entuing year, came up with a frong party of the French and Indians at a place called Red Stone, which he effectually routed, after having taken and killed fifty men. Among the prifoners were the celebrated woodfman, Monfieur De La Force, and two other officers; from whom Colonel Washington had undoubted intelligence that the French force on the Ohio confifted of upwards of one thousand repulars and fome hundreds of Indians. Upon this intelligence, although his little army was fomewhat reduced, and entirely infufficient to act offentively againit the French and Indians, yet he pushed on towards his enemy to a good post; where, in order to wait the arrival of fome expected fuccour from New York and Penniylvania, he entrenched himself, and built a fmall fort, called Fort Neceffity. At this poft he remained unmolefted, and without any fuccour, until the July following; when his fmall force, reduced now to lefs than three hundred, was attacked by an army of French and Indians of eleven hundred and upwards, under the command of the Sieur de Villiers. The Virginiaus fuftained the attack of the enemy's whole force for feveral hours, and laid near two hundred of them dead in the field, when the French Commander, difcouraged by fuch determined resolution, propofed the lefs dangerous method of diflodging bis enemy by a parley, which ended in an honourable capitulation. It was ftipulated that Clonel Washington should march away with all the honours of war, and be allowed to carry off all his military ftores, effects, and baggage. This capitulation was violated from the ungovernable difpofition of the favages, whom the French Commander could not refrain from plurdering the provincials on the outfet of their march, and from making a comiderable flaughter of men, cattle, and hories. This breach of the capitulation was frongly remonftrated against by the British Amballador at the Court of Verfailles, and may be locked upon as the æra when the French Court began to unmask, and to avow (though in a clandeftine manner) the conduct of their Governors and Officers in America: they redoubled their activity and diligence on the Ohio, and in other places, during the winter 1754 and the following fpring. Virginia had determined to fend out a larger force; the Forts Cumberland and London were built, and a camp was formed at Wills Creek, from thence to annoy the enemy on the Ohio. In thefe feveral fervices (particularly in the conftruction of the forts) Colonel Washington was principaily employed, when he was fummoned to attend General Braddock, who with his army arrived at Alexandria in Virginia, in May 1755. The delign of fending out that army was to penetrate through the country to Fort Du Queine (now Fort Pitt) by the * And in London under the title of "The Journal of Major George Washington, fent by the Hon. Robert Dinwiddie, Efq. his Majesty's Lieutenant-Governor and Commander in Chief of Virginia, to the Commandant of the French forces on Ohio. To which are added, the Governor's Letter, and a Tranflation of the French Officer's Anfwer, with a New Map of the Country, as far as the Mithithipi," Svo. 1754. route route of Wills Creek; and as no perfon was better acquainted with the frontier country than Colonel Washington, and no one in the Colony enjoyed fo welletablished a military character, he was judged highly ferviceable to General Braddock, and chearfully quitted his command to act as a volunteer and aiddu camp under that unfortunate General. The particulars of the defeat and almoft total ruin of Braddock's army, confifting of two thoufand regular British forces and near eight hundred provincials, are too well known to need a repetition: it is allowed on all fides, that the haughty politive behaviour of the General; his high contempt of the provincial officers and foldiers; and his difdainful obitimacy in rejecting their advice; were the genuine caufes of this fatal difalter. With what refolution and steadiness the provincials and their gallant Commander behaved on this trying occafion, and in covering the confufed retreat of the army, let every British officer and foldier cenfels, who were refcued from daughter on that calamitous day by their valour and conduct. After General Braddock's difafter, the Colony of Virginia found it neceflary to ettablish her militia, raite more men, frengthen her forts, undertake expeditions to check the inroads of the enemy, &c. &c. In all which important fervices Colonel Washington bore a principal fhare, and acquitted himfelf to the utmoft fatisfaction of his country, by difplaying on every occafion the molt perlevering indultry, perional courage, and military, abilities. He was again appointed to the command of the Virginia troops, and held it with signal credit till his refignation in 1759, when he married the young widow of Mr. Curtis, now his relict, with whom he is faid to have had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds fterling in her own right, besides her dower in one of the principal eftates in Virginia. From this period he became as affiduous to ferve the ftate as a Senator, as he had hitherto been active to defend it as a Soldier. For feveral years he reprefented Frederick county, and had a feat for Fairfax county, at the time he was appointed by the Affembly, in conformity with the general with of the people, to be one of their four delegates at the firft general congrefs. It was with no fmail reluctance that he engaged again in the active fcenes of life, especially as he took great delight in farming and improving his eftate. When, however, it was at length determined in congrefs, after every itep to an accommodation had failed, to repel by force the invasion from Great Britain, the eyes of the whole continent were immediately turned upon Mr. Wathington. With one common voice be was called forth to the defence of the country, and it was perhaps his peculiar glory that fearce an individual was to be found that did not approve the choice, and place the firmelt confidence in his integrity and abilities. He arrived at Cambridge, in New England, in July 1775, and there took the fupreme command of the armies of America. (To be concluded in our next.). TO H. VIAGGIATORE, fortunes, and which already had coníiderably impaired her health, the retired in a few years to Bruffells, where the died A. D. 1723, of the age of about 30 years, and was buried at Louvaine, in the Church of the English regular Canonesses of St. Auften. IN ANSWER TO A PARAGRAPH IN THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE OF NOV. 1799. THE HE hard treatment by a certain party of Ann, daughter of Sir John Webb, widow of James late Earl of Derwentwater, is in tome meature fhewn by Hume and other Authors of English Hiftory. She had iffue, by the unfortunate Earl, John, fon and heir, born about 1713, and Anne Maria, born after the death of her father in 1716. The Counters of Derwentwater, as guardian of her fon, in the 4th year of George I. exhibited certain claims before the Commillioners (appointed by the Legiflature) of feveral manors, lands, and hereditaments, in the counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Durham, in his behalf. But being weary of the kirg dom that had witnessed to much her mi The Commiffioners as above, allowing the claims made in behalf of John Radclyffe, Efq. fon and heir of James late Earl of Derwentwater, he, in confequence thereof, entered in full poffeffion of the premises as tenant in tail male :-nothing more was done in that affair by the Legiflature during his life, which however was but of fhort duration, he dying in 1731, unmarried, and under age. His fifter, the Lady Anne Maria, foon after the the death of her brother, had the fum of 30,000l. as a marriage portion, railed of the faid eitates, and on 2d May 1732 was married of Robert Lord Petre, by whom he had the prefent Lord Petre and three daughters. On the death of John Radclyffe, Efq. without iflue, the Crown again feized the eftates of this perfecuted family; Charles Radclyffe, Eiq. his uncle, being his next heir, was then living in France attainted -and whom they took out of the way in 1746-but refufed to give up the eftates to his fon the late Earl of Newburgh, though nothing in the laws of England could withhold them from him, as they defcended to him in due courfe from his father to him, the fame as they did to his coufin John Radcliffe, Efq. the late poffellor, from his father. But, unfortunately, the Earl, on his return from France, was poor, and the confequent evil almoft friendless. The party he had to contend with, was opulent by the wealth they had fo unjustly kept from him; they knew too the little advantages he had to be acquainted with the laws of this country, and his right in them as a fubject of the Crown of England: how ever the fum of 30,000l. were raised of part of the eftate; 6,000l. of which was for his younger brother and fifters, the remainder for himself. The learned auther of "The Rights of British Subjects," in the appendix of which is ftated fome of the vile uage this family hath fuftained, after clearly proving the late Earl of Newburgh to be a legal born fubject of Great Britain, and the legality of his claim, fays" So, in this cafe, the act fuppofes the right of the E. of Newburgh to have been extinguished by his foreign birth, and the Parliament undertakes to confirm that extinguiment by procuring the actual conjent of the E. of N. But if his right was not extinguished ab initio, or rather if his right ever had accrued, it is impoffible, in the principles of the learned Chancellor (Hatton), for Parliament to have caufed fuch an extinguish ment, which it only meant to confirm. For if the Parliament meant to create fuch an extinguishment, or to take out of the E. of N. the right to be a natural born fubject of England, which was actually vested in him, then will neither common fenfe or common juftice warrant any other conclufion, than that he was most infamously deceived, and infidioufly treated into the bargain; nothing elfe can be faid of a tranfaction or bargain in which one party intends to draw in the other to part with an intereft, which he knew not he had in him, and which was in no manner expreffed in the terms of the bargain. Efau, when preffed with faintnefs and hunger, parted with his first birth-right for a mefs of broth; but he did it fo far with his eyes open, as to know that he had his first birth right in him: for he faith-Lo! I die; what will the first birth-right avail me?-But the E. of N. knew not that he had in him the first birth-right, and therefore could not be faid to have fold it, en as Elau did." Again, "If he has any right to the eftates in queftion, it is to be tenant in tail thereof; which entail he might have barred the first term after his title accrued; in this fuppofition, the E. of N. must be considered as parting with a prefent intereft for about one-tenth part of its value; the refpect due to the Legiflature forbids us on one hand to conclude that they over-reached and milled a diftreffed man upon falfe pretences, in an open bargain; and, on the other hand, the very dictates of Nature will not per mit us to adopt the oppofite conclusion, that he voluntarily accepted of 24,000l. inftead of 200,0col. for which the eftates would have probably then fold. The E. of N. is not made an alien by this act, if he was not fo by any former t. The doctrine laid down in the foregoing sheets it is hoped is conclufive he is no alien." The Right Hon. Reprefentative of this noble Family, by his beneficence and hofpitality to the poor in the country honoured with his refidence, is a pattern worthy of imitation by the Nobility and Gentry of fuperior fortunes: and is a true model of the hospitality of his illuftrious ancestors. The ancettors of this branch of the Radclyffes, previous to their fettling in the county of Cumberland, had been for fome generations hereditary Stewards and Minifters of the forells of Blackburnthite and Bowland, in the Coun. Pal of Lan. cafler; but after having married the heir of Sir Clithero, of Clithero Castle, where they alfo refided fome time, a younger branch of that marriage fettled in the northern part of the county of York, and for fome ages bore the arms of Clithero: but the elder branch marrying Margaret, fole daughter and heels of Thos. Daniel, Etq. (oy her mother Ifabel de Colville, who was defcended of the Baloils, Gernons, Morville, &c. &c.) who brought and entailed on the Radcliffes the manors of Ayketon (their re fidence), Rawcliffe, and Burgh on the Sands, Wrens was the principal, which was also infranchifed: only the ancient park, which bends towards Derwentwater fide, continues in demefne, and was replenished with a prodigious quantity of tall stately large oaks; all which the Trustees of Greenwich Hofpital have cut down and fold; but within a few years laft paft they have made fome fmall plantations." They have also fold and let out parcels of that domain and Islands on the Lake to different Gentlemen, who have hitherto only feemed to outvie each other in expending their money to difplay the most unnatural fcenes of modern barbarian refinement, void of taste. Sands, in Com. Cumberland. In fuc- I fhall fay nothing of the indescribeable beauties of the Lake and its environs, fo often attempted to be fhewn by various authors, of which Dr. Brown, in a letter to a friend, hath given the moft animating defcription. Dr. Dalton, in his elegant poem, amongst other particulars, takes occafion to caution the traveller not to be shocked with fome late violations of thofe facred woods and groves, by the Commiffioners of Greenwich Hofpital ordering the woods to be cut down which had for ages fhaded the fhores and pro montories of that lovely Lake: for "Where the rude axe with heaved ftroke "Was never heard the nymphs to daunt, "Or fright them from their hallow'd haunt;" There is, alas! now, "The lonely mountains o'er, "A voice of weeping heard and loud "From haunted spring and dale, fent : flower inwoven treffes torn The nymphs in twilight shade, of tan gled thickets mourn. REMARKS RELATING TO THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE LION, |