Camden gazette. (Camden, S.C.) 1816-1818, October 31, 1816, Image 2
as Cicero, we are ready to believe it all
true of Ames. And, after being told that
14 amidst the turmoil of fiublic , arul the
detracting avocations of firof rational life, '
hefound 1c isure for the cultivation of classical
and tiAi>c luermwe wc find no difficulty
in believing that, 4t he had, therefore, pre
tensions to the character ol a scholar.'*
Nor, is it at all incredible, that, " with
sncti an assemblage of attributes, native
tttni acq^r^d, Jie was peculiarly qualified
to instruct and delight, enlighten and a
But, when the biographer comes^
to 41 add fo these, that his wisdom and in
genuity, his erudition and address, ga\e
him an influence in debate beyond what was
fioss'ssed by any other man in the councils oj
the nation ; ' we are forced to recollect, 1
that Hamilton and Washing ton lived at
the same time, and were also in the
councils of the nation and i+raf both of
these are, also, said by the *ame biographer, J
to have been preeminent in every thing.
Mr. A rnes not only possessed that a**em<
bag? ot ait'ibutes which was so fieculiarly
qualified to instruct, delight, eniigtiten and I
adorn his country, in the various depart- j
ments of statesman, orator, patriot, legis
lator, advocate* counsellor, and scholar ;
but he had al/o 44 great reputation as a writ -
e/ of political essays." This, loo, we are
willing to believe. " His fan /toured in'o
the pubiick presses the *ame streams c t
wisdum and tloquence, which formeily, in
the house ot it presentations had fall. n from
liW tongue. W hen in publick lile, he had
spoken but to hundreds, oj*, at most, to a
Jew thousands ; [where did il the house of
representatives" meet, when these 44 few
thousands" could be crammed into the
body ? But ? we forgot ? that is only a
figure of speech] but millians were includ ? d
in his present audience ; for he addressed
himself now to his countrymen at large-?
to his cotemporarics in other countries,
antfru) posterity
44 His views in relation to political occur
rences were nurfr izingly clear ; even the
mists of futurity were unable to obscure the
b iyhtnesH of his vision* ?*4 Surpi izingly
clear" indeed 1] Hence, in many ot his
predictions, he might almost sfem to have
been enlightened by a spirit ol prophecy,
so accurate Were his perceptions , and so
far feet [svas] his disclosure of events that
were to come. Of the correctness ot this
statement, his waitings afiord conclusive
testimony." What a pity it is, that this
elegant compound of sublimity and buhos,
sense and bombast, should be contradict
ed, almost in the next paragraph ; and
and that the reader Should find himself, at
the end of the chapter, obliged to with
draw all the credit, which he hid given to
the beginning of it. 44 Soon after his
death, a selection from his political essays
wis published in a volume of five hundred
pages octavo.-? This volume exhibits evi
dence, ra'her of His resources and capaci
ty, than of his fierfection> as a writer ; for
it is but too man ifest that most of the arti- I
cles of which it consuls, were c.mpssed
in haste , and tfiven to the world without re -
vision ." ? 4< For he addressed himself now
to his countrymen at large ? to his cotem
poraries in other countries , and to posterity,"
We ha\e avoided giving our own opin
ion of any of the characters drawn in the
Repository, because we felt no disposition
to expose ourselves to the charge either of
prejudice or partiality ; or to call in ques
tion the verac ty or judgment of the au
th r, where lie has not left us in doubt, by
hisown contradictions of himself. In ihe
44 Life of Hamilton, " however, there is a
circ umstance related, on which we feel
ourselves bound to set the author right ;
because the reputation of the government,
as weil as of general Hamilton, is involv
ed in the construction which may be given
to it, by posterity. In 17<>B, when Wash
ington was appointed to the command of
the army, by Mr. Adams, the condition
of his acceptance, we are told, wis, that
colonel Hamilton, who had been his confi
dential aid during the revolutionary war,
shouid be appointed Inspector General,
This condition was complied with, and the
commissions were accordingly accepted.
The author then continues .*
41 On the death of Washington, in 1799,
he (Hamilton) aecceeded af course to the
command in chief of the armies of Ameri
ca. . But, from some cause, of which the
pubftck is yet to be informed , the rank of
licuten*nt-g?neral ? n-.io justly his (l ie, ac
cording to the principles and usages of mi
litary promotion? was never conferred on
him."
From this it would appear to posterity,
either that the government were actuated,
by some unworthy motive of envy, jeal
ousy, or distrust, to withhold fiom general !
Hamilton, what was 44 justlv his due or
that there was some sreret disqual fication
in the general, well known to the govern
ment, and which, a delicate regard for his !
fame, p evented them from exposing to
the eye of the world. But, the truth is,
that neither of these conclusions would be
just. All armies, it is Well known, are
divided into two distinct and separate class
es, called the t.inv and the Staff ; and these
are again subdivided into various depart
ments, Aa Inspector General, general
Hamilton waa at the h cj J the Staff, and,
according to the pi mcip anil upases of
military promotion," had no claim what
tyci' to " the rank ol lieutenant-general."
1 he regular promotion was due to the of
ficcis of the L.tic i and tins was the plain
and simple reason, why general IlannlTon
could riot succeed , 4* ot course, to the com*
mand in chief of the armies of A mr rica."
t he ,r~Life" of "TV'aslnngton,^ "Written "
"by tlie Rev. M. L. Weems.J' anil to be
found In almost every school -room, a plain,
unaspiring duodecimo, will be' lcgaidcd,
by every lover ot tiue biography, >v n h ten
times more vtnera.ion, than the pompous
quarto pages, which bear that tittle in the
Refio>i:Qry\
Ot the author's **tyle, we can say but
little, in commendation. No person can
long contemplate, \sith pleasure, a picture
which is aii light, without anv mixture of
shade. tvie, which is. always, equal
ly lof y, florid and emphatick, fatigues by
us monotony, and saua.vS and ihsg^s sby
its luxuriance, and fahe b illancv. It is
the easiest matter m the world, to *o*r to j
the clouds, upon the wings of a metaphor;
sed revocare giadutn, to light upon the
ground again, without falling or stumbling,
is the difficulty. It mas b_- well enough,
for an author, to take th:S flight once or
twice, in the course of Ins book, merely
to astonish the reader, and imp' ess him
with a high idea of his fugitive skill ; but
to be eternally skimming through the a.r,
like a turkey buzzard , not only renders a
reader of sensibility uneasy foi hi* safety,
but keeps him constantly on the lock out.
for the carrion, which is to draw him head- ]
long lrom the ekvated height. The fre
quent recurrence of the same figure, with
out even a change of dress, discovers an
ostentatious fondness lor show, to winch
the powers of the author are not equal,
lie borrows a metaphor u from the organi- I
zation of the heavens," to describe both
Columbus and Hamil on ; and s'euls one,
from the earth, to serve both Hush and
Ames.
In a w'riTer, who appears to have such r
an unbounded command of words, w e have
been surprised to see so many that are ??
liquated, and out of use. 1 here is an
other, and we think, a very serious tault,*
| in this au' hot's manner of writing, which'
we do not remember to have seen, so con
spicuously, in any other. We mean his
total ignoianre, or disiegard of the rules
ol fiunctuut on . lie has. In quently, whole
sentences, of three or four lines in length,
r unmarked, even by a comma.
Upon the whole, We never sat down to
a work, with a more Paget' desire to be
I pleased ; nor evtr got up, more complete
ly? disappointed. CM the proprietor's ob
ject and views, too much cannot be said,
m praise : but we would most strenuously
advise him, for his own piofit, as. well c.s
for the cr'dit of our count y, to recall the
whole edition of this first volume, and
commence anew.
^r(jTn A ties* Weekly Register,
PROGRESS OF THE U. STATES IN
"" LI I LRATUUE.
When we come again to speak of the
(lepichscd literature of our coun ry ? when
we beginjo sketch its J1 short and simple
annals, wo are at a loss to imagine what
language patriotism could hod upon the
subject* In the mingled feelings of hu
munition and hope, we forget the high na
tional destinies we had predicted. In this
desolate depart ment there is nothing to Ik*
seen of our " gigantic growth," that has
astonished the nations of Europe. After
passing by the glories ot our arms, and
the prosperity of our arts ; when we come
to look tor the ? march of mind"? for the
monuments of genius ; for the power to
consecrate to the love ami veneration of
posterity, what the spiiit of our country's
chivalric age has won?itself object of a
!>etter pride ; the attainment of a higher
ambition ; the ornament, as it ought to be
offspring of treedom and civilization? we
see oui stives in the poverty of our nation
al outset, ai?d feel again the subjugation of
a 44 colonial policy."
it is not tor the pride of learning, it is
not tor the mere honors of a national liter
ature, that we feel any zeal ; it is because
we think it indispensible as the preservative
ot our liberty liberties that a taste for stu
dy should be generally diffused. Our
wisest and best men have made learning
the business of their lives, not for them
selves, but for the benefit of their country :
not as an idle embellishment, but as the
palladium of our freedom ; as the only
antidote that can be found against the
meanness and selfishness of avarice and
ambition. The strongest and most dis
graceful trait in our national character, say
foreigners, is an inordinate love of gain.
1 his perhaps is the only charge they make
that cannot be repelled. It is too true?
we see this foul spirit every where \ inve
terate, restless, resistless, and universal.
Among the poor we see it fiugal, indus
trious, humble, and useful? ?but sinking in
spiiit as it rises in its views ; becoming of
consequence only as it becomes corrupt ;
here mingling in war, and there raving for
pvace ; here villainously filling public of
rke, and there nIoVvIv <? fr.mir.g
opposition ? can)?ng pali ioiism to ni.trkrt
and principle Lu tne d^v:!.
Dr. Bcattie i ays of nrexary taste, that
he who has not
Mu't delve for Ufe in Miinmon'j dirtv mine.
^ncalc with the scoundrel lux, or gruut with fclut
loa #wine "
We have sometime*, rn the^ pubiuL
journals, heard classical learning mention
ed vv 1 1 ri contempt. \YC are vei v muc ti at
those who wrote thus, weie not ""only ig
norant ot their > subject ,'mt also pio'oui.diy
ignoi ant of bunnm lite. In the tine itits,
and in what is termed tine literature (the
department uselul in the common empio)
ments ot the world) there are various ob
vious and incalculable uses *, not n't-iel) as
they present an honorab e mode 1 v j 1 the
rich to dispose ot then supei ihions w ^ alth ,?
not because (hey aff<?rd the best occupa
tion to those in tlie hi?;lu r circlts v ho
have no regular business. (j he employ
iilent ot whose time is nevertheless* ot tlie
greatest importance to societ\) nor as they
h'd drhgfrtfuhy the vacant spacer that nmMr
sonictimes occur in the lives of the n.ost
L>usy ; und by ad these means, furnish a
pi escrvuiive against dangerous and dis
graceful habits ; but chiefly, from the
high soul'd" generous sentiments they
inspire, and the vigor ain^ardor they give
to tiie mind. Without literature tluie is 1
no civilization? l"evv are aware li<*w facti
tious the sentiments the world at e J"
how 1 adicali v different they have betn in
different n ?tions : Animal instinct points
out our tew natural wants, and if we live
tor nothing lurtner, our souls are unneces
saiy to u ? ? hut all bejond is within the
piovmce ol genius ; and ehquence, |v>e
try, pain ini;. <x<; are the means which
she uses to give to our minds the only dis
tinctions that they can claim over the lest
ol the animal cieation. Several instances
such as the savages of Aveyion, piove,
that without those excitements the soul
would lie dormant, and give no t? kens of
rationality, it is not our object here to
meddle wall the jarring doctunes of meta
physicians, except to reject for ourselves
the sceptical ones, by relet ring to the .re
velation as the first light and life of the
mindf as the system of tuudAmypttil pi in ?
cipies bv which the cultivation of intellec
tual powers is to be directed ; but which
should always be accompanied by a know
ledge of nature ? by the study of whatever
moves the feelings, and moulds tlie mo
tives of the human heart. Religion, a-~
nv-ir^ a -people without such cultivation is
?hly lhe engine of oppression in the hands
ot the unprincipled. If man be therefore,
vlie child ol education, it becomes no one
to despise that to which he owes (albeit in
a low uegree) the power he possesses of
reasoning at all. 1 he worst individual
among us, is somewhat raised by the en
nobling feelings that learning has diffused :
the mo.t ignorant is enlightened by the
very works he ha.* never lead* 'l he vilest
sci it b.er, who can hardly give a sentence
ot u common sense or uncommon non
sense/' has nevertheless, had his taste in
some sort purified, by those classic streams
whose fountains he dUdains to approach.
44 I'lomote as an object of primary im
portance, institutions tor the^^eneral dif
fusion of knowledge*' ? says Washington
m his late well address. Washington was
no literary man, and for this reason we
give his opinions in pivference to those of
the i* lanklins and the Jefferson* of the
age * because people are less to he credited
in the subject ot their ruling passion than
elsewhere. Washington adv scd as a cool
politician ? But we forget the history of
literature in the discussion of its import
ance.
It is thought that there are too many
seminaries of learning in the U. States;
oral least that there are too many of the
higher order. There aie about thirty
colleges, seventeen of which were found
ed between the years 1783 and 1890. One
hundred years ago there were only three*
It were much to be desired, that the mo
ney expended on so many had been appro
priated to a few. Academies are so nu
merous that, as there has been no actual
enumeiation, it is impossible for us to sta e
the number. Even common schools a
bound, perhaps sufficiently ? at least in the
towns. But in every kind of schools the
want of good teachcrs is the great defect:
which is evidently owing to the small in
ducement that there is for men c.f learn
ing to devote t he mstlves to the business of
teaching and not to want of persons quali
fied.
In almost every department of educa
tion the New- England states have taken
the lead, though in some branches of learn
ing they have, of late years been surpass
ed by some of their sister states. Harvard
College, the first in America, was institut
ed in Massachusetts in 1639 ? since called
the University of I ambridge. It first re
ceived its name from Mr. John Harvard,
who, at his death, bequeathed to it the
graater part of his estate. It has an excel
lent hbraiy at present, consisting of 18,000
or 19,00() volumes. In 1693 William and
Mary college was incoporated at Williams
burg iii Virgnia. I his establishment was
oiv.w.ned bv the t\: 11 Mr. Juir.e*
biair, nv I) o came U) the ptovmce in the
capacity ot a missionary. Alter so.icitiii ,
money hum the pe<?; <ie of this country ten"
purpose* he made a voyage to Kutoj>e
to accoplnh it. '1 I/.s collecc, UivuiJlcjIl
i'.uWcv! with extensi\c funds, \Kt^> ill at
tended tor Jt !<>n^ time, on account i>t the
habit that souti <iii plantcis I ,,.d of s^nd
ing their sons to C . i eat- fit it., in 'c;1 educa
tion. It is sa'.d that pt<!i..cM slkiiccs tha.i
at arnr ot her crdhrg^ in trrcr United states.
"1 iie hbrai y coiualis IjchU'ch at;U
4 0u0 \ olunu s.
FL X 7 :? C. ! M U t. S o J Z L , '/ /?; .
A Hliltr ACCOIN r
^ ' r g? ( ru I u /?/ / < u ru n <. r i,j > r, c r h C \i r^~
I ISA, and its ciir/iu'r, c.rn.rcu ! tn:/i
scrvado'<s u/.'jii itif maimers t J i's lu.'ivbi:
ants, ar.d i>n ivjlucnct rf ci:tkc:c u/<cn
ihtm, bxj - th.\ koitok.
No country !n the woi Id prevents, u, the
__C4LC of a strao^ej/, Wl'viiUu'^v^U-?t ty as r? ils
[xrcts aspect, pi oduction and hie. than Sout.i
C arolina. On the one lua.u \ on h* id
disease, sterility and cleat ih; on the other,
plenty, variety, luxuriance, and sa'uhriiv.
On the one hand you l>c* h.oicl po \ ertv,\vi e i h
edness, sloth and pusilanimity ; on the ci
ther, mirth, festivity, ho*pitali(y, and po
liteness. In shoi t. it appeal s that nature
intended to adapt thr country to the pro
duction of evet y vanety which imagina
tion can conceive, ot fancy delineate. in
her very liberal distribution o! this vnrie
tv, she has presented tis with sandy n\t.iis,
lulls and barren heaths; with pio:uctive
so, Is, beautiful landscapes nnd tlei?anct of
growth ; but as ai i epuonuf oi a true histni -
c,d sketch must inevitably heighten or ob
scure the colours <t truth, 1 hope I shall
be excused lor entering more minute ly in
to it.
South-( arohna lies between tlw; 3?.d
and 35th decrees of North latitude, und
hi the same paiallel with Cyprm; i imdTa,
Morocco, liarbiity, Damascus, Tiijjoli,
Paltmra, llahylon, and other puns of
1 in-key in Asia, arid with parts of l'< isia,
India and China." As you advance into
the country Ironi the sea coast, yon meet
with an extensive plain, uninterrupted by
the smallest hill lor the distance of about
twenty-five or thirty leagues, when the
super lice is suddenly bmken by a few sand
hills and vallies, equally barren alternating
each oiht-r. These continue thus unite d
_tor ten, fifteen or twenty miles, when the
land becomes more fruitful in a south wes
tern direction. You now proceed, ten,
fifteen or twenty miles farther up before
you get a view of those sand hills, of al
most unexampled sterility, which extend
nearly across the Carolinas and Georgia*
1 ired of an useless waste of labour, and
an unnecessary expenditure of silicioui
earth, the grand aichitict of the universe
is now disposed to btstow on the agricul
turist a soil every where capable of reward
ing bis labour with abundant harvests.
W beat, rye, Indian corn, potatoes, pom
pions, cotton, rice, Iv mp, flax, indigo,
and almost every article which commerce
or home consumption renders valuable,
here pour in upon him streams of opul
ence.
Hut I should not be doing justice to
i he low country were I l" pass over un
noticed the many arable spots, which sup
ply the industrious and enterprising plan
ter, with the many luxuries of life. Tho >e
rivers, and creeks which intersect the
country are a never failing source of ma
nure. By them are conveyed and depo
sited, alluvia adm rably calculated for the
production of all that is planted. Uy them
have betn made those numerous islands,
so celebrated for bearin^c^ttou, and indi
KO, Hhd to them , in partv art we indebted
for those indentations which peninsulate
our coast.
Although the low country appears to be
cxtreftmly level, there is a gradual ascent,
as far westward as the mountains. From
mensuration it has been computed, to "k
mount to no lest tlian eight onm? nuii^
dred feet perpendicular. *
1 he soil in various paits, not immediate
ly within the vicinage of rivers, and creeks
is either of a stifT argillacious or sandy na
ture, extremely unproductive and disposed
to retain water in consequence of being
bottomed by a stratum of red clay, almost
impermeable to that fluid. The first con
stitues what it generally denominated a
crawfish land, by the inhabitants. It is
during long wet spells in autumn, nearly
inundated by rain, and is doubtless a
fruitful source of disease ; independent of
this, there are morasses, savanahs, and
cypress ponds, which occupy a considera
ble part of the surface, and contain rene
rally large quantities of water. This eith
er rises spontaneously from the earth or is
deposited by rain.
The inhabitants of some of tho?e dreary
tracts are to the eye of a spectator, truly
poor abject and wretched. Their aspect is
meagre, ragged, and smoky ; thtir move
menn slow and circumspect. Ii.dolence,
effeminacy, taciturnity and ignorance arc
their characteristics. '1 his arises pi,lK\