before three o'clock General Knox took formal possession of Fort George amid the acclamations of thousands of emancipated freemen, and the roar of artillery upon the Battery.

On Thursday, the 4th of December, Washington met his officers, yet re

Manchace

maining in service, at his quarters, corner of Broad and Pearl-streets, New York, for the last time. The scene, as described by Marshall,' the best of the early biographers of Washington, was one of great tenderness. The commanderin-chief entered the room where they were all waiting, and taking a glass of wine in his hand, he said, "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take

'John Marshall, the eminent Chief Justice of the United States, was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, in 1755, and was the eldest of fifteen children by the same mother. He entered the military service, in the Virginia militia, against Dunmore [page 244], in 1775, and was in the battle at the Great Bridge [see page 243]. He remained in service, as an excellent officer, until early in 1780, when he studied law, and became very eminent in his profession. He was again in the field in 1781. In 1782 he was a member of the Virginia Legislature. He was chosen Secretary of War in 1800, and the next year was elevated to the Chief Justiceship of the United States. His Life of Washington was published in 1805. Judge Marshall died at Philadelphia in 1835, in the eightieth year of his age. He was an exceedingly plain man, in person and habits, and always carried his own marketing home in his hands. On one occasion, a young housekeeper was swearing lustily because he could not hire a person to carry his turkey home for him. A plain man, standing by, offered to perform the service, and when they arrived at the door, the young man asked, "What shall I pay you?" "Oh, nothing," replied the old man; "you are welcome; it was on my way, and no trouble." "Who is that polite old gentleman who brought home my turkey for me?" inquired the young man of a bystander. "That," he replied, "is John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States.' The astonished young man exclaimed, "Why did he bring home my turkey?" "To give you a severe reprimand," replied the other, "and to learn you to attend to your own business." The lesson was never forgotten.

leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." Having drank, he continued, "I can not come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged to you if each will come and take me by the hand." Knox, who stood nearest to him, turned and grasped his hand, and, while the tears flowed down the cheeks of each, the commander-in-chief kissed him. This he did to each of his officers, while tears and sobs stifled utterance. Washington soon left the room, and passing through corps of light infantry, he walked in silence to Whitehall, where he embarked in a barge for Elizabethtown, on his way to Annapolis, in Maryland, where Congress was in session. There, on the 23d of December, he resigned into its custody the commission which he received [June 16, 1775] from that body more than eight years before. His address on that occasion was simple and touching, and the response of General Mifflin,' the president, was equally affecting. The spectacle was one of great moral sublimity. Like Cincinnatus, Washington, having been instrumental, under Providence, in preserving the liberties of his country and achieving its independence, laid down the cares of State and returned to his plow. A few months before the final disbanding of the army, many of the officers, then at Newburg, on the Hudson, met [June 19, 1783] at the head-quarters of

GENERAL MIFFLIN.

the Baron Steuben, situated about two miles from the Fishkill Ferry, and there formed an association, which they named the SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. The chief objects of the Society were to promote cordial friendship and indissoluble union among themselves; to commemorate, by frequent re-unions, the great struggle they had just passed through; to use their best endeavors for the promotion of human liberty; to cherish good feeling between the respective States; and to extend benevolent aid to those of the Society whose circumstances might require it. They formed a General Society, and elected Washington its first president. They also made provision for the formation of auxiliary State societies. To perpetuate the Association, it was provided, in the constitution, that the eldest male descendant of an original member should be entitled to bear the ORDER, and enjoy the privileges of the Society. The Order3 consists of a gold eagle, suspended upon a ribbon, on the breast of which is a medallion

1

ORDER.

Page 238. At the same time Washington rendered the account current of his expenditures, for reconnoitering, traveling, secret service, and miscellaneous expenses, amounting to about $74,480. He would receive nothing in compensation for his own services as commander-in-chief.

Thomas Mifflin was born in Philadelphia in 1744. He was a Quaker [note 7, page 94], but joined the patriot army in 1775, and rapidly rose to the rank of major-general. He was a member of Congress after the war, and also governor of Pennsylvania. He died in January, 1800.

An order is a badge, or visible token of regard or distinction, conferred upon persons for meritorious services. On the breast of Baron Steuben on page 291, is the order of Fidelity, presented to him by Frederic the Great of Prussia, for his services in the army of that monarch. Some of the

with a device, representing Cincinnatus receiving the Roman senators.' Several State societies are yet [1856] in existence.

The war was ended, and peace was guarantied, but the people had much to do in the adjustment of public affairs, so as to lay the foundations of permanent prosperity, and thus secure the liberty and independence proclaimed and acknowledged. The country was burdened with a heavy debt, foreign and domestic, and the Articles of Confederation' gave Congress no power to discharge them, if it had possessed the ability. On its recommendation, however, the individual States attempted to raise their respective quotas, by direct taxation. But all were impoverished by the war, and it was found to be impossible to provide means even to meet the arrears of pay due the soldiers of the Revolution. Each State had its local obligations to meet, and Congress could not coerce compliance with its recommendations.

This effort produced great excitement in many of the States, and finally, in 1787, a portion of the people of Massachusetts openly rebelled. Daniel Shays, who had been a captain in the continental army, marched at the head of a thousand men, took possession of Worcester, and prevented a session of the Supreme Court. He repeated the same at Springfield. The insurrection soon became so formidable, that Governor Bowdoin was compelled to call out several thousand militia, under General Lincoln, to suppress it. Lincoln captured one hundred and fifty of the insurgents, and their power was broken. A free pardon was, finally, offered to all privates who had engaged in the rebellion. Several leaders were tried, and sentenced to death, but none were executed, for it was perceived that the great mass of the people sympathized with them. This episode is known as Shays's Rebellion.

We have already noticed the fact that the Pope was unfriendly to England,* and looked with favor upon the rebellious movements of her colonies. Soon after the treaty of peace was concluded [Sept. 3, 1783], the Pope's Nuncio at Paris made overtures to Franklin, on the subject of appointing an apostolic vicar for the United States. The matter was referred to Congress, and that body properly replied, that the subject being purely spiritual, it was beyond their control. The idea of entire separation between the State and spiritual governments—the full exercise of freedom of conscience-was thus early enun

orders conferred by kings are very costly, being made of gold and silver, and precious stones. The picture of the order of the Cincinnati, given on the preceding page, is half the size of the original.

1 Cincinnatus was a noble Roman citizen. When the Romans were menaced with destruction by an enemy, the Senate appointed delegates to invite Cincinnatus to assume the chief magistracy of the nation. They found him at his plow. He immediately complied, raised an army, subdued the enemy, and, after bearing the almost imperial dignity for fourteen days, he resigned his office, anl returned to his plow. How like Cincinnatus were Washington and his compatriots of the War for Independence!

The

2 According to an estimate made by the Register of the Treasury in 1790, the entire cost of the War for Independence, was at least one hundred and thirty millions of dollars, exclusive of vast sums lost by individuals and the several States, to the amount, probably, of forty millions more. treasury payments amounted to almost ninety-three millions, chiefly in continental bills. The foreign debt amounted to eight millions of dollars; and the domestic debt, due chiefly to the officers and soldiers of the Revolution, was more than thirty millions of dollars.

3

Note 1, page 267, and Supplement.

• Page 266.

ciated. The Pope accordingly appointed John Carroll,' of Maryland, a cousin of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, to the high office of Apostolic-Vicar. He was consecrated Bishop of Baltimore, and was ultimately made Archbishop of the United States. At about the same

time, the Church of England in America sought a reorganization, and Samuel Seabury, an Episcopal minister of New London, Connecticut, at the request of the Churchmen of that State, proceeded to England to obtain ordination as bishop. The English bishops were not allowed to confer the dignity unless the recipient would take the oath of allegiance to the king of England, as head of the Church. This, Seabury (although a loyalist during the war) could not do, and he sought and obtained ordination from Scotch bishops. Such was the commencement of the two most prominent prelatical Churches in the United States. The Methodist Church, which has since flourished so wonderfully, was then just taking firm root.

John Carroll was born in Maryland in 1735, and at the age of thirteen years, was sent to Europe to be educated. He was ordained a priest in 1769, and became a teacher at St. Omer and at Liege. When the Jesuits were expelled from France, he went to England, and returned to his native country in 1775. He accompanied a Congressional committee to Canada, in 1776, to endeavor to persuade that Roman Catholic colony to join the others in the revolt. Throughout the war he was attached to the Repulican cause. He was appointed Vicar-General in 1786, and was consecrated a bishop in 1790. He was made archbishop in 1808. He died in Baltimore in 1815, at the age of eighty years. His usual signature was + J. Bish. of Baltimore.

For a long time it had been clearly perceived that, while the Articles of Confederation formed a sufficient constitution of government during the progress of the war, they were not adapted to the public wants in the new condition of an independent sovereignty in which the people found themselves. There appeared a necessity for a greater centralization of power by which the general government could act more efficiently for the public good. To a great extent, the people lost all regard for the authority of Congress, and the commercial affairs of the country became wretchedly deranged. In truth, every thing seemed to be tending toward utter chaos, soon after the peace in 1783,' and the leading minds engaged in the struggle for Independence, in view of the increasing and magnified evils, and the glaring defects of the Articles of Confederation, were turned to the consideration of a plan for a closer union of the States, and for a general government founded on the principles of the Declaration of Independence, from which the confederation in question widely departed.

The sagacious mind of Washington early perceived, with intense anxiety, the tendency toward ruin of that fair fabric which his wisdom and prowess had helped to rear, and he took the initial step toward the adoption of measures which finally resulted in the formation of the present Constitution of the United States. At his suggestion, a convention, for the purpose of consulting on the best means of remedying the defects of the Federal Government, was held at Annapolis, in Maryland, in September, 1786. Only five States (Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York) were represented. They met on the 11th of that month, and John Dickenson was chosen chairman. They finally appointed a committee to prepare a draft of a report to be made to the Legislatures of the several States, then represented. The committee reported on the 14th, but there not being a representation from a majority of 'the States, it was thought advisable to postpone further action. They adjourned, after recommending the appointment of deputies to meet in convention at Philadelphia, in May following. The report was adopted and transmitted to Congress. On the 21st of February, 1787, a committee of that body, to whom the report of the commissioners was referred, reported thereon, and strongly recommended to the different Legislatures to send forward delegates to meet in the proposed convention at Philadelphia. Propositions were made by delegates from New York and Massachusetts, and finally the following resolution, submitted by the latter, after being amended, was agreed to:

Resolved, That in the opinion of Congress, it is expedient that on the second Monday in May next, a convention of delegates, who shall have been appointed by the several States, be held at Philadelphia, for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, and reporting to Congress and the several Legislatures such alterations and provisions therein. as shall, when agreed to in Congress, and confirmed by the States, render the

1 Page 348.

2

Page 359.

3 Page 219.

The committee consisted of Messrs. Dana, Varnum, S. M. Mitchell, Smith, Cadwalader, Irvine, N. Mitchell, Forest, Grayson, Blount, Bull, and Few.