THERE is nothing which human nature regards with more aversion, than the duty here presented for consideration. Our earliest and strongest impulses ever incline us to unrestrained indulgence. This inordinate tendency of the appetites and affections, is the fruit of a diseased and perverted nature in man, and distinguishes him wherever he is found on the face of the earth. Victory over this morbid propensity is a rare achievement; indeed we may say, it is never really effected, without the special aid of Heaven. By the force of motives drawn from reason and interest, men may at times have accomplished something in this way. Assured that nothing great or good was ever compassed without it, they have persuaded themselves to encounter a present inconvenience, in the hope of gaining thereby an eventual recompense. In such cases, however, you may not look for perseverance or consistency of practice. It is only when prompted by religious principle, that the duty will be embodied in the habits, and find therein an unaffected and uniform exemplification.

In the history of Washington we have a striking example of this spirit. Without a particle of the stoic

about him; yea, with a very considerable taste for social delights and domestic enjoyments;-he did, from a very early period of life, evince a constant willingness to encounter perils and endure privations in any cause, deemed by him of sufficient importance to merit the sacrifice. To surrender personal ease and indulgence, at the call of duty, seems to have been a fixed principle of his life.

In his first public undertaking, which was to visit and deliver a letter from Governour Dinwiddie, to the commandant of the French forces on the Ohio, we have an early development of this strong trait of character. He was then a very young man-being little more than twenty-one years of age, and in possession of an ample fortune. Yet, at the voice of his country, did he cheerfully resign the ease and comforts of home, and encounter a journey, in the depth of winter, and through a savage wilderness, the performance of which cost him every privation, exposed him to many dangers, and subjected him to incredible fatigue.

A few extracts from the journal of his tour shall supply the proofs of his self-sacrificing spirit. His journey commenced about the 1st of November, 1753.

"I was commissioned and appointed by the Honourable Robert Dinwiddie, Esquire, Governour of Virginia, to visit and deliver a letter to the commandant of the French forces on the Ohio, and set out on the intended journey on the same day; the next I arrived at Fredericksburg, and engaged Mr. Jacob Vanbraam to be my French interpreter, and proceeded with him to Alexandria, where we provided necessaries. From thence we went to Winchester, and got baggage, horses, &c., and from

thence we pursued the new road to Will's Creek, where we arrived on the 14th of November.

"Here I engaged Mr. Gist to pilot us out, and also hired four others as servitors, ...

. and in company with those persons left the inhabitants next day.

"The excessive rains and vast quantity of snow which had fallen, prevented our reaching Mr. Frazier's,. until Thursday 22d.

"December 7th.-At twelve o'clock, we set out for the fort, and were prevented arriving there until the 11th, by excessive rains, snows, and bad travelling through many mires and swamps; these we were obliged to pass, to avoid crossing the creek, which was impassable, either by fording or rafting, the water was so high and rapid.

“14th.—As the snow increased very fast, and our horses daily became weaker, I sent them off unloaded, under the care of Barnaby Currin and two others, to make all convenient despatch to Venango, and there to wait our arrival, if there was a prospect of the river's freezing; if not, then to continue down to Shannopin's Town, at the fork of the Ohio, and there to wait until we came to cross the Alleghany; intending myself to go down by water, as I had the offer of a canoe or two.

"As I found many plots concerted to retard the Indians' business, and prevent their returning with me, I endeavoured all that lay in my power to frustrate their schemes, and hurried them on to execute their intended design. . . I cannot say that ever in my life I suffered so much anxiety, as I did in this affair. I saw that every stratagem, which the most fruitful brain could invent, was practised (by the French) to win the Half

King to their interest; and that leaving him there, was giving them the opportunity aimed at, &c.

"16th. We had a tedious and very fatiguing passage down the creek. Several times we had liked to have been staved against rocks; and many times were obliged, all hands, to get out and remain in the water half an hour or more, getting over the shoals. At one place the ice had lodged, and made it impassable by water; we were, therefore, obliged to carry our canoe across the neck of land, a quarter of a mile over. We did not reach Venango until the 22d, where we met with our horses.

"23d. Our horses were now so weak and feeble, and the baggage so heavy, (as we were obliged to provide all the necessaries which the journey would require,) that we doubted much their performing it. Therefore, myself and others, except the drivers, who were obliged to ride, gave up our horses for packs, to assist with the baggage. I put myself in an Indian walking-dress, and continued with them three days, until I found there was no probability of their getting home in any reasonable time. The horses became less able to travel every day; the cold increased very fast; and the roads were becoming much worse by a deep snow, continually freezing; therefore, as I was uneasy to get back, to make report of my proceedings to his Honour the Governour, I determined to prosecute my journey, the nearest way through the woods, on foot.

Accordingly, I left Mr. Vanbraam in charge of our baggage, with money and directions to provide necessaries

from place to place for themselves and horses, and to make the most convenient despatch in travelling.

"I took my necessary papers, pulled off my clothes, and tied myself up in a watch-coat. Then, with gun in hand, and pack on my back, in which were my papers and provisions, I set out with Mr. Gist, fitted in the same manner, on Wednesday the 26th. The day following, just after we had passed a place called Murdering Town, where we intended to quit the path and steer across the country for Shannopin's Town, we fell in with a party of French Indians, who had lain in wait for us. One of them fired at Mr. Gist or me, not fifteen steps off, but fortunately missed. We took this fellow into custody, and kept him until about nine o'clock at night; then let him go, and walked all the remaining part of the night without making any stop, that we might get the start so far, as to be out of the reach of their pursuit the next day, since we were well assured they would follow our track as soon as it was light. The next day we continued travelling until quite dark, and got to the river about two miles above Shannopin's. We expected to have found the river frozen, but it was not, only about fifty yards from each shore. The ice, I suppose, had broken up above, for it was driving in vast quantities. There was no way for getting over but on a raft, which we set about with but one poor hatchet, and finished just after sun-setting. This was a whole day's work; we next got it launched, then went on board of it, and set off; but before we were half way over, we were jammed in the ice in such a manner, that we expected every moment our raft to sink, and ourselves to perish. I put out my setting-pole to try to stop the raft,