extracting a part of the address, which Colonel Washington received from his officers, on the occasion of his resigning the command of the Virginia regiment. It has an air of truth and of affection, which distinguishes it from all other papers of the same sort; and we have little doubt, that, as it was written by those who had lived and acted with him, during all the trying events of the war, it contains the only faithful picture, which could be drawn, of his early character and habits.

'In our earliest infancy (say they) you took us under your tuition, trained us up in the practice of that discipline, which alone can constitute good troops; from the punctual observance of which you never suffered the least deviation.

"Your steady adherence to impartial justice, your quick discernment, and invariable regard to merit, wisely intended to inculcate those genuine sentiments of honour, and passion for glory, from which the greatest military achievements have been derived, first heightened our mutual emulation, and desire to excel. How much we improved, by those regulations, and your own example; with what alacrity we have hitherto discharged our duty; with what cheerfulness we have encountered the severest toils, especially while under your particular directions; we submit to

yourself, and flatter ourselves that we have, in a great measure, answered your expectations.

'Judge, then, how sensibly we must be affected, with the loss of such an excellent commander, such a sincere friend, and so affable a companion. How rare is it to find those amiable qualifications blended together in one man! How great the loss of such a man! Adieu to that superiority, which the enemy have granted us over other troops, and which even the regulars and provincials have done us the honour publicly to acknowledge! Adieu to that strict discipline and order, which you have always maintained! Adieu to that happy union and harmony, which have been our principal cement!

'It gives us additional sorrow, when we reflect, to find our unhappy country will receive a loss, no less irreparable than our own. Where will it meet a man, so experienced in military affairs? One so renowned for patriotism, conduct, and courage? Who has so great a knowledge of the enemy we have to deal with? Who so well acquainted with their knowledge and strength? Who so much respected by the soldiery? Who, in short, so able to support the military character of Virginia?'

NOTES.

NOTE (A). P. 1.

THE question of Columbus' birth place has been agitated more than three centuries; and it is but a few years, since the subject called forth one prolix volume from the academy of Turin, and another, from that of Genoa. Columbus himself seems to have studied to keep the place a secret; and it is somewhat remarkable, that his own son, who has written his life, and who was sixteen years old, at his death, should have been so negligent as not to ask the question, or so unsuccessful as to obtain no answer. Piedmont, Placentia, Genoa, Savoy, and Laguria, have all been ready to claim the discoverer of the New World; but, with the exception of Genoa, their claims have little to support them. In his will, dated in 1494, Columbus describes himself as a Genoese: and an expression in the life by his son, is supposed to prove, that, if any of these countries was the place, it must have been Genoa. Some persons,' says he, 'would have him essay to trace the admiral's descent from noble blood, but that he refrained therefrom,-believing that our Lord, who had elected him for so great a work as the one he did accomplish, and appointed him his chosen apostle, whom he had called from the seas and rivers, and not from high places and palaces, to make known his name to the nations.'

k k

It has been said, that Henry VII. gave no encouragement to Bartholomew Columbus; and that his discouraging answer was communicated to Christopher, before he applied to the court of Castile. But it appears from the life by Don Ferdinand, his son, that the king of England at once yielded to the proposal; and that the admiral did not hear from his brother, until after he had performed his second voyage. But to return to the king of England, I say, that after he had seen the map, and that which my father, Christopher Columbus, `offered unto him, he accepted the offer with joyful countenance, and sent to call him into England. But because God had reserved the said offer for Castile, Columbus was gone in the mean space, and also returned with the performance of his enterprise.' This life of Columbus is extremely scarce; and we have taken our translation from HACKLUYT's Travels, pt. iii. p. 508.

Just before Columbus arrived at Lisbon, on his return from the first voyage, he experienced a very dangerous storm; and, fearing that he might be cast away in such another, while sailing to Palos, the seat of the Spanish government, he addressed a letter to Don Raphael Sanzio, the king's treasurer; in which he gives a cursory account of his discoveries. Till within a short time, this precious document was very rare; and even Dr. Robertson, who is called 'the most diligent of mankind,' appears to have been ignorant of its existence. The English reader is indebted for it to the Edinburgh Review; the conductors of which have given us an account of the only copies, that are known to exist. The most ancient,-the one, from which they made a translation, was printed in 1493, and is in the Brera library, at Milan. Three are in the French king's library, at Paris, dated 1494. Another is found in a volume published at Bazil, in 1533;

and it was next inserted in the Hispania Illustrata, published at Frankfort, in 1603. The seventh is in the Magleabechi library, at Florence; and the eighth, in the Casanata library, at Rome. It is of considerable length; and, instead of being filled with wild and incredible stories, contains a pertinent, businesslike account of what had been discovered, and every where speaks the good sense, acuteness, and humanity of the writer. It is such an account as may be depended upon; and we shall make no apology for laying a part of it before our readers.

"Of this island, (Hispana says he,) and of all the others which I have seen or obtained any knowledge of, the inhabitants go naked, both sexes alike, just as they were born; except that some of the women have a leaf, or some sort of cotton covering, which they themselves prepare for that purpose, about their middles. As I have already said, all these people are entirely without iron of any sort. They are also without arms, of which they know not the use, and indeed would be ill adapted to make use of them; not from any bodily defects, for they are well formed, but because they are so remarkably timid and fearful. The only kind of arms they possess are canes parched in the sun, on the roots of which they fix a sort of spear-head of dry wood, sharpened into a point: yet these they do not often dare to use; for it frequently happened when I had sent two or three of my men to some of the villages, that they might have communication with the inhabitants, a whole body of Indians would come out: but no sooner did they see our men approach, than off they set; parents deserting their children, and children their parents, without any scruple. Nor was this owing to any violence on my part, as I was particularly anxious that they should meet with no injury;—on the contra-` ry, among whatever people I landed, or whom I could bring to