CHAPTER I. BIRTH OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON-HIS ANCESTORS-HIS EARLY SCHOOL- COUNTING-HOUSE-PROPITIOUS NEW YORK-HIS STUDIES AT ELIZABETH-TOWN-HE ENTERS COLUMBIA COLLEGE-HIS STUDIOUS HABITS AND PROGRESS-HIS FIRST PUBLIC ORATION-ITS EFFECTS AND PROMISE OF FUTURE SUCCESS. ALEXANDER HAMILTON was a native of the Island of Nevis, in the British West Indies. He was born on the eleventh day of January, 1759. His ancestors on the paternal side were Scotch; and were connected with the great clan of the Hamiltons, which has long possessed no inconsiderable conse quence in Scottish history. His father had been reared in Scotland to mercantile pursuits; and being allured by the favorable prospects of trade which invited him to St. Christopher, he removed thither when comparatively young, and had there engaged in business. Hamilton's mother was of French extraction, and was directly descended from one of those noble old Hugonots who, after the infamous revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., in 1685, had deserted his native land rather than basely betray his religion, and had sought a refuge and a home on one of the (25) blooming and verdant islands, which lie embosomed amid the western main. The mother of Hamilton was a woman of superior intelligence and rare beauty. When very young she had married a wealthy Dane, named Lavine, against her own wishes, at the instance of her family. But the parties were quite uncongenial in their tastes and characters; and the union proving a source of much misery to the lady, she applied for and obtained a divorce. She then removed to St. Christopher, and several years afterward became the wife of James IIamilton, and the mother of Alexander. Whilst he was very young, Hamilton's mother unfortunately died, and left him to the charitable care and protection of her relatives. They did not neglect the trust, and sent the orphan boy to school at Vera Cruz. His father was at that time very much impoverished, and he remained in that condition until his death in 1799. Alexander, who was diminutive for his age, was entirely dependent on his mother's relatives not only for support, but also for the future guidance of his life. Yet at this early period the superior intelligence of the child attracted general attention; and those who were interested in his fate already began to indulge hopes of a brighter future for him, than the misfortunes of the commencement of his career had seemed to presage. Yet the extent of his literary advantages was very limited. His schooling did not long continue. He had the good fortune at that time to enlist the charitable regard of a Presbyterian clergyman named Knox, and from him he received some useful instruction and many valuable hints. These were of great service to a youth so intelligent and so ardent in the pursuit of knowledge as Hamilton; but he was compelled by circumstances to relinquish his studies in 1769, and enter the counting-house of Nicholas Cruger at Vera Cruz. In this situation he devoted himself attentively to the details of business; and his superior abilities and probity soon secured him the confidence of his employer. At the age of fourteen he was intrusted by him with the entire care of his establishment, during his absence on a visit to the United States in 1770. Nevertheless during the period of Hamilton's connection with Mr. Cruger, his active and inquiring mind was not content with the mere details and responsibilities of business, but he employed his leisure in extending his knowledge. He studied mathematical science, chemistry, history, and general literature. He seemed to be conscious that a higher destiny awaited him, than that which lay immediately before and around him; and he was assiduous in the acquisition of knowledge and the training of those superior faculties whose mighty and restless energies he already felt working within him. While thus uncertain as to his future destiny, an accident occurred which immediately gave it a paramount and an appropriate direction. In 1772 a furious and destructive tornado, such as the tropical climes alone experience, swept over the Leeward Islands of the West Indies, carrying ruin and desolation along its pathway. The stoutest hearts were appalled by the fearful havoc which ensued; and while the public mind was still filled with awe and consternation at its effects, a description of the hurricane and of its consequences appeared in the public journal of the Island of St. Christopher. In this event originated the future greatness and celebrity of Hamilton. The description in question was written with such ability, and bore throughout such unquestionable evidences of a superior intellect, that it attracted universal attention, and inquiries were industriously made for its author. When it was discovered that a lad so young, so small, so friendless as Hamilton, had penned that powerful production, the interest was increased tenfold; and many friends arose around him who offered to send him to the United States in order to complete his edu cation. He gladly embraced the opportunity. He received letters of introduction from Mr. Knox to Dr. Mason and other distinguished clergymen in New York, and ample means were furnished him for his immediate support. In October, 1772, he sailed from the West Indies; bade farewell to the home of his childhood; and set foot on that land with whose rising splendors his own name and fame were destined afterward to become so closely and so honorably identified. Having arrived in New York and presented his letters of introduction, Hamilton concluded, in accordance with the advice of his friends, to commence his studies at the Grammar-school of Elizabethtown, then ably conducted by Francis Barber. His industry and application here were such as to warrant the brightest prospects of his future success. In winter he frequently continued his studies till midnight. In summer the early hour of six found him intently at his books. Scarcely a year elapsed before he was deemed fit, by his instructors, to enter college. He accordingly visited Dr. Witherspoon, at that time president of Princeton College, for the purpose of being admitted to the Freshman class. Hamilton however desired to make one condition with the faculty of the college, preliminary to his matriculation,—a condition which furnishes singular evidence both of his attainments, of his future pur |