Washington's Messages

The eight annual messages of Gen. ' Washington fill about thirty octava pages, nnd are just about the length of one of Mr. Polk's. Th e re was less need of long messnges n those primhivodays of tho Repubüc. But the length of the messages of the Presidente and of the Governors of the States is rather an advantage to the people than othervvise. - They are the only summaries of National and State affuirs whicli are read by all the people ; and throngh them a vast amount of important political ïnformation is obtained by muliitudes who do not get it from other sources. Butsliorl astlie MessTges of Washington are, they develope very clearly the leading chnracierislics of his mind. - Profound Veneration. great Firmness, rigid Consienciousness, and great exactitude in matters of detail ars every vvhere conspicuous The.-e seemsto have been nolhing radical about him. He ncquired a fortune by good judgment in the purchase of wild laiids; and settled down as an oíd fasliioned, vory respec ab!e Virginia gpntleman. He held a regular plantation of Slaves which he raanngpd with greit exactness ; and like other Virginia gentlemen, uhen his slaves rua avav he sent agents after tliem to ca;ch them. Had he liveo in modern times, he would probably have been only a very benevolent Colonizotion-st, or, at lest, an advocate of gradual emanciprüion. - Had all ihe prominent minds of the Revolution been 1 ko (ris, no Revolulion wüuld have taken place. Still the conservative Iraits lie so largely possessed jus; fiited him to ea;ab!ish and succe3sfully maititain the Federal government when in its infancy. Ilis administraron, in respect to fi re:gn affiiirs, wns vrise and j judicious. [Ie slrongly advocated the, policy ofneut'-aüty in European quarrrls, and it has been ihe settled policy of the nation ever since, and has been of eminent service lo us is a people. But a conseivatiie turn of mind ol:en leads to ihe cherishing of serious error?, pruvided they bc fu'lv sanctioned bv ancienl unge.. Tiie influence of Wash inglon's wisd m ni)d good sense ha al. waays been quoieJ as a support of the policy of keeping up extensiva and cosily preparations (br war. He urges military and naval prepnralions on Congress in nearly every messag" ; and ie cousidered a stale of profound pence the best time to prepare for war: nnd the longer peaco eontinued the moro a'tenlion shoulJ be paid to military matterí, lest people should forget how tn fight. He recommendrtd a systcrn of genera! ÜM-tific-ition of all tlie principal places on the coast and frontiers; and the plan ha? been carried out by his succe=sors, and hundreds of millions thereon waïted. - He recotr.menHed the furma'ion of a nnvv; and his plan of organizing the mi tilia seems to have inchided their eita'ilishment as a permanent natioiml nrmy, to be kept in instant readiness for service, ni.d annunlly and effioiently Irained. Indesd, he consideied that without an ampio raparation for war, a nntion wonld not wc'l secure res)ect and consideration abroad. Menee, he also rpcommrnded ihe establishment of a National Militnry Academy, for the purpose of perpetuating "an adequate stock of military knowleJge for emergencies." Thus ihis scion of National Aristocracy has been engrafted upor. our republicnn institutions, and will doubtless be perpetunted to a futuiv generation.