leged with opportunities of fhewing their efteem for him, he was moft tenderly alive. The advancement of the knowledge of Chrift in the world at large was always near his heart; and whatever concerned the general welfare of mankind was interefting to him, fecluded as he was from the public, and in common from religious fociety. In like manner, from his diftant retreat, he viewed, with painful fenfations, the progrefs of infidelity, and of fin in every fhape. His love to God, though unaffifted by a hope of divine favour, was invariably manifefted, by an abhorrence of every thing that he thought difhonourable he paffed in the latter part of his life, the beft judgement may be formed from his own expreffions, in a poem written towards the clofe of that interval. It was occafioned by the unexpected acquifition of a fmall portrait of his mother, whom he had loft more than half a century before, but had never ceafed to remember with the warmeft gratitude and the fondeft affection.-Having defcribed her's and his father's paffage through this life to a heavenly world, under the figure of a voyage fpeedily and profperoufly terminated, he naturally reverts, in the fame metaphorical language, to the diftreffing contraft which his own fituation and pro-to the Moft High, and a delight in fpects prefented. all that tended to his glory. His fympathizing and admiring friends were fondly cherishing a hope, that the diminution of his fufferings, which was apparent for feveral fucceffive years, would_at length refult in his reftoration to fpiritual peace and joy. Although advanced in years, his health, by means of regular exercife and additional fociéty, was not only preferved, but even feemed to improve, notwithstanding the root of his bitternefs evidently fill remained.Amidft flattering expectations, the Lord permitted fome affecting events to revive his diftrefs in all its force, and to plunge him again into diftraction and defperation. He declined all mental or bodily exertion, and rejected all attempts at friendly confolation; nay, he conceived his tendereft friends to be transformed by the powers of darkness into confpirators against his welfare. Expecting every hour to be his laft out of endless torments, nothing short of this horrible profpect could attract his notice for an.inftant. He Z refufed, refufed, day after day, his neceffary food; and imminent danger appeared of his fpeedy departure out of life in fo dreadful a ftate of mind. But the Lord, who had dafhed the rifing hopes of his friends, now mercifully difappointed their fears. His period of mortality was extended; and means were unexpect edly afforded for his removal from this neighbourhood to a diftant fituation, where he could remain under the continual care of an amiable young kinfman, who, with a tenderness beyond the common limits of filial affection, watched over the precious remnant of his life. Much of it elapsed without a probability of his restoration to the ftate from which he had laft fallen. His intellectual powers were fo much affected by this relapfe, that he was only capable of attending to the moft trivial fubjects, even when willing to have his thoughts diverted from defpair. Local ad affectionate friends, and the indefatigable affiduity of his only remaining companion, were at length rendered fo far ufeful, that he was enabled to refume his literary occupations, which were always, when purfued, a confiderable, though partial, alleviation of his distress. During the last year or two of Mr. Cowper's life, his health, and his state of mind, appeared to be as much reftored as for an equal time, at any period during his long afflictions. Toward the clofe of the paft winter, he was, however, attacked by a bodily diforder, which brought on a rapid decay. His young friend and relative, convinced that he would fhortly exchange a world of infirmity and forrow for a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, repeatedly endeavoured to cheer him with the profpect, and to affure him of the happiness that awaited him. Still he refufed to be comforted. "Oh! fpare me! spare me! You know, you know it to be falfe," was his only reply, with the fame invincible defpair to which he had fo long been a prey. Early on the 25th of April, he funk into a ftate of apparent infenfibility, which might have been mistaken for a tranquil flumber, but that his eyes remained half open. His breath was regular, though feeble; and his countenance and animal frame perfectly ferene. In this state he continued for twelve hours, and then expired, without heaving his breath. General Washington's Will. In the name of God, Amen. George Washington, of Mount States, and lately prefident of the fame, do make, ordain, and declare this inftrument, which is written with my own hand, and every page thereof fubfcribed with my name, to be my last will and testament, revoking all others. Item. All my debts, of which there are but few, and none of magnitude, are to be punctually and fpeedily paid; and the legacies hereafter bequeathed are to be discharged as foon as circumstances will permit, and in the manner directed. Item. -To my dearly beloved wife, Martha Washington, I give and bequeath the ufe, profit, and benefit of my whole estate, real and perfonal, for the term of her natural life, except fuch parts thereof as are specially disposed of hereafter. My My improved lot in the town of Item.-Upon the decease of my wife, it is my will and defire that all the flaves which I hold in my own right fhall receive their free dom. To emancipate them during her life would, though earneftly wifhed by me, be attended with fuch infuperable difficulties, on account of their intermixture by marriages with the dower negroes, as to excite the most painful fenfations, if not difagreeable confequences, from the latter, while both defcriptions are in the occupancy of the fame proprietor; it not being in my power, under the tenure by which the dower negroes are held, to manumit them. And whereas among thofe who will receive freedom according to this demife, there may be fome who from old age or bodily infirmities, and others who, on account of their infancy, will be unable to fupport themfelves, it is my will and defire that all who come under the firft and fecond defcription, fhall be comfortably clothed and fed by my heirs while they live; and that fuch of the latter defcription as have no parents living, or, if living, are unable or unwilling to provide for them, fhall be bound by the court till they fhall arrive at the age of twenty-five years; and in cafes where no record can be produced, whereby their ages can be afcertained, the judgement of the court, upon its own view of the fubject, shall be adequate and final. The negroes thus bound are (by their masters or miftrefles) to be taught to read and write, and to be brought up to fome ufeful occupation, agreeably to the laws of the commonwealth of Virginia, providing for the fupport of orphan and other poor children. And I do hereby exprefsly forbid the fale or tranfportation, out of the faid commonwealth, of any flave I may die poffeffed of, under any pretence whatsoever. And I do moreover most folemnly and most pointedly enjoin it upon my executors hereafter named, or the furvivor of them, to fee that this claufe refpecting flaves, and every part thereof, be religiously fulfilled, at the epoch at which it is directed to take place, without evafion, neglect, or delay, after the crops, which may then be on the ground, are harvested, particularly as it refpects the aged and infirm; feeing that a regular and permanent fund be cftablished for their fupport as long as there are fubjects requiring it, not trusting to the uncertain provifion to be made by individuals. Item.-To the truftees (gover nors, or by whatsoever name they may be defignated) of the academy in the town of Alexandria, I give and bequeath (in trust) four thousand dollars, or, in other words, twenty of the fhares which I hold in the bank of Alexandria, towards the fupport of a free-íchool, established at and annexed to the said academy, for the purpole of educating fuch orphan children, or the children of fuch other poor and indigent perfons as are unable to accomplish it with their own means; and who, in the judgement of the truftees of the faid feminary, are best entitled to the benefit of this donation. The aforefaid twenty flares I give and bequeath in perpetuity: the dividends only of which are to be drawn for, and applied by, the faid truftees, for the time being, for the ufes above-mentioned: the ftock to remain entire and untouched unlefs indications of failure of the faid bank fhould be fo apparent, or a difcontinuance thereof fhould render the removal of this fund neceffary. In either of thefe cafes, the amount of the flock here devised is to be vefted in fome other bank, or public inftitution, whereby the intereft may with regularity and certainty be drawn and applied as above. And, to prevent mifconception, my meaning is, and is hereby declared to be, that thefe twenty fhares are in lieu of, and not in addition to, the twenty thoufand pounds given by a miffive letter fome years ago; in confequence whereof an annuity of fifty pounds has fince been paid towards the fupport of this inftitution." Item.-Whereas, by a law of the commonwealth of Virginia, enacted in the year 1785, the legiflature thereof was pleated, as an evidence of its approbation of the fervices I had rendered the public during the revolution, and partly, I believe, in confideration of my having fuggefted the vast advantages which the community would derive from the extenfion of its inland navigation, under legiflative patronage, to prefent me with one hundred fhares, of one hundred dollars each, in the incorporated company, eftablished for the purpofe of extending the navigation of James River, from tideWater to the mountains; and alfo with fifty fhares, of one hundred pounds fterling each, in the corpo 11 ration of another company, likewife eftablished for the fimilar purpose of opening the navigation of the river Potomac, from Tidewater to Fort Cumberland; the acceptance of which, though the offer was highly honourable and grateful to my feelings, was refufed, as inconfiftent with a principle which I had adopted, and never departed from, namely, not to receive pecuniary. compenfation for any fervices I could render my country in its arduous ftruggle with Great Britain for its rights, and becaufe I had evaded fimilar propofitions from other states in the union. Adding to this refufal, however, an intimation, that, if it fhould be the pleasure of the legiflature to permit me to appropriate the faid fhares to public ufes, I would receive them on those terms with due fenfibility; and this it having confented to in flattering terms, as will appear by a fubfequent law, and fundry refolutions, in the moft ample and honourable manner; I proceed, after this recital, for the 'more correct underftanding of the cafe, to declare that it has always been a fource of ferious regret with me to see the youth of thefe United States fent to foreign countries for the purpose of education, often before their minds were formed, or they had imbibed any adequate ideas of the happiness of their own, contracting too frequently not only habits of diffipation and extravagance, but principles unfriendly to republican government, and to the true and genuine liberties of mankind, which thereafter are rarely overcome. For thefe reafons, it has been my ardent with to fee a plan devised on a liberal fcale, which would have a tendency to fpread fyftematic ideas ideas through all parts of this rifing empire, thereby to do away local attachments and ftale prejudices as far as the nature of things would, or indeed ought, to admit from our national councils. Looking anxioufly forward to the accomplishment of fo defirable an object as this is, (in my eftimation,) my mind has not been able to contemplate any plan more likely to effect the measure than to establish an univer fity in a central part of the United States, to which the youths of for tune and talents, from all parts thereof, might be fent for the completion of their education in all the branches of polite literature, in arts and fciences, in acquiring knowledge in the principles of politics and good government, and (as a matter of infinite importance in judgement,) by affociating with each other, and forming friendfhip in juvenile years, be enabled to free themfelves, in a proper degree, from thofe local prejudices and habitual jealoufies which have juft been mentioned, and which, when carried to excefs, are never-failing fources of difquietude to the public mind, and pregnant with milchievous confequences to this country: under thefe impreffions fo fully dilated, my Ilem,-I give and bequeath, in perpetuity, the 50 fhares I hold in the Potomac company (under the aforefaid acts of the legiflature of Virginia,) towards the endowment of an univerfity, to be eftablished within the limits of the diftrict of Columbia, under the aufpices of the general government, if that government fhould incline to extend a foftering hand towards it; and until fuch feminary is eftablished, and the funds arifing in thofe fhares fhall be required for its fupport, my farther will and defire is, that the profit accruing therefrom fhall, whenever the dividends are made, be laid out in purchafing ftock in the bank of Columbia, or fome other bank, at the difcretion of my executors, or by the treasurer of the United States for the time being, under the direction of congrefs, provided that honourable body fliould patronife the measure; and the dividends proceeding from the purchase of such a flock are to be vested in more stock, and to on until a fum, adequate to the accom plishment of the object, is obtained'; of which I have not the fmallest doubt before many years pafs away, even if no aid or encouragement be given by legislative authority, or from any other fource. Item.-The hundred fhares which I hold in James-River company, I have given, and now confirm in perpetuity to and for the ule of Liberty-Hall academy, in the county of Rockbridge, in the commonwealth of Virginia. Item I releafe, exonerate, and difcharge the eftate of my deceased brother, Samuel Washington, from the payment of the money which is due to me for the land I fold to P. Pendleton, (lying in the county of Berkeley,) who affigned the fame to him, the faid Samuel, and his fon Thornton Washington; the latter became poffeffed of the aforefaid land without any conveyance having paffed from me, either to the faid Pendleton, the faid Samuel, or the faid Thornton, and without any confideration having been made, by which neglect, neither the legal nor equitable title has been alienated; it refts, therefore, with me to declare my intentions concerning Z 3 the t, |