56 HAMILTON'S LETTER TO WASHINGTON, 30TH JULY, 1796. "SIR, "NEW YORK, 30th July, 1796. "I have the pleasure to send you herewith a certain draught, "which I have endeavored to make as perfect as my time and en 66 gagements would permit. It has been my object to render this "act importantly and lastingly useful, and, avoiding all just cause "of present exception, to embrace such reflections and sentiments "as will wear well, progress in approbation with time, and redound "to future reputation. How far I have succeeded, you will judge. "I have begun the second part of the task, the digesting the supplementary remarks to the first address, which, in a fortnight, "I hope also to send you; yet, I confess, the more I have consi"dered the matter, the less eligible this plan has appeared to me. "There seems to me to be a certain awkwardness in the thing, and "it seems to imply that there is a doubt whether the assurance, "without the evidence, would be believed. Besides that, I think "that there are some ideas that will not wear well in the former "address; and I do not see how any part can be omitted, if it is "to be given as the thing formerly prepared. Nevertheless, when you have both before you, you can judge. 66 66 66 If you should incline to take the draught now sent, after pe rusing, and noting anything that you wish changed, and will send "it to me, I will, with pleasure, shape it as you desire. This may "also put it in my power to improve the expression, and perhaps, "in some instances, condense. "I rejoice that certain clouds have not lately thickened, and that "there is a prospect of a brighter horizon. "With affectionate and respectful "attachment, I have the honor to be, "Your very obedient servant, "The President of the United States." "A. HAMILTON. On the 10th of August, 1796, Hamilton again wrote to Washington, as follows: 66 SIR,― 66 "About a fortnight since, I sent you a certain draught. I now "send you another, on the plan of incorporation. Whichever you may prefer, if there be any part you wish to transfer from one to "another, any part to be changed, or if there be any material idea "in your own draught which has happened to be omitted, and which wish introduced,—in short, if there be anything further in "the matter in which I can be of any [service], I will, with great "pleasure, obey your commands. 66 you "Very respectfully and affectionately, "I have the honor to be, "Sir, "Your obedient servant, "To the President." "A. HAMILTON. "August 10th, 1796. Washington's draught in its original form, together with the other on the plan of incorporation, must have been returned at the same time with this letter, though it is not so expressed. The care and return of it were enjoined by Washington, and he had it, with the other, in his hands, when he wrote his letter of 25th August, hereafter given. On the same 10th August, Washington acknowledged Hamilton's letter of 30th July, and the draught it inclosed. "MY DEAR SIR, "MOUNT VERNON, 10th August, 1796. "The principal design of this letter is to inform you that your "favor of the 30th ult., with its inclosure, got safe to my hands by "the last post, and that the latter shall have the most attentive "consideration I am able to give it. 66 A cursory reading it has had; and the sentiments therein con"tained are extremely just, and such as ought to be inculcated. "The doubt that occurs at first view, is the length of it for a news"paper publication; and how far the occasion would countenance "its appearing in any other form, without dilating more on the 66 present state of matters, is questionable. All the columns of a "large gazette could scarcely, I conceive, contain the present "draught. But, having made no accurate calculation of this matter, I may be much mistaken. 66 "If any matters should occur to you as fit subjects of communi"cation at the opening of the next session of Congress, I would "thank you for noting and furnishing me with them. It is my "wish and my custom to provide all the materials for the speech in "time, that it may be formed at leisure. "With sincere esteem and affectionate regard, "Col. A. HAMILTON." "GEO. WASHINGTON. One fact that must strike the reader upon perusing this letter, is the great emphasis which Washington lays upon the extent or magnitude of Hamilton's draught. Washington had, no doubt, intended his draught for a newspaper, as being the best instrument of diffusive publication. Upon a cursory reading of this draught, he perceived, as he thought, that all the columns of a large gazette would scarcely contain it; and that it was questionable whether the occasion would countenance its appearing in another form, without dilating more on the present state of matters. Indeed, it is the only fact with regard to Hamilton's draught which the letter records, except that his letter and draught had been received, and that the draught had had a cursory reading and this fact will be found to have a marked bearing on the main question to be answered, namely, the con tributory shares of Washington and Hamilton in the Farewell Address. The two parts of Washington's draught, which Mr. Sparks has printed in the Appendix to the twelfth volume of Washington's Writings,-Madison's draught, and Washington's part, called in that Appendix "Hints or Heads of Topics,"―would have filled, as has been remarked, about five pages of printed matter, of the same size as the pages in his Appendix; and if to these be added the beginning and conclusion of Washington, they will make about a page and a half more; and these together would not have made up one-half of what the columns of a large newspaper would have contained. By recurring to the copy of Hamilton's original draught, which is presented in the seventh volume of his Works, beginning at the top of page 575, it will be found to end seven lines below the beginning of page 594, and thus to contain nineteen pages. The page of Mr. Sparks's Appendix contains about a fifth more matter than Hamilton's page, from which we may deduce that Hamilton's draught was more than twofold larger than the entire preparation of Washington, including all its four parts. Washington's emphatic remarks show that Hamilton's draught must have greatly exceeded his own in length, without excluding from the latter several long paragraphs which, in accordance with Washington's permission, Hamilton had thought it expedient to omit. A more substantial comparison will be made hereafter. Before the 25th of August, 1796, Washington must have received Hamilton's letter of the 10th, which inclosed to Washington, probably his own draught, and certainly, the incorporation with that draught of Hamilton's corrections or emendations; for on that 25th of August, Washington had in his hands those two papers, his own draught, and the same draught corrected or amended by Hamilton,—with which he had compared a third paper, namely, the amended copy of Hamilton's original draught. copy of On that day, Washington addressed the following letter to Hamilton, returning to him at the same time the Hamilton's original draught:— "MY DEAR SIR,— (PRIVATE.) 66 PHILADELPHIA, 25th August, 1796. "I have given the paper herewith inclosed several serious and "attentive readings, and prefer it greatly to the other draughts, 66 being more copious on material points, more dignified on the "whole, and, with less egotism, of course less exposed to criticism, "and better calculated to meet the eye of the discerning reader 66 (foreigners particularly, whose curiosity, I have little doubt, will "lead them to inspect it attentively, and to pronounce their opinion "on the performance)." 66 66 "When the first draught was made, besides having an eye to the "consideration above mentioned, I thought the occasion was fair (as I had latterly been the subject of considerable invective) to 66 say what is there contained of myself; and as the address was designed in a more especial manner for the yeomanry of the country, I conceived it was proper they should be informed of "the object of that abuse, the silence with which it had been "treated, and the consequences which would naturally flow from "such unceasing and virulent attempts to destroy all confidence "in the executive part of the government; and that it would be "best to do it in language that was plain and intelligible to their "understandings." "The draught now sent comprehends the most, if not all, these "matters, is better expressed, and, I am persuaded, goes as far as "it ought, with respect to any personal mention of myself." |