convey the
idea of superior talents; such at least was the remark of his
accomplished countryman, Mr. Gallatin; but no man, whether friend
or enemy, ever viewed without respect the noble simplicity of his
demeanor, the utter absence in him of every artifice and every
affectation.

It has been justly remarked that of General Washington there are
fewer anecdotes to tell than perhaps of any other great man on
record. So equally framed were the features of his mind, so
harmonious all its proportions, that no one quality rose salient
above the rest. There were none of those chequered ques, none of
those warring emotions, in which Biography delights. There was no
contrast of lights and shades, no flickering of the flame; it was
a mild light that seldom dazzled, but that ever cheered and
warmed. His contemporaries or his close observers, as Mr.
Jefferson and Mr. Gallatin, assert that he had naturally strong
passions, but had attained complete mastery over them. In
self-control indeed he has never been surpassed. If sometimes on
rare occasions, and on strong provocation, there was wrung from
him a burst of anger, it was almost instantly quelled by the
dominion of his will. He decided surely, though he deliberated
slowly; nor could any urgency or peril move him from his serene
composure, his calm and clear-headed good sense. Integrity and
truth were also ever present in his mind. Not a single instance,
as I believe, can be found in his whole career when he was
impelled by any but an upright motive, or endeavored to attain an
object by any but worthy means. Such are some of the high
qualities which have justly earned for General Washington the
admiration even of the country he opposed, and not merely the
admiration but the gratitude and affection of his own. Such was
the pure and upright spirit to which, when its toils were over and
its earthly course had been run, was offered the unanimous homage
of the assembled Congress, all clad in deep mourning for their
common loss, as to "the man first in war, first in peace, and
first in the hearts of his fellow-citizens." At this day in the
United States the reverence for his character is, as it should be,
deep and universal, and not confined, as with nearly all our
English statesmen, to one party, one province, or one creed. Such
reve