ever, but from the purest sources; and his authority for every incident was given with the most scrupulous accuracy. The author had hoped to have had it in his power to gratify this gentleman, by submitting to his view the joint result of their labours, and obtaining the benefit of his last corrections; but he was disappointed by his untimely and melancholy death. He fell a victim to that savage practice, which, under the false name of honour, continued to prevail too long; and his death is believed to have been highly instrumental in hastening that system of legislation in restraint of this practice, which now exists in Virginia.

Besides the contributions furnished by Mr. Pope, the writer derived material aid from various other quarters. The widow of Mr. Henry was still living, and had intermarried with Judge Winston; from this gentleman (who was also related to Mr. Henry by blood, and had been intimately acquainted with him through the far greater part of his life,) the author received a succinct, but extremely accurate and comprehensive memoir.

Col. Meredith, of Amherst, was a few years older than Mr. Henry, had been raised in the

same neighbourhood, and had finally married one of his sisters. Having known Mr. Henry from his birth to his death, he had it in his power to supply very copious details, which were taken down from his narration by the present Judge Cabell, and forwarded to the author.

One of the most intimate and confidential friends of Mr. Henry was the late Judge Tyler. The judge had a kind of Roman frankness, and even bluntness, in his manners, together with a decision of character and a benevolence of spirit, which had attached Mr. Henry to him, from his first appearance on the public stage. They were, for a long time, members of the House of Delegates together, and their friendship continued until it was severed by death. From Judge Tyler the author received a very minute and interesting communication of incidents, the whole of which had either passed in his own presence, or had been related to him by Mr. Henry himself.

The writer is indebted to Judge Tucker for two or three of his best incidents; one of them will probably be pronounced the most interesting passage of the work. He owes to the same gentleman, too, the fullest and liveliest description of

the person of Mr. Henry, which has been furnished from any quarter; and he stands further indebted to him for a rare and (to the purpose of this work) a very important book-the Journals of the House of Burgesses for the years 1763-45-6 and 7.

From Judge Roane the author has received one of the fairest and most satisfactory communications that has been made to him; and the vigour and elegance with which that gentleman writes, has frequently enabled the author to relieve the dulness of his own narrative, by extracts from his statements.

Mr. Jefferson, too, has exercised his well-known kindness and candour on this occasion; having not only favoured the author with a very full communication in the first instance; but assisted him, subsequently and repeatedly, with his able counsel, in reconciling apparent contradictions, and clearing away difficulties of fact.

Besides these statements, drawn from the memory of his correspondents, the writer was favoured, by the late Governor Page, with the reading of a pretty extended sketch, which he had himself prepared, of the life of Mr. Henry; and he has, furthermore, availed himself of the kind permission

of Mr. Peyton Randolph, to examine an extremely valuable manuscript history of Virginia, written by his father, the late Mr. Edmund Randolph; which embraces the whole period of Mr. Henry's public life.

In addition to these stores of information, the author has had the good fortune to procure complete files of the public newspapers, reaching from the year 1765 down to the close of the American revolution; by these he has been enabled to correct, in some important instances, the memory of his correspondents, in relation not only to dates, but to facts themselves.

He has been fortunate, too, in having procured several original letters, which shed much light on important and hitherto disputed facts, in the life of Mr. Henry.

The records of the General Court, and the archives of the state, having been convenient to the author, and always open to him, he has endeavoured assiduously and carefully to avail himself of that certain and permanent evidence which they afford; and has been enabled, by this means, as the reader will discover, to correct some strange mistakes in historical facts.

The author's correspondents will find, that he has departed, in some instances, from their respective statements; and he owes them an explanation for having done so: the explanation is this-their statements were, in several instances, diametrically opposed to each other; and were sometimes all contradicted by the public prints, or the records of the state. It ought not to be matter of surprise, that these contradictions should exist, even among those most respectable gentlemen, relying, as they did, upon human memory merely; and speaking of events so very remote, without a previous opportunity of communicating with each other. It will be seen by them, that the author has been obliged, in several instances, to contradict even the several histories of the times, concerning which he writes; but this he has never done, without the most decisive proofs of his own correctness, which he has always cited; nor has he ever departed from the narratives of his several correspondents, except under the direction of preponderating evidence As among those contradictory statements, all could not be true, he has sought the correction by public documents, when such correction was attainable; and when it was not, he has selected, among his