first instance to Saragossa; and the Cortes not choosing to give up the reins of government, they next went to Valencia, in the month of April.

On the 3d of May, the Duke of San Carlos was appointed first se. cretary of state. In consequence of the refusal of General Freyre to accept the office of Minister of War, the duke accepted it, in conjunction with that of Minister of the King's Household. The former post he soon afterwards resigned in favour of General Eguia.

Soon after the restoration of king Ferdinand, the duke his minister commenced the task of introducing a system of economy into the king dom. He established a junta of ministers, over whom he presided, took various measures for a gene. ral repair of the roads, increasing the number of canals, and rviving the credit of the national bank; and he established several acade. mies for the cultivation of the arts and sciences. Notwithstanding these very laudable exertions, his enemies were numerous; and finding them increase, he obtained permission, in November, 1814, to terminate his ministerial functions.

In October, 1815, he was nominated ambassador to the Austrian court. In 1817, he was recalled, and sent in the same capacity to the court of Britain, where he resided some years, till replaced by the Duke of Frias. His next and last diplomatic appointment, which he held until the time of his death, was at the French court. He is succeeded in his titles and estates by his eldest son, the Count del Puerto, an officer in the royal guards of Spain.

RICHARD PETERS.

August 21st, 1828.—At his resi. dence in Blockley, aged 84, Richard Peters, late judge of the U. S. district court for Pennsylvania.

Richard Peters was born in June 1744. He received his education in the city of Philadelphia; and, on entering the active scenes of life, was a good Latin and Greek scholar, and possessed a knowledge of the French and German languages.

Having adopted the law as a profession, his acquaintance with the German enabled him to follow, the courts of justice into all the surrounding counties, where his fluent conversation, extensive knowledge of the provincial grants and kindred laws, brought him into practice.

On those circuits, he was accustomed to display his unrivalled wit. The playfulness of his conversa. tion, always enlivened by flashes of the gayest pleasantry, was forever quick and unrestrained, and varied by casts of true humour. Thus distinguished, he became a favourite with all classes.

About this time a conference was held with the Indians of the six nations, at Fort Stanwix, in the province of New-York, and Mr. Peters accompanied the delegation from Pennsylvania. During the negotiation of the treaty, he insinuated himself so much into the good graces of the Indian chiefs, and became so acceptable to them, by his light-hearted jests, and sportive behaviour, that even those sedate red-men relaxed their rigid carriage, and unbending for a moment the usual severity of their characters, proposed to adopt him into their tribes. The offer was accepted, and Mr. Peters was for

mally introduced to his new rela. tions, receiving from them, in allusion to his amusing talkativeness, the appropriate name of Tegohtias, which means Paroquet.

Political difficulties with the mother country, now compelled every man to choose his side. Mr. Peters, although rather intimately associated with the proprietary government, did not hesitate to separate himself from it, and join the cause of his native country. While many influential members of the bar went over to the king, he stept forward with zeal in defence of American rights.

Pennsylvania was, in that early day, without a militia. The peaceful descendants of Penn, and of his non-resistant companions, had managed their affairs, even with the fierce aborigines, for nearly a century, without military aid, or any restraint whatever, other than the authority of mild and prudent laws.

But those quiet times were about to be disturbed. It became necessary to arm. Mr. Peters volunteered with his neighbours, and when they assembled for the purpose of organization, he was chosen their captain. His military career, however, was short.

He

was soon removed from the camp to the cabinet. The 13th of June, 1776, he was appointed by congress Secretary of the Board of War, where his services, during nearly the whole struggle for independence were acknowledged by a solemn vote of thanks by that illustrious body.

In February, 1781, a Secretary of War was authorised to be appointed instead of the Board of War, but the business was still carried on by the old board, and on the 19th of November, of that year,

Mr. P. was requested to perform the duties of the department until the Secretary of War should enter upon the duties of his office.

The destitute state of the country, and the difficulties under which he laboured in the performance of his responsible duties as adjunct War Minister, are well illustrated in the following anecdote, told by Mr. Peters himself.

"I was Commissioner of War, he said, in 1779. General Washington wrote to me that all his powder was wet, that he was entirely without lead or balls; so that should the enemy approach him, he must retreat. When I received this letter, I was going to a grand gala at the Spanish ambassador's, who liv ed in Mr. Chew's fine house in South Third street ;-the show was splendid; but my feelings were far from being in harmony with all this brilliancy. I met at this party, my friend Robert Morris, who soon discovered the state of my mind. 'You are not yourself, to-night, Peters; what's the matter?' asked Morris. Notwithstanding my unlimited confidence in that patriot, it was some time before I coul prevail upon myself to disclose the cause of my depression; but at length I ventured to give him a hint of my inability to answer the pressing calls of the commander in chief. The army is without lead, and I know not where to get an ounce to supply it: the general must retreat for want of ammuni tion. Well, let him retreat,' replied the liberal minded Morris : but cheer up: there are in the Holkar privateer, just arrived, ninety tons of lead, one half of which is mine, and at your service; the residue you can get by applying to Blair M'Clanaghan, and Holkar,

both of whom are in the house with us.'

"I accepted the offer, from Mr. Morris, said Mr. Commissioner Peters, with many thanks, and ad. dressed myself immediately to the two gentlemen who owned the other half, for their consent to sell; but they had already trusted a large amount of clothing to the continent. al congress, and were unwilling to give that body any further credit. I informed Morris of their refusal. 'Tell them,' said he, that I will pay them for their share.' This settled the business: the lead was delivered; I set three or four hundred men to work, who manufactured it into cartridge bullets for Washington's army, to which it gave complete relief."

On the 18th of June, 1778, Mr. Peters entered Philadelphia, at the very time the enemy was evacuating the place. He went there under a strong escort sent with him by General Washington. His object was to secure clothing and stores, secreted by our friends, who had remained in the city; and to purchase every thing that he could from the dealers. The British rearguard was crossing the Delaware, when he arrived. He succeeded in fulfilling the wishes of the Ame. rican general-in-chief. Arnold took command of the city a few days af ter, when Mr. Peters returned to York in Pennsylvania, where congress then held its sessions.

Mr. Peters's exertions were pe'culiarly meritorious and useful, at the time when General Washington suddenly changed his intended attack on New-York, to that of Yorktown in Virginia.

This change of plan originated with Washington alone: Mr. Pe.

ters, with Mr. Morris, who had been directed by a resolution of congress to confer with the commander in chief on the plan of the campaign, gave the following ac. count of it:

read

"One morning at the beat of reveillé, Mr. Morris and myself, who occupied the same marquee, were roused by a messenger from head quarters, and desired forthwith to repair thither. We were surprised at the circumstance; every thing having been the evening before perfectly tranquil. We were more so on our meeting the general, who, the moment he saw me, with expressions of intemperate passion, handed to me a letter from the French admiral, who commanded six or seven ships at Rhode Island: Here,' said the general, this; you understand the French;' then turning away: 'so do I now better than ever.' Mr. Morris and myself stood silent, and not a little astonished. The letter informed the general that the writer had received by an express frigate, arrived from the fleet of Comte de Grasse, at sea, orders to join that fleet in the Chesapeake, as the Comte had changed his destina. tion, on information that the bay of New-York was dangerous for his heavy ships; and if any thing could be done in the southern quarters, co-operation was offered during the few weeks of his intended stay in those waters, to avoid the West India hurricane season. Secrecy was enjoined, and we went our way. On returning to breakfast, we found the general as composed, as if nothing had happened. That evening, or I think the next day, a letter arrived from the Marquis de Lafayette, from Virginia, annour

in the Chesapeake.

"In the course of the day, I was asked by the general: 'well, what can you do for us, under the present change of circumstances?' I answered, please to inform me of the extent of your wants.'-Being, after some time, generally informed, I replied: I can do every thing with money; nothing without it; but what can be transported from hence, must be relied on.' I looked impressively on Mr. Morris, who said, 'I understand you; I must have time to consider and calculate.'

Mr. Morris shortly after told the general that he had no tangible ef. fects; but if anticipations on the credit of his personal engagements would succeed, he could supply the means for transporting the army from New-Jersey to the Chesapeake.

"In a day, or two," continues Mr. Peters, "we left camp, under injunctions of secrecy, until the general developed his final objects and measures to congress.

"On our arrival at Philadelphia, I set to work most industriously, and masked the object for a time. By the zeal and extraordinary ef forts of the staff departments, particularly that of ordnance and military stores, sixty pieces of battering cannon, and a greater number of field artillery, were completely provided and finished in three or four weeks; and as fast as any portion of the train was ready, it was sent off on its way to the south. Not a single gun was mounted on my arrival at Philadelphia, nor a rammer or a sponge, or other attirail, nor any considerable quantity of fixed ammunition. No European magazine or arsenal, could have

like circumstances. General Knox, who arrived in twelve or fourteen days, had a great share of the merit of this effort. Mr. Morris supplied the money or the credit; and without derogation from the merit of the assistance rendered by state authorities, it may truly be said, that the financial means furnished. by him, were the main-springs of transportation and supplies for the glorious achievement, which effectually secured our independence. He issued his notes for, I think, one million four hundred thousand dollars. They passed freely, and at the value of specie, and were in time all redeemed. The Bank of North America, which he founded, with money supplied from abroad, and by taxing the credit of his particular friends, and many other good friends to their country, assisted him most eminently. We gave our securities to the amount of a great proportion of its capital stock."

Those were times, as Mr. Peters adds, "when wants were plenty, and supplies lamentably scarce." The fearless manner in which property and personal responsibility were risked, is worthy of all praise. It was the tone of the day; a spirit of disinterested love of country prevailed, and a vigilance that no exertions could tire!

In December, 1781, Mr. Peters resigned his post in the War Office.

After Mr. Peters left the War Office, he was elected a member of congress, and assisted in closing the business of the war.

At the organization of a new government, under the present constitution, Washington selected Mr. Peters as the judge of the district court of Pennsylvania. This

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office he accepted, although he was desirous to resume his profession, and enjoy some respite from public labour. He yielded, nevertheless, to the request of the President, and assumed the exercise of its duties, which he performed until his death; being a period of thirty-six years, during which time he was seldom detained from court by sickness, and never from any other cause. The admiralty portion of his judicial functions, was greatly simpli. fied and improved under his care.

The duties of the district judge, particularly when associated with the judge of the circuit court, were sometimes extremely painful. Two insurrections (the only ones that have taken place since the adoption of the present constitution) occurred in Mr. Peters's district. To aid in the suppression of the first, he followed the army as far as Pittsburg, the western limit of his jurisdiction; and there, with his usual promptitude and prudence, satis. factorily discharged his official duties. In a few years after, he was called on again to try for treason, another set of rebels from the northern part of his district. His associate during part of the time, was the celebrated Samuel Chase, one of the justices of the supreme court of the United States. The trial of these deluded insurgents, and the execution of the two acts of congress so well known by the names of alien and sedition laws, gave great notoriety to the circuit court of this district. Its proceed. ings were narrowly watched by the political enemies of the Federal government, until at length, John Randolph, a member of the house of representatives from Virginia, thought he saw cause of impeachment in the conduct of its judges.

Articles were agreed upon by the house of representatives, and sent up to the senate against Samuel Chase; and great pains were ta ken to include Mr. Peters. Indeed the house inserted his name at one time; but on proper investigation, it was withdrawn, under a conviction that no cause of accusation existed on the contrary, when the examination took place, it was found that his judicial course had uniformly been marked by prudence, decorum, and moderation.

At this very moment, when political strife was at its height, he was actively engaged in promoting, and chiefly directing, one of the most beautiful and most useful improvements in the state of Pennsyl vania-the erection of the great bridge over the Schuylkill, at the end of High-street.

Before Mr. Peters became a judge, and indeed, shortly after the termination of the war, in 1783, he visited England. His travels in that country, and in Scotland and Ireland, were extensive. He had in charge, on this occasion, a commission somewhat of a public nature, which introduced him to the acquaintance of the Primate and principal prelates of the English Church. Before the revolution, the Protestant Episcopal church in this country, of which Mr. Peters was a member, was governed by the Bishop of London; but when our political connexion was dissolved, no Protestant church here would consent to be regulated by a foreign diocesan. Mr. Peters, therefore, was commissioned to obtain the consent of the British prelates to ordain to the office of Bishop three priests of the American Episcopal church, and thus give to it a canonical succession. An act