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From a sonnet which he "addressed to take order thereon." This resolution his friends in Yale College on leaving was carried into effect in 1786, and the them to join the army," I extract the sword presented by General Knox, Secfollowing: retary of War, accompanied by a highly complimentary letter.

"Adieu, then, Yale! where youthful poets dwell;
No more I linger by thy classic stream.
Inglorious ease and sportive songs, farewell!
Thou startling clarion! break the sleeper's

dream!"

Mr. Humphreys entered the army as captain in 1778; he held the additional appointment of aid to Major General Putnam. His patriotic sentiments as well as his literary talents commended him to the early notice of many of the most efficient and discerning officers of the Revolution.

At the time of the capture of Fort Montgomery he was "major of brigade to the Connecticut brigade," which was at this time commanded by Brigadier General Parsons.

Humphreys received his appointment of aid and military secretary to General Washington in 1780. In the early part of this year he joined the family of the commander-in-chief, with whom he constantly resided up to the close of the war, enjoying his full confidence and friendship, and sharing in the toils of his arduous duties."

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The engraving which we present on the following page represents Colonel Humphreys delivering the standards surrendered under the capitulation of Yorktown, at Congress Hall, in Philadelphia, November 3, 1781. It is from a painting in the Trumbull Gallery at New Haven, which was executed under Colonel Humphreys' direction, in Spain by a Spanish artist.

In November, 1782, Humphreys was, by resolution of Congress, commissioned as lieutenant-colonel, with order that his commission should bear date from June 23, 1780, when he received his appointment as aid-de-camp to the commanderin-chief.

Soon after the preliminaries of peace were agreed upon the operations of the army were suspended. The commanderin-chief, however, continued with the northern division until December, 1783, when he resigned his commission. that interesting occasion he was attended at Annapolis by Colonel Humphreys, who afterward returned with him to Mount Vernon.

On

In May, 1784, Colonel Humphreys was elected by Congress to the commission for negotiating treaties of commerce with foreign powers. The commissioners were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, who received his ap

At Yorktown Colonel Humphreys particularly distinguished himself when Lord Cornwallis with his army surrendered to the combined forces of America and France. "As a mark of the approbation of General Washington, Colonel Humphreys was dispatched to Congress with copies of the returns of prisoners, artil-pointment as commissioner three days lery, arms, ordnance, etc., which had been surrendered, and twenty-five stands of colors." General Washington, in his letter to the President of Congress, says that these returns and colors have been committed to the care of Colonel Humphreys, one of my aids-de-camp, whom, for his attention, fidelity, and good services, I beg leave to recommend to Congress and to your excellency."

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In November, 1781, Congress "Resolved, That an elegant sword be presented, in the name of the United States in Congress assembled, to Colonel Humphreys, aid-de-camp of General Washington, to whose care the standards taken under the capitulation of Yorktown were consigned, as a testimony of their opinion of his fidelity and ability, and that the board of war VOL. XI.-37

previous to the election of Colonel Humphreys as secretary.

Soon after this he accompanied Mr. Jefferson to Europe. General Kosciusko was a companion of this voyage. At the expiration of two years Colonel Humphreys returned to this country, and immediately visited Mount Vernon.

During that period known as the time of "Shay's Rebellion," Colonel Humphreys was appointed by the Legislature of Connecticut to the command of a regiment. He fixed his head quarters at Hartford, where he resumed his intimacy with some of his early literary associates. In connection with Trumbull, and Barlow, and Dr. Samuel Hopkins, he occupied himself in writing the " Anarchiad," a brilliant series of witty poetical essays.

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Soon after the suppression of the insurrection he repaired by invitation to Mount Vernon, where he occupied himself in preparing his Life of Putnam. "A smooth and complimentary piece of biography," says a recent critic, "which certainly anticipates no modern doubts of the bravery of Old Put.""

In 1789 he was appointed by Congress as one of a board of commissioners to

treat with the Southern Indians, and in 1790 he was appointed minister to the court of Portugal, where he resided as diplomatic representative of this country

until 1797. He was at this time transferred to the court of Madrid, where he

continued until 1802, when he returned to the United States. One of his biographers says:

"During his residence in Portugal he was authorized with special powers to open negotiations with several of the Barbary States, with a view as well to obtain the liberation of many American citizens held in captivity, as to secure our commerce by treaties from further spoliations, the act authorizing him to appoint agents. In furtherance of his duties, Colonel Humphreys (who had made a short visit to the United States in the early part of the year 1795, in order to render full personal representations on the subject of Barbary aggres

sions) returned to Europe in 1795, accompanied by Joseph Donaldson, consul for Tunis and Tripoli, who was to be employed to negotiate the treaty, while Colonel Humphreys himself went to France to obtain the aid of the French government."

Joel Barlow, then residing in France, was appointed to act in the negotiation. Through the agency of Mr. Barlow and Mr. Donaldson, treaties were subsequently formed with Algiers and Tripoli, and approved and concluded by Colonel Humphreys. The diplomatic communications of Colonel Humphreys have been highly praised, and they have been acknowledged

as creditable to him "both as a national

jurist and a correct and lucid negotiator." Of his diplomatic affairs John Trumbull, the author of "M'Fingal," has some pleasant railery in a letter to Oliver Wolcott, dated Hartford, December 9, 1789:

"Pray congratulate Colonel Humphreys, in my name, on his late promotion in the diplomatic line. If I understand the matter rightly, he holds the same post which Crispe promised George in the Vicar of Wakefield. You remember Crispe told him there was an embassy talked of from the Synod of Pennsylvania to the Chicasaw Indians, and he would use his interest to get him appointed secretary. Tell

him not to be discouraged too much at his want of success. The president has tried him on M'Gillivray first, and he did not suit the skill of the savage, but we cannot argue from that circumstance that he could not fit as easy as a full-bottomed wig upon the fatheaded, sot-headed, and crazy-headed sovereigns of Europe. Tell him this story also for his comfort, and to encourage his hopes of speedy employment. A king being angry with an embassador, asked him whether his master had no wise men at court, and was, therefore, obliged to send him a fool. Sire, said the other, my master has many wise men about his court; but he conceived me the most proper embassador to your majesty. Upon this principle I am in daily expectation of hearing that he is appointed minister plenipo to George, Louis, or the Stadtholder."

This specimen of the humor of the author of M'Fingal reminds me of a story that is related of his father, the Rev. John Trumbull, which should have appeared in a former article. It was said of this gentleman, that if one of his people turned Episcopalian, he would buy his farm.

Mr. Trumbull was not tall, but a stout, athletic man. He was sound, shrewd, and humorous. Horses he was fond of, and bought and sold them frequently with

success.

On this account he was sometimes irreverently called "jockey Trumbull." He loved innocent sports, and had once been a great wrestler. A story is told of him, which, though it may not be wholly true, is probably not a pure invention. At any rate, it illustrates the manners of the times. The Waterbury and Westbury people were in the habit of meeting at some half-way place, in the long autumnal evenings, to contend as wrestlers. They met around a fire, and the sport was commenced by two second-rate athletes. When one was thrown, the vanquished called in another from his own side, the object being to vanquish the victor. Thus the experts were called out in succession, and he who remained last on his legs was the bully of the night. In several contests, at the time of which I am speaking, Waterbury had proved too much for Westbury. Mr. Trumbull heard of the defeat of his boys, and partook of their mortification. On occasion of the next contest he disguised himself, and went down unknown, except to two or three, to give "material aid," if necessary. The

Gibbs's Memoirs of the Administrations of Washington and John Adams.

At

wrestlers were called in one after the other, until Westbury was again "thrown out," the Waterbury champion having grounded the last of the rival party. this period, when the signs of exultation on one side and chagrin on the other were becoming manifest, a stranger was dragged in from the outer circle of the ring to contend for the Westbury boys. The parties placed themselves in position, and began by "playing round" to find each other's qualities. After a little time the stranger, watching his opportunity, caught his antagonist's foot, and threw him upon the fire. Shouts filled the air, and the victor disappeared. Great was the exploit, and great the mystery of the affair; but the secret finally leaked out. The story reached the ears of the Rev. Mr. Leavenworth, (of Waterbury,) and the next time he met his brother Trumbull he rebuked him for his levity, and censured him, particularly, for throwing his rival upon the fire, by which his clothes and flesh were scorched. Trumbull agreed that he had been guilty of levity; but for the scorching, he thought it his duty to give his (Mr. Leavenworth's) parishioners a foretaste of what they might expect after sitting under his preaching !*

But to return, after this long digression, to Colonel Humphreys. During his residence in Europe he wrote several of his best compositions in verse; he corresponded at this time with his friend Dwight, in poetical epistles. He addressed a sonnet" To the Prince of Brazil," on his departure from Lisbon, which was translated into Portuguese verse. His correspondence with General Washington was of the most friendly and confiding character, and Washington expressed a strong desire that he would, after his return from Europe, make Mount Vernon his permanent residence as the companion of his declining years.

In his poem "On the industry of the United States," which was composed, he tells us, 66 on the delightful banks of the Tagus, where his days were pleasantly passed in the enjoyment of health, happiness, and content," he says:

For the foregoing story the writer is indebted to "The History of Waterbury," by Henry Bronson, M. D., about to be issued by Messrs. Bronson Brothers, Waterbury, a work of sterling merit.

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MONUMENT TO GENERAL HUMPHREYS.

Portuguese soldiers. On the 10th of April, 1802, they were embarked in the Tagus, on board the ship Perseverance, of two hundred and fifty In about fifty days they were landed at Derby, in Connecti cut; they having been shifted at New York on board a sloop destined to that river."

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tons.

Soon after this General Humphreys commenced the establishment of manufactories, to which I have before alluded, at Humphreysville The cloths that were produced here were highly valued. Some of the first satinet manufactured at this place was sold as high as $4 per yard. When Mr. Madison took his oath of office as president, he was dressed in a full suit of American woolens, of which Colonel Humphreys's manufactory furnished the coat, and Chancel

"O may my guidance from the downs of Spain | lor Livingston's the waistcoat and small

Lead a white flock across the western main;
Famed like the bark that bore the Argonaut,
Should be the vessel with the burden fraught!
Clad in the raiment my Merinos yield;
Like Cincinnatus, fed from my own field;
Far from ambition, grandeur, care, and strife,
In sweet fruition of domestic life;
There would I pass, with friends, beneath my
trees,

What rests from public life, in letter'd ease."

This wish was subsequently gratified. On his departure from Spain he purchased a flock of one hundred of the best selected Merino breed of sheep. In his "Dissertation on the Breed of Sheep called Merino," he says:

"Convinced that this race of sheep, of which, I believe, not one had been brought to the United States until the importation by myself, might be introduced with great benefit to our country, I contracted with a person of the most respectable character, to deliver to me, at Lisbon, one hundred, from one to two years' old. They were conducted, with proper passports, across the country of Portugal, by three Spanish shepherds, and escorted by a small guard of

clothes.

General Humphreys had, at one time, several hundred sheep. Many were sent to the West through his agents; he never transacted any business of this kind himself. The bucks were occasionally sold as high as two thousand dollars, and afterward resold, in parts, at considerably advanced prices. When the sheep commanded the highest price, old Doctor Danae, of New Haven, asked him, "Why don't you sell your sheep, general?" "Doctor Danae," he replied, "you know a greal deal more about divinity than you do about Merino sheep."

About the time of the Merino sheep mania, or a little before, the otter breed of sheep attracted considerable attention here. They were supposed to have been a cross between the otter and the native sheep. This species could not be successfully propagated. General Humphreys sent out a skeleton of this breed to Sir Joseph

Banks, who gave it to Mr. Pritchard, the celebrated comparative anatomist, who pronounced it to be a scrofulous breed. These sheep were highly valued, on account of their short legs and quiet habits.

For these last-mentioned facts I am indebted to Doctor Eli Ives, of New Haven. I must beg my lady readers will pardon me for introducing the following from the same source. My informant did not vouch for its authenticity, but said that, in the height of the Merino sheep speculation, it was currently reported that there was one woman in Humphreysville who knocked an infant child in the head, in order to bring up a Merino lamb in its place.

From 1802 until 1812 Colonel Humphreys devoted himself almost exclusively to agricultural and manufacturing pursuits. His introduction of the Merino sheep was an important and valuable accession to the agricultural and manufacturing interests of the country. So important was this event deemed at the time, that the "Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of Agriculture" recorded it upon a gold medal which they presented to him, with appropriate devices, and a complimentary inscription.

In 1812 Colonel Humphreys took command of a corps of state troops, composed of "volunteers exempt by law from military duty." He was then commissioned as the special commander, with the rank of brigadier-general. His public services terminated with the limitation of this appointment.

The portrait of General Humphreys accompanying this article is from an engraving in "Herring's Portrait Gallery," from the original by Gilbert Stuart in the Trumbull Gallery at New Haven. To the very interesting biographical account of General Humphreys published in that work, the writer is indebted for many facts contained in this notice

The occasional literary protons of General Humphreys were first collected in 1804, and published in an octavo volume, dedicated "To the Duke de Rochefoucault." His poem addressed "To the Armies of the United States of America" was translated into French by the Marquis de Chastellux. In the volume to which I refer are poems "On the Happiness of America," "On the Future Glory of the United States," "On the In

dustry of the United States," "On the Love of Country," " On the Death of General Washington." In prose, the " Life of General Putnam," "Dissertation on the Merino Sheep," etc., etc.

General Humphreys received, while in active life, the degree of Doctor of Laws from three American colleges, and was associated as member or fellow with numerous literary associations both in Europe and America. He died of an organic atfection of the heart, at New Haven, 21st February, 1818, aged 65 years, and was interred in the old cemetery of that city. The monument seen in the illustration is composed of granite, and is about twelve feet in height. The Latin inscription upon it was written by his early and faithful friend John Trumbull. It is upon two tablets of copper, inserted into the sides of the pedestal. The following is a translation of it :

"David Humphreys, Doctor of Laws, Member of the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut; of the Bath [Agricultural] Society, and of the Royal Society of London. Fired with the love of country and of liberty, he consecrated his youth wholly to the service of the Republic, which he defended by his arms, aided by his counsels, adorned by his learning, and preserved in harmony with foreign nations. In the field he was the comcolonel in the army of his country, and companion and aid of the great Washington, a mander of the Veteran Volunteers of Connecti

cut. He went Embassador to the courts of

Portugal and Spain, and returning enriched his native land with the true golden fleece. He was a distinguished historian and poet; a model and patron of science, and of the ornamental and useful arts. After a full discharge of every duty, and a life well spent, he died on the 21st day of February, 1818, aged 65 years."

MIND LITTLE THINGS.-Mr. Emerson, in his lectures on New England, relates the following anecdote: An opulent merchant in Boston was called on by a friend in behalf of a charity. At that time he was admonishing his clerk for using whole wafers instead of halves; his friend thought the circumstances unpropitious, but to his surprise, on listening to the appeal, the merchant subscribed five hundred dollars. The applicant expressed his astonishment that any person who was so particular about half a wafer should present five hundred dollars to a charity; but the merchant said, "It is by saving half wafers, and attending to such little things, that I have now something to give."

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