cumstances afforded the opportunity. If they conceded to America the means of supporting those claims, they granted powers which must have resulted in the severance of the two countries. Whilst we acknowledged allegiance to the crown of Great Britain, no foreign aid could be expected: as an independent nation, we might reasonably hope for assistance from all who were interested in circumscribing her power.

Soon after the battle of Germantown, Mr. Williams was instrumental in preventing the capture of one of his colleagues, (colonel Dyer, of Windham,) and narrowly escaped himself from falling into the hands of the enemy. On the approach of the British towards Philadelphia, he retired with the congress to Yorktown, where he remained during the winter.

The acknowledged aim of Mr. Williams in his political career, was to merit the title of an honest politician, and no one was more successful in obtaining it: he never desired any office in which he could not promote the public good. He was scrupulously honest in all the transactions of private life; and obtained, as a merchant, the unlimited confidence of his fellow-citizens. When the troubles of the revolution commenced, he embarked enthusiastically in the cause of the colonies. He settled and relin

quished his mercantile concerns, and devoted himself wholly to the service of his country. His exertions were indefatigable in arousing the feelings of his fellow-citizens, both by nervous essays in the public papers, and by public speaking: he was an elegant and sententious writer;-a vehement, and ardent orator. His voice was strong and powerful, and his eloquence gathered fresh force as he became animated by the increasing interest of his subject. His political career was untainted by selfishness, unless, indeed, it was selfish to seek elevation in the public opinion, by pure and disinterested patriotism. He was never wealthy, but he abandoned a lucrative business, and sacrificed the greater part of his estate in the public service: the property, which a life of plodding industry, devested of every care or feeling in the contest, excepting such as might relate to the great goal of gain, might have swelled into an ample fortune, was, at the death of the patriot, dwindled down to less than five thousand dollars.

It is related, as an evidence of his sincerity, that in the early stages of the revolution, he had more than two thousand dollars in specie, being a portion of the proceeds of his merchandize: continental currency would not, at that period, procure the services which were required, and Mr. Williams, from

patriotic motives, exchanged the specie in his possession for continental money: he lost the whole, but it was a loss which he never regretted. This anecdote affords an example of that practical patriotism which tests the sincerity of the heart.

The disinterestedness of his conduct was also apparent in the settlement of his affairs, previous to his thorough embarkation in the turbulent scenes of the revolution. His mind was so fully bent upon the one great object, that he scarcely took the trouble of collecting the notes which he had received: he was accustomed to remark, that many of his debtors had been impoverished by the war, some had died, and others had been killed in the public service, and that he would never enforce payment from the widow and the fatherless-more especially from those whose husbands and fathers had perished in the cause of their country.

He was a prudent and economical, but liberal, man. As judge of probate, he always declined receiving the customary fees from indigent widows, on whom he conferred the benefits of his friendly advice, which, from the extent of his influence, frequently proved of essential service. During the period in which he held the office of judge of probate, being about forty years, his decisions were never, in a single instance, reversed by the supreme court.

In his judicial capacity, he was stern and inflexible towards the hardened offender; but mild and benevolent, so far as his duty would permit, to those who were seduced by error, or evil counsels. In many cases, he devoted the perquisites of his office to charitable purposes; and always evinced that inattention to private emolument, which so strongly characterized the course of his political career.

The state of Connecticut has, from the earliest times, been particularly assiduous in the promotion of public instruction. A charitable fund had been granted for the support of schools, arising out of the sales of lands in Litchfield county, which was divided among the old settled towns, previous to the revolutionary war. In the confusion of the contest, this fund was lost by the greater part of the towns in the state: the authorities of Lebanon however, placing implicit confidence in the integrity of Mr. Williams, requested him to take charge of their school-fund. Amid the varied multiplicity of his affairs, he guarded it with solicitude, and after the termination of the war, he resigned his trust, including both principal and interest, which has now become a productive fund for the support of schools.

The duties of a select-man, which Mr. Williams performed during the whole war, were then of

VOL. IV.-0

considerable importance. The select-men throughout New England manage the fiscal affairs of the towns; they are the guardians of the poor, and during the war, the families of indigent soldiers were maintained by the towns. Mr. Williams was accustomed to remark, that at the commencement of the contest, there was absolutely nothing to support it but the patriotism of the people;-no stores; no money; no warlike instruments; no clothing; nothing to arm or to comfort the soldier. The selectmen of the towns in Connecticut, in the beginning of the war, collected almost every thing necessary to clothe and equip the recruits, from private families. Mr. Williams, as one of the select-men of Lebanon, which then contained about four thousand inhabitants, visited almost every private family for the purpose of procuring lead, clothing, &c. but especially blankets, for the use of the army. He collected and forwarded more than one thousand blankets, with many other useful articles, including a large quantity of lead, at that time so indispensable, which was in many instances procured by cutting off the weights from the clocks: the inhabitants, and especially the ladies, freely parted with their last blanket for the public service. Such were the un

remitting exertions of Mr. Williams, in almost