leisure, that he could employ in his favorite studies-not of law, although it is probable, if he had engaged in it, he would have accumulated more property, being constitutionally industrious. In this case his most favorite studies must have been totally neglected, and he would have lost one of the greatest sources of his comfort and happiness. "Samuel's parents were pious Calvinists, and he had early a sense of religion on his mind. When about fifteen, laboring under a painful periodical complaint, called the sun headache, he shut himself up in his closet and, falling on his face, prayed for the pardon of his sins on account of the meritorious suffering and death of Christ. He did not think he was converted at this time, but these serious impressions were not erased from his mind either at school or college. In college, a weekly praying society had been kept up from time immemorial, consisting of pious students only. To that society he joined himself, and, while at college, was admitted a member of the church in Andover, in which church he still holds his right, never having been set off to any other church.* The rule in those churches is, that a member, admitted to one church, if he removes and joins another, is not to be permitted to exercise the privileges of membership till he is regularly dismissed from the church he first joined. It is not so in the Presbyterian Church, where a lay member has no more privileges to exercise than a lay pew-holder that is not a member. For such an organization of a church, we find no authority in Scripture, and the writings that the fathers of the three first centuries have left are explicitly against it. "Samuel married his first wife in January, 1775 (Martha Brandon, of Cambridge). She was of one of the most ancient, respectable, and pious families of the state. In beauty and merit, she was surpassed by none; in piety, by very few of her age. In August, 1778, she received intelligence that her uncle in Cambridge, about twenty miles from Andover, was very ill. She had been brought up with him in the family of his father, and her affection for him-for she was his greatest favorite-would not permit her to hear of his sickness and not visit him. She went, and never returned. She was seized with dysentery and lived but a few days, perfectly resigned. She died without a murmur and without fear, never having had any children. Her education was excellent; her mind very superior. The softness of her manners, her sympathetic tenderness, insured her the affections of all who knew her. Her last words to her husband were: Fear not, you will do well. God will provide for you.' This severe affliction was almost insupportable to Samuel. Mrs. Osgood had one * My grandfather was an elder in Dr. Spring's "Old Brick Church" until his death. sister, who did not long survive her. (Here follows 'An Elegy on the Death of Mrs. Osgood,' addressed to her sister, Mrs. L., written October, 1778, and published in the Boston Magazine, 1786.) Samuel married a second wife in May, 1786, by whom he had five daughters and one son.* Two of the daughters died in infancy. Soon after her marriage, his wife, who had belonged to the Society of Friends, joined the Presbyterian Church, and became a member, with great satisfaction to herself. After sixty years of age, Samuel's fixed determination was to spend the few days that might remain to him in greater retirement and tranquillity, and in that uninterrupted habitual devotion which might evidence to those personally acquainted with him that he set an infinitely higher value upon salvation as offered in the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ than upon any terrestrial and sublunary enjoyments." *The second wife of Samuel Osgood, referred to in the autobiography above, was Maria Bowne, the widow of the wealthy New York merchant Walter Franklin, whose elegant mansion, which he built in Franklin Square, was the first presidential residence--the home of Washington. She was the daughter of Daniel Bowne, whose mother was the sister of Governor Winthrop, of Massachusetts. This lady had three daughters at the time of her marriage to Samuel OsgoodMaria Franklin, the first wife of De Witt Clinton; Sarah Franklin, who became Mrs. John Lake Norton; and Hannah Franklin, who married George Clinton, the brother of De Witt Clinton. Of the three daughters of Samuel and Maria Bowne Franklin, Osgood Martha became the second wife of citizen Edmond Charles Genet, the French minister (whose first wife was Cornelia Tappan Clinton, second daughter of Governor George Clinton); Julia married her cousin, Samuel Osgood; and Susan Maria married Moses Field, of New York, and was the mother of Maunsell B. Field, assistant secretary of the treasury under Secretary Chase. The autobiography of Osgood, here published entire for the first time, was given by him to his daughter Julia, and the manuscript is now tenderly preserved by his granddaughter, Mrs. Eddy. Mr. Osgood died in 1813. WASHINGTON Thou art not dead, thou mighty king of men, O Washington, Virginia's pride and ours, Which bids the base another "peace, be still!" And could thy face beam on the northern wastes, Or on some lonely isle in distant sea, The savage soul would own thee Heaven's son. When thou didst stand beneath the Cambridge elm, O Washington, thy life doth tell full well Edmund Smith Middhton. JANUARY 21, 1889. WASHINGTON ON AGRICULTURE [These valuable letters, carefully copied from the originals in the British Museum by Mr. William Henry Smith, are well known in some of our leading libraries, a few copies having been privately printed and presented to them by Hon. J. Carson Brevoort, some years ago. But a wider audience is interested in what Washington himself said about woodland, fallow-fields, domestic animals, and methods of farming, and we yield to the pressing request and publish them here for the benefit of the general reader.-EDITOR.] Sir, CORRESPONDENCE WITH SIR JOHN SINCLAIR. PHILADELPHIA, OCT. 20th 1792. I have received your letter of the 18th of May, enclosing the Pamphlet & papers which you had the goodness to send me.— While I beg your acceptance of my acknowledgements for the polite mark of attention in transmitting these things to me, I flatter myself you will be assured that I consider the subject therein recommended as highly important to Society, whose best interests I hope will be promoted by a proper investigation of them, and the happiness of mankind advanced thereby.- I have to regret that the duties of my public station do not allow me to pay that attention to Agriculture and the objects attached to it (which have ever been my favourite pursuit) that I could wish; but I will put your queries respecting Sheep into the hands of such Gentlemen as I think most likely to attend to them, and answer them satisfactorily ; I must, however observe that no important information on the subject can be expected from this country where we have been so little in the habit of attending either to the breed or improvement of our stock. With great respect & esteem I am indebted to you for you several favors of the 15th of June, 15th of August & 11th of September of the last-and for that of the 6th of February in the present year;— for which, and the Pamphlets accompanying them, my thanks are particularly due.—To say this, and to have suffered them to remain so long unacknowledged, needs explanation. The truth is, they came to hand-the first of them-about the opening, and the Second Set towards the close of a long and interesting Session of Congress; during which my time was very much occupied, and at the end thereof, I had a pressing call to my Estate in Virginia, from whence I have not been returned more than ten or twelve days. I have read with peculiar pleasure and approbation, the work you patronise; so much to your own honor and the utility of the public.-Such a General View of the Agriculture in the several counties of Great Britain, is extremely interesting; and cannot fail of |