Biographical Memorials of James Oglethorpe Part 18

CROKER, in a note to his edition of BOSWELL's _Life of Johnson_, Vol.

I. page 97, says that "though acquitted, he was never again employed.

It is by no means surprising that this neglect should have mortified a man of Oglethorpe's sensibility; and it is to be inferred, from Mr.

Boswell's expressions, that, late in life, he had in vain solicited for 'some mark of distinction, 'to heal his wounded feelings." The last intimations are confuted by the advancements in military rank stated in the following pages of these memorials. The "mark of distinction," deserved, perhaps expected, but certainly not "solicited," might be that of _Knight_, a t.i.tle worn by his father, as also by the father of his wife.]

As a still higher proof that he stood high in public estimation, on the 13th of September, 1747, he was made Brigadier General in the British army.

On the establishment of the British Herring Fishery, in 1750, he took a very considerable part, and became one of the Council; in which situation, on the 25th of October he delivered to the Prince of Wales the Charter of incorporation in a speech which was printed in the public journals.

In 1754 he was candidate for the borough of Haslemere, which he had represented in former Parliaments; but on the close of the poll, the numbers were found to be for J. Moore Molyneaux, 75; Philip Carteret Webb, 76; Peter Burrel, 46; and Oglethorpe only 45.

On February 22d, 1765, he was raised to the rank of General of all his Majesty's forces; and for many years before his death was the oldest general officer on the staff.[1]

[Footnote 1: In the _Army list, issued from the War Office_, 20th July, 1781, and in STOCKDALE's _Calendar for the year_ 1785, (the year of Oglethorpe's death,) both of which are now before me, his name is _first on the list_.]

Here, perhaps, is the proper place to introduce an anecdote given by Major McCall, in his _History of Georgia_, Vol. I. p. 325, too striking to be omitted. "At the commencement of the American Revolution, being the senior officer of Sir William Howe, he had the prior offer of the command of the forces appointed to subdue the Rebels. He professed his readiness to accept the appointment, 'if the Ministry would authorize him to a.s.sure the Colonies that justice should be done them.' His proposal appeared to be the result of humanity and equity. He declared that 'he knew the Americans well; that they never would be subdued by arms; but that obedience would be secured by doing them justice.' A man with these views was not a fit instrument for the British Government, and therefore, agreeably to his own request, he was permitted to remain at home."

McCALL refers to "the Annual Register," for his authority; but, after careful searching, I do not find the statement. The intermediate comments, and the last sentence, are undoubtedly the Major's. The anecdote is also related in RAMSAY's _History of the United States_, Vol. III. p. 166.

I much doubt, however, that an official offer was made to him, as he was too old to engage in such a service; and deem the statement not sufficiently authenticated to be relied on.

He continued to reside, princ.i.p.ally, at Cranham Hall, in Ess.e.x, a fine country seat of which he became possessed by his marriage with the heiress of Sir Nathan Wright. In this beautiful retreat, favored with the enjoyment of uninterrupted health, the possession of worldly competence, and the heart-cheering comforts of connubial life, he looked back upon the chequered scene of his former services with lively grat.i.tude that he had escaped so many dangers, and been an honored instrument of effecting so much good; and the present happy condition of his lot was heightened by its contrast with past hardships, fatigues, and perils.

He pa.s.sed his winters in London, where he enjoyed the acquaintance and even intimacy of some of the most honorable and distinguished characters of the day. "A gentleman and a soldier, he united the virtue of chivalrous honor and magnanimity with the acquirements of learning and that love of polite literature which a.s.sociated him with the first scholars of the age." One who knew him intimately has said, "This extraordinary person was as remarkable for his learning and taste, as for his other eminent qualities; and no man was more prompt, active, and generous in encouraging merit."[1]

[Footnote 1: BOSWELL, in the _of Johnson_, Vol. I. p. 97, of CROKER'S edition.]

To the celebrated Dr. Johnson he was respectfully attached; and was fond of having him often as a guest. Boswell has detailed some pleasing particulars of these interviews; and, after relating one, adds in a note the following remarks: "Let me here pay a tribute of grat.i.tude to the memory of that excellent person, my intimacy with whom was the more valuable to me, because my first acquaintance with him was unexpected and unsolicited. Soon after the publication of my 'Account of Corsica,' he did me the honor to call on me, and approaching me with a frank, courteous air, said, 'Sir, my name is Oglethorpe, and I wish to become acquainted with you.' I was not a little flattered to be thus addressed by an eminent man, of whom I had read in Pope from my early years,

"Or, driven by strong benevolence of soul, Will fly like Oglethorpe from pole to pole."

"I was fortunate enough to be found worthy of his good opinion, insomuch that I was not only invited to make one of the many respectable companies whom he entertained at his table, but had a cover at his hospitable board every day when I happened to be disengaged; and in his society I never failed to enjoy learned and animated conversation, seasoned with genuine sentiments of virtue and religion."[1]

[Footnote 1: Vol. III. p. 225.]

Dr. Warton, referring to Oglethorpe, says, "I had the pleasure of knowing him well;" and, in a note upon the couplet quoted from Pope, says, "Here are lines that will justly confer immortality on a man who well deserved so magnificent an eulogium. He was, at once, a great hero, and a great legislator. The vigor of his mind and body have seldom been equalled. The vivacity of his genius continued to great old age. The variety of his adventures, and the very different scenes in which he had been engaged, made me regret that his life has never been written. Dr. Johnson once offered to do it, if the General would furnish him the materials. Johnson had a great regard for him, for he was one of the first persons that highly, in all companies, praised his 'London.' His first campaign was made under Prince Eugene against the Turks, and that great General always spoke of Oglethorpe in the highest terms. But his settlement of the Colony of Georgia gave a greater l.u.s.tre to his character than even his military exploits."

With Goldsmith, too, he was intimate. In the lately published biography of this poet by Prior,[1] referring to the occasional relief contributed to him in his exigences, it is added, "Goldsmith was content, likewise, to be made the channel of conveyance for the bounty of others, as we find by a letter of General Oglethorpe, a distinguished and amiable man, at whose table he met with good society, and spent many agreeable hours, and who now, at an advanced period of life, displayed the same love for the good of mankind, in a private way, that he had exerted on a more extended scale." With the letter he sent five pounds, to be distributed in aid of a charitable inst.i.tution, in whose behalf Goldsmith seems to have taken an active interest; and the letter concluded with this kindly expressed invitation; "If a farm, and a mere country scene will be a little refreshment from the smoke of London, we shall be glad of the happiness of seeing you at Cranham Hall."

[Footnote 1: Vol. II. p. 457.]

It is a.s.serted that "his private benevolence was great. The families of his tenants and dependants were sure of his a.s.sistance whilst they deserved it; and he has frequently supported a tenant, whose situation was doubtful, not merely forbearing to ask for rent, but lending him money to go on with his farm."[1]

[Footnote 1: _Gentleman's Magazine_ for July, 1785, p. 518.]

Of his public liberality, repeated mention has been made in the course of this work, more particularly in the settlement of Georgia; in the furtherance of which he not only bore his own expenses, but procured various outfits. He also contributed pecuniary a.s.sistance and conferred favors to encourage exertion, or reward well doing. No one excelled him in those smaller attentions to the interests and gratification of his friends and acquaintance; which, though they do not of themselves const.i.tute a great character, are, certainly, very pleasing recommendations of it.

It is not denied that he had his imperfections and errors; and some, for which the plea of human frailty alone may not be a sufficient excuse. He was rather pa.s.sionate in his temper, impatient of contradiction, and quick in his resentments; but, upon any ingenuous concession, was placable and ready to admit an apology. To the humble offender he was reconcilable, and to the submissive, magnanimous. In the heyday of life, a soldierly pride, or military point of honor, sometimes betrayed him into indiscretions or involved him in rencounters, to which, as he became more mature in age and in judgment, a dignified sense of true greatness rendered him superior.

Some instances of rashness have been noted by Walpole with unsparing vituperation;[1] and some self-complacent or boasting sallies, have been pointed at by Croker with a sarcastic sneer. But, admitting that these were far from being venial faults, yet it would be very uncharitable now to recall them from the forgetfulness and forgiveness in which they have long been pa.s.sed over; especially as they were fully redeemed by n.o.ble qualities and beneficent deeds. Surely, he who was celebrated by Pope and Thompson, honored by the Reverend Dr.

Burton, vindicated and praised in Parliament by the excellent Duke of Argyle, and favored by the regards of Dr. Johnson, "the English moralist,"[2] must have had a large prevalence of what, in the opinion of the best judges, is estimable in disposition and conduct, and irreproachable in character!

[Footnote 1: "All the stories of Horace Walpole are to be received with great caution; but his Reminiscences, above all, written in his dotage, teem with the grossest inaccuracies and incredible a.s.sertions." LORD MAHON'S _History of England_. Lond. 1837. Vol. II.

p. 174, _note_.]

[Footnote 2: This honored friend he outlived; and, while attending the sale of his library, February 18th, 1785, the fine characteristic portrait of him was taken by S. Ireland, an engraving of which makes the frontispiece of this volume.]

He had a pleasing talent at narrative, and when animated by the cheering attention of his friends, he would give full scope to it.

Anecdotes of times past, incidents and scenes of his eventful life, and occurrences which had pa.s.sed under his observation, when detailed by him at length, and set off with his amusing episodical remarks and ill.u.s.trations, made him a most entertaining chronicler. These were sometimes enlivened with a sportive humor that gave a charm to the social hour, and contributed to the amus.e.m.e.nt of his guests and friends. If in his extreme old age he indulged in egotisms or loquacity, still his observations were those of one who had seen and read much, and was willing to communicate his acquired knowledge and the results of his observation and experience; and few who attended to him, did so without receiving information and entertainment. Even his old stories of his own acting, served to confirm what he said, and he made them better in the telling; so that he was rarely troublesome with the same tale told again, for he gave it an air of freshness.

Polite in his address and graceful in his manners, the gallant veteran was a favorite visiter in the parties of accomplished ladies that occasionally met at the house of Mrs. Montague, Mrs. Garrick, Mrs.

Boscawen, and Mrs. Carter.--Hannah More, in a letter to her sister, in 1784, says, "I have got a new admirer; it is the famous General Oglethorpe, perhaps the most remarkable man of his time. He was foster-brother to the Pretender; and is much above ninety years old; the finest figure you ever saw. He perfectly realizes all my ideas of Nestor. His literature is great; his knowledge of the world extensive; and his faculties as bright as ever. He is one of the three persons still living who were mentioned by Pope; Lord Mansfield and Lord Marchmont are the other two. He was the intimate friend of Southern, the tragic poet, and all the wits of that time. He is, perhaps, the oldest man of a _Gentleman_ living. I went to see him the other day, and he would have entertained me by repeating pa.s.sages from Sir Eldred. He is quite a preux chevalier, heroic, romantic, and full of the old gallantry."[1] In another letter, she mentions being in company with the General at Mrs. Vesey's, where the Dutchess of Portland and Mrs. Delany were present, and where "Mr. Burke talked a great deal of politics with General Oglethorpe. He told him, with great truth, that he looked upon him as a more extraordinary person than any he had ever read of, for he had founded the province of Georgia; had absolutely called it into existence, and had lived to see it severed from the Empire which created it, and become an independent State."[2]

[Footnote 1: _Life and Letters_, Vol. I. p. 181.]

[Footnote 2: Ibid. 204.]

The late President, John Adams, saw Oglethorpe in 1785, a short time before his decease. Within a day or two after his arrival in London, as Amba.s.sador from the United States, had been announced in the public prints, the General called upon him; as was very polite and complimentary. "He had come to pay his respects to the first American Amba.s.sador and his Family, whom he was glad to see in England; expressed a great esteem and regard for America; much regret at the misunderstanding between the two countries; and felt very happy to have lived to see the termination of it."[1] There was something peculiarly interesting in this interview. He who had planted Georgia, and provided for it during the earliest stages of its _dependent condition as a Colony_, held converse with him who had come to a Royal Court, the Representative of its NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE!

[Footnote 1: See a letter from President Adams to Dr. Holmes.

_Annals_, Vol. II. p. 530.]

A writer in the year 1732, and within the month on which the charter for Georgia was issued, made the following remarks: "If the Trustees give liberty of Religion, establish the people free, fix an agrarian law, and go upon the glorious maxims of liberty and virtue, their Province, _in the age of a man_, by being the asylum of the unfortunate, will become more and more advantageous to Britain than the conquest of a kingdom."[1] The suggestion here made was seasonable and judicious; and the prospective intimation was a prophecy, accomplished in a sense not imagined, and surely not antic.i.p.ated by the writer. The Province did become, whilst its founder was yet living, and therefore "in the age of a man," a highly advantageous acquisition to Great Britain in a commercial relation; and, though dismembered from the Empire, an important independent State.

[Footnote 1: _London Magazine_ for 1732, p. 198.]

This remarkable man, abstemious in his mode of living, regular in his habits, and using much exercise, enjoyed good health to extreme old age; and such was his activity, that he could outwalk persons more than half a century younger. At that period of advanced life, when the weight of years usually bears down the elasticity of the mind, he retained all that spring of intellect which had characterized the prompt.i.tude of earlier days; his bodily senses seemed but little impaired; and his eye-sight served him to the last.

He died at his seat at Cranham, of a violent fever, 30th of June, 1785.

"And dropt like Autumn fruit, which, ripening long, Was wondered at because it fell no sooner."[1]

[Footnote 1: The library of General Oglethorpe was sold by Calderwood in 1788. It comprised standard works of Ancient and Modern History, of the Drama, Poetry, and Polite Literature.]

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

The preceding pages have given details of some princ.i.p.al actions and exploits of a very remarkable man; whose projects, dictated by benevolence and inspired by philanthropy, were all prospective. Their first, and, apparently, princ.i.p.al object, was to provide relief for the indigent, and an asylum for the oppressed. Their second, to unite the pensioners on the liberally contributed bounty, in a social compact for mutual a.s.sistance, and a ready cooperation for the general good. But even this, beneficent as it was, fell short of his aim. He considered himself to be engaged in forming a Colony, destined to extend and flourish under the salutary principles of order and justice, and the sustaining sanctions of civil law, and a form of government, which his breast swelled with the patriotic hope, would be well const.i.tuted and wisely administered.

This very statement of the origin of these political inst.i.tutions, bears on it the indications of their perpetuity, especially as the _freedom_ obtained for the first emigrants from rigorous exaction in their native country, was remembered and cherished in that which they settled, till it formed the const.i.tuents of civil liberty, which at length "threw off every yoke," for the attainment of NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE.

Hence, his agency, services and expenditures in settling the Province of Georgia, his disinterested devotedness to its establishment and progressive welfare, and his bravery and personal exposure in its defence, enrolled among the important achievements of his long and eventful life, const.i.tute the most splendid trophy to his fame, and will ensure to his name a memory as lasting as that of America itself.

On a mural tablet of white marble, in the chancel of Cranham Church, is the following inscription, drawn up by CAPEL LOFFT, Esq.

Near this place lie the remains of JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE, Esq.

who served under Prince Eugene, and in 1714 was Captain Lieutenant in the first troop of the Queen's Guards.