E302 r % • • • % O *T . .' o ° " • « "*b cv \^P*V 0 "i" ««?l^o AN « ©RATION ' ,. ON THE * '•- DEATH OF GEORGE CLUs'TOX, ■ .:' i ' • LATE """"" VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DELIVERED EEFOBS THE GEORGE CMNTON SOCIETY. ■ < On the 20th of May, 1812. \ By ELBERT HERRING. Esq. NEW-YORK: PRINTED BY • PELSUE AND GOULD, No. 3, Ne^-street. E~ 302 CifHs AT a stated meeting of the George Clinton So- ciety, held at Union Hotel, the 2 1st inst. the fol- lowing resolutions were unanimously adopted. Resolved, that the thanks of this society be given to Elbert Herring, Esq. for his eloquent and patriotic oration delivered at the request of the society, on the evening of the 20th instant. Resolved, that Walter Osgood, Charles Dick- inson, jun. and John M Kensie be a committee to inform him of the preceding resolution. AN ORATION Fellow Citizens, Behold us collected to deplore our common bereavement. Private avocations and private grief suspend to bow in deep and general sorrow over the tomb, where rests a father of his Coun- try. That frame is now inanimate, which lately contained a spirit, that courted peril in its Coun- try's cause, and feared its God alone. That arm is nerveless, which bore the sword of victory, when the Enemy furled his Standard, and with- drew from our shores his diminished legion,?. Bend over the grave where Clinton lies, ye aged Sires ! his prowess gave you safety. Bend over the Hero's grave, ye Youth ! he was the Cham- pion of your freedom. Lamented Patriot ! a na- tion mourns thy death, a nation which thou hast benefited by thy counsel and protected by thy valor. Thy memory lives, and when eyes now filled with tears are quenched in death, and hearts now sunk in grief moulder in the dust, thy glory shall survive to inflame future ages with admira- tion of thy heroic deeds, with emulation of thy exalted virtues. We have met to testify our respect and our sor- row for departed worth ; an occasion ol such gen- eral concern as to strike the chord, which con- nects our individual with our national sympa- thies. Another star, that presided over the Rev- olution which gave our Country Freedom, has disappeared from our Hemisphere, drawn to its parent source of light and Glory. A kindred gloom invests our hearts while we observe the space once illumined by its lustre, now wrapt in darkness. But let us bow in submission to the will of Heaven, and chasten our sorrow by the reflection, that the life which has terminated, was spent in usefulness ; and let us sooth our affliction by a recital of the achievements and the virtues which stamped the hero and formed, the patriot. The illustrious man, whose decease has called forth these testimonials of affectionate sorrow, was entitled in an eminent degree to the regard of his fellow-citizens. Undissembling and unas- suming, his manners were a transcript of his mind, denoting that genuine simplicity, peculiarly a- dapted to republican character. More intent on performance than on profession, his words left no impression of dubiousness, but seemed to par- take of action as they flowed from his lips, and to give form and body to the subject of discourse. There was nothing t v ive, ambiguous, or subtle, in his public or private deportment. His frank- Hess resulted from a love of truth, which was conspicuous in all his actions. His modest de- portment proceeded from natural feelings, and was cherished by just perceptions of its suitable- ness. Conversant with affairs of state, and ex- alted in political station, he retained a courteous and unaffected freedom of demeanor, that made him accessible to all who sought his intercourse, and released from restraint the meanest capacity and the lowest degree. His habits were untaint- ed by voluptuousness, unstained by luxury, and in conjunction with many original traits, caused him strongly to resemble the eminent men in the early period of Roman history, whose pure mor- als and ardent love of country have procured them the admiration of all succeeding times. The transactions in which he participated, were of a nature peculiarly interesting, and brought his qualities and endowments into broad light and intimate acquaintance, while the conspicuous and important part he bore in them, identified him with the most splendid and beneficent event in the annals of nations — the establishment of a republic founded on the rights of man. The deceased patriot was a native of the State of New. York, to whose interests he dihplayed5 through the whole course of his life, a devoted attachment; evincing the prevalence of tho?e sym~ pathies which endear birthplace ; and whose wei- 6 fare he cultivated with so much ability and sue- cess, as justly to acquire him the title of its politi- cal father. j Before the era of our independence, he was a member of the assembly under the colonial gov- ernment. Severe contests concerning the prero- gatives of the crown agitated that popular branch of the legislature, and at that period he stood forth conspicuous as the defender of the rights of the people. In that field of controversy, what could they expect to reap, who opposed the en- croachments of power, but the reproach of con- forming advocates, the resentment of petty ty- rants, and the persecution of profligate ministers? But virtuous minds are not retarded in the per- formance of duty by calculations of loss, or esti- mates of exposure ; and Clinton, associated with a few others who cherished the holy flame of free- dom in their breasts, firmly and boldly contested the claims of kingly authority, detected the insi- dious purposes of usurpation, and rescued our chartered privileges from the grasp of tyranny. At length a mad experiment of the British parlia- ment, in contempt of justice, and in violation of right, excited by a spirit of domination, regard- less of reason as impatient of forms, which put the first principles of civil government at the mercy of treasury acquisitions, and subjected Magna Charta to the jurisdiction of a stamp sys- tem, terminated the relations of colony and parent country, and produced the war of independence. Then first the American eagle expanded its wing and directed its flight towards the sun; then first the genius of freedom consecrated the shores of Columbia, and opened an asylum for persecuted man. The energies of Clinton now expanded them- selves into dimensions proportionate to the sphere of action that opened on their view, and recog- nized their own power in the perspicacity, which discerned the extent of the trial, and in the ardor which prompted the encounter. The clouds, which had for some time before hovered over the political atmosphere, gloomy and portentous, now burst in thunder, and the menacing indications settled in the temper's fury. Assure your hearts, Columbia's children! 'tis not a transient storm! The fierce contention of the elements shall endure and try your fortitude with cruel sufferings. Con- firm your valor, ye champions of liberty ! the con- test will be long and bloody, before the swords, that glitter in her cause, shall rest upon her altar. Unnumbered sighs shall virgins heave, unnumber- ed pangs shall parents feel ; widows shall wail and orphans weep, and want shall pinch and desola- tion spread around, before the star of peace rises from beneath the eastern wave on the chosen land of freedom. The war of the revolution now commenced, and Clinton, who had vindicated his country's rights in the senate, flew to arms to protect them in the field. The United States presented at that time a singular, but a glorious spectacle : a people unused to battle, undisciplined and unarmed, op. posing their naked breast to veteran legions under the conduct of skilful and experienced generals. Our land had not become, through the medium of military operations, the scene of emprize and the school of war. Military tactics were little un- derstood, because little wanted ; and a firelock and cartridge box were reckoned by the inhabit- ants, the only requisites of the soldier. History will tell with wonder, and posterity hear with pride, the undismayed spirit and the unsubdued courage of our pa -iot soldiei '/ ; their patient en- durance of hunger ana of nakedness amid the in- clemency of seasons and the fatigues of service ; their heroic achievements under hardships and sufferings without a parallel. But they fought for their firesides and families, and the God of armies approved their cause and led them to vic- tory. The colony of New York, having declared it- self an independent state, Clinton was elected by the suffrages of his fellow citizens to the chief ma- gistracy, which embraces under our constitution, the supreme investment of its military and civil authority. This station, though honorable and highly illustrative of the confidence reposed in his abilities and integrity, was subjected by the crisis to peculiar responsibility and peril, and required more than an ordinary exercise of firmness, intel- ligence and valor. But when duty called, he ever held danger in contempt ; and it was a maxim with him, that his country not only had a claim on his services, but a right to life itself in her de- fence. His was the courage of a mind zealous of right, and disciplined to virtue ; that surveyed hazard without dread, and danger without dis- may. In the camp and in the cabinet, he equally evinced a composure and self possession, that be- spoke a reliance on his own powers to meet oc- curring exigency, and preparation for any event that might befall. He beheld an incensed monarch proscribing him as a rebel; he beheld hostile ar- mies spreading around, and the territory under his government becoming the theatre of war. With an observing eye, but tranquil spirit, he saw the storm rolling on : he put himself and his coun- try on the protection of heaven, and calmly await- ed its approach. Wise as Cato in counsel, brave as Leonidas in battle, but happier than those pat- riot heroes in destiny, his mind devised the policy adapted to the crisis, and his arm assisted in exe- cution. A system of defence, commensurate to the occasion in the fullest extent of attainable means, was constantly set in motion. His pre- sence inspired confidence; his activity prompted dispatch, his ingenuity suggested expedients, till all the arduous preparations of conflicting war, embattled troops, munitions and entrenchments started on the sight, and returned the note of proud defiance. Washington viewed with admi- ration this sudden developement of martial ener- gies, and acknowledged with cordial approbation the benefits conferred by Clinton on the sacred cause which Washington alone could have guided with safety and crowned with success. But sa. cred as was that cause, and bold and fearless as were the heroes who inscribed their names on its banners, attesting to conquer or die, it was con- demned to the probation of peril and disaster. The annals of those days depict in mournful phrase, the encompassed and discomfited state of the American arms. Never was so unequal a contest maintained during a period of gloom, and under insuperable difficulties. Ever green be the sod that covers the mouldering remains of the de- fenders of his country, who fought her battles with noble constancy, when the green sod alone appeared to be the earnest of her service, and the meed of her requital. The concerns of civil functions mingled with the cares of the camp, and demanded of Clinton intenseness of application and incessant mental exertion. The executive charge of a state, new7- ly born to independence, invaded by a vengeful 11 foe, and sustaining within its confines a numerous body devoted to the ancient jurisdiction of kingly authority, was arduous, toilsome and not unfre- quently afflicting. It called for the unceasing ef- forts of wisdom in exploring the untrodden paths of legislation suited to the crisis ; for the habitual exercise of discretion, in determining the mean betwixt clemency and vigor, adapted to the way- ward habits of warfare ; for the constant display of firmness to resuscitate the decaying efficacy of the laws, to infuse a suitable dread of their pen- alties, grown lax in the commotions of the revo- lution, and to keep in subjection the spirit of re- volt, always restless, always active. How well he acquitted himself in discharging the duties of his station, the tranquil course of his government, unmarked by any stretch of prerogative, untaint. ed by a single instance of abuse of power, admi- rably manifests. The sovereignty of the laws afforded protection and quiet, and war waved its banners in obedience to the sceptre of justice. At length the struggle of arms terminated suc- cessfully for American freedom, and the genius of Great Britain, deploring the folly and wicked- ness of its cabinet councils, affixed with a sigh her signet to the treaty, that acknowledged the independence of the United States. Peace re- sumed her benignant reign, and assured to agri- culture the harvest of its labor, and to commerce 12 the profits of its enterprize. The horn of plenty diffused around the blessings of abundance and of health. As the ploughshare furrowed the fields, where battles had been fought, the husbandman would pause in mournful regard over human bones, mouldering in the earth, victor and van- quished commingling in the clod, then bless the heavens for peace and liberty. The government of this state, which had been so ably conducted by Clinton during the revolu- tion, was again confided to his administration ; and repeated trials of the elective franchise prov- ed him the favorite, as he was the friend of the people. His claims on their esteem did not rest upon shining qualities, that dazzle to blind, nor upon ingenious systems of civil policy, whose fun- damental principles, true in the abstract, are fal- lacious in their application to human affairs. He was the practical statesman, sound in judgment, prompt in execution, determined in purpose. He had not studied the metaphysics of politics, nor did his genius ever expatiate in the subtleties of logic, or the refinements of philosophy : but the morality of politics was as familiar to him, as the debates of the senate, or the conflict of the field. The domestic relations of a government, he well knew, were to be protected by the constitution and the laws ; and its foreign relations, he equally well knew, reposed round the sublime base of 13 national power, accoutred in armor, determined on right. The adoption of the federal constitution, hav- ing connected by a golden chain, the several state sovereignties in an union of interests, of objects, and of power, behold a commonwealth of free' states and of free citizens, entering on the career of empire, embarking on the political sea, where ambition and lawless power, the thirst of domina- tion, the cupidity of gain, the desire or the fear of conquest produce unceasing agitation. Such is the condition of this world, that the best inten- tions of acting rightly are often overruled by the follies or the crimes of others. The American republic has already, in its short experience, en- countered this evil in the constitution of things, and finds an appeal to arms necessary to support those rights which its arms had before acquired. Clinton, venerable in years, though unimpaired in faculties, had administered for several years the second office in the federal government, which gained respect from his name, and lustre from his character. His orb, which still glowed as it declined, seemed to rest as it approached the horizon, and to shine with a mellow and steady light; but it has sunk beneath the verging line of time, and quenched its rays in the illimitable ocean of eternity. Let our sorrows mourn the 14 illustrious dead. Let gratitude and grief mingle their emotions,over the tomb of Clinton ! Greatness of character is to be appreciated by the ability and virtues displayed in conduct; but when the sphere of its action is dignified and en- nobled, and the occasions of its exercise are im- portant and illustrious, it then reflects superadded lustre. That perspicuity which taught Clinton to seize the critical moment, and to suit the means to the occasion; that sagacity which explored the range of probable conjunctures, and antici- pated their purposes; that fertility of invention, which developed expedients, and drew forth re- sources from new combinations; that nerve, which produced the firmness of the politician and the valor of the soldier; that natural probity, which invested right with divine sanction ; that unconquerable spirit of patriotism, that rushes on danger and death to serve its country ; these qual. ities would have ranked him among the nobility of nature, though thetenant of a hamlet and these qualities would have enabled him, had he been called to the charge, to guide the destinies of our republic safe amid contending nations, resplen- dent among empires. He is dead, and his country wears the habili- ments of grief. His race is run but he had reached the goal, where glory is the pme. His ,ale is told, but it is one of enduring virtue, of I magnanimity and of heroism, that never remit- ted : whose excellent moral inculcates the noblest precepts and inspires the finest feelings, teaches disinterested love of country as the best quality of the citizen, and builds true greatness on the devotion of our endowments, and our actions to the service of virtue and the cause of freedom the genuine and beneficent interests of the hu man race. ilu FINIS, - / » f * .•■•.«© ^ «r % "*MK*«* A * : :§! :# WERT BOOKBINDtNC Crjntulle Pa March Apr* 19gc