consent to an accommodation. I was persuaded that, when once that nice barrier which marked the boundaries of what we owed to each other should be thrown down, it might be propped again, but could never be restored."

There is something so singular in this transaction, as to appear almost inexplicable. It is difficult to believe, that the intimate and endearing relations of those four memorable years could have been thus suddenly interrupted from so inadequate a cause; and, considering the difference in rank and age of the parties concerned, it is impossible to deny, that the conduct of the younger man (on his own showing) was marked by a haughtiness, not to say presumption, which even his great talents and services could not justify. On the other hand, Washington appears to much advantage, in his readiness to make the first advances towards reconciliation, and in the prompt and generous assurance of his unaltered esteem for Hamilton. Schuyler (a punctilious and chivalrous gentleman) was evidently of opinion, that the general's friendly explanation ought to have been accepted, for he thus writes in reply to his son-in-law :

"Long before I had the least intimation that you

intended that connexion with my family, which is so very pleasing to me, and which affords me such extreme satisfaction, I had studied your character, and that of the other gentlemen who composed the general's family. I thought I discovered in all an attention to the duties of their station; in some a considerable degree of ability; but (without a compliment, for I trust there is no necessity of that between us) in you only I found those qualifications, so essentially necessary to the man who is to aid and counsel a commanding general, environed with difficulties of every kind, and those, perhaps, more and of greater magnitude than any other ever had to encounter whose correspondence must be extensive, always interesting, and frequently so delicate, as to require much judgment and address to be properly managed. The public voice has confirmed the idea I had formed of you; but what is most consoling to me, and more honourable to you, men of genius, observation, and judgment think as I do on the occasion. Your quitting your station must, therefore, be productive of very material injuries to the public; and this consideration, exclusive of others, impels me to wish that the unhappy breach should be closed, and a mutual confidence restored.

You may both of you imagine when you separate, that the cause will remain a secret; but I will venture to speak decidedly, and say it is impossible. I fear the effect, especially with the French officers' with the French minister, and even with the French court. These already observe too many divisions between us. They know and acknowledge your abilities, and how necessary you are to the general. Indeed, how will the loss be replaced?

"It is evident, my dear sir, that the general conceived himself the aggressor, and that he quickly repented of the insult. He wished to heal a difference, which would not have happened but in a moment of passion. It falls to the lot of few men to pass through life, without one of those unguarded moments, which wound the feelings of a friend. Let us then impute them to the frailties of human nature, and, with Sterne's recording angel, drop a tear, and blot them out of the page of life. I do not mean to reprehend the maxims you have formed for your conduct. They are laudable; and yet, though generally approved, times and circumstances sometimes render a deviation necessary and justifiable. This necessity now exists in the distresses of your country. Make the sacrifice. The greater

it is, the more glorious to you. Your services are wanted. They are wanted in that particular station, which you have already filled so beneficially` to the public, and with such extensive reputation."

These arguments would in general have had great weight with Hamilton, but, in the present instance, they failed of their effect. He adhered to his resolution; and, at this distance of time, we can only account for it by supposing, that there were other causes for the step he took than the slight altercation on the stairs. It may have been, as some have suggested, that even the strong and well-balanced mind of Washington, harassed by constant annoyance, had given way to an irritability that made the situation of his aide-de-camp peculiarly irksome. Or, as others have thought, Hamilton, desirous of obtaining a separate military command, and so of distinguishing himself on a wider field, may have taken the first opportunity of parting from Washington. But neither of these theories is quite consistent with the characters of these two illustrious men. It seems more probable, that some previous offence had been given, perhaps unconsciously; and it may well be, that, in such an affair as that of André, vehement remonstrance on the one side, and stern refusal

on the other, may have led, for a time, to coldness and estrangement. But, whatever the cause of the difference, it is satisfactory to know, that it did not ultimately impair that noble friendship. A day was to come when Washington again found in Hamilton his most tried and faithful counsellor, and, to the hour of his death, he never spoke or wrote of him but in terms of affectionate esteem.

It was in the month of April, 1781, that Hamilton retired from the staff, and, in the July following, he obtained the command of a battalion. In the brief interval of repose, he had occupied himself in writing a series of essays, called the Continentalist, with the view of impressing on the people the necessity of those reforms in their government which he had already suggested. But the time had now arrived for decisive action on the part of the American army. After a campaign in North Carolina, Lord Cornwallis had entered Virginia, and was encamped on York River. Washington still remained in the neighbourhood of New York, where Sir Henry Clinton was in daily expectation of being attacked by him, when tidings reached the American general, that the Count de Grasse, with a French fleet and army, was on his way to the Chesapeake.