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The dearest to each other are often doomed to
part. It is one of the evils incident to humanity,
and one from which all the philosophy in the world
will not relieve us. The best way, therefore, to
meet the evil, is, to do it courageously, and philosophize
nothing about it.

Charles Adderly, on this occasion, did so; and
in consequence, he succeeded in separating from
Maria, with a reluctant heart, it must be confessed,
but not with a desponding one.

His party, consisting of himself, Dr. Killbreath,
Paddy Frazier, Peter M`Fall, and Manhulseh their
Indian guide, commenced their journey on the
third day after Peter and the Doctor had arrived
at Frazier's. Besides the horses on which they
rode, they had along with them three others, two
of which were laden with Paddy's merchandise,
and the third with provisions and other traveling
stores. They were of course well armed—for in
those days, no one ever thought of attempting a
journey, of even a short distance, through the
Wilderness, without being properly prepared for
both defence and attack.

On the third day they crossed the Chesnut
Ridge, and encamped that night between it and

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the Laurel Hill, in what is now called Ligonier
Valley. As they were about continuing their journey
the next morning, they were unexpectedly
attacked by a small party of Otawas, whom the
French had despatched to scour the country in
pursuit of Peter and the Doctor. The savages,
however, had given their fire at too great a distance
to do any serious mischief. Two of their
shots feebly pierced through a package of Paddy's
furs, and another slightly wounded one of the
horses. The rest fell altogether harmless. Each
of our travellers immediately took to a tree, and
kept up such a well-directed fire upon their enemies,
when any of them dared to appear in sight,
that the latter thought proper, about mid-day, to
withdraw, after having lost five or six of their
number, who were killed on the spot.

Our party then cautiously proceeded onwards,
keeping on all directions a good look out, which
obliged them to travel so slowly, that they only
reached the top of the Laurel Hill that night.
Here they encamped on a spot where they could
not be easily surprised; and Charles, equally with
the rest, took his turn in watching as sentinel during
the night.

The savages, however, during the preceding
day had tasted so bitterly of their intrepidity, that
they had no relish for more of it, and they were
not molested during the remainder of their journey,
which they performed, without meeting with
any serious disaster, in about four weeks.

The account which Charles gave to the Ohio
Company of the fate of their expedition, which
he ascribed altogether to the jealousy and management
of the French, made a great noise in the
political world, and produced much excitement
throughout all the colonies. But there was none
of them that took up the matter with greater

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spirit than Virginia. That state, indeed, did then,
as it does still, possess a high-minded and courageous
population, that could not tamely submit
to any insult or encroachment upon their rights;
and the territory thus usurped by a hostile force
being then considered as within the bounds of her
charter, she felt herself called upon both to demand
satisfaction for what had been done, and to
take measures for resisting such aggressions for
the future.

But, although the public mind continued, during
the whole of the spring and summer succeeding
the occurrences we have related, to receive
fresh and repeated provocations from Indian incursions
upon the back settlements, especially in
the Virginian territories, yet the colonial governments
thought proper to delay making any public
effort to restrain or punish these depredations, until
they should receive instructions on the subject
from the government of Great Britain. They had
reason, indeed, to presume that the remonstrances
which they knew the British ministry would make
to the French government, would induce the later
to recall, and, perhaps, chastise, their Canadian
servants for the outrages they had committed on
the subjects of a power with which they were
then in a state of peace and amity. At all events,
they wished to be fully authorized by their own
government to make whatever opposition they
should find necessary, whether by force or otherwise,
to put a stop to the unwarrantable proceedings
of the French.

With respect to the hostile Indians, small parties
of militia and volunteers were, indeed, immediately
employed, but in a very inefficient manner,
against them; and for several months, the terror
and sufferings of the Virginian back-settlers continued
daily to increase.

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At length Mr. Dinwiddie, the Governor of Virginia,
received intelligence that the French government
manifested a very suspicious reluctance to
give any satisfaction to the British on the subject
at issue, and he was authorized to use his discretion
in bringing the aggressors to an account for
what they had done. A national war, however, at
that time was not to be wished; at all events, he
resolved not to act rashly in kindling its flames,
but to convince the world that every thing had
been done, consistent with the honour and dignity
of the British crown, and the prosperity and safety
of its subjects, to prevent such a calamity. He,
therefore, thought it expedient, before he should
have recourse to actual force, to send an envoy to
the commander at Fort Le Bœuf, to whose instrumentality
the late outrages had been particularly
charged, for the purpose of demanding from him,
in the name of his Britannic Majesty, an explanation
of his hostile conduct towards British subjects,
and some satisfactory security that it should
not be repeated.

It was, at that crisis, very difficult to find any
one properly qualified for such an embassy, willing
to undertake it, a circumstance which, if the
nature of the country and the state of the times
be considered, will not be thought surprising. A
distance of several hundred miles through a trackless
and rugged wilderness of woods, inhabited
only by nations of savages, the most of whom had
of late become inveterately hostile to the English
name, had to be traversed. No English white
man, it was thought, could then penetrate into
these wilds and return alive, unless by the aid of
a mere miracle; for even the traders, that had
formerly been rather invited than forbidden to frequent
the country, and were in most instances
kindly enough treated by the natives, had latterly

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been often plundered, and sometimes massacred,
for no other reason than their being English.—
There were in Virginia, no doubt, numbers of patriotic
and gallant spirits, whom danger alone could
not have deterred from the undertaking. But various
other motives operated on their minds.
Many were opposed to the measure altogether, as
betraying imbecility, and want of promptitude and
wisdom. They exclaimed against the folly of
sending an embassy into the midst of a barbarous
race of men, who neither knew, nor cared for, the
sacred character of embassadors; and alleged,
that it was worse than madness, even if the messengers
should happen to perform their errand in
safety, to expect any favourable result from the
enterprise.

“No,” said they, “if we go at all into the haunts
of these savages, let us go sword in hand, and drive
them and their christian allies together, out of their
dens with the bayonet and the rifle. We should
negotiate with such enemies only with the mouths
of cannon.”

Domestic concerns and family interference prevented
others, who might not have the same objection
to trying the effects of negotiation and remonstrance,
before the drawing of that sword, whose
unsheathing might involve two powerful nations in
all the evils of a tedious and sanguinary war.

In short, Governor Dinwiddie, after he had decided
on the propriety of the measure, found so
much difficulty in finding any one qualified for the
hazardous service, willing to undertake it, that he
began to harbour thoughts of abandoning the idea,
especially as the winter season was approaching,
until the ensuing spring.

As he was one day in his private apartment, meditating
with considerable anxiety on this subject,
he was informed that a very respectable looking

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young man requested admittance to his presence.
The governor desired him to be shown into a front
chamber, where he in a few minutes attended him.

The governor, although, as we have seen, his
mind had been rendered uneasy by contemplating
the unfortunate aspect of a favourite and important
measure, saluted the stranger with much complaisance;
for notwithstanding his youth, being
apparently not above twenty years of age, there was
in his manner and aspect an air of dignity and intelligence,
with which the governor was struck,
and before which any feeling of ill-humour that
might have arisen from the unpleasant nature of
the reflections from which he had been interrupted,
entirely gave way.

As this young man will make a considerable
figure during the remainder of this history, it is
presumed that a description of his appearance on
this occasion will not be unacceptable to the
reader.

His stature was exactly six feet, and his form a
happy medium between the usual slenderness of
youth and the more rounded muscularity of manhood.
His chest was already somewhat full and
expanded, as if to make room for a liberal and capacious
heart. His limbs were in just proportion
to the rest of his frame, and so free and unincumbered
in all their motions, as to give a peculiar
gracefulness to his gait and gestures. His shoulders
were broad, but finely shaped, and harmonizing
so well with the stateliness and just symmetry
of the other parts of his figure, as to impart to the
whole an extraordinary degree of dignity and majesty
of mien; and indicating, at the same time,
strength, hardihood, and activity.

With respect to his countenance, if every there
was one that expressed true nobleness and magnanimity
of soul, it was his. It was of the oval

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form, with a remarkably high forehead, which was
open, serious, kind, and candid. His sparkling
blue eyes displayed the fire of passion, combined
with the coolness of wisdom, while the movements
of his eye-brows assured the beholder, that in every
contest the latter should gain the victory. His
nose was of a commanding agreeable form, neither
exactly Grecian nor Roman, but partaking partly
of both, and it was, perhaps, this feature which
most forcibly impressed the beholder with the idea
of his fearless intrepidity and undeviating integrity.
But it was in the expression of his mouth that the
benevolence, generosity, and tenderness of his nature
were chiefly to be seen; for his were lips to
which no one could ever impute the utterance of
falsehood, calumny, or even unnecessary censure.
His chin was muscular, round, and full, but agreeably
corresponding with the general contour of his
countenance. As to his complexion, it was at this
time slightly sun-burnt, but still affording a pleasant
mixture of that fairness and ruddiness which
is so becoming in youth, and which generally betokens
an originally healthy and still unbroken
constitution.

His dress was at once modest and genteel, affecting
in no particular either to despise, or to be
fastidiously imitative of the fashion of the day. It
was neither gaudy, nor slovenly, but such as a gentleman
who, while he does not despise his person,
seems conscious that his mind is his better part,
might be expected to wear. When we have said
this, and when we add that it was a mourning-dress,
(for this young gentleman had lately sueceeded
to the ample estate of a deceased, tenderly
beloved, and much lamented elder brother,) the
reader will easily figure it to himself, without our
giving him more particulars.

He was a native of Virginia, and descended from

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one of the most respectable families in that province;
but in the opinion of governor Dinwiddie
on this occasion, such a youth would have made
any family respectable. His name was—George
Washington—a name which is now synonymous
with virtue, and to pronounce which is to eulogize.

After the usual salutation was over, Mr. Washington
presented an introductory letter from a valued
friend of the governor, who immediately read
it as follows:

May it please your Excellency,

“This letter will be handed to you by Mr.
George Washington, of Mount Vernon, a young
gentleman of whom I doubt not report has already
spoken favourably to you. For myself, I profess
to feel a high respect for his promising talents, and
a still higher for that steady conduct, unsullied virtue,
and strong sense of honour which have hitherto
marked his character.

“To speak thus decisively in behalf of so young
a man, may seem to your excellency, to be a somewhat
overstrained recommendation, but if I know
any thing of the characters of men, I am convinced
that in giving credit to Mr. Washington for all the
virtues and talents my language may ascribe to
him, you will not find yourself deceived.

“The ardour of his patriotic feelings, together
with his commiserating the distresses under which
our back-settlers now labour, and, no doubt, a laudable
ambition to signalize himself in doing good
to his country, induce him to solicit what he is
grieved to find so many of higher name and pretensions
have lately refused—the appointment of
envoy to the French commandant at Le Bœuf.

“Should it please your excellency to confide to
him the management of that arduous and

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important mission, I am persuaded, that young, and consequently
inexperienced, as he is, you will have
no reason to regret having done so; for, I believe,
that if prudence, intrepidity, and perseverance in
the attainment of the public good can succeed,
whatever enterprise he conducts must be successful.

“I have the honour to be, your excellency's sincere
friend and most obedient, humble servant. —”

“Why! Mr. Washington,” observed the governor,
when he had done reading, “this is really a
complimentary letter, but Mr. — is a good
judge of characters, and I believe he has not mistaken
yours. Your brother was a brave man,
true to his country, and I think that you cannot be
inferior to him. When would it suit you to go on
this mission?”

“At a day's warning, whenever your excellency
orders—”

“Suppose—let me see—this is Tuesday the 23d
of October. In a week from this date could you
be ready?”

“To-morrow—to-day—this hour—and at all
hours, I am at the service of my country. You
are her monarch's representative; order me when
you choose. But if I might suggest any thing in
this matter, it would be promptitude and expedition.—
Your excellency is aware that the season requires
it.”

“Young man! my friend has not been mistaken
in his estimate of your character. Your ardour in
this case is wisdom. Your country has been for
tunate in giving you birth; for I perceive, if heaven
spares you, that you will be both her blessing
and her boast. Had I known of you only two
months sooner, this mission might now have been
successfully terminated; but name your day, and
every thing shall be provided.”

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