HILDRETH, RICHAED. 



427 



management of his class by the appointment of 

 Dr. Islay Burns as his colleague and successor. 

 Among his other labors, Dr. Hetherington 

 acted as editor of the " Free Church Magazine," 

 a periodical that enjoyed a wide and deserved 

 popularity under his regime, from its commence- 

 ment till about the year 1848 or 1849. He 



. was the author of a " History of the Church of 

 Scotland," a " History of the "Westminster As- 

 sembly," and various other works. 



HILDRETH, RICHARD, an American author, 

 and late United States Consul at Trieste, born in 

 Deerfield, Mass., June 22, 1807, died at Florence, 

 Italy, July 11, 1865. His father was an eminent 

 Congregational clergyman, and, at the period 

 of his son's birth, was preceptor of the flourish- 

 ing Academy in Deerfield. Being fitted for 

 college at Phillips' Exeter Academy, his father 

 having removed to that town, Richard gradu- 

 ated at Harvard in 1826, having proved himself 

 a successful student of the prescribed course, 

 without, however, entirely confining himself 

 to it. Besides his extensive readings in history, 

 political economy, and ethics, he became famil- 

 iar with the whole body of Greek and Latin 

 authors in their original languages. He then 

 entered the office of Theophilus Parsons, after- 

 wards Dane Professor in the Law School of 

 Cambridge, where his remarkable power of 

 close and long-continued application excited the 

 astonishment of all who knew him. In 1827, 

 during Mr. Hildreth's residence in Newbury- 

 port, his literary life took its commencement in 

 a series of articles contributed to a magazine 



f then lately started in Boston by Mrs. Sarah 

 Jane Hale. Not long after he became a con- 

 tributor to Willis' " Boston Magazine " the 

 first editorial experiment of that popular writer; 

 and still subsequently to Joseph T. Bucking- 

 ham's " New England Magazine." 



In July, 1832, while practising the legal pro- 

 fession in Boston, he was induced to accept the 

 post of editor of the "Boston Atlas," the ex- 

 ponent or organ of Rufus Choate, Caleb Gush- 

 ing, and other rising politicians, who were then 

 associated together, and for several years Mr. 

 Hildreth's connection with the new paper gave 

 it a decided preeminence among the political 

 journals of New England. His articles were 

 remarkable for the vehemence of their tone, the 

 closeness of their reasoning, their elaborate his- 

 torical illustrations, and the point and vigor of 

 their diction. If strongly partisan in their spirit, 

 it was impossible, with his earnest nature, to 

 have been otherwise. His perceptions were 

 clear, his convictions of an iron strength, and 

 he hated compromise. His love of controversy 

 was also innate and genuine ; it had the force 

 of a passion. 



Ill health, in the autumn of 1834, compelled 

 Mr. Hildreth to seek a residence on a plan- 

 tation at the South, where he lived for about 

 a year and a half, and wrote the story of 

 " Archy Moore," subsequently, in 1852, repub- 

 lisbed in an enlarged form under the title of 

 " The "White Slave." During the summer of 



183(5 Mr. Hildreth employed his pen in trans- 

 lating from the French of Dnmont a work 

 under the title of " Bentham's Theory of Legis- 

 lation." He also at the same time wrote a 

 " History of Banks," and passing the winter of 

 ISST-'SS in "Washington as correspondent of the 

 " Boston Atlas," returned to the editorial chair 

 a warm supporter of the election to the Presi- 

 dency of Gen. Harrison. 



Abandoning journalism, Mr. Hildreth next 

 published his " Despotism in America," and in 

 1840, for the benefit of his health, again had 

 resort to a warmer climate. During a three 

 years' residence at Demerara, in British Guiana, 

 he acted successively as editor of two news- 

 papers published in Georgetown, the capital of 

 the country, and also found time to write his 

 " Theory of Morals," published in 1844, as well 

 as the "Theory of Politics," printed in 1853. 

 Mr. Hildreth then turned his attention to com- 

 pleting his " History of the United States." 

 This afforded him constant occupation for seven 

 years, during which he wrote little else. The 

 first volume was issued in 1849, and the entire 

 work in the three succeeding years. 



The composition of this work had been a 

 favorite purpose with Mr. Hildreth for many 

 years before its actual commencement. His 

 study of American history, without reference 

 to the original sources in public records and 

 other manuscript authorities, had been exten- 

 sive, if not profound; his habits of research 

 were methodical and accurate ; and his fidelity 

 to what he deemed the true functions of the 

 historian was vigilant and alert. Although, 

 from perhaps a deliberate purpose, he had 

 avoided all ornament and elegance in style, the 

 work may justly be considered the most accu- 

 rate, faithful, and well-digested history of the 

 United States ever published. For several 

 years previous to his acceptance of the consul- 

 ship at Trieste, Mr. Hildreth was a resident of 

 New York, and during that time was a frequent 

 contributor to the columns of the " Tribune " 

 and the " New American Cyclopaedia," and the 

 amount of literary drudgery which he perform- 

 ed while suffering from feeble health attests 

 his singular mental vigor and activity. His 

 industry was a perpetual marvel. With him, 

 mental labor was not a recreation, but a passion. 

 His memory was capacious and exact, and hia 

 knowledge of American politics, of legislation, 

 and of legal decisions was both extensive and 

 accurate. In his personal character, Mr. Hil- 

 dreth had the credit of habitual austerity. Ho 

 had no morbid love of gaining friends, no cow- 

 ardly fear of making enemies, always expressing 

 himself honestly without regard to consequences ; 

 still, to his intimate friends he daily revealed a 

 disposition of true modesty and sweetness. 

 Having busied himself in his comparatively 

 leisure hours with the writing of his " Japan 

 as it Was and as it Is," his health shortly after- 

 wards entirely gave way, which, in addition" to 

 the severe attacks of mental depression to which 

 he had always been subject, prostrated him 



