vi PREFACE. 



of one who had attracted in an unusual degree the public notice 

 was required, and that relation might possess interest from the 

 circumstances of the knowledge of the narrator derived from inti- 

 macy, and his access to materials of the most authentic kind. 

 But the consciousness of his inability to do justice to his subject 

 induced him to pause ; and he asked himself whether or no he 

 would incur the charge of presumption, by engaging in an under- 

 taking for which his talents were incompetent. However, he re- 

 solved on the attempt ; and as he is now sensible that the debt of 

 duty is paid, he is perfectly willing to abide the decision of legiti- 

 mate criticism, under a full persuasion that strict and impartial 

 justice will be awarded him : which is all that an author has a 

 right to expect. 



It has been the aim of the editor to condense the incidents 

 of the biography as much as possible without injuring the effect 

 of the narrative, and to relieve those prominent features of our 

 author's life which are principally interesting. In a word, his 

 attention has been chiefly directed to the tracing of the rise and 

 progress of this work, under the opinion of the propriety of that 

 procedure. In another place the subject may be enlarged upon, 

 and rendered more attractive to the general reader by the addi- 

 tion of some further correspondence of the author, and a critique 

 on his writings. With respect to the events of the early part of 

 Mr. Wilson's life, the editor's stock of materials was slender; and 

 he is not certain that they are correctly stated. But no better in- 

 formation could be obtained without applying to Europe, which 

 circumstances interfered to prevent. 



