48 
which never existed, or certainly not in the person whose 
name it bears. But the advantages resulting from this ex- 
pedient I shall willingly resign. As far as the short notice 
I have had to prepare this address will permit, I shall at¬ 
tempt a true and unadorned biography oi Chancellor Liv¬ 
ingston. That I might be the better able to do this, I have 
been kindly furnished with such assistance, as leaves me 
little of the pride of authorship, while it enables me to say 5 
that all the facts I shall state are substantially correct. And 
however unusual may be the circumstance, I am happy in 
saying, that in the instance of Chancellor Livingston, true 
biography and exalted eulogium meet; that a correct ac¬ 
count of his life is praise ; and such praise as in the present 
imperfect state of human nature, we are seldom called on 
to give. That he was perfect is not asserted. Christianity 
forbids me to say, or you to believe this of any man. But 
that he was truly great, and exhibited many eminent virtues ; 
that he early and strenuously asserted the rights and inde¬ 
pendence of his country ; that he ably and ardently served 
her in many public capacities ; that he constantly sought 
her interests and welfare; that he greatly promoted her 
prosperity and honor by his improvements in agriculture 
and inventions in the arts; that as an individual he was 
kind and benevolent; that he always treated the Christian 
Religion with the greatest respect and veneration, and fL 
nally left his dying declarations and public and solemn tes¬ 
timony in its favor, and departed this transitory state feeling 
its peace and trusting in its hopes.—This is the outline of 
the history and the exalted eulogium of Chancellor Living¬ 
ston. 
In our republican country and institutions, it can be of 
little importance to mention, but yet it may gratify curiosity 
to be informed, that the family of Livingston is a very an¬ 
cient and respectable one in Scotland, a distinguished for 
its numbers, opulence, talents, Christian virtue, and attach¬ 
ment to liberty.” In the year 1660, it was enobled by the 
Mead of the family receiving the title of Earl of Newburgh, 
