r798.] - Account of Col, Humphreys, an American Poet. 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
HOEVER is much converfant 
with the Hiftory of Literature 
cannot fail to have obierved an uniform 
tendency in men of genius to affociate and 
link themfelves together in fome ftrong . 
«community of ftudy and of life. Point 
out to me a man ‘diftinguifhed in any 
of the walks of fcience, and I habitually 
enquire who are his companions. Au- 
thors will have perfons of fome congenia- 
lity of charaéter or views with whom to 
confult ; and generally they will {eek 
at leaft one or two on whole judgment 
they dare rely, even if they envy his or 
their genius. 
The peculiar talents of Mr, Trumbull 
and Mr. Dwight, and the enthufiafm with 
which they cultivated the politer ftudies, 
attrated many elevated and amiable 
minds to their fociety. Among thele 
fome were incited to fimilar purfuits ; 
and athong the firft was the fubject of the 
prefent article. 
Davip HuMPHREYs was born at 
Derby, State of Connecticut, about the 
year 1752 or 53; was admitted into Yale 
College in 1767, and graduated in 1771. 
Of the circumftances of his early educa- 
tion I am ignorant ; nor is my intforma- 
tion relative to his collegiate life fuih- 
ciently minute to render it interefting. 
That he formed his acquaintance, at 
this time, with the Mufes, and with his 
friends Dwight and Trumbull, is certain; 
for, having entered the tamily of Col. 
Philips, of Philips’s Mann, State of 
New York, on leaving College, he ad- 
drefled a poetical letter to the former, in 
which he difplays, with great eaie-of 
narrative and minutenefs of circumitance, 
his firuation, plans, profpects, and wilhes. 
This epiftle was never publifhed, and 
perhaps is not now in exiltence. How 
long Mr. Humphreys continyed in this 
fituation, and at what time, and with 
what rank he entered the American 
army, my recollestion does not ~now 
enable me to determine. But, as early 
as 1778 he was Aid-du-camp to General 
Putnam, with the rank of Major; and 
in 1780, ashe himfelf informs us, €in his 
poetical letter of April, 1789) he was pro- 
moted to be Aid-de-camp to the Com- 
mander in Chief, with the rank of Colo- 
nel. In the family of Gen. WASHINGTON 
-he continued tillthe end of the War ; and, 
alter the refignation of his commitfion by 
the General, accompanied him to Virgina. 
On the appointinent of Mr. JEFFER- 
SCN to fucceed Dr. FRANKLIN, as Am- 
baflador to France, Col. HUMPHREYS 
167 
was nominated as Secretary to the Lega- 
tion; and he left his native country for 
the firft time, and failed for Europe, in 
company with his friend the celebrated 
and unfortunate Kosciuszko, in the 
fummer of 1784. This he pleafingly 
mentions in his epiftle to Dr. DwicaT, 
written on board of the Courier de 
l'Europe, the fhip in which he left 
America. 
‘© Him firft, whom once you knew in war 
fo well, f ; 
Our Polith Friend, whofe name ftill founds 
' fo hard, 
To make it rhyme would puzzle any bard ; 
That youth, whom bays and laurels early 
crown’d, 
In virtue, fcience, arts,.and arms renown’d.” 
Col. HUMPHREYS returned from Eu- 
rope in 1786, and was almof immediately 
elected a reprefentative from his native 
town, to the Connecticut Legiflature; a 
fituation to which he was re-ele&ted the 
following year, and in which he honour- 
ably acquitted himielf. At this time, 
Congre(s refolved on the levy of fome ad- 
ditional regiments for the weftern {fer- 
vice; and Col. HUMPHREYS. was ap- 
pointed to the command of that which 
was raifed in New England. This ap- 
pointment furniihed him with empioy- 
ment till fome time in 1788 ; when the 
occafion for which the levy had been made 
no longer exifting, the corps was reduced, 
and his commiflion terminated. But during 
this command, his time was principally 
{pent at Hartford, in company with Mr. 
TRUMBULL, BARLOW, HOPKINS, and 
others of his friends : poetry and politics 
divided their attention ;-and the purpofes 
of both were united and purfued in the 
publication of the Anarchiad, and the va- 
rious pieces of wit and fatire which di- 
ftinguifhed that period. 
After the reduction of his corps, Col. 
HumMPHREYS madeavilit to his illut 
trious friend at Mount Vernon. ~ There, 
honoured with the confidence of its pof- 
feffor, he remained till the organization 
of the new Government, and the election 
of Mr. WasHINGTON to the-Prefidency. 
He then accompanied,the Prefident to 
New York, and was a member of his 
family till his public appointment to Por- 
tugal in 1790. From this period his life 
is known toevery one attentive to Ameri- 
can affairs. He is the prefent Minifter 
Pienipotentiary at Madrid ; and his refi- 
dence ia’ Europe has only been inter- 
rupted by ahatty vilit to America in the 
autumn of 1794. . 
Asa poet and a man of letters, if efti- 
“mated 
