for Mr. Jefferson. Consequently, on the thirty-sixth balloting, Mr. Jefferson was elected president. Colonel Burr became, of course, vice president.

On the fourth of March, 1801, Mr. Jefferson took the oath of office in the presence of both houses of congress, and delivered his inaugural address. He expressed in this, his sincere diffidence in his powers, properly to fulfil the task which his countrymen had assigned him; seeing, as he did, the honour, the happiness and the hopes of his beloved country, committed to the issue and auspices of that day; and fully conscious of the magnitude of the undertaking, he indulged the hope, that as the contest of opinion had now been settled, by the rules of the constitution, all parties would unite, in common efforts for the common good; that harmony and affection, without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things, might be restored to social intercourse; and that though called by different names, as all were in truth brethren of the same principle, the invidious distinctions of party might cease. He exhorted them, with courage and confidence, to pursue the principles of government they had adopted; a government which would restrain men from injuring one another, but leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and not take from the mouth of labour the bread it had earned. This he said was the sum of good government: and this necessary to close the circle of our felicities.

About to enter on the exercise of duties which comprehended every thing dear and valuable to his country

men, he deemed it his duty, to state distinctly what he believed to be the essential principles by which his administration would be governed.-Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political:-peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none:the support of the state governments in all their rights, as the most competent administration for our domestic concerns, and the surest bulwarks against anti-republican tendencies: the preservation of the general government in its whole constitutional vigour, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home, and safety abroad :—a jealous care of the right of election by the people, a mild and safe corrective of abuses which are lopped by the sword of revolution where peaceable remedies are unprovided:-absolute acquiescence in the decisions of the majority, the vital principle of republics, from which is no appeal but to force, the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism: a well disciplined militia, our best reliance in peace, and for the first moments of war, till regulars may relieve them:-the supremacy of the civil over the military authority:-economy in the public expense, that labour may be lightly burdened:-the honest payment of our debts and sacred preservation of the public faith:-encouragement of agriculture, and of commerce as its handmaid:-the diffusion of information, and arraignment of all abuses at the bar of the public reason:-freedom of religion; freedom of the press; and freedom of person, under the protection of the habeas corpus:—and trials by juries impartially selected.

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"These principles form the bright constellation, which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. To the attainment of them," he concludes, "have been devoted the wisdom of our sages and the blood of our heroes-they should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civic instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or of alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps, and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty and safety."

It would not be consistent, either with the character or length of this memoir, to enter into the details of the public measures of Mr. Jefferson while he occupied the presidential chair. His administration embraces a long and interesting period, in the history of our country, distinguished by important measures, whose consequences have been felt in later periods, and which have led to results affecting in no inconsiderable degree, the honour and prosperity of the nation. These are subjects which demand the research and deliberation of an acute historian; the present article aims to be nothing more than a cursory though faithful biography.

In December 1801, Mr. Jefferson sent his first message to both houses of congress. It had been the custom thus far, since the formation of the government, for the president to deliver in person this communication to congress, and for that body to reply at once in a formal address. In the change now made by Mr. Jefferson, he appears to have had in view, at once, the convenience

of the legislature, the economy of their time, their relief from the embarrassment of immediate answers on subjects not yet fully before them, and the benefits thence resulting to the public affairs. In these respects its advantages have been so apparent, that it has been invariably adopted on every subsequent occasion.

In addition to these causes, there can be little doubt however, that this was one of the modes adopted by Mr. Jefferson, to give a more popular feature to the administration. No one had had a better opportunity, of perceiving the influence of forms, even trifling ones, in the affairs of government, or had entered more fully into the spirit of the age, for abolishing such as were useless. Indeed in this respect, a wonderful revolution had taken place in the minds of all men, even in the short space that had occurred, since the first organization of our government. At that time, from the force of ancient habits, it was scarcely possible to contemplate the administration of power, without those forms which were thought necessary, to obtain for it a useful respect; and the first great chief of our country, had adopted such as united, according to the conceptions of his elevated mind, the dignity of power with republican simplicity. Most of us, however, can recollect with what rapidity, the whole train of ceremony and fashion in dress and manners was swept away; so that it was scarcely more than in accordance with the general feeling of the times, that Mr. Jefferson introduced this and other changes, which certainly abolished all forms, beyond those of elevated private life, and that personal respect which

will always be bestowed upon the man, whom the choice of his country has pronounced, the first of its citizens.

In his message, Mr. Jefferson states, that the restoration of peace in Europe, had restored the friendly feelings of foreign nations, while it prevented any longer their violations of neutral rights. That our intercourse with the savage tribes on our own frontiers, was marked by a spirit of peace and friendship, advantageous and honourable at once to them and us. That with the African states, our affairs were in a situation less satisfactory, and such as demanded seriously the consideration, whether measures of offence should not be authorized. That at home our population was increasing in a very great ratio, our revenue so flourishing as to enable us to dispense with all internal taxation, the expenditures of the civil government reduced, a large portion of the public debt faithfully paid, and our agriculture, manufactures, commerce and navigation, the four pillars of our prosperity, rapidly thriving. He recommends to their particular consideration, the disposal of the surplus in the military establishment, the general militia system, the increase of the navy, the expediency of erecting more fortifications of an expensive character, the judiciary system that had been lately established, and the extension of the laws relative to naturalization.

During the succeeding four years, the internal policy of the country underwent several important changes, all calculated to develop the admirable and peculiar nature of our institutions, and to support and preserve the