Lord Bacon regrets that the lives of eminent men are not more frequently written, that posterity might profit by the example of their virtues. It is a natural and a laudable curiosity to desire to know the steps by which a man acquired renown; to be acquainted with his progress through life, from the period when his character was unformed, till he has firmly established his reputation, and by his actions merited and secured the love of his country. The biography of a man, who has served his country in war, with fidelity and courage; in peace, who has laboured in the senate to promote her domestic welfare, and on the ocean to extend her commerce, contains a series of useful instructions, and carries the services of a man's life far beyond the common period of mortality. It is also a tribute of respect due to departed excellence, that the character of a man who has done honour to his country, should be preserved, his actions recorded, and his conduct held out to imitation.