action and fate of those parties, that his life could not be written as it should be, without at the same time giving a pretty full account of many of the most distinguished politicians in the state and nation, who have recently been active in public life, and who have to a considerable extent influenced public opinion; and, in fact, that a correct and full history of SILAS WRIGHT from the year 1840 to the close of his administration of the government of this state in 1846, would necessarily be the political history of the state during that period. I was thus led to the attempt which has resulted in the production of what is contained in the following sheets. Those who may take the trouble of perusing them, will find that until the year 1841, to which time, by my former work, the political history of the state is brought down, I have confined myself entirely to the history of the Life of Wright. In continuing the account of his life from the year 1840 to the close of his administration of the government of New York, the history of the political parties which existed during that period is naturally and almost necessarily resumed and continued. After he retired from the gubernatorial chair, there remains to his biographer little other labor than the painful task of recording his death.

So far as relates to that portion of this volume which treats of the political history of the state, I dare not hope that I have done full justice to the subject.

I have not, during any part of the period about which I have written, personally mingled in the controversies which have prevailed. Indeed, I have not frequently within that time visited the seat of government, which is the great theatre of the operations of parties. It is therefore highly probable that some material circumstances, which had an important bearing on the events which have occurred, may not have been known to me. My account of the movements of the whig party, and of the action of distinguished whigs, may not be

so ample as is desirable it should have been; and it will be found, and perhaps be a subject of complaint by some readers, that much more space is occupied in narrating the conduct of the democratic than the whig party. The only reason I can offer for this is, that during much the greater part of the time from the close of the year 1840 to that of 1846, the whigs were in the minority, and therefore their party movements did not and could not engross so much of the attention of a spectator as the operations of that party which controlled the patronage and measures of the state. For the same reason, the dissensions among the whigs themselves were not so visible, and could not be so accurately described as the feuds which have existed in the democratic party. The description of those feuds has imposed on me a task of great delicacy and difficulty. While on one great question about which the two sections of the democratic party differ, it is well known that I agree with the radicals, many, perhaps a majority of my most valued personal friends, belong to that section who have been denominated hunkers. My difficulties and embarrassments in the attempt to give a correct account of these two sections, when I approached the year 1842, in consequence of the various currents, countercurrents, and under-currents which were put in motion, were increased to a degree almost insurmountable. How I have succeeded in working my way through this abyss" of neither sea nor good dry land," must be submitted to an intelligent, and, as by experience I have heretofore found, a liberal community.

With respect to the principal object of this work, The Life OF MR. WRIGHT, I will merely remark, that in my judgment, to describe the man as he really was, and his actions, both in public and private life, as they truly were, was the imperious duty of his biographer; and that a simple narrative, "a plain tale," embracing those objects, is the best eulogy of a great and good man.

action and fate of those parties, that his life could not be written as it should be, without at the same time giving a pretty full account of many of the most distinguished politicians in the state and nation, who have recently been active in public life, and who have to a considerable extent influenced public opinion; and, in fact, that a correct and full history of SILAS WRIGHT from the year 1840 to the close of his administration of the government of this state in 1846, would necessarily be the political history of the state during that period. I was thus led to the attempt which has resulted in the production of what is contained in the following sheets. Those who may take the trouble of perusing them, will find that until the year 1841, to which time, by my former work, the political history of the state is brought down, I have confined myself entirely to the history of the Life of Wright. In continuing the account of his life from the year 1840 to the close of his administration of the government of New York, the history of the political parties which existed during that period is naturally and almost necessarily resumed and continued. After he retired from the gubernatorial chair, there remains to his biographer little other labor than the painful task of recording his death.

So far as relates to that portion of this volume which treats of the political history of the state, I dare not hope that I have done full justice to the subject.

I have not, during any part of the period about which I have written, personally mingled in the controversies which have prevailed. Indeed, I have not frequently within that time visited the seat of government, which is the great theatre of the operations of parties. It is therefore highly probable that some material circumstances, which had an important bearing on the events which have occurred, may not have been known to me. My account of the movements of the whig party, and of the action of distinguished whigs, may not be

5

so ample as is desirable it should have been; and it will be found, and perhaps be a subject of complaint by some readers, that much more space is occupied in narrating the conduct of the democratic than the whig party. The only reason I can offer for this is, that during much the

greater part of the time from the close of the year 1840 to that of 1846, the whigs were in the minority, and therefore their party movements did not and could not engross so much of the attention of a spectator as the operations of that party which controlled the patronage and measures of the state. For the same reason, the dissensions among the whigs themselves were not so visible, and could not be so accurately described as the feuds which have existed in the democratic party. The description of those feuds has imposed on me a task of great delicacy and difficulty. While on one great question about which the two sections of the democratic party differ, it is well known that I agree with the radicals, many, perhaps a majority of my most valued personal friends, belong to that section who have been denominated hunkers. My difficulties and embarrassments in the attempt to give a correct account of these two sections, when I approached the year 1842, in consequence of the various currents, countercurrents, and under-currents which were put in motion, were increased to a degree almost insurmountable. How I have succeeded in working my way through this abyss "of neither sea nor good dry land," must be submitted to an intelligent, and, as by experience I have heretofore found, a liberal community.

With respect to the principal object of this work, THE LIFE OF MR. WRIGHT, I will merely remark, that in my judgment, to describe the man as he really was, and his actions, both in public and private life, as they truly were, was the imperious duty of his biographer; and that a simple narrative, "a plain tale," embracing those objects, is the best eulogy of a great and good man.

1

The chapter which contains the account of the proceedings of the convention to revise the constitution, is a mere digest of the reports of the doings of that body. It has been made principally from the reports as published by Messrs. Croswell and Sutton.

It is believed that it will be found to present a pretty clear view of the material points decided by the convention, and of the course of reasoning which led to the results to which that assembly arrived, so abbreviated, simplified, and arranged as will enable the student of constitutional law, by a few hours' reading, to acquaint himself with the great and leading principles which controlled the action of the framers of our present constitution.

Many important suggestions and interesting facts have been kindly communicated to me by gentlemen attached to different political parties and sections of parties. In compiling this work, I have made a free and liberal use of those facts and suggestions. It would give me great pleasure were I permitted to mention the names of these gentlemen; but I do not feel authorized to do so without their express consent, and I therefore avail myself of the present occasion to return them my cordial thanks.

The free access to the files of the Albany Argus, the Evening Journal, and the Albany Atlas, which has been courteously accorded to me by the conductors of those journals, has greatly facilitated my labors; but I am more especially indebted to the connections and friends of Gov. Wright, who reside in the county of St. Lawrence, for much valuable information respecting the private life and character of that virtuous citizen and eminent statesman.

CHERRY VALLEY, May 1, 1848.

J. D. H.