and securing an occupancy without warrant or license. To enable the proprietor to claim his quitrents and give legal titles, it was necessary that those lands should be divided into lots and accurately measured. So favorable an opinion had he formed of the abilities and attainments of young Washington, that he intrusted to him this responsible service; and he set off on his first surveying expedition in March, just a month from the day he was sixteen years old, accompanied by George Fairfax, the eldest son of William Fairfax. The enterprise was arduous, requiring discretion and skill, and attended with privations and fatigues to which he had not been accustomed. After crossing the first range of the Alleganies, the party entered a wilderness. From that time their nights were passed under the open sky, or in tents or rude cabins affording but a treacherous shelter against the inclemency of the weather. The winds sometimes beat upon them, and prostrated them to the ground. Winter still lingered on the summits of the mountains; the rivers, swollen by melting snows and recent rains, were impassable at the usual fords, except by swimming the horses; the roads and paths through the woods were obstructed by swamps, rocks, and precipices. The lands surveyed by him lay on the South Branch of the Potomac, seventy miles above its junction with the other branch of that river. The task was executed in such a manner, as to give entire satisfaction to his employer, confirm the good opinion of his friends, and establish his reputation as a surveyor. On other accounts it was beneficial to him. It inspired a confidence in himself, kindled fresh hopes, and prepared the way for new successes. He had moreover acquired a knowledge of parts of the country hitherto little known, which were to be the scene of his first military operations; and had witnessed modes of life, with which it was necessary for him to become familiar in fulfilling the high trusts that awaited him. During this expedition he was also present at an Indian war-dance, and had his first interview with a race, on whose condition in peace and war he was to have a wider influence than any other man. Having received a commission, or appointment, as a public surveyor, which gave authority to his surveys and enabled him to enter them in the county offices, he devoted three years to this pursuit, without any intervals of relaxation except the winter months. Portions of each year were passed among the Alleganies, where he surveyed lands on branches of the Potomac River, which penetrated far in a southern direction among the lofty ridges and spurs of those mountains. The exposures and hardships of these expeditions could be endured only for a few weeks together. As a relief, he would come down into the settled parts, and survey private tracts and farms, thus applying himself to the uninterrupted exercise of his profession. There being few surveyors at that time in Virginia, and the demand for them large, the pay allowed for their services was proportionably high. By diligence and habits of despatch, the employment was lucrative; and, what was more important, his probity and talents for business were at a very early age made known to gentlemen, whose standing in society rendered their friendship and interest a substantial benefit. During these three years his home was with his brother at Mount Vernon, as being nearer the scene of his labors than his mother's residence; but he often visited her, and assisted in the superintendence of her affairs. At the age of nineteen his character had made so favorable an impression, that he was appointed to an office of considerable distinction and responsibility by the government of Virginia. The frontiers were threatened with Indian depredations and French encroachments, and, as a precautionary measure, it was resolved to put the militia in a condition for defence. To carry this into effect, the province was divided into districts, having in each an officer called an adjutant-general with the rank of major, whose duty it was to assemble and exercise the militia, inspect their arms, and enforce all the regulations for discipline prescribed by the laws. George Washington was commissioned to take charge of one of these districts. The post was probably obtained through the influence of his brother and William Fairfax, the former a delegate in the House of Burgesses, the latter a member of the governor's Council. The pay was one hundred and fifty pounds a year. His military propensities had not subsided. They rather increased with his years. In Virginia were many officers, besides his brother, who had served in the recent war. Under their tuition he studied tactics, learned the manual exercise, and became expert in the use of the sword. He read the principal books on the military art, and joined practice to theory as far as circumstances would permit. This new station, therefore, was in accordance with his inclinations, and he entered upon it with alacrity and zeal. But he had scarcely engaged in this service, when he was called to perform another duty, deeply interesting in its claims on his sensibility and fraternal affection. Lawrence Washington, originally of a slender constitution, had been for some time suffering under a pulmonary attack, which was now thought to be |