Just Published, the Second Edition. NEW AND VALUABLE NATIONAL WORK. THE STATESMAN'S MANUAL. AN ENLARGED AND REVISED EDITION OF THE PRESIDENTS' MESSAGES; WITH OTHER PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, A BIOGRAPHY OF EACH PRESIDENT, AND A HISTORY In two handsome volumes octavo, -1700 pages— In handsome binding. PRICE FIVE DOLLARS. EDWARD WALKER, Publisher, No. 114 Fulton Street, New York, respectfully THE ADDRESSES AND MESSAGES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE INAUGURAL, ANNUAL AND SPECIAL, FROM 1789 TO 1846. With an Original Memoir of Each of the Presidents, and a History of Author of the New York Annual Register, &c. EMBELLISHED WITH PORTRAITS OF THE PRESIDENTS, AND THE SEALS OR CONTENTS. 1 The Speeches or Addresses, and Messages of the Presidents of the United States, from Washington to Polk. H 2. A Memoir, or Biographical Sketch of each President, preceding his Messages. 3. An account of the Inauguration of each President, and a History of the principal political events of his administration, and of the transactions of Congress at each session during the period. These sketches following the Messages, &c., of each President, and, with the Messages, forming a compendious Political History of the United States, for the last fifty-seven years. 6. Constitution of the United States, with Notes and References. 7. A brief history of the events and circumstances which led to the Union of the States, and formation of the Constitution. 8. A synopsis of the Constitutions of the several States. 9. Tables of Members of the Cabinets of the various administrations, Ministers to Foreign Countries, and other principal public officers. 10. Chronological Table of Political Events in the United States. 11. Statistical Tables of Revenue, Commerce and Population. 12. A complete List of Members of Congress from 1789 to 1846. 13. A complete Index, or Analytical Table of Contents to the whole work. No expense has been spared in the preparation of these volumes of Documents, History and Statistics, to render the same worthy the patronage, not only of Statesmen and Legislators, but of the American public generally; who will find in this TREASURY OF POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE, a mass of information indispensable to every intelligent citizen. Former editions of the Presidents' Messages have been imperfect and incom plete in many respects, which have now been remedied: 1st, by a careful comparison with official documents, and 2d, by dilligent research, to supply the Special Messages and Addresses omitted in former compilations. The Index to the whole work, of subjects, names and dates, is a new feature of this edition, which will make it invaluable for reference. To render these writings of the American Presidents more valuable as a continued National History, they are accompanied with Memoirs of the Presidents, and a History of the various administrations. The work is edited and compiled by Mr. EDWIN WILLIAMS, whose familiarity with our Political History, and Statistical Subjects generally is well known to the public, and affords a sufficient guarantee for the accuracy and fidelity of the compilation and accompanying History. New York, May, 1847. From the Democratic Review, August, 1846. "The 30th of April last completed 57 years since the inaugural of George Washington as the first President of these United States. A population of some 3,500,000 souls then occupied 13 states on the Atlantic coast, covering an area of some 473,000 square miles. The population of these United States has swelled to 20,000,000. They have added 814,810 square miles to their represented territory. They have risen to the first rank as a commercial nation, and have successfully disputed with England the dominion of the seas. They have become an object of dread to the despots of Europe, and of admiration and hope to the people of the world. Their flag is respected in all quarters of the world, and their friendship courted by all nations. They have successfully pushed their claims to the Pacific Ocean, and in doing so have been declared in Europe as the first nation that obtained from the fears of England what her sense of justice would not yield. These wonderful results have, doubtless, mainly to be attributed to the virtue, energy, and freedom of the people; but the successful working of our institutions under eleven chief magistrates, from Washington to Polk, has been the necessary attendant upon those elements. The whole development of this experiment' under the action of the executives; the successive steps by which every important event in our progress has been met and overcome; the annual growth of our importation abroad; the purchase and annexation of empires at home; the application of our elastic institutions to a people and territory doubling every few years; the changing interests of the masses, and the working of internal politics, are all spread out in one splendid coup d'œil in the two volumes before us under the above title. The messages and addresses of the presidents, following each other in chronological order, keep the reader informed of every important event as it occurred, accompanied by an impartial statement of the leading events of each administration. complete index at the close of the 2d volume, adds great value to the whole, as a work of prompt reference; a chronological table of events, with tables of commerce, population and revenue, are also added. The whole forms a most complete library in itself, of all that concerns the politics of the country. No individual should be without these two volumes at hand for prompt reference. How many hours of idle discussions and senseless debates might be spared to heated partizans, were these books at hand for appeal. We shall have frequent occasion to refer to them. From the New York Express of August 21, 1846. A "This is emphatically a national work, and as such eminently deserving of a national support. Its editor, Mr. Edwin Williams, as a compiler of statistics, is generally admitted to have no superior in the Union. "The whole task has been executed with rare tact and fidelity. The reader is carried on smoothly, from the birthday of the nation to very nearly the present mo { ment, and every topic of abiding interest is laid open to his view in a singularly clear and graphic style. The history of each administration is an excellent feature of the work. Every one is enabled to ascertain for himself, with all necessary ease, accuracy and satisfaction, the several points of leading importance which mark the career of the American Republic. "It will be readily seen that a work embodying such a vast fund of intelligence must prove indispensable to any one in the Union who makes pretensions to a knowledge of public affairs. From the Journal of Commerce of August 13, 1846. "This is one of the most important books published in the U. S. for a long time. The country needs such a work, in which by ready reference the citizen finds at once all the valuable opinions on the course and policy of the nation, from the beginning. "Mr. Williams manifests the first qualification for such a composition in his regard for truth. His biographical sketches of the Presidents, and history of their administrations, although written while the minds of men yet feel the agitations of party differences, are so fair in the statement of fact, and so reasonable in comment, that party men read them without offence, and reasonable men of all parties acknowledge their truth." From the Courier & Enquirer of Aug. 18, 1846. "This is the most important contribution to American political history ever published, inasmuch as we have here, condensed into a convenient form, information not elsewhere to be found, without consulting an immense number of volumes, and even then the inquirer would be deficient in much of the matter in the book now before us, as it is now first published.. "Mr. Williams, the Editor of this work, has had the benefit of more than twenty-five years of political experience and intimacy with public men and measures, and of course possesses advantages enjoyed by few persons for the task he has performed, which we learn he has accomplished principally within the last twelve months. Of the 1700 pages in this work, he has contributed nearly one-third, or about 500 pages of his own, in Memoirs of the Presidents, Histories of their administrations, and of each session of Congress since 1789 (about sixty in number)with a sketch of the successive rise and progress of parties in the United States, a history of the events which led to the American Union, and the adoption of the Constitution, &c. These various sketches are written in such a style of impartiality as cannot fail to be satisfactory to reasonable men of both parties. "What adds greatly to the value of this work, is the copious analytical Index at the end of the second volume, comprising thirty-five pages of double columns, and over three thousand references to the subjects contained in the volumes, and this Index is so arranged as of itself to form a sort of political History of the United States. "The tables of electoral votes given at each election of President and Vice President, of Sessions of Congress, Presidents of the Senate and Speakers of the House of Representatives, members of the different Cabinets, Ministers to foreign countries from 1789 to 1846, annual expenditures of each Administration, Lists of Judges of the Supreme Court from 1789 to the present time, synopsis of the different State Constitutions, summary of the Census of the United States, and a chronological table of political events, will all be found extremely valuable to the statesman, the politician, and indeed to every class of inquirers. "The work is published in a very handsome and even elegant style, and cannot fail to find its way to the library of every person who feels the slightest interest in the history of the country. To all men in any way connected with, or interested in, public affairs, it is indispensable." From the New York Herald, of August 25, 1846. "We hail the appearance of this work with no ordinary pleasure, as it is, in truth, the best historical narrative of our political statistics that we have ever read. Commencing with the very inception of our government, Mr. Williams has, in a clear and succinct manner, traced the progress of prominent acts, legislative and executive, connected with our national policy, from the first struggle for independence down to the present period, when we hold an equal rank with the proudest nations of the earth. Our historians, Marshall, Sparks, Bancroft, Prescott, Pitkin, A BEAUTIFUL WORK ON MISSIONS. CHRIST'S MESSENGERS; OR, THE MISSIONARY MEMORIAL. In Extra Gilt Binding, Price $2 50. Illustrated with original designs by B. J. LOSSING, and an elegant Frontispiece in Oil Colors, "The Destruction of the Missionary Ship TANJORE, by lightning." THIS volume has been expressly prepared to meet the demand for a Religious Offering, whose contents should be the aim of a higher Standard of Literature, and of more intrinsic and enduring value than has been found to characterize the productions usually devoted to this purpose. The leading idea of the Work, and which confers its Title, occupies a prominent portion of its pages, and has engaged some of the most eminent theological and scholastic pens of the country; while many rich literary pearls will be found decking the volume, with the true scintillations of genius. It is therefore earnestly hoped that it will prove acceptable to the great body of the Christian community. LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. REV. W. R. WILLIAMS, D.D. EDGAR A. POE, ESQ., REV. RUFUS W. GRISWOLD, REV. J. W. BROWNE, REV. GARDINER SPRING, D.D. IN THE PRESS, And nearly ready, in One Volume, handsome 8vo., CHRISTIAN MARTYROLOGY, ILLUSTRATED. This Work has been prepared with fidelity and great care. The numerous Engravings are illustrative of the inhuman Persecution of Christians by Pagans and Papists. The Book forms a valuable record of their barbarous inventions of torture, and should be in the hands of every Protestant family. E. WALKER, 114 FULTON STREET, N. y. |