WIRT’S “Letters of the British Spy,” contributed to the Richmond Argus in 1803, proved so popular that they were republished in a volume which passed through many editions. “The Rainbow” and “The Old Bachelor” were series in the style of “The Spectator” contributed by him to the Richmond Enquirer. They met with favor, but did not equal “Letters of the British Spy” in lasting popularity. Wirt was a lawyer, statesman, orator, and historian, as well as an essayist. He was born November 8th, 1772, at Bladensburg, Maryland, but he is completely identified with Virginia where he began the practice of law in 1792, and where he lived until his death, February 18th, 1834. He served as clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates, Chancellor of the Eastern Shore and Member of the House of Delegates. He assisted in the prosecution of Aaron Burr in 1807, and in 1816 was appointed United States District Attorney in Virginia. From 1817 to 1829, he was the Attorney-General of the United States. In 1832 the “Anti-Masons” nominated him for President and “carried” Vermont for him. His “Life of Patrick Henry” is one of the most notable of American biographies, and his oration on the death of Jefferson and Adams (1826) would have made him famous as an orator if he had done nothing else.