éﬁitriatim iﬁwtriniltiﬁm.

AN‘

  ADDRESS

ﬁmhimmii at @m)mm1m;*m
JULY THE FOURTH,

1825.

BY REV. NATHANIEL BOUTONN

PUBLISHED BY .’RIEG«IT.'ES’I".

41501113131311 1

PRINTED BY SHEPARD AND BANNISTER.

ﬂ I I O U I I II

ADDRESS.

-»QQQ«-

CHRISTIAN FRIENDS AND FELLOW Crr1zENs---

Lrrr us Welcome this day with gratitude to
God. Next to the landing of the Pilgrims on
the rock at Plymouth, it forms an era in our his--
tory, which must ever awaken the most interest»
ing associations. The public acknowledgmer1t
of the Divine agency in the affairs of nations, is
a dictate ‘both of ‘reason and religion; for it is
still true, that Jehovah ‘ ruleth among the nations,’
and ‘that, ‘ that people only is happy, whose God
is the ‘Lord.’ '

But in our case, the recognition of the Divine
hand in all that distingiuishes us, is peculiarly
proper. “ N 0 people,” said Washirigton, “ can
be bound to  acknowledge and adore the invisi-
ble Hand which conducts the affairs of men,
more than the people of these United States.

Every step by which they have advanced to the:

4:

character of an independent nation, seems to

have been distinguished by some token of Pro»
‘Vidential agency.”    

For What did our Fathers ﬂy» their native
land? What could induce them to bid a ﬁnal
adieu, not only to England, but to every culti-
vated spot in Europe; and to embark in frail
Vessels on a boisterous ocean, to look fora rest-
ing placein a distant wilderness, and among
savages Phi c Were there treasures toenrich them,
or prospects of pleasure and honor to allure
them? Their history and character give the an»-
swer. Now-they forsook England and Europe,

A because there was not a spot Where they could

enjoy, undisturbed, the rights of conscience and
the privileges of their religion. They came
here, not so much to escape the oppressions of

t tyranny, and to found a separate political gov-
ernrnent, as l to enjoy religious institutions of

their own. The spirit which glowed in their
hearts was that of RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. That spir-~
it, ﬁrst kindled at the altar of God, formed into a

ﬂame by persecution, kept alive and glowing by

the fuel of wrongs and of oppressions, lighted

thecpathway of our fathers to Indepe‘ndence.l A

Their l children heard the story of their suffer-:=

‘ ings, almosthefore their youngrninds couldi‘corni-

pirehencl it : thus it became interwoven with   the

'4 ‘earliest and tenderestlrecollections; and dam to

the third and fourth generation, there was "scarce:-t  

ly one but could tell. some sad, tale, of woes en-

ll

colored by his pious ancestry. No wonder then,
that when they saw the storm of revolution gath-
ering; ;-—---the clouds rising: and spreading and
thickening on every side, all they had heard in
their younger days came rushing on their rernem-
lorance. Hence, in their petitions to parliament;
in their remonstrances; in their oﬂicial docu-
noents, and in the sermons of ministers, the
origirial design in the settlement of this coon»
try was strongly represented. It was urged as
a motive to rouse the Americans to action; and
perhaps more thari any other, it l.].’1Vlg0I'3.»l3€‘(l
them (lllI"ll’lg that long and doubtful conflict.
The Declaration of Independence, was of
course, political in its character. It was drawn
up with reference to the establishment of a new
government, and could not directly interrneddle
with religion. But could we now convey our»-«
selves into the midst of that naugust assembly,
convened on the Fourth of July, 1776; could
We see them listening in deep suspcmse to the
declaration of their rights, and the enumeration
of their wrongs; could we know the thouglits
which shot quickest across their intellect, or the
emotions which beat strongest in their bosoms,
wlienthe sound, never before heard, ‘we are, oml
ofrz'ght ought to be free and independent,’ breaks
upon their ear ; then should we know how reli-
gion was niingled with alltheir early andftender
associations ; how the impressions of wrong for

t 3

conscience sake, which they had received from.

their pious ancestors, from tradition and history,

were reviving and concentrating in the daring

resolution that they would ‘put their hand to
the great instrument of Independence, and Write
their name where all nations should behold it,
and all time should not efface it.’ i  

We will then on this day ascribe thanksgiving
to God. A He  ﬁtted o11ri fathers for the Work,
which they acoomplished by suffering, and blood,
and prayer. Their character is drawn on the
face of our Government, and their spirit diﬁ’us-
ed through all our institutions. The Constitution
which they adopted, would not have suited
Greece nor Rome in their happiest days; it is
inapplicable to any state in Europe, because the
intelligence and virtue of the people are insuﬁ-L

cient to support it. France once attempted in

imitation of our example, to mould herself into

a Republic——--but she fell into anarchy ; was con-A»

vulsed and torn asunder by the fury of her own
elements, and was saved from utter ruin, only by
‘Welcoming back and placing on the throne her‘ le-
gitimate sovereign.’ Give our Constitution to
Spain, just as she is, and probably, for a time it

tvouldbe Worse for her than the folly, jealousy and  

tyranny ofylilerdinand, and the tortures and ﬁres
of the Inquisition. The civil liberty which we en-—

joy, youcannot yet impart to the brave and noble»

minded Greeks, nor to thepatriots of the, South.

H‘?

Bolivar, the Washington of South-America, when
consulting on a Government for the people,
whose liberties he has been instrumental of
achieving, declared that the successful opera-
tion of our constitution for so many years, is a
miracle, and that at present it is wholly unsuited
to them. Had he better known the character
of our fathers, he would not have pronounced
the success of our government a miracle; but
it does show the inﬂuence of religion. It
proclaims to the nations while they look on and
wonder, ‘Happy is that people, Whose-‘God is
the Lord.’----At the same time it teaches us to
respond, ‘Not unto us, not unto us, 0 Lord,
but unto thy name give glory.’ To Him we offer
our gratitude. Let it ascend pure from the altar
of every heart. Happy, might it thus arise
while the loud salutations of the morning echo
along our coasts and plains, and reverberate
among our hills and mountains ; happy, if in eve-
ry part of the nation, patriots should be seen
crowding into the sanctuaries publicly to cele-
brate God’s goodness; happy, if the thousands
of voices echoing on this glad day from every
quarter of the land, might mingle in one loud
anthem, and ascend up to Heaven. i

Here it is proper to remark on the connexion
between Religion and Patriotism, and to show
how they may be united in the same breast.

In introducing the subject of Patriotism, I am
aware that I have touched a theme over which

poetry has thrown her finest embellishnients, and
eloquence poured forth her loftileststrains of die»
clamation. No attribute. of the human character
sooner awakenis esteem and admiration. You
love the nznan who loves his country; who en»-
deavors to promote the civil happiness of the
community to which he belongs; whose eye is
ever open on their interests, watchful to prevent
evils, and quick-sightedin discerning; methods to
remove them. If at his country’s call, he steps
forward to a post of da.nge1' and sheds his blood
in her defence, you ernbalm his name in your

memory, and erect a monument to perpetuate ’
A his glory. i ‘
Conceive now of such a patriot; discharging his

social duties, without regard to the relation
which he and his countrymen sustain to God;
His eye is ﬁxed on their temporal welfare, and his

efforts, unceasing to promote it. i V But let the love_

a of God mingle with his loveof country, and soon A

it will shed a holy inﬂuence over all his actions; "
He will not relax his efforts for their temporal
good, but the motive that actuates him will be

purer,and the end in View more worthy of ac-«ii

cmmplishment. c i i

Wheat then is the differeiice between the patriiwﬂi
opt who loves God, and the patriot who loves him i
not? The oiie,l1'*egards,his countrymen as susi-I
taining a relation only to this world-,---the other, 
tﬂfheaven; the one, in his laborsfor l~thei.r we1- 
fare, thinks of , thenr and feels for them,- only as Vi

-ml’

9

members of the civil comlnunity-4--the other, as
subjects also of the divine gove'rnment,a and as

destined to immortality.

Nor is it diﬂicult to understand how religion
may thus mingle in the same bosom with feel-
ings of the most reﬁned and ardent patriotism.
You may conceive of their union as easily as you
can of a love for natural objects, mingled with a
purer love for the Author of them. When you
walk forth in the freshness of a spring morning,
or in the serenity of a summer evening, and
your eye glances over the scenes of beauty and
sublimity that surround you, maynot your heart
breathe forth its adorations to heaven. .

“ These are rmr glorious works, Parent of Good, "
Almighty! Tums, this universal frame, ' " A
Thus wondrous fair: Thyself how wondrous then,
at Unspeakable!” ,. ,

Let no one suppose, from the illustrations of
the above principle which I am about to intro!-
duce, that religion cherishes the spirit of war.
On the contrary, its tendency is to preve,nt~or i
remove, if possible, the causes of so   greatﬁan
evil. But if that cannot be done, thenVI would
say, in the language‘ of Patrick Henry, when he
raised his voice to rouse his countrymen to the
glorious contest, “ We mustﬁght! an appeal to
arms and to the God of Hosts, is all that is left
us!” ’

You Well know that in the struggle for,~Inlde-

ﬁeudence one spirit animated every class of the

2

10

community, Christians diétinguished for ﬁiety,

it and even Ministers of religion, mingled togethé

er in the camp, and fought and died in the ﬁeld,
along with their countrymen. In doing this, did
they forfeit their religious character? When
they lay expiring en the battle»-ground, must it
have been with the feelings and anticipatione ef

such as have no God to Support them P I know‘

that soméihave thbiighft their conduct, in this re-
spect, incon"s’iist”ent with piety.-:4-But is it not easy
to conceive thatltthe love iivhieh they felt in com»
inon with others for their country, was moldiﬁed
by a stronger love for their ‘God? and that ‘theﬁ

engaged in the sanie eiontest with vie‘vv‘s far dif-4’

ferent from thoseof others? No doubt; that of-
ten during those days of peril, the héeits ‘oi those
pious  iveie eeﬂdihg hp id‘ei%o“ut aspirations
to Heaven,-----while others were reposing on the
hiziil of their ”cioinr1i'2i.’nderS,$iior oh the ”lvaliou”r of
their eiims, they were iehniiding iii the   strength
bl" ftheA1iilighty, Aand saying, “ If God prosper
us,*’j-tour inidejiendenoe ‘shall eie long be ﬁrmljr
bstablished ; the ‘ehurcheiié   :"iii'd ieliars where we
iivoi-“ship jshall  ’15re'é§ei‘ir"é”d"; the coiintry which
 ieve aiid for which We ’rioiv£biieied,shiiall be "die.
 its eiiii eiiii ireiigious advantages,
 ouiijittiieiiiy with a ‘double iportion’ e‘£ﬁ‘£1i“e

Jepirii tiiéit i’beei‘t1i~e, fisihali iise up eed eeilue

blessed.’ A _ V _ i } W i e 
Nbr "’i‘setl1‘“i"7s ill]. I iién *e1epei1“‘to iéoine who

        thaii

 
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whole enterprieee her .,se1e,eetest inﬂuemxe  Hmzv
‘Was it. when the news'spreed, as» if, b.orne on the
Wings of the wind, that blood  slmcl on the
palainseof L.ex;ingt.on? While some seized their
arms and eﬂvew to the scene pf ‘contest, ‘many
repaired to the clpseta and many to the s.an.cteua.-
ry 3-A--—--the faithful .01’ every name employed that
praye1'whicl1 has power with Godwthe feﬂblla
;I%1aJn4ds that Aware uneqtlal to any other weapon,
grasped the sweord of the Spirit, and Afroxn myri-
ads of ehumble end eenetrikte ehearts, the voice *of
inteereeeeien. eupplicetien and wee:ping.mipg1ed
in its ascent to heaven with the ~shom:s of battle,
and the shock of 

Thee foregoing remarks en;1ei11ust1~ations, may
eufﬁce to ShOW ;ﬂ?1e!.‘3 e0I1nee2ii.en betweelm Religion
 APaetriot;ism- United in jueet p11op,ortie.ons,they
constitute the ;h:ighest perfection of human cha-
racter. Let us then, in the eg;enIJiene spirit of ethis
QCCaS._iQna aspire t0 the %Ce:harac;ter of A,Ch.ristiaI1
Patriqt Let eugs comecrate aux Aheearts to rT=‘G0‘V,‘)¢.
In our ir1$te%x:com-sVe with our efellow-cietizens, rleit
us ever xegard the interesetes of etheire.immorta1ify ;
do enothing which ;W;ei1.l%aba1eful iI1ﬂ“e:nc.e
mr._e,r “the soul; reﬂeect «that he wcloees most for his

  country, Whose life Axbeest a,cc.o.trds with the p.rin.oi--

ples of religion, and  is most eﬁicientxin 1'.6~

A’ moving kmoral evi1s,e the Jprincwipal _§.0;l,1rc._e both eoﬁf
V enational celenlity and netioenal min.

E%spVe.ceia1ly, «Chgristian §F1:ieend4s% eand Fee“1Iow~Citi-

', ."_7‘$»en5: xleet the joyful emotiens ;txha<t.nAo.wswe11AQux

I2

bosoms be modiﬁed and sanctiﬁed by the spirit
of religion. During the year, events have occur-
red which will be marked in our history. Half
a century. has just gone by, since the war of the
Revolution actually begun. On the 19th of April
the Fiftieth Anniversary of the battle at Lexing-
ton was celebrated. And on the 17th of June.,-—--
forever blessed be thememory ofthat day ; its

events shall‘be‘..recorded on a fair page of our
' history, andevery eye that reads themshallbe
ssufﬁised with tears----the foundation of a monu-

ment was laid on the spot where WARREN and
his comrades fell in thecause of Liberty and
Religion. Let the honored Orator of thatday
describeithe events of the ever memorable occa-
sion; let him contrastthe scenes of Bunker Hill on

the 17th of June, 1775, and the i17thof June,

.1825, but let our associations with both be sacred.
Let the Monument which shall there rise, remind

us, and those who shall come after us. of the re1i--
gious character of our ancestors, and of our obli-

gations to Him ‘ who giveth the victory.’ i There

may it ever stand,—---not like the Pyramids of it

Egypt, amonument of folly and of pride; not for
the nations to turn an eye of scorn upon, and to
point at, as a monument of the weakness of Re.-

publics ; but; as an everlasting proof that ‘that A

peopleeis happy, whose God is the Lord.’ . l T

In a similar lightshould We regard the visit of
LAFAYETTE, the ‘ guest of the nation,’ to our coun-
try. His name and his presence are suited to

13

awaken sacred associations in the minds of all

who love their country and their God. He came
to us ﬁrst in his youth, and the news of his arri-
val sent a thrill. of joy through the drooping and
bleeding heart of the nation. Then, by his dis-
interested devotedness to the cause of freedom;
by his noble sacriﬁces, and by his generous and

affectionate disposition, he drew around him the '

hearts of the whole American people.’ We re-
joice that after an absence of thirty-eight years,
he has come to visit the sons of those with whom
he fought in his youth; that instead ofimeeting
three inilliioiis “hard struggling forireedom, he
is Welcomed by ten millions, rejoicing in bles-
sings which he assisted to procure. We recog-—
nize him as an instrument raised up by the God
of ourrfatliers, and sent in the hour of theirut-
most need. i We rejoice that we have been per»
mitted to look on his noble countenance, to hear
his voice, and to greet him with the shout, “ welu
come, welcome !” i But it now he is gone fromus.
As we shall seehisface no more»---—as he will in
at short ‘time bid jfarewell to our country, and re-
turn across the ocean, to the bosom of a his own
family,‘ and ‘after a little while, be laid down in

the grave, where already isleepmost ofour fa-i A

there; we will follow him---—We pledge ourselves
to follow him, ivifn our affection and your prayers.
“The Lord bless him and keep him; the Lord
make his face to shine upon him and be gracious
unto him ;l the “Lord lift up hisicountenance upon
him and give him peace”;

M

But amid the sacred and joyful recellecticms
which we this day cherish. arise thoughts of xgtias-W
lanchoiy hue, and dexnand an utterance.

On us, as Patriots and as «Christians a duty is
imposed, which involves the political and moral
interests of Wour Republic. Let me presume on
your attention, while I lay before you the .objec.t
and the claims of  AMERMN Ct0LoNIzA€1*1os Sm
C1ETY~   M i i
This Society was organized at Wasshinsgton in
1817, and is now patronized by many of the most
distinguished in the nation. Its dirieet object is
to colonize (with their consent) the free people
of colour residing in the United Statieds, in Africa,
.01‘ some other placethat  be deeimied suitame.
 territory has been procureel at Cape Miontseie
ix-«ado, Vproibably the best ﬁeriithe t_purpos:e, that the
iwhole .s0t1th-wesetern eoaest of  contains. A

colony, consisting at present of sheet 4943 ms  

been estab1isheid- The inaieme   of  Qqilcmy is
Liberia, which denotes a. isiettleﬂletnt of persehs
made free ; hand the township which they occupy
is called M_ONROVIA, in ;;honor of the tillustriosus slate
President of the United States. A gmveirnmtent
 esttshlishaeda in which the ;cO19nists have a share,
and  A has hitherto ,b;ee1_1 f0aI1;I.1d?isuﬂiseiient for
the Qrliaintemanee of good order. Land has been
ditstribsmed A 130 ilhﬁ A 0010I1iS§St; and they rhiafvie asl-
already :made :0011$:im@€i17;@b1€ tprogress in ieirmting
hmlsesa and .91€aTiiTlrgQ11C1QSiIlg ﬁelds. it The
climates is so *W§:1l:,S.:11ited ito :shte.ir tcops_ti_tiutio:m

15

that far less mortality has taken place among
them than usually attends” new settlements in
ether cllountries. Accounts recently received
represent them as contented and happy--~rejoic-
ing in the blessings of freedom. They have
their common and their Sabbath schoolemtliteir
own place of worship; and, what must especial-
ly rejoice the heart of every Christian-, ‘God has
recently blessed them with the special inﬂuences
of the Holy Spirit.

There are new *scatm-eat ever the United .

States about 25u,ooot1~*ae beoplle, of colour. on But
in what does their freedom —cansist? Go inte our
populous towns and cities; travel into the mivda

dle and ‘southern States, and you ﬁnd ‘the free

blaclcs, the {most ignorant, degraded and vicious
class in the ~community. They are olbjeetrs of

‘compassion ahd benevolence--ml-tolo often, of cone

tempt and insult. They minister to the vierces
and plerasures «of the whites, and by thlose best
acquainted with their condition, are " 're*garde
as event ~mor:e, wxtetched than the sta-ﬁves ‘tth*elnr-
selves. Public opinion has =s”e‘t.l1eI’i' brand or in»-

fatnjy ~an ‘cl exclusion‘ upon them. While they re-

main i~nour ‘country, they ‘mustbe ‘cast out from

the piiiviileges of freeman, and +éubjec7ted to hope-
less degra*dac”ion. As long as they 1@'7ta*in the

complexion whitc~h the God of nature Ihast ‘g’”it‘e‘n

 ‘drem, Vtrlreir econlitilon ~a*mo+i1g u‘slcan111o“tlibte eslsena
orally improved. You may ball  yrea ; you
-,may enact‘ laws to make them free, but “you

16

cannot bleach them into the enjoyment of free» at

elem.” ,.
In behalf of this unhappy class of the commu-
nity, an appeal, Fellow-Citizens, is this day made
to you; made to the spirit of patriotism which
you cherish as Freemen and asiChristians ; made
because the object is a national one, and the re-
sources of the Society, inadequate to accomplish
it; andmade on this occasion, because connect-
edasit is, with all that renders life most dear, the
hearts of the truly patriotic must be quick to feel
and their hands prompt toexecute. \
Remove this portion of the black population
from our country, and establish them in a colony,
and you not only free our nation of a great and
rapidly growing evil, but confer on tIzem,,both
the name and the reality of freedom. Soon they

would emerge from it the abyss of degradation in,

which they are now sunk-~4--theyfwould feel all
the incitementst of liberty stirring within them,

and ere long would form an intelligentand hap-

py community, with a goyernment and institu-
tions similar to our own. i A e
: But then with the colonization of the free

blacks,is connected the removalqf slavery from

our country. I know that the very mention of
slavery is enough to arouse the indignationof

the free-born andhigh-minded sons of N ew-Eng-

land. While they are ‘ ploughing the hard soil,

and gathering the fruits of A their labour from the

17

rocks and h_i:ﬂ;S*r'4§h§1§§ isnot one, but can Say
from the heart,  r
‘F ll‘ would not have a slave to till, my grounder;
To carry me; to fan the while I_s1_epep,g "‘
And tremble when! walge, for all the wealth
That sinews bought and sold, haveever earned.
N o--dear as freedorn ie, and in my heart’s;
Just estimation prizediabove all price, .
It had much rather be myself the slave,
And wear the bonds, than fasten them on him.”
While I speak,  remember too, that slavery is
opposed to the first principles of tour Constitu-
tion. It was not repugnant to the democracy of
Greece and Rome. “ It is in poerfect harmony
with the systems of government Which, excepting
Great-Britain and Switzerland, prevail in every
province of the old world.” But it stands in
direct opposition to the acknowledged andoboast-
ed maxirno, which are the basis of ouropolitical
institutions. Oh ! what a solemn mockery--~
I speak it with deference-4»-does it cast upon the
great instrumem Of 0111‘ Independence ! “ We
hold tlzose truths to be self-evident, that all men
;oreMcre.ated equal _; that they are endowed by their
Creotor, with certain unalienable rights A; and
that among these are lyre, LIBERTY, and the pur-
suit cfhwppioess-”   o      
But, Fe11ow-Citizoens, slavery does eggist amon
‘us. It was introduced when we were Colonies

r tinder England ; and has grown with our growth,

and strengthened with our strength. tlthiecomes
 not new to waste time in criminating those

18

‘Who more directly tolerate it ; but to unite our
efforts to remove it. It is generally admitted,
that great and alarming as the evilis, it will not
do to proclaim universal emancipation. Set the
slaves free, ignorant and degraded as they are,
they could not take care of themselves, but
would spread over and infect every portion of
the country. The Work must be done gradual-
ly, and it seems to me that the Colonization

y Society proposes the only judicious plan that

can accomplish it. Bycolonizing the free blacks
you open the door for gradual emancipation.
Many slave-holders stand ready to give up their

slaves, the moment they can be removed out of

the country. Here then, pause, and look steadily
at the object proposed. A way seems opened
which ultimately may remove from our country
the greatest calamity that ever afflicted a nation.

~~~In 1320, our slave population amounted to one

million ﬁve hundred thousand ; their annual in-
crease is estimated at thirty-ﬁve thousand, and
their number doubles in less than 20 years.
Things remaining as they now are, in ‘I840, we
shall have three millions of slaves ; in 1860, six

millions ;_and in l880,twelve millions. A-nation A

of slaves, larger by four millions, than the Whole
White population now spread ‘over this ‘vast
country, from lVlaine to the extremity of the
Floridas, and from the shores of the Atlantic

to the Rocky Mountains. But it will be a nation, it

‘ scattered and peeled,’ alienation ‘ meted out and

19

trodden down,’ and “ God forbid---that it should
be written in the blood, and echoed in the groans
of that generation, ‘a nation terrible from the
beginning hitherto.’ ” But what is to be their con-
dition? Policy requires even now, that they “be
kept in ignorance. They may not be taught to
read even the Bible, because they will learn their
rights, and the means of asserting them. As
their numbers increase, the hand of oppression
must belaid heavier upon them, and their chains

‘e closer rivetted. But as year, after year passes

away, how much anxiety and terror must be en--
dured by our brethren in the slave-holding
States I Plots will thicken! servile insurrections
spring up! and ﬂames be kindled, which can be

quenched only with blood ! These, I know, are
, words of terror---but their terribleness is no ar-

gument against the truth of what I say. If things
go on as they now are, words more terrible than
these ‘ must be familiar in our mouths.’ Can

it a million and a half of men, can twelve millions

be kept in ignorance and bound in chains for»

‘ever? Can you prevent them from learning
that they are fettered, and that ‘ freedom is the
birthright of humanity.’ The air which they
breathe is free---the soil on which they tread,
, t and which they Water with their tears, was once
a wet with the blood of freemen, Around them
 are the memorials of freedom. Every year, when
the anniversary of our Independence is cele-
brated, they will hear the voice of Liberty, and


item even from "her discordant notes--t-thatlifrere-an

dom should be theirs. Nor do I know What ‘in--
ﬂuence the independent ‘government of “I-Iayti;
mayere long exert over them: b1it“1inlesslsome-
thing be done to remove them from our country,
We must expect to witness scenes whioh “will
make the hearts of the mightirest "recoil. The
slave-holder,“ armed while he sleeps, shall be
rousedby the ﬂames of his ownidwellinglkindled

"airoond him, or by shrieks of murder breaking;
“on his ear. The moral and the physical strengtnh

of one part of‘ our country will be "gone ; and not

;unlikely,'a tragedy far more strange andwfelarful
than that of St. ’Doming‘o, iwilliobe acted over. “‘I
tremble for n;iyico1intry,” says’ Jefferson, “ when

I think that Goidrois“ just;” i and speaking of the

probability that the blacks may assert their free»

dom; he adds, “ the tA1m’ighty i has no attribute
which can take sides with’usi‘in”‘"st1chii‘ai* contest.”
As the "removal of slavery ‘ from “our 'co~untry,

involves the interests of the nation,“ it” issincerely

hoped A and i expected, that A the A generaligoVern-

iﬁilent will” more fliberally W aid V the Colonization
Sooiety; and take the C‘oI‘oi1‘y., teistalolislied in
i"ﬂfirie“a,'iinder i its ‘protection. “But, inltheir‘ mesa
s time, anappeal, Fellow-Citizens;‘isoimade to you.

waneasséatt1edinrtthis* saneitiiary, on this joyful

"oecasion, oﬁaasgt prayers and hymniagirprsaes
    iib1oodi”iall‘ina«
“tions; yiouxareiinvited tor"evince;r‘yoariove of lib-
"erty,i”hy aﬂ‘o"7rdii1g  as “é1i«s'1a‘iied. Wm

21

you co-operate with thousands of your country-
men, assernbled "in similar circumstances, in dif-»
ferentvpartsicof thevnation 9 Will youact incon-
‘cert with the worthy andrdistinguished patriots
whose ‘names are enrolled on the records of this
Society P Shall I remind you that this his the

‘cause in which Samuel J.. Mills, whose praise

will long live in the Churches, laid down hislife?
that in lEngland, Wilberforce and Teignmouth,

‘lead on a tmarshalled host, resolved never to re-

linquislitheiriobjeet,tillall the “sonsof Africa be
free 9 r ”Shall’I r1:ell'y”ou, thattheﬁrst voice» ever
:raised in =France against slavery r and the slave

*1 trade, was the voice of“LA1vAva'r'r_a ;i1:hat,With his

i own money,‘ he purchased a considerable number .

rvof slaves, toeducate them for emancipation ';r that

he ‘honored, with hispresenee, the lastlilanniral
meeting of the Colonization eSociety,%an“(l is*no"W
one of its Vice-Presidents P '

‘I knowthat in su’ch“a cause yiouiare earnest to
unite. “ But, before puttingforth. the handof your
“charity, consider what‘ inﬂuence youlare =7abot1t'“to
exert, ‘With”God’s blessing, on thermillirons «of
Africa. ‘Throughitlie inﬂuence of the~C‘-olony,
of agents ‘sent out by rthegovernment, and “of
vessels of war r*stati*on‘edl allongiltherr coast, rtlie
slave trade, that “ it horrible traﬂic,” }W*l1l‘Cl1, for

“agesghas been the ‘scourge of "Africa, and Wthe

disgrace of a civilized nations, rnay,*in a. great‘?“de-~

~~gr”ee be prevented. '~ Ispeake indeed “of a horrible
A trictﬁcrafsbut I cannotdeisailto youits %1:1*orrors.,, 

22

cannot tellwhat it is to be torn away from ooun-«
try and from home-~—~to.be carr.ied in chains to a
strange land, and doomed to a slavery worse
than death. But I can tell you one plain fact
that speaks louder than Words. “ Not less than
60,000 slaves, according to the most moderate
computation, are annually carried from Africa.”
And it is stated on good authority, that many of

. these are smuggled into the southern States and

sold. In the latter part of 1823, avessel arrived
at Baltimore, with eleven slaves from Africa on
board. These were rescued through the humanity
of some of the active members of the Colonization
Society, and provided for by being distributed
among several families in the neighborhood, to
remain till they should be able to express their
Wishes in regard to their future destination.
Soon after, however, an interpreter was found

by the name of Wilkinson, and they were exam- ‘

ed as to their wishes to return, by the navy agent
at Baltimore. The general question was put to

them, severally, whether they wished to remain a

in this country as freemen, or be sent to Montse-
rado, and thence if‘ practicable to their homes.
Dowrey was the first who was called to answer.
He was a-chief in his own country, of whom Wile
kinson had” some knowledge. He replied, “I
wish to go home. I wish to see my father, my
Wife and children. I have been at Montserado.
I live butthree day’s walk from that place.” Bar-.
terou answered, “let me go home; I have a wife.

23

I have two children, I live a morningfs wall: from
Dowrey.” A The next person examined had been
living with Gen. Harper; (who was one of the
most eﬂicient members of the Society, but is now

in his grave ;) when asked if he was not disposed‘

to remain and be instructed, and go home hereaf-—
ter and teach his countrymen ;—--he replied,
“ Gen. Harper is a good man; he will give me
clothes and food, but he cannot give me my wife
and children.” The reply of the next was,
“ Why do you ask this question over and over,
I am so rejoiced at the thought of returning,
that I want words to express myself. Do you
not know that nothing is so dear as a man’s
home.” Another said, “My mother is living,
my fatheris living, I have two sisters, I shall be
grateful to those who send me to my family
and friends.” Similar were the answers of all;
and I am happy to state, that through the agen-
cy of the Colonization Society, they were all
restored to their country and homes. Happy----
thricerhappy, he----who contributes but a mite to
terminate a traffic, which besides its legion of
other evils, thus rends asunder the cords of the
heart.

But besides doing much to prevent the slave
trade, the colonists which you help to establish
at Montserado, will cultivate the arts, open

their schools, and erect their churches. From

. them and from the English Colony at Sierra"

Leone, A light will emanate on the surrounding l

24

darkness. Probably “two centuries hence, the
little band who are now cultivating their ﬁelds
and building their houses at Montserado, and
spreading over the wilderness around them a

' strange aspect of life and beauty, will be re-

membered by the thousands of their desoendents
with the same ernotions with which the little
band who landed at Plymouth two centuries ago,

nearer remembered by the thousands of New-Eng-~

land.” Ere that time Africa will have lifted her
head among the nations, and beholding the means
of her redemption, will have ‘ stretched out her
hands unto God.’ Instead of the groans which
for ages have mingled with the sullen murmur
of her rivers, or swept unheard across her des-
erts, ‘ joy and gladness shall be heard in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of melody !’-‘