AN

ORATION AND roam!

DELIVERED

UWJEEY Q9; iE..%@a»

BEING THE

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY

OF

ﬁnuzricmt airwmmwwwe.

 

BY WILLIAM Ezumconsrs.

 

SECOND I:'!DI‘I'I01\L.

  ﬁagtou:  
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR.

1826.

ORATION.

A-SSEMBLED as We are on this glorious morn, While
We are greeted from the surrounding hills, by the
thundering roar of cannon, which comes sounding
joyfully to our ears, reminding us we are convened
to pay suitable homage to our NATroN’s JUBILEE.
And while we are reminded that ﬁfty years have
passed away, We are also called to a fresh recollec-
tion of the toils and sufferings of those, our vener-
ated fathers, and are renewedly reminded of the
price they paid, that We their posterity may this day
boast of our Libertyand Independence.    

The revolution of the seasons, together with a
return of national festivals, at all times are interest-
ing subjects. “ Here I would pause to inquire, how
long shall we be thought entitled to praise for mak-~
ing honourable mention of those godlike men, who
sacriﬁced in most cases their all; independent of
spending their youthful days in camp. I repeat,
how long shall We be entitled to praise, for making
honourable mention of those who fought the battles
of their bleeding country. May it not be laid to our
charge, as a nation., that our highly wrought enco-
miurns partake a little of the sounding brass and
tinkling symbols. Especially, as We are permit-
ing them, one after the other, to descend to the
grave, until nearly all have closed their eyes upon
an ungrateful country-—--—and thatcountry purchased
by their blood. If I ‘cannot. be justiﬁed in using the

9.

i
.
.1,

term urigrateful, Ijknow I shall be justified by say-
ing a long neglectful country! For to What other
cause can I attribute this long neglect; when I re-—
flect on the prosperity of the nation. Trusting our
National Government will not undertake any new
niissions or enterprises, such as exploring the nevv;r
World, as described by Capt. Syrmnes, until they
provide for the few reniaining heroes of the Revo-
lution, as We are proud to call them, that it may no
longer be said the Revolutionary Soldier is i1npris---

, oned for his poverty, as hasoften been the case

Within ‘a few years past. I will not press this sub-
ject further, as the consideration of it is too painful
to dwell upon. F or should I attempt to give any
thing like a View of the subject, I should ﬁll a bulky"
volume, and cause this day to be a day of mourning,
instead of a day of mirth and rejoicing.

If I should cast my eyes around upon society,
and mark out such as laid the broad foundations of
fortunes! Yes, immense fortunes! by first crying
down the soldiers’ money, and then by their agents,
buying it up at two and six-pence on the pound,
thus preying upon the suﬁerings of the War Worn sol-
dier of the Revolution. Should Iattempt this, I
should point you to many who have received un-
Inerited applause". Leaving this subject in the hands
of the government, permit me to turn your atten-
tion to an event which tool: place after the reduc-
tion of Canada, as in all probability it was the prime
cause of our becoming a free sovereign and inde-
pendent people. I It is Well known to the historian
after the ‘reduction of Canada, the British officers

who commanded on that expedition, came to New
York and Boston, to visit their brethren as they then
ealled them. On their arrival they ﬁevv to meet and
Welcome them, and they were paraded through the
streets, as the saviours of the land ; all doors were
open to receive them, every day during their stay
in Boston was spent in feasting their beloved guests.
N o pains were spared to make those“ entertainments
as splendid as possible; by aid of kind neighbours,
theirrooms glittered with borrowed plate ; Wine of

A every vintage sparkled in their cups, While the long

extended tables, crowded with every luxury of sea
andland, was succeeded by the richest deserts. This
feasting of the British officers, was the leading
cause of our becoming an independent nation, as
I will attempt to show. For when those ofﬁcers re»
turned to England, they could not forget the good
fare they received at Boston, and niany of them
were inclined to pay the Bostoniansa second visit,
notmerely to eat their good dinners, for no sooner
had those stall fed oﬂicers returned home, than they
began to_sound abroad the numberless magniﬁcent
entertainments in N eW—-Yo1*'ka11d Boston, more par»-
ticularly of Boston. Here I would remarl: they
lost nothing of their splendour by crossing the
Water, for as they represented, brass became silver,
and silver became gold. Here l might advise many
of the present day to be careful’ not to make too
much display upon every stranger who enters their
city or tovvns, “or that may call to dine with tliein,

“ especially when thei1*houses are adorned with or-it
‘naments borrovved or unpaid for, atleastl would

8
remind them it was American hospitality that nearly
destroyed their liberty. For from those days of feaste-
ing the British ministry began to throw across the
waters the eye of envy, and to devise means in or-
der to come in for a share of those represented

riches. They even went so far as to propose to

thehouse of Commons to adopt measures that they
may more fully and effectually bear a part of our
fathers’ burdens, did they mean to acknowledge the
colonists as free British subjects, entitled to all the
privileges of free me__n.

I say did the ministry of England intend, by bear»
ing a part of our fathers’ burdens that they should
be entitled to all the privileges as free British sub-
jects, that is if you ever heard of an independent
subject of Britain. Or did they intend to allow
the colonies a representative in Parliament, who
should have a voice in voting money for the com»

mon cause——-O, no! for Lord North claimed the,

right to tax and take property at pleasure. As a
plea for such unwarranted and despotic measures,
he with his creatures begun by boldly trumpeting
tlie wonderful kindness conferred on America. And
asserted they first discovered the country, they set-
tled it. It was their blood, their ships, their sail—~
ors, their soldiers, and in fact their every thing that
had created the colonies 2 and after having done so
much, to be sure we have as good a right to their
silver and gold, as a butcher has to the hair of his
Hogs, when killed. '
iiiTliiis language was actually carried into Parlia-

ment, when a Mr. Townsend, to enforce the stamp

T
a~ct,cried out, “ Who are these Americans? are they
not our children, planted by our care, nourished by
our indulgence, protected by our arms?” At this the
undaunted Col. Barre, ﬂushed vvith indignation at
the insolent remarks of Townsend, thus thundered
forth his powerful artillery: “ They planted by your
care? No Sir, your oppressions planted them in
America, they ﬂed from your tyranny to a then un-
cultivated and inhospitable country, Where they ex»
posed themselves to all the evils which the blood-—
thirsty savages could threaten, yet actuated by true

English love of, Liberty, they thought all these evils A

light when compared with what they had sur’fered
in their own country, and from you Who aught to
have been their friends. They nourished by your

"indulgence P No Sir, they grew by your neglect, as

soon as you began to indulge them, that boasted in-
dulgence was to send them hungry packs of your
own creatures, to spyout their liberties, to misrep—
resent their actions, andto prey upon their sub-~

stance. Yes Sir, you sent them men whose behav-

iour hasoften caused the blood of those sons of
liberty to recoil Within them; men promoted by you
to the highest seats of Justice in that country, who to
my knowledge had good cause to dread a Court of
Justice in their own! They protected by your arms,
no Sir, they have nobly taken up arms in your de-
fence, have exerted a most heroic valour amidst
their daily labours, for the defenceiiof your frontier
Wliich was drenched in blood, While its interior parts

gave up all their savings for our emolument.”

These are facts for our fathers not only lanted,
., v 9 .. P

8

but defended themselves in the French and Indian
wars from 735, to ’63; it cost them nearly thirty-
thousand of their stoutest youngmen. And by re-
turns it appears Massachusetts alone expended about
ﬁfty--thousand pounds sterling, and were ever ready
to aid Britain with men and money. But what avail-
eth all this? Lord N orth’s bill to tax the colonies,
without their consent was passed and approved by
the King. Notwithstanding the weakness of the
Americans at that day, when they received the news
that the stamp act had passed, they rose up to a man
with a determination to resist even unto blood, such
as attempted to infringe the liberties of those who
nobly threw themselves upon the mighty deep,
to be directed by the star of Liberty, to Plymouth’s

roclsty shores, where they with hook and line, support?

ed themselves amidst December’s blast in 1620..

Asl am this day to be followed by many who it

have spent a life in acquiring a perfect knowledge

i of history,and of language; from the GREEK Prio-
lrssson, to theiLegisla.Zor of 1826. Shall I, an in-

fant compared to them, undertake to lead you
through all the winding paths of science, where
they have trod since they have left their mothers
cradles! No lwill not attempt even to lead you
through that struggle of our venerable fathers, aid-
ed by that noble youth of France, who spurned the

mitered crowns of ambitious Kings, and left the

adoring object of his atfections behind, crossed the

foming billows in order to aid the desponding army
of WASHINGTON, whose feet were naked, treading
the cold snow of heaven ; but the heroic LAFAYETTE

e

arrived bringing his substance to feed the ‘hungry,
-and cloth the naked soldier! Inspiring them by his
noble example to deeds of valour, at Monmouth,
Trenton, and Valley Forge, until the glorious fall
of York Town, informed them their sufferings were
drawing to a close, and that the day Was not far
distant, when they might sound the glorious word of
Independence throughout the land, which had long
in darkness laid. Yes, already they beheld the
Eagle of injured Mnerioa, preparing to ﬂy over her
long oppressed country, with the olive branch in his
beak, holding in his talons the shaggy main of the
Lion, who aoitnowledged their doininions to be free
sovereign and Independent.

 

Xx‘)

NATIONAL roam,

 

ONCE more with gladness, the revolving heaven
Hath to our souls, the day of freedom given,
The brightest day, that ever shown on earth,
The day, that Liberty ‘received her birth ;

The day, that bade Columbia to be free,

And strike the Anthem of herjJubi1ee_!

Ere this illustrious day, the earth was chill’d

"With slaving dogmas, which the affections, kill’d,

Each holy aspiration of the mind,

Panting to reach the height that heaven design’d ; It}
Was, by the wreck, or superstition’s breath,

Kindled to vengence—-—smother’d into death.

An opiate darkness, o’er the world was spread,

And all the ﬁner soul of man was dead.

He hug’d the chains, not daring to be free,

Lash’d with the scourge of iron Monarchy : ,

Thus slavery chain’d the East-—~but in the West,

A germ of freedom rooted in the breast—--

Yes! here the plant of Liberty sprang forth,

While crowns receiv’d the homage of the earth. 20
It grew, it ﬂourished;-——-blossom’d in the spring, ‘
Gladening the heart with bounteous harvesting;

While Kings and Priests with jealous leer, beheld,

Intent to scath its beauty from the ﬁeld.

And when that Albion strove to pluck it forth,

And bend our fathers’ bosorns to the earth :

They rose like sparkles kindled to a ﬂame,

And burnt Columbia ﬁ'om iBritannia’s name 2

11

Who gave the signal word ?--— \
Aclams* was ﬁrst, 

Then I-Ienry’s eloquence, like thunder burst * 30

And _made the Monarch tremble—-—-Hancock, then,

And Jefferson, the ﬁrst of mortal men ; T

Stood forth with all the energy of soul,’

To prop the weak and animate the Whole.

Franklin, the statesman, patriot and the sage,

Rose like the sun to gild a brightning age.

Madison appear-’d with Wisdom, calm,

Munroe, for Liberty, made bare his arm,-,

War1'en, with virtue gloriﬁed his name,

Then, sought his native heaven on Wings of ﬂame. 4_Ci<
Montgomery follow’d in his bright career,

Pour’d forth his blood and clomb th’ eternal sphere ;
Mercer and Nash, to sacred Freedom given,

Drain’d their full hearts, and join’d their souls in heaven.
Knox, Lincoln, Sumpter,‘ Clinton, Marion, Scott,

Nor shall the veteran Shelby be forgot 3

He", Who involv’d King’s Mountain-Height in ﬂames,

And bore his conquering banner to the Themes.

The hoary Putnam and immortal Greene, it

Made bare their sword in many a dubious scene,

The ﬁrst at Bunker, prov’d his blood in strife, _5c’:r T

Pure as the balsam from the tree of life;
Greene, like an Eagle on her summit, brave,
With instruments of death dug deep theirgrave.
On Gilford’s plain, he paraliz’d the throne,.

i And made the ranks of royalty to groan.

But, at the Eutaw, was hissoul put forth, I
And struck them backward in their blood to earth.

But who the numbers of their names, can cast,
Spirits of iheaven,elect, who,iwhen the blast 60
Of Freedom’s clarion, sounded through the sky,
Rose in their strength to stand for Liberty?
No mortal utterance could the host, recite,
What tongue of dust can sum the stars of niglit,

’* Samuel Adams

 

12

Or count the dew-drop diamonds, that display

The mimick rainbows in the blush of day P

VVhen these are number’d, then, the Muse might deign,
To sum the band, that broke th’ <:ippressor’s chain.

Lo! one, in solid grandeur is display’d,
For none, his equal of the dust, was made. i 7'0
The richest elements of earth, com‘pos’d
His mortal fabrick, which sublime, inclos’d
A spirit, bath’d in heaven’s pure fount on high,
The halloW’d essence of the deity.

/Yea, Earth and Heaven, rseemrmeltted into one,

To form the person of a Wasnrnsroin ! =

‘W110 can describe the sufferings of oursires,

To give us freedom to our hearts’ desires E’

N aked---eXpos’d to Winter’s freezing breath,

No homely morsel to redeem from death. , 80
Their unshod feet, the snow, with blood, distain,

VVhile their crampt joints scarce bare them (fer the plain.
Their limbs, chain’d, grip’d, conﬁn’d, in dungeons,.damp,
Dripping cold devvs, while scarce their vital lamp,
Flickers with life 5 no tear is seen to flow,

Though steep’d, their hearts, in bitterness of we ;

Yes, in their eye, no passion of despair, v

Is seen to cast a dull reflection, there; ,

But on their brows, a something is d,,isplay’d,

Which proves their souls are not Withydeath, dismay’d ! 93

Their country’s Freedom was the righteous cause,

‘Which gave them power to smile at tyrant laws!

Their eyes were ﬁx’d on this illustrious day, i

To last till nature shall Withage decay ;

"When we, their offspring, would with joy, combine,

And strike‘ their deeds with ‘transport notes, divine.
"When virgins would select from t'reedom’s bowers,

With tender hand, the dew enamell’d ﬂowers ;

And deck their snowy brows with garlands, fair, T ,
And chanting sing, what once their fathers were : 100

I3 ,
How they, at Bunker’s height, the foe, withstood,‘
And bath’d the tyrants in a bath of blood.

How they, at Trenton, led by Washington,
Through wintry darkness, the proud victr’y won ;

  How they, at Saratoga, sunk the cross,

And sum’d whole armies to the royal loss.
How they, at Monmouth, brought the foe to foil,
How Morgan met and ended Tarlton’s spoil ;
How they, at Guilford, made Cornwallis pause,
And how at Eutaw, they maintain’d the cause. ‘  r   ‘ 110
How they through ﬁelds of blood pursu’d the work, it i _
And how they conquer’d at immortal York 2

This is the song, our virgins will recite,
Till yonder orb is quench’d in ﬁnal night !

And must we pause---here, end the ﬂowing song,
In venerative silence, lock the tongue ?

N o----a proud theme; yet calls the muse to dare,
To launch her wings upon ethereal air; A
And tune her voice to notes, sublimely high,
To sing of recent deeds of chivalry, , 12,0
To live whilst valour shall the bosom warm, it
Or earth retain the grandeur of its form.

This foe, the same, our fathers bent in strife,
Strove to enslave us——-free at bud of life.
Pour’d out th’ insulting vial of their wrath,
On every star, thatdeck’d the vessel’s path ;
Urg’d the hell monsters of the savage race,
To stab our infants, smiling in their face!
Too long, these scenes, we suf‘l'er’d 3 but at length,
To seek redress, we girded on our strength. 189
Hull, first in glory on the ocean, fought,
And soon to Dacres, his submission, taught ;
Decatur, Bainbridge, in succession, met
The sea—-proud foe and brought him to their feet.
Jones, Porter, Biddle, Stewart, Warrington,
Will be remember’d, while life’s sand shall run ;
Lawrence,

Iii:

--Alas I his name dissolves the soul away 5 «
Yes, he perform’d_ the wonder* of the sea.
But to behold him in his robes of gore-,
The muse must pause--—~oppress’d her vital core. 140

Lawrence E thy name, eternity receives,
And tears shall mourn thee, whilst thy nation lives !

Hark! from the west, what peeling thunders break?
’Tis,Perry battlingi glorious on the Lake E
He breaks their line——-he .wilts the royal powers,
He’as met the enemy and they are ou7~s._

Another battle sounding far remote,
Comes to our ears, like heaven’s“ artillery note 3’ .
Lo! ’tis Macdonough in his youthfulbloom,

Crowding theAlbions, in a watery;tomb,-, , a ,4 j 150 a

While Macomb hurls destruction at Prevo-st,
Arid drives him backward with his shatter’d host-.

Nor to the navy, is our theme conﬁn’d,
A host of names to live upon the mind,
Crowd in full troops to hear their actions told,
And see the banners of their fame, unfold :
Gaines, Miller, Ripley, Jessup, Jackson, Brown,
Circled with “light stand -blazon’d in renown ;

And Leavensworth,and Stricker, Amstead, Scott,

Names to grow bright tillhonour is forgot, 160
And that will happen, when the sun turns pale,

C And all the stars, that heighten heaven, shall fail.

Pike was too pure for this corruptive earth,
And angels strove for his celestial birth ;, i
But first, the victr’y to his arm, wase~giveﬁ”,‘i’"i’i'iii it
And then, they bore him in their joy to heaven 3

What youthful bosoms, no strange passions, feel--~
To hear the mention of the daring Neale P l A
While Crayney Island on the sea shall rest, A
His name will rouse the spirit of the b1*east. i~ 170

it Sinking the Peacoiclai e i i ‘ii

15‘-

N or him alone ; Kentucky’s youngest born,
Whose fame, the poet’s numbers will adorn.
Yea----while Sandusky stream shall Wed the Lake,
His proud achievement will the soul awake ;

To strains, enraptur’d when his head turns gray,
His bosom press’d with monumental clay---—

Yes, Croghan’s name will dwell in future song,
When death’s deep silence seals our every tongue...

These youths, beside, shall age with hoary hair,

Be cherish’d, in rememloerance, sage Adair. 180
And Shelby, might in the days of old,

In vain, his deeds of valour could be told ;

E’en with swift utterance, till the sun has set,

And stars effulgent shine on heaveffs high parapet.

And shall the Muse two other chiefs deny,
To deck their brows with wreath of poesy 5’
Shall she, their prowess, in her song, forgets?  r

1 Pride of Kentucky---—-stars to never set-—-V-

The Johnson’s, foremost in their country’s cause,

The ﬁrm supporters of the~people’slaws; r 190
Two brother Ajax in the ﬁeld oi‘ ﬂame,

The one,* the conquerer the Albion name, ‘

The otherf bleeding struck the desperate blow-—

Which laid the n1onarch,j; of the wild men, low!

The muse must pause ; should she her strain prolong,
Her theme would give no silence to her song; F r
Yon ﬂaming chariot would descend the deep,

Revolve through night and climb the orient steep ;
And gild the earth with a returning day,
And yet unﬁnish’d, her exalted lay. 200

How would she pour her voice on Queenstown Height,
Describe at Chippewa, the slaughtering ﬁght;

Reveal at York, how Pike mainfta,,in’d the charge,

3“ Col. James J olmson, 1‘ Col.- R. Iohnson, tTecumseth,

16 ,

Arid tell how Scott reduc’d the fort of George,

d How Amstead at Mac Henry dauntless stood,

Against the burning fury of the ﬂood,
While Stricker met, and fought them on the shore,
And beat them of their hopes of Baltimore.

Scarce can the Muse her ardent thoughts, control,
To sing! Niagara with risingsoul ;' 216
Wliere Scott and Jessup, Miller, Ripley, Brown,  
Through solid fire, tore royal standards down.

These would the Muse describe, and other names,
As how the Johnsons conquer’d at the Th,am_.es ;

, And, to conclude the battles of the west,

How Jackson fought with thunder on his breast 3
But time forbids: Yet,ere my numbers cease,
I feel to touch the bosoms made for peace ;
War is the element of man--—-but love,

Descended pure, on Woman, from above; W 220
Your virtues bind our-hearts in goldenlchains,

But 0, the bondage gives delicious pains 2

This earth would be but darkness, without thee,

And savage wrath, our boasted Liberty,

Your love illumin’d charms, our hearts, control,

And give us something sacred to the soul.

Not charms, that wither, like the morning ﬂower,
Expos’d to sun beams in thenoontide hour ; l

Or, clouds, fast fading of their beauties given, A
‘Or the frail tinctures of the bow of heaven. 230
But charms, that sweetly ﬂourish from the mind, c

These, these endure and make theheart reﬁn’d ; d

O, to your children, teach this glorious day,

That time may never wear it to decay,

And, at the altar, with a bended knee,

Make them to swear, they ever will be Free I

’I‘hen shall Columbia hail this day on high,  
Till a new sun shall gild eternity! _ r A l".‘22E’>8

T.

M.