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AN

ORATION

 DELIVERED BEFORE THE
 MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES
5 on THE

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q OIHTY OF B()ST()N,

;

 JULY 4,1853.

W
TIMOTHY'BIGELOW.

 -«.~ma—\;;§_.. -,5! ,_ A. ;.r- .z~  2%,-

TOGETIIEII ‘WITH TIPIIE

SPEECHES AT THE DINNER IN FANEUIL IIALL,

 

ON THAT OCCASION.

BOSTON:
1853y

J.H.EASTBURN,OITYPRINTER.

   

 

CITY 013‘ BOSTON.

IN THE BOARD OF NIAYOR AND ALDERMEN,
J ULY 6, 1853.

VOTED, That the tlienks of the City Council be presented to TIMOTHY
13xG:eLoW, Esquire, for the very patriotic and interesting Oration delivered

by him. before the Municipal Authorities of Boston, on the recent celebration

of the Seventyiseventli Anniversary of the Declaration of American Indepen— %

dence; and that he be requested to furnish a. copy of said oration for publi-
cation.
Passed unanimously. Sent down for concurrence.

BENJAMIN SEAVER, MA1'OR.

IN COMMON COUNCIL, JULY 7,1853.
Coneurred unanimously.
HENRY J. GARDNER, PRESIDENT.
A true copy.
Attest: S. F. MCCIJEARY, Jn., 0'z'ty Clerk.

INTRODUCTION.

THERE are various reasons why the celebration of the
Fourth of July is a matter of peculiar interest to every citizen
of Boston. This place was particularly marked, during the
scenes pr*eceding; the American Revolution, by the love of lib-
erty herein manifested, and the spirit of resistance never wa-
vered during all the events of our great struggle. No little
credit belongs to Boston for liastening forward the contest with
the Mother Country, and praise is also due to her for having
remained true to the cause of American Liberty, till it was con-
firmed by the Treaty of Peace in 1783.

In consequence of the active interest which the men of Boston
took in the scenes of the Revolution, they signalized many mem-
orable events with special honor and attention. The Massacre
of lV.[arch 5, 1770, was the chief act of cruelty which spoke to
their hearts, and this was commemorated by orations and pro-
cessions for thirteen successive years. That anniversary yielded
at length to the Fourth of July, as an era of greater national
importance ; and from the year 1783, this day has been uninter-

i ruptedly celebrated by the authorities of Boston. The same can

be said of no other town or city in the land. But it is unne-
cessary, to dwell further upon a matter which has been elo-
quently and instructively set forth by Hon. B. F. HALLETT, as
will be seen on peI*using,' his speech at the Faneuil Hall dinner.
It was tliought well, however, to state this fact prominently, in

6

connection with the fullest publication of a Boston Fourth of
July celebration that has ever appeared. The manner in which
the anniversary is yet commemorated in our midst, shows that
the labors and virtues of our fathers are still prized and re-
nnenlbered.

One fact pertaining to the last celebration is Worthy of partic-
ular attention; We mean the full and creditable display of the
soldiery* on that occasion. No anniversary recorded in Ameri-
can annals, ought to speak so eloquently to the patriotism and
valor of our countrymen as the Fourth of July ; and at no other
time could our militia more properly testify, by full and Well»-
trained ranlsts, their willingness to defend the honor of the nation,
in every hour of darkness and peril. For a long,‘ period suc-
ceeding the Revolution, this was considered as the great parade»-
day of the year for the citizen soldiery of the land; but of late
years, at least in Boston, a marked difference has been notic-~
ed in this respect. A renewed interest has, however, recently
been manifested in Boston, and it is Worthy of special mention
and praise.

We sincerely trust that the great anniversary of American
Freedom will always be duly honored by the citizens of Boston.

a =X‘ The escort was pcrformccl the present year, in a higlily acceptable manner,
by the Artillery Regiment, under command of Colonel Ronnnr OOWDIN- A
list of the companies will be found on a later page.

ORATION.

  ORATION.

FELLOW CITIZENS :

This is the “ Sabbath day of Freedom.” We are once

more assembled to reperuse the story of the past, and

draw therefrom its lessons of counsel and experience.
With willing footsteps we repair in thought to the
temple of American Liberty. We gaze once more
upo11 the pictured memorials of the patriots and heroes
that adorn its walls. "We read anew the great teach»

ings of wisdom and virtue which our fathers have '

inscribed upon imperishable tablets. We hear again
the organ notes echoing among the arches and swell-
ing with their olden theme. We kindle afresh up-
on the grand altar the flame of liberty which has

burned for successive generations, and render hom-

age to the worth and patriotism of those who reared

for us the beautiful structure wherein we gather, and

consecrated the service which we loveto ssolemnize.
For us, as citizens of Boston, this anniversary‘ is

invested with peculiar memories and interest. We live .

S2

10

amid the most sacred associations connected with the
commencement of the Revolution; and they all come
forward now, bidding us to do honor to the occasion.
Here were the earliest defiant murmurs uttered against
the usurpations of the mother country; and here was
Independence Virtually proclaimed long before it was
promulgated at Philadelphia. Here was heard the
Voice of Otis thundering against the first act of British
tyranny,-----a voice which was soon echoed back from
Virginia when the eloquence of Henry was aroused
against the edicts of the English king. Through our
streets passed the funeral pageant of young Snyder,
“the first martyr to the cause.” Six schoolmates
bore the pall; while five hundred children and fifteen
hundred citizens walked in the mournful procession, as
it moved from the Liberty Tree to the grave. A few
days pass,---and the bells ring out a new alarm. The
whole town is alive : Men rush to the scene of danger;
and then are witnessed on -State street the prostrate
bodies of the Victims of the “Boston Massacre.”
Another shadow comes over the picture. The motto
“ Carthago est delenda,” goes forth against the patriot
town. An imperious edict, intended to destroy its pros-
perity, is put in force, and all business is at an end.
Famine and destitution enter the houses of its citizens ;
yet the spirit of the people remains undaunted.
Listen! The sound of martial footsteps is heard.
Foreign mercenaries are despatched to overawe. the
inhabitants. But, one feeling of indignation greets

their arrival. The artizans of Boston refuse to labor

11

on the barracks for the soldiers, at a time vvhen want
sits by their own firesides. The Women of Boston
reject every luxury to which they were accustomed.
They would appear at no ball or festive gathering
vvhere British officers were present. They could not
smile When America was in tears. Hostile hands
rnight cut down the Liberty Tree and use the Wood for
fuel, but they could not quench the flame of freedom
blazing in the midst. The houses of the inhabitants
might be rifled; the sanctuaries where they and their
fatl1ers had worshipped might be desecrated; their
loved birth--place and habitation might be given to the
flames ;——--still, they would not falter. The past had
deposited ya ymiglity trust in their hands which they
were determined to defend and preserveyat every sacri-
fice and peril. 4

The very Walls of this building are eloquent with
the theme of the Revolution. Faneuijl Hall is our
possession; and Dorchester Heiglits are inclucled
Within our borders. In our neighborhood the great
tragedies of Lexington and Concord were enacted;
and on yonder heights at Charlestovvn it was Written
in Words of blood,how brave and how terribleare free-
men when contending for liberty and home.

i Boston Went into the revolutionary conflict as the
foremost champion of America. On her devolved the
lofty task of commencing the War of Independence;
and the manner in which she met theonset was to
facilitate or retard tlieyavatar of Liberty. If her sons

A shouldprove faint orfearful ;;ifyoverawe,d and dismayed

12

by the threats and tyrannical acts hurled against her,

they had turned their back upon the field as too Weak
to contend with the wealth and power of England, then
might the struggle have been postponed to a later day,
or transmitted to another generation. But never once
did the glorious lines waver. Never once were their
banners trailed in the dust. Justice was to them more
precious than comfort, liberty more desirable than life.
They stood in the Thermopylm-pass of the Revolution,
and contended with a courage worthy of ancient
Sparta. The shock of foreign foes did not daunt
them. Treachery did not betray their secrets; nor fear
thin their ra11k.s.i They fought worthy of their high
lineage; and always seemed to lmow that the spot
which they occupied,was the key to the liberties of
America and the world. a

But today a we forget that we are Bostonians in
remembering that we are Americans. This occasion
commemorates the act that called our country into the
forum of nations, and at the same time sprinlszled her
brows with the waters of a new life. The conse--
quences of that deed have, in a short period, resulted in
bringing her forward to a position in prosperity second

to that of no other people on the globe. It is shown ,

in the mighty development of her resources and ex-
pansion of her power; and rvhileother nations have
disputed the right of succession to a throne or the
boundary of some petty principality, ourkcountry has
vindicated the rights of the people, and taken a conti-
nent in her grasp. She now standsforth arrayed with

13

all the attributes of true greatness. Her bravery and
skill in battle are unquestioned. The varied products
which nature pours into the lap of most favored states,
are hers. A strength invincible, a generally diffused
intelligence before unknown, a peace unbroken and
unmenaced, combine to aggrandize her power and
swell the measure of her fame. America builds no
pyramids to entomb her rulers; but she removes the
very pyramids of nature when they impede her march.
Her arches of triumph are the bridges and aqueducts
which span her flowing rivers; and her plumes of vic-
tory are the steam feathers of her flying engines, speed--
ing on to more glorious conquests than were ever her-
alded by the white crest of Henry of Navarre. She
constructs no whispering galleries to bear to the ear of
tyranny the groans of despairing victims; but she bids
the lightnings flash glad messages from the lakes to the
Gulf of Mexico, and proclaim the freedom and 4 happi-
ness of millions. I-Ier fortresses are the virtues of the
people, and her defences are established by Liberty and
Law. . Her avenues are roads more imposing thanwere
ever the Appian or Flaminian highways: and along
them sweep cars of triumph laden with richer products
than once borneby Consul or Emperor to republican
or imperial Rome. Instead of palaces America erects
hospitals; and in place of castle turrets within her
borders, are seen the Lyceum and the school house.
When it is thought she has reached the outermost
point of progress, and iserecting there the boundaries
of her dominion, sheyhas‘ moved yet farther westward

.14

and brings a new daughter into the confederacy.
Wherey'er upon this continent there is a solitude
before untrodden by man, wherever there is a fertile
valley or a rolling river previously unknown or un-
heard of, wherever there is a secret mine whose wealth
has lain undeveloped since the birth of time, thither
she bends her steps and establishes her sway. And
wherever her foot-prints are planted, there temples of
worship arise to invite the blessings of Heaven upon
the land.

‘The light of this anniversary flashes back upon the
years that have intervened since the Declaration of
Independence, and exhibits the past in contrast with
the present. It shows us cities where once were soli-
tudes, and towns and villages where only the smoke
from the hut or Wigwam was formerly seen. Rivers
which then flowed through the undisturbed wilderness
of nature, bearing nothing upon their waters but the
I11dian canoe, or gliding through banks only here and
there occupied bythe rude block houses of an advanc-
ing civilization, now float unnumbered Vessels laden
with wealth, and sweep by a happy and prosperous
population which line their borders. The Thirteen
Colonies which then skirted the Atlantic coast, have
risen to a new importance and acquired 1l1’16.XEm’1pl6Cl
riches; at the same time they have been joined by
eighteen younger sisters, which form together a con-
federacy great and invincible. They are all linked by

A common memories, common interests, common laws,
and look forward to a common destiny. The stars in r

our country’s constellation are all separate; yet their
union is so perfect,‘ that when seen from a distant point
of observation they appear condensed, shedding a com-
mon flood of glory. As Astronomy reveals to us that
the shining star-dust which decks the bosom of night,
is composed of distinct orbs recognizing the same gen-
eral lavv; but so close is their union, that all their myr-
iad rays are blended into a beautiful cloud of gold.

Recalling then, as we do with pleasure, the results
that have flowed from the memorable event which We
this day commemorate, We discard all local differences
and sectional pride, and remember only that we are
Americans. We recollect that our brothers are by the
Colorado, the Sacramento and the Oregon, and that
they are laying the foundations of empire on the coast
of the Pacific. The voyager pursuing the track of the
Missouri, the settler who has planted his solitary log»-
hut on some Western prairie, belong to the same great
country as ourselves. He that is now stemming the
floods of the Mississippi, he who toils and traflics by
theGrulf of Mexico, as Well as he who delves in the
copper mines of Lake Superior, are all members of
one common family, and alike hail this day as the glo-
rious epoch in the history of man that called into life
and beauty the empire of the free. i

The event which we this day celebrate, is the most
illustrious recorded in modern annals. It divides a peri-4
od of light from darkness, and signalizes the hour when
true liberty and the rights of man were first revealed
to the World. On the Fourth of ‘ July, 17 7 6, it Was

16

published abroad on the free winds of Heaven, that
man is his own earthly master; that he has certain
natural immunities a11d privileges which no tyrant can
take from him ;i and that all power emanates solely
from the people to whom every ruler is responsible. It
was then proclaimed that real national elevation and
national fame spring only from the intelligence and
virtue of the inhabitants; and that no government can
be deemed strong or wise which tramples on the rights
of r the many, and the common property of all. On this
day, Liberty, the fairest daughter of time, who had long
been driven from her ancient temples in Grrecce and
Rome, on whom the marble halls of Venice and Genoa,
of Florence and Milan had for centuries been closed,
----wlio had since wandered  friendless exile, (é.XC(:‘.pl3
when she made her home in the mountains of Switzer-
land,-—-came back again to earth, more beantifrtl than of
old, and prepared to scatter new blessings on the race.

But her return was accompanied with suffering and
tears. Notwithstanding the coldness and cruelty which
forced our fathers from the shores of Britain, they and
their descendants still looked towards England with
feelings of reverence and love. They took a pride in
the poets and philosophers, the wits and statesmen
that shed lustre on the name of England. Bacon and
Milton, Newton and Locke, Shakspeare and Dryden
were their illustrious kindred, who had never been
driven from the parental home. The bosoms of our
ancestors swelled with generous emotions at the memo.-
ryof jRunnymede; and they delighted to trace back

17

I the various steps whereby their liberties and rights had

been matured. They hailed with rapture the triumphs
of the British arms in the old world, dwelling With
common pride. on the victories of "N aseby, Blenheim
and Dettingen, as well as the triumphs of Louisburg
and Quebec. Every thing that added to the glory of
the Mother Country was an object of fresh exultationg
and their desire was to extend the name and power of
England in the "Western world, to subdue a continent
to her dominion, and gather fresli harvests of wealth
and renown to enrich the land of their lineage.

Never was this feeling stronger than at the close of
the Seven Years’ Wa1*; and never did England appear
more invincible than at that period; She had gained
great military honors in the struggle, and had planted
her victorious ‘iensigns on two distant continents. In
India she was building a mighty empire on the crumb»-
ling fragments of oriental despotisms; and the victo-
ries of Plassy and "Wandewash, with the capture of
Pondicherry, had given her supremacy in the ruined

halls of Delhi. In Europe, her ally, the Prussian mon-- I
s arch, had fought successfully against the colossal com-

bination formed against him ; and the battles at
Prague, Rossbach and Leuthen proved the valor and
genius of the great Ereclericl«::. I11 America, she had
wrested from France all her colonial possessions: Fort
Du Quesne and ‘Fort "William Iilenry, Ticonderoga and
Crown Point, had all fallen beneath her arms ; while
the final libation of blood, poured out upon the plains

of Abraham, had forever“ extinguished the transatlatic
I 3

18

power and influence of Louis. In this war the heart
of America. and the heart of England beat together.
Both gloried in the same triumphs; both lamented the
same losses. Side “by side, the banners of Britain and
the Colonies had been borne to the field of strife. The

soldiers of both countries had slept by the same camp

fires, had pursued the same marches, had submitted to
the same privations. There was no stigma on the
name of England which was not felt in America, and
no wrong done to the colonies which did not awaken
indignation in the heart of the Mother Country. Thus-
was a strict bond of harmony established between the
two countries; and such was their mutual inheritance
of glory, so strong. were the ties and associations that
connected them together, it would seem that nothing
could ever sunder theirunion. 

These then were the feelings which only thirteen
years previously tothe Declaration of Indepencleiice,
were generally cherished by our fathers. But all the
voices and the memories of the past had to be forgot-
ten. A new spirit had fallen upon the councils of the
British King. The holy ties of kindred and blood

were about to be severed; for, folly had usurped the

place of wisdom, and tyranny sought to trample on
freedom. In breaking their connection with England,
our ancestors not only cut as it were their heart strings,
but exposed themselves, if unsuccessful, to the doom
and infamy of traitors. ‘When the gauntlet was once
thrown down, there could be for them but one alterna-
tive--either freedom or death. Notwithstanding every

19

peril and pain, they shrunk not from the contest,

The liberties which were cradled at Plymouth and
Jamestown, and which a century and a half had nur-
tured and strengthened, belonged to no monarch and
could be surrendered to no minister. Every sacrifice
was to be cheerfully borne in order to preserve and
defend them. Our fathers were always free. They
had studied in the school of experience the rights and
duties of citizens; and so soon as one of their privi.
leges Was invaded, they rose in its defence and sprang
up at once into national life. The country came forth
fresh and vigorous, as when spring bursts from the em-
brace of Winter, scattering foliage on hill-side and
plain, and prophecying, With the garlands it hangs on
orchard and grove, the golden fruits of autumn.

The events of the Revolution have been too often
told to need present recital. T But as We turn the pages
of history, every incident respecting the struggle, from
the time when the lantern was first hung out from the
tower of the old North Church till the last Watch»-fires
were extinguished at Newburgh, is calculated to fill the
mind with admiration and pride. England, the mother,

had become a tyrant. Allegiance to her was thence-T-»

forth forfeited. From every hamlet and cottage pour
forth the soldiers of liberty, eager for the combat.
The smith leaves his forge, and the farmer forsakes his
plough; for, the great battle of humanity has com-
rnenced,and the strongest arms are needed in the strife.
Those who had fought in the French and Indian Wars,
and Whose boast then was that they Were‘ Englishmen,

20

now burn to wipe away the name in blood. The
thirty thousand of their brethren who had fallen in
fields of slaughter, all reminded them of their duty.
Tl1eir exiled fathers Who had borne the sufferi11gs of
a Wilderness life, and who had died far from their na-
tive homes, because a despotic prince had driven them
away, were remembered in that momentous hour.
Every village given to the flames, every cruel death
and every sad captivity, were the pledges Wlllcll the
past l1ad given to freedom; and they were not fo1‘gottc211
then. Every sigli and tear, every cry and sorrow were
turned into sacred voices, rousing an injured people to
arms. Young men, who were familiar with the steps
of pil,gri1na.ge and pain which had been. talsten in their
behalf, determined to prove their descent by dtsfeliclirig
principles which patriots had sufferecl and died for.
Fair maidens presented banners Wliose sill<;:.en folds
their hands had Wrought, and bade those who bore
them to remember their sisters and loved ones at home.
Mothers arrayed their dearest ofi’sp1*i11g* for the field.
They tied the scarf, and clasped the belt, anczl told their
sons to recollect in the hour of battle the girdle of af-
fection that bound them. Old men poured forth their
blessings on the Warriors, and aged Women put up
prayers for their deliverance ; and tl1ro11gl1o11t the land
there breathed a fervent aspiration that “ God Would
defend the right.” Some might come back with hon-
crs, T and proud gratulations Would Welcome their re-
turn. Some Would come maimed andsu1‘feri.11g, but the
wounds or of battle would attest their fidelity and bravery. V

21

Some would never see home again. On distant fields
they Would lay down their lives for their country, and
the flowers of spring might m.antle the spot Where they
slept. , Suffering was before them all. The rigors of
Winter, the pangs of hunger, the hardships of a camp,
all Were destined to test their devotedness and faith.
But, in every breast there glowed but one f --.eling----a
generous love of country. An universal spirit of indig-
nation swelled at the cruelty of England, and every
patriot was determined to make any sacrifice to vindi-
cate his country’s liberty and rights.

In contemplating the character and history of our
revolutionary struggle, We are compelled to admire the
moral greatness and heroism manifested by our fathers
in undertaking so momentous a contest. They Who
judged of events and the probable consequences of the
combat from examples familiar to the mind of Europe,
could have little question as to the result of the im-
pending conflict.   The opinion Was general that the

colonists would be ignominiously defeated, and that y

England must be speedily triumphant. For, Britain
came to the strife with mighty armies and ample
treasuresi Rich rewards and lofty honors were prom-
ised to the SkllflJ;l’T and brave. Her Warriors marched
to battle under the inspiring memories of Blenheim,
Ramilies and Minden. Against this powerful nation
was arrayed the young forest country which aspired to
be free. She ‘had no armies butsuch as patriotism
might call to they field. Her sons, if the fortunes
of War IWQIG on their side, vvouldsimplybear home the

22

consciousness of having discharged their duty. If
adverse issues were theirs, the shameful fate of rebels
was in store for them. They had no mighty arma-
ments ; no magazines bristling with the implements of
war ; no fortresses frowning upon the foe. Still theirs
was a high and holy calling, and the magnitude of the
mission did not daunt them. Voices that came from a
solemn past, bade them recollect the principles which
martyrs had died for. Hopes, that rose like golden
sunlight above the mountains of the future, cheered
them on. They felt that they were contending for jus-
tice, freedom e and home. They knew that tlieir ban-
ners were sanctified by the blessings of the good and
brave; and this consciousness nerved their arms with
a giant’s vigor. Never was a prouder trust assigned to
a people; never was lofty mission ezrecuted with
greater fortitude and daring. For, to tliem it was
appointed to call a nation into being, to dedicate a con»-
tine11t to the cause of freedom, to invade the pavilions
which for centuries had curtained the privileges of men»-
archs, and speak kindly to a prostrate World.

While therefore on this day We would pay all possi- i

ble honor to the men of the Revolution, Whose valor
and patriotism achieved our political redemption, we
should do injustice to ourselves and others were we to

forget the great events‘ that had previously occurred, A

and which imparted increased interestto the struggle.
The American Declaration of l Independence was the
rich fruit of fifty l centuries ripened by sunshine and
storm. .‘Whateverrof good had been -done or spoken by

23

man, every pious thought and patriot act which history
or tradition had preserved,-mthe musings of the philos-
opher and the minstrelsy of the poet, were all brought
forth, as fitting offerings, to add new lustre to the
event. The inspiration uttered in Galilee, the death of
Socrates, the teachings of Seneca and Plato, the medi-
tations of Aristotle and Ptolemy, of Bacon and Des-
cartes, of Hampden. and Sidney, the sufferings of mar»
tyrs and the deeds of heroes-----all formed part of the
memorials that were represented by that glorious act.
It was a focus, gathering rays from many a distant
point and remote era, and flashing back, like a blazing
diamond, the light and brilliancy of ages.

"Why was America a region so long unknown to the
Old "World? Wily was she kept a secret hidden from
man till the discovery of Columbus? ‘Why, while
other nations were involved in turmoil and strife,
whilst cities were built and overthrown, whilst empires

flourished and decayed, whilst war was driving its

bloody car over the plains of Europe and Asia,-—--why
was this vast continent allowed to remain the habita-
tion of the savage, or the home, at best, of an imper-»
fect civilization 2 Our answer is, because it was reserv-
ed by Providence to be the field where the last great
experiment of human government should be perfected;
and when philosophy and political science had been
matured by the thoughts and experience of ages, and
a high point of Christian civilization had been reached,
that man might here enter upon a new heritage, and
enjoy rights never before possessed. Because, when the

24

fall -of empires had taught the true strength of nations,
when the horrors of war had shown the blessings of

peace, when the tyranny of despots had aroused the

spirit and developed the might of the people, Liberty
might here come forward and erect a pacific and endur-
ing republic, which should not only secure freedom to
its own citizens, but eventually give it back to the
inhabitants of the elder continents.

It was impossible for Liberty to gain lasting
triumphs or secure a permanent influence in Europe.
Enough had been accomplished in Greece and Rome
to demonstrate that free institutions are best adapted
for developing both literary geniris and national re--
nown; yet, the ruins of the Parthenon and the Capitol
proved to the old world that they were then premature.
The Italian States which shot like meteors across the
night of Europe, illustrated, for a brief period, the wis-
dom of liberal laws. The halls of Florence and Genoa,
of Venice and Pisa, showed how rapidly republics may
advance to opulence and wealth. The songs of 1’e-
trarch, the muse of Dante, the paintings of Raphael
and Titian, and the genius of “Angelo, all announced
the beauty and expansion which liberty lends to the
human mind. But the anarchy which those States
soon experienced, and the readiness with which they
submitted to a despotic rule, attested that the secret
of a free government was a problem yet unsolved.
Under the influence of liberal institutions the Dutch
States ascended rapidly the steps to national elevation.

Tlieir cities and towns were the homes of happiness

25

and prosperity; but, many years previous to the era of

our Revolution, the dignity of the Stadtholder had
become hereditary, and the glory of Van Tromp, De
Ruyter and De Witt Was preserved in the records of
history or by the paintings of Rubens and Rembrandt.

Atone tirneit seemed that England would teach a new

political scienceto the World; but the loud Welcomes

which greeted the return of Charles II destroyed this

rising hope. Thus was Liberty made an outcast from
Europe. She might light her solitary vvatch-fires on

the side of the Alps. She might kindle visions of

coming glory before the eyes of the dyingpatriot. She
might awaken a hectic hope in the soul of the dreamy
politician. But this was all. Thrones were girt with
standing armies Wliich no popular power could van-
quish. The Wealth of nations was in the hands of

_monarchs; Whilst palace walls were seen everywhere

frowning on the hope of the struggling‘, serf. It Was
left to the poor peasant still to laborin thesame house
of bondage in which his fathers had toiled; to bear the

same bitter servitude, to shed the samescalding tears,

and to lool; forward towards a future wearing the same
funereal gloom as the clouded past.
Besides the ‘ill success of republics anterior to our

Revolution, there was another obstacle to the progress
 of liberty in the ,Old World, , arising from the new

and . powerful despotism created in Russia. i..Founded

it as that , government is, on the utter abnegatioa: of i all

popular rights, it is not to be presumed that it would

allow the existence of a nation near its own territories
4 A e e I

W

26

asserting liberal institutions. A recent example has
proved the manner in which the Czar is disposed to
treat a country struggling to be free; and the relent-
less cruelty exhibited towards Hungary would, had
America never arisen, have fallen to the lot of every
people, from Cape Finisterre to the Black Sea, who
had thought to question the divine right of emperors
and kings. The temper of despotic powers towards
the spirit of freedom, was plainly evinced in the dis-
memberment of Poland;----the first act in that dismal
tragedy having been consummated only four years be:
fore the Declaration of Independence. It threw to
the winds the last hope of expiring liberty in Europe.
That act of imperial despotism has not yet been expi-
ated; nor will it be till the Hungarian and the Ger--
man, lighting their torches from the altar of American
Liberty, shall wrest from Russia, Austria and Prussia
their inalienable rights, and give back to prostrate 130-
. land the priceless boon of freedom.

But, while Europe was showing that republican forms
of government could have no home upon its soil,
America was nursing the principle of pure liberty, and
preparing to display it on a grander, broader scale
than ever before witnessed. The lesson which the Old
World could not teach, was to be given by the New.
A When night seemed darkest, a bright morning was at
hand.% iikmerica was working out the great problem
of self—government, which was eventually to reform

the civil polity of mankind. Providentially set apart

Mo execute a colossal task, she was invested with every

27

attribute requisite to make the success splendid and
 In our own history we 1night seem to read again.
the story of Joseph and his brethren. The young
exile-nation, acquires vast wealth, and gains favor even
with princes. To it is given a knowledge in expound-
ing the wants of the people, such as has never pre-
viously been reached. In periods of need the elder
countries come to it, not only to procure corn to avert
famine from their borders, but to become skilled in a
political wisdom that can alone save them from weak-—
ness and decay.

The era of the discovery of America was one of re- A

markable interest. Europe was emerging from the
darkness of the middle ages, and a new and brighter
civilization was rising upon the world. The classic
treasures of Greece and Rome were now brought forth
from monasteries and cloisters. The student hung
with new delight upon the wisdom of an earlier day.
The voice of Socrates was heard again. Demosthenes
and Tully gained fresh triumphs of eloquence. The
teachings of Plato and Seneca kindled thought. The
examples of Aristides and Lycurgus, of Brutus and Cato,
awakened the admiration of patriotism and virtue;
while the story of the Fall of Troy and the wanderings
of fllneas, were again chanted to a listening world.
Thanks to the inventive genius of Gruttenburg and
Faust, the thoughts of one became the property of
many; for, the printing press had begun to scatter its
sibylline leaves abroad. A New minstrels took up the
harp: New philosophers entered the silent groves of

28

the academy. Mariners went forth upon untried seas;
for, since the discovery of the compass, no danger sagas
to them too formidable, no ocean too broad. Various
arts which minister to the comfort. and well being of
man, were brought to light, and he was made nobler
and better by the multiplying discoveries of science.
Such was the glorious morning when America was
given to the race; such the period when the daring
genius of Columbus brought forth the lost Atlantis
from her sea-chambers, wearing her glittering vest-
ments, and adorned with corals and pearls.

But, whence was the life to proceed, that was to
people these solitudes 2 W110 were to frame its laws,
found its institutions, and erect its seminaries and tem-
ples? The best men of England’s best age were com-
missioned to the work. They embodied in an ample
measure, the spirit of the times in which they lived.
Their highest earthly ambition was to carry. the teacha
ings of the Bible to their new abodes, and ldedioate
‘themselves and their children to the pure worship of
Almighty God. They laid the foundations of their
civil structure with fasting and prayers. They brought
with them whatever was precious . in sacred or heathen
lore. They had learned ‘experience by bearing the
burdens and submitting to the harsh trials of life; -and
they combined all the qualities and endowments requi-
site to become the pioneers of a new dispensation, the
heralds of a lofty political faith.

Yet, great and good as our fathers were, it needed
time to ripen their settlements for empire. They had

29:

to gain longer in the school of experience the knowl--
edge necessary for self-government. They had to learn
also, in their Wilderness state, the military skill and
prowess indispensable for establishing national secu-
rity and achieving national fame. They were obliged
to undergo additional hardships and toils, in order
to bear patiently the stern trials which the future
might bring; so that when the great struggle should
come, and the tornado burst upon them, they could
be able to pass through the ordeal successfully, and
stand forth with honor. In their civic polity each
town was a little republic, each colony was a state;

and having common interests and common aims, it was r

the union of all which made a nation that Was uncon-
querable. A probation of forty years was allotted to
the Israelites, in order to divest them of the heathen
prejudices and superstitions they had acquired in
Egypt, to train them from a state of vassalage to be-
come a free people, and enable them to fulfil the plans
of Providence in the land of promise. In like manner
was a century and a half required in our country“‘fs
history, to eradicate the monarchical prepossessions
“brought from the Old World, to unfold quietly the
beautiful germs of liberty, to give the colonists courage

-and strength to perform the most signal service for

man, and carry out triumphantly the designs and de-
crees of God. i r l

The Seven Years’ War, so far as it aflected the
colonies, was eminently beneficial, The French, ante-
cedently, had established a chain», of T fortresses from

30

New Orleans to the Lakes; and the hope had been in-
dulged of subduing completely the valley of the Mis-«
sissippi,—----the garden of America,----to the rule of Louis.
Besides, it was apprehended that when triumphant in
the West, the French might march eastward to the
Atlantic, and at length subjugate the entire continent.
So long as their ascendency continued, it might be di1‘fi-
cult for our fathers to maintain their independence if
won; for, if freed from England, they miglit have be»-
come tributary to a power scarcely less formidable than
the one which they repudiated. But, the issues of that
war forever annihilated the French dominion in Amer»-
ica; and by the Peace of Paris in 17 63, it resigned the
possessions for which the kingdom had wasted so much
treasure and blood. At this time the colonists were
wise, warlike and enterprising; instructed in their
rights, and determined to defend them at every sacrifice.
The war had not only made the people heroic, but it
raised up generals to lead them to the field when the
great contest should commence. It gave them Put»-
nam, Prescott, Stark, Grridley, and other command-
ers of renown. Whilst the hardships of the Wilder-
ness, the fierce contests with the savage foe, and the
coolness and fortitude nurtured amid the perils of a

border war, produced the towering and commanding a

genius of WASHINGTON.

We reach a point, then, when America is ripe for
action. All foreign enemies have been overcome, and
with wisdom, courage and prudence the colonists are
prepared for any emergency. The ends of Providence

31

have been answered. The trials and dangers that be»
set the infancy of the nation, are passed. Her sons are

valiant in battle; and when the hour shall call, they

will prove themselves sagaciousin counsel,——-—thus an-
swering in a collective sense to the Grecian ideal of
Minerva, who was not only brave in battle but worthy
to have temples of wisdom erected in her honor. The
position of France was such, so humiliated did she feel
from her losses in the new world, that it was not im-
probable shewould aid the colonies in any future con-
test with their mother land. Every thing was now
matured for the fulfilment of the providential plan.
The time, the scene, the men, all were prepared for its
development; and on the determination of the British
crown to levy a tax upon the colonists, the torch was
applied to the fuel which set the continent in a blaze.
Under another sovereign, years might have elapsed be-
fore the connexion between the two countries had been
severed; but the blindness and obstinacyof George
III. brought it to pass at the earliest moment the
colonists were capable of maintaining their privileges.
At this juncture it was that the various torrents, de-
scending from their lofty mountain sources, were all
united together to form a cataract which was to shake
not America only, but the globe. A A .
We are called upon therefore, not merely by the voice
of patriotism that speaks to us this day, but by the re-
sponsibilities of the mission assigned by Providence to
America, to carry forward the principles and blessings
of freedom to nations now benighted and oppressed. It

32

is our high and holy duty to protect and perpetu-
ate.the rights which have been transmitted to us; and so
to defend the character and integrity of the institutions
We enjoy, as to extend eventually to others the privi-
leges which are ours. Not for America, alone, did our
fathers suffer and strive. They were the soldiers of
humanity, fighting for the benefit of every nation and
clime; and the event which is this day celebrated
throughout the land, Will, if their descendants be faith-
ful and firm, be ultimately honored as the most memor--
able epoch in the history of man. It is ours to see that
the palladium, which is left to us, be so guarded and
defended, that others shall become happy because We

have been true. This is to be done by defending scru-
pulously the integrity and honor of our country, by
A bringing this continent to the adoptioyi of the princi-
ples maintained in the Declaration of Independence,

and by always preserving theUnion of the States as
the surest pledge of our security and greatness. Never
may our country become like the six and twenty aste-
roids that modern telescopes have revealed, which A are
but the fragments of a glorious planet that once shone
among the stars ; but may it ever remain like Jupiter,
with its union unbroken, flashing out its glad beams to
cheer the benighted, and influencing every other mem-
ber of the system by its own fidelity to the great laws
of Heaven.

It is the province of America ultimately to embrace
all nations Within the influence of liberal institutions.
Often have We seen the people of the old world catch-

83

ing hope and inspiration from the light that blazes be-
yond the Atlantic, dash forward in order to gain by a
convulsive grasp the privileges that can be won alone
by experience and toil. But, though unsuccessful from

time to time, our principles must finally triumph.

Their success is not to be obtained by unfurling hostile 

banners, and engaging in a crusade against the despo- fly

tisms of Europe. ' They are to be propagated by carry- 
ring out the teachings of the past, by exhibiting within 

our own territory the advantage and excellence of 

 

republican forms of gover ent, and by showing that,
however far the God Terminus may advance on the
American continent, he still bears the spirit of the
institutions which had their origin in 1620, and entered
upon their manhood in 1776.. The fact that has given
strength to the country and a moral "grancleur super-
added to its strength, has been its very exemption from
wars which have clesolated other portions of the earth.
And now, when we have attainecl a national impor-
tance such as the world has never seen, when we have
acquired prosperity and renown from the course already
pursued, shall we rush blindly forward and plunge into
a strife whose end no one can tell’! Shall the glorious
hopes of humanity be thrown by us to the winds '5
And shall our national character and influence be haz-
arded simply at the promptings of sympathy? r N o ;
such cannot be the wish of any who regard aright the
true honor and welfare of their native land. The Eu-
ropean strife between liberty and despotism when it
comes,—-—-+and come it must,-—--will be long and fearful.
5 i w

34.

One by one will victories be added to the cause of free-
dom. Step by step will it advance on territory too
long subservient to emperors and kings. But dangers

and darkness rest upon that strife. There must be r

defeats as well as triumphs, disappointments as well as
joys. The patriot leaders will at times despair; but the
banners which in one generation have been stained by
disaster, may in the next be borne on to victory.
Cruel penalties and cruel punishments may be the lot
of many; and long imprisonments be theirs. Yet let

them ever feel, in the nightf deep despair, that, come

 

weal or woe, come success or defeat, there is one sure
home for them. Let them know that, if exiled from the
land of their nativity, there is still here a warm welcome
for them, and a pleasant country where tyranny cannot
pursue them. Let them remember that the greatness
which today makes America the envy and admiration
of nations, was won by anxious watchings, through
hardships and through tears; and that it is by treading
such thorny pathways they can hope to gain the fair
gardens and enduring halls of freedom. Thus will the
struggling champions of liberty take courage; for,
hope is With them. The lightning may gleam from
the dark clouds above, but it will reveal the calm
heavens beyond. The thunder may roll over their
heads; yet they will hear a voice of encouragement,
speaking louder and stronger than the murmurs of the
tempest. The rain may descend upon them; but it
cannot wash away principles that are dearer even than
life. They will look steadily forward for the hour.

35

when the darkness will break; and the sun, bursting
through its pavilioned drapery, shall robe the retreat-
ing clouds With hues of crimson and gold, and display
the bow of promise which will announce the danger
and tempest to be over. Then will the victorious com-
batants come forth to tha11k America for her example.
They will thank her for having remained true to her--
self, consistent With her past history; and by keeping
aloof from a struggle in Wliich there Was no active part
for her, for having preserved the ark of the liberties of
mankind.

Our mission is to occupy America; and in doing it
this We shall eventually control the World. VVe have A

rivers waiting for enterprise, solitudes for life, and
prairies for the labor of man. The tide of population,
1*olling Westward, will soon sweep over the desert
places of the land, clothing them with fertility and
beauty. The hardy pioneer to-day is clearing the
forest on the banks of the Colorado, Where in a few
years will arise temples of Worship and seminaries of
science. On the spot where a company of adventurers
have but just erected their rude log--huts in some smil-
ing valley, may shortly appear a metropolis whose pros-

perity Will be secured by the same free institutions and A

laws that prevail in our midst. Our country will thus
spread likethe Banian tree of eastern climes, striking
root wherever there is soil to feed it, gaining strength
from the new trunks which it plants in the ground,
affording shade to all Whocome beneath its branches,
and food to those who partake of the fruit which its
waving boughs aflbrd.

36

Largely even now is the influence of America felt
in Europe. The toiling serf, as he counts the hours
of his bondage, rejoices that a day-star has arisen
over his cottage, in token of a glorious morning at
hand. The peasant, as he wanders by the banks of
the Danube, the Rhone and the Volga, or rests by
the ruined castles that skirt the Rhine, is cheered
by the glad tidings which come to him over the
distant waters; and whilst he hears the marvels
which have been wrought by the genius of Liberty,
he resolves that he or his descendants shall be free.
The monarch begins to find that the strongest throne
may totter, that the walls of palaces cannot shut out
the popular demand for rights; and in the event that
his subjects’ wishes are not heard nor their wants heed-
ed, he will find himself at the mercy of a power whic11
he cannot control. Thus already is America thunder-
ing at the gates of Europe; not as when the followers
of Mahomet at Constantinople, or on the banks of the
Xeres, demanded that continent for the propagation of
the Islam faith. Theirs was the aim to extend the rule
of the Crescent, and compel nations to bow to the will
of a barbarous despot. Our mission is to carry forward
the dominion of the Cross; and make potentates and
princes bend to the will and supremacy of the people.

Other continents are likewise to be benefited by the
example of America. Africa, injured Africa, must
arise from her dust and deserts; and the soil that once
could boast of Memphis and Carthage, will glory in
new states and cities, which shall acknowledge a more

37

liberal sway than was ever known to a Pharaoh or a
Hanibal. And Asia, the birthplace of nations-——-
which can point with one hand to the spot Where man
was created, and the other to the place Where he Was
redeemed----~Asia, which has so long remained a stum-
bling block in the progress of the race,---she, too, must
come forth from her fallen state and revive under the
genial influence of our beneficent institutions. Even
now is our voice beginning to be heard among the
camphor trees of Japan; and whatever may be the
strength of ancient prejudices, that island must soon be
bI‘O1lg'l_1t Within the pale of a Christian civilization.
In this Way shall America pay back to Asia the ser-
vice she renderccl by the discovery of the mariners
compass, which opened up our continent to the knowl-
edge of the World. And thus will the dreams of Co»-
lumbus in a measure be answered, who had hoped to
find a new route to the Indies, and, with the wealth
obtained by his discoveries, to commence a last crusade

A which should rescue the Holy Land and the sepulchre

of the Redeemer from the hands of the Moslem.

Look at the golden pillars erected on the opposite
shores of the Pacific, towards which our people are
rapidly moving! California has become a sister repub-
lie, and is alive with a prosperous and happy popula-
tion. Almost simultaneously, the treasuresrof Australia
are brought to light. Thither are hastening the sons
of freedom, from our own and distant lands. They are
laying the foundations of a republic which will proba-

bly be the first to establish American Institutions on y

38

the islands of the Eastern Archipelago. Soon will
other isles of the Pacific be instinct with fresh life;
and as our floating argosies pause at the Sandwich or
Society group, they may help to build new Tyres and
Alexandrias, organized with free and ennobling laws.
America must advance from her western coasts to the
shores of the Oriental World; and these islands may
become the stepping stones on her triumphal march.
For, she carries with her the benign influences of Lib-
erty, Learning and Religion; which, together, form a
Triple Alliance that can prevail against the world.
This consummation, we know, belongs to a distant
age. The amelioration of the race is the work of time;
and wrongs that have prevailed through centuries
cannot at once be redressed or removed. But the in-
fluences of an enlightened civilization must spread,
extending their benign operation over remote regions,
bringing new rewards to labor, newhopes to the op-
pressed. Christianity, as. announced by the toiling
missionary, must shed into the heathen mind its elevat-
ing and ennobling truths, quickening faith by up-
holding an hereafter where all wrongs shall cease and
justice triumph, and by pointing continually to the
glorious life of One whoembodied all the virtues and
demonstrated their efficiency by suffering and death.
Learning will spread its gay banquet for the ignorant
sons of earth. It will bring forward the fruits of other
ages and the choicest products of our own times, fur-
nishing a repast that shall impart life and health unto
all. These agencies must all advance long before the

39

perfect triumph of Liberty in the world. ' Still it is
well, on a day like this, to ascend some political Pisgah
and look towards the promised land, watered by fair
rivers, and rich in its valleys and flowering hills. The
co11templation gives us new strength and fresh courage;
at the same time it reminds us of our duty by exhibit-
ing the labor we have yet to accomplish. In our
hands is placed the Oriflamme of the race, which the
men of America, we trust, are destined to bear aloft
through long centuries to come. Let us look. forward
with prophetic hope to the glad day when all nations
shall turn with grateful interest to the event we now
celebrate; when they shall be able thence to trace
unnumbered benefits and blessings which have added
to their happiness and welfare; and when all shall
regard our era of Independence as the anniversary
of man’s political redemption,~—---the time wl1en the
true philosophy of government was announced, and
when it was shown that national greatness and renown
are to be found in attachment to Liberty and Law.
There are flowers that grow in tropical climates, which
require long years to bring forward to perfection. A
century passes over the plant, and then only does it
shoot up its blossoms, that reflect the beauty and sup-
plicate the smiles of Heaven. So was the event which
We this clay commemorate, the brilliantblossom of cen-
turies,‘and well might the smiles of Heaven be asked
to rest upon the peerless flower of Liberty.

l America has proved abundantly the competency of

it free institutions to answer the wants of ~ a people.

40

They open, in a manner before unimagined, the sources
of national Wealth and prosperity. They clothe the
solitary places with life, and dreary spots with beauty.
They confer on a country a strength which can defy
every adversary; making her strong Without armies,
safe Without fortresses, While, at the slightest Whisper of
dishonor or insult, unnumbered soldiers come forth to
vindicate her tarnished fame. They supply every rank
and profession with new life, bringing talent to every
station, and assigning to each citizen his fitting place.
From mountain homes they summon statesmen, and
look for their guardians in the humblest village of the
land. The great sons of the republic may die.
Wearied in her service, they may relinquish their
labors; but others arise to assume the vacant charge,
and the machinery of government still moves on, unin-
terrupted in its course. The stream of our country’s
prosperity is constantly fed by the, same highland
springs which have already contributed to swell the
measure of her Wealth and fame; and the pillars of the
state still rest upon the foundations of virtue and patri-
otism. It would seem that the “ Fountain of perpetual
yout ,”. which the Spanish navigator sought for in
vain, Within the borders of our southern territory, had
been opened to our nation, and that the gushing Waters
had been found, which can give a country unfailing
beauty and strength. A

Whfle speaking of the stability of our government
and institutions, even though the great men he remov-
ed, we cannot forget to-day the tolling of the Sabbath

41

bells which a few months since announced the death of
Americas noblest statesman. For forty years he had
advocated with unexampled eloquence and power the
liberty and union of these States; and from the time
he left his boyhood’s home, his heart and genius were
dedicated to his country. The mountains of New
Hampshire gave him to America; and his character
and conduct constantly bore the colossal imprint of his
birthplace. Wlieii an eartliquake threatened to shake
the columns of the state, and the foundations of the
political structure trembled, his was the voice that
calmed the troubled elements; his the arm that gave
new firmness to the massive pillars. He toiled long
and bravely in the service of his country, and death
alone terminated his matchless labors. But he is gone!
Our city followed him with mourning to the grave;
and now he sleeps in the pilgrim soil he loved so well.
Wlioever shall seek the resting place consecrated to
the memory of eloquence and patriotism, let him
repair to the sea»-girt tomb at Marshfield; and as he
listens to the voices uttered by the broad Ocean, he will
hear the mostfitting monitor that can speak to him of
the greatness and genius of Wnssrnn. "

,What our country may become, we cannot tell. So
rapid and brilliant has been her progress thus far, so
many marvels has she accomplished,so many cities and
states has she founded in the wilderness, surpassing by
realities the most fanciful visions of oriental story, that

We cannot presume accurately to define the boundaries

of l1er future achievements. But, that she must reach
the highest position of national elevation, that she
must present the happiest combination of prosperity
blended with freedom that was ever known, that she is
to be the foremost empire of the world, and to wield
a11 influence greater than was that of Rome, or is now
exercised in St. Petersburg or London, is  certain as
that she remains true to the memories and sufferiiigs
of the past, and never allows the spirit of anarchy to
usurp her liberties, or the spirit of discord to suncler
the bonds of our Union.

The greater our country may l)€-)CO11’1(‘.;'3, the wider her
influence may extend, a deeper and holier interest
will be associated with one act and one day. 'l‘here
will always be a Mecca to which every true American
shall turn-----~a Jerusalem, whither he will gladly repair
to worship and praise. This Anniversary, and the illus-
trious deed it commemorates, will receive greater hon-
ors from mankiiid as time rolls on. They will come
forth from the crumbling ruins of transatlantic despot»
isms, to requite America for liaviiig tested the potency
and blessings of liberal institutions, and for having
wrought out for them and the world the problem of
self-government. They will honor the Day that does
honor to man; and while it shall be crowned each
year with fresh chaplets and garlands, our country will
continue to sweep on to the loftiest rank in the roll of
nations.

Go forward, then, America, in thine exalted mission!
Go, speals: e11cou1'a.g'en1ent to every captive and bond-

43

man! Scatter light in the dark places of the earth!
Shed hope in the despairing bosom! Bring comfort to
the troubled mind! Knock at the palace doors of
every despot in the World ; and in the sacred name of
Justice, demand Liberty for man! Kindle up on the
night-sky of tyranny the Aurora of beauty, which shall
announce a golden morning at hand! Be true to
thysblf and thy matchless opportunities; and thou
shalt become the leader of nations, and march u11der
the banners of Freedom in the Van of Empire!

DINNER AT FANEUIL HALL.

THE DINNER.

The dinner was given, according to the usual custom, in Faneuil
Hall. The Hall was decorated with great taste, and the dinner,
which was prepared by J. B. Smith, afforded universal satisfac-
tion. In the language of one of the city newspapers, “ it was the
general sentiment that it was the best 4th of July dinner ever
given in Faneuil Hall.” Nearly eleven hundred persons were
present. A blessing was asked by Rev. J ossrrr CUMMINGS, the
Chaplain of the day. At the conclusion of the dinner, the Hon.
BENJAMIN SEAVER, Mayor of the City, arose and addressed the
company as follows :-—---

FELLOW CITIZENS: It may well be considered a subject of
congratulation that We are permitted, as a municipal corporation,
to celebrate the seventy-seventh anniversary of our National In-
dependence Within this Cradle of American Liberty. Let us then
rejoice and be grateful that We can hail the return of this great
day under circumstances so propitious; that our country is pros-
perous and happy beyond any precedent; that the rich inherit-
ance transmitted to us by our patriotic fathers, through so much
peril and labor, is yet secure. Gratitrudewgratitlude is the senti-
ment Which should fill every heart on the return of this day. Let
us put aside all party strifes, all local differences, and remember
only that we are all citizens of one great country, and supporters
of our glorious Union. It is impossible, that We can, on an occa-

48

sion like this, come up to this hall without bearing in affectionate
remembrance the patriots of ’ 76, and the equally patriotic men of
later times---—especially our own WEBSTER, whose eloquent voice
seems still to echo within these walls, and for whose death the
whole country has hardly yet ceased to mourn. But, thank God,
he still lives, and ever will live in the hearts of his countrymen,
as the ablest and most efioient expounder and defender of the
Constitution and the Union. We cannot fail, also, to remember
the patriotic old thirteen who stood shoulder to shoulder through
the glorious revolutionary struggle; but at the same time we will
not forget the younger sisters of the Union, for whom we cherish
a strong attachment and regard. Goal bless them all .7

It is my agreeable duty, as well as pleasure, in behalf of the
City Council, to bid a hearty welcome to our respected and hon-
ored guests; their presence here to-day heightens our enjoyment.
Let us, then, fellow citizens, spend this hour in the “ Old Cradle”
with becoming hilarity and joy, and with renewed pledges of our
lives and all that we possess, for the prosperity and honor of our
beloved country. i

The Chief Marshal will now announce the first regular senti-
ment.

GEORGE R. SAMPSON, Esq., who acted as Toast--Master on the
occasion, then announced the following sentiment :-—-—-~—-

The Day We Celebrate.----The day which grandly heads the
calendar of our history; the day which commemorates the vir-
tues, the sacrifices, and triumphs of our fathers; our children’s
children shall celebrate it till latest time.

This was received with applause, as was also the following :---~--

The President of the United States.
The following was drank standing and in silence :----

The memory of Washington.
The fourth regular toast was—---

The Senate of the United States.--—---When ever it (Everett)
speaks, discord and disunion shall hide their heads.

49

Hon. EDWARD EVERETT respondedas follows :—-

Mn. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN: I thank you for the toast
which has just been given, and for the marked kindness with
which it has been received by the company. I deem it a privi-
lege to be present on this occasion: We all, I think, sir, who
had the good fortune to be present at the Old South Church, felt
that it was good to be there. We felt that it was good to pause
awhile from the hurry of passing events, and revive our recollec-
tions of the times which tried men’s souls. I do not know that
I have ever attended a celebration of the Fourth of July con-
ducted in a more interesting manner. The solemn prayers that
the God of our fathers would extend his protection to us; the
public reading of the great Declaration which has given immor-
tality to the day; the sweet voices in the gallery, giving assur-—
ance that the sons and daughters were training up to catch
the spirit and imitate the example of the fathers and mothers;
this all gave uncommon interest to the exercises. It was, also,
I own, sir, particularly pleasing to me to listen to our young
friend on my right, the orator of the day, who gave us such a
treat in his ingenious, manly, and fervid discourse, in which he
rose very far above the coinmonplaces of the occasion, and
adorned his great theme with much original and seasonable illus-
tration. It was especially gratifying to me, sir, to witness the
brilliant promise he ailbifclecl us of adding new lustre to a name on
which two generations in this community have accumulated their
honors.

I believe no one, sir, who has attended this day’s exercises, or
is now present, will be disposed to concur in the opinion, which
we sometimes hear ezrpressed, that the interest of the Fourth of
July, is on the wane ;~—-—-that it is a worn-out, old-fashioned affair,
which has ceased to have a significance for us. For my own
part, I value it in no small degree, because it is, I will notsay
“an old-fashioned,” but I will say an ancient and venerable insti-
tution; because its annual celebration for seventy years has already
nourished the patriotic feelings of more than two generations; and
amidstistlie perilous convulsions of States abroad, and the rapid
march of events at home, has left us one great theme on which

7 V

50

political opinion is united; one happy day on which party strife is
at rest.

I trust, sir, that the Fourth of July will ever continue to be
celebrated as it has been to-day, understandingly as well as en-
thusiastically; because it furnishes at once the most instructive
and glorious illustration of the union of the two great principles of
STABILITY and rnoennss, on which our independence was originally
founded ;—--«on which our prosperity, at the present day, rests as
upon its corner stone; and by whose cordial alliance, and joint-
working alone, the great designs of Providence in reference to
our beloved country can be fulfilled.

I am the more desirous, sir, of making this remark on the pres-
ent occasion with some emphasis, because there is, on the part of
many---perhaps of most-—-persons among us, a disposition to sepa-
rate these two great principlesw--to take up one to the neglect of
the other---and consequently, in effect, to do violence to both.
As in all party divisions, so in this ; we throw ourselves passion-
ately into the cause we have embraced, push its peculiar views
beyond proper limits, overlook all reasonable qualifications, and
forget that practical wisdom and plain common sense are gen-
erally found about half-way between the two extremes. Accord-
ingly there are and always have been among us, as in all coun-
tries where thought and speech are free, men who give themselves
up, heart and soul, to the reverence of the past; they can do

justice to no wisdom but the wisdom of ages ; and if an institution
is not time—honored, it is very apt, by them, not to be honored at
all. They forget that the tall oak was once an acorn, and that
the oldest things had a beginning. This class of men received a
few years ago, in England, the designation of “conservatives,”
from their disposition to maintain things just as they are. Re-
cently, in this country, they have been called by the rather un-
promising name of “ old fogies,” the origin and precise import of
which are unknown to me.

Now, sir, these benighted individuals (straight-laced and stiff-
necked as they are) err only in pushing a sound principle to ex-
tremes; in obeying one law of our social nature to the neglect of
another, equally certain and important. The reverence of the
past——-adherence to what is established—-F-may be carriedtra great
deal too far, but it is not merely an innate feeling of the human

51

heart, but a direct logical consequence of the physical and spirit-
ual constitution which our Creator has given us. The sacred tie
of family, which, reaching backward and forward, binds the gen-
erations of men together, and draws out the plaintive music of our
being from the solemn alternation of cradle and grave,-—-—the black
and white keys of life’s harpsichord; the magical power of lan—
guage, which puts spirit in communion with spirit in distant pe——
riods and climes; the grand sympathies of country, which lead
the Grreelcs of the present day to talk of “ the victory which we
gained over the barbarians at Marathon ;”----«the mystic tissue of
race, woven far back in the dark chambers of the past, and which
after the vicissitudes and migrations of centuries wraps up great
nations in its broad mantle,-—-those significant expressions which
carry volumes of meaning in a word,--—-Forefather, Parent, Child,
Posterity, Native Land ;-—-—-these all teach us not blindly to wor-
ship, but duly to honor the past; to study the lessons of experi-
ence; to scan the high counsels of man in his great Associations,
as those counsels have been developed in constitutions, in laws, in
zmaxims, in traditions, in great undoubted principles of right and
wrong, which have been sanctioned by the general consent of
those who have gone before us ;--—thus tracing in human institu-—
tions some faint reflection of that Divine Wisdom, which fashioned
the leaf that unfolded itself six weeks ago in the forest, on the
pattern of the leaf which was bathed in the dews of Paradise in
the morning of creation. '

These feelings, I say, sir, are just and natural. The principle
which prompts them lies deep in our nature; it gives birth to the
dearest charities of life, and it fortifies some of the sternest virtues.
But these principles and feelings are not the whole of our nature.
They are a portion only of those sentiments which belong to us as
men, as patriots, and Christians. We do not err when we cherish
them, but when we cherish and act on them exclusively; forget-
ting that there is another class of feelings and principles-—~differ—
ent, though not antagonistic-——which form another side to our
wonderfully complicated existence.

This is the side to which an opposite class in the community
devotes itself exclusively. They are “the men of progress,” or,
as they sometirnes call themselves, in imitation of similar designa-
tions in most countries of Europe, “Young America.” Either

52

from natural ardor of temperament, or the fervid spirit of _ youth,
or impatience caused by constant meditation on the abuses which
accumulate in most human concerns in the lapse of time, they get
to think that every thing, which has existed for a considerable
time, is an abuse; that, consequently, to change is, as a matter
of course, to reform ;---to innovate, of necessity, an improvement.
They do not consider that if this notion is carried too far it be-
comes suicidal; it condemns their own measures, and justifies the
next generation in sweeping away their work, as remorselcssly as
they are disposed to sweep away the work of their predecessors.
Now here again, sir, the error is one of exaggeration only.
Young America is a very honest fellow--——he means well, but like
other young folks he is sometimes a little too much in a hurry.
He needs the curb occasionally, as we old ones, perhaps, still
more frequently need the spur. There 2'3 a principle of progress
in the human mind-———in all the Works of men’s hands——-in all asso-
ciations and communities, from the village club to the empire that
embraces a quarter of the human race--in all political institu-
tions---in art, literature and science--—-and most especially in all
new countries, where it must, from the nature of the case, be the
leading and governing principle. Who can compare the modern
World, its condition, its arts, its institutions, with the ancient
world and doubt this: the daily newspaper, smoking every morn-
ing from a hundred presses, with a strip of hieroglyphics on the
side of an obelisk, perplexing the world with its dubious import,
and even that found out within the last thirty years ;---the ocean
steamer with the row galley, creeping timidly round the shore ;---
the railways in the United States alone, without mentioning those
of Europe, with those famous Roman paved roads,'the Appian
and Flaminian Way, to which the orator alluded---which our rail-
roads exceed ten—fold in extent, to say nothing of their superiority
in every other respect, as a means of communication ;—-the print-
ing press, driven by steam, with the scribe’s toilsome pen ;-—--the
electric telegraph, with the mail coach, the post horse, the pedes-
trian courier ;---and above all, a representative republican con-
federacy, extending over a continent, with a feudal despotism
building a palace on the necks of a people, or a stormy Grecian
democracy, subsisting its citizens by public largess, deeming all
labor servi1e,ostracising its good men, insulting and oppressing

53

its allies, and rending its own Vitals, within the circuit of the city
walls to which it was confined»-—-«who, I say, can make this com-
parison, and doubt that the principle of progress is as deeply
seated in our nature as the principle of conservatism, and that
true practical wisdom and high national policy reside in the due
mixture and joint action of the two?

N ow, sir, this was the wisdom of the men of ’76. This is the
lesson of the Fourth of July ; this is the oracle which speaks to
us from the shrines of this consecrated hall. If we study the
writings of the men of that day, we find that they treated the
cause of civil liberty not only as one of justice and right, of i sen-
timent and feeling, but also as one of history and tradition, of
charters and laws. They not only looked to the future, but they
explored the past. They built wisely and skilfully, in such sort
that after times might extend the stately front of the temple of
freedom, and enlarge its spacious courts, and pile its stories, arch
above arch, gallery above gallery, to the heavens; but they dug
the foundation deep down to the eternal rock; the town, the
school, the militia, the church,----those were the four corner
stones on which they reared the edifice.

If we look only at one part of their worl<—--if we see them por-
ing over musty parchments by the midnight lamp---citing the
year books against writs of assistance--«disputing themselves
hoarse about this phrase in the charter of Charles the First, and
that section in a statute of Edward the Third, we should be dis-
posed to class them with the most bigoted conservatives that ever
threw a drag chain round the limbs of a young and ardent people.
But, gracious heavens, look at them again, when the trumpet
sounds the hour of resistance; survey the other aspect of their
work. . See these undaunted patriots in their obscure caucus
gatherings, in their town meetings, in their provincial assemblies,
in their Continental Congress, breathing defiance to the British
Parliament and the British throne. March with their raw militia
to the confiict with the trained veterans of the seven years’ war.
Witness them, a group of colonies extemporized into a confed-
eracy, entering with a calm self--possession into alliance with the
oldest monarchy in Europe ;-——-and occupying as they did a narrow
belt of territory along the coast,~—-——-thinly peopled, partially cleared,
hemmed in by the native savage, by the Alleganies, by the Ohio,

54

and the lakes---behold them, dilating with the grandeur of the
position, radiant in the prospective glories of their career, casting
abroad the germs of future independent States, destined, at no
distant day, not merely to cover the face of the thirteen British
colonies, but to spread over the territories of France and Spain
on this continent—-—-over Florida and Louisiana-——--«over New Mexico
and California—-—beyond the Mississippi, beyond the Rocky Moun-
tains---—to unite the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, the Arctic
and the Torrid zones, in one great net~worls: of confederate repub-
lican government:----contemplate this, and you will acknowledge
the men of Seventy-Six to have been the boldest men of progress
that the World has ever seen!

These are the men Whom the Fourth of July invites us to re-
spect and to imitate ;—---the James Otises and the Warrens, the
Franklins and the Adamses, the Patrick Henrys and the J effer~—-
sons, and him Whom I may not name in the plural number, bright-
est of the bright and purest of the pure—---Washington himself. But
let us be sure to imitate them, (or to strive to do so,) in all their
great principles, in both parts of their noble and comprehensive
policy. Let us reverence them as they reverenced their prede—-
cessors-—-not seeking to build up the future on the ruins of all
that had gone before, nor yet to bind down the living, breathing,
burning present to the mouldering relics of the dead past———but,
deducing the rule of a bold and safe progress from the records of
a wise and glorious experience.

I am trespassing, unconscionably, sir, upon the time of the
company, but I will, with your leave, add one further reflection.
We live at an era as eventful, in my judgment, as that of ’76,
though in a different Way. We have no foreign yoke to throw
off; but in the discharge of the duty devolved upon us by Provi-
dence, We have to carry the republican independence which our
fathers achieved, with all the organized institutions of an enlight-
ened community, institutions of religion, law, education, charity,
art, and all the thousand graces of the highest culture, beyond
the Missouri, beyond the Sierra Nevada; perhaps in time around
the circuit of the Antilles; perhaps to the Archipelagoes of the
Central Pacific. The pioneers are on the Way; who can tell how
far and how fast they will travel? Who, that compares the
North America of 1753, but a century ago, and numbering but

55

a little over a million of souls of European origin; or still more
the North America. of 1653, when there was certainly not a fifth
part of that number; who that compares this with the North
America of 1853---its twenty——two millions of European origin,
and its thirty-one States, will venture to assign limits to our
growth ;—-will dare to compute the time—table of our railway pro—~
gress; or lift so much as a corner of the curtain that hides the
crowded events of the coming century ?

This only we can plainly see: the old world is rocking to its
foundations. From the Gulf of Finland to the Yellow Sea, every
thing is shaken. The Spirit of the Age has gone forth to hold
his great review, and the kings of the earth are moved to meet
him at his coming. The band which holds the great powers of
Europe together in one political league, is strained to its utmost
tension. The catastrophe may for awhile be staved oil", but to all
appearance they are hurrying to the verge of one of those con-
flicts which, like the battles of Pharsalia and Actium, affect the
condition of States for twice ten centuries. The Turkish Empire,
encamped but for four centuries on the frontiers of Europe, and
the Chinese Monarchy, contemporary with David and Solomon,
are alike crumbling. iWhi1e these events are passing in the Old

"World, a tide of emigration which has no parallel in history, is

pouring Westward across the Atlantic and Eastward across the

Pacific, to our shores. The real political vitality of the world

seems moving to the new }IG111iSphe1‘e, whose condition and for-
tunes it devolves upon us and our children to mopld and regulate.

Sir, it is a grand, let me say a solemn thought, well calculated
to still the passions of the day, and to elevate us above the paltry
strife of parties. It teaches us that we are called to the highest,
and I do verily believe the most momentous trust that ever de-
volved upon one generation of men. Let us meet it with a cor»
responding temper and purpose,---with the wisdom of a well»-
instructed experience and with the foresight and preparation of
a glorious future; not on the narrow platforms of party policy
and temporary expediency, but in the broad and comprehensive
spirit of seventy-six. r A

After Mr. Everett had resumed his seat, the Mayor called for
nine cheers for the eloquent orator, which were given with a
hearty good will.

56

The fifth regular toast was

The JcwZ'£cz'czry—-Its high commission is to achieve the suprem-
acy of the law, without which the liberty which our forefathers
secured would be Worthless. Its divorce from all partizan influ-
ence is the surest guarantee that such commission will be well

executed.

Hon. B. F. HALLETT being called upon to respond, spoke as
follows :-—--

MR. MAYOIR-—-—-As you have done me the honor to require a
response to a compliment to the Judiciary, I am not a little in-
clined to resort to my legal rights by appealing to this company
Whether I should not be justified in bringing an action for injury
to reputation by calling me up just after that eloquent gentleman
has spoken, of Whom it may well be said, that whenever he is
present in an assembly, all desire to hear him when any one else
is speaking, and when he is speaking all desire to hear nobody
else. Especially am I at a loss how to follow him, when, in the
eloquent outburst he has made in favor of the extension of Amer-
ican States, in which I rejoice to have his concurrence, I find,
that even with all my old predilections for annexation, it is difli-—
cult for my imagination to keep pace with him in taking a stride
into the future that is to place one foot of young America on the
Arctic and the other on the Antarctic, including, of course,
Antilles and the adjacent Isles of the Seas! But, Sir, there is
so much methoid in hissprogress, that I do not intend to be
behind him in any movement towards the North Pole, although I
had not much contemplated embracing the Antipodes at the South
Pole. It is nevertheless, such a noble tribute to the true Amer-
ican doctrine of peaceful expansion of our borders,to the utmost
limits of at least one Continent, that I hail it as auspicious of an
universal sentiment on that once divided issue among American
statesmen. l I

I must hasten to escape from the dilemma in which I stand
here, after such a smooth and deep stream of eloquence has car-
ried the audience beyond my rcach, by invoking to my aid the
associations that throng this Hall, connected with the observances

of this hallowed day. It is now ‘ seventy years ago, when in

57

1783, James Otis, he who above all men set the ball of American
revolution in meition, stood in the place you now occupy, as Mod-
erator of “ a 'l‘own meeting of the freeholders and other inhab-—
itants of the town of Boston,” and was appointed Chairman of
the Committee “to tender the thanks of the town to the Orator
of the day for his splendid and eloquent oration in commemora-
tion of the horrid Massacre of the 5th of March, 17 70,” and at
his suggestion, it was voted that thereafter the observance of the
bloody Massacre should be discontinued, and the 4th of July
should be celebrated as the national birth day.

That was the origin of the celebration of the 4th of July in
Boston. ’.[‘he theme which the “horrid Massacre ” had annually
furnished for thirteen years, against tyranny and standing
armies, and in which the elder Warren had twice appeared as the
orator, was changed for that of National Independence, and the
first orator on that occasion was Dr. John Warren, one of the
family of the illustrious martyr. From that 4th of July to this,
now seventy years, Boston has uninterruptedly observed that na-
tional day---an honor that belongs exclusively to her, and which
can be claimed for no other town, city or community in the
United States.

Sir, the citizens of Boston thank you, and your associates for
the patriotic manner in which you have kept up this glorious
usage during your administration; and so fixed has it now
become, as a custom always to be i“ honored in the observance,”
that I venture to say, if any Mayor or Board of Aldermen or
Common Council, should attempt to disregard it, they would be
held in no better estimation by their fellow citizens than if they
should propose to demolish our churches and school houses! It
is peculiarly fitting that we should hold that celebration in this
Hall, where originated those town meetings that were the earliest
schools of freedom, and which connect the towns of Massachu-
setts so intimately with the first movements and impulses that
lead to national Independence. This reflection has come home to
me recently, with renewed force, in the Convention now assem-~
bled to revise the Constitution of the Commonwealth, and which

has adjourned over this day to participate in~its observance. i

Without the town meetings here held by our fathers in Faneuil

Hall, we should have had no Bunker Hill, no Declaration of In-"

8

58

dependence, no Fourth of July, no Union, and no Constitution
for a Convention to revise. ,1,

Another instructive lesson may be derived from recurring to
the themes that have composed the materials of Fourth of July
Orations for nearly three quarters of a century. From the first,
they were Independence, Union and the disturbing causes of the
time, that were supposed to endanger both. We can now look
upon these formidable bugbears of the day, and contemplate with
complacency their liaving passed into oblivion, While Independence
and Union have gone on expanding. F or a While foreign influ-
ence was the great terror of all parties,thougl1 they totally differed
as to the source from jwhich it was most to be feared. One party
Was terrified at French influence, and its craters {Vere eloquent to
desperation upon that topic. Another party insisted that the
Union was to be subverted by British conspiracy and usurpation,
and their themes of alarm were northern confederation, and sepa-
ration of the States. The fear of being overrun by a foreign
population was at an early period the great terror of one class of
patriots, and while the others have passed away, the latter has
come down to our day, and has been combined with other domes-
tic relations, threatening disunion. Yet these bugbears of dis—-
union have all vanished or are fast disappearing.;, and We are here
to-day with a stroiiger and a broader Union than our fathers ever
hoped for.

The young men of to-day, cannot realizethe elfect which the
apprehension of British andFrench influence formerly produced
uponrparties throughout the country, and in a little while, this
fear of foreign immigration, which has almost subsided, will be-
come as forgotten and unmeaning. It would be wise for alarm-
ists on that score to study the last census, and test their fears by
figures. Ask them what is the proportion “of citizens of foreign
birth in the C0u1'1’DI'y, and they would swell it to a half or a major-

ity; and yet, when we come to the figures, we find that of the 7

free inhabitants of the United States, 17,737,505 are native
born, While but 53,210,828 were born in foreign countries. There
it is, in round numbers, seventeen millions native and two millions
foreign born,of Whom, the proportion is forty-three per cent. from
Ireland, twenty-five from Germany, twenty-«one from England,
.S€.30t1&I1d and l3ritiS11 America, two from France and five from all

59
other countries. This census enables us, for the first time, to
discover of what materials the American people are composed, for
we are all Americans, normatter where born. The whole living
population, of foreign birth incorporated among us, is estimated
at 2,214,000, and if we add the American children born here of
  reign parents, we have but about two millions more; so that all
iiisorts of patriotic gentlemen who live in terror of foreign immigra-
tion, may look at these figures and calm their fears. Why, Sir,
this immigration is so far from being a source of apprehension,
that ill not only adds immensely to our national wealth by the
great Zivivzg capital of labor which it supplies to develop our re-
sources, but it does not supply the demand for the great West,
the vast North, and the mighty regions of the Pacific which we
have still got to populate, while our passenger ships, forwarding

agents and steam conveyances are deriving inealculable revenues
from this source.

  

5
1-4

Consider another element of national progress and national se-
curity. With this populating of new territories has been going
on, at the same time, the fusion of emigration from the old to the

i new States. Out of seventeen millions of free inhabitants, four
millions have migrated and settled beyond the States of their
birth. From the old stock of our own New England has gone
forth enough to leaven the whole lump; and thus we have be-
come the teachers as well as the founders of new States. These
great facts come home to us, antl impress upon all the responsible
duty of looking well to the education of our people, in families, in
schools, in town and State, and especially in patriotism; just such
patriotism as we come up hither to-day to commemorate.

Let me conclude, by bringing you back to the point from which
I started, the celebration of the Fourth of July in Boston in the
olden time ; and we there find how the first thought of our fathers
then was that which should be our first thought noW—-—the preser-
vation and perpetuity of the UNION of these States.

I give you----a renewal in 1853 of the Toast at the first cele-
bration of the Fourth of July in Boston in 1788.

“ The Spirit of Umim----May it pervade our whole country.”

The next regular toast was

60

The Army-—---Born amid the fires of our revolutionary struggle;
nurturedand reared on the fields of Trenton, Princeton, Mon»-
mouth and Yorktown; disciplined and invigorated by the victo-
ries of Buena Vista, Vera Cruz and Chapultepec; the country
now reposes in safety on the arm of its robust manhood.

 

Major WYSE was first called upon to reply to this sentiment
but he being absent, Lieut. JAMES VAN VOAS1‘, U. S. Army, re-
sponded as follows :--— ‘

MR. MAYOR,—-In behalf of the Army, I return to you my
thanks for the honor you have conferred upon that branch of the
public service, by remembering it in such flattering terms, on this
sacred day, and in this I-Iall consecrated by the spirits of our
forefathers. ’

And I deeply regret, Sir, that the absence of others more
worthy and able than myself, imposes upon me the duty of reply.

Massachusetts, Sir, has ever contributed her portion to the
Army of the United States ; when that army was without disci-
pline, without a leader, without everything except the determina-
tion to resist wrong, and uphold the right; Massachusetts fur-
nished her quota to the ranks, and assisted in organizing the con-
flicting elements of a corps cl’arrnee, that successfully withstood
the tried veterans of the Seven Years’ War.

But your noble State has reaped her share of the glory, her
history is imperishable, and her history is a bright eulogium on
those who fell in that dark hour which preceded the brilliant
dawning of our country’s liberty.

The Army is proud, Sir, that she has contributecl something to
the formation of our free and happy republic, and proud that
America has gained a military renown that has spread through-
out the nations of the Old World, and which none of their proud-
est statesmen will dare to misunderstand. And now, Sir, the
army is not resting; though peace has succeeded to the hot tur-
moil of a southern war, she is out on the traclzless regions of our
western territories, opening roads, establishing post offices, bring-
ing to the knowledge of the people the elements of S its future
prosperity, preparing the way for the formation of new States,

that will one day shine brightly in our national constellation.

From the,,,Mississippi to where the waters of the Pacific wash

61

our Western domain, the army is new busy, and ere long a con-
tinuous line of settlements, binding together the Alleghanies, the
Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada, will attest its genius,
its industry, and its usefulness.

What the army has done, Sir, will ever be remembered; What
she will do depends upon those who now and will occupy the legis-
lative halls of our country. It is to them the army looks for pro-
tection and support, and through them she expects to add, still
brighter wreaths to her own and her countr-y’s laurels.

The Toast-Master then read the seventh regular toast, which
Was,

The .Nang/--—«Itr1oxv rests at its moorings in the repose of peace;
let but the voice of duty awaken its slumbers, and those thunders
which once startled the echoes of Erie and Champlain, shall startle
the echoes of the world.

To this sentiment, J. O. .l3nA1;)FOI:m, Purser in the United States
Navy, responded in the following manner :---~

I very much regret, Mr. Mayor, that I am thus unexpectedly,
and perhaps inappropriately, called upon to speak in behalf of the
Navy. I could wish that this duty devolved upon. others better
able than myself to respond to a sentiment so graceful and flatter»-
ing. In behalf of the Navy generally, and of my brother officers
near me especially, I tender to you, Mr. Mayor, and your asse-
ciates, our warmest thanks for the handsome compliment paid the
service, to which we have the honor to belong, a compliment not
less valued on account of the occasion and its associations than
for the marked enthusiasm with which it was received by this vast
assemblage of citizens. C

With the City of Boston are connected associations of peculiar
interest to every naval officer. It was here that the nation’s fa-
vorite, the Old Constitution, was built, and it was with a crew
composed of the young men of Boston,of Marblehead and N ew-»
buryport, that she Went forth on her mission of conquest and
glory; and I believe the facts will hear me out in asserting that
the achievements of that single ship, at that particular time, did
more than any thing else to reuse the drooping spirits of our

62

countrymen and nerve with energy and power the arm of our
government for a more vigorous and successful prosecution of
the War.

During our recent contest with Mexico, the opportunities for
naval distinction were few» Our brethren of the Army were the
favored sons of fortune---they gathered laurels in profusion, and
long may they Wear, honorably and proudly, what they so nobly
and gloriously Won. But if the Navy had little to do, it had much
to sufifer, and if We cannot point to thousands of our brethren who
fell amid the storm and tempest of battle, we can number those
whose lives were as freely sacrificed upon their eountry’s altar.
And, sir, While we give all honor to the brave hearts and gallant
spirits who, at the sound of the trumpet, stormed the rugged
heights of Cerro Gordo, scaled the battlements of Chepultapec,
and fell amid the very shouts of victory, fighting. hand to hand
with the foe, let us not be unmindful of those noble fellows whom
slow, eankering disease held in its hot deadly embrace, while their
undying Wills sighed for the “ battle and its fires.”

I can conceive, Mr. Mayor, of no service more trying than that
in which our naval forces were engaged on the coasts of Mexico,
and my knowledge, of their patient endurance of trial and sufier-
ing amid the pestilent diseases of that deadly climate, fully war-ant

, me in pledging, that the Navy of the United States hereafter, as

heretofore, will promptly and faithfully respond to every call of
Duty, of Patriotism and Honor.

The eighth regular toast was then announced, which Was,

The ZlIiZz'tz'a---It is theiglory of a free country, that its volun-
teers are all regulars, and its regulars all volunteers.

To this, Major General B. F. EDMANDS replied in a speech
which elicited much applause, and gave, in conclusion,

Young America----In her future progress may she give us lib-
erty and union, new and forever.   r

M The following toast was next given, to which there was no
response. a M

63

The Olergy---It was the highest hope and glory of our fathers
to secure for their posterity religious as well as civil freedom.
Let the clergy of our day see to it that’ the noble heritage thus
tr'an§mitted to us is unimpaired. , ’

e~ The following was the tenth regular sentiment.

The Govemor’s Oozmcil-—Solomon, the wisest of counsellors,
has said——-—“ In counsel“ there is safety.” Our convention seem to
agree with him, for while they have stripped the Grovernor of his
titles, they have left him his council. .

To which the Hon. JOHN C. PARK, being called upon, made the
following response :---

Ma. NIAYOR,-----I can hardly understand why I am called upon
to respond to a sentiment complimentary to His Excellency; I am
not a member of either his civil or military family; but, sir, I
shall endeavor at least, to show my fitness for the station, which
you have assigned to me, by giviiig utterance to no sentiment,
which would not meet his hearty approval.

Mr. Mayor, I felt as I have no doubt you and all of us felt, at
the close of the address of the first speakzer of this afternoon, as if
we were iinwilliiig to break the spell by the sound of our own
voices. I, for one, felt as a celebrated and somewhat enthusiastic
liluropean traveller felt when he first stood upon the banks of the
Niagara, and the scene was spread before him in all its sublime
grandeur ; his companion would have spoken, but he cried,
“Peace, be still, let us be silent in the presence of such power I ”

And yet, sir, as I listened to the glowing tones in which he
carried out and filled up the ideas hinted at by the Orator of the
Day, and pictured in words of powerful eloquence, the future
position of Young America, I remembered an incident which
occurred at Worcester, in this State. a When at a certain Mass
Convention, at that town, (I will not say of what par-ty,) platoon
after platoon in dark: masses wheeled into view and wound among
the hills, an insane man, at the windows of the Hospital in that
place, carried away by the scene, shouted aloud, “Attention, the
whole universe! 13 y kingdoms, 1'ight wheel 1” The man was not
so crazy, after all; he was merely indulging in a mesmeric pros».

64:

peetive view of Young America. summoning the nations of the
earth to wheel into the column of Freedom!

Surely we live in an age of progress. But a few years since,
the sensitive nerves of some of my friends were somewhat dis--
turbed, when in this very hall, a gentleman I was proud to call
my friend, the Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, gave as a sentiment,
“Our country, however bounded.” Today, when Young America
has been pictured extending from pole to pole, and from one hem-
isphere to another, we may venture to say, 9‘ Our Country, with
no boundaries at all! ” \

But, I rose, Sir, with another theme upon my mind. I have
often heard -it remarked, what can you find new to say on the
Fourth of July? Our Orator of to-day has pictured well the
novelties of the future ;--———but, Sir, let any one but turn to the
annals of our country’s struggle for Independence, and he will
find on every page some startling incident, full of matter for elo--
quent description, and pregnant with lessons of future good.
Let me allude to one, now in my remembrance, and which can
easily be applied to the present occasion.

We have listened with glowing hearts, to--day, as the Decla-
ration of Independence was read. But it is not the only State
Paper of those days which deserves immortality. There was an»-
other somewhat earlier drawn.

At the first outbreak of the struggle, when the voice of Patrick
Henry had declared that the next breeze from the north would
bring with it the clang of arms, the first blood of organized oppo-

_ sition had been shed on Bunker Hill. The politicians of our

country, assembled at Philadelphia, at once saw the necessity of
spreading before the nations of the world, in a clear and states-
manlike manner, the causes which justified us in drawing the
sword and throwing away the scabbard. This they did in a
“Manifesto,” which as a work of diplomatic excellence, equals
any document ever written.‘ This “Manifesto,” Congressdirected
should be read at the head of the American Army, then encamped
around Boston, which was then in a state of siege. *
The Connecticut troops, under. Gen. Putnam, formed the left
wing of the Army and occupied Prospect Hill. On amild sum-
mer’s afternoon, they were drawn up in a hollow square on“ the

hill-side which sloped towards Boston. On their left smouldered I

65

the smoking ruins of Charlestovvn, and there lay the Hill, still red
with the blood of their countrymen. Before them was the be-
sieged town, with the pent up soldiery of foreign power, and from
the Shipping in the harbor floated the hated ensigns of royalty.

A The “Manifesto” was read, and at its close thevoice of the
Chaplain rose in prayer, high and clear amid that kneeling host;
at its close the banners of Connecticut were unfurled, on one was
the motto, “ Qui transtulit, sustinet.” He who has brought us
thus far yet sustains us. On the other was inscribed, “An
appeal to Heaven!” And from that sunny hill-side the “Amen”
which went up to Heaven, found an appalled and answering echo
even on the throne of Britain’s monarch.

Let us apply the scene to this occasion. I congratulate you,
Mr. Mayor, and fellow citizens, upon the presence, today, in this
Hall, of so many representatives of the Army and Navy officers
of our country. I do sincerely Wish that there were more fre-
quent opportunities for us, by such acts of civility, to testify to
these gentlemen the estimation in which they are really held by
their fellow citizens. We knowthat in foreign lands, Wherever

the beautiful flag of our country is carried, (and indeed Sir, it is A

the most beautiful flag which floats upon the breeze,) they repre-
sent our country. And now that there is not a sea .upon the
whole face of the globe where American enterprise has not pene--
tratcd, every vvhere the American oificer is respected and cher-
ished as the fit representative of a ncbly progressive people.

I rejoice therefore, at the opportunity I now have, of assuring
the gentlemen of the Army and Navy, that highly appreciated as
they are abroad, they are equally so, at home, and that home
is-—--—the hearts of their countrymen.

I give in conclusion—-----

The Army and Navy-———l\{[ay the measures of the statesmen
who manage our National Policy be such, that they can ever con-~
scienciously bear upon our flag the Connecticut motto, “An
appeal to Heaven!”

At the close of Mr. I’arls:’sspeech, Sailing Master, F. W.
Moonns, United States Navy, rose and said :----- r
w 9 A i N A

66

MR. M.’AYOR,-——.--Aftel‘ what has been said, I cannot remain
silent. v
THE MAYOR,»--—-“ Weshall be pleased to hear you, sir.”

An action has been threatened against you, Sir, for calling on
another, after the ‘I powerful effort of Mr. Everett, and if the sum
had been settled, I have only to demand twenty to one, and the
amount of my own claims would be established. I

But aside from that issue, and in view of the generous senti-
ments which have fallen from the lips of my predecessor, I feel
called upon, inbehalf of the Navy, to respond. In doing this, I
will detain you, fellow citizens, but a moment. The very kind
remarks which have been offered, have inspired me with feelings
which call up the recollection of the glorious signal, thrown out by
Nelson at Trafalgar. " You are aware, Sir, that upon that event»-
ful day, at the commencement of the battle, there was seen
wavingat“ the mast head of the Admiral’s ship, a flag upon which
was inscribed the following words :----—»“,England expects that this
day every man will do his duty.” And, Sir, I l1ope—--—I trust--—
that when the hour of trial comes, our country will proudly admit
that we also shall have done our duty.

The eleventh regular toast was,

The Orator of the .Dcty-—-Ilis rapid review of the causes and
results of our Independence, has served to kindle anew our rev-
erence for our fathers, and our love for our common country. ye

This wasresponded to by TIMOTIIY BIGELOW, Esq., the Orator,
as follows :-_-— »

MR. MAYOR AND GENTLEMEN,-r—I am grateful for the sentiment

that has just been announced, and can but regret that my strength

will not permit me to reply to the same in some adequate manner.

4 Still it is well for us to be here to-day. So many interesting

i associations, connected with the origin and lprogress of the Revo- I

lution are attached to_this Hall, that it is impossible for Ameri-

cans to find a more fitting place wherein to celebrate this anni- A

versary.? Theserwalls have listened to the voices of Oitis and

. Adams,-of Hancock, Quincyand Warren, and they have thrown

67

back the shouts of indignant multitudes determined to be free.
It would seem as if those voices still lingered along thesewalls,
and speak to us to-da ,informing us of our responsibility and
duty. They tell us to preserve the principles transmitted to us,
principles for which patriots have suffered. They remind us that
“ Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” and, if we are faithless
to our trust, we shall have to answer at the tribunalof history for
having destroyed the hopes and happiness of millions. We well
call this Hall the “ Cradle of Liberty,” but the cradle was rocked
by the whirlvvinds of the Revolution, and the child was the spirit
of universal freedom.

Our principles are finally destined to be every where triumphant.
The time hasbeen when the Roman Eagle made the earth to
tremble as the victor legions swept along; but the time has come
when the American Eagle is moving forward for the subjugation
of the globe. Its progress is not marlced by blood and devasta-—
tion, such as tracked the footsteps of an Alexander or a Grengis-
khan, but by the spread of peaceful influences, and the triumph
of happiness and prosperity. It brings joy in place of sorrow,
and scatters llglllll where clarkness has prevailed. Let us look
forward to the glad day, when the principles born in America shall
0Xl3C>1’l,(l tliroughout every nation and clime; aye, when like the
eagle over yonder dial plate, they shall spread their wings over
all time, and shall dedicate every hour and moment to the service
of liberty. V ~ y

We recall to—~day with grateful interest the sufferings and sac-
rifices of our fatliers, and the trials they endured in our behalf.
Tl1I€)l1' virtues glow with brightest colors upon the canvas of his-
tory, outvieing the most brilliant examples ever afforded by
Athens or Rome. Do you ask where is their monument? Look
around you, for you behold it in the prosperity of America to—day.
'J.‘heir names are entwined, by the hands of patriotism, with the
amaranth of irnmortality, and they are written upon every beau»
tiful hill-side and every flourishing metropolis throughout the land.
Though hiddenfrom sight, their virtues still continue to speak to
us, as these flowers wilbyet emit their fragrance even when dark-
ness conceals them from view. A   » i

Permit me to give, in conclusion, the following sentiment :---A

68

T/ze'Faz‘7ae7"s of 2‘/he Rervolutioaz-Tl1ey dedicated America to
Liberty, and gave their country to mankmd.

The next toast Was,

The PAST Jlfay,/ore of the City of Boston--—-«We passed them, but
never cieclined them. They declirzecl themselves. We hope they
Won’t decline now.

The Hon. JOSIAH QUINCY, J r. responded in a brief and felici-
tous speech, giving as a sentiment: A

Yankee Doodle---—-—-The true American march-——-—~proving that the
regular step is not inconsistent with the most rapid progress. a

The next regular toast Was,

Ifenti.tcky.-—I{entucl:y mourns her Clay, Massachusetts her

Webster. To-y-day they bend together in reverence over the V

tombs of their illustrious sons.

General LEsLIE COM:Bs, of Lexington, Kentucky, responded
to this sentiment in an eloquent manner. His speech was greatly
applauded, and it is much to be regretted that a more ample and
accurate sketch of the same cannotbe given.

MR. l\IAYoR,--—--I am quite unexpectedly called upon to speak.
on this occasion. As the sentiment just announced declares,
Kentucky mourns her CLAY, and Massachusetts her WEI3STER,
and on a day like this, the death of two such eminent statesmen is
to be especially remembered and regretted. But no individual
States can alone lament the loss of such men. They lived for
their country, and “ their whole country,” and their death
awalzed one common feeling of sorrow in every State throughout
the Union. i

Forty years agoilfought on the banks of the Maumee. At A

thatgtime, no White settlements existed between the Mississippi
and Lower Erie. Since then, Young America has advanced in a
manner, and to an extent, to which the annals of mankind can

eafforcl no parallel. The old horse-teams, with which our, fathers
A were familiar,ihave been transplanted by the railroad cars ;A the

69

canoes and flat boats upon our great rivers have given place to
the steamboats, which have well been denominated “floating pal-
aces.” So rapid and marvellous have been these changes, that I
hardly dare to speak of the future; but this at least I will say,
that the West will yet bind the Atlantic and Pacific together, and
the Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico will be so intimately connected
that no disunion-spirit can ever sunderthe bonds that unite them.
The Falls of Niagara will themselves give forth the music that
celebrates this holy alliance. A   A g

I feel that the Union of these States is a matter of paramount
importance. Nothing can be clearer to the heart of a patriot than
this. I came to Boston with a view partly to look after certain

property which I own in this neighborhood. I possess some land

in Massachusetts, and also in the States of Virginia and Louis-
iana. I own a portion of Bunker Hill, as well as of Lexington and
Concord; besides this I share a part of the plains of Yorktown,
and of the battle-field of New Orleans. This property, fellow
citizens, I am proud of, nor, while I live, will I relinquish one
iota of my claim. What my fathers gave me, I will deliver unim-
paired to my sons. ‘

My own father fought under the banners of the Union. I
come myself from Lexington, a place which was named after the
famous battle-field in your own neighborhood. About the com-
meneement of the Revolution, a company of pioneers, moving

westward, paused at a certain place in Kentucky, which was then  

a wilderness, and determined there to make a settlement. Just
after their arrival, and before they had given a name to the local-
ity, news was brought to them of the contest at Lexington, and
they at once named their new settlement, Lexington, in honor of
the first great battle of the Revolution. Be assured that, whenever
the name or fame of my country is in danger, I will gladly shoul--
der my musket, and brave every peril in her behalf. N or man
can be called a patriot, who will not willingly contend, in every

A hour of danger, for his native land. iWe. are the freemen of

America; let us ever prove ourselves worthy of our noble
ancestry! I r

, ‘Hi’
The fourteenth regular sentiment, given by the Toast-Master,
was, I r r

70

_Z3om'sictmt-Whilst we commemorate at the base of Bunker
Hill the Independence to which the first battle led»---we should not
forget the consummate bravery and skill‘ with which that Indepen--
dence was defended in the LAST BATTLE on the Banks of the

Mississippi.

This was replied to by Hon. J. G. SEVIER, of New Orleans.
I-Iis speech was of a high order, being patriotic and able ; but, as
in the case of the preceding one, it is impossible to give more
than a very imperfect sketch of the same. M

Ma. Matron AND FELLOW OIrIzn1~Is,~—-—-I am proud to be here
to-i-day. This hall is rendered eminently memorable by the scenes
and occurrences of the Revolution, and every patriot must regard
it as a great privilege to be here at this time. Your State is filled
with places rendered illustrious in the great drama of the Ameri-
can Revolution; and her name is forever honorable, because she
can boast of Faneuil Hall, of Lexington, of Concord and ]3u1'1ls:ex'
Hill. A A A

In that last named battle ground of our history, I feel, and
always shall feel, a great and growing interest. Both my father’s
father, and my mother’s father, fought at Bunker I*:Iill,-—--and this
glorious recollection is to me more precious than all the treasures
of wealth or laurels of fame. A friend and near neighbor of
mine, Mr. Touro, contributed twenty thousand dollars towards
completing the monument on yonder memorable heigl1ts,—-~—-mid he
showed, by this generous act,how liberal and patriotic a spirit
beats in his bosom. I claim, as my friend from Kentucky also
claims, an ownership in all the places in Massachusetts, rendered
illustrious in our history. The memories and trials of the past
are clear to me, and I take part in the holy recollections which
this hall must inspire in every American heart. The sons of
Louisiana are interested in the soil of Bunker Hill, as the citizens
of Massachusetts are interested in the glorious memories that in-
vest New Orleans. ‘ i , I 7

I have an undying regard for the union of those States, and so
should ,§very.American patriot feel, throughout the land. The
greatness of our country has been achieved, and it can only be
preserved, by defending, at every ~hazard, our Federal Union.

71

This result can be attainedonly by remaining true to the com-——
promises of the Constitution, for which your eloquent WEBSTER
labored so manfully and well. Adhere to those compromises, and
the greatness of America will be transmitted from age to age;
forsake them, and our fathers will have both struggled and suf-
fered in vain. ’ ‘

In thename of my own State, I tender to the citizens of Boston
the right hand of fellowship on this day of mutual remembrance.
May the time never come when the men, of Boston and New Or-
leans shall not glory in the same 1nemories, and look forward to
the same hopes. l

The next toast was,

I Zl'ivtois--We are proud to recognize among her people the
signs of industry, enterprise and thrift, which indicate their New
England origin.

Which was responded to, in a felicitous speech, by Col. S. PAR-
SONS, one of the Governor’s Aids, of Illinois, who gave, as a sen-
timent,

Boston, the Clirfgy of the Pe'lgrims---The honor, intelligence,
industry and liberality of her citizens, the ability and integrity of
those who have administered her government, her benevolent
institutions and her public schools, have given her an influence
which is as erztensive as the glory and renown of her immortal
founders. ”

The following toast was offered by the MAYOR., and was re-
ceived with great applause. It was immediately telegraphed to
P_0I‘l3S1I1011l3l1.  

 

Boston and .P07‘t87’)'t0’Ml'7L---T1163 electric chain of communication
which now unites them is but a type of the living sympathy which
bound them together in the days which “ tried men’s souls.”

The seventeenth regular toast was,

The Su.perinte97.ioZew.t of your 191;./.bZ'zIoilS’c72.ooZs-The munificence
of the City has amply enriched his tishopric. 4, Though no Apos-

'72

tolic hands may have rested upon his head, the nobleness of his

work has consecrated him, and the hopes and affections of his

fellow citizens have been laid heavily upon him.

NATHAN BISHOP, Esq., in response, said,

MR. CHAIRMAN,---One of the Marshals suggested to me, a few
moments ago, that I should be called upon to speak in behalf of
the children in the Public Schools. ,

Fortunately for me, Sir, this oflice has already been perform»-
ed. The children have spoken for themselves in the spirit-
stirring songs Whose melodies, still lingering in our ears, have
mingled with the services of the day. Their voices, more inspir-
ing than the tones of the most gifted orator, have awakened
heart-felt joy in the listening multitude assembled in yonder
churchto commemorate this eventful day in our history.

But I must not say more, for I would not ctface, inany degree,
the delightful impressions which their sweet music has left upon
us all. In closing, I offer the following sentiment :----

The C‘7zz'ZcZrc9t of _Boston-—May the boys become wiser and
better men than their fathers--—-and the girls grow up to be-~—~
just like their mothers. , ~

The eighteenth regular toast was as follows :—--

The City of Cl/’mrZestown——It has its lzistorian and its memo-
ment.-——-We should like to hear Jlfair (Mayor) of them.

Hon. R. FROTHINGHAM, .Ir., Mayor of Charlestown, responded
to this sentiment in a short speech.

 

The memory of Daniel l?Ve6ster.

In connection with this sentiment, which was drank standing
and in silence, the following lines were read :-----~

“A power has passed away from earth
To breathless nature’s dark abyss,
. But when the mighty pass away,
What is it more than this--—

'73

That man, who from his God came forth, 
To God again does now return;

Such ebb and flow must ever be,

Then wherefore should We mourn.”

The next regular toast, given by Mr. SAMPSON, Was,

_ The Oommon Uozmcil of the City of B0ston——Its line of dis-
tinguished Presidents is still unbroken.

HENRY J. GARDNER, Esq., replied, saying, that at this late hour
of the afternoon, after the audience had been instructed and de-
lighted by the unusual display of eloquence and talent, unusual
even in old Faneuil Hall, and on the Fourth of July, his remarks
would be brief and hasty.

He said, it was well periodically to look back to the day when
our forefathers, here Within the limits of Massachusetts, on the
evening of the 21st December, 1680, prepared and signed the

4 first pure manifesto of equal political and social rights the world

had ever seen. And to remember, also, their later, but if possi-

~ ble more important, declaration of principles, in 1776, which

ranged us among the, nations of the earth, on the priceless plat-
form of individual equality. We did not realize as We should the
foresight, daring and self denial of those men who flung to the
breeze, in defiance of the mightiest empire of the old World, the
broad banner of liberty and equality-—--a banner that is destined,
yet, with the blessing of Heaven, to see, all the World over, hin-
dred principles and rights crush the sceptres of despotism, and
break the bondage of superstition and ignorance.

But although we ought to, and justly did, rejoice, it was still
rejoicing accompanied with responsibilities and duties, as stern
and real as those our fathers partoolc of and accomplished. It
was our duty to cherish, extend and strengthen what they, amid

H trial, suffering and self denial, planted. They declared princi-

ples---it is ours, to some extent, to carry them into practice ;-—--
they made prophetical promises for the future, and it falls to our
lot to redeem them. Should We fail--—-or even falter-—--the heredi-
tary autocrats of the old world would hail it with exultant rejoic-

ings, and constitutional liberty and the rights of humanity, like
10

74

Isaac of old, would lie bound and helpless on the altar of
sacrifice.

Mr. GARDNER. expressed his unwillingness longer to detain the
assembly, and concluded by offering as a sentiment,

The true tolea of a rtat2'0rt-—--—-Individual equality, guarded and
restrained by universal education.

Mr. GARDNER then proposed,

The 07l’l@f Marshal of the _Da;t/—--Tl1ougl1 not a martz'al man,
he knows how to marshal men.

This sentiment was responded to, in a happy manner, by
GEORGE E. SAMPSON, Esq., who olfered in conclusion, as a senti--
ment, r -

Yozmg America---«While rushing on, with hot haste, to the
future, let her not forget there are lessons of wisdom in the past.

The nextregular toast Was,

The Chaplain of the .Day--——-The voice of prayer was raised by
our fathers in the hour of peril, let it never be silent in the period
of our country’s prosperity and greatness. ‘

The Rev. ossrn CUMMINGS replied.
The next toast was,

The Reader of the Declaration cy” Imlependerwe-—-I~Ie is
always a welcome guest at our civic feast, on the Fourth of July,
who has read to us again theyimmortal charter of American
Liberty.

This was responded to by A. O. ALLEN, Esq., as follows :i

MR. CIIAIRMAN,-.--—At this late hour, and when so much has
been said appropriate to the occasion, and Worthy of the reputa-

tionsof the distinguished gentlemen to Whom We have listened

'75

this afternoon with more than pleasure, I will not detain you
longer, or attempt more than merely to offer a sentiment; and
therefore I would give:

The Patriots of our Reoolutionw-Illustrious as, but more for-
tunate than, the Hampdens and the Sidneys ; for they found what
the latter vainly sought, by the sword the repose of liberty.

Alderman JAMES WHITING offered the followincr: A

u The U7m'on---—It was secured by the sufferings of our fathers;
it must be preserved by the patriotism of their sons, despite the
disunionists of the South and the fanatics of the North.

Col. ROBERT COWDIN proposed:

The Mzrnicwpoal Government of the City of Boston----May the
good feeling extended to our volunteer militia by them be appre-
ciated by their united a  hearty support in sustaining the laws,
Whether acting in a civilor military capacity.

 

OTIS KIMZBALL, Esq. gave:

.Z7noZ¢e;oer2.derzce .DCty---r.l‘l'lO altar on which all diiferences of polit-
ical opinion are annually laid aside, and at which renewed prom-
1808 are made to the Constitution and devotion to the Union.

The following volunteer toasts were read:

Tem'tessee—-']I‘l1e Sixteenth Star in our Union. None shall
question her patriotism while the name of Jackson is remembered.

Iwl'cZ2rcatz'o9tm~Recognized by our Pilgrim Fathers as the only
safe basis of popular liberty; let us evince our respect for their
memories, by an equal zeal for the dissemination of sound learn-
ing among the people. i

A _E'9tgZamoZ—-—-Next to the name and fame ‘of our own country,
we cherish those of England. Our II11SSlO1'l IS the same, to extend
constitutional liberty throughout the world.  

The Constitutional Oonverttionm

.“ Some said let_’shave it; others said no 3%
» Some said it might do good ; V otliers, not so.”

i if » A The City of Lynn:-«Its fame shall last through all @202) time.

76

The following letters were received by the Committee of Ar-
rangements :----

COMMONVVE ALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
Council Olzcmzber, June 337257;, 1853.

GrENTLEMEN,-----I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of
your obliging invitation to participate with the City Government
of Boston in their celebration of the approaching anniversary of
American Independence. , r

I regret that the celebration of the day by the,Municipal Au-

thorities of my own city, and the paramount claim which they

make upon my ofiicial presence among them on that occasion,
must deprive me of the pleasure which I should otherwise derive
from placing myself under the patriotic influences and inspiriting
associations of the “ Old South ” and FaneuilI~Ia1l.”
I am, with great respect, Gentlemen,
Your obliged friend and fellow citizen,
, JOHN H. CLIFl3‘ORD..

To Messrs. Benjamin Seaver, James Whiting, I~’eter C. Jones,

George W. Warren, Robert Cowdin, Committee, «Ste. Ste.

Boston, JaZ;/ 1, 1853.

GENTLEMEN,-—-I thank you for your obliging invitation for the
4th inst. I regret extremely that it is not in my power to accept
it, and thus to renew the pleasure which I have so often enjoyed
in dining with the City Council in Faneuil Hall on that honored
anniversary. I  

Seventy-seven years have passed sincerthe Declaration was I

adopted which made the Fourth of July forever memorable in the
annals of civil liberty. Every one of those years has teemed
with blessings to our country and to mankind, and no one can con--
template theiraggregate harvest without admiration and aston-
ishment.

77

Among the most agreeable results of this lapse of time, has
been the gradual abatement,-—-may I not say, the almost com-
plete extinction,-—-of those feelings of bitter animosity and re-—
sentment toward the mother country, which were so naturally
engendered by our long struggle for independence.

It was not a little edifying, certainly, at your recent railroad
jubilee, to find the reappearance of the British red coats in our
streets, hailed and greeted with as much cordiality as if they had
never been associated with the arbitrary measures of Lord North
and Governor Gage.  

Our sister city of New “York exhibits at this moment the not
less striking, or less gratifying spectacle of a Board‘ of British

i Commissioners, of the highest rank, accomplishment and science,

coming over in her Majesty’s frigate Leander, to take partin the
inauguration of a Yankee crystal palace! Our fathers of 1776
would as soon have looked to see a revival of Leander swimming
across the Iliellespornt.

It may be, indeed, that the Hellespont will still prove to be
the destination of this gallant frigate, and, in that case, I doubt
not that many of us will be ready to say, “Good luck go with
her.” Such would certainly be the sentiment of our adventurous
fishermen, who desire to have their lines unmolested in the Bay
of Fundy. i

Permit me, gentlemen, to conclude this somewhat desultory
note by proposing as a sentiment for the occasion---

Our C'ountry-—-May her only contention or rivalry with Great

1 Britain hereafter be,---which shall do most towards promoting the

progress of art and science, and which shall most efiectively ad-
vance the peace, prosperity and freedomof the human family.

Believe me, gentlemen,
Very faithfully yours, A,
B.OB’,T C. WINTHROP.

Hon. B. Seaver, James Whiting, P. C‘. Jones, George W.
Warren, Robert (plowdinl, Committee, &c.

78

Boston, July 1, 1853.

DEAR SIR,--—It will not be in my power to unite with the City
Council of Boston in the approaching celebration of our national
anniversary ; but I beg to assure you that I am not insensible to
the honor of their invitation.

The day itself comes full of quickening suggestions, which can
need no prompting from me. And yet, with your permission, I
would gladly endeavor to associate at this time one special aspira-
tion with the general gladness. Allow me to propose the follow-
ing toast :~—--

The Rarilroacl from the Atlctntic tothe Paczfic--Traversing a
whole continent, and binding together two oceans, this mighty
thoroughfare, when completed, will mark an epoch of human pro-
gress second only to that of our Declaration of Inclepenclence.
May the day soon come.

Believe me, dear sir,
Faithfully yours,
CHARLES SUMNER.

Hon. Benj. Seaver, Mayor, line. 850. 836. I

MILITARY ESCORT.
Under the command of COLONEL Ronnnr Cownrn.

Co. 13, Light Dragoons, . . . .. Capt. Isaac, Hull Wright.
BOSTON BRASS BAND.

Co. C, Washington Artillery, . . . Capt. W. W. Bullock.
Co. Cr, Bay State Artillery, . . . Capt. M. A. McCafl'erty.
Co. E, American Artillery, . . . , Capt. D. A. Granger.
Co. B, Columbian Artillery, . . . Capt. Thomas Cass.

Co. I“-I, ,Webster Artillery, . v . ., . Capt. E. W. Hinclcs.
Co. D, Roxbury Artillery, . . . . Capt. I. S. Burr-ill.

Co. A,Boston Artillery, . . . . Capt. Thomas H. Evans.

®1.’?!2r of fiernitea

AT THE

OLD SOUTH CHURCH

BEFORE THE

etan eeeneta. a tonne,

ON THE

SEVENTY-l-SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY

fsaleneefieran @a1E0ezg)eu"1ee.ee.,
JULY 41:11, 1853. «

I. VOLUNTARY BY THE BRASS BAND.

II. CHANT.

1. Ilorcl, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle? Or who shall rest upon Thy
holy hill‘?

2. Even he that learleth an uncorrnpted life, and doeth the thing which is riglit,
and speaketh the truth from his heart.

3. He that hath used no cleceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbor;
and hath not slandcrecl his neig~l'ibo1‘.

4. He that eitteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes; and maketh
much of‘ them that fear the Lord. l

5. He that promisetli to his ncigltbor, and disappointeth not, even though it
were to his own hindrance.

6. He that hath not given his money upon usury, nor taken reward against the

innocent.

7. Whose doeth these tl1ings,sl1a1l never fall. Amen. Amen.

III. PRAYER,
BY nnv. JOSEPH onmmxnes.

IV. SONG-“'l‘HE UNION.”

 song for our banner, the watchword recall,
Which {gave the Republic her station,
,“ United we stand, cliviclctl We fall 1”
It made and preserved us a nation. ‘
The Union of lakes, the Union of lands,
t 9 l The Union of ‘hearts, the Union of hands,
‘And the FLA.Ci~ on one UNION forever.
What God in his infinite wisdom has joined,
And armed with Republican tliunder,’
Not all earth’s despots, or factions combined,
Have the power to sever or sander.
‘  S The Union of lakes, the Union of lands,
The Union of hearts, the Union of hands,
And the Fnae on one UNION forever,

80

V. READING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE,
BY A. 0. ALLEN, nso.

VI. HYMN-~“NATIONAL GRATITUDE.”

Let every heart rejoice and sing,
Let choral antherns rise ;

Ye rev’rend men and children, bring
To God your sn.erifiee;

For He is good, the Lord is good,
And kind are all his ways;

‘With songs and honors sounding loud,
’The Lord Jehovah praise.

While the rocks and the 1'i1l§.
While the voles and the hills,

One glorious anthem raise,
Let each prolong; the gyrntefiil song,

And the God of our fnthers praise.

I-Ie bids the sun to rise and set;

In herwen His power is known;
And eorth, S11l)(;ll’l0(1 to Him, shell yet

Bow low before His throne;
For He is good, 6150.

VII. onmzion,
BY '.1‘IMO'£‘I‘IY BIGIELOVV, ESQ;

VIII. ANT1~IEM--—-“ MIGHTY JEI~IOVAI~I.”

Miglity J elmveh! zieeept onrprziises.
God, our Fntlier, 0 hear us in mercy 1
 Unto Thee we oi'i'er t11zi.nl;s{1;iving rind praise,
» ‘ For Thy goodness and kinrlness to Thy people;

For Thy ever nhouncling mercies,

We now oi‘i'er Thee our tlmnks, O Cioci 1
This day 21. nation praises Thee!

Pr:-Lise he to Thee! O God !

Thanks to Thee l t.Imnl<s he to Thee, 0 God!
0 be joyful in God, for this «Tiny,

Sing praises to Iiis name, and rejoice!

O rejoice in the birth clay of Freedoxn !

Give thanks, and praise the Lord.
0 sing praises to His holy name,
And rejoice in His mercy,

Sing to Him with the lute and harp,
Cell upon His name. and rejoice in Him,
‘With thanlcsgiving nncl with glntilness.

O sing praises nnto our Fzttlier,

O sing anal praise His holy naine.

0 he joyful in the Lord,

Sing praises unto Him, ye nations,

Sing, rejoice and bless His holy mime,
Sing praises to His name.

IX. BENEDICTIO N.

 The Music was performed by a‘ Choir selected from the Pnblie Schools, under
the direction of L. H, SOUTI-I,A_.Z_IiD, Esq. ” i