V 
 
 MR. EIGELOW'S ODATION. 
 
3^^ 
 
 \«533 
 
) JcJ-mTo-m ■ / 
 
 ORATION 
 
 DELIVERED EEFOKE THE 
 
 MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CITY OF BOSTON, 
 
 JULY 4, 1853. 
 BY 
 
 TIMOTHY BIGELOW. 
 « 
 
 TOGETIILIl WITH THE 
 
 SPEECHES AT THE DINNER IN FANEUIL HALL, 
 ON THAT OCCASION. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 185 3. 
 
 J. H. EASTBURN, CITY PRINTER, 
 
Exchange 
 
 Jill la i9oy 
 
 .<S^ 
 
 
CITY OF BOSTON, 
 
 In the Board of Matob and Aldermen, 
 
 July 6, 1853. 
 
 Voted, That the thanks of the City Council be presented to Timothy 
 BiGELOw, Esquire, for the very patriotic and interesting Oration delivered 
 by him before the Municipal Authorities of Boston, on the recent celebration 
 of the Seventy seventh 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, Mayor. 
 
 Concurred unanimously. 
 
 In Common Council, July 7, 1853. 
 HENEY J. GARDNER, President. 
 
 A true copy. 
 
 Attest: S. F. McCleary, Jr., City Clerk. 
 
INTEODUCTION. 
 
 There are various reasons why the celebration of the 
 Fourth of Julj is a matter of pecuhar interest to every citizen 
 of Boston. This place was particularly marked, during the 
 scenes preceding 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 hastening 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 March 5, 1770, was the chief act of ciuelty 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- 
 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 perusing his speech at the Faneuil Hall dinner. 
 It was thought well, however, to state this fact prominently, in 
 
6 
 
 connection •with the fullest publication of a Boston Fourth of 
 Julj 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- 
 membered. 
 
 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 ranks, 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. 
 
 * The escort was performed the present year, in a highly acceptable manner, 
 by the Artillery Regiment, under command of Colonel Robert Cowdin. A 
 list of the companies will be found on a later page. 
 
ORATIO^\ 
 
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 
 upon 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 love to solemnize. 
 
 For us, as citizens of Boston, this anniversary is 
 invested with peculiar memories and interest. We live 
 
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 kmg. 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 when 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 
 where British officers were present. They could not 
 smile when America was in tears. Hostile hands 
 might 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 
 fathers 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 a mighty trust in their hands which they 
 were determined to defend and preserve at every sacri- 
 fice and peril. 
 
 The very walls of this building are eloquent with 
 the theme of the Revolution. Faneuil Hall is our 
 possession ; and Dorchester Heights are included 
 within our borders. In our neighborhood the great 
 tragedies of Lexington and Concord were enacted; 
 and on yonder heights at Charlestown it was written 
 in words of blood, how brave and how terrible are free- 
 men when contending for liberty and home. 
 
 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 the onset was to 
 facilitate or retard the avatar of Liberty. If her sons 
 should prove faint or fearful ; if overawed and dismayed 
 
12 
 
 by the threats and tyrannical acts hurled agahist 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 g,nother 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 Thermopylce-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 ranks. They fought worthy of their high 
 lineage ; and always seemed to know that the spot 
 which they occupied, was the key to the liberties of 
 America and the world. 
 
 But to-day 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 sprinkled 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 while other nations have 
 disputed the right of succession to a throne or the 
 boundary of some petty principality, our country has 
 vindicated the rights of the people, and taken a conti- 
 nent in her grasp. She now stands forth 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 happi- 
 ness of millions. Her fortresses are the virtues of the 
 people, and her defences are established by Liberty and 
 Law. Her avenues are roads more imposing than were 
 ever the Appian or Flaminian highways: and along 
 them sweep cars of triumph laden with richer products 
 than once borne by 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 is erecting there the boundaries 
 of her dominion, she has moved yet farther westward 
 
14 
 
 and brings a new daughter into the confederacy. 
 Wherever 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 
 Indian canoe, or gliding through banks only here and 
 there occupied by the 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 unexampled 
 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 
 common memories, common interests, common laws, 
 and look forward to a common destiny. The stars in 
 
15 
 
 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 giory. 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 law; 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 traffics by 
 the Gulf 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. 
 
 The event which we this day celebrate, is the most 
 illustrious recorded in modern annals. It divides a peri- 
 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, 1776, it was 
 
16 
 
 published abroad on the free winds of Heaven, that 
 man is his own earthly master ; that he has certain 
 natural immunities and privileges which no tyrant can 
 take from him ; 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 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 Greece and 
 E-ome, on whom the marble halls of Venice and Genoa, 
 of Florence and Milan had for centuries been closed, 
 — who had since wandered a friendless exile, except 
 when she made her home in the mountains of Switzer- 
 land, — came back again to earth, more beautiful than of 
 old, and prepared to scatter new blessings on the race. 
 But her return was accompanied with suiFering 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- 
 ry of Runnymede; and they delighted to trace back 
 
17 
 
 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 Naseby, 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 exultation; 
 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 fresh 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' War ; 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 ensigns 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- 
 arch, had fought successfully against the colossal com- 
 bination formed against him ; and the battles at 
 Prague, Eossbach and Leuthen proved the valor and 
 genius of the great Frederick. In America, she had 
 wrested from France all her colonial possessions : Fort 
 Du Quesne and Fort William Henry, 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 
 
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 their union. 
 
 These then were the feelings which only thirteen 
 years previously to the Declaration of Independence, 
 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, wdth 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. 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- 
 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- 
 menced, 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 werl 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. 
 Their exiled fathers who had borne the sufferings 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 which the 
 past had given to freedom ; and they were not forgotten 
 then. Every sigh 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 pilgrimage and pain which had been taken in their 
 behalf, determined to prove their descent by defending 
 principles which patriots had suffered and died for. 
 Eair maidens presented banners whose silken folds 
 their hands had wrought, and bade those who bore 
 them to remember their sisters and loved ones at home. 
 Mothers arrayed their dearest offspring for the field. 
 They tied the scarf, and clasped the belt, and 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 throughout the land 
 there breathed a fervent aspiration that " God would 
 defend the right." Some might come back with hon- 
 
 ors, and proud gratulations would welcome their re- 
 turn. Some would come maimed and suffering, but the 
 wounds of baMe would attest their fidelity and bravery. 
 
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 mantle 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 feeling — 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 
 England must be speedily triumphant. For, Britain 
 came to the strife with mighty armies and ample 
 treasures. Rich rewards and lofty honors were prom- 
 ised to the skilful and brave. Her warriors marched 
 to battle under the inspiring memories of Blenheim, 
 Eamilies and Minden. Against this powerful nation 
 was arrayed the young forest country which aspired to 
 be free. She had no armies but such as patriotism 
 might call to the field. Her sons, if the fortunes 
 of war were on their side, would simply bear 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 and home. They knew that their 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 executed with 
 greater fortitude and daring. For, to them it was 
 appointed to call a nation into being, to dedicate a con- 
 tinent to the cause of freedom, to invade the pavilions 
 which for centuries had curtained the privileges of mon- 
 archs, and speak kindly to a prostrate world. 
 
 While therefore on this day we would pay all possi- 
 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, 
 and which imparted increased interest to the struggle. 
 The American Declaration of Independence was the 
 rich fruit of fifty centuries ripened by sunshine and 
 storm. Whatever of good had been done or spoken by 
 
23 
 
 man, every pious tliouglit and patriot act which history 
 or tradition had preserved, — the 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 "? Why 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 1 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 genius 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 Pe- 
 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. 
 Their 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 Stadthokler had 
 become hereditary, and the glory of Van Tromp, De 
 Euyter and De Witt was preserved in the records of 
 history or by the paintings of Rubens and Rembrandt. 
 At one time it seemed that England would teach a new 
 political science to 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 watch-fires on 
 the side of the Alps. She might kindle \isions of 
 coming glory before the eyes of the dying patriot. She 
 might awaken a hectic hope in the soul of the dreamy 
 politician. But this was all. Thrones were girt with 
 standing armies which 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 labor in the same house 
 of bondage in which his fathers had toiled ; to bear the 
 same bitter servitude, to shed the same scalding tears, 
 and to look 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. Founded 
 as that government is, on the utter abnegation of all 
 popular rights, it is not to be presumed that it would 
 allow the existence of a nation near its own territories 
 
 4 
 
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 wall 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 Po- 
 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. 
 When night seemed darkest, a bright morning was at 
 hand. America was working out the great problem 
 of self-government, which was eventually to reform 
 the civil polity of mankind. Providentially set apart 
 to execute a colossal task, she was invested with every 
 
27 
 
 attribute requisite to make the success splendid and 
 sure. In our own history we might 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- 
 markable interest. Europe was emerging from the 
 darkness of the middle ages, and a new and brighter 
 civilization was rising upon the wprld. The classic 
 treasures of Greece and Eome 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 ^neas, were again chanted to a listening world. 
 Thanks to the inventive genius of Guttenburg and 
 Faust, the thoughts of one became the property of 
 many ; for, the printing press had begun to scatter its 
 sibylline leaves abroad. New minstrels took up the 
 harp : New philosoj)hers entered the silent groves of 
 
28 
 
 the academy. Mariners went forth upon untried seas ; 
 for, since the discovery of the compass, no danger was 
 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 glittermg vest- 
 ments, and adorned with corals and pearls. 
 
 But, whence was the life to proceed, that was to 
 people these solitudes 1 Who were to frame its laws, 
 found its institutions, and erect its seminaries and tem- 
 ples 1 The best nien 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 teach- 
 ings of the Bible to their new abodes, and dedicate 
 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 
 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's 
 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. 
 
 The Seven Years' War, so far as it affected the 
 colonies, was eminently beneficial. The French, ante- 
 cedently, had established a chain of 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 diffi- 
 cult for our fathers to maintain their independence if 
 won ; for, if freed from England, they might 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 1763, 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, Gridley, 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 
 genius of Washington. 
 
 We reach a point, then, when America is rix3e 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 
 
81 
 
 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 sagacious in counsel, — thus an- 
 swering in a collective sense to the Grecian ideal of 
 Minerva, who Avas 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 she would 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 obstinacy of 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. 
 
 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 
 bringing this continent to the adoption of the princi- 
 ples maintained in the Declaration of Independence, 
 and by always preserving the Union 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 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- 
 
33 
 
 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- 
 tisms of Europe. They are to be propagated by carry- 
 ing out the teachings of the past, by exhibiting within 
 our own territory the advantage and excellence of 
 republican forms of government, 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 grandeur super- 
 added to its strength, has been its very exemption from 
 wars which have desolated other portions of the earth. 
 And now, when we have attained 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 1 Shall the glorious 
 hopes of humanity be thrown by us to the winds ? 
 And shall our national character and influence be haz- 
 arded simply at the promptings of sympathy 1 No ; 
 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. 
 
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 
 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 night of 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 to-day 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 thank 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 which 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 
 this we shall eventually control the world. We have 
 rivers waiting for enterprise, solitudes for life, and 
 prairies for the labor of man. The tide of population, 
 rolling 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 
 laws that prevail in our midst. Our country will thus 
 spread like the 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 who come beneath its branches, 
 and food to those who partake of the fruit which its 
 waving boughs afford. 
 
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 which 
 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 ^vill 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 knoAvn 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 ; q,nd whatever may be the 
 strength of ancient prejudices, that island must soon be 
 brought within the pale of a Christian civilization. 
 In this way shall America pay back to Asia the ser- 
 vice she rendered by the discovery of the mariner's 
 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 
 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- 
 lic, and is alive with a prosperous and happy popula- 
 tion. Almost simultaneously, the treasures of 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 
 
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 Religipn ; 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, new hopes 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 who embodied 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 
 contemplation 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 when 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 day commemorate, the brilliant blossom of cen- 
 turies, and well might the smiles of Heaven be asked 
 to rest upon the peerless flower of Liberty. 
 
 America has proved abundantly the competency of 
 free institutions to answer the wants of a j)eople. 
 
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 
 youth," 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. 
 
 While speaking of the stability of our goA'emment 
 and institutions, even though the great men be remov- 
 ed, we cannot forget to-day the tolling of the Sabbath 
 
41 
 
 bells which a few months since announced the death of 
 America's 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. When an earthquake 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. 
 Whoever 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 most fitting monitor that can speak to him of 
 the greatness and genius of Webster. 
 
 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 
 
42 
 
 of her 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 
 an influence greater than was that of Rome, or is now 
 exercised in St. Petersburg or London, is as certain as 
 that she remains true to the memories and suflferings 
 of the past, and never allows the spirit of anarchy to 
 usurp her liberties, or the spirit of discord to sunder 
 the bonds of our Union. 
 
 - The greater our country may become, the wider her 
 influence may extend, a deeper and holier interest 
 will be associated with one act and one day. There 
 Avill 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 mankind as time rolls on. They will come 
 forth from the crumbling ruins of transatlantic despot- 
 isms, to requite America for having 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, speak encouragement 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 
 thyself and thy matchless opportunities ; and thou 
 shalt become the leader of nations, and march under 
 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 hj 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. Joseph 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. Cfratitude — gratitude 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 
 
 slon like this, come up to this hall Tvithout 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 Hves, and ever will live in the hearts of his countrymen, 
 as the ablest and most efficient 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. God bless them all ! 
 
 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. 
 
 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 : — 
 
 Tlie Bay 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 responded as follows : — 
 
 Mr. 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 hy 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 commonplaces 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 afforded 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 expressed, 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 not say 
 " 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 
 amidst the perilous convulsions of States abroad, and the rapid 
 march of events at home, has left us one great theme on which 
 
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 he 
 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 PROGRESS, 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 principles — 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-Avay 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 — may be carried a great 
 deal too far, but it is not merely an innate feehng 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 Greeks 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 bhndly 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 
 maxims, 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 feeUngs, 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 sometimes 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 bj 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 remorselessly 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 is 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 Flarainian 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 pubHc largess, deeming all 
 labor servile, 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 ? 
 
 Now, 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 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 work — 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 conflict 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 daj, 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-work of confederate repub- 
 lican government: — contemplate this, and you Avill 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 imdtes us to re- 
 spect and to imitate ; — the James Otises and the Warrens, the 
 Franklins and the Adamses, the Patrick Henrys and the Jeffer- 
 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 twentj-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 Fmland 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 off, 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. While 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 Hemisphere, whose condition and for- 
 tunes it devolves upon us and our children to mould 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. 
 
 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 Judiciary — 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. Mayor — 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 Avhenever 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 diffi- 
 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 method in his progress, 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. 
 
 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 reach, 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 motion, stood in the place you now occupy, as Mod- 
 erator of " a Town 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, 1770," 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 4tli of July in 
 Boston. The 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 " 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. 
 Without the town meetings here held by our fathers in Faneuil 
 Hall, we should have had no Bunker Hill, no Declaration of In- 
 
58 
 
 dependence, no Fourth of July, no Union, and no Constitution 
 for a Convention to revise. 
 
 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 having passed into oblivion, while Independence 
 and Union have gone on expanding. For a while foreign influ- 
 ence was the great terror of all parties, though they totally differed 
 as to the source from which it was most to be feared. One party 
 was terrified at French influence, and its orators were 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 stronger and a broader Union than our fathers ever 
 hoped for. 
 
 The young men of to-day. cannot realize the efiect which the 
 apprehension of British and French influence formerly produced 
 upon parties 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 country, 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 
 free inhabitants of the United States, 17,737,505 are native 
 born, while but 2,210,828 were born in foreign countries. There 
 it is, in round numbers, seventeen miUions 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, 
 Scotland and British 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, no matter where born. Th® 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 
 foreign parents, we have but about two millions more ; so that all 
 sorts 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 it not only adds immensely to our national wealth by the 
 great living 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 Tfre deriving incalculable revenues 
 from this source. 
 
 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 
 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, and 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 new — 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 1783. 
 
 " The Spirit of Union — May it pervade our whole country." 
 
 The next regular toast was 
 
60 
 
 The Army — Born amid the fires of our revolutionary struggle ; 
 nurtured and reared on the fields of Trenton, Princeton, Mon- 
 mouth and Yorktown ; disciplined and invigorated by the victo- 
 ries of Buena Vista, Vera Cruz and Chepultepec ; the country 
 now reposes in safety on the arm of its robust manhood. 
 
 Major "VYyse was first called upon to reply to this sentiment, 
 but he being absent, Lieut. James Van VoAsr, 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 Hall consecrated by the spirits of our 
 forefathers. ^ 
 
 And I deeply regret. Sir, tljat 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 d'armee, 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 contributed 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 trackless regions of our 
 western territories, opening roads, establishing post offices, bring- 
 ing to the knowledge of the people the elements of 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 now 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 country's laurels. 
 
 The Toast-Master then read the seventh regular toast, which 
 was, 
 
 The Navy — It now 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 Charaplain, shall startle 
 the echoes of the world. 
 
 To this sentiment, J. 0. Bkadford, 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 asso- 
 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. 
 
 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 New- 
 buryport, that she went forth on her mission of conquest and 
 glory ; and I believe the facts will bear me out in asserting that 
 the achievements of that single ship, at that particular time, did 
 more than any thing else to rouse the drooping spirits of our 
 
62 
 
 countrymen and nerve with energy and power tlie 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 suffer, 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 country's altar. 
 And, sir, while we give all honor to the brave hearts and gallants 
 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, cankering 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 suffer- 
 ing amid the pestilent diseases of that deadly climate, fully warant 
 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 3Iilitia — It is the glory 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, now and forever. 
 
 The following toast was next given, to which ther'c was no 
 response. 
 
63 
 
 The Clergy — It was the highest hope and glory of our fathers 
 to secure for their posterity religious as Avell as civil freedom. 
 Let the clergy of our day see to it that the noble heritage thus 
 transmitted to us is unimpaired. 
 
 The following was the tenth regular sentiment. 
 
 Tlie G-overnor^s Council — 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 Governor of his 
 titles, they have left him his council. 
 
 To which the Hon. John C. Park, being called upon, made the 
 following response : — 
 
 Mr. Mayor, — 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 giving 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 speaker of this afternoon, as if 
 we were unwilling to break the spell by the sound of our own 
 voices. I, for one, felt as a celebrated and somewhat enthusiastic 
 European 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 inthe presence of such power!" 
 
 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. When at a certain Mass 
 Convention, at that town, (I will not say of what party,) 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 ! By kingdoms, right wheel !" The man was not 
 so crazy, after all ; he was merely indulging in a mesmeric pros- 
 
64 
 
 pective view of Young America summoning the nations of the 
 earth to wheel into the cokimn 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." To-day, when Young America 
 has been pictured extending from pole to pole, and from one hem- 
 isphere to another, we may venture to say, " 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 
 countrj^ 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," Congress directed 
 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 a mild sum- 
 mer's afternoon, they were drawn up in a hollow square on the 
 bill^side which sloped towards Boston. On their left smouldered 
 
65 
 
 tlie smoking ruins of Charlestown, and there lay the Hill, still red 
 Avith 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. 
 
 The " Manifesto " was read, and at its close the voice 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, to-day, 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 know that in foreign lands, wherever 
 the beautiful flag of our country is carried, (and indeed Sir, it is 
 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- 
 trated, every where the American officer is respected and cher- 
 ished as the fit representative of a nobly 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 — May 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. Park's speech. Sailing Master, F. W. 
 MoORES, United States Navy, rose and said : — 
 
66 
 
 Mr. Mayor, — After what has been said, I cannot remain 
 silent. 
 
 The Mayor, — " We shall be pleased to hear you, sir." 
 
 An action has been threatened against you, Sir, for calling on 
 another, after the 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. 
 
 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, in behalf of the Navy, to respond. In doing this, I 
 will detain you, fellow citizens, but a moment. The very kind 
 remarks which have been ojBfered, have inspired me with feelings 
 which call up the recollectioii 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 Avas seen 
 waving at 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 hope — 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 Bay — His 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. 
 
 This was responded to by Timothy BigeloW, Esq., the Orator, 
 as follows : — 
 
 Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen, — 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. 
 Still it is well for us to be here to-day. So many interesting 
 associations, connected with the origin and progress of the Revo- 
 lution are attached to this Hall, that it is impossible for Ameri- 
 cans to find a more fitting place wherein to celebrate this anni- 
 versary. These walls have listened to the voices of Otis and 
 Adams, of Hancock, Quincy and 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 these walls, 
 and speak to us to-day, 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 vigilant is the price of liberty," and, if we are faithless 
 to our trust, we shall have to answer at the tribunal of 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 whirlwinds of the Revolution, and the child was the spirit 
 of universal freedom. 
 
 Our principles are finally destined to be every where triumphant. 
 The time has been when the Roman Eade 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 marked by blood and devasta- 
 tion, such as tracked the footsteps of an Alexander or a Gengis- 
 khan, but by the spread of peaceful influences, and the triumph 
 of happiness and prosperity. It brings joy in place of sorrow, 
 and scatters light where darkness has prevailed. Let us look 
 forward to the glad day, when the principles born in America shall 
 extend throughout 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. 
 
 We recall to-day with grateful interest the sufferings and sac- 
 rifices of our fathers, and the trials they endured in our behalf. 
 Their 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. 
 Their names are entwined, by the hands of patriotism, with the 
 amaranth of immortality, and they are written upon every beau- 
 tiful hill-side and every flourishing metropolis throughout the land. 
 Though hidden from sight, their virtues still continue to speak to 
 us, as these flowers will yet emit their fragrance even when dark- 
 ness conceals them from view. 
 
 Permit me to Sfive, in conclusion, the followino; sentiment : — 
 
68 
 
 The Fathers of the Revolution — They dedicated America to 
 Liberty, and gave their country to mankind. 
 
 . The next toast was, 
 
 The PAST Mayors of the City of Boston — ^^assed them, but 
 never cleclined them. They declined themselves. We hope they 
 won't decline now. 
 
 The Hon. JosiAn Quinct, Jr. responded in a brief and felici- 
 tous speech, giving as a sentiment: 
 
 Yankee Boodle — The true American march — proving that the 
 regular step is not inconsistent with the most rapid progress. 
 
 The next regular toast was, 
 
 Kentucky, — Kentucky mourns her Clay, Massachusetts her 
 Webster. To-day they bend together in reverence over the 
 tombs of their illustrious sons. 
 
 General Leslie Combs, 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 cannot be given. 
 
 Mr. Mayor, — I am quite unexpectedly called upon to speak 
 on this occasion. As the sentiment just announced declares, 
 Kentucky mourns her Clay, and Massachusetts her Webster, 
 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 
 awaked one common feeling of sorrow in every State throughout 
 the Union. 
 
 Forty years ago I fought on the banks of the Maumee. At 
 that time, 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 
 afford no parallel. The old horse-teams, with which our fathers 
 were familiar, have been transplanted by the railroad cars ; 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 JMexico will be so intimately connected 
 that no disunion-spirit can ever sunder the bonds that unite them. 
 The Falls of Niagara will themselves give forth the music that 
 celebrates this holy alliance. 
 
 I feel that the Union of these States is a matter of paramount 
 importance. Nothing can be dearer to the heart of a patriot than 
 this. I came to Boston with a view partly to look after certain 
 jDroperty 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- 
 mencement 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. No man 
 can be called a patriot, who will not willingly contend, in every 
 hour of danger, for his native land. We are the freemen of 
 America ; let us ever prove ourselves worthy of our noble 
 ancestry ! 
 
 The fourteenth regular sentiment, given by the Toast-Master, 
 was. 
 
70 
 
 Louisiana — 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. 
 His 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. 
 
 Mr. Mayor and Fellow Citizens, — I am proud to be here 
 to-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 Bunker 
 Hill. 
 
 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 Hill, — 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 heights, — and 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 dear 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 have an undying regard for the union of these States, and so 
 should every 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 attained only 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 the name 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 mea of Boston and New Or- 
 leans shall not glory in the same memories^ and look forward to 
 the same hopes. 
 
 The next toast was, 
 
 Illinois — 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 Ilhnois, who gave, as a sen- 
 timent, 
 
 Boston, the City of the Pilgrims — 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 extensive 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 
 Portsmouth. 
 
 Boston and Portsmouth — The 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 Superintendent of our Public Schools — The munificence 
 of the City has amply enriched his bishopric. 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 office 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 
 church to commemorate this eventful day in our history. 
 
 But I must not say more, for I would not efface, iii any degree, 
 the delightful impressions which their sweet music has left upon 
 us all. In closing, I offer the following sentiment : — 
 
 The Cldldren 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 Cliarlestoum — It has its historian and its monu- 
 ment. — We should like to hear 3Iair (Mayor) of them. 
 
 Hon. R. Frothingham, Jr., Mayor of Charlestown, responded 
 to this sentiment in a short speech. 
 
 The memory of Daniel Webster. 
 
 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 Common Council of the City of Boston — 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, 1630, prepared and signed the 
 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 1T76, 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, kin- 
 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, i;^joice, it was still 
 rejoicing accompanied with responsibilities and duties, as stern 
 and real as those our fathers partook of and accomplished. It 
 was our duty to cherish, extend and strengthen what they, amid 
 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 
 
74 
 
 Isaac of old, would lie bound and helpless on tlie altar of 
 sacrifice. 
 
 Mr. Gardner expressed his unwillingness longer to detain the 
 assembly, and concluded bj offering as a sentiment, 
 
 The true idea of a nation — Individual equality, guarded and 
 restrained by universal education. 
 
 Mr. Gardner then proposed, 
 
 The Chief Marshal of the Day — Though not a martial man, 
 he knows how to marshal men. 
 
 This sentiment was responded to, in a happy manner, by 
 George R. Sampson, Esq., who offered in conclusion, as a senti- 
 ment, 
 
 Young America — While rushing on, with hot haste, to the 
 future, let her not forget there are lessons of wisdom in the past. 
 
 The next regular 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. Joseph Cummings replied. 
 
 The next toast was. 
 
 The Reader of the Declaration of Independence — He is 
 always a welcome guest at our civic feast, on the t^ourth of July, 
 who has read to us again the immortal charter of American 
 Liberty. 
 
 This was responded to by A. 0. Allen, Esq., as follows : 
 
 Mr. Chairman, — At this late hour, and when so much has 
 been said appropriate to the occasion, and worthy of the reputa- 
 tions of the distinguished gentlemen to whom we have listened 
 
75 
 
 this afternoon with more than pleasure, I will not detain jou 
 longer, or attempt more than merely to offer a sentiment ; and 
 therefore I would give : 
 
 The Patriots of our Revolution — 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 following : 
 
 The Union — 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 Municipal Government of the City of Boston — May the 
 good feeling extended to our volunteer militia by them be appre- 
 ciated by their united and hearty support in sustaining the laws, 
 whether acting in a civil or military capacity. 
 
 Otis Kimball, Esq. gave : 
 
 Independence Bay — The altar on which all differences of polit- 
 ical opinion are annually laid aside, and at which renewed prom- 
 ises are made to the Constitution and devotion to the Union. 
 
 The following volunteer toasts were read : 
 
 Tennessee — The Sixteenth Star in our Union. None shall 
 question her patriotism while the name of Jackson is remembered. 
 
 Education — 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. 
 
 Ungland-^'Next to the name and fame of our own country, 
 we cherish those of England. Our mission is the same, to extend 
 constitutional liberty throughout the world. 
 
 The Constitutional Convention — 
 
 " Some said let's have it ; others said no ; 
 Some said it might do good ; others, not so." 
 
 The City of Lynn — Its fame shall last through all {awl} time. 
 
76 
 
 The following letters were received bj the Committee of Ar- 
 rangements : — 
 
 commonwealth of massachusetts. 
 
 Executive Departaient, ) 
 
 Council Chamber, June 21th, 1853. ] 
 
 Gentlemen, — 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. 
 
 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 oflBcial 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 " Faneuil Hall." 
 I am, with great respect. Gentlemen, 
 
 Your obliged friend and fellow citizen, 
 
 JOHN H. CLIFFORD. 
 
 To Messrs. Benjamin Seaver, James Whiting, Peter C. Jones, 
 George W. Warren, Robert Cowdin, Committee, &c. &c. 
 
 Boston, July 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. 
 
 Seventy-seven years have passed since the Declaration was 
 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 their aggregate 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 iittle 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 
 Commissioners, of the highest rank, accomplishment and science, 
 coming over in her Majesty's frigate Leander, to take part in 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 Hellespont. 
 
 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. 
 
 Permit me, gentlemen, to conclude this somewhat desultory 
 note by proposing as a sentiment for the occasion — 
 
 Our Country — May her only contention or rivalry with Great 
 Britain hereafter be, — which shall do most towards promoting the 
 progress of art and science, and which shall most effectively ad- 
 vance the peace, prosperity and freedom of the hum.an family. 
 
 Believe me, gentlemen, 
 
 Very faithfully yours, 
 
 EOB'T C. WINTHROP. 
 
 Hon. B. Seaver, James Whiting, P. C. Jones, George W. 
 Warren, Robert Cowdin, 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 Railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific — 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 Independence. 
 May the day soon come. 
 
 BeUeve me, dear sir, 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 CHARLES SUMNER. 
 
 Hon. Benj. Seaver, Mayor, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 MILITARY ESCORT. 
 Under the command of Colonel Robert Cowdin. 
 
 Co. B, Light Dragoons, .... Capt. Isaac Hull Wright. 
 
 boston brass band. 
 
 Co. C, Washington Artillery, 
 Co. G, Bay State Artillery, 
 Co. E, American Artillery, 
 Co. B, Columbian Artillery, 
 Co. H, Webster Artillery, . 
 Co. D, Roxbury Artillery, . 
 Co. A, Boston Artillery, . 
 
 Capt. W. W. Bullock. 
 Capt. M. A. McCafFerty. 
 Capt. D. A. Granger. 
 Capt. Thomas Cass. 
 Capt. E. W. Hincks. 
 Capt. I. S. Burrill. 
 Oapt. Thomas H. Evans. 
 
rtret of <Sttl3ices 
 
 AT THE 
 
 OLD SOUTH CHURCH 
 
 BEFORE THE 
 
 saifY s © Qo El ® a Oa ®p ©©stopj, 
 
 OK THE 
 
 SEVENTY-SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY 
 
 JULY 4th, 1853. 
 
 I. VOLUNTARY BY THE BRASS BAND. 
 
 II. CHANT. 
 
 1 . Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle 1 Or who shall rest upon Thy 
 holyhiin 
 
 2. Even he that leadeth an uncorrupted life, and doeth the thing which is right, 
 and speaketh the truth from his heart. 
 
 3. He that hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbor ; 
 and hath not slandered his neighbor. 
 
 4. He that sitteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes ; and maketh 
 much of them that fear the Lord. 
 
 5. He that promiseth to his neighbor, 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. Whoso doeth these things, shall never fall. Amen. Amen. 
 
 III. PRAYER, 
 
 BY REV. JOSEPH CUMMINGS. 
 
 IV. SONG— "THE UNION." 
 A song for our banner, the watchword recall, 
 Which gave the Republic her station, 
 " United we stand, divided we fall !" 
 It made and preserved us a nation. 
 
 The Union of lakes, the Union of lands, 
 The Union of hearts, the Union of hands. 
 And the Flag of our Union forever. 
 
 What God in his infinite wisdom has joined. 
 And armed with Republican thunder, 
 Not all earth's despots, or fiictions combined. 
 Have the power to sever or sunder. 
 
 The Union of lakes, the Union of lands, 
 The Union of hearts, the Union of hands. 
 And tlic Flag of our Union forever. 
 
80 
 
 V. EEADING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, 
 
 BY A. O. ALLEN, ESQ. 
 
 VI. HYMN— "NATIONAL GRATITUDE." 
 
 Let every heart rejoice and sing, 
 
 Let choral anthems rise ; 
 Ye rev'rend men and children, bring 
 
 To God your sacrifice ; 
 For He is good, the Lord is good. 
 
 And kind are all his ways ; 
 "With songs and honors sounding loud, 
 
 Tlie Lord Jehovah praise. 
 While the rocks and the rills, 
 
 While the vales and the hills, 
 One glorious anthem raise, 
 
 Let each prolong the grateful song. 
 And the God of our fathers pi-aise. 
 
 He bids the sun to rise and set ; 
 
 In heaven His power is known; 
 And earth, subdued to ilim, shall yet 
 
 Bow low before His throne ; 
 For He is good, &c. 
 
 VIL ORATION, 
 
 BY TIMOTHY BIGELOW, ESQ. 
 
 VIII. ANTHEM—" MIGHTY JEHOVAH." 
 
 Mighty Jehovah ! accept our praises. 
 
 God, our Father, O hear us in mercy ! 
 
 Unto Thee we offer thanksgiving and praise. 
 
 For Thy goodness and kindness to Thy people ; 
 
 For Thy ever abounding mercies, 
 
 We now offer Thee our thanks, God ! 
 
 This day a nation praises Thee! 
 
 I'raise be to Thee ! God ! 
 
 Thanks to Thee ! thanks be to Thee, God ! 
 
 O be joyful in God, for this day, 
 
 Sing praises to His name, and rejoice ! 
 
 rejoice in the birth day of Freedom ! 
 
 Give thanks, and praise the Lord. 
 
 O sing praises to His holy name, 
 
 And rejoice in His mercy, 
 
 Sing to Him with the lute and harp. 
 
 Call upon His name, and rejoice in Him, 
 
 With tlianksgiviug and with gladness. 
 
 sing praises unto our Father, 
 
 O sing and praise His holy name. 
 
 O be joyful iu the Lord, 
 
 Sing praises unto Him, ye nations. 
 
 Sing, rejoice and bless His holy name, 
 
 Sing praises to His name. 
 
 IX. BENEDICTION. 
 
 The Music was performed by a Choir selected from the Public Schools, under 
 the direction of L. H. Southard, Esq. 
 
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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