Qass Vt^ — Book -C 5C 3 1\ CONSTITUTION OF TUK CAPE COD ASSOCIATION, AN ACCOUNT CELEBRATION OF ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY, AT BOSTON. NOVEMBER 11 tu, 1851 BOSTON: 18 52. EASTB URN'S PRESS / ^i CONSTITUTION CAPE COD ASSOCIATION, AN ACCOUNT CELEBRATION OF ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY, AT BOSTON. N O V E Jl B E R 1 1 T H , 18 5 1. o2.f [PTBLISII Kl> nv ORDKK OF THK ASSOCIATION.] B O vS T N : 18 5 2. E A R T p. U R \ ' s r u r. S s . iti THE CAPE COD ASSOCIATION. A very general desire having been for some time expressed among the sons and descendants of Cape Cod, residents of Boston and vicinity, that there should be some more direct and agreeable method than had before existed, for bringing into acquaintance, and familiar, social communion, all those who claim a common Cape Cod origin ; a meeting was called, at the American House, with a view to the adoption of some measures for the accomplishment of that desired end. A goodly number of gentlemen, natives of the dillerent towns of the Cape, having been thus assembled, on the evening of Feb- ruary 10th, 1851, after general consultation and interchange of sentiment upon the subject, it was determined to organize a society for the purposes above indicated ; and, accordingly, a Committee was appointed to prepare articles of association and a Constitution, for the consideration of a future meeting, to be called by the Committee when they shall be ready to report. The Committee appointed as above, having publicly called a meeting of those interested, agreeably to their instructions, a large assembly was consequently gathered at Cochituate Hall, on the evening of May 12th, 1851. At this meeting the Hon. Francis Bassctt was called to preside, and Charles Mayo, Esq., appointed Secretary. The Hon. Benjamin F. Hallett, chairman of the Committee before mentioned, then reported to the meeting a form oi Association, and a Const i- tution for its government, which after some discussion was unanimously adopted, and the Association was then, in con- formity to the provisions of that Constitution, organized hy the election of the following gentlemen as its officers for the first year, viz. : PRESIDENT, DAVID SEARS. VICE PRESIDENTS, WILLIAM STURGIS, LEMUEL SHAW, DANIEL C. BACON, BENJAMIN BANGS, PRINCE HAWES, BENJAMIN BURGESS, BENJ. F. HALLETT, JOSHUA SEARS, FRANCIS BASSETT, ROBERT BACON, THOMAS THACHER, S. K. LOTHROP, JOHN G. PALFREY. TREASURER, ISAAC THACHER. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY HENRY A. SCUDDER. RECORDING SECRETARY, WILLIAM S. THACHER. CONSTITUTION or TlIK CAPE COD ASSOCIATION IN BOSTON. Its Object. To encourage and promote among all the native born and descended of Cape Cod,— temperance, industry, sin- cerity, good humor, charity, the social affections and generous sentiments. Article I. All natives of Cape Cod, and their descendants, who are resi- dents of Boston and its vicinity, may become members on signing the Constitution, and conforming to the By-Laws. Each member shall pay three dollars, on admission, for the first year, and there- after three dollars annually, so long as he shall continue a member. Article II. Any person paying fifty dollars shall become a Hfe member, and may direct to what object of the Association his subscription shall be appropriated; and whenever five hundred dollars shall be raised by life subscriptions or donations, it shall be set apart as a fimd, to 'be appropriated as the xVssociation may direct by its By- Laws, with the consent of such life subscribers and donors. Article III. The Officers of the Association shall consist of a President, thirteen Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, a Recording Secretary, and a Corresponding Secretary. The Board of Officers shall constitute a Standing Committee, a majority of whom shall forai a quonim for business, and may hold meetings at such times as they may appoint. They shall annually, at their first meeting, elect an Executive Committee of four, to manage the concerns of the Association, and to recommend such measures as they shall think proper for the general benefit, of which Committee the Trca.surer and Secretaries shall be additional members, ex officio. Article IV. The Board of Officers may form By-Laws for the management of the concerns of the Association, which shall take efifect if adopted at any regular meeting of the Association by a vote of two-thirds present. Article V. The Eecording Secretary shall keep a correct account of the proceedings of the Association, and of the Board of Officers, which shall be open to the inspection of the members. The Cor- responding Secretary shall make and preserve all communications and matters of interest to the Association. The Treasurer shall keep the money and funds of the Association, and pay out the same in pursuance of the orders of the Executive Committee, and render an account thereof annually at a meeting of the Asso- ciation. Article VI. An Annual Meeting for the choice of Officers and transaction of business shall be held on the eleventh of November, the anni- versary of the adoption of the first written Constitution of Govern- ment among men, which was framed on board the Mayflower, in the harbor of Provincetown, 1620. Quarterly meetings shall be held on the eleventh days of February, May and August. Article VII. The Quarterly Meeting in August may be held at any place on Cape Cod which the Board of Officers shall designate. Article VIII. The receipts beyond the necessary expenses of the Association shall be invested by the Treasurer, to be reserved for a fund that shall be appropriated and applied, at such time, and for such gen- eral purpose or definite object, as the Association, at an Annual Meeting, shall devise by some provision in amendment of the Con- stitution. Voluntary subscriptions and donations shall be received and appropriated in aid of such fund. Article IX. The regular meetings of the Association shall be notified by publication in some newspaper in Boston, and the members pres- ent shall constitute a quorum for transacting business. The Con- stitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the Associa- tion by a vote of two-thirds present, provided notice of such amendment shall have been given to the Board of Officers at a meeting of the Board previous to the meeting of the Association at which such proposed amendment shall be considered ; but no amendment of the Constitution shall be made unless at least twenty-five members present shall vote for such amendment. Article X. All persons who have subscribed the agreement to form this Association shall become members on signing this Constitution, as is provided in the first Article ; and thereafter, any person com- ing within the rule of membership, who shall present his name to any member of the Executive Committee, shall be admitted a member of the Association on the approval of the Executive Com- mittee, and on complying with the provisions of the first Article. Article XI. Honorary members may be admitted by a vote of the Associa- tion at any regular meeting. Article XII. The names of members who shall have neglected to pay their annual subscriptions for more than one year, or who do not com- ply with the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws, shall be reported annually by the Treasurer, and shall be stricken from the list of members, or suspended, if the Association shall so direct by their vote. Article XIII. Any member who shall have paid the sum of fifty dollars in annual subscriptions or otherwise, shall be entitled, if in needful circumstances, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, to receive that amount from the Association, at such tunes and in such sums as the Executive Committee may direct ; and the like sum shall be paid, in like manner, to the widow or children of a deceased member who shall have paid in the sum of fifty dollars, if left in needful circumstances. LIST OF OFFICERS OF THE CAPE COD ASSOCIATION 1852. PRESIDENT, DAVID SEARS. VICE PRESIDENTS, WILLIAM STURGIS, LEMUEL SHAW, DANIEL C. BACON, BENJAMIN BANGS, PRINCE HAWES, BENJAMIN BURGESS, BENJ. F. HALLETT, JOSHUA SEARS, FRANCIS BASSETT, ROBERT BACON, THOMAS THACHER, S. K. LOTHROP. JOHN G. PALFREY. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, ISRAEL LOMBARD, HENRY CROCKER, HENRY C. BROOKS, ISAIAH M. ATKINS, Jr. TREASURER, ISAAC THACHER. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY, HENRY A. SCUDDER. RECORDING SECRETARY, WILLIAM S. THACHER. LIFE MEMBERS. Bacon, Daniel C. Bacon, Francis Bacon, Robert Baker, Ezra H. Baker, Richard, Jr. Bassett, Francis Bonrnc, E. A. Brooks, Henry C. Crowell, Nathan Davis, Barnabas Davis, James Hallet, G. W. Homer, Fitzhenry Howes, Osborn Howes, Willis Lombard, D. B. Lombard, Israel Nickcrson, Frederic Nickerson, Joseph Rich, Isaac Sears, David Sears, Paul, Jr. Shaw, Lemuel Sturgis, William Thacher, Barna. Thacher, Isaac Thacher, William S. MEMBERS Atkins, Elisha Atkins Ephraim Atkins, Henry Atkins Isaiah Atkins Isaiah Malcolm, J r. Atkins I. M. . Atwood, Hawes Bacon, Daniel C. . Bacon, Eben . Bacon, Francis Bacon, George Bacon, John H. Bacon, Robert Bacon, Thomas C. Bacon, William B. . Baker, Albert . Truro. Wellfleet. Barnstable. Dennis. 10 Baker, Ezra H. Baker, John W. Baker, Joshua Baker, Judah . Baker, Richard Baker, Richard, jr. Bangs, Benjamin Bangs, Elkanah Bangs, George P. Bangs, Isaiah Bangs, William A. Bangs, William H. Bassett, Francis Beal, Alexander Bearse, Owen Bourne, E. A. Brooks, Henry C. Burgess. Benjamin Burgess, B. F. Chase, Erastus Chase, Luther S. Chase, Nathan Chessman, D. F. Chessman, W. H. Chipman, Walter Clark, Alvan . Clark, Lot Clark, Thacher, Jr. Cobb, Elijah . Cobb, E. Winslow Cobb, Matthew Collins, James H. Collins, Joshua C. Congdon, James Bunker Crocker, Henry- Crocker, Henry H. * Crocker, Roland R. Crocker, Uriel Crocker, William A. Crosby, E. C. Crowell, Henry G. Crowell, Nathan Crowell, Nathan, Jr., Dennis. Barnstable. Dennis. Truro. Brewster. Harwich. Brewster. a Dennis. Barnstable. a Sandwich. Harwich. Sandwich. Harwich. a Dennis. Barnstable. Harwich. Breioster. Dennis. BreiDster. Ba?'7isiable. Easthain. a Falmouth. Barnstable. Falmouth. Bartistable. II Brewster. Yarmouth. a Dennis. * Pierl suddenly, at New Bedford, Jan. 12, 1852, aged 82 years. 11 Crowcll, Philander . Crowell, Scth K. . CroAvcll, Timothy . Davis, Adolphus Davis, Barnabas Davis, CJiarles Henry Davis, Ebenezer Davis, George T. . Davis, James . Davis, James W. Davis, John W. Davis, Joseph A. Davis, S. G. . Dimmock, John L. Doane, John, jr., Easterbrook, William Eldridge, Oliver Eldridge, Samuel . Ellis, Abner . Ewer, Charles Fessenden, Sewell H. Freeman, Watson . Freeman, William . Freeman, William F. Gibbs, Alexander . Gibbs, Joshua, 3d, . Gibbs, Nathan B. Goodspeed, Levi L. Gray, Thomas Gray, Thomas W. Gross, Isaac S. Gross, Jaazaniah Hall, James Hall, William C. . Hallett, B. F. Hallet, G. W. Hallett, Henry L, . Hamblen, David Hamlen, Nathaniel Harding, Nathaniel Yarmouth. Barnstable. Truro. Barnstable. Orleans. Barnstable. Yarmouth. Sandwich. Barnstable. Sandwich. (( Brewster. (( Sandwich. Sandioich. Barnstable. Truro. Barnstable. Dennis. Barnstable. Yarmouth. Barnstable. Wclljlcct. Eastham. Truro. 12 Hardy, Alpheus Hatch, A. D. HaweSj Charles H. Hawes, J. P. . Hawes, Prince Higgins, John S. . Hinckley, Benjamin Hinckley, David Hinckley, William Holbrook, Henry A. Holbrook, Joseph . Homer, Fitzhenry . Hopkins, Franklin . Howes, Barzillai Howes, Osborn Howes, Willis Huckins, Francis . Huckins, James W. Jenkins, James Jones, Eliphalet Knowles, Thomas Krogman, Samuel B. Lewis, Nathan Lewis, Simeon H. Lincoln, Henry Lincoln, William Lombard, D. B. Lombard, Israel Lombard, Israel, Jr. Lombard, Thomas Loring, Charles Loring, Elisha T. Lothrop, Samuel K Lovejoy. Loyal Matthews, Nathan Mayo, Charles Munroe, James Myrick, James H. Newcomb, Warren Nickerson, Eben Chalham, Falmouth. Yarmouth. Wellfieet. Tf^uro. Barnstable. Dennis. Wellfieet. Yarmouth, Brewster. Dennis. Barnstable. Falmouth. Sandwich. Eastham. Barnstable. u Falmouth. Truro. ii i( u Barnstable. Yarmouth. Brewster. Barnstable. Brewster. Truro. Provincetown. 13 Nickersoii, Edward G. Nickerson, Frederic Nickerson, F. A. Nickerson, J. S. Nickerson, Joseph . Nickerson, Pliny Nickerson, Thomas Otis, William Foster Palfrey, John G. Parker, Isaac H. Parker, Ward M. Percival, John Perry, M. S. . Pope, John Pope, Lemuel E. Pope, Thomas B. Reed, Edward Reed, John, Jr. Rich, Isaac Rich, Sylvanus Ryder, Elisha H. Ryder, George G. Scudder, Alexander Sciidder, H, A. Scudder, Harvey Scudder, P. W. Sears, David . Sears, Joshua . Sears, Nathan F. Sears, Paul, Jr. Sears, Phillip H. Sears, Willard Shaw, Joseph P. Shaw, Lemuel Shurtleff, Nath'l B, Simpkins, S. G. Smith, Daniel C. Smith, Henry Smith, .John T. Smith, Joseph Smith, Oliver Provincetown. Brewster. Harwich. Brewster. Barnstable. Falmouth. it Barnstable. Brewster. Sandwich. Yarmouth. u Welljleet. n Chatham. u Barnstable. Chatham. Yarmouth. Brewster. Dennis. a Yarm,outh. Eastham. Barnstable. Brewster. Welljleet. Barnstable. Breivster. Welljleet. Eastham. 14 Smith, Stephen Barnstable. Snow, Franklin .... Orleans. Stevens, Levi F Truro. Sturgis, William .... Barnstable. Swett, Samuel . . . . C( Thacher, Barna Yarmouth. Thacher, Charles A. . . . (( Thacher, Edward .... (I Thacher, George C. . . . u Thacher, H. C (( Thacher, Isaac, .... (C Thacher, Matthew (( Thacher, Thomas .... li Thacher, Thomas .... (( Thacher, William S. . il Tobey, Seth Dennis. Waterman, Foster .... Barnstable. Wells, Francis .... Truro. Wood, Charles L Falmouth. Wood, James B a Williams, Joseph Otis Barnstable. Williams, Robert B. . . . Sandwich. Winslow, Elisha D. . . . Brewster. Winslow, Roland .... K 15 The First Anniversary of the Cape Cod Association was held at Assembly Hall, in Boston, on the evening of Novem- ber 11th, 1S51. The Hall had been decorated for the occasion, under the direction of the Committee of Arrangements. The flags of every nation were judiciously arranged as drapery, and a large number of colors were kindly furnished for the occasion by Commodore Downes, from the Navy Yard at Charlestown. Over the entrance, inside the hall, and extending along the whole of that end of the room, was a beautifully painted in- scription of the name of the Association, from the centre of which, wreaths of blue and red drapery converged, and sur- rounded the upper part of the walls of the room. On each side of the entrance were these mottoes : On the left— '■ Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Wlio never to liimself has said, This is my own, my native land." On the right — " No sea but what is vexed by their fisheries. No climate that is not witness to their toils. Neither the perseverance of Hol- land, nor the activity of France, nor the dexterous and firm sagacity of Enghsh enterprizc, ever carried this most perilous mode of hardy industry to the extent to which it has been pushed by this hardy people." — Speech of Edmund Burke, March 22, 1775. At the farther extremity of the Hall was suspended a large map of the Cape, beautifully painted for this occasion, with the May-Flower represented upon its surface as lying at anchor in Provincetown Harbor ; and a copy of the following com- pact : Social Compact of our Pilgrim Fathers, sif/ncd on hoard thr Mayflower, in Cape Cod Harhor, 11 Nov., 1G20. In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are vnderwrit- ten, the loyall subjects of onr dread Sovereign Lord, Kixr. 16 James, by the Grace of God of Great Brltaine, France and re- land, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having vnder taken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith, and honor of our King and Countrey, a voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern parts of Virginia, doe, by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the name of God and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civill body poll tike, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid ; and by vertue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such juste and equall Lawes, ordinances, acts, constitutions, offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony : unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In wit- ness whereof we herevnder subscribed our names. Cape Cod, 11 of November, in the yeare of the raigne of our Sovereigne Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, 18, and of Scot- land 54. Anno Domini, 1620. John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, Isaac Allerton, Miles Standish, John Alden, Samuel Fuller, Moses Fletcher, Gilbert Winslow, Edward Tilley, John Ridgdale, John Turner, James Chilton, John Goodman, Thomas Wilhams, Peter Brown, George Soule, Richard Gardiner, Thomas English, Edward Leister, Stephen Hopkins, John Howland, William White, Richard Warren, Francis Cook, Thomas Rogers, Thomas Tinker, John Billington, Christopher Martin, William Mullins, John Tilley, Edward Fuller, Francis Eaton, John Crackston, Degory Priest, Edmund Murgeson, Richard Britterige, Pvichard Clarke, .John Allerton, Edward Dorey. Along the side of the room were collected many articles of rare and curious interest, sent forward on this occasion by their respective proprietors for the inspection of the assem- bled company, which attracted the attention and admiration of all. Among these articles was the celebrated Brewster Chest, a detailed account of which was given by the venera- 17 ble Rev, Dr. Robbins, of Hartford, in whose possession it now remains. A cradle, now belonging to Peter Thacher, Esq., of Yarmouth, of most elaborate and solid workmanship — made of the most durable materials, and with the aid of no instrument but a simple jack-knife — was inherited from Anthony Thacher, whose memorable shipwreck is so univer- sally known. A blanket accompanied the cradle, in which Peregrine White, the first born of Cape Cod, was wrapped. A piece of the pear tree planted by Governor Prence, on his estate at Eastham, was also exhibited. The Chair was canopied with American and English ensigns, and from the front was suspended a cod fish. Behind, the model of the beautiful ship Game Cock was placed — above which were hung original portraits of James Otis and his wife. Placed between the windows, occupying the entire panels of the room, were the portraits of distinguished natives of Cape Cod — among which were those of Samuel Allyne Otis, Rev. John Simpkins and wife, Elder Samuel Prence, Mercy, daughter of Gov. Hinckley, Mrs. Mary Gray, Dr. Savage and his wife, Mrs. Shaw, Rev. Dr. Freeman, William Henry Sav- age, Mercy, wife of Sylvanus Bourne, Solicitor General Da- vis, Judge Daniel Davis, Capt. John Crocker, Judge Thacher, Charles Hallett and his wife, Capt. John Eldridge, Jonathan Hallett, David Crocker, Benjamin Hallett, Elisha Doane, George Hallett, Gen. Elijah Cobb, John Gray, Abner Davis, Thomas W. Sears, Benjamin Rich, George Thacher and Lemuel Pope. The tables were arranged with great taste and judgment, for the accommodation of a thousand persons — and the bril- liant display of flowers throughout their whole extent added much to the splendor of the scene. At five o'clock, the President of the Association, with the Invited Guests, were introduced into the hall by the Com- mittee of Reception, and took their scats on an elevated plat- form at the side of the room. The members of the Associa- tion, with the ladies accompanying them, who numbered jionrlv one-half of the Assembly, then entered, imder direc- 18 tion of the efficient marshals, and took their seats amid the music of Flagg's Brass Band. A brief and very eloquent appeal to Heaven was made by Rev. Dr. Smalley, of Worcester ; and the regard of the com- pany was then given to the collation provided by J. B. Smith, which gave thorough satisfaction to all. After a short interval occupied in satisfying the appetite, the attention of the Assembly was requested by the President, who said — Gentlemen and Members of the Cape Cod Association; We are assembled here to-day to celebrate the First Anni- versary of our Institution. It is pleasant to look around us and see so many of the wise, the distinguished, and the honored among our citizens, who claim to be native born, or can trace their origin to good old Cape Cod of Massachusetts Bay. It is pleasant too, on this occasion, to have the presence and encouragement of the fair daughters of those heroic mothers who shared with our fathers in their trials, privations and dangers. It is indeed a goodly gathering of the Pilgrim Cape. Our Association was instituted on the 12th of May last, and the 11th of November selected for our anniversary, in honor of a day of solemn and impressive character, and well worthy of record — tJie day of the adoption of the first written constitu- tion among men, decreed and signed on board the Mayflower, in the harbor of Provincetown, in 1620. It is not necessary that I should here trouble you with the reading of our Constitution. I presume you are all acquaint- ed with it. But I will call your attention to one of its prin- cipal features — the charity fund — founded on liberal principles and placed under the control of the officers of the Associa- tion. If carried out, as it may be, in an effective manner, it will redound to the honor of its patrons, and be of extensive usefulness. The object of the Association, as you find it recorded in the certificates of membership, is " To encourage and pro- 19 mote among all the native born, and descended of Cape Cod, temperance, industry, sincerity, good humor, charity, the social affections, and generous sentiments," and to teach its members who their ancestors were, in order that they may emulate what their ancestors did. For admission, no relig- ious test is required, no political creed demanded, but every one will take his brother by the hand and give him a cordial welcome. It is not the intention of your President to enter upon these topics. They will be fully and ably discussed in the course of the evening by others better prepared than he is to do them justice. The office to which you have chosen him, and for the honor of which he begs you to accept his ac- knowledgments, takes from him all personal identity, and makes him emphatically — The Chair — to which others must address themselves, but from which nothing is asked in re- turn — neither a toast expected, nor a speech solicited. Gentlemen : This is a social meeting — our business was finished in the morning, and the evening is left for our pleas- ure. The arrangements are such that it is hoped every one may enjoy himself according to his inclination. An abun- dant supply for an intellectual feast is to be found among the distinguished gentlemen present, but no compulsory process will be used either to elicit a sentiment or to force a speech. They will be voluntary, — and yet I feel great confidence that there will be no want of free-will offerings on the altar of social enjoyment. I therefore, without further remark, resume the Chair, and proceed to the principal objects of our meeting, and for that purpose permit me to introduce to you — Henry A. Scudder — the Orator of the day. ORATION. Allow me through you, Mr. President, to tender my ac- knowledgments to the officers and members of the Cape Cod Association, for this honor which they have conferred upon me. I can but fear, Sir, — and fearing, I can but trem- ble, under a sense of the responsibility thus imposed. For your sakes, I regret that it should have fallen to my lot, to act as the minister of this occasion, to bear the sacred vessels in your presence, and to burn the incense of gratitude and love upon the altar of our common Home. No sentiment is more deeply and universally impressed upon the human heart than the love of home. No age and no condition is insensible to its delights. Neither lapse of time, nor intervening distance, can efface that impression. The cares of manhood, with all their attending circumstan- ces, do not so choke the affections, nor occupy the memory, that we can ever forget the land of our nativity, or fail to cherish the recollection of our earlier days. When fatigued with the labors and perplexities of the passing moment, how naturally do our wandering thoughts stray homeward, in search of that beloved spot where in joyous innocence we whiled away the morning of our life. In the hour of sad- ness, when the heart grows sick, and our spirits droop within us, then at times the imagery of home comes up before the fancy, like some charming vision before the dreamer's eye, — and we gaze upon it, and we pronounce it the fairest Elysium of all the past. It matters very little where our nativity may have been 21 cast. Whether we happen to have been nurtured in the midst of a wilderness of beauty, or upon some barren rock- bound coast,' — whether the city or the country, a torrid or a frigid zone, may have been our dwelling-place, — it is the same to us. The scenes of our childhood move before us in after years, in all the verdure and freshness and gaiety of spring ; making strong the heart of summer with its heat and toil, beguiling the cares and duties of autumnal life, and even cheering the winter of our declining age. The hovel of the poor man and the palace of the rich are equally enchanting. The philosopher muses over the picture with rapturous de- light, and the unlettered man looks back upon it with emo- tions which can find no utterance in words. There are peculiar associations connected with the earliest recollections of life. No castle was ever so magnificent as the house where we were born. No table groaning with abundance is half so bounteous now as that where we sat down in childhood. No times were ever so momentous as when we frolicked through the giddy hours, and fretted at our little cares, and laid our aching heads to rest. In all which partakes of the marvelous or grand, the experience of age must yield to the reveries of youth. It is natural that it should be so. "What we see," says Carlisle, "and yet can- not see over, is as good as infinite." Amid what scenes of wondrous sublimity, therefore, must that little gentleman have lived who measured perpendicularly but three feet, six ; and mentally and physically, in like proportion. How in- comprehensible was every thing in life ; and therefore, how immense. There is no imaginary grandeur at the present day, which can compare with the vast infinitude of that hour, when the household and the homestead were to our little hearts a glorious universe, — when the over-arching vault of Heaven seemed to shut down about us like a wall of safety, whose outer edge rested upon our father's acre-lots, — and when the sheep and the oxen, grazing upon those acres, were as the "cattle upon a thousand hills." There linger also about that hallowed spot associations of a more sacred character, which we never can forget ; and 22 would not, if we could. The paternal household and its beloved members, the domestic altar, the evening and the morning prayer, the family board, its blessings craved and thanks returned, the faces of that familiar group, a father's smile, a mother's tear, all are remembered with affection. We bear these images of the past along with us wherever we may go ; — like sacred household Penates we keep them ever enshrined within the heart. In fine, the whole embodiment of home, with all its joys and sorrows, with all its scenes of magnificence and beauty, such as our childhood realized, and such as memory frequently recalls, forms to the mind a pic- ture more like a dream than like any thing in real life. It came over us like a vision, — it vanished like a vision, and it is gone from us forever. How interesting was that transition, from infancy to youth, and from youth to manhood ; when our faculties began to enlarge, our sympathies to extend, and our expanding souls reached out beyond their former circle, to embrace a larger company of kindred and acquaintance ; when we discovered that there was something beyond the curtilage of home ; when the over-arching vault of Heaven, so limited before, became a moving canopy, and we its continually moving cen- tre ; when the surrounding neighborhood became the more extended theatre of our existence ; when the social affections began to be developed, and to our infant love was superadded the sentiment of friendship. Then how the cares of life began to multiply. How other scenes crept in between us and the former nucleus of our affections. By some alluring phantom, we know not what, we were tempted away from the paternal roof. We heard no longer those voices of the past, so dear to us ; and we began to be pilgrims of the future. The world lay all before us. Its manifold depart- ments were presented to our view. We made our choice ; some to abide at home, some to go down in ships upon the deep, and some to go out from among their kindred to so- journ in other lands. A portion of those voluntary exiles, who at various times have taken their departure from the shores of Cape Cod, are 23 gathered here to-day, in this home of their adoption, to man- ifest their regard for the home of their nativity. Drawn together by a common feeling of relationship, we have formed ourselves into an association, for the purpose of culti- vating the social virtues, commemorating the history of the past, and perpetuating among our members, so far as possible, those principles which have actuated and somewhat distin- guished the iniiabitants of the Cape. Aside from the advan- tages which may hereafter arise from such an association, we have reason to rejoice in its present formation. It is an event long since anticipated, and cordially desired, by many of our distinguished citizens who were descended from the Cape ; some of whom have labored to accomplish this result, but have died Avithout success. It is, moreover, a pious duty which we thus discharge, by uniting in this spirit of filial veneration. Considering the many tics of sympathy by which we are bound, not only to each other as individuals, but to the land of our common origin, — remembering the debt of gratitude we owe to her, for the lessons of honest frugality and persevering industry which she has taught, — how fitting it is that her children, and her children's children, should thus rise up and call her blessed. I have said that it matters very little where our nativity may have been cast. As to the vision of the absent child the image of home is always pleasing, so to the eye of afiectionate remembrance all scenes are lovely which come to us in her sacred name. From the midst of this beautiful Athens of New England, we now cast our eyes across those intervening waters to our native coast, and we love her sandy cliffs, we love her sterile plains, we feel a spirit of honest pride in ac- knowledging our birthplace. Why should it not be so? Is there no grandeur here? Be- hold her, where she lies, in her ocean bed, — that great " right arm" of this noble Commonwealth. Reaching out full twenty leagues beyond the main, she seems like an everlasting breast- work, thrown up by the Almighty hand as a protection to the future commerce of mankind. To the threatening clement without she sef^ns tn say. " thus far. — thus far shnlt thou 24 come, — but no farther;" while, to the treasures within her embrace, she seems also to say, " these are my jewels, — and who is he that shall snatch them from my hand ? " Is there no beauty in this portion of the Creator's handiwork ? Visit her noble seaboard. Let yom* eyes glance along her winding bor- ders. Look in upon her pleasant harbors. Examine her islands and her inlets. And then gaze upon the broad expanse of that billowy deep which rolls along her sea-coast, where the gram- pus and the leviathan tumble at their leisure through those dark blue waters, which have been their everlasting habitations. Although untempting in her general aspect, with her barren territory and her unproductive soil, Cape Cod is rich. She is rich in her maritime advantages ; she is rich in the vigor and enterprise of her sons ; she is rich in the fruits of their indus- try ; she is rich in the virtues of social and domestic life ; rich in ancestral honors ; rich in her local history. Oh for a tongue to tell the story of that primeval race, whose dark and disfigured visages were seen darting through those forests, and fleeing the approach of the pale-face pilgrim. Oh for a living sketch of the land of Pamet, Nauset, Skeeket, Mattacheeset, and Monomoiet, — the homes and the hunting grounds of those warriors and sachems, who had roamed for centuries along those shores, in all the freedom and simplicity of nature. But it is now, alas, too late for us to investigate those early times. No vestige now remains to mark the spot where the wild man wooed the dusky maid, or trapped his game, or mingled in the dance. History cannot aid us. The light of tradition fails us. " The dews of the morning are past, and we vainly try to continue the chase by the meridian splendor." Let us then go back to the begirming of time with us, as a Nation, — to that period when civilization first visited those shores. Let us moor our bark in the waters of Cape Cod harbor ; and, now, let us roll back the scroll of ages for a little more than two centuries, until we come to that November scene of 1620 — the first, and the greatest scene, in all New England history. The place is full of eloquent suggestions. How sacred is the prospect of sea and land before us ! What hallowed associations crowd upon the mind as we look upon those waters, where first the Mayflower cast her anchor ; those shores, where first the weary pilgrim's foot found rest ; that very earth, where the first New England prayer was offer- ed ; where the first New England mother brought forth her first New England child. If to those mute but venerable witness- es of that ancient period, if to those aged hills, a voice were given to relate the story of those days, — \vith what eagerness should we listen to the narrative. Before all other heroes on American soil, I should like to have seen that patriarchal band. Before all other incidents in American history, I should choose to have beheld those primitive assemblies where John Carver, and John Alden, and Brewster, and Bradford, sat down to- gether. Mingling with their pious thank-ofl"erings for the past, I should like to have heard those words of promise and of prophecy which fell from their inspired lips. Beleaguered and betrayed by the false styled civilization of their age ; oppressed, persecuted, pursued and driven out, by the tyranny of the old world ; turning their backs upon the fair outside of life, with all its pride and pomp and van- ity, — those strong-hearted adventurers came to seek a hum- bler resting-place, and to erect their standard in any land where they might enjoy those inward blessings of liberty and peace. When we reflect upon the toil and danger they had thus encountered, the suftering and privation they had en- dured ; when we consider how dark the future was to them ; when we look upon that band of exiles, travelling by the eye of faith — " heart within, and God o'erhead ;" when we see them upon that barren coast, with a savage wilderness be- fore them, and not one sign to comfort, not one single hope to cheer them, save that of one day realizing their dreams of civil and religious freedom, — we are amazed at their firmness and their perseverance ; and we regard them as heroes of an expedition, compared with which, the fabled journey of .Eneas and his Trojan followers to us seems insignificant and tame. Such was the beginning of the early local history of Cape Cod. Viewed in all its manifold relations, it surely stands 26 unrivalled among the annals of modern days. We do not here contest the palm with that old Colonial sister, who gave to those adventnrers a later and more permanent abiding place. We wonld not pluck a single jewel from her diadem of honor. Let each enjoy her own proportion of the praises due. It was enough for Cape Cod, that she gave the first harbor to those pilgrims of the Cross. It was enough, that she extended her timely aid to save that expedition from de- struction. It was enough that, from her basket and her store, she gave them all she had. If we surrender to our neighbors all the rest, still our native Cape must wear this crown of glory — that within her ancient borders began the history of the first permanent settlers in New England — that her's was the theatre where were enacted the most solemn and important political events v/hich the annals of America contain — if not the most remarkable in the civil history of mankind. It was there that our political existence seems to have commenced. It was there that the first Chief Magis- trate was elected and installed. It was there that the first corner-stone of our Government was laid, and the basis of our Republic was established. It was there that, " in the name of God, and for the general good," the " first written constitution of popular government among men was drawn up and signed by the people, assembled in convention for that purpose." From that place, and on that day. Liberty and Religion began anew their pilgrimage among the na- tions. A little more than two hundred years have now elapsed, since the occurrence of those memorable events which gave such interest to the early local history of the Cape. What a scene of mutation has it been ! Nation has striven against nation ; the mighty have wrestled with the weak ; the wiser have overcome the simple. A powerful and heroic race have been blotted from existence. Their habitations have been given unto strangers, and the places which once knew them shall know them no more forever. A wondrous change has, indeed, come over the face of all New England. The hand of civilization has swept away all traces of that rude barba- 27 rinn age, and erected in their stead her monuments of indus- trj^ and art. During this intervening period Cape Cod, in common with the rest of New England, has performed her part in the work of human progress. Her career has always been fortunate, — in many cases, it has been eventfnl and im- portant. Politically considered, the transplanting of races, or the peopling of a continent with new colonies, must be viewed not only as the greatest, but as the most uncertain, of all the works of man. No period was ever so momentous to any country as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were to this. It was, indeed, the great seed-time of nations ; and, as such, was fearfully pregnant with the destinies of all the future. When the time was fully come, the tide of Euro- pean emigration naturally set toward this western world. A new theatre of action had been opened for adventurers of every kind who had the daring or the means to embrace the opportunity. Usually, it is the surplus and floating popula- tion of a country which is thrown off on such occasions, while the better and more substantial portion remain behind. Very few go out into strange lands in search of new homes, except such as are illy provided for at home, or such as have in fact no certain abiding-place which they can call by that endearing name. Now this drift-wood of society is by no means the proper material for the building of new states. The thread-bare soldier of fortune, and the mere adventurer for luck, are last of all the proper individuals with M'hom new colonies should be peopled. The chance, therefore, in this new world, of a permanent and successful settlement, with a healthy and thriving population, was at best uncer- tain. It proved sadly so with most of those earlier adven- turers who came to these western shores — those, among others, who enlisted under the patronage of the heroic Sir Walter Raleigh. With New England, however, the case was very dittcrent. Fortunately for her, circumstances had been at work for ages in creating the proper material for her future population. The Reformation of Luther had awakened in the bosom of all 28 Europe a feeling of discontent, which had been suppressed for seven centuries at least. The spirit of insubordination manifested by Henry YIIL, in throwing off the yoke of the Roman Church and disowning her supremacy, had banished from the common English mind that superstitious reverence for the authority or infallibility of earthly institutions, which had hung so long like an incubus upon them. They had now seen what was once to them the most sacred and vener- able of all, cast down and trampled in the dust, merely to subserve the temporary convenience of an amorous and fickle hearted monarch ; and they were encouraged, thereby, not only to inquire into sacred matters for themselves, but also to respect and even vindicate the authority of their own privat3 judgment. A state of independence both of heart and mind was thus begotten, or if not begotten, certainly promoted, which the succeeding policy of the Tudors and the Stuarts was by no means calculated to subdue, nor even to conciliate. The English Church came to them with most of the unwel- come forms, but without the presence and authority of the Holy See. Jealous as she was of her asserted prerogatives, determined as she was to have them respected and obeyed, the people feared her less, and they loved her no better. There was no distinction of classes or conditions in the contest which naturally arose. The best mind in England was en- listed on either side of the controversy. Each had its able and distinguished leaders. It was the voice of law against the voice of conscience. It was the might of assumed au- thority against the might of an indomitable will. A dread- ful warfare was evidently at hand. The battle, in fact, had already commenced. Absolute submission on the one hand, or persecution to the death upon the other, were apparently the only terms presented. The former was impossible ; the latter was insupportable. A refuge was opened to the op- pressed in America. The Pilgrims had led the way to New England, and they followed in their footsteps. The result was that, while an asylum was here oifered for those whose principles had been thus tried in the furnace of persecution, our borders were peopled with the best possi- 29 ble material for a new permanent and prosperous colony. Every condition in life contributed its portion. Men of fortune and position — scholars, philosophers, civilians, and divines — men of sterling excellence in all the industrial departments of life, flocked hither and scattered themselves along the shores of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay. Surely a nobler ancestry cannot be traced upon American or European soil than that derived from the companions of such men as Carver, and Winthrop, and Brewster, and Williams. From these came the earlier settlers and inhabitants upon the Cape, bringing with them all which could give character and stability to any enterprise. Among them were the Burgesses, the Bourns, the Crockers, the Chases, the Halletts, the Hamblens, the Mayos, the Matthews, the Sturgisses, the Searses, and a host of others, whose venerable names are familiar among their children at the present day. They were men able to command the resources of the ocean, or to make the wilder- ness blossom like the rose, — men, whom no golden dreams had allured, and whom no ordinary reverses of fortune could overcome. In the hands of such builders and sires, most fortunately, were entrusted the destinies of our native land. From such a beginning, and under such guidance, none other than prosperous results could follow. The early colonial history of the Cape is unfortunately wrapped in much obscurity. The efforts of her annalists have failed to develop so much of her career as could have been desired. For twenty years after the arrival of the May- flower, little is known of her progress and condition. Her coast was undoubtedly inhabited, to some extent, by private adventurers during this interval. We have imperfect accounts of trading voyages between Plymouth and the Cape, during those dreadful days of pestilence and famine among the pil- grims, which indicate that her resources were well known and appreciated at a very early period. The population of the Cape, however, must have been very limited for a time, as w^e find that the entire Colony numbered only about three hundred souls at the expiration of ten years from its commencement. The local history of the Cape towns seems to have been 30 first publicly developed by a change in the form of the colo- nial government in. 1639, when Sandwich, Barnstable, and Yarmouth, began to send their deputies to the General Court at Plymouth. Eastham, in like manner, commenced her public career in 1647; and, from these four towns, the upper and lower portions of the Cape were afterwards principally settled. No kindred subject could interest us more than the industrial, social, religious, political and personal history of Cape Cod, during the entire colonial period. Could the veil of the past be so lifted as to disclose her various departments of life, exactly as they appeared in those early times, what a feast would it afford to the curious and inquiring mind. Respecting the industrial pursuits of our colonial fathers there is, indeed, but little room for debate. The soil of the Cape, poor as it now appears, was without doubt their earli- est dependence. If report be true, Cape Cod was then considered somewhat rich in her agricultural resources. As a market place, she seems in fact to have been to the Ply- motheans in their days of famine, what Egypt had been to the ancient Israelites ; for we learn that the Pilgrims fre- quently went down thither to buy corn ; and, so great was the fame of the region round about, that in 1643 the entire Church at Plymouth proposed to remove, with their cattle and their tents, to sojourn in the more fertile land of East- ham, upon the Cape. Tradesmen, as a distinct class, were very little encouraged in colonial times. A limited number, in each of the principal departments, generally sufficed for a single town. In those days of primitive simplicity, the division of labor was not so perfect as now. It was no uncommon thing for one man to follow as many callings as his genius would permit ; — each, so far as possible, providing for the wants of his own household. Their necessities were very limited ; and, when once supplied, they were generally supplied for life. The shoemaker, the tailor, and the hatter, were seldom patronized. A neighbor was recognized by the dress he wore, almost as readily as by the face which nature gave him. In handicraft, strength, instead of beauty, was the ijrand desideratum. 31 The probate inventories of their notable men indicate that the mechanic arts were not so courted and improved as in later days. Mercantile pursuits were little known, and very little re- spected by them. The whole matter was placed under the general supervision of the grand inquest, by a statute which enacted that no person should be allowed to purchase goods for the pm-pose of enhancing the price, except such as bought at wholesale to retail again at a reasonable gain. The miller and the weaver were content to exchange services or commod- ities with the farmer and the carpenter ; the cooper and the cobler, in like manner, kept their accounts with the blacksmith and the butcher. Such was the character of those little com- munities — such the frugality and industry, the honesty, sim- plicity, and brotherly kindness, prevailing therein — that they had need of nothing beyond the common village traffic, and those mutual accommodations existing among neighbors, who borrow and return, from day to day, and from hand to hand. The fisheries upon the Cape soon became the leading object of pursuit among those early settlers ; which drew to her shores a bold and enterprising class of men, who encoun- tered the hardships and perils of the deep. Such masters did our fathers become in this department, and so widely did their fame extend among the neighboring settlements, that, in 1C90, we find Ichabod Paddock going by special invita- tation, from Cape Cod to Nantucket, to instruct those island- ers in the best mode of catching and killing whales. Of the success which Ichabod had in teaching his pupils this heroic art, the world has no need to be informed. Suffice it here to say that similar lessons, which his companions taught at home, have neither been forgotten nor neglected by their children's children, even of the present generation upon the Cape. So prosperous and important did this occupation finally become, that the Great and General Court at Ply- mouth took occasion solemnly to acknowledge the provi- dence of God in thus making Ca})f Cod a '"commodious place for fishing:'' and, thereupon, proceeded to protect this branch of industry by throwing around it the stron-^ arm of the colonial law. Well might th<^y do this, — for, to the 32 everlasting credit of Cape Cod be it stated, her fisheries not only proved the greatest source of profit to the public, by affording the chief article of her exports, and thus enriching her citizens ; but they furnished the only public fund for the support of education, which the Colony possessed for the first half century of her existence ; as well as the principal reve- nue for the maintenance of public schools, during the whole period of the colonial history. A worthy emblem of those early times swims proudly, at the present day, in the upper air of our legislative ha,lls, as an ever constant monitor, by its presence, to remind the sovereign people of their earlier dependence ; and to claim for those, whose industry it con- tinues to represent, the encouragement and protection of their laws. Let us now turn our eyes from this department of labor to the sphere of social life. How intensely interesting would it be to read the social history of those early days, to follow our fathers along the common walks of life, and observe them in all their private intercourse. I should like to behold a portrait of those times, before the face and features of soci- ety had been so moulded and painted by the hand of art. I should like to have witnessed the rigid simplicity which characterized the manners and conversation of those early pioneers. Who would not like to have been for once seated as a welcome trencherman with the household of goodman Higgins, or of goodwife Brooks, around the family board ; and to have partaken with them of their bean-porridge and indian-pudding, the plain but wholesome fare of 1650. I would go a weary journey to grasp the brawny hand of those stern old heroes, in their homespun trowsers, high-topped boots, duffel jerkin, and flannel shirts, — with their long beards, solemn faces, and severity of features, in v/hich might be read the entire contents of the holy decalogue. It would seem, no doubt, a strange transition to those of us who are accustomed to the gaiety and fashion of the present day ; stranger yet to reflect that such was Cape Cod two hundred years ago ; and that these were our fathers and our mothers of the olden time. 83 The general tone of character pervading those primitive communities can now be ascertained only from the records of their public acts. Such is the nearest approximation his- tory affords. The laws of a Commonwealth, however, are not unfrequently a fair index to the moral and social condition of its citizens. In all republican communities the civil is built upon the social state and must, therefore, partake somewhat of its general character. In looking over the legislative records of those early times, it is pleasing to observe with what solemnity they regarded the manifold duties of life ; how careful they were of the do- mestic relations ; how faithful they were to their parental and filial obligations. Obedience on the one hand, and wholesome education upon the other, were equally enforced by law. Fathers were made accountable, to a reasonable extent, for the training, character, and deportment of their offspring. They were required to instruct their children in some honest and useful calling, lest they should prove " pests instead of bless- ings to the country." Wilful negligence in this respect was visited with the penalties of the statute. Schools were en- couraged as being of " singular use and benefit to any Com- monwealth." The standard of education among the common classes corresponded with the spirit and simplicity of the times. Children were required by law to be taught " duely to read the Scriptures ; the knowledge of the capital laws : and the main principals of religion, necessary to salvation." The lat- ter clause of this injunction was to be fulfilled, according to the letter of the statute, " by learning some short orthodox catechism without book." We can but respect the purity of social sentiment indicated in that community where idleness was punished as an unholy vice, and Avhcrc wilful ignorance was considered an offence "against the safety and dignity of the Commonweal;" where every man's reputation was so inviolably sacred, that even the talebearer became a villain in the public eye, and as such was amenable to the penalties of the law ; where the liar, the drunkard, the sabbath-breaker, and the profane, were resarded as outcasts, — fit only to be whipped, or 34 branded, or imprisoned, or punished in the public stocks ; where the traitor, the blasphemer, and the idolater, were not accounted worthy to exist. We are not surprised at the apparent attachment, existing in such communities, to the circles of private life. Their cup of happiness and contentment seems to have been full. So little were the dignities of State coveted by them, so sacred were the pleasures of retirement compared therewith, that it was found actually necessary to impose a penalty upon any man who, being elected to any public office, should decline the honors of the appointment. Even the honors of the Chief Magistracy were found insufficient to tempt them from those scenes of social happiness, without the additional incentive of a heavy fine. — The letter of that truly excellent man. Gen- eral James Cudworth, when appointed by Governor Winslow as commander of the expedition against the Dutch, presents a noble picture of the simplicity of those days, and of self- sacrificing fidelity to the cares and duties of private life. The office was one of great distinction, and it was tempting, no doubt, to an ambitious mind. But he excuses himself by ur- ging, among other considerations, the afflicted and unsettled condition of his household aflairs. He states that Mistress Cudworth is "so feeble she cannot lie, for want of breath ; and when up, she cannot light a pipe of tobacco, but it must be lighted for her ;" and, finally, he concludes by saying, that he does not " understand a man is so called to serve his coun- try, with the inevitable ruin and destruction of his family." Fortunate and happy, however, as may have been the gen- eral condition of the Colony in those times, very much, if not all, depended upon another cause which lay deeper and nearer the heart. I mean the religious character of our fathers. Among the earliest settlers upon the Cape, the moving and leading object was freedom to worship God. They came under able and devoted teachers who had assisted in planting their destinies, as they hoped, upon the rock of ages. Religion, among them, was a safeguard to the citizen, and a bulwark to the State. So long as her injunctions were obeyed, so long prosperity and peace dwelt within their borders. 35 It is enough for their sincerity and zeal to say, that they were of the puritanic school and faith. For nearly half a century they pursued the career of a peaceful, quiet and godly people. The testimony of the magistrates at Leyden they had not abused. Their devotion to the precepts and examples of their Master never had been questioned. We regret that anything should have happened to impede their progress, or that any circumstance should have arisen so severely to test their wis- dom and forbearance. It seems almost impossible to banish from the mind a spirit of extravagance while dwelling upon the religious character of our ancestors. We glory in their fortitude. We honor them for their untiring perseverance. We hold them in ven- eration for the spotless purity of those principles which they espoused. Yet, at times, our sympathy is shaken, and our charity impaired. We are pained to observe, in the history of those very martyrs, what, at first view, seems to resemble the spirit of tyranny and persecution. Our emotions are con- flicting. We admire, and yet we pity ; we praise, and yet reprove ; we love, and yet condemn. The fact is, we are apt to look upon those pilgrim fathers in a fictitious light. We do injustice both to their virtues and their failings. The error lies on each extreme. We give them more, and we grant them less, than they really deserve. In our fondness we incline to regard them as the great apostles of religious liberty, while in fact they were but noble champi- ons of a creed. It is true that, in their day, they were the party of progress, — but that progress was guided by a wholesome conservatism. Our fathers were not the advocates of freedom in its largest and unlimited sense. They never professed so much, either by word or deed. So far as religion was con- cerned, they fought against the forms rather than the doctrines of the English Churcli. The puritan controversy in England shows that it was ecclesiastical rather than religious freedom for which they contended. Touching the grand doctrines of "original sin," of "faith, grace, predestination and election," the Anglican and the Puritan were well enough agreed. The teachings of Calvin and the teachings of the University were not vitally discordant. The Puritans eschewed all human 36 agency and control in matters of religion, and they seemed to have the authority, or at least the example, of the English Crown as well as the English Church for their position. No better exposition of the views and objects of our fathers can be furnished, than is contained in the preamble to their gen- eral laws, adopted by the General Court at Plymouth, wherein it is solemnly avowed, " that the great and known end of the first comers in 1620 was, that without offence, they might with the liberty of a good conscience, enjoy the pure Scriptu- ral Worship of God, without the mixture of Human Inven- tions and Impositions ; and that their children after them, might walk in the Holy Wayes of the Lord." At the risk and expense of almost every earthly considera- tion, they at length had formed themselves into such a com- munity. Thus far they had enjoyed those blessings so long and so dearly anticipated. Was it unreasonable that privileges, bought at such a price, should have been regarded by them as sacred and inviolable, — at least within the precincts of their little neighborhood ? Was it strange that they should have guarded^with a jealous eye any invasion of those privileges, or any attempt to molest them in the quiet cultivation and enjoyment thereof? The religious difficulties which the Colonists encountered were, indeed, painful and unfortunate to all who were con- cerned therein. The advent of the Quakers was an unlucky incident, at an unlucky hom-. We cannot help deploring that event ; we regret the consequences which ensued. Our sym- pathies are naturally excited for the weaker party, and yet our better judgment forbids a hasty condemnation of the stronger. There is great danger of attributing to a spirit of persecution, what originated in nothing beyond a reasonable desire for self-preservation. Consider, for one moment, the trials which our fathers were called to endure, and the apparent sacrifice which was before them. Consider the character and temper of the Quakers at that early period. We can form but an imper- fect idea of them now at best, — it is the more impossible, be- cause of the elevated and enviable position occupied by 37 their successors at the i)resent day. As a class, however, there exists but little doubt that they were headstrong and over zealous. As with most new sects, they were agitators first, and reformers afterward. Many of them, in their de- meanor, it is said, were " audacious and provoking beyond endurance." In their religious pretensions they were seemingly blasphemous. They invaded the quiet of the sanctuary, and set at naught the doctrines of its teachers. Their spirit savored of high treason to the State. They de- fied and trampled upon its laws. The oaths of allegiance, and the duties of free men, they spurned. The immediate tendencies of their career were to civil commotion and reli- gious discontent. Upon a soil, already too well prepared, they scattered the seeds of desolation far and wide. And yet, claiming to enjoy rights denied to all good citizens, they demanded to be tolerated and protected in their de- structive course. — Consider, again, that the (Quakers were, for the most part, strangers and intruders, — not citizens nor permanent sojourners among them. They professed no love or sympathy for those whom they bitterly abused. They promised no apparent good in exchange for the evils which they were indicting. — To all this, add still another considera- tion. Our fathers had, for some time, been pained and even alarmed at the spiritual degeneracy of many among their professed brethren. A feeling of religious indifierence had begun to manifest itself. Their assemblies were poorly attended. Their ministers were miserably supported. The ordinances of religion had fallen into neglect. Dissentions among the sister churches had of late arisen. Many of them were even without a teacher. The power of the law had recently been invoked to enforce those duties which Christi- anity enjoined. — In the midst of all these existing troubles, at this most unfortunate crisis, came such men as Humphrey Norton and John House, teaching strange and disorganizing doctrines. Upon our fathers depended the solemn issue. With them alone rested the preservation of the Church and State. They could invoke no foreign aid. They could not, like the rntholics of Maryland, recline upon the bosom of thf^'r 38 Holy Mother, and, in case of need, call down the dreadful thunders of the Vatican upon the heads of their offenders. Least of all were the Puritans sustained by the sympathies of the English Church. Those who are strong may well afford to be generous, but our fathers were weak. In num- bers they were limited. Their footsteps were scarcely as yet established. They were literally hemned in by destruction. Death lurked in ambush all about them. They were em- phatically the Church militant on earth, in a martial as well as spiritual sense. As soldiers of the Cross, they were obliged to go up to the quiet sanctuary of the Lord with their muskets upon their shoulders. There was no earthly power on which they could rely ; — there was no assistance nearer than Heaven ; — they had no protection, — but in the name of God. What was to be done ? Life or death, salvation or destruction, was apparently before them. Should they not en- deavor to defend what they supposed to be the truth ? Should they surrender what they regarded as their hard- earned, precious, and exclusive privileges ? Should they allow their religion to become a bye-word, and their statutes an empty proverb ? Was it for this that, as a people, they had suffered the tortures of the prison and the stake ? Was it for this that they had sacrificed the endearments of home ? Was it for this that they had encountered the perils of the deep, and trusted to the fortunes of a savage wilderness ? Were those ties now to be broken, by which their souls had been knit together, like the souls of Jonathan and David ? Was that sympathy to cease, by which they had thus far been strengthened and supported ? Was that union at length to be severed, upon which they rested their hopes of a successful issue ? It was indeed an hour of anxiety and peril. They did not wish for contention. They had buried themselves in a wilderness for the very purpose of avoiding strife. They wanted rest, and they chose to seek it under the peaceful banner of the Cross. But the moment they sub- mitted, there seemed to be an end to all their hopes. If 39 they yielded their authority, tliat moment they were scat- tered to the winds. Their labors and their sufferings to them were all in vain, — they were like sheep without a shep- herd, — they were like children without a home. As Chris- tians, for the welfare of the Church, they had endeavored to persuade ; but they were too far divided in their sympathies. A righteous abhorrence existed between the two. There was " a spirit of fanaticism, approaching almost to frenzy, on the one hand ; and a pious zeal, allied (no doubt) to bigotry, upon the other." There was, therefore, no middle ground on which they could agree. Our fathers were thus driven to the only alternative re- maining. Considering, as well they might, that the land was theirs by right of occupancy, and also by the right of pur- chase at an awful price, they enacted and enforced what they regarded salutary laws. For the safety of the State, all good citizens were forbidden to bring any Q,uaker within the limits of the Colony, or to encourage such as already were among them. Their doctrines were suppressed, as tending to corrupt the public mind. Their assemblies were prohibited, as dangerous to the Commonwealth. By their own acts of disobedience, they were legally disfranchised. Without the oath of allegiance to the King, and fidelity to the State, no man could lawfully remain within her borders, or enjoy the privileges of a worthy citizen. These require- ments they despised and treated with contempt. The con- sequences naturally followed. Timely notice was given them, either to obey the laws, or to depart the precincts. To those who promised such obedience, all penalties were remit- ted. To those who still refused, and were without the ability to depart, the necessary means were furnished from the public treasury. If this did not suflice to rid the Colony of their presence, it is difficult to say how they should have acted, excepting as they did. If the mode of punishment was severe, it was only in accordance with the spirit and seeming necessities of the age. Our feelings are easily en- listed, because the Uuakers suffered and transgressed under the garb of their religion. That which, under other names, 40 had seemed undoubted justice, appears to partake of persecu- tion here. It was a delicate and trying task which our ancestors performed. We cannot fathom the depth of their emotions. They certainly are entitled to our charities. They acted wisely in most things else ; they may have erred in this, as who might not ? It is hazardous to con- demn. '^ Man sees the deed alone, — God the circumstance ; judge not, that ye be not judged." Let us now proceed to consider the political condition of that period. In common with the entire Colony of Plymouth, the political history of Cape Cod is full of interest. We have already referred to the commencement of that history, in the harbor of Provincetown, on the eleventh of November, 1620. Never, for a single moment, during their whole career, did the Colonists forget that day. They dated their progress from it, as the very beginning of their civil existence. In their early legislation, they went back to that original com- pact, as to the Magna Charta of their liberties, and they endeavored to follow its spirit in all their subsequent delib- erations. At their first convention, called in 1636, for the purpose of revising the laws and constitution of the Planta- tion, according to an order of their Sovereign Lord, King Charles 1st, they adopted the following preamble, as a part of their declaration and bill of rights : — " Now being assem- bled, and having read the solemn binding combinacion, made at Cape Cod, the 11th Nov"" 1620, and finding that as free- born subjects we hither came, we think good that it be established for an act, that no law, or ordinance, be made or imposed, upon or by ourselves or others, at present or to come, but such as shall be made or imposed by common consent." The great principles, contained in that immortal document, were thus publicly recognized and proclaimed, and the pillars of our Republicanism were planted upon their everlasting foundations. It was then that our fathers, kneel- ing before that shrine which had been erected by them sixteen years previous, in the cabin of the Mayflower, in the harbor of Cape Cod, again offered up their solemn vows, and 41 renewed their high commission, as the apostles of " freedom and equal rights." Tlie original form of the Colonial Government was simple in the extreme. The executive, legislative, and judicial func- tions thereof were gradually defined and perfected. For the first eighteen years of the colonial period the State was a pure democracy. The increase of population, however, and its diffusion over a wider territory, soon lead to the introduction of the representative system ; and, in 1639, each town sent its committee to the General Court at Plymouth. The qualifications of those entitled to the elective fran- chise were somewhat peculiar, — indicating the sacred light in which they viewed the welfare of the State, and the con- sequent importance attached to the office of a citizen. They must have attained to the age of twenty-one years. They must have taken the oath of fidelity to the Government. They were required to be freeholders ; to be men of good reputation among their neighbors ; men of sober and peacea- ble lives, and "orthodox in the fundamentals of Religion." To such men, the privileges of a citizen became a duty, the neglect or abuse of which was a penal offence. The oath of a freeman was taken " in the name of the Great God of Heaven." No liar, or drunkard, or libertine, or open reviler of the laws of God or his country, was accounted worthy to take upon himself that solemn obligation. The executive branch of the government consisted of a Governor and his Assistants, who held their office for the term of one year only. Previous to 1639, the Governor was chosen by the people at large ; after that period, he was elected by the General Court. Until 1624, the Governor had but one Assistant. At the special request of Governor Bradford, the number was then enlarged to five ; and sub- sequently, in 1633, the executive Chief Magistrate was surrounded by his seven Counsellors of State. The office of Deputy Governor was not specifically created until some years after the formation of the general government ; when it was ordained that, in case of the death of the Governor, 6 42 or his sickness, or absence, or other disability, the next oldest Assistant should assume and perform his official duties. After the introduction of the representative system, in 1639, the Governor, his Assistants, and two Deputies from each town, constituted the Legislature. The laws enacted by them were simple and somewhat severe, in their general character ; but they were frequently revised, for amendment or repeal. The common law of England was of course the basis of the colonial common law ; but their penal enactments seem more nearly to have resembled the Mosaic code. Their statute provisions touching the rights of property, evince great wisdom, in many instances ; and plainly indicate that there were not wanting among our fathers, those who were deeply skilled in all the learning of Lord Coke and Sir Mat- thew Hale. Their judicial system also partook of the general sim- plicity of the times. It was specially ordained " that all tryalls, whether capitall, or between man and man, be tryed by Jewryes, according to the presidents of the law of Eng- land." There were three distinct tribunals generally known among them ; an Inferior Court of Selectmen, having juris- diction in all minor matters, — subject, however, to the right of appeal ; a Superior Court of Assistants, consisting of the Governor and his Council, who had original or appellate jurisdiction in "all capital, criminal and civil causes": and, lastly, the Supreme or General Court, consisting of the Gov- ernor, his Assistants, and the Deputies from the several towns, — who were not only, as legislators, the original source of all law, — but, as judges, the highest legal tribunal, in all matters where the Court of Assistants might " judge the case too great to be decided by them." These public officers of the State, whom I have men- tioned, occupied positions of dignity and responsibility in those days, such as are unknown to us ; and they were, ac- cordingly, held in the highest veneration by the common people. The Governor was not only the executive Chief Magistrate of the whole Colony,— but he was, ex officio, a Supreme Judge and a Legislator. The Assistants were not merely the Counsellors of the Governor, — but also Associate 43 Justices of the Supreme Bench, and members of the Legisla- ture. Their Deputies, or Representatives to the General Court, were not simply the Legislators of the land, — but, in their judicial capacity, they were frequently called upon to sit as members of the highest legal tribunal, and to discharge the solemn functions of that office. Among the most important political events of the colonial period, was the quadruple treaty of 1643, by which the New England Colonies entered into a league of amity, for purposes of mutual counsel and assistance on all public occasions. The articles of confederation established by them, indicate a degree of wisdom and statesmanship, little if any inferior to that manifested by the framers of our American Republic. The general principles of "National and State Rights" are there set forth and defined in a maimer very nearly resembling the form and character of our present federal compact. To the political history of the colonial period, however, we can farther devote but a passing remark. The entire career of our colonial fathers is full of general importance, but mat- ters of local interest seem more properly to demand our atten- tion at this time. We know, unfortunately, but very little about those struggles of political sentiment, and party feeling, which undoubtedly prevailed among the immediate inhabitants of the Cape in those days. Cape Cod had, in fact, no separate political existence until 1685 ; when her territory, embracing the four towns of Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth, and Eastham, was set off into the present County of Barnstable. It is, however, gratifying to know that, whenever public exi- gencies required her aid, she was always ready and faithful to her public duties. During those sanguinary conflicts with the Indian tribes, her men and money were ever at the pub- lic service. In the war with King Philip, which spread such terror and distress among all the Colonists, Cape Cod fur- nished her trainbands and her gallant officers. It was, indeed, enough for those infant Colonists, if they could stand up un- der the pressing emergencies of the passing moment. In their imperfect, embryonic state, — while they were cutting their way back, foot by foot, into the wilderness, — while they were 44 obliged to provide for new and unforeseen events, continually arising among them, — while they were threatened, moreover, with momentary extermination, by a savage and relentless foe, — it is wonderful to behold how carefully they guarded the interests of the Commonwealth — how faithfully and ably they sustained those great principles of Republicanism em- bodied in her laws and constitution. The personal history of Cape Cod, during the colonial period, is alike interesting and honorable to us of the present generation. It is really curious to observe with what tenacity the inhabitants upon the Cape have continued to occupy their original locations. In reading over the names of those who were able to bear arms during the earliest years of her settle- ment, we are even surprised at their familiarity. We feel that we are dealing with the living, not the dead,— that we are in the very midst of our village acquaintances, — among our neighbors and relations of the present day. There are the Wings, and the Swifts, of Sandwich ; the Lewises, and the Bursleys, of Barnstable ; the Bangses, and the Thachers, of Yarmouth ; the Snows, and the Atkinses, of Eastham. The list of voters, at their last town-meetings, could not differ materially from those to which I have referred. Among the clergy of that day were men distinguished for their talents and acquirements. The Rev. John Lothrop, the first minister of Barnstable, was educated at Oxford, and was regarded in England as among the celebrated divines of his time. The Rev. Thomas Walley, and the Rev. Jonathan Russell, his successors, are both described as eminent and worthy men. The Rev. William Leveridge, and the Rev. Richard Bourne, of Sandwich, have left evidence of their piety and devotion. The Rev. John Miller, and the Rev. Thomas Thornton, of Yarmouth, — the Rev. John Mayo, and the Rev. Samuel Treat, of Eastham, are all mentioned as " able and faithful servants of the Lord." Among the distinguished civilians of the Cape, in colonial times, were Barnabas Lothrop, and Nathaniel Bacon, of Barns- table ,• John Thacher, of Yarmouth — son of the famous An- thony Thacher, one of the original grantees of that town ; 45 Edmund Freeman, of Sandwich ; Deacon John Freeman, and Deacon John Done, of Eastham. These were all, at various times, Assistants of the Governor ; and, as such, they were also Associate Justices of the Supreme Colonial Bench. Among the politicians of Cape Cod, as a matter of local curiosity rather than of general importance, it may be men- tioned that the first Deputies or Representatives from the Cape, to the General Court at Plymouth, in 1G3'J, were Richard Bourne, and John Vincent, of Sandwich ; Joseph Hall, and Thomas Dimmick, of Barnstable ; Thomas Payne, and Phil- lip Tabor, of Yarmouth. Statemanship seems, in fact, to have been but little cultivated, or even regarded, among our colonial fathers,— except so far as it tended to promote the cause of Christianity, which v/as the great and all absorbing idea of their lives. It is, however, somewhat remarkable that, during the entire colonial history of Cape Cod, which em- braced a period of about fifty-three years, notwithstanding her settlements were few and small and very remote from the seat of power, she was represented in the chair of the ex- ecutive Chief Magistrate more than half that time. Of Thomas Prence, the first colonial Governor from the Cape, special notice seems to be required on this occasion. No one who is at all acquainted with the history of those times, can fail to have been deeply interested in his life and character. He was one of the original settlers of Eastham in 1644 ; and, during the latter portion of his days, he was be- yond comparison the first man in all the Colony. Although he was never blessed with great advantages for learning, yet he was the earliest and firmest friend of education. To his untiring efforts, the Colonists were mainly indebted for the establishment of public schools among them. He was also singularly devoted to the cause of religion, and to the sup- port of a learned and regular ministry. In 1657, he was re- elected to the ofiice of Governor, as being " the fittest and ablest " man to meet the emergencies of that critical period. He was continued in that office for sixteen consecutive years ; during which time, he encountered and overcame foreign and domestic dangers which more than once threatened the des- truction of the Church and State. His course has been re- 46 garded by some as at times severe, and somewhat intolerant ; but the public honors which he continued to receive, show that such was not the general conviction of his contempo- raries. A candid and thorough examination of his whole administration must convince any one, that his apparent sever- ity arose only from his great anxiety for the general good, and his determined efforts for the safety of the Common- wealth. No man of his time, bearing the burthens which he bore, could have carried a more lenient, or efficient hand. It is difficult for us, at this period, to calculate how much we owe to the industry, integrity, energy and judgment of that one man. His personal appearance seems to have been strik- ingly indicative of his uncommon powers. " He had a counte- nance full of majesty, and therein was a terror to evil doers." He died in 1673, at an advanced age, and deeply lamented by all the Colony. A curious relic of his day still remains. A pear-tree, planted by his hand upon his estate in Eastham, is said to have survived the storms of two centuries, and yet continues, in its literally " green old age," to yield its annual fruits to its owner of the present generation. Seven years after the decease of Governor Prence, the chair of the colonial Chief Magistracy was again occupied by a citizen of Cape Cod. Thomas Hinckley, of Barnstable, was elected Governor of Plymouth Colony in 1680; and, saving the interruption of Sir Edmund Andross, continued to hold that office for twelve successive years, until the union of Plymouth and Massachusetts, in 1692. Mr. Hinckley had long been "a principal citizen, and a man of great influence" in his own immediate neighborhood. He was sent a Deputy to the General Court, in 1645. He was one of the Commis- sioners appointed to examine and revise the colonial laws in 1671. He had filled the office of Assistant from 1658 to 1681 ; and, as such, had been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Colonial Bench for twenty-three consecutive years. He was, without doubt, a man of extensive acquirements and of great natural talent. As a politician he was acute and sagacious. The policy of his course, during the reign of Sir Edmund, has been questioned and even censured by some. But his re-election to the office of Governor, and his continu- 47 ance in that office, so long as the Colony retained her separate existence, tend to show that the confidence of the public in his day remained unshaken, both as to his fidelity and ability. He died at Barnstable in 170G, where his remains now lie. The general history of Plymouth Colony, during the latter portion of Governor Hinckley's career, bear unmistakeable evidence that he was, above all others, the prominent and leading man. We now bid adieu to the Old Colony of Plymouth, that earliest cradle of New England, in which, under circumstan- ces at times the most perilous and painful, had been rocked the noblest principles of human liberty. The union of the Colonies, in 1692, was the commence- ment of a new political era. For a period of sixty years next succeeding, the history of Cape Cod presents very little of general importance. Domestic concerns seem principally to have engrossed her energies. Her commerce and her fish- eries continued to thrive under the management of her industrious and enterprising sons. Her wealth began to accumulate. Her population rapidly multiplied. The num- ber of her towns was enlarged. Falmouth had already been incorporated in 16S6. Harwich was added in 1694 ; Truro in 1705 ; Chatham in 1712 ; Provincetown in 1727 ; and Wellfleet in 1763. We hear very little, however, of her citi- zens in public life. She was honorably represented in the Provincial Councils, and in the popular branch of the general government. Justice commissions also were issued, accord- ing to the English practice, to individuals in all the different counties, with power to act in civil cases under forty shillings : and there was a Court of Q,uarter Sessions, consisting of all the .Justices in each county, for the trial of inferior criminal matters, and the management of county affairs. Some of those official dignitaries upon the Cape, are mentioned at this day as having been very important personages in their time. There was also a Court of Common Pleas in each county, with its appointed Judges, having jurisdiction in all civil actions under a certain amount. Upon this Bench for the county of Barnstable, among others, were Peter Thacher, and Richard Baxter, of Yarmouth ; Edward Bacon, and Daniel Davis, of Barnstable ; Ezra Bourne, and Nathaniel Freeman, of Sandwich; and John Done, of Eastharn. These with many others, their associates, whom we have not time to name, were men of great respectability; though few of them were deeply skilled in the science of law, as it is found in the books. Of their day, they were probably foremost in wis- dom and attainments, but that was not a day of great intel- lectual competition. In addition to the civil tribunals already mentioned, 1 will here state that there was also a Superior Provincial Court, possessing all the judicial powers of the Com- mon Pleas, the King's Bench, and the Exchequer, of England. No citizen of Cape Cod, however, was honored with a seat up- on the Superior Bench, during the provincial period ; — a cir- cumstance very trivial, in itself alone considered, but from which consequences of immense importance to the Country seem eventually to have arisen — to which we shall allude hereafter. The natural result of extending the jurisdiction of Massa- chusetts Bay over so wide a territory was that each original portion became of less general importance. The reciprocal effect of this was, that each component part lost a portion of its former interest in the general affairs of the State. Aside from territorial extension, however, another cause operated with still greater power upon the public mind, to wean their affections from the newly instituted government. Their political relations had been changed. It was no longer a State of their own creation. They were now its subjects and not its sovereigns. Under the provincial charter the government was the mere creature of a foreign will. Its officers derived their appointment and authority mostly from the Crown. The executive and judicial departments were filled with royal favorites. The Board of Assistants, under the name of Executive Counsellors, continued much as before ; except that the judicial powers formerly vested in them, were now transferred to a distinct tribunal. The people naturally lost their regard for officers in whose creation they had no part, and over whose conduct they no longer had any control. As a body, they now had no voice in the affairs of State, 49 except through the House of Representatives; whom it is true they elected, but whose acts were so Hmited by an exec- utive veto as to render them of very httle importance. The effect of such a change soon became visible in another re- spect. The harvest of great men began to decline. The circumstances of the times were no longer calculated to en- courage and develop the energies of the people. Individual merit was overlooked. The wisdom and strength of the multitude was not so taxed, as formerly, in providing for great emergencies, and in carrying forward the work of gov- ernmental reform. It was, however, a favorable condition on some accounts. It afforded opportunity for reflection. It taught the people to appreciate those lessons of freedom and philosophy em- bodied in their colonial history ; and it prepared them to profit thereby, whenever the proper occasion should present itself. In the meantime matters were steadily progressing towards a glorious consummation. Education was becoming generally diffused among all classes. Population was increasing. From two hundred thousand, the number of the colonists in 1689, they had grown to three millions, in 1775. The intercolonial wars of King William and Q,ueen Anne served also to teach the Provincials their real strength, and to keep them from growing sluggish. The spirit of the old colonial fathers was not to rest for- ever under the misrule of the provincial government. The soil of America was not adapted to the permanent growth of monarchical principles. New England, particularly, was ruined beyond hope, as the future theatre of despotism in any form. The arrogance and aggressions of the royal ministry soon began to be viewed with jealousy and discontent. The time at length arrived when the yoke of English tyranny could no longer be endured in silence, and the people com- plained aloud of their invaded and endangered rights. The restraints which had operated upon the public mind were partially removed. The excitement was universal. An awful crisis was at hand. A theatre was opened for heroic action and for noble deeds. Personal valor and individual effort 50 were again required. Once more there was a call for bold and resolute men. That call was not unheeded, nor in vain. The great seat of congregated wisdom and enlightened patriotism was in this ancient and time-honored metropolis. Here the sessions of the people had been held. Here was the assembled body of political and intellectual power. Here were accustomed to be heard those oracles of State. Here, in royal and terrible array, sat Wealth, and Arrogance, and Pride. — And here, too, sat Virtue, and Philosophy, and Genius, with Learning, and Eloquence, in solemn consultation upon questions of human liberty and human rights. Among that noble company were those whose hearts were burning with the spirit of exalted patriotism. There was Gushing, and Dexter, and Bowdoin, and Thacher, and Hawley, and Adams, — the bold and un- flinching champions of justice. They stood like priests and prophets around the altar of their Country's freedom. And there was yet another, — foremost among them all, — himself a "flame of fire," — he who lighted, at a single touch, the glori- ous sacrifice, — the admired, the accomplished, the truly gifted, Cape Cod boy. He it was who became the great prime mover, in the first great scene, of the American Revolution. He who, by one heroic efl'ort, " breathed into this nation the breath of life." He left his great compatriots all behind. He climbed the loftiest pinnacle of fame, — and he wrote the name of Otis there. Surely it was enough for Barnstable to have been the birthplace of one, whose career was thus devoted to his Country's weal, and whose undying name has since become the glory of our nation. But James Otis did not come un- heralded before the world. For near a hundred years before, the fathers of that great American orator had earned and eaten their daily bread upon the soil of Barnstable. John Otis, his grandfather, — the Colonel, Counsellor, and Judge, — was an illustrious citizen of Barnstable. James Otis, his distin- guished father, — the Speaker of the House, the Attorney General of the Province, the Colonel, and the Judge, — was also a citizen and a native of that ancient town. 51 What special inspiration may have been imparted to this noblest scion of that noble race, it is difficult to say. Per- haps the land of his nativity afforded no incentive to his riper years, — and yet, since history so asserts, it may not be amiss here to repeat the rumor of those days. 1 have already stated, while speaking of the Superior Provincial Court, that no citizen of our native county was ever honored with a seat upon that Bench. James Otis, the father of the " pa- triot," so called, was for many years a prominent and right worthy candidate for that high office. It was an appoint- ment earnestly expected and desired by the public. He was repeatedly assured of it, and repeatedly deceived. As well it might, this fact gave serious offence to many of his friends, and added greatly to the general discontent. It is said the Provincial Government paid very dearly for this seeming neglect of Cape Cod merit : and that they tried to make atonement, but found repentance came too late. To this circumstance, as an exciting cause, we are told, the royal Governor himself afterwards publicly attributed all those troubles which eventually led to the American Revolution, and the final sacrifice of His Majesty's Colonies in America. Now, if this were really true, Cape Cod did thus perform a most important part in the early struggles of that revolution. The Provincial Government certainly did pay a heavy pen- alty for that indignity, shown to her illustrious citizen ; but America this day has reason to rejoice that Cape Cod then had sons, able to arouse a nation, and thus to revenge her insults and her injuries. Our native shores had ever been, and continued still to be, the homes of noble men. The old puritanic principles had not become extinct. The public records of the towns upon the Cape show that her inhabitants were active in the revo- lutionary cause. Her contributions were not only free, but very generous. Her sober minded yeomanry put on the sol- dier's armor, and marched in companies to join the continen- tal army. From the exposed condition of her seaboard, the prospects of her citizens were peculiarly endangered. Their dependence was mainly upon the ocean. Their wealth was 52 principally invested in commerce and in the fisheries. No other department of industry had grown so fast, or so great, in all New England. The number of ships engaged in the colonial trade was already near two thousand, with fifty thousand seamen on their decks. In the fisheries eleven thousand men, and one hundred thousand tons of shipping, were steadily employed. As a maritime community, there- fore, the citizens of Cape Cod were deeply interested in all which pertained to the public relations of the Country. Least of all could they afford a rupture of their commercial intercourse. Yet they were alive to the subject of colonial rights. Their loyalty was great, but their love of liberty was greater. A feeling of indignation at recent political events ran all along those border settlements. Patriotic meetings were held at a very early period. Resolutions were adopted which breathed a heroic and independent spirit. Committees of correspondence were chosen, in the several towns, to communicate with the citizens of Boston upon the state of public sentiment. They tendered their warmest sympathies upon the side of freedom, and pledged to it their support. So far as possible, they prohibited the consumption or the use of articles imported under the late revenue acts of Parliament ; and they publicly instructed their representatives, at the proper time, to advocate a declaration of American Independence. It is inspiring to behold how, in the midst of desolation and distress, they played the hero's part. To them, the future was fearfully portentious. With them, the fortunes of the war must necessarily go hard. Their present hopes were crushed ; their income was suspended ; their commerce was cut off ; their fisheries were ruined. The soil, that last resort of all embargoed nations, was but a feeble staff for the support of men unused even to its cultivation. They drank a double portion of the bitter cup. Tradition tells us of perils and privations hard to be endured ; of pri- vate and domestic scenes which wring the heart of sympa- thy. Yet they survived it all, and even put their shoulders to the common wheel. How sad it is we know not more of such humble and 53 devoted men. The Muse of history, however, does not stoop low enough to rescue from oblivion the deeds, or names, or numbers, even, of those private martyrs to the public cause. But the humble and the great are alike, in fact, the heroes of such days. Those who are not learned in the arts of speech, are valliant advocates upon the field of death. Of the countless multitude, amid those scenes of mental agony and bloody strife, who yielded up their lives to save a desperate cause, it is difficult to say who was the bravest or the great- est among them all. In the career of public and official life, it is possible to imagine patriotism in action, goaded on by ambition at the heart, — but tell me, if you can, what nobler patriotism is there to be found, than burns within that hum- ble breast, to which kind fortune tells no flattering tale, and makes no golden promises. We cannot overrate the heroic sentiment of those who patiently abide their Coimtry's call ; who for her, cast their bodies into the fearful breach, — lay bare their bosoms to the messengers of death, and venture their earthly all upon the hazard of a die. Of that innu- merable company who lie forgotten in their silent beds, whose names were never written upon their Country's page, if their deeds and virtues were but known, how many should we find deserving well to wear the laurel'd wreath, and share a liberal measure of heroic fame. But that day is past. That field was nobly won. The victors and the vanquished rejoice alike in the fortunes of that hour. England, herself, is proud to recognize a rival sister in the slave she coveted. The peace which followed that eventful contest, was indeed a welcome harbinger to the inhabitants of Cape Cod. Nowhere did the revolving sun shine more brightly than upon her quiet shores. The winds of Heaven which wafted from her coast those hostile fleets, breathed gladness into a thousand hearts. Their hopes were now revived again. The pent up energies of many years were now called forth anew. Commerce was let loose, and spread her myriad sails upon the surface of the deep. The surplus resources of the Cape, invited to her shores a population vigorous and active. New towns were added to the ancient sisterhood ; — Dennis 54 in 1793 ; Orleans in 1797 ; and Brewster, the youngest of the family, in 1803. Nearly half a century has now elapsed since the domestic circle of the Cape was thus completed. The career of her intervening life has, indeed, been prosperous and happy. I have said Cape Cod was rich ; — rich in her local history,— rich in ancestral honors, — rich in her maritime advantages, — rich in the vigor and enterprise of her sons, — rich in the fruits of their industry, — rich in the virtues of social and domestic life. Of her local and ancestral history, I will say no more ; of her present character and condition, I have yet a word to add. The native soil upon the Cape is poor, — for the most part, miserably poor. She has no waving wheat fields, no mur- muring forests, no tumbling water-falls, to invite the hand of industry or art. In this seeming misfortune lies a portion of her strength, — if not, in fact, the secret of her entire success. Her only hope is on the sea. An overruling Providence seems thus to have ordained her to be, what she already has be- come, the great nursery of commerce. The attention of her citizens has never been divided. They have no hybrid growth of character among them. They are not landsmen to the middle, and seamen upward, but they are entirely and thoroughly devoted to their great calling upon the deep. — Other advantages being equal, the greater the poverty of the land upon the Cape, the richer and the happier are her inhab- itants. Provincetown, — whose soil, changeable and uncer- tain as the snow that drifts, scarcely supports a single spear of native vegetation — Provincetown, — the Sahara of Cape Cod, where all the freehold property which nature ever gave her, if bid off at public sale, would hardly satisfy the auc- tioneer — Provincetown, in proportion to her population, is not only by far the wealthiest town upon the Cape, but in personal estate, I think the richest town in all the Common- wealth. By untiring energy, steady devotion, and strict econ- omy, Cape Cod has attained her present affluent condition. Her barren territory is dotted over with little clustering villages, all of which bear striking evidence of industry 00 and thrift. Upon a soil, sterile by nature, and scarcely suscep- tible of improvement, her inhabitants have accumulated stores of wealth, and made to themselves a home full of comfort and content. "With a population of nearly forty thousand souls, for each there is a competency. But her harvest is upon the deep ; — her reapers are vigorous and bold. The symbols of her enterprise are found in every portion of the earth which offers a reward to her skilful navigators. Those fleets of white-winged fishermen which hover about her coast, or crowd her little harbors their burthens to unload, — those gallant hosts of commerce which hug her winding shores, — are not a tithe of that greater multitude, of more gigantic size, which, taking their departure hence, or com- manded by her sons, traverse the Atlantic, the Indian, and the Pacific ; visit the Northern and the Southern Tropics ; wind their course through every bay, and gulf, and river, to every border capital and city in the world ; and finally, pres- sing their way over every sea and ocean, explore the whole convex surface of the watery globe. Such is but a hasty view of the industrial character and condition of Cape Cod. Let us now follow those spirited adventurers, for a moment, into the civil, social, and domestic walks of life. In all their public relations the inhabitants of the Cape are emphatically a peaceable and law abiding people. As citizens of the State, they are liberal and true. In their commercial in- tercourse, they are generous and upright. With an amount of business competition, not surpassed in any community of the same extent, litigation is a thing almost unknown. Their courts of justice are, generally, but courts of reference and friendly arbitration, — in all their different sessions, occupying seldom more than a single week in each successive year. Their prisons and their almshouses appear like deserted cas- tles. If not wholly tenantless, they are, to a great extent, oc- cupied by strangers from abroad. I do not mean to say that misfortune and transgression are never known among the inhabitants of Cape Cod, — but that, as a general fact, plenty, honesty, and peace, reign without cessation among her native population. 56 In common with other portions of New England, the citizens of the Cape seem to possess those sterling prin- ciples which insure success amid the scenes of busy emu- lation. Upon a character, so pleasing in all its attributes, I think, however, the virtues of social and domestic life stand out most prominent and fair. To them belong most, if not all the virtues of New England character, without many of its seeming imperfections. I trust this expression is not unpardonable. We can but rejoice in the general character and habits of New England. We admire that integrity of principle which pervades her population ; that march of intellect which almost surpasses calculation. We admire that wondrous energy of will which converts mountains into molehills ; that ingenuity of mind which exhausts the resources of the surrounding elements ; that activity of purpose which extends her commerce over all the habitable globe, and spreads its canvas wings on every sea and ocean. We glory in that spirit of invention which drives its iron horse over its iron track, — which bits the electric spark, — which rides expresses over telegraphic wires — outstripping time itself in speed, by arriving at the journey's end, even before that journey was commenced, ac- cording to the strictest rules of solar calculation. We can but look upon all these things with pride and admiration. But if in any particular, we chose to complain of New Eng- land character and New England habits, we should point to that rigid and more than puritanic devotion to what are called the graver duties of life ; that untiring and unceasing application ; those brains that are ever aching, ever bursting, with some new project for gain ; those hands which are ever toiling, ever grasping, never releasing their hold upon the things of time and sense ; that constant anxiety for the future, which completely enslaves the present, and dooms the entire soul and body of the community to hard and un- remitting labor ; that somewhat selfish accumulation of means, never to be enjoyed in this day or generation, and which shall only serve to nurture indolence and vice among sur- feited descendants; — finally, that giant and all-absorbing en- terprise, which converts our villages and towns into mere 57 shipyards, workshops, and cotton factories, — onr cities into pnblic depots, and warehouses of trade, — our laboring popu- lation, into locomotive trip-hammers, and animated spindles, — in fact, our whole community, into one vast, swarming, active, and powerful, Corporation Aggregate. From this hive of industry, from this perplexity of care, from this wearisome routine of labor, the soul of man must, at times, have retirement and rest. This world was not intended as the cheerless workhouse of our race. Life was never ordained of God to be a dreary term of unremitting service to his creatures. The moral health of the individual, and of the public, demands a proper cultivation of the social virtues and affections. And yet, there lies herein a wondrous difference between communities as well as individuals. I re- fer to that nobler discipline of the heart ; that fuller development of the soul : — in fine, that emancipation of the faculties from the servitude of gain, and that greater devotion to the duties, the pleasures, and the amenities, of social life. In this respect, our native land does not depend upon her children for panegyric. Her eulogy is upon the lips of all to whom an opportunity has been given to test the hospitality of her citizens, or to become acquainted with their social virtues. It has been often said, and I doubt not with sin- cerity, that in those attributes of character which mark the liberal man, the desirable neighbor, the faithful friend, and the agreeable companion, the inhabitants of Cape Cod gen- erally excite the stranger's attention and regard. This cer- tainly is exalted praise for any people ; and yet, if we reflect upon the matter, it would seem but a very natural result of their general condition and mode of life. The system of early training upon the Cape is singularly calculated to develop peculiar attributes of character. 1 speak not now of that learning which is taught in books, but of that discipline which comes only from experience and association. We borrow unconsciously much of character and destiny from the surrounding circumstances of our early life. The career of the Cape Cod boy is a striking illustra- tion of this fact. By early education he becomes a sailor. 58 From his infancy he looks upon the ocean as his future theatre of action. The very nursery is to him a scene of preparation. A neatly modelled vessel is, in fact, the beau- ideal of his childish fancy. The pigmy craft becomes his chosen plaything. At seven, he trims her little sails, and navigates her skilfully from creek to creek. At eight, he takes preliminary lessons, — he ventures upon his favorite ele- ment, and learns the art of swimming. At ten, he is usually master of the rudiments, and is ready to embark upon the fortunes of a sailor's life — to him so full of novelty and romance. He now looks forward to the hour when he may realize his boyish dreams, and gratify his young ambition, by witnessing those very scenes of which he has so often heard with wonder and delight. He steps on board his gallant ship with a heart full of noble aspirations. He rejoices in the of- fice of a cabin-boy, and yet he gazes with a longing eye upon the post of foremast-hand. He laughs to think the time is coming when he may climb those dizzy heights and do an able seaman's duty. Stage by stage, he marks the years of his advancement, from the galley to the forecastle, from the forecastle to the quarter deck. With an eye of faith he views the approaching day when, as master, he shall pace that no- ble ship, and be himself in turn a hero. . How many years of hardship does that boy endure in -such anticipations. — Rut it is not in vain to him. Rising, step by step, through every grade in regular succession, from cah'm- boy to captain, he at length assumes that high command, and enters upon its duties as a monarch of the deep. Upon that floating deck he knows no master now. HifTwill, his word, his judgment, and his purpose, are supreme. The lives, the fortunes, the property and hopes of many are entrusted to his care. With a strong and unfailing heart he meets his great responsibilities. Thus is he schooled and thus is he fitted for his exalted sphere. And what a school for human- ity is here ; — what discipline of mind, what development of soul, is begotten by a life like this. Consider, once more, the general character of that em- ployment ; the world-wide school of experience it affords ; the acquaintance it begets with the various countries and 59 cities upon the globe ; the knowledge it imparts of men and manners ; the opportunity it gives for social communication with every class and condition of mankind. — Consider, again, the leisure which it furnishes for reading and medita- tion ; the long dull hours on shipboard, which cannot other- wise be profitably or even pleasurably spent. A moment's reflection convinces one that uncommon advantages here exist for self-cultivation ; that the strongest inducements are here presented for the improvement of those advantages ; and that, as a reasonable,. if not a necessary consequence, the choicest attributes of character arc here developed for the social and domestic circles of life. Among such men you are not to look for that highest de- gree of mental discipline, or for those varied and refined accomplishments, which are found among those who congre- gate in cities. In the early discipline of boyhood, they generally lay the solid foundation of a practical New Eng- land education, and upon this they subsequently build a noble and peculiar superstructure. For the learning of the schools, they have but little occasion, and but little opportu- nity. If, however, you desire such information as cannot be found in books, — if you are in search of that knowledge which comes from travel only, and which generally makes the "agreeable companion, — here you have it face to face. Let your conversation take its widest range; discuss the condition and appearance of foreign countries ; the produc- tions of their soil ; the education and occupation of their cit- izens ; — their style of dress and architecture : — in fine, extend your inquiries to the manners, customs, character and habits of all nations, — and you will have men of intelligence about you, who, from the stores of their experience, are able and ready to impart. You are not to expect among such men those cultivated graces which adorn the more elegant circles of metropolitan life ; — yet, there is a manliness and generosity of deportment about them which always elicit admiration. Of all New England men, such as the country can produce, there are but few, I think, who so command attention or regard, as the 60 aged and middle-aged gentlemen upon the Cape. Cordiality, liberality, frankness, and independence, are the prominent and distinguishing features of character among them. You behold in them the sinew and courage of a giant, — while, at the same time, you discover the gentleness and affection of a child. In their general demeanor, they are courteous and respectful, — yet, from habit, they address you with an air of firmness and authority. With the manners of the world they are perfectly familiar, — and yet, practically, they are strangers to its narrow subterfuges. Their position has been one of dignity and honor ; their word has been the law of their floating province ; they have had no occasion, there- fore, to study the arts of petty dissimmulation. Servility of conduct does not, in fact, belong to those who are accus- tomed to command. — In fine, their presence, tones and actions, all inspire you with confidence and attachment. You feel that you are dealing with a class in whose souls the noblest principles of human nature have been developed. In a community, consisting of such men, it is needless to remark that the social sentiments generally predominate. If not thus inclined by nature, their situation upon the Cape would lead to this result. Home with them is by no means a theatre of gain, — it is rather a place of retirement and recreation. Their minds are no longer occupied with schemes of traffic and busy competition. The harness of labor is cast aside for a season, while they devote them- selves to the rational enjoyments of life — to the pleasures of friendly communion, and social intercourse. A spirit of good faith and good fellowship usually prevails through- out their precincts. The neighborhood becomes, in fact, but a wider extension of the family circle. With open hands, open hearts, and open doors, they welcome each other to all the hospitalities which their condition will afi"ord. — Nor do they limit their generosity to mere acts of neighborly kind- ness and civility. The latch-string of their sympathy is never " pulled in." The stranger among them is always greeted with respect, and the temporary sojourner becomes the village guest. 61 The virtues of the citizen and the neighbor, however, shine brighter, it is said, in the husband and the father. Nowhere is this truth more apj^arent tlian among the inhab- itants of the Cape. It is natural that it should be so. After a career of twenty or thirty years upon the ocean, the Cape Cod captain generally attains the object of his pursuits, — and he then retires, with a reasonable competency, to pass the balance of his days in leisure and repose. Having been en- gaged in the most important and respectable departments of commerce, with every class and condition of mankind, his soul has become enlarged; his views, his feelings, and his tastes, refined ; and he is thus prepared to appreciate, and to cultivate, the higher virtues of life. " Like a long lost child, returned at last, — Like a weary man, when the day is past," he revels in the scenes of domestic bliss. The pleasures of home are made sweeter by the recollection of his former toils. Its duties and its relations are rendered doubly dear to him now, because of his earlier privations. To be a citi- zen upon his native soil, released from the cares and dangers of his calling — to be at rest in the midst of those he loves — is to him a situation full of novelty and delight. He enters upon its enjoyments therefore, with a heart full of the freshness and buoyancy of youth. Such, in a word, is the social and domestic character of the citizens of Cape Cod. A nobler class of intelligent, honorable, frank and generous men, seldom grace the com- mon circles of life. Taking them all in all, you may travel the face of the wide world over, and you will not often find their like. — But I should feel that I was unfaithful to my trust, if, while dwelling upon the character of the Cape, and the virtues of her sons, I should forget another class who mingle in this scene, and who bear a most important part in the duties and destinies of life. I mean the daughters of Cape Cod. We are told that the finishing handwork of the Creator's plan was woman. She was his last, and, wiio shall doubt, 62 his best embodiment of perfection. In all those virtues which ennoble and adorn the walks of social life, or cast their halo around the sanctuary of home, woman is by na- ture the superior of man. Her calling is not amid the scenes of jDublic life. Hers rather is the school of virtue and affec- tion. It is hers to cheer the sinking heart ; to soothe the pangs of anguish ; and to whisper in the ear of grief those words of consolation. Hers also is that higher task allot- ted her by heaven, to rear the tender plant of youth ; to watch its infant progress ; and to nurture the opening buds of prom- ise with the dews of gentleness and love. What a debt of gratitude we owe to those faithful women, who left the nursery of home behind, to embark upon the waters ; — in whose hearts the dangers and the sufferings of the wilderness were surmounted by affection. How deeply are we indebted to those heroic mothers, who, in the darkest hour of agony and despair, sustained the sinking energies of our fathers ; — those fair colaborers in the work of building up a Colony, — who watched, and worked, and prayed, within their little tents, and tried to bar their doors against the in- roads of starvation and distress. We need not be reminded of those many ties which bind us to the worthy progeny of that heroic race, — the mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters, of the present generation. I dare not here attempt a de- scription of their peculiar virtues ; — where all is loveliness, it is invidious to compare. Suffice it now to say that, side by side with their generous companions, they are always found discharging their appropriate duties, and reflecting equal credit upon the land which gave them birth. From those brave adventurers, however, who sail upon the deep, let us for one moment turn our eyes toward that inter- esting household, from whence such spirits emigrate. In the absence of their appointed head, how nobly do its members bear their double portion of domestic duty. The calling of the husband, and the father, is abroad, — the wife, or mother, thus becomes the only present, ostensible, and active partner. The labor and responsibilities of home are entrusted mostly to her providence and care. Hers is the direction and the 63 toil, by which the homestead and the household thrive. — Happy, indeed, were it for that devoted class, if this were all which they were summoned to endure. Tliey enjoy compar- atively but little in the present, — happiness, with them, de- pends mainly upon the future. To them all winds are pros- perous which hasten a return, all messages are welcome which bring glad tidings from afar. But, alas ! how painful are the disappointments which frequeutly befall them. How the cords of their affection are tested every hour. How dreadfully uucertain are all those hopes aud fears of that domestic circle, whose hearts are upon the deep ; whose fortuues hang upon the mercy of the elements ; — to whom the Bible, and the Shipping-list, are the dearest nurseries of faith. To the sous and daughters of the Cape alike belong the praises which are bestowed upon the land of our nativity ; for theirs has been the united task of building up her for- tunes. And verily, they have earned a noble recompense. At home, and abroad, they behold the fruits of their fidelity. In the crowded cities of the East, in the capitals of the West, their companions are toiling with vigor and success. All seas, all lands, all climates, are the witnesses of their enterprise and virtue. In all the various departments of life they are ably represented, — among the ocean mon- archs, among the merchant princes, in the sacred halls of learning, from the pulpit, at the bar, upon the solemn seat of judgment, among the councils of the Nation, in the cham- bers of the State, — there is no post so full of danger, no place so full of honor, but their industry may conquer and their virtues may adorn. To you, Honored Sirs, who have trodden the paths of life with such merit and success, the benedictions of our native land are due, for the distinction conferred upon her name by your deportment in the past. In view of your position, well may she point, with feelings of gratitude and pride, to the character and example of her sons. To you, as elder brothers of that family, the younger portion of her children naturally look for wisdom and instruction. The task is ([uite impossi- ble to calculate the amount of inllueuce which you are 64 thus exerting upon the destinies of the present. We are told that it was a custom among the Ancients, to instruct their children in the principles of life, by allowing them to visit the assemblies of the State, — thus, by the presence and example of their heroes, inspiring the youthful heart to imi- tate their virtues. How many students in their closets, — how many salesmen behind their counters, — -how many sailor boys upon the ocean, have looked upon the precedents which you have set before them, and thereby been encouraged to follow your career. How many, inspired by your example, al- ready have attained to such positions as, by their unassisted strength, they never could have reached. To such, it is a privilege to meet you here to-day ; to drink still deeper, in your presence, from those wells of inspiration ; here, by the chart and compass of your experience, to direct anew their courses for the future. — While to you, Sirs, it cannot be otherwise than pleasing, to behold a rising generation, striv- ing to imitate your virtues, — and resolved, if possible, to share a portion of your past success. If this Association shall have the desired effect, by such influences, to elevate the character of its members ; to raise their aspirations higher ; or to stimulate their souls to greater activity of life ; then shall we all have reason to rejoice that, while we have thus attempted to discharge our duties toward the past, — while we have endeavored thus to cultivate a be- coming regard for the home of our nativity,— we have also experienced a renewal of heart, and been made better as well as stronger for the future. ()5 The Chair now announced that Toasts and Speeches were the order of the evening, and he introduced Henry Crocker, Esq., as Toast Master ; who gave the following, as the first regular toast — Cape Cod, our Home — The first to honor the Pilgrim ship, the first to receive the Pilgrims' feet ; she is the first and the last, and always the dearest in the memory of her children every- where ! Again we repeat the motto of our Association — " Cape God, our Home^ This toast was rapturously received, and nine cheers were spontaneously and enthusiastically given, all present starting at once to their feet. The following song, written for the occasion, was then sung by the entire company, the accompaniment being played by the band — Tune — "home, s-\veet home." The home of our sires, where the rilg:rims first trod ; Where they first oft'ered thanks for their safety to God ; That home we will eherish; their memory revere; Their spirits, it may be, arc hovering here. Home, home, the Pilgrims liome, We ne'er can forget thee, our ocean-hound home. The home of our childhood ! in fancy we see Its welcoming arm ever stretched to the sea : Its beacons aye blazing, its liearts true and wann, The sailor's sure refuge, when loud howls the storm. Home, home, our childhoods home. We ne'er can forget thee, our ocean-bound home. AV'hcrcvcr onr footsteps in manhood may roam, We will fondly look back to our forefathers' home. And cherish the thouglit of that sheltering bay AVhere, rocked by the billows, the Mayflower lay. Home, home, dearly loved home, We proudly can say, there is no place like home. These regular toasts then followed : — The Day adopted as our Anniversary — The eleventh of Xov- ember, 1620, gave to the world the first written compact of civil government ! Its results, then inconceivable by the little band who subscribed it in the cabin of the Mayfiower, are, to-day, the glorious enjoyment of a mighty nation, and in the future are to be the invaluable inheritance of a world of freemen. 66 The United S'tates — Would the people in other sections of the country emulate the example of the sons and daughters of Cape Cod, in their devotion to Union, neither principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, would be able to separate them. The band here played " Hail Columbia !" The State of Massachusetts — The chosen land of the Pilgrims 5 of liberty, of literature and enterprise. In reference to the indecisive election of the day before, the band played " Oh Dear, what can the matter be." The Pilgrim Society — Our elder brother ; though we do not profess to be seers (Sears) still we venture to predict that we shall never find its President tvarring (Warren) against us. Judge Charles H. Warren, President of the Pilgrim Society, responded to this toast. He thanked the meeting for the mention made of that Society, and said they would be glad to have such a large addition to their family, as the Cape Cod Association. They would say to this Society, Ood speed. He adverted to early years, and said that the Constitution formed in the Mayflower, was the only one that no party, and no coalition of parties, ever offered to amend. He read a letter written by James Otis the younger, in 1643, asking his father to send him funds to give a Com- mencement dinner on the day of his graduation. Judge Warren claimed descent from the first American who ever went to Cape Cod — one Peregrine White — the first white American born on Cape Cod, which circumstance showed the first act of the women of Cape Cod which is on record. He showed the original will of Peregrine, signed in 1704, when he was at the age of eighty-two. He then spoke of the many virtues and marked characteristics of the inhabitants of the Cape, and in regard to their moral character, said, that in seven years' experience in prosecuting criminals in Barn- stable, there was but a single instance of a native of the county, who was prosecuted for a crime sufficient to send him to the State's Prison. This, however, he would not say to flatter those present. It was true of those who stayed at home ; how it had been with those who came away, he would not say. Judge Warren also related several amusing 67 anecdotes of the past, which kept the company in the best possible humor. He gave this toast — Ca2)e Cod and Plymouth — Our fiithers ahvays lived in amity and peace. May their descendants always harmoniously unite in celebrating their virtues. The next regular sentiments were — The Press — Let but the j^ress be sni)p'cssed, and a host of evils will 2^ress upon us. The people would be oppresses?, their business depressed, our seamen imjyressed, and our imjjression is, (if we may be allowed to exjyress the opinion,) that we should soon be ready to cry ^^ presto, change" and remstate the printmg 2)ress. The historical Society of 3Iassachii8etts, and its veneraUe President — They reflect honor upon each other. For the latter we Avould crave a long continuance of that blessing so devoutly prayed for by Old Philip in the " Haunted Man " — " Lord, keep his memory green." Hon. James Savage, President of the Historical Society, responded to this sentiment, and alluded to some of the inter- esting incidents connected with the signing of the famous Compact in the Mayflower's cabin, and to the men connected with it. He also spoke highly of the virtues of Wm. Brews- ter, as the first non-conformist layman, and concluded by calling upon those before him to renew their allegiance to the Compact of the Mayflower. The next regular toast was as follows : — The Mineral Productions of Cape Cod — Of far greater intrin- sic value than all the gold of California ; for there Indian corn was first dug out of the earth, and clams are still found in abun- dance. The next regular sentiment : — The Judiciary of Massachusetts — Cape Cod has c^-inced its respect for the laws by furnishing the bench with a Chief Justice. Chief Justice Shaw acknowledged this sentiment in a speech of some length, and alluded to the sacred compact of the pilgrim fathers, whicli was signed on board the Mayflow- er, in Cape Cod Harbor, on the 11th of November, 1G20, and said from that instrument sprung all the constitutions after- wards adopted in this country. 68 He alluded particularly to the fact that the early colonists not only established free governments for themselves, but they agreed to sustain each other against their common ene- my — King Philip and his warriors. In this there was a germ of that Union of governments which was necessary for the common welfare. He acknowledged himself a son of the Cape, and said nothing afforded him greater pleasure than to meet his asso- ciates of former days on occasions like the present. He con- cluded his address by giving the following toast . — The Cabin of the Mayfloiver — The Convention Hall of the Pilgrims, from the first dawning of whose light has emanated a blaze of constitutional freedom which has lighted up every moun- tain and penetrated every valley of the land. The next regular toast : — The Historical Society of Connecticut — rrom History's page all darkness to dispel. And dissipate the mists that round it dwell ; To brush the cobwebs of the past away, More light was Avanted: and behold their Day. Judge Day, President of the Historical Society of Connecti- cut, responded briefly, and introduced the Rev. Dr. Thomas RoBBiNs, of Connecticut, who arose and directed the atten- tion of the company to an ancient looking chest which was placed upon some chairs before him, and of which the follow- ing is the history : — This chest was the property of Elder Wilham Brewster, and with him landed from the Mayflower at Plymouth, Dec. 22, 1620. At his decease it became the property of his son William, and at his decease it became the property of his grandson Joseph Brews- ter, and at Joseph's decease it became the property of his great- grand-daughter, Ruth Brewster. Ruth ha\dng married a Mr. •Sampson, and then deceasing in the family of Mr. Pliny Day it became his property, and was purchased of him by Dr. Robbins. The chest is about five feet long, two and a half feet high, and two broad; is made of Norway pine, and painted red. It is securely fastened with iron clamps or straps around each corner, and at the end has a till. The lock and key are with it now as they were at first. The venerable Dr. further said that it was used as a table in the cabin of the Mayflower during the passage, and from its top the Pilgrims took their food. He further believed that it was made expressly for the voyage. This valuable relic of the past Avas gazed upon with eager interest by all present. 69 His account of the old relic was quite interesting, and at the close of his remarks the thanks of the society were ten- dered to him, at the suggestion of Hon. B. F. Hallett, for the pains which he had taken to add interest to the occasion. The Daughters of the Cape — Their charms have often drawn thither the learned, the eloquent, the brave, in Cupid's leading- strings to kneel at Hymen's altar. Any such here this evening, •will please honor this sight draft upon their song and sentiment ; — and especially would we now draio out Benjamin Dreio, Esq., of Boston. Mr. Drew came forward in answer to this call, and said — " Mr. President — Knowing the very high approval which you have seen fit to attach to certain articles in rhyme, which have at various times and on sundry occasions given me an immortality of near a week, — and having, as you intimate, become an adopted son of the Cape, I shall venture to offer you in response, the discovery and prophetic vision of one Bartholomew Gosnold."' BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD'S VISION. There sailed an ancient mariner, Bart. Gosnold was he hi