A 4 $3313.59) DELIVERED .& T PL YMO UT1-I, DECEMBER 22, 1320, mt Gtnmmemurextinzm at THE FIRST ' SETTLEMENT OF NEW-ENGLAND. “ BY E V DANIELE WEBSTER. .j.._.:. FOURTH EDITIONE BOSTON: WELLS AND LILLY,---STATE-STREET. .—n..——u-—-n 1826. {Fag .2 rm ,u“*‘ 2;’ V‘ W ‘E "" gt 3;v57f'"" 1 DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO VVIT: District é"lerk".s* Ofice. BE it remembered, that on the twentieth da of December, A. D. 1821, in the fortysixth year ofthe Independence of the United States o America, Wells and Lilly of the said District, have deposited in this Ofiice the title of a Book, the Ripjht whereof‘ they claim as Proprietors, in the words following, to -wit :- “ A discourse delivered at Plymouth, December ‘.22, 1820, in commemoration of the First Settlement of_New-England. B Daniel Webster-” i In Conformity to the_Act of t e Congress of the United States, entitled, “ An Act for the encouragenpent of Learning, hy secu_rmg the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and I“ropr1etors of such Copies, during the tithes therein mentioned :”' and also to an Act enti- tled, ‘ An Aet su1}31p1eme_ntary to an Act, entitled, An Act for the encouragement --of Learn- 1ng,_ by secnrmg t e_ COPIES of: Maps. _Cha1fts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such C.op_1es_dur1ng; the times therein inentioned ;_ and extending the Benefits thereot to the Arts of Designing, Engraving, and Etching Historical and other Prints.” , ~ mo. W. DAVIS, clerk Qf‘ the District 9]‘ Massachusetts. I PLYMOUTH, Dec. 23, 1820. HONi DANIEL WEBSTER,‘ SIR, AT a meeting of the Trustees of the PILGRIM SOCIETY, present, John W'a1§son, W'iZliam Davis, James Sever, ./Ila’-en Bradford, Barnabas Hedge, Thomas Jackson, Jr. and Zabdiel Sampson, Esquires, VOTED, “That the thanks of the Trustees he presented to the HON. DANIEL WEBSTER, for his eloquent and interesting DISCOURSE, delivered at Plymouth, on the 22d in- stant, at their request, in commemoration of the completion of the second cen- tury since the settlement of .N'ew-England-—tl1at he be requested to furnish a. copy for puhlication—-ancl that the Corresponding Secretary communicate the preceding vote.” While in the performance of this duty, as honourable as it is pleasing, I am directed to subjoin, that the Committee of the Jlfassachtesetts Historical lSoct'e- ty, and of the flmerican Antiquarian Society, who attended on this occasion, by invitation, unite in the request. Witli great esteem and regard, I am, Sir, Very respectfully, SAMUEL DAVIS, Correspondiatg Secretary of the Pilgrim Sacz‘ef3/. BosToN, Dec. 26, 1820. SIR, I HAVE received yours of the 23d, communicating the request of the Trusu tees of the Pilgrim Society, and of the Committee of the Historical and Anti- quarian Societies, that at copy of my Discourse may be furnished for the press. I shall cheerfully comply with this request; but at the same time I must add, that such is the nature of my other engagements, that I hope I may be pardon- ed if I should be compelled to postpone this compliance to 8. more distant day than I could otherwise have wished. ‘ I am, Sir, with true regard, Your most ouvbedient Servant, DANIEL WEBSTER. To SAMUEL DAVIS, Esq. V Cor-rcspondivzg Secretary of the Pilgrim Society. VDISCOURSE. LET us rejoice that we behold this day. Let us be thankful that we have lived to see the bright and happy breaking of the auspicious morn, which commences the third century of the history of New-England. Auspi-= cious indeed; bringing a happiness beyond the common allotment of Providence to men ; full of present joy, and gilding with bright beams the prospect of futurity, is the dawn that awakens us to the commemoration of the Land- ing of the Pilgrims. Living at an epoch which naturally marks the pro» gress of the history of our native land, we have come hith- er to celebrate the great event with which that history commenced. Forever honoured be this, the place of our fathers’ refuge It Forever rempembered the day which saw them, wearyfiand distressed, broken in every thing but i spirit, poor in all but faith and courage, at last secure from the dangers of wintry seas, and impressing this shore With the first footsteps of civilized man l It is a noble faculty of our nature which enables us to connect our thoughts, our sympathies, and our happiness, with What is distant, in place or time; and, looking be- fore and after, to hold communion at once with our ances- tors and our posterity. Human and mortal although We are, We are nevertheless not mere insulated beings, with- out relation to the past or the future. Neither the point of time, nor the spot of earth, in which We physically‘ live, bounds our rational and intellectual enjoyments. A , ‘We live in the past by aknowledge of its history; and i 6 in the future by hope and anticipation. By ascending to an association with our ancestors; by contemplating their example and studying their character ; by partaking their sentiments, and imbibing their spirit; by accompanying them in their toils, by sympathising in their sufferings, and rejoicing in their successes and their triumphs, we mingle our own existence with theirs, and seem to belong to their age. We become th.eir contemporaries, live the lives which they lived, endure What they endured, and partake in the rewards which they enjoyed. And in like manner, by running along the line of future time, by con» templating the probable fortunes of those who are coming after us; by attempting something which may promote their happiness, and leave some not dishonourable memo- rial of ourselves for their regard, when We shall sleep with the fathers, We protract our own earthly being, and seem to crowd whatever is future, as Well as all that is past, into the narrow compass of ourearthly existence. As it is not a Vain and false, but an exalted and religious imagination, which leads us to raise our thoughts from the orb, which, amidst this universe of worlds, the Creau tor has given us to inhabit, and to send them with some- thing of the feeling which nature prompts, and teaches to be proper among children of the same Eternal Parent, to the contemplation of the myriads of fellow beings, with which his goodness has peopled the infinite of space 3---» so neither is it false or vain to consider ourselves as in» terested and connected with our whole race, through all time; allied to our ancestors; allied to our posterity 5, closely compacted on all sides with others ; r ourselves be»- ing but links in the great chain of being, which begins with the origin of our race, runs onward through its suc- eessiife generations, binding together the past, the prose cut, and the future, and terminating at last, with the con- summationi of all things earthly, at the throne of God. b There may be, and there often is, indeed, a reygard for ancestry, which nourishes only a weal: pride ; as that's is also a care for posterity, which only disguises an hahi. tual avarice, or hides the workings of a low and groveling vanity; i But there is also a moral and philosophical re- spect for our ancestors, which elevates the character and improves the heart. Next to the sense of religious duty and moral feeling, I hardly know What should bear with stronger obligation on a liberal and enlightened mind, than a consciousness of alliance with excellence which is departed; and a consciousness, too, that in its acts and conduct, and even in its sentiments and thoughts, it may be actively operating on the happiness of those who come after it. Poetry is found to have few stronger concep- tions, by which it would affect or overwhelm the mind, than those in which it presents the moving and speaking image of the departed dead to the senses of the living. This belongs to poetry, only because it is congenial -to our nature. Poetry is, in this respect, but the hand-maid of true philosophy and morality ; it deals with us as hu- man beings, naturally reverencing those whose visible con— nexion vvith this state of existence is severed, and who may yet exercise we know not what sympathy with our- selves ;——l--and when it carries us forward, also, and shows us the long continued result of all the good we do, in the prosperity of those who follow us, till it bears us from ourselves, and absorbs us in an intense interest for what shall happen to the generations after us, it speaks only in the language of our nature, and aflects, us with sentiments which belong to us as human beings. . Standing in this relation to our ancestors and our pos- terity, We are assembled on this memorable spot, to per- form the duties which that relation, and the present occa- sion, impose upon us. We have come to’ this Rock, to record here our homage for our Pilgrim Fathers; our sympathy in their sufferings; our gratitude for their la- bours; our admiration of their virtues; our veneration for their piety‘; and our attachment to those principles of civil and religious liberty, which they encountered the dangers of the ocean, the storms of heaven, the violence of savages, disease, exile, and famine, to enjoy and-to es- tablisli.---And We would leave here, also, for the genera- tions which are rising up rapidly to fill our places, some proof, that we have endeavoured to transmit the great inheritance unimpaired; that in our estimate of public principles, and private virtue; in our veneration of reli- gion and piety; in our devotion to civil and religious li- berty; in our regard to Whatever advances human ltnowe ledge, or improves human happiness, We are not altogeth- er unworthy of our origin. a i There is a local feeling, connected with this occasion, too strong to be resisted; a sort of genius of the place, which inspires and awes us. i "We feel that We are on the spot, where the first scene of our history was laid ; Where the hearths and altars of New-England were first placed; where .Christianity, _and civilization, and letters made their first lodgment, in a vast extent pf country, covered with a Wilderness, and peopled by roving barbarians. We are here, at the season of the year at which the event took place. The imagination irresistibly and rapidly draws around us the principle features, and the leading charac- ters in the original scene. We cast our eyes abroad on the ocean, and We see Where the little barque, with the interesting group upon its deck, made its slow progress to the shore. We look around us, and behold the hills and promontories, Where the anxious eyes of i our fathers first saw the places of habitation and of rest. ,We feel the cold which benumbed, and listen to the winds which pierced them. Beneath us is the Rock, on which New- England received the feet of the Pilgrims, VVe seem even to behold them, as they struggle with the elements, and,witl1 teilsoine efforts, gain the shore. We listen to the chiefs in council; vve see the unexampled exhibition pf female fortitude and resignation; we hear the whis-l perings of youthful impatience, and We see, what a paint- er of our nwn has also represented by his pencil, chilled and shivering childhood, houseless, but for a 1notl1er"s arms, couchless, but for a mother’s breast, till our own blood almost freezes. The mild dignity of Canvzaza and of Binanzronn; the decisive and soldier-like air and man- ner of STANDISH; the devout Bnnwsrnn; the enterpris- ing_ALLE1vroN ; the general firmness and thoughtfulness of the whole band ; their conscious joy for dangers esca- ped; their deep soiicitude about dangers to come; their trust in heaven; their high religious faith, full of conti- dence and anticipation :-mu-all of these seem to belong to this place, and to be present upon this occasion, to fill us with reverence and admiration. ‘ p The settlement of N ew-England by the colony which landed here on the twenty-second of December, sixteen hundred and twenty, although not the first European es» tablishment in what now constitutes the United States, was yet so peculiar in its causes and character, and has been followed and must still be followed, by such consequen- ces, as to give it a high claim to lasting commemoration. On these causes and consequences, more than on its im-A tnediatelyiattendant circumstances, its importance as an historical event depends. , Gr-eat actions and stril-zing oc- currences, havingpexcited a temporary admiration, often pass away and are forgotten, because they leave no last- ing results, affecting the prosperity and happiness of com- munities. Such is frequently the fortune of the most brilliant military achievements. Of the ten thousand bat- tles which have been fought; of all the fields fertilized ‘With carnage ; of the banners whichhave been bathed in blood ; of the warriors who have hoped that they had ris- en, from the field of conquest to a glory as bright and as durable as the stars, how few that continue long to inter» est mankind ! The victory of yesterday is reversed by the defeat of to-day; the star of military glory, rising like a meteor, like a meteor has fallen; disgrace and disaster hang on the heels of conquest and renown; victor and ranqttished presently pass away to oblivion, and the wcrld it") goes on in its course, with the loss only of so inanry lives and so much treasuze. r But if this be frequently, or generally, the fortune of military achievements, itis not always so. There are en- terprises, military as Well as civil, which sometimes check the current of events, give a new turn to human affairs, and transmit their consequences through ages. ‘We see their importance in their results, and call them great, be. cause great things follow. There have been battles which have fixed the fate of nations. These come down to us in history with a» solid and permanent interest, not crea- ted by a display of glittering armour, the rush of adverse battalions, the sinking and rising of pelnnons, the flight, the pursuit, and the victory ; but by their effect in ad- vancing or retarding human knowledge, in overthrowing or establishing despotism, in extending or destroying hu- man happiness.» ‘When the traveller pauses on the plain of Marathon, what are the ennotions which most strongly agitate his breast 3 ‘What is that glorious recollection, which thrills through his fra1ne,«and suffuses his eyes Pa--Not, I imagine, that Grecian skill and Grecian valour were here most signally displayed ; but that Greece herself was here saved. It is, because to this spot, and to the event which has rendered it immortal, he refers all the succeeding glo- ries of the republic. i It is because if that day. had gone ,0tl1e1”‘W'lS8,i Greece had perished. It is because he per» ceives that her philosophers, and orators, her poets and painters, her sculptors and architects, her governments and free institutions, point backward to Marathon, and that their future existence seems to have been suspended on the contingency, Whether the Persian or the Grecianban- ner should Wave victorious in the beainsof that day’s set» ting sun. And as his imagination ltindles at the retro» G spect, he is transported back to“ the interesting moment, he countstthe~fe”arful odds of the contending hosts,‘—hisin-e terest for the result overvvhelms hiing he trembles, as if it were rstill.iuncertain,. and seems tonic» doubt, whether he ll may consider Socrates and Plato, Demosthenes, Sophow cles and Phidias, as secure, yet, to himself and to the world. i i r _ I . g o t y 4‘ Ifwe conquer,” said the Athenian cominannder on the morning of that decisive day,-—-“ If We conquer, We shall make Athens the greatest city of Greece.” A prophecy, how well fulfilled !+—-—--‘‘ If God prosper us,” might have been the more appropriate language of our Fathers, when they landed upon this Rock 3---“ if God prosper us, We shall here begin a work which shall last for ages ; we shall plant here a new society, in the principles of the fullest liberty, and the purest religion : we shall subdue this wil- derness which is before us; we shall fill this region of the great continent, which stretches almost from pole to pole, with civilization and Christianity 3 the temples of the true God shall rise, Where now ascends the sntolte of lldfl- latrous sacrifice; fields and gardens, the flowers of ' sum- mer, and the waving and golden harvest of autumn, shall extend over a thousand hills, and stretch along a thousand vallies, never yet, since the creation, reclaimed to the use of civilized man. lrVe shall whiten this coast with the canvass of a prosperous cominerce ; We shall stud the long i and winding shore with an hundred cities. , That which we sowin weakness shall be ‘raised in strength. “ From our sincere but houseless Worship, there shall spring splen-~ did temples to record God’s goodness; from the Sinlplie city of our social union, there shall arise wise and politic constitutions of government, full of the liberty which we ourselves bring and breathe; from our zeal for learning, institutions shall spring which shall scatter the light of knowledge throughout the land, and, in time, paying back where they have borrowed, shall contribute their part to the great aggregatetof human knowledge .; and your den scendfants, through all generations, shall look back tq this spot, and.to..,tl1is hour, with r unabated, afiection land re gard.” l r i i , I hirief remembrance of the causes which led to the l2 settlement of this place ; some account of the peculiarities and characteristic qualities of that settlement, as distin- guished from other instances of colonization; a short no- tice of the progress of N ew-England in the great interests of Society, during the century which is now elapsed; with a few observations on the principles upon which so- ciety and government are established in this country ;--- comprise all that can be attempted, and much more than can be satisfactorily performed on the present occasion. Of the motives which influenced the first settlers to a Voluntary exile, induced them to relinquish their native country, and to seek an asylum in this then unexplored wilderness, the first and principal, no doubt were connect- ed with Religion. They sought to enjoy a higher degree of Religious freedom, and What they esteemed a purer form of Religious worship, than was allowed to their choice, or presented to their imitation, in the old World- The love of Religious liberty is a stronger sentiment, when fully excited, than an attachment to civil or politi-- cal freedom. That freedom which the conscience de-- , mands, and which men feel bound by their hopes of salva- tion to contend for, can hardly fail to be attained. Con» science, in the cause of Religion, and the Worship of the Deity, prepares the mind to act, and to suffer beyond al-l most all other causes. It sometimes gives an impulse so irresistible, that no letters of power or of opinion can with» stand it. History instructs us that this love of Religious liberty, a compound sentiment in the breast of man, made up of the clearest sense of right, and the highest convic- tion of duty, is able to look the sternest despotism in the face, and with means apparently most inadequate, to shake principalities and powers. There is a boldness, a spirit of daring, in Religious reformers, not to be measured by the general rules which control men’s purposes and ac- tions. If the hand of power he laid upon it, this only seems to augment its force and its elasticity, and to cause its actionto be more formidable and terrible. Human in» 13 ivention has devised nothing, human power has compassed nothing that can forcibly restrain it, when it breaks forth. Nothing can stop it, but to give Way to it; nothing can check it, but indulgence. lt loses its power only when it has gained its object. The principle of toleration, to which the World has come so slowly, is atonce the most just and the most wise of all principles. Even when re» ligious feeling takes a character of erttravagance and en— thusiasm, and seems to threaten the order of society, and shake the columns of the social edifice, its principle dan- ger is in its restraint. If it be allowed indulgence and expansion like the elemental fires it only agitates and per- haps purifies the atmosphere, while its efforts to throw off restraint would burst the world asunder. A It is certain, that although many of them were Repub-a licans in principle, We have no evidence that our N ew- England ancestors would have emigrated, as they did, from their own native country, become Wanderers in Europe, and finally undertaken the establishment of a colony here, merelyfrom their dislike of the political systems of Eu- rope. They fled not so much fromthe civiltgovernment, as from the Hierarchy, and the laws which enforced con- formity to the Church Establishment. Mr. Robinson had left England as early as sixteen hundred and eight, on ac-« count of the persecutions for non-conformity, and had rem tired to Holland. He left England, from no disappoint- ed ambition in affairs of state, from no regrets at the wants of preferment in the church, nor from any motive of dis- tinction, or of gain. Uniformity in matters of Religion was pressed with such extreme rigour, that a voluntary exile‘ seemed the most eligible mode of escaping from the penalties of non—compliance. The accession of Elizabeth had, it is true, quenched the fires of Smithfield, and put an end to the easy acquisition of the crown of martyrdom. Her long reign had established the Reformation, but to-— leration was a virtue beyond her conception, and beyond the age. She left no example of it to her successor; P3 id and he was not of a character which rendered it probable that a sentiment either so Wise or so liberal should ori- ginate with him. At the present period it seems incredi- ble, that the learned, accomplished, unassuming, and in- ofl'ensiVe Robinson should neither be tolerated in his own peaceahle mode of Worship in his own country, nor , suffered quietly to depart from it. Yet such was the fact. He left his country by stealth, that he might elsewhere enjoy those rights which ought to belong to men in all countries. The elnharhation of the Pilgrims for Holland is deeply interesting, from its circumstances, and also as it niarks the character of the times; indepen-- dently of its connexion with names new incorporated with the history of Einpire, The enibarkation was intended to be inthe night, that it might escape the notice of the otlicers of government. Great pains had been taken to secure boats, which should come undiscovered to the shore, and receive the fugitives 3: and frequent disappointments had been experienced in this respect. At length the ap—- pointed time came, bringing with it unusual severity of cold and rain. An unfrequented and barren heath, on the shores of Lincolnshire, was the selected spot, where the feet of the Pilgrims were to tread, for the last time, the land of their fathers. The Vessel which was to receive them, did not come it utnttil the next day, and in the mean time the little band was collected, and men and women and children and baggage were crowded together, in melancholy and distrepssedcona . fusion. The sea was rough, and the women and children already sick, froin their passage down the river to the place of i embarkation. At length the Wished for boat si- lently and fearfully approaches the shore, and men and Women and children, shaking with fear and with cold, as many as the small vessel could bear, venture off on a dan- gerous sea. , llimmediately the advance of horses is heard fronrbchind, a1‘medmen appear, and those not yet em-l barked ares seized, andptaltenpintoycustody. In the huri'y of the moment, there had been no regard to the keeping ll .3 together of fairiilies, in the first emharlratioin, and on ac- count of the appearance of the horsemen, the boat never returned for the residue. Those who had got away, and those who had not, were in equal distress. A storm, of great violence, and long duration, arose at sea, which not only protracted the voyage, rendered distressing by the Want of all those accommodations which the interruption of the einbarlration had occasioned, but also forced the vessel out of her course, and menaced immediate Ship- wreck; while those on shore, when they were dismissed from the custody of the oflicers ofjustice, having no longer homes or houses to retire to, and their friends and pro- tectors being already gone, became objects of necessary charity, as well as of deep commiseration. As this scene passes before us, we can hardly :fo1-hear asking, whether this be iaband of malefactors and felons "ilying from justice? VVhat are their crimes, that they hide themselves in ('.l8.1‘l{I"lC3SS ?———-To what, punishment are they exposed, that to avoid it, men, and we» men, and children, thus encounter the surf of the North Sea, and the terrors of a night storm 9 ‘What induces this armed pursuit, and this arrest of fugitives, of all ages and both sexes E’---—T:ruth does not allow us to answer these inquiries, in ainanner that does credit to the wisdoin or the justice of the times. This was not the flight of guilt, but of Virtue. It was an humble and peaceable religion, fly- ing from causeless oppression. lt was conscience, at- tempting to escape from the arbitrary rule of the Stuarts. It was Robinson, and Brewster, leading off their little band from their native soil, at first to find shelter on the shores or the neighbouring continent, but ultimately to come hither ; l and having surmounted all difliculties, and braved a thousand dangers, to find here a place of refuge and of rest. “Thanks be to God, that this spot Was honoured as the asylum of religious liberty. May its standard, reared here, remain forever !-—-«-May it rise up as high as heaven, till its banner shall fan the air of both continents, and iii wave as a glorious eiisigii of peace and security to the nations I V The peculiar character, condition, and circumstances of the colonies which introduced civilization and an English race into N ew-England, afford a most interesting and ex- tensive topic, of discussion. On these much of our sub- sequent character and fortune has depended. Their in- fluence has essentially affected our Whole history, through the two centuries which have elapsed ; and as they have become intimately connected with government, laws, and property, as well as with our opinions on the subjects of religioii and civil liberty, that influence is likely to con- tinue to be felt through the centuries which shall suc- ceed. E111ig1*atio11 from one region to another, and the emission of colonies to people countries more or less dis- tant from the residence of the parent stock, are common incidents in the history of maiiltind 3, but it has not often, perhaps never happened, that the establishment of cold- nies should be attempted, under circumstances, however beset with present difficulties and dangers, yet so favour- able to ultimate success, and so conducive to magnificent results, as those which attended the first settlements on this part of the continent, In other instances, emigration has proceeded from a less exalted purpose, in a period of less ge11ei*al intelligence, or more without plan and by ac- cident ; or under circumstances, physical and moral, less favourable to the expectation of laying a foundation for great public prosperity and future empire. A great resemblance exists, obviously, between all the Eiiglish colonies, established Within the present limits of the United States; but the occasion attracts our attention more innnediately to those which took possession of N ew- England, and the peculiarities of these furnish a strong contrast with most other instances of colonization. A, Among the ancient nations, the Greeks, no doubt, sent forth from their territories the greatest number of colo- nies. Sc numerous indeed were they, and so great the exteiit of space over which they were spread, that the p&1‘(-31”}_;lj. country fondly and naturally persuaded herself, that by means of them she had laid a sure foundation for the uni- versal civilization of the world. These establishments, from obvious causes, were most numerous in places most contiguous ; yet they were found on the coasts of France, on the shores of the Euxine Sea, in Africa, and even, as is alleged, on the borders of lndia. These emigrations appear to have been sometimes voluntary and sometimes compulsory; arising from the spontaneous enterprise of individuals, or the order and regulation of government. It Was a C0l1ill110£'1‘0pll1lO11 With ancient Writers, that they were undertalien in religious obedience to the commands of oracles ; and it is probable that impressions of this sort mighthave had more or less influence 3 but it is proba- ble, also, that on these occasions the oracles did not speak. a language dissonant from the views and purposes of the state. Political science among the Greeks seems never to have extended to the comprehension of a system, which should be adequate to thegovernment ,of a great nation upon principles of liberty. They were aocustlomed only to the contemplation of small republics, and were led to consider an augmented population as incompatible with free institutions. The desire of a remedy for this supe posed evil, and the Wish to establish marts for trade, led ‘ the governments often to undertake the establishment of colonies as an afi'"air of state expediency. Colonization and commerce, indeed, would naturally become objects of interest to an ingenious and enterprising people, inhabiting y _a territory closely circumscribed in its limits, and in no small part mountainous and sterile ; while the islands of the adjacent seas, and the promontories and coasts of the neighbouring continents, by their inereproximity, strongly solicited the excited spirit of emigration. Such was this proximity, in many instances, that the new settlements appeared rather to be the mere extension of population it}? over coiitiguous territory, than the establishment of distant colonies. In proportion as they were near to the parent state, they would be under its authority, and partake of its fortunes. The colony at Marseilles might perceive lightly, or not at all, the sway of Phocis; While the isl- ands in the Egean sea could hardly attain to independence of their Athenian origin. Many‘ of these establislnnents took place at an early age ; and if there were defects in the governments of the parent states, the colonists did not possess philosophy or experience sufficient to correct such evils in their own institutions, even if they had not been, by other causes, deprived of the power. . An inr- mediate necessity, connected with the support of life, was the main and direct inducement to these undertakings, and there could hardly exist more than the hope of a suc- cessful imitation of institutions with which they were al- ready acquainted, and of holding an equality with their neighbours, in the course of improvement. The laws and customs, both political and municipal, as Well as the” reli- gious Worship of the parent city, were transferred to the colony ; and the parent city herself, with all such of her colonies as were not too far remote for frequent inter-i course, and common sentiments, would appear like a fam- ily of cities, more or less dependent, and more or less connected. We know how imperfect this system Was, as a system of general politics, and vvhati scope it gave to those mutual dissentions and conflicts which proved sofa» tal to Greece. But it is more pertinent to our present purpose to ob- serve, that nothing existed in the character of Grecian‘ emigrations, or in the spirit and intelligence of the e1ni~- , grants, likely to give a new and important direction to human affairs, or a new impulse to the human mind. Their motives were not high enough, their views were not sufliciently large and prospective. They Went not forth, like our ancestors, to erect systems of more perfect civil liberty, or to enjoy a higher degree of religious free— I We 19 dom. Above all, there was nothing in the religion and learning of the age, that could either inspire high purpo«- sea, or givethe abihty to execute them. Whatever re» straints on civil liberty, or‘ whatever abuses in religious worship, existed at the time of our fathers’ emigration, yet, even then, all was light in the moral and men- tal world, in comparison with its condition in most pe- riods of the ancient states. The settlement of a new continent, in an age of progressive knowledge and im- provement, could not but do more than merely enlarge the natural boundaries of the habitable world. It could not but do much more even than extend commerce and increase wealth among the human race. We see how this event has acted, how it must have acted, and won- der only why it did not act sooner, in the production of moral effects, on the state of human knowledge, the ge- neral tone of human sentiments, and the prospects of hu- man happiness. It gave to civilized man not only a new continent to be inhabited and cultivated, and new seas to be explored; but it gave him also a new range for his thoughts, new objects for curiosity, and new exciteinents to knowledge andimprovement. i f Roman colonization resembled, far less than that of the Greeks, the original settlements of this country. i Power and dominion were the objects of Rome, even in her co- lonial establishments. Her 'Wl10l€ exterior aspect was for centuries hostile and terrific. She grasped at dorni- nion, from India to Britain, and her measures of coloniza- tion partoolt of the character of her general system. Her policy was military, because her objects were power, as—~ cendancy and subjugation. Detachments of emigrants from Rome incorporated themselves with, and governed, the original inhabitants of conquered countries. She sent citizens where she had first sent soldiers; her law follow-A ed her sword. Her colonies were a sort of military es- tablishment; so many advanced posts in the career of her dominion. A governor from l~lome ruled thenew E30 icolsony with absolute sway, and often with unbounded ra- pacity. In Sicily, in Gaul, in Spain, and in Asia, the power of Rome prevailed, not nominally only, but really and effectually. Those who immediately exercised. it were Roman; the tone and tendency of its administra- tion, Roman. Rome herself continued to be the heart and centre of the great system which she had establish- ed. Extortion and rapacity, findiiig a wide and often rich field of action in the provinces, looked nevertheless to the banks of the Tiber, as the scene in which their ill» gotten treasures should be displayed ; or if a spirit of more honest acquisition prevailed, the object, nevertheless, was ultimate enjoyment in Rome itself. If our own history, and our own times did not sufliciently expose the inhe- rent~and incurable evils of provincial government, we might see them portrayed, to our amazement, in the de- solated and ruined provinces of the Roman empire. "We might hear them, in as voice that terrifies us, in those strains of complaint and accusation, which the advocates of the provinces poured forth in the Roman Forum.————— *’-‘ Quas res lu:rm'tca in flagitiis, crrudclitas in suppltcits, avror'it~ioL in vngsvirzis, sitpcrbia in contmneliis, at were pom- visset, can onmcis scse pcrtulisee.?’ As was to be expected, the Roman Provinces partool; of the fortunes as well as of the sentiments and general character of the seat of empire. They lived together with her, they flourished with her, and fell with her. The branches were lopped away even before the vast and venerable trunk. itself fell prostrate to the earth. Nothing had proceeded from her, which could support itself, and bear up the name of its origin, when her own sustaining arm should be enfeebled or withdrawn. It was not given to Rome to see, either at her zenith, or in her decline, a child of her own, distant indeed, and in»- dependent of her control, yet spealting; her language and inheriting her blood, sp1'ii1ging; forward to a competition vvith her own power, and a colnparison with her own great renown. She saw not a Vast region of the earth, peopled from her stock, full of ~ states and political commu-- nities, improving upon the models of her institutions; and breathing‘ in‘ fuller’ measure the spirit which she had breathed in the best periods of her existence; enjoying and extending her arts and her literature ; rising rapidly from political childhood to manly strength and indepen- dence; her o1‘l‘spring, yet now her equal; unconnected with the causes which might affect the duration of her own power and greatness; of common origin, but not linked to a common fate ; giving ample" pledge, that her name should not be forgotten, that her language should not cease to be used among men; that whatsoever she had done for human knowledge and human happiness; should be treasured up and preserved ; that the record of her existence, and her achievements, should not be ob- scured although; in the inscrutable purposes of Provi-l deuce, it might be her destiny to fall from opulence and splendour; although the time might come, when darkness should settle on all her hills ; when foreign or domestic violence should overturn V her altars and her temples; when ignorance and despotism shouldrfill the places where‘ Laws, and Arts; andLiherty had flourished; when the feet of barharism shouldtrample on the tombs of her con» suls,tand‘the walls of her senate house and : forum echo; only to the voice of savage triumph. She saw not this glorious Vision, to inspire and fortify her against the pos- sible decay or downfall of her power. Happy are they; who in our day may behold it, if they shall contemplate it with thesentiments which it ought to inspire! a The N ew-England colonies differ quite as widely from the Asiatic establishments of the modern European N a«- tions;;as;;from the models of the Ancient States. ‘The sole object of those estalflisliinents was originally trade ; although we liave seen, in one of them, the anomaly of a mere trading company attaining a political character, dis- bursing revenues, and maintaining armies and ;fo1*t1'esse:-:-an D «C! until it has extended its control over seventy millions of people. Differing from these, and still differing more froin the New-England and North American Colonies, are the European settlernentslin the West India Islands. It is not strange, that when mens’ minds were turned to the settlement of America, diflerent objects should be proposed by those who e1nig:rated to the difl“erent regions of so vast a country. Climate, soil, and condition were not all equally favourable to all pursuits. In the West Indies, the purpose of those who Went thither, was to en»- gage in that species of agriculture, suited to the soil and climate, which seems to bear more resemblance to com-- « merce, than to the hard and plain tillage of Nevv-Eng- land. 4 The great staples of these countries, being partly an agricultural and partly a manufactured product, and not being of the necessaries of life, become the object of cal- culation, with respect to a profitable investinent, of capital, like any other enterpriseof trade or manufacture. The Inorerespecially, as they require, by necessity or habit, slave labour for their production, the capital necessary to carry on the Work of this production is more considers.- i ble. The v. West Indies are resorted to, therefore, rather for the investment. of capital, than forthe purpose of sus- taining life by personallabour. Such as possess a con- siderable amount of capital, or such as choose to adven-» ture in commercial speculations Without capital, can alone be fitted to lbeieniigrants to the islands. The agriculture of these regions, as before observed, is a sort of 00111- merce; and it is a species of employment, in which la- bour seems to form an inconsiderable ingredient in the productive causes; since the portion of white labour is exceedingly small, and slave labour is rather more like profit on stock or capital, than labour properly so called. The individual who contemplates an establishment of this , kind, takes into the account the cost of the necessary number of slaves, in the same manner as he calculates the cost of the land. The uncertainty, too, of this ispeciesjof E33 employment, affords another ground of resemblance to commerce. l Although gainful, on the whole, and in a se- ries of years, it is often very disastrous for a single year, and as the capital is not readily invested in other pursuits, had crops, or had markets, not only aflect the profits, but the capital itself. Hence the sudden depressions which take place in the Value of such estates. But the great and leading; observation, relative to these establishments, remains to he made. it is, that the own- ers of the soil and of the capital seldom consider them- selves at iconic in the colony. A very great portion of the soil itself is usually owned in the mother country ; a still greater is mortgaged for capital obtained there; and, in general, those who are to derive an interest from the products, loolcto the parent country as the place for enjoyment of their Wealth. The population is therefore constantly fluctuating. Nobody comes but to return. A constant succession of owners, agents, and factors takes place. Whatsoetter the soil, forced by the uninitigated toil of slavery, can yield, is borne home to defray rents, and interest, and agencies; or to give the means of living in a better society. In such a state, it is evident that no spirit of permanent improvement is likely to spring up. Profits will not be invested with as distant View of bene- fiting posterity. Roads and canals will hardly be built 3 schools will not he founded 3 colleges. will notbe endow- ed. There will be few fixtures in society 3 no principles of utility or of elegance, planted now, with the hope of be- ing developed and expanded hereafter. Profit, immedi- ate profit, must he the principal active spring in the so- , cial system. There may be many particular exceptions to these general relnarlts, but the outline of the Whole, is such as is here drawn. T T Another mostiinportant consequence of such a state of things is, that no idea of independence of the parent coun- try is likely to arise; unless indeed it should spring up in a form, that would threaten universal desolation. The inhabitants have no strong attachment to the place which they inhabit. The hope of a great portion of them, is to leave it; and their great desire, to lreave it soon. How» ever useful they may be to the parent state, how much soever they may add to the conveniences and luxuries of lite, these colonies are not favoured spots, for the expané sion of the human mind, for the progress of permanent improvement, or for sowing the seeds of future indepen-- ‘ dent empire. r , = Diflhrent, indeed, most ‘widely difierent, from all these instances of emigration and plantation, ltwere the condi- tion, the purposes, and the prospects of our Fathers, when they established their infant colony upon this spot. They, came hither toa land from which they were never to re- turn. Hither they had brought, and here they Were to fix, their hopes, their attachments, and their objects. Some natural tears theyshed, as they left the pleasant abodes of their fathers, and some emotions they suppress- ed, when the white cliffs of their native country, now seen for the last time, grew dim to their sight‘. They were acting however upon a. resolution not to be chang-— ed. VVith Whatever stifled regrets, with Whatever occa- sional hesitation, with whatever appalling apprehensions, which might sometimes arise With force to shake the firm- est purpose, they had yet committed themselves to hea- ven, and the elements and a thousand leagues of water soon interposed to separate them forever, from the re- gion which gave them birth. a A news, existence awaited tliem here 5% and when they saw these shores; rough, cold, barbarous, and barren as then they Were, they beheld their country. t That mixed and strong feeling, which We call love of country, and which is, in general, never ex- tinguished in the heart of man, grasped and embraced its proper object here. VVhatever constitutes cotmtry, ex- cept the earth and the sun, all the moral causes of affec- tion and attachment, which operate upon the heart, they had brought with them to their new abode. Here were now their families, and friends; their homes, and their property. Before they reached the shore, they had es»- tablished the elenients of a social system, and at a much earlier period had settled their forms of religious worship. Atithne Inoinent of their landing, therefore, they possessed institutions of government, and institutions of religion: and friends and families, and social and religious institu-» tions, established by consent, founded on choice and pre« ference, how iearly do these fill up our Whole idea of country !—..—-The morning that beamed on the first night of their repose, saw the Pilgrims already established in their country. There were ‘political institutions, and civil li- berty, and 1*e1igio11s Worship. Poetry has fancied nothing, in the Wa1ider.ing;s of heroes, so distinct and characteristic. Here was man, indeed, unprotected, and unprovided for, on the shore of a rudeand fearful Wilderness 3 but it was politic, intelligent and educated 1-nan. Every thing was civilized but the physical world. institutions contaiiiing in substance all that had done for human govern-— inent,'Were established in a forest. Cultivated mind was to act on uncultivated nature; and, more than all, a go.» verninent, and a country, .Were to commence, with y the very first foundations laid under thedivine liglit of the christian religion. ‘ Hajopy auspicesof a happy futurity! ‘Who would wish that his country’s existence" had other- wise begun 9---‘Who would desire the power of goiiig back to the agestof fable P Who would wish for an origin, ob- scured in the (lal‘l{11BSS'0f antiquity P--——-‘Wl1o would wish for other einblazoning of his country’s heraldry, or other ornaments of her genealogy,,than to be able to say, that her first existence was with intelligence ; her, first breath the inspirations of liberty; her first principle the truth of divinereligion P ‘ l 7‘ ‘ Local attachinents and sympathies would ere long spring up in the breasts of our ancestors, endearing; to them the place of their refuge. VVhateVer natural objects are as- sociated with i11te1'estin5r scenes and liigh efihrts, obtain at hold on human feeling, and demand from the heart a sort of recognition and regard. This Rock soon became hal- lowed in the esteem of the Pilgrinns, and these hills grate- ful to their sight. Neither they nor their children were again to till the soil of England, nor again to traverse the seas which surrounded her. But here was a new sea, now open to their enterprise, and a new soil, which had not failed to respond gratefully to their laborious industry, and which was already assuming a robe of verdure. Hard- ly had they provided shelter for the living, ere they were sumrnoned to erect sepulchres for the dead. The ground had become sacred, by enclosing the remains of some of their companions and connexions. A parent, a child, a husband or a wife, had gone the Way of all flesh, and min» gled with the dust of N ew-England. We naturally look with strong emotions to the spot, though i.t be a wilder- ness, where the ashes of those We have loved repose. Where the heart has laid down what it loved most, it is desirous of laying itself down. No sculptured marble, no enduring Inonurnent, no honourable inscription, no ever burning taper that would drive away the darkness of death, can soften our sense of the reality of mortality, and hallovv to our feelings the ground which is to cover us, like the consciousness that we shall sleep, dust to dust, with the objects of our affections. ’ i In a short time other causes sprung up to bind the Pilgrirns with new cords to their chosen land. Children were born, and the hopes of future generations arose, in the spot of their new habitation, The second generation found this the land of their nativity, and saw that they were bound to its fortunes. They beheld their fathers’ graves around them, and While they read, the rnernorialsi of their toils and labours, they rejoiced in the inheritance which they found bequeathed to them. 1 Under the influence of these causes, it was to be ex- pected, that an interest and a feeling should arise here, entirely different from the interest and feeling of mere Englishmen ; and all the subsequent history of the colo- nies proves this to have actually and gradually taken place. With a general acknowledgment of the supremacy of the British crown, there was, from the first, a repugnance to an entire submission to the control of British legislation. The colonies stood upon their charters, which as they con» tended, exempted them from the ordinary power of the British parliament, and authorised them to conduct their own concerns by their own counsels. They utterly re- sisted the notion that they were to be ruled by the mere authority of the government at home, and would not en- dure even that their own charter governments should be established on the other side of the Atlantic. It was not a controling or protecting board in England, but a govern- ment of their own, and ‘existing iinrnediately within their limits, which could satisfy their Wishes. lt was easy to foresee, what we know .lso to have happened, that the first great cause of collision and jealousy would he, un- der the notion of political economy than and still preva- lent in Europe, an attempt on the part of the mother country to monopolize the trade of the colonies. Who- ever has looked deeply into the causes which produced our revolution, has found, if l mistalte not, the original. principle far back in this claim, on the part of England, to ‘ monopolize our trade, and a continued eliort on thepart of the colonies to resist or evade that monopoly ; if in- deed it be not still more just and philosophical to go far- ther baclt, and to consider it decided, that an independent government must arise here, the moment it was ascer- tained that an English colony, such as landed in this place, could sustain itself against the dangers which surrounded it, and, with other similar establishments, overspread the land with an English population. jlccidental causes re- tarded at times, and at times accelerated the progress of the controversy. The colonies wanted strength, and time gave it to them. They required measures of strong and palpable injustice, on the part of the mother country, to 28 justify resistance ; the early part of the late King’s reign] furnished them. ‘They needed spirits of high order, of great daring, of long foresight and of commanding power,‘ to seize the favouring occasion to strike a blow, which should sever, forever, the tie of colonial dependence ; and these spirits were found, in all the extent which that or any crisis could demand, in Otis, Adams, Hancock, and the other immediate authors of our independence. Still it is true, that for a century, causes had been in opera- tion tending; to prepare things for this great result. In the year 1660, the English act of Navigation was passed; the first and grand object ofwliicli seems to have been to secure to England the Whole trade with her planta~ tions. It was provided, by that act, that none but Eng- lish ships should transport American produce over the ocean; and that the principal articles of that produce should be allowed to be sold. only in the marlazets of the mother country, Three years afterwards another law was passed, which enacted, that such commodities as the colonies might Wish to purchase, should be bought only‘ , in the inarkets of the mother country. Severe rules were prescribed to enforce the provisions of these laws, and heavy penalties imposed on all who should violate them. In the subsequent years of the same reign, other statutes were passed, to reinforce these statutes, andoth-~- er rules prescribed,’ to secure a COI11pll«‘3.I1CB'VVll2l1r these rules. In this manner was the trade, to and from the colonies, tied up, almost to the exclusive advantage of the" parent country. ~ But laws, which rendered the interest of a whole people subordinate to that of another people, were not likely to execute themselves; nor was it easy to find many on the spot, who could be depended upon V for carrying them into execution. In fact, these laws were more or less evaded,or resisted, in all the colonies. To enforce them was the constant endeavour of the go» vernroent athoinetto prevent or. elude. their operation, the perpetual obj.ect,,h;ere. 1 ti‘ The laws of ,nav.if_.;ati,ont,” 525} says a living,‘ British writer, 5‘ were no where so openly disobeyed and contemned as in N ew-England.” “ The people of Massachusetts Bay,” he adds, “ were from the first disposed to act as if independent of the mother coun- try, and having a governor and magistrates of their own choice, it was difiicult to enforce any regulation which came from the English parliament, adverse to their inte- rests.” To provide more effectually for the execution of these laws, we lmow that courts of admiralty were after- wards established by the crown, with power to try reVe- nue causes, as questions of admiralty, upon the construc- tion given by the crown lawyers, to an act of parliament; —---a great departure from the ordinary principles of E11g~ lish jurisprudence, but which has been maintained, never- theless by the force of habit and precedent, and is adopt- ed in our own existing systems of government. “ There lie,” says another English writer, whose cou- nexion with the Board of ’l‘radc has enabled him to as—- certain inany facts connected with colonial history,--«- “ There lie among the documents in the bozml of trade and paper otlice, the most satisfactory proofs, from the epoch of the English revolution in 1688, ,t,hrougl1out ev- cry reign, and during every administration of the settled purpose of the colonies to acquire direct independence and positive sovereignty.” Perhaps this may be stated somewhat too strongly; but it cannot be denied, that froin the very nature of the cstabltislunents here, and from the general character of the measures respecting their concerns, early adopted, and steadily pursued by the English government, a division of the empire was the natural and necessary result to which every thing tend- ed. Ihave dwelt on this topic, because it seems to me, that the peculiar original character of the N cw-~England colonies, and certain causes coeval with their existence, have had strong and decided influence on all their sub- sequelit history, and especially on the grc.at ii;-yum: of the 30 Revoliitiori. Wlloever would Write our history, and would understand and explain early transactions, should comprehend the nature and force of the feeling which I have endeavoured to describe. As ‘ a son, leaving the house of his father for his own, finds, by the order of na. ture, and the very law of his being, nearer and dearer objects around which his affections circle, while his ,. at- tachment to the parental roof becomes moderated, by de- grees, to a composed regard, and an affectionate remem- brance ; so our ancestors, leaving their .1 native land, not ‘WliJl10l1l1 some violence to the feelings of nature and affec- tion, yet in time found here, anew circle of engagements, interests, and affections; a feeling, which more and more encroached upon the old, till an undivided sentiment, that thfishwcts their country, occupied the heart; and patriot- ism, shutting out from its embraces the parent realm, be- came local to America. if = i » r ' Some retrospect of the century which has now elap- A-sed, is among the duties of the occasion. . ltrmust, how- ever, necessarily be imperfect, to be compressed ,within the limits of a single discourse. I shall content inyself, therefore, with taking notice of a few of the leading, and most irnportant, occurrences, which have distinguished the period. ’ . Wllell the first century closed, the progress of the country appeared to have been considerable; notwith- standing that, in comparison with its subsequent advance- ment, it now seems otherwise. A broad and lasting foun- dation had been laid : excellent institutions had been es- tablished; much of the prejudices of former times had be- come removed; a more liberal and catholic spirit on sub- jects of religious concern had begun to extend itself, and many things conspired to give promise of F increasing fu- tureprosperity. r Great men had arisen in public life and the liberal professions. The Mathers, father and son, were then sinking low in the westernihorizon; Leverett, the learned, the accomplished, the excellent Leverett, was about to withdraw his brilliant and useful light. In :3 '1. Peinberton, great hopes had been suddenly extiriguislied, but Prince and Colman, were in our sky; and the cre- puscular light had begun to fiashalong the East, of a great luminary which was about to appear; and which was to marl: the age with his own, name, as the ages of Franklin. , on The bloody lndian Wars, virliicli harassed the people for a part of the first century; the restrictions on the trade of the colonies---—added to the discouragenzients in- herently belonging to all forms of colonial governinentg . the distance from Europe, and the small hope of immedi-- ate profit to adventurers, are among the causes which had contributed to retard the progress of population. Perhaps it may be added, also, that during the period of the civil Wars in England, and the reign of Cromwell, many persons, whose religious opinions and religious temper might, under other circumstances have induced them to join the Net - Eliglarid colonists, found reasons to remain in England 3 ei-— ther cn account of active occupation in the scenes which were passing, or of ananticipation of the enjoyment, in their‘ own countr , of a form of governlnent, civil and reli—- gious, accommodated to their Views and principles. The Violent measures, too, pu1‘si1ed against the colonies in the reignof Charles the second, the mockery of a trial, and the forfeiture of i the charters, were serious evils. And. .during; the open Violences of the short reign of James the se- cond, and the tyranny of Andros, as the venerable histori- an of Connecticut observes, “ All the mot-ices to great actions, to industry, economy, enterprise, wcalth,, and population, were in or mczrmcr mm/iphilated. A generuil rzinacttrvtty and langmlshnzcnt pervaded the public body. Liberty, property, and every thing which ought to be dear to man, every day grew more and more tnsccm'e.” With the revolution in England, a better prospect, had opened on this country, as Well as on that. The joy had been as great, at that event, and far more universal in New than in Old England. A new charter had been 5392: granted to Massachusetts, which, although it did not con- firm to her inhabitants all their former privileges, yet re»- lieved them from great evils and embarrassments, and promised future security. More than all, perhaps, the revolution in England, had done good to the general cause of liberty and justice. E A blow had been struck, in favour of the rights and liberties, not of England alone, but of descendants and kinsmen of England, all over the world. Great political truths had been established. The champions of liberty had been successful in a fearful and perilous conflict. Somers, and Cavendish, and Jekyl, and Howard, had triumphed in one of the most noble causes ever undertaken by men. A revolution had been madepupon principle. A monarch had been dethroned, for violating the origiiial compact between King and Pee» pie. The rights of the people to partake in the govern» ment, and to limitithe monarch" by fundamental rules of governinent, had been maintained; and however unjust the government of England might afterwards he, towards other governments or towards her colonies, she had ceas- ed to be governed herself, by the arbitrary martinis of the Stuarts. N ew-England had submitted to the violence of James the second, not longer than Old England. Not only was it reserved to-Massael111set.ts, that on her soil should be acted the first scene of that’ g1~e,at__-s. re.vol.t1tio1:1a1‘y Drama, which was toitake place nea.r.-.a.. century afterwards, but i the English revolution itself, as far as the colonies were concerned, contimenced in Boston. A direct and forcible resistance to the authority of James the second, was the seizure and imprisonment of Andros, in April 1 689. The pulse of Liberty beat as highin the extremities, as at the heart. The vigorous feeling of the Colony burst out, be»- fore it was known how the parent country would finally conduct itself. The King’s representative, Sir Edmund Andros, was a prisoner in the Castle at Boston, before it (3. cf‘ 3.} I was or could be lznown, that the King himself had ceas- ed to exercise his full dominion on the English throne. Before it was lmovvn here, whether the invasion of the Prince of Orange would or could prove successful; as soon only as it was known that it had been undertaken, the people of Massachusetts, at the imminent hazard of their lives and fortunes, had accomplished the revolution as far as respected themselves. It is probable, that, rea- soning ongeneral principles, and the lznovm attachment of the Engglisli people to their constitution and liberties, and their deep and fixed dislike of the Ki1ig’s religion and politics, thepeople of New—E11gla11cl expected a catastro- phe fatal to the power of the reigning Prince. Yet, it was not either certain enough, or near enough, to come to their aid against the authority‘ of the crown, in that crisis which had arrived, and in which they trusted to put themselves, relyiiig on God, and their own courage. There were spirits in Massachusetts, congenial with the spirits of the distinguished ll‘lel1(lS of the revolution in Eiiglaml. There were those, who were fit to associate with the boldest asserters of civil liberty; and Mather himself, then in England, was not unworthy to be ranked with those sons of the church, Whose firmness and spirit in re» sisting kingly encroachmentin religion, entitled them to the gratitude of their own and succeediiig ages. The Second Century opened upon New-England, un- der circumstances, which evinced that much had already been accomplished, and that still better prospects, and brighter hopes, were before her. She had laid, deep and strong, the foundations of her society. He1'religio11s principles were firm, and her moral habits exemplary. Her public schools had begun to diffiise widely the ele- ments of hiiovvledgeg and the College, under the excel- lent and acceptable administration of Leverett, had been raised to a high degree of credit and usefulness. T The commercial character of the country, notwithstand- i.na; all cliscoi11'af_,e1i1ei1ts, had bcgiiii to display itself, and 4" Q 4:.) flee htmdrcd vessels, then belo11girig to Massachusetts, placed her in relation to connnerce, thus early, at the head of the colonies. An author who wrote very near the close of the first century says; 4‘ New-England is al- most deserving that noble n.eun.c ; so mightily hath it in- creased; and from a small settlernent,at first, is now become a very populous and floumislwlng governnient. The ca- pital city, Boston, is a place of great wealth and trade ,- and by much the largest of any in the English empire of America; and not exceeded but by few cities, perhaps two or three, in all the American world.” But, if our ancestors at the close of the lll‘Sl1 century, could look back with joy, and even admiration at the pro»- gress of the country; yvliat emotions must We not feel, When, from the point in which We stand, we also look back and run along the events of the century which has now closed? The country, which then, as we have seen, was thought dese1‘ving.; of, a “ noble name 3” which then had 4‘ Iniglitily increased,” and become “ very populous 3” what was it, in comparison with what our eyes behold it? At that period, a Very ggreat proportion of its inhabi- tants lived in the Eastern section of Massachusetts pro- per, and in this colony. in Connecticut, there were towns along; the coast, some of thenr respectable, but in the in-- terior, all was a Wilderness beyond Hartford, On Con—- necticut river, settlements had proceeded as far up as Deerlield, and fort Dunnner had been built, near Where is now the South line of New—Harnpshire. In New»- l-latnpshire, no settlement was then begun thirty miles froln the mouth of Piscataqua river, and, in What is now Maine, the inhabitants were confined to the coast; The aggregate of the whole population of New~England did not exceed one hundred and sixty thousand. Its pre- sent amount is probably one million seven l1undredthou~« sand. Instead of being confined to its former limits, her population has rolled, backward and filled up the spaces included within her actual local boundaries Not thislonyw" an Pf’ or «L? ly, but it has overflovved those boundaries, and the waves of emigration have pressed, farther and farther toward the west. The Allegheny has not checked it, the banks of the Ohio have been covered with it. N ew-England farms, l1ousres,ivillages, and churches spread over, and adorn the immense extent from the Ohio to Lake Erie 5 and stretch along, from the Allegheny, onwards beyond the Miamis, and towards the Fails of St. Anthony. Two thous.-ind miles, Westward from the rock where their fathers land- ted, may now be found the sons of the Pi,lg1'i111s; cultivat- ing sniiling; fields, rearging towns and villages, and che- 1'ishing,We trust, the pe.tri1non,inl li)lGSS,i1lgS of wise institn-— tions, of liberty,e.nd i‘elsi,