The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1793-10-22 00:00:00, page 1

\ Volume VIII.]
. AN
OR A T I O N
PRFNOUNCED JULY 4th,
: ^T THE REQUEST OF THE INHABI
TANTS OF THE TOWN OF BOSTON ;
IN COMMEMORATION qf
THE'ANNI VERSARY OF
i AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.
* ey JOHN Q ADAPTS.
IT bias been a cufldm, famftioned
by the universal pra&ite of civil
ized Nitions, to celebrate with
anniveffary solemnities, the re
turn of rhe days which have been
diftinguifoed by events the most im
portant co the happiness of the peo
ple. In countries where the natural
dignity of mankind, has been degra
ded by the weakness of bigotry, or
debased by the miseries of dcfpodfm,
this customary celebraiion has degen
erated into a servile mockery of fel
tivicy upon the birth day of a feep
tered tyrant or has dwindled to an
Unmeaning revel, in honour of feme
canonized fanatic, of whom nothing
now remains but the name, in the
cakndar of antiquated superstition.
In rhofe more fortunate regions of
the earth where Liberty has conde
fc ended to reside, the cheerful grati
tude of her favoured people has de
voted co innocent gaiety and uftful
relaxation'from the toils of virtuous*
indullry the periodical revolution of
those days which have been rendered
Hludrious by the triumphs of Free
dom.
Am^rican^ Such is the nature of the
infticution which again calls your at
lention to celebrate the eftabi foment
of your national Independence. And
surely since the creation of the heaven
ly orb which separated the day from
the night, amid the. unnumbered e
vencs which have diverfified the hif
tory of the human race, none has ev
er occurred more highly deserving of
celebration by every species of cere
monial, that can teftify a sense of
gratitude to the deity, and of happi
ness, derived from his tranfeendent
favour^.
It is a wife and salutary inflitucion,
which forcibly recalls to the memory,
of freemen,the principles upon which
thev originally founded their labour
ing plan of state. It is a Sacrifice at
(he aim of Liberty herfelf; —a re
newal of homage to the Sovereign,
who alone is worthy of our venera
uon ;~a profefiion of political fidel
ity, exprefiive of our adherence to
those maxims of liberal submission and
obed ent freedom, which in ahefe fa
voured climes, have harmonized the
long-contending claims of liberty and
Law. By a frequent recurrence to
those femimems' and actions upon
* which the glory and felicity of the
Nation rest supported, we are ena
bled to renew the moments of bliss
which we are not permitted to retain ;
we secure a permanency to the exal
tation .of which the Constitution of>
Nature has rendered, fleeting, and a
parennial existence to enjoyments
which the Idt of humanity has made
transitory.
The “feelings, manners and prin
dples” which led to the Independence
of our Country j such, my friends
and fellow citizens is the theme of
our prefen c commemoration. The
field is ex run five ; it is fruitful, but
The American Herald of Liberty.
EXE TER ( New-Hamp/hire) Printed and Pubiilhed by Henry Ranlet, in Main-Street, at fix /hillings and eight pence per annum.'
the copious treasures of its fragrance
have already been gathered by the
hand of genius ; and there now re
mains for the gleaning ormental in
digence, nought but the thinly fcar
tered sweets which have escaped the
vigilance of their industry.
They Were the . fame feelings,
manners and principles, which con
ducted our venerable fore fathers
from the unhallowed (hores of op
predion ; which inspired them with
the sublime purpose of converting the
forefts of a wilderness into the favo
rite mansion of Liberty ; of unfold
ing the gates of a new world, as a re
fuge for the victims of perfe* ution in
the old. The feelings of injured
freedom, the manners of facial equal’
iry, and the principles of eternal jus
tice.
Had the Sovereigns of England
pursued the policy prescribed by their
interest, had they not provoked the
hofliiiJes of their Cofamfts against
the feeble fortrefs of their authority,
they might perhaps have retained to
jthis day anEmpire which would have
been but the more durable, for rest
ing only upon the foundation of im
memorial custom, and national affec
tion. .
Incumbered however wi h the
oppreflive glory of ar fuccefsful war,
w.hkfr had enriched the pride of Bri
tain, with the fpotls of her own op
ulence, and replenished the arro
gance in proportion as it had exhauf
ted the resources of the nation ; an
adventurous ministry, catching at ev
ery desperate expedient to lupport
the ponderous burden of the nation
al dignity, and stimulated by the
perfidious instigations of their depen
dents inAmerica, abandoned the pro
fitable commercial policy of their
predeccffors, and ft^eradd^d to the
lucrative system of monopoly, which
we had always tolerated as the price
of their protection, a system of in
ternal taxation from which they ho
ped co derive a fund for future cor
ruption, and a fapply for future ex
travagance.
The nation eagerly grasped at the
propofaL—The situation, the condi
tion, the sentiments of the colonies,
were fubje/ds upon which the people
of Britain were divided between ig
norance and error. The endearing
ties of consanguinity, which had con
nected their ancestors, with those of
the Americans, had been gradually
loofentd to (he verge of diffoluticn,
by the flow but ceafeiefs hand of
time. Instead of returning the sen
timents of fraternal affeCtion-, which
animated the Americans, they indul
ged their vanity v/ith preposterous o
pinions of infuking superiority ; they
considered us, not as fellow fubjefts
equally entitled with themselves to
every privilege of Englishmen ; but‘
as wretched outcasts, upon whom
they might fafely load the burden,
while they reserved to themselves the
advantages of the national grandeqf.
It has been observed, that the na
tions the most highly favoured with;
freedom, have not always been the
most friendly to the liberty of others.
The people of Britain, expefted to
feel none of the cpprefllon which a*
parliamentary tyranny might impofe'
upon the Americans ; on the contra
ry, they expeCtfed an alleviation of
their burdoi, from the accumula
TUESDAY, October 22, 1793.
tion of ours, and vainly hoped that
by the (tripes inflicted upon us, their
wounds w.ou’d be healed.
I'he King—^Need it be fa id, that
he adopted as the offspring of his
own. affeftions,a plan fa favourable to
the natural proptnfiry of royalty to
wards arbitrary power. Depending
upon, the proflkuted valour, of his
mercenary legions, he was deaf to the
comp hints, he was inexorable to the
remonstrances of violated freedom;
Born and educated to the ufaal pre
judices of hereditary daminion, ard
habitually accustomed to the fyren
foag of adulation, he was ready to
believe whac the courtly tribe about
his throne did not fail to allure him ;
that complaint was nothing more
than the murmur of (edition, and
remonstrance the clamour of rebel
lion.
But they knew not the people
with whom they had to contend. A
people, sagacious and enlightened to
difeern, coal and deliberate to difeufs,
firm and refalute to maintain their
rights. From the firft appearance
cf the system of p^rl amentary oppres
sion and the form of a ftamp-afl, it
was met, by the determined oppo
fkiem of the whole American Conti
nenr. The annals of other nations
have produced inst mces of fuccefs
ful struggles to break a yoke previ
ously imposed ; but the records of
hiftory did not perhaps furnilh an
example of a people whose penetra
tion had anticipated- the operations
of tyranny, and whose fpiric had dis
dained to fuffer an experiment upon
their liberties. The ministerial par
tizans had flattered themselves with
the expectation that the Aft would
execute itfelf ; that before the. hands
of Freedom could be raised to repel
the ufarpation, they would be loaded
with fetters ; that the American Sam
son would be Ihurn of his locks while
asleep ; and when thus bereaved of
his strength, • might be made their
sport with impunity.—-Vain illusion !
—lnftantaneous and forceful, as. an
eleftric spark, the fervid fpiric of re
sistance pervaded every part of the
country ; and at the moment, when
the operation of the system was inten
ded to commence, it was indignant
ly rejected, by three millions of men •,
high-minded men, determined to fa
crifice their existence, rather than re
(ign the Liberty, from jvhkh, all its
enjoyments were derived.
It is unnecessary to pursue the de
tail gs obflinacy and cruelty on the
one part; of perieverance and for
titude on the othfer, until the pe
riod when every chord which had
bound the two countries together
was destroyed by the violence of re
ciprocal hostilities, and the represen
tatives of America, adopted the mea
sure, which was already dictated by
the wifaesbf their constituents ; they
declared the United Colonies free,
sovereign and independent States.
Americans! let us pause for a
moment tq confider the situation of
our country, at that eventful day
when our national existence commen
ced. In the full poffeflion and en
joyment of all those prerogatives for
which you then dared to adventure
upon “all the varieties of untried be
ing,” the calm and fettled moderation
of the mind, is scarcely compoteiK to 1
conceive the tone oi heroifm,to which
the fouls of freemen were exalted in
that hour of perilous magnanimity.
’Seventeen times has the fun, in the
progress of his annual revolutions,
difFufed his prolific radiance over
the plains of Independent America.'
Millions of hearts which then palpi
tated with the rapturous glow of pa
triotism, have already been translated
to brighter worlds; to the abodes of
more than mortal freedom. Other
millions have arisen to receive from
their parents and benefaftors, the in
eftim.able recompense of their atchieve-i
ments. ? A large proportion of the
audience, whose benevolence is at this
moment listening to the speaker of
the'day, like him* were at that peri
od too little advanced beyond the
threfbold of life to partake of the di
vine enthusiasm which inspired the
American bosom ; which prompted
her voice to proclaim defiance to the
thunders of Britain ; which consecra
ted the banners of her armies ; and
finally erefted the holy temple of'
American Liberty, over the tomb of
departed tyranny. It is from those
who have already palled the meridian
of life ; it is from you, ye venerable
aflertorS of the rights of mankind,
that we are to be informed,what were
rhe feelings which swayed within your
breasts and impelled you to aftion,
when, like the (tripling of ffrael with
scarce a weapon to attack, and with
out a (hield for your defence, you
met, and undismayed, engaged with
the gigantic gieatnefs of the British
power. Untutored in the difgrace
ful faience of human butchery ; def
tituteof the fatal materials which (he
ingenuity of ma^ has combined, to
(harpen the feytheof death ; unsup
ported by the arm of any friendly al
liance ; and unfortified against the
powerful affauks of an unrelenting
enemy, you did not hesitate at that
moment, when your coasts were in
fefted by a formidable fleet, when
your territories were invaded by a nu
merous and veteran army, to pro
nounce the lenience of eternal separa
tion from Britain, and to throw the
gauntlet at a power the terror of whose
recent triumphs was almost co-exten
sive with the earth —The interested
and felfifh propensities which in times
of prosperous tranquility have
such powerful dominion over the
heart, were all expelled, aad in their
(lead, tbe public virtues, the spirit of
perfanal devotion to the common
cause, a contempt cf every danger in
comparison with the fubferviency of
the country, had aflumed an unlim
ited controuL The pafiion for the
public had abforded all the rest; as
the glorious luminary of heaven ex
tinguishes in a flood of refulgence
the twinkling splendor of every infe
rior planet. Those of you my coun
trymen, who were aftors in those in
terefliog feenes, will.know, how
feeble; and impotent is*the language
of thisdefcription to express the im
passioned emotions of the foul, with
which you were then agitated ; yet it
were inj office to conclude from thence
or from the greater prevalence of
private and perlbnal motives in these
days of catiii ferenity,^hat your fans
have degenerated from the virtues of
their fathers. Letit rather be afabjeft
of pleafrngrefteftion to you, that the
generous : and < difinterefted* energies,
which you were summoned to display.
[Numb. 16