New-York tribune., 1841-08-25
OUR COUNTRY-THE AGE.

go -
Polished by request Of the Society
The name Of WILLIAM kent however honored at tue o'
or within sphere of ms personal acquaintance ''
hitherto been prominently blended with the Intellectual
men, of the age whether in its Political or Literary
ce. Though from ms vener4by !usirou i1iief IL ''
said 10 inherit fame Jurs,, Statesman ana an
ye, so retiring has been his life that ms "a'e "i'
reached the journals and this ci'y OF MS Eo an
Ai manhood il !, far from familiar Ia the pnohc' me "
tc -. i ,beroc,re Interesting a. the production ct
10 ,d o,art so far : possible and looks calmly
,o ,,oyeent of the me-who in the great Babel Of IN
ro.,al arriving is habualy thinker and d talker-
c;,,;nr The author highly do, We have perI-ed
M Address with OF qualification than Of interest
Aware of the serny Conservative Opinions and sentiments
which NAV be regarded hereditary with him. always cher
.hcd and ncYer disguised agreeably dISap-
pointed in the than tolerant the cheerful hopeful spirit
in which he looks abroad upon the field OF innovation,
of presumpon of bold inquiry and Of rash adventure which
the age presents His philosophy merits the German char
ncterstc Inanyded, and while resoutely and genlay
iscerns good all thngs-the Past well the Fuare-
the Conservative as we'll the Radcalit evidently IN
ne more than could have been expected from the source
and the occasion TO the brighter view OF our National aus
pieces As indication then, not simply OF individual bu
c general sentincnto the gradual warming OF the minds
Of the retired the studiou the observing deem tins Adj
dress of grea, interest and worth That DO msaP
rebend it. character may be Judged from the following eS
r,cs-ihe first presenting graphic geographical aud h'
torical picture Of our Country:
Ir Is not two hundred since few Engishmcn and
Vrginan living at Falls OF james River, crossing tine
Allegheny Mountains catered the country OF the Ohio aud
discovered several branches OF that river and OF The sS
ippi Blu, the prize thus bched yielded to the Eng
h without struggle and early history receives roman
from he
frenchmen the DEGREES OF tate and To plant per
.nancntIy the the banners OF France Now that
The long and new national associations ao
antpaties have arisencre the spot, where hundred
and fifty wears ago Schenectady wrapped IN flames by
French soldery and their barbarian allies we can speak o
The cooy Of work of fiction and even be conscious
of something like regret that tie English causc-our own
cas.eultmaely prevailed The French is almost M
the continent; but the reader of its history we
with melancholy interest the annals OF the ears afventB-
ersne missionary the soldier, the Jesuit and the noble
y whom the Catholic faith sedulous, but eyane,ccEtly
disseminated and the lilies OF the Bourbons CALAMITY bu
unsuccessully, upheld.
81" The story epic with regular beginning middle,
and end the interest rising the close We rst see Jacques
Cartier the dcoverer of Canada sailing from ST. Maio On
May 1880 with three vessels OF tonnage actually interior to
the boats that canal and reaching in the ern-
nation his VOYAGE the island of Montreal We point with
<xulation OF the perfect results OF art IN mod
crn ship of and compact-saceul IN H.
symmetrical in Its spars, beautiful N ITS yfamdA
canvass and guided the v the nubercss means
snc with life aud by soul admiration
her due hardhood of the early navigator IL feeble bar
without cronomejers, charts, quadrants, or tables en-
ounerug the of Arctic and the ices OF the coast
of Labrador aids but the native courage OF ls heart
and the unyeding sinews of his frame Such were Cartier
and Bafn and Henry Hudson. Indeed such was Column
bus himself Among the successors OF Cartier VIII be mo-
ced Robert de In Sale who l63 wears ago built the first
slap that sailed Lake Erie asd who discovered the mouths
Of the Mississippi and falling by vIoen; death, deserved the
OF his friend and fellow Jesuit, Hennepin as Ia
repd courteous, ingenious in adversely and capa
bic of every thing There is something bold and KIN TO the
extended strategy Of molcrn the design OF frOnienac
nnd his hem IN tie English colonies by cham
Of posts extending from Caa1 Louisiana. And at last,
when the fated hour of French dominion had arrived there
is adequate termination of this episode o. history III the
death of MoNrcALM, yielding the q. mis- king and
Try only with his life and dividing, with his youthful con-
ueror the laurel and the tomb the stained plains OF
Abraham.
Though cautious myself and even sceptica in admitting
the astin. influence of any particular OF any
series Of the general condition OF man. yet viewed
in tho ordinary philosophy of history, the battle OF Quebec
in lis consequences perhaps any record
ed in the annals et the world Even the celebrated victories
of history, Actm PhnrSaa Waterloo removed
from the vAgar slaug of mankind rather the spendor
f the dromatis person than their consequences the
condition OF the world The conflicts of Lexington and Bun
lcr HILL had their been different had only postponed
for few years separation OF countries which could not be
prevcnted-such written on the lace OF Carada-
though soldiers and combine oppose But the
victory OF Wolfe rather the decision his victory OF the
contest between the determined the
guage institutions and religion OF continent for ages; and
ranks results with the battle OF Zamn which is sup
posed have determined whether the old world should be-
Carthagcnun Roman with that of Tours where Charles
Nart-l rolled back the south the deugc OF the Saacens
or with that of the great SoBlEsK under the walls OF Vienna
which shielded occidental Europe from The baeu influence
ofthe Crescent.
"A similar train Of thought perceives in the discovery
and settlement of English America, coincidence OF time
and selection of ends, which strike those most
inclined to doubt, ridcule the belief in special III
reference of Providence in the affairs of During the
night the middle ages the Western lay dark,
attainablc and unknown II permitted 10 the wild
seakng and earls of the savage and heather north 10
transplant the Superstitions and yrannes
Scandinavia With the robust energies of mind and body
might rendered them at once permanent and pro
gresSive The aPpropraIes OF America reserved for
The sixteenth century when learning ana liberty had become
in Europe and the modern and sciences had
commenced their brilliant and uuceaSng progress. The
IN -,