Ponola [sic] weekly register., 1843-07-15

uially, anu were lntrOuuceu 10 the gen.
tlemen in attendance as officers Of the
committees, &c.
But the deepest manifestation of en-
thusiasm was reserved for the appear
ance of the surviving soldiers of the
Revolution, who arrived in the succeed
ing carriages, and alighting in the centre
of the square, tottered with feeble steps
to their places on the platform. They
were one hundred and eight in number,
twelve of whom had shared in the per-
ills and glories Of The bloody struggle on
this very ground sixty eight years ago;
three of them had fought also at Lex
ington, whore the first blood was shed
in the Revolutionary contest, two months
before the more determined strife on
Bunker Hill. Phneas Johnson, now 81
years old, was in both these conflicts, and
was reputed the oldest man present, but
we are assured that Mr.. Maynard, (fa-
ther to the Hon. John Maynard, M. c.
from this State,) now 80 years old, and
also sharer in the Bunker hill strug-
gle, was present-we know that he
reached Boston the night before in good
health and spirits, on purpose to be
there. Earnest, profound, reiterated
were the bursts of cheering from the
immense concourse as these treasured
relics of a glorious day toiled up TO their
seats on the staging. Eighteen years
ago when the corner stone Of the monu-
mentwas laid by La Fayetie, IN the
presence Of sixty thousand .ffeemen, a
far larger and stronger band Of them
were present, to rejoice over the com
memoration Of their heroic struggle
half century before. Eighteen years
hence, who can hope that even one of
them will be left to tell the thrilling sto-
ry Of these three eras in their country's
eventful history2
The Freemasons, who had done much
toward the erection Of the monument,
(having given the ground, on which they
had previously erected small monu-
ment to Gen. Warren, their Grand Mas
ter, who fell in the battle, were out in
considerable force, and made an impo-
sing appearance. They were greatly
outnumbeted however, by the Odd Eel
lows, who must have mustered nearly
one thousand. The sons Of New Eng,
land from New York, escorted by our
superb Light Guards, were warmly |
cheered as they arrived in the centre
The Hibernians, in four different socie-
ties, wearing the green Of their beloved
native isle, were in great force and made
an admirable appearance.
1t was half past one o'clock when the
Bunker Hill Monument Association |
marched in, with the military bringing
up the rear of the procession. The
scene now presented from The stand was
one Of unequalled grandeur and subIim
ity. Directly in front was the immense
concourse which had formed the process
sion; military, civic societies, with en-
blems and badges, and plain citizens, so
intermingled as to produce the most pic
iuresque effect. These about filled the |
parallelogram which had early been
cleared, and being walled on either side,
was guarded by corps of the military at
the ends, fronting dense wall OF human
faces.
On the spacious steps leading from |
this up to the monument square were
seated two thousand ladies, some of
whom had been waiting there since an
early hour in the morning. On the
square or plateau: above, closely sur
rounding the monument, were many
thousands Of citizefs-at times thirty 10
forty thousand. On the stand itself
were the survivors of the Revolution,
the President of the United States and
his cabinet, the Governor and Lieuten-
ant Governor of Massachusetts, the
mighty orator ofthe day, the first Gov
ernor Of Maine, Senator'S Evans. ori
Name, Choate of Massachusetts, Mayor
Brimmer of Boston, Robert Tyler, the
officers OF the day, &c. A mighty ocean
of humanity, one hundred thousand at
least, encountered and bounded the vis-