The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-10-02


earnest hope that the city of Boston may pass
equally unscathed all difficulties she may have
to encounter in her path of onward progression.
The toast was received with cheers, in which
Lord Elgin took the lead after which, three
cheers were given by those assembled for Lord
Elgin himself
SPEECH OF Mr.. EVERETT
Mr.. EVERETT arose and spoke as follows:
Mag II please your Honor. 1t is not easy for
me TO express to you the admiration with which
have listened to the very beautiful and appro-
pirate speech with which his Exeelleney the
Governor General of Canada has just delighted
us. You know, sir, that the truest and highest
art is to conceal art, and could not but be re-
minded of that maxim when heard that gen.
tleman, after beginning with disabling himself
and cautioning us in the outset that he was
slow of speech, proceed to make one of the hap
piest, most appropriate, and eloquent speeches
that ever fell from the lips of man. If were
travelling with his Lordship in the mountains
of Gael, should say to him, in the language OF
the natives OF those regions SmG aeen--yery
well, indeed, my Lord. But under present cir
cumstances, | will say in plain English, sir,
that what has fall p from his Lordship has
given me indeed new cause to rejoice that
"Chatham's language is my mother tongue"
do not rise, sir, to make long speech.
think it would be rather out of taste for any
| one who is at home in Boston and the vicinity,
unless in the performance of official duty to
make anything which could be called long
| speech on this occasion. All the crowded hours
Of this busy day belong to our much honored
guests-to those distinguished visitors who adorn
the occasion with their presence. From them,
indeed, sir, the company cannot hear enough to
crafty the earnest desire which is felt to listen
to their voices and TO catch their words of en-
couragemcnt and cOngratulation.
Besides sir, there never was an occasion
which stood less in need of a laborious comment
airy to set forth its Importance. If ever there
was anything which might be left to speak for
itself, it is this mighty and all but animated
system of railroads that now embraces New
England and the neighborng States and Prov
inces, and which, more than realizing those
enormous sea monsters of which we read in
northern legends, winds its sinuous way through
the gorges Of the hills, leaps across the rivers
stretches over the plains, clngs with one of its
Brierean arms to Boston Bay grapples to Dia-
mond Rock With another, SEXES with the right
upon Providence, and New York, and Albany
and Buffalo, and the farthest South and the
farthest West while on the left he is already
stretching forth his feelers upon New Bruins
wick Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland In the
presence of this miracle of science, and art, and
capital, feel, sir, that we have no need of flow
ers of rhetoric or figures of speech.
We have, sir, in this part of the country long
been convinced of the Importance of this sys-
TEN of communication although it may be
doubted whether the most sagacious and san
guine have even yet fully comprehended its
manifold influences. We have, however, felt
them ON the seaboard and in the interior. We
have felt them in the growth of our manufac-
lures in the extension of our commerce in the
growing demand for the products of agricul-
ture, in the increase Of our population. We
have felt them prodigiously in transportation
and travel The inhabitant of the country has
felt them in the ease with which he resorts to
the city markets, whether as seller or a pur-
chaser, The mhabitant of the city has felt
them in the facility with which he can get to a
sister city or to the country, with which he can
get back to his native village, to see the old
folks-ayc, sir, and some Of the young folks
with which he can get a mouthful of pure
mountain air, or run down in dog days to
| Gloucester or Philips beach, or Plymouth, or
Cohasset or New Bedford.
| say, sir, we have felt the benefit of our rail-
way system in these and q hundred other forms,
in which, penetrating far beyond material in
terests it intertwines itself with all the concerns
| and relations Of life and society but | have
| never had its benefits. brought home to me 30
| sensibly as on the present occasion. Think sir
how it has annihilated time and space in refer
ence to this festival, and how greatly to our ad-
vantage and delight When DR. Franklin in
1854, projected plan of union for these colo
MES, with Philadelphia as the metropolis, he
| gave as reason for this part of the plan that
Philadelphia was situated about half way be-
tween the extremes and could be conveniently
reached even from Portsmouth, New Hamp-
shire, in eighteen days. From Portsmouth To
Philadelphia in eighteen days | believe the
President of the United States, who has hon.
ored us with his company at this joyous festi.
val was not more than twenty four hours
actually on the road from Washington to Bos.
ton-two to Baltimore, seven more to Philadel-
phia five more to New York, and ten more to
| Boston.
| And then Canada, sir, once remote, mae.
| cessible regiOn---Canada, now brought to our
very door. If a journey had been contemplated
in that direction in DR. Franklin's time, it would
have been with such feG1Ings as man would
have nowadays who was going to start for the
mouth of the Copper Mine river and the shores
of the Arctic sea. But no, sir such thing was
never thought of-neyer dreamed Of A horri-
BILE wilderness, rivers, and lakes unspanned by
human art; painless swamps, dismal forests
that it made the flesh creep to enter, threaded
by nothing more practicable than the Indians
trail, echoing with no sound more inviting than
the yell of the wolf and the war-whoop of the
sayage-these it was that filed the space be-
tween us and Canada. The inhabitants of the
British Colonies never entered Canada in those
days but rs provincial troops or Indian captiyes
and lucky he that got back with his scalp on.
This state OF things existed less than one hun
dred years ago; there are men living in Massa-
chusetts who were born before the last incursion
of French and Indians to the banks of Connec-
ticut river,
As lately as when had the honor to be the
Governor Of the Commonwealth, signed the
pension warrant of a man who lost his arm in
conflict with the French and Indians in one
of the border wars in these dreary Canadian
forests; and now, sir by the magic power of
these modern works Of art the forest is thrown
open, the rivers and the lakes are bridged the
valleys rise, the mountains bow their eyerlast-
ing heads and the Governor General of Canada
| takes his breakfast in Montreal and his dinner
in Boston, reading newspaper leisurely by the
way, which was printed n fortnight ago in Lon
don. In the excavations made in the construc-
ton of the Vermont railroads the skeletons of
fossil whales and paloozoc elephants have been
brought to light. believe. sir, if live whale
had been seen spouting in Lake Champaign
or native elephant had walked leisurely into
burlington OF a summers morning, it would
not be more wonderful than our fathers would
have regarded Lord Elgns journey to us this
week, could it have been foretold to them CEN
tury ago with all the circumstances of despatch
convenience, and safety
But, sir, as have already said, it is not the
material results of this railway system in which
its happiest influences are seen. recollect that