, 1853-07-30

pa,ks and lawns Of polished Europe, II ma
iure has not furnished our America with
richer lawns and no5ler parks What was
once said of Engan is more true Of Amer
ica - II is paradise Of pleasure-a gar
den Of God. Our wales are like Eden, oul
hills as Lebanon, our springs as Pisgah, our
rivers as Jo.don, our walls the Ocean, and
our defence the Lord Of Hosts" Nor i,
any portion of the globe Of the .amc extent
more heallhlul. From the eternal .nows oI
the north and the sully heats and deadly
hll Is Of the south we are well removed
The longevity Of the generations which
have preceded Us, bear witness that God
has blessed our country with health and long
life. Instead Of the deadly sirocco which
sweeps over other lands, our gales are
frought with life, and health is waited in
every breeze. Surely, the Land Of Canaan,
although described as flowing with milk and
honey, was not better land than ours
But how came we TO possess this goodly
hcritagel Our forefathers were natives OF
other realms-realms now perhaps in ruins
America then was the lonely haunt Of saw
ages and wild beasts, unkown to the civiliz-
ed world. It had lain hid beyond vast ex-
pansc of traCkless ocean since the hour it
sprang Gom chaos. But just at the time
when our loreathers were beginning to feel
most heavily the hand Of oppression, and
were wishing and praying for some asylum
where they and their children might be free,
the immortal Columbus sought our shores.
Escorted by divine hand, our iorefathers
followed him. Less than two and hall
centuries ago, our pilgrim ancestors, small
and feeble band, landed on the Atlantic
coast, and amid bowling wilderness, with
the wide ocean rolling between them and
the land of their oppression, they adopted
republican constitution the germ Of those
glorious principles on which are reared our
civil and religious institutions. In much
weakness they planted the tree of LIBERTY,
then young and tender shoot, now grown
to such stately proportions that its branches
reach from ocean 10 ocean, casting lis re-
freshing shade over almost an entire CONT
nent, and yielding its delicious fruit to near
ly thirty millions Of inhabitants.
and here, perhaps, we might proftably
pause a moment and contemplate the great
deliverance our country has experienced in
time of danger. Not only has heaven been
propitious unto US in giving us an existence
in this goodly land, but our entire history
from the first landing of our forefathers to
the present hour, is but one continued af-
fecting account of Gods care of them and
US. When that first ship, "The May Flow
er, landed that little band of prosecuted
christians, in the midst of winter, on a cold
and inhospitable coast when amid bowling
beasts and yelling savages, they fell on their
knees, and with eyes streaming with tears,
rendered thanksgiving to God when they
kindled their first fire and made their couch
Of leaves blown from the trees of autumn,
who could have believed or dared TO have
hoped that in so short time their descend
ants would have enjoyed such peaceable
possession of all this extensive country I!
Who would not rather have predicted them
certain destruction, or expulsion from the
land they bad reached That they were
not driven from the country was not owing
to want Of malice or disposition on the part
of savage neighbors. Though for a short
AlANA AhAy was lNbllu ~ AZ ld1l
broke forth with hellsh vengeance. The
tomahawk and scalping knife reekod with
the blood Of murdered innocence the mid
night dream was disturbed with the savage
yell and the little matched novels where
our venerable ancestors had vainly sought
repose, were consumed by the angiy flames.
But, though cast down they were not de-
stroyed. Heaven interposed and bid the
sayages retire TO western forests.
Again, after this, France, which had pos.
sessed herself Of the country bordering on
the 81. Lawrence and Mississippi rivers,
bore down upon US with all her force, and
hired against us the bloody tomahawk. Our
lakes and bays were covered with thcr ships
Of war, and destruction was spread along
our Atlantic shores, while the savage baads,
pressed on by internal fury, broke in upon
our frontiers, butchering the inhabitants and
laying waste the settlements. That was a
dark and fearful hour in our nations hsto.
ry, but We were not forsaken. The sequel
showed that this very war was by heaven
designed 10 school us for future conflicts, and
10 raise us up an immortal WASHING TON TO
be the future saviour Of our country.
At length the very land which gave us
birth became hostile, and sent her floating
purgatores 10 thunder on our coast and burn
our cities, and her hard-healied veterans 10
rava5e our country-slripping our fathers
of their hocks and herds, and our mothers
of their well earned food, and Of the couch
on which they dared not rest and could not
sleep. Thea it was whilst our little COM
panles Of undiciplined troops were rallying
around the beloved Washington, and our
fathers were following in the high places Of
The field, and our mothers, with infants in
their arms, were Geeing from the ee.-
When the temples Of the living God were
being converted into barracks, profaned with
the soldiers oaths, and dissipaied night with
.v,l.,