Columbia gazette., 1854-03-25

suits as to have nc competition, AM
even in England's own waters, in friend
! ly contest, taking from her, her boastet
! supremacy upon the wave.
) AS travellers, we find no portion o
earth, no matter what the obstacles to b
overcome, but what the native energy
Of our people has led them to penetrate
and explore always beyond any Other
people, whether upon the waters Of the
Amazon, the sources of the Nile, OF
looking for the long lost and lamented
Franklin in the ever frozen north. And
other people, now, through their daring
research, may comfortably ''reclinc up
on their cushioned chairs Of ease," and
bring to their "minds eye" and hold
familiar converse with all the nations of
the earth; and in literature, scholarship,
and scientific; research we have names
already on the highest pinnicle Of Fame
and go where we may, we find the pro-
ductions of the American mind, posses
sing ever an energetic freshness, trans
lated into other tongues, that the gems
Of thought or the laborious research,
new and original, which have cmanated
like electric sparks from American
brains; may contribute to the information
and enlightenment of many nations; and
as an example Of literary production,
for its length. in words, its depth of
meaning, and its influence on the desti-
nies of the world, no production of man
has ever yet been found to approach it:
I refer to the Declaration Of Indepen-
dence
But not content by its energy and its
versatility in excelling all other nations,
in what had already been produced, to
minister to the wants, to gratify the taste
or supply the necessities of man, we
find that American genius has gone be-
yond, for ncv fields of action, and invest
ed the ten thousand things Of new start
ling usefulness, which are revolutioniz-
ing the world.
We have had Fulton propelling the
first steamer, by almost super-human
power, through the great waters of the
noble Hudson, frighting the peaceful and
honest farmer from his propriety with
belief that visitor from the lower re-
gions was in untimely pursuit.
We first find Franklin upon promo
made of Sabbath morn in the streets Of
the city of ''brotherly love'' RECALLING
himself upon his dry crust Of bread, and
a further supply for future use placed
under his arm. And we find him soon
after in the councils Of the nation, in
her hour ofcmcrgcncy, foremost for wis
dom. And as Ambassador to France,
Monarchs and Sovereigns gathering in
struction from his sage councils, we
find him too a conqueror of nature, and
forcing the mad lightning from the cleo
tric cloud, and genius briddling it like a
stced, and curbing it with bit and bride,
makes it the servant of his will.
And we find too one in later days en-
gagged first in trundling his barrow among
the vegetables of Aorishing garden,
afterwards promoted to sweep the Office
Of a man of law, and dust his books,
filling his own brain the while with the
cobwebs of learning, and soon sitting in
the Presidential chair and guiding with
master hand the destinics of this free
Republic. And yet later Instance
we find one descrting az occupation
wherein by common estimation, he rank
cd as only the ninth part Of a man; yet
soon after, uisely and well, with dignity
and honor, and proving to the world that
his mental powers and giant intellect
were not circumscribed to the limits Of
his early calling.
But while our energies have gone so
far in such diversity Of fields, as not
only to excel and outstrip all competi-
tors in the known sciences already de-
veloped by the skill and wisdom of the
great of all nations, and its versatility
made manifest in the thousand varied
ways Of its application: VIC find yet