The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-01-27


ice of the marble floor and grew up from
day to day to be his sole and favorite COM
panion.
From an object of study, it became an OBJ
ject Of affection, and almost devotion. 1t
drew away his diseased faucies to the thots
Of fields and friends, of home and liberty
1t awakened that higher and purer instinct
in all true men who read honestly the Great
Book of Nature
Finds sermons in stones-books in running
brooks,
And good in everything
Under its mild teachings and modest coun-
sells the morose and unhappy recluse became
a man-himself again.
With bit of charcoal, his only pen, just
underneath that miserable dogma-"Chance,
blind chance, is the fathe, of Creation" he
one day wrote that single but significant
word" Prhaps"
The potent spell of single flower had
made him look
Through Nature, up to Natures God"
You will pardon me, am sure, if l give
the sequel Of this story Of DE Saintaine. AZ
ter the return of Napoleon from the brilliant
field of Austerlitz, he was induced by the
tender intercession Of Josephine to consider
the case of the poor prisoner Of Fenestrelle.
He sent for the report of the Minister of JUS
tice. and there learned the daily and hourly
occupations of his mind. He scrutinized the
entire record of the prisoners words, acts,
and even thoughts. With that unerring phi
losophical logic, Of which Napoleon was the
Grand Master, he says:-"Iet him be free
and return to his estate. Since DE Charny
has given his mind to the contemplation of a
spire of grass, he will never be bad man or
a dangerous conspirator."
Again, if the New England sea and sky
the Vermont scenery of lake and river, and
hill and mountain,-where the longest title
of fee simple known in law i. while wood
grows and water runs,"-if these have prov
ed to BE- the school Of great men,-the school
Of good men,-they may be safely said to
have been also the High School OF brave
men, and bold men.
And here, in this locality, am tempted to
allude to some historical incidents, though
not quite germane to the occasion, yet so
highly credi,able to the pioneers, who sub
dued the wilderness Of these beautiful hills
and valleys, that one cannot forbear to repro
duce their memory refer to the participa-
ton of your fathers in the repulse of the for
eign invaders of our soil, at Plattsburgh.
On hearing, from express riders, the alarm
that Gen. Provost, with his trained and mer-
cenary warriors, had crossed the lines, and
was making rapidly for the little fortress, in
the woods, half garrisoned, and half provis-
ioned while on the Lake, Com. Downie
with well equi pped fleet, was menacing
hourly, an attack on our little hotilla, of TIM
Der and planks, kept aAoat under McDon-
oush. onl! by taiM and patriotism. and ulti-
mately pointing destruction at Burlington
and our own Vermont.
/ On hearing Of this, as it was re-echoed by
steeple bells, alarm guns and dinner horns,
these men left their homes and fields, their
wives and little ones, their harvests, half
gathered, grain in the gavel, and corn ir
the husk, in the midst too, of contin ued
rain and freshet, and seizing whatsoever of
weapons we're at hand, rallying at midnight
on foot, or on horseback, with the little bi,
of cold lunch slowed away in the knapsack
by some affeclionate hand, on they went, res
ting by the roadside, sleeping in barns
on~ard-heedess of life-thoughtless of
self-big only with one great, solitary. over
whelming fact,-the country is in danger ant
needs our help.
They went too, as volunteers never wen
before, not only ,rithout, but fatty agains
the orders of their commander-in-chief
Strange as it may seem to US, such wa
the state Of feeling at that day, touching th'
war, that the Governor of Vermont had. un
Ger advice, been induced to issue procla
nation prohibiting our militia from going be
yond the line of the State, proclamation
which drew forth ali answer more fully i'm
pregnated with real Vermont grit, with burn
ing, fiery patriotism, than the annals Of tn
, English language elsewhere affords. Botl
these documents are before me, land nearl
fifty years ago, they were as familiar as house
hold words. on the soil where we stand,) an,
they met warm reception from the mer
and women too, who then called these home
their own.
> by His Excellency, Martin Chittender
y Esq, Governor, Captain-General, and Com
t mander-in-chef in and over the State of We,
mont,
PROCLAMATION.
Whereas, it appears that the third brigad
of the third division of Militia of this Stat
has been ordered from our frontier to the d.
fense OF neighboring State ,-and, where
as, it further appears, to the extreme regre
of the Captain General, that a part of th
militia of said brigade have been placed ur
der the command, and at the disposal of, q
officer of the United States, out Of the juri
diction Or control of the Executive of Stat
and have been actually marched to the d,
, tense of sister State, fully competent to a