New-York tribune., 1878-12-31
the hoary sacred antiquity which may still be found in
coxrExp1xa FOR A CONTINENT.


it appears in The midst Of the prOsac eighteenth cen
tury, is fraught with al the romance which be-
longs to tho mediaval struggles OF European
raees It is that long contest so graphically
described in the elaborate narrative OF Francis
Parbunan, and it is intertwined with some OF the
most impressive of American nature. LOOK
at that line OF waters Lake George and Lake Champlan,
which formed at that time the central thorOughiare
the only thUrOughfarethrough what was then track
less wilderness OF mountain ana forest see Tue EhSsn
armies drawn alike from the mother country ana the
stu Obedcnt cOlOniss. fighting IN one common cause,
coming down in tloir vast notla through thOsc hnse
OYeThaugng woods See at the point between the lakes
soit sGe the oDy mns that cam be per
haps. throughout the length ana DIeaatn on
as the French called il, Carlton, Cmmes, from the
Iuelodious Of the waters which dashed along
aTy which hangs over the mysterious death OF DUN
can Campbell Ot Inverawe. whose glaycstOuo is sun 10
be seen amongst the descendants OF his famous clan on
gaze the historic splendor winch surrounds me name
Ot Lord Howe, cOmmcm0ratcd by the gidtcful amer
cans alike I'm q monument on the spot where be fell.
by the shores OF Lake George, ana within tht
walls OF Westminster Abby. Or again, look
} mClc nor, Inward STILL to the wOndCrul enterprise III
which the. most captivating OF English sOIdIerH, tc
little ckly rcdhaired hero, General WoiiS Dy miracle
OF audacty climbed the heIShs or Abraham ana won
the Imperial fortress OF Quebec in the singular victory
In which almost the same hour expired h,meif and
his less chiyarOus adversary the French MOhtcaG,
The Englshmen and the Americans Of to-day as they
ionk from The terrace of The citadel Quebec TIE
mighty waters OF the St. Lawrence may alike icel heiT
patriotism kndlcd by the recollection or that tme; anu
moi tnc less because as said II Is wTapt in haO
of romance winch belongs rather TO the thirteenth
century than TO that IN which II actually occurred
Those scenes OF battles between the ehaorn courtcs
of the nand, and tue JdcoDc mghlandcrI
of Scotland, and the sturdy coioEists Ol NiEhia any
Massachusetts intermhgled wiz. tue WI ",u M
the tOmauawk the feathers ana the c0ors OF those m
dian tribes who were the terror anu tno H.'"C,IUn %
alternately Of bOth tho coutcudlh2 pdtutS, C',tg
us back 70 times which assure us that the
American novelist, Fenimore Cooper, rightly chosi
stirring tales ana which make even an English
man or teei iha III tr' M Trsg 8 t"I @ @ GEIs &
raond OF his kindred isles And when III tlt mis-
OF the American Berkshire we see the huge boulder
which, with its simple inscription marks lhe GI"ES Ol
the StOCEbridge Indians tue friends OF our a'hci- We
civilized and the were not yer parted asundc
when still sense OF mutual gratitude
Gotta and Roman, CelC ard SAXON met III thcr varied
viCssltudes Of war and peace.
THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
We pass TO the third cpOChthat of tine War Of Indc-
pendence. We now approach a region which, compared
with the two that have preceded IT, may well be called
modern Yet here also there is a saycr Of antiquity
and OF primitive inspiration IN the circle OF renowned
characters who for first, perhaps may say the
only, time IN American history appear equal TO the
greatness Of their country's desilncs. When, in the
public place ut Richmond the statue Of George
Washington surrounded by the group " the famous
Virginians Of his ume the eloquenco OF Patrick
Henry, the judicous saGaciy of Marshall,
the eccentric energy OF JcncrsOn-when 70 these
we add the stern vigor Of john Adams, and Samuel,
hls d - % t, ,nins ~ Renamin FrSnkm
from Philadelphia ana the brilliant phlosOphlc friend
and equal OF Tallcy rand, the gifted and unfortunate
Gender Hamilton We fee that we are in the presence
of one of tnose intellectual considerations which mark
only those great creative CpOchs in the history of
nations such as may indeed appearn their laer history.
hnt usually belong to those moments when the nation
itself is struggling into existence. In All The
events of that struggle tnerr IS dramatic
movement which belongs 10 those critical times
when mankind is going through one OF us de
had lived through the French Revolution aud tie Napo
lcOnc wars, when asked in his extreme old age what
event ms time had produced inanShnd the deepest
impression answered, The separation OF the American
states -; and wen in hls loOtn year, lie wandered in
dying moments to the recoectlons o. former years,
his last words murinured something OF tho war with
America" Many the scenes which impress tnc
mind the momenIOus aspect OF that time. select
two one snail be that which the frst British Hood
wss sRSe close T TS o Inc village Of Concord rem
divides the swelling nils ou either SIDE rustic bridge
marks the graves where the first English soldiers that
were slain sdl lie buried on the otDer side is monu
simple American peasants with musket by his side,
aud underneath are written tnG W%TGs % of one
the grandson Of the pastor Of the village VII vas
p'eSe"' By 81 the rude bridge that archod the food
Here once the embated farmers stood,
And fred the shot heard r0unG the world"
The other scene ia Mount Vernon tue unadOrned yet
spacious wooden mansion where Washington spent hs
latest years with his devoted wife, with his rctnuc OF
slaves, with the gracious hospitality OF an almost eai
majesty; looking out from the oaks when now over
hang his grave the broad waters OF me Potomac
whose banks was TO rise the noble Out sun unfinished
capital which bears MS cah0hLed name. 40 i.nE.isn
man grudgo the hours that he gives 10 tue Olog
W
country man tor such lac stil wasJ tho father Of the
American Commonwealth. 49,, ,
There is yet one fourth group OF events Whch MAKES
us feel that even in the tim" IN which We i've
America belongs to those old dayn OF European nations
vii society not yet welded together, when the
wars Of York and Lancaster, or the WaIs or cromwell
and Charles the First, were tul possible tsicr 10 the
oniy civil war OF recent times-pCrhdps the greatest
civil war of all times-the war between the Northern
the Southern states ten years ago BuI lhs Is 700
close TO our days for 10 safely touch upon; the
sOudcrDg ashcs OF that fierce volcano are TOO near tho
surface. / do but glance at 1t ana move onwards
(Vha I bave gail Of
at once illustrates ana IS illustrated by some OF the chci
c6sracerstics OF tine present condition tho United
States and also OF cur expectations OF Its future LOOK,
for example, at the extraordinary muhlncchco shown
in multiplication Of institutions cmanatmg In ia ge
DEGREE from the piety and AbcTalty Of individual
founders and bcnefactOrs. The very phrase winch use
soI6e of The chief educational institutions of
country. DO not say that this nunihcence has died
out the nineteenth century at nome or IN the Older
countries In brancn-that Of public libraries for
general usc which Is the cnlrf glory OF the modern hs
tutiOns OF the United states, as It's a'mOst tOtal an.
stineucc the chief repr0ach to the metropolis OF
IondOn--in these public libraries understand that AT
least IN Birmingham near approach nae pee inae 10
the generosity whethSr OF Corporations % or od nHa ]
the rechessness, with whlch these behe1hcnOhs hfe
ayshed beyond the Atlantic bears upon It's face the
d as The granite boulder Of some earlier
formation For the llEenesses IN our English history to
John Hopkins, and AstOr, and George Peabody, and
Peter Cooper, We must look to our Wykehams, our
Wiynfeies, our WOscys, at Oxford and those whose
names are immOrtazed in Gray's splendid Ode on the
BenefaCtOTs OF Cambridge.
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS.
Again tho distinct character the independent govern
ment the separate legislation OF the various States
which compose the Republic Of North America repre-
sent condition OF political society to which modern
Europe offers parallel except perhaps in the small
Federation Of Switzerland, and Tor which, so large
scale we must for an example 20 back to tle not yet
developed States OF Europe just emerging from tho old
Roman Empire into the Christian Empire OF Charlie
aguc each marked indeed by the separate natiOnacs
which were already beginning 70 snow themselves
hut even in tho sixth tho ninth century
speakIpg as In the vast continent OF North
America at the present day, at least
od,, oil