erful republic on earth, for the most noble purpose that was ever conceived by man, this humble instrument of rural labour, a symbol of the favour ite occupation of our countrymen. May the use, to which it is about to be devoted, prove the precursor, to our beloved country, of improved agriculture, of multiplied and diversified arts, of extended commerce and navigation. Combining its social and moral influences with the principles of that happy constitution, under which you have been called to preside over the American people; may it become a safeguard of their liberty and independence, and a bond of perpetual union! To the ardent wishes of this vast assembly, I unite my fervent prayer to that infinite and awful Being, without whose favour all human power is but vanity, that he will crown your la bour with his blessing, and our work with immortality. As soon as he had ended, the president of the United States, to whom general Mercer had presented the spade, stepped forward, and thus addressed the assembly of his fellowcitizens: Friends and fellow-citizens-It is nearly a full century since Berkeley, bishop of Cloyne, turning towards this fair land, which we now inhabit, the eyes of a prophet, closed a few lines of poetical inspiration with this memorable prediction: "Time's noblest empire is the last :" A prediction, which, to those of us whose lot has been cast by Divine Providence in these regions, contains not only a precious promise, but a solemn injunction of duty; since upon our energies, and upon those of our posterity, its fulfilment will depend. For, with reference to what principle could it be, that Berkeley proclaimed this, the last, to be the noblest empire of time? It was, as he himself declares, on the transplantation of learning and the arts to America;-Of learning and the arts! The four first acts-the empires of the old world, and of former ages-the Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, the Roman empires-were empires of conquest; dominions of man over man. The empire which his great mind, piercing into the darkness of futurity, foretold in America, was the empire of learning and the arts-the dominion of man over himself, and over physical nature-acquired by the inspirations of genius, and the toils of industry; not watered with the tears of the widow and the orphan; not cemented in the blood of human victims; founded, not in discord, but in harmonyof which the only spoils are the imperfections of nature, and the victory achieved is the improvement of the condition of all. Well may this be termed nobler than the empire of conquest, in which man subdues only his fellow-man. To the accomplishment of this prophecy, the first necessary step was the acquisition of the right of self-government by the people of the British North American colonies, achieved by the declaration of independence, and its acknowledgment by the British nation. The second was the union of all these colonies under one general confederated government-a task more arduous than that of the preceding separation, but at last effected by the present constitution of the United States. The third step, more arduous still, than either, or both the others, was that, which we, fellow-citizens, may now congratulate ourselves, our country, and the world of man, that it is taken. It is the adaptation of the powers, physical, moral, and intellectual, of this whole union, to the improvement of its own condition; of its moral and political condition, by wise and liberal institutions-by the cultivation of the understanding and the heart-by academies, schools, and learned institutes-by the pursuit and patronage of learning and the arts: of its physical condition, by associated labour to improve the bounties, and to supply the deficiencies of nature; to stem the torrent in its course; to level the mountain with the plain; to act, I call upon you all to join me in fervent supplication to Him from whom that primitive injunction came, that he would follow with his blessing this joint effort of our great community, to perform his will in the subjugation of the earth for the improvement of the condition of man. That he would make it one of his chosen instruments for the preservation, prosperity, and perpetuity of our union. That he would have in his holy keeping all the workmen by whose labours it is to be completed. That their lives and their health may be precious in his sight; and that they may live to see the work of their hands contribute to the comforts and enjoyments of millions of their countrymen. disarm and fetter the raging surge of the ocean. Undertakings, of which the language I now hold, is no exaggerated description, have become happily familiar, not only to the conceptions, but to the enterprise, of our countrymen. That, for the commencement of which we are here assembled, is eminent among the number. The project contemplates a conquest over physical nature, such as has never yet been achieved by man. The wonders of the ancient world, the pyramids of Egypt, the Colossus of Rhodes, the temple of Ephesus, the mausoleum of Artemisia, the wall of China, sink into insignificance before it-insignificance in the mass and momentum of human labour, required for the execution-insignificance in the comparison of the purposes to be accomplished by the work when executed. It is, therefore, a pleasing contemplation to those sanguine and patriotic spirits, who have so long looked with hope to the completion of this undertaking, that it unites the moral power and resources-first, of numerous individuals-secondly, of the corporate cities of Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria-thirdly, of the great and powerful states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Mary-formance of my service heretofore as land-and, lastly, by the subscription authorized at the recent session of congress, of the whole union. Friends and fellow-labourers: we are informed by the holy oracles of truth, that, at the creation of man, male and female, the lord of the universe, their Maker, blessed them, and said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. To subdue the earth was, therefore, one of the first duties assigned to man at his creation; and now, in his fallen condition, it remains among the most excellent of his occupations. To subdue the earth is pre-eminently the purpose of the undertaking, to the accomplishment of which the first stroke of the spade is now to be struck. That it is to be struck by this hand, I invite you to witness—and in performing this Friends and brethren: permit me further to say, that I deem the duty, now performed at the request of the president and directors of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal company, and of the corporations of the district of Columbia, one of the most fortunate incidents of my life. Though not among the functions of my official station, I esteem it as a privilege conferred upon me by my fellow-citizens of the district. Called, in the per one of the representatives of my native commonwealth in the senate, and now as a member of the executive department of the government, my abode has been among the inhabitants of the district longer than at any other spot upon earth. In availing myself of this occasion to return to them my thanks for the numberless acts of kindness that I have experienced at their hands, may I be allowed to assign it as a motive operating upon the heart, and superadded to my official obligations, for taking a deep interest in their welfare and prosperity. Among the prospects of futurity, which we may indulge the rational hope of seeing realized by this junction of distant waters, that of the auspicious influence which it will exercise over the fortunes of every portion of the district, is one upon which my mind dwells with unqualified pleasure. It is my earnest prayer that they may not be disappointed. It was observed, that the first step towards the accomplishment of the glorious destinies of our country was the Declaration of Independence. That the second was the union of these states under our federative government. The third is irrevocably fixed, by the act upon the commencement of which we are now engaged. What time more suitable for this operation could have been selected, than the anniversary of our great national festival? What place more appropriate from whence to proceed, than that which bears the name of the Citizen Warrior who led our armies in that eventful contest to the field, and who first presided as the chief magistrate of our union? You know that, of this very undertaking, he was one of the first projectors; and if, in the world of spirits, the affections of our mortal existence still retain their sway, may we not, without presumption, imagine that he looks down with complacency and delight upon the scene before and around us? mountain and hill shall be made low; the crooked straight; the rough places plain. Thus shall the prediction of the bishop of Cloyne be converted from prophecy into history, and, in the virtues and fortunes of our posterity, the last shall prove the noblest empire of time. But, while indulging a sentiment of joyous exultation, at the benefits to be derived from this labour of our friends and neighbours, let us not forget that the spirit of internal improvement is catholic and libéral. We hope and believe, that its practical advantages will be extended to every individual in our union. In praying for the blessing of heaven upon our task, we ask it with equal zeal and sincerity upon every other similar work in this confederation; and particularly upon that which, on this same day, and perhaps at this very hour, is commencing from a neighbouring city. It is one of the happiest characteristics in the principle of internal improvement, that the success of one great enterprise, instead of counteracting, gives assistance to the execution of another. May they increase and multiply, till, in the sublime language of inspiration, every valley shall be exalted, and every As the president concluded, a national salute was fired by a detachment of United States artillery posted upon the ground. As soon as the cheering which followed the close of the president's speech had subsided, the chairman of the committee of arrangements delivered the following brief address: "In the name of the committee of arrangements of the corporations of the district, I tender to the president and directors of the canal company, and to this crowd of gratified spectators, our congratulations on the happy commencemeut of this great work. "To the president of the company, we and the country are indebted for his early, persevering, and successful efforts in the great cause, the triumph of which we have this day assembled to honour; and we cordially respond to those emotions which the occasion is so well calculated to inspire in his breast. "To the president of the United States we are under obligations for the kindness and cheerfulness with which he accepted our invitation to practically begin the labour, which is to unite, by closer ties of amity and interest, the inhabitants of the borders of the Atlantic, of the margins of the Lakes, and of the rapidly peopling forests and prairies of the interior. In the name of our corporations, we return our acknowledgments to him for the countenance and aid which this undertaking has constantly received from him. "To the director from the state of Pennsylvania, who may be considered, in his present relation to us, the representative not merely of his own otate, but of the whole west, we offer sur cordial felicitation on the prospect of the early completion of the work which has just now been symbolically begun, and of which he too has been the zealous and efficient advocate. "To the almost unanimous support of the senators and representatives of the western states, united to that afforded by valuable friends from other states, we, of the Atlantic shore, greatly owe the aid which congress has liberally granted to this undertaking. It is our earnest hope, that, in the advantages to be derived from the opening of this great channel of commerce-from the construction of this great central chain of union-the states of the west will find their most sanguine calculations surpassed by the reality, and that, in the result, the whole sisterhood of states will be made sensible of the benign influence of liberal legislation." Designated by you, gentlemen, (said Mr. S.) as the representative of the western states, on this occasion I may venture to tender you their thanks for the just tribute you have paid to the liberal and magnanimous spirit by which they have been governed. I need not say that the people of the west take a deep and lively interest in the success of this great enterprise. They have spoken their sentiments by much higher authority, by their immediate representatives in congress: for, in eight of the nine western states there was but one vote against the liberal appropriation granted at the last session to this object, and to which we are so greatly indebted for the gratification we all experience on this glorious and joyful occasion. Looking, as we do, in the west, When the chairman had conclu- with intense interest to the accomded Mr. Stewart, (the director referred to above) after returning his thanks to the committee from the three corporations of the district, for the flattering terms in which they had noticed him in the address delivered by their chairman, begged to avail himself of this occasion, to tender also his grateful acknowledgments to the stockholders now present, for the distinguished and unexpected honour they had conferred on him, by calling him from a distant residence, to a seat at the board of directors. He had, however, to regret that, owing to his very limited experience, he could bring to the board little more than his hearty good will, and an ardent desire to do every thing in his power to give energy to the prosecution of this great work to a speedy and successful termination-a work pre-eminently national in all its aspects, commenced, as had been well remarked by the president of the company, under the most cheering auspices, by the hands of the chief magistrate of the greatest republic on earth, and in the presence of the official representatives of several of the most refined and powerful nations of Europe. plishment of this great object, it would be unjust, on this occasion, to withhold the expression of our obligations to our brethren of the east, for their liberal support; for, in eight of the eastern states, likewise, there were but eight votes in the house against this appropriation. Our obligations, however, are confined to no section; they belong to the whole union. Justly regarding this as an object eminently national, the representatives from all portions of our country, influenced by a liberal and enlightened policy, extended to it a generous support. This liberality, however, was not confined to this object alone, but extended largely and freely to others-to Tennessee, to Ohio, to Pennsylvania. You have very justly, gentlemen, described this as "a great central chain of union between the Atlantic and western states." I am happy, however, in the conviction, that there are other, and stronger ties which bind us together-ties of a higher and nobler origin-ties "not made with hands," but found in the hearts, in the affectionate attachment, in the patriotic devotion of the people to the government and union of the states. These are the bonds of union, after all, to which we must look, and on which we must rely; these are the bonds which we are called on, by every patriotic feeling, to cherish, to strengthen, and increase. Every attempt, no matter from what quarter it may come, to dissolve these bonds, to weaken these ties, which bind the people to the union, to the constitution, and laws of their country, should, as it must, meet the indignant reprobation of every true patriot. But I will dismiss this reflection as inappropriate to the occasion, as an event beyond the reach of anticipation, to which we should never look but to avoid it. I present you, gentlemen, and all present, the congratulations of the west on this occasion; and permit me to express the hope that we will be able to complete the work, now so happily begun, as far as Cumberland, in three years from this day; and, by a union and co-operation with our friends at Baltimore, when the two works become united on the Potomac river, with a common object and a common interest, may we not indulge the hope, that the day is not distant, when we shall again assemble, at the summit level, to celebrate an event still more glorious than this-the mingling of the waters of the Chesapeake and Ohio; when we may truly exclaim, without the spirit of prophecy, "Art's noblest triumph is the last." These addresses being concluded, the spade was taken, and sods of earth were dug in succession, by a great number of persons. After a few moments of repose, the procession again formed, and returned to the boats, and, by the way of the canal, back to the tide-water, where they re-embarked on board the steamboats. |