advancement of the Christian faith! No one acquainted with their sufferings and persecutions, can doubt the truth of their solemn declaration. No one who has read their history, can doubt that in every good effort, they received the smiles of Him they came to worship and in whom they placed their trust. Through every danger and every trial, they and their children struggled with Christian fortitude and heroic courage, until their efforts were crowned with freedom and success. Although the bones of the fathers have long since mouldered into dust, their sons and their daughters, and the truths they supported, "still live," and will live "forevermore." The colony of Delaware was founded by the Swedes. Their courage, too, and their devotion to their rights, were soon tried and fully established. It is by no means strange that the land which then furnished a colony for American Liberty, though far away in the frozen regions of the north, should have since produced the matchless songstress of the age- the plaintive nightingale whose soft and sweetly thrilling notes have given transported thousands a taste of heavenly joys. Maryland was settled chiefly by Catholics. True to their mission in the new world, they have fully proved their devotion to freedom. The colony that produced Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, must ever have cherished in her bosom the living germ-the true spirit of the Goddess of Liberty! Pennsylvania was commenced by the Quakers. Driven by persecution from England, they first sought an asylum in the land of the Pilgrim fathers. The legislature of that colony, in a dark and evil hour, in violation of their own history and most sacred obligations, in violation of their own solemn declaration of purpose, not only passed laws for their banishment, but provided, if any Quaker should return to the colony and renew his practices, he should be put to death! Under this law, four persons suffered death! This shocking violation of their most sacred obligations and principles, Providence seems to have chastised afterwards. The horrible consequences of their insane delusions in regard to the work of the devil, through the instrumentality of witches, seem to be the punishment. After this persecution, the Quakers resolved to form a colony where religious opinion and worship might be fully enjoyed. They accordingly sailed from England in 1681, and landed where the Quaker city stands. In the following year, William Penn arrived with a large number of emigrants, and founded the city of Philadelphia and colony of Pennsylvania. Thus doubly persecuted, first driven from their native land, then from the land of the Pilgrim Fathers, they founded the city and colony that have been doubly blest and honored-the city that gave birth to the independence of the American colonies, and to the Constitution of the United States of America. Considering their origin, viewing the grand events that will honor them forever, we are admonished of evil, but then look with delight at the greatness and happiness of a people, clothed with a full share of the honors. of a glorious history and union of States, and with the smiles of a benignant Providence. This is the keystone of the American arch of States an arch as beautiful among the various kingdoms of the earth, as the rainbow in the cloudy sky-as durable, we hope, as the covenant of Him who placed it there. In 1765, Mr. George Grenville introduced into Parliament the notorious stamp act, to tax all the colonies. When in advocating its passage, Mr. Charles Townsend used the following language: "and now will these Americans, children planted by our care, nourished by our indulgence of them, until they have grown to a degree of strength and opulence; and protected by our arms; will they grudge to contribute their mite to relieve us?" He was replied to thus by the eloquent and chivalric Barre: "They planted by your care-no-your oppression planted them in America! * * * They nourished by your indulgence! They grew up by your negligence of them! *** They protected by your arms! * **They have nobly taken defense, have exerted a valor amidst their constant and laborious industry, for the defence of a country whose frontier was drenched in blood.' The passage of this act, On the aimed equally at the liberties of all the colonies, aroused and united them. In this important move, Virginia again took the lead. 28th May, 1765, the illustrious Henry introduced his celebrated resolutions in the house of Burgesses. The resolutions declared in substance that the colonies were not bound to obey the act; that they alone had always possessed the right to tax themselves. It was in the defense of these resolutions that he gave utterance to that equally celebrated burst of eloquence: "Cæsar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third"-Treason! Treason! cried the speaker and many members of the house "may profit by their example "-thundered the dauntless Henry! These resolutions were communicated to the other colonies. They all passed similar ones through their respective assemblies, and a convention of colonial deputies met the same year in the city of New York. In this coincidence we again see liberty and Union hand in hand. From the memoir of Jefferson. "The next event which excited our sympathies for Massachusetts was the Boston port-bill, by which that port was to be shut up from the 1st June, 1774. This arrived while we were in session in the Spring of that year. The lead in the house, on these subjects, being no longer left to the old members, Mr. Henry, R. H. Lee, Mr. L. Lee, three or four others and myself, agreeing that we must boldly take an unequivocal stand in the line with Massachusetts, determined to meet and consult on the proper measures in Council Chamber, for the benefit of the library in that room. We were under the conviction of the necessity of arousing our people from the lethargy into which they had fallen, as to passing events; and thought that the appointment of a day of general fasting and prayer would be most likely to call up and alarm their attention; no example of such a solemnity had existed since the days of our distress in the war of '55, since which a new generation had grown up. With the help of Rushforth whom we rumaged over for the revolutionary precedents, and forms of the puritans of that day, preserved by him, we cooked up a resolution somewhat modernizing their phrases, for appointing the 1st day of June on which the port-bill was to commence for a day of fasting and prayer, to implore Heaven to avert from us the evils of civil war, to inspire us with firmness in support of our rights, and to turn the hearts of the king and parliament to moderation and justice. To give greater emphasis to our proposition, we agreed to wait on Mr. Nicholas, (Robert Carter Nicholas,) whose grave and religious character, was more in unison with the tone of our resolution, and to solicit him to move it. We accordingly went to him in the morning. He moved it the same |