to mourn over our prostrate liberties. We come not 

 to indulge in the feelings which are incited by the 

 contemplation of such objects, for we war not with 

 the sword, nor seek to gather laurels in the field of 

 hostile or fierce contentions. 



But we have come together at the ingathering of 

 the harvest, to exhibit an acceptable offering of a 

 portion of its bounties. We have come in the pa- 

 cific and genial spirit of the pursuits we love to partici- 

 pate in, the enjoyments the occasion imparts, and we 

 have come to reciprocate the congratulations of the 

 season, in the success with which our labors and our 

 experiments have been crowned. 



The primitive employment of man was that of a 

 tiller of the ground, and the garden of Eden, planted 

 and ornamented by the hand of its Creator, was as- 

 signed to the care of our great progenitor ' to dress 

 and to keep it.' From the earliest period of the 

 world to the present day, the cultivation of the ground 

 has been viewed with special favor by all civilized 

 nations. Even heroes, philosophers, and statesmen 

 have sought in rural employments a temporary re- 

 laxation from the cares and perplexities incident to 

 their public labors. It is not necessary to explore the 

 annals of ancient history for the names of individuals 

 who have been thus distinguished. The records of 

 our own times, and especially of our own country, 

 and our own personal observations, afford instances of 

 illustrious men who have been thus preeminent, and 

 there are those now living amongst us, who, by their 

 precept and example, by their scientific and practical 



