No. 133.] * l»r> 



Rliips explore every elirae, and out«aJl tho«¥5 of the "Mistress of 

 the Seas,"' in her own waters, under the very eyes of a successor 

 ot the monarch to whom I have refi-rred. The Province of New- 

 York, now the Empire State of our confederacy, was then a wil- 

 derness ; and the great city which now stretches is beauty and 

 In strength, its giant proportions on eveiy side, could then be 

 overawe<l by a band of insurgents from Connecticut! 



This great change furnishes abundant food for thonphf. It has 

 Bot been confined to this city and State, but o::r -^hi It- country 

 feels to its remotest bounds the impulse of atlvaiicing civilization 

 and wealth. What has caused the vast relative change which is 

 so forcibly illustrated by the scene which I have recalled to your 

 recollection? What has felled our forests, settled our prairies, 

 constructed our canals Jind ra)lrf»ads, and enabled the old States 

 to furnish a population for tlio new, without being themselves 

 depopulated? What has made New- York one of the wonders of 

 the world, and built cities in our Western wilds larger than 

 New- York was at llie commencement of the century 1 and from 

 what source must we expect continued growth and prosperity *{ 

 To a few consideratiojis suggested by these inquiries, I pr«pose 

 to invite your attention. 



The political lndepen«{ence of this country, not yet declared at 

 the period to which I have alluded, of course tended greatly to 

 our national progress ; but, gentlemen, there was another kind of 

 independence, resulting from this, which has been' equally effec- 

 tive, so far as ii has existed, in stimulating our growth. I allude 

 to our independence, as yet only partial and incomplete, in all 

 that the diversified employments of labor, here, on our own soil, 

 can do, in Manufactures and all the industrial pursuits, and in the 

 successful commerce created thereby, to supply the wants of our 

 own people. To secure this, was a leading cause, and not th© 

 least valuable end of our Revolutionary struggle. 



The subject, then, to which I shall invite your attention, is The 

 importance of indepcndmcc in all the % idu- trial pursuits, in advan^ 

 ring the growth and sustaining the prosperity of this J^'ation. I 

 teel certain that I need not apologise to yoa, gentlemen, for the 



