View from the State House. 



93 



Boston, with its wharfs, shipping, and public edifices ; all the islands 

 in its harbor ; the shores of the harbor lined with villages and culti- 

 vated fields ; and within a circle of ten miles, not less than 20 vil- 

 lages, containing, with Boston, more than 120,000 inhabitants, are 

 here surveyed at a glance. Almost every dwelling of this numerous 

 population, is, indeed, visible : and it is rare to see in a circle of so 

 small extent, as many edifices so elegant ; and so few that indicate 

 extreme poverty and wretchedness. So richly cultivated is the vicin- 

 ity of Boston, that it has the appearance of a vast garden. Yet we 

 do not see here the traces of that vandal spirit, which, in so many 

 parts of our land, is making sad havoc with our groves and shade 

 trees; but enough have been spared or planted in this vicinity to give 

 a refreshing and luxuriant aspect to the scenery. 



The political and moral considerations which irresistibly force 

 themselves on the mind when contemplating such a scene, cannot fail 

 greatly to increase the pleasure of the observer. What a drawback 

 upon that pleasure must it be, when the traveler is compelled to say, 

 as he cannot but say, when gazing on a large proportion of the in- 

 teresting scenery of the eastern continent, 



" Art, glory, freedom fails, though Nature still is fair." 



On the contrary, how refreshing to the benevolent spirit, as it surveys 

 from this eminence the dwellings of 120,000 human beings, to be 

 assured that there is not a slave among them all ; and that could the 

 eye take in every part of the commonwealth, it would read on every 

 door post the inscription, " all men are born free and equal;" a maxim 

 which exerts a talismanic influence in defending the feeblest inmate 

 against oppression. Nor should the observer forget that this same 

 maxim forms the basis of every law originating from the edifice on 

 which he stands ; and that it is not licentious liberty that is here en- 

 joyed ; but liberty guarded by law, and sustained by law : and that it 

 is the general prevalence of knowledge and virtue in the commu- 

 nity, that renders it possible to sustain a proper balance between lib- 

 erty and law. Foreign nations may predict that our beautiful repub- 

 lican system will be ephemeral. It will, indeed, pass away, whenever 

 unprincipled ignorance shall be permitted to bear sway. But so long 

 as intelligence and moral principle predominate in the community, 

 the ark of liberty is safe. At any rate, it is certain that we do now 

 enjoy the blessings of freedom, and the means, widly diffused, of in- 

 tellectual, moral and religious cultivation. As a consequence, con- 



