LETTER TO THE MAYOR OF BOSTON, FOR THE CELEBRATION OF JULY 4,
1853.
BOSTON, July 1, 1853.
Dear Sir,--It will not be in my power to unite with the City
Council of Boston in the approaching celebration of our national
anniversary; but I beg to assure you that I am not insensible to
the honor of their invitation.
The day itself comes full of quickening suggestions, which can need
no prompting from me. And yet, with your permission, I would gladly
endeavor to associate at this time one special aspiration with the
general gladness. Allow me to propose the following toast.
_The Railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific._--Traversing a
whole continent, and binding together two oceans, this mighty
thoroughfare, when completed, will mark an epoch of human progress
second only to that of our Declaration of Independence. May the day
soon come!
Believe me, dear Sir, faithfully yours,