COMMENCEMENT ON THE OHIO CANAL
AT THE LICKING SUMMIT
This great work was commenced on
Monday, the
4th inst. under circumstances the most
favorable and
auspicious. On the day previous, all
the roads leading
to the point selected for the
celebration were crowded
with people on foot, on horseback, and
in every de-
scription of vehicle, hastening to
witness the scene. Al-
most every house within a distance of
five miles was
occupied; but on the evening of that day,
by far the
greatest multitude had assembled at
Newark, where
Gov. Clinton and his suite were
momentarily expected.
Towards evening the greatest anxiety
prevailed. Ex-
presses had been despatched along the
different roads,
by which it was supposed the Governor
might arrive,
but they uniformly returned without any
intelligence;
and it began to be seriously
apprehended, that, owing
to some mistake or accident, he would
not arrive in due
season. Early on Monday morning these
fears were
dissipated by the pleasing
intelligence, that his Excel-
lency was approaching by the Mount
Vernon road, and
would arrive in the course of a few
hours. His Excel-
lency Gov. Morrow's aids, the Canal
Commissioners
and Commissioners of the Canal Fund,
accompanied by
a number of gentlemen on horseback and
in carriages
and a detachment of cavalry,
immediately set out to
meet the coming party.
About nine o'clock in the morning the
whole party
arrived in Newark, receiving a salute
as it entered; --
(66)
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 67
passed round the public square and
halted opposite the
house of Mr. Bradley Buckingham, into
which Gov-
ernor Clinton was conducted amidst the
congratula-
tions of the assembled multitude.
Immediately after
breakfast, a procession was formed
under the direction
of the Marshals of the day (Gen.
Johnson, Cols.
M'Cracken and M'Dowell,) and at half
past ten, left
Newark for the place fixed upon for the
celebration.
At half past eleven it arrived upon the
ground, and was
welcomed by the discharge of several
pieces of artillery,
the firing of the light companies and
the cheers of the
thousands that were expecting its
arrival. Governor
Morrow, Gov. Clinton, and the gentlemen
in company,
alighted from their carriages and
passed down the line
of troops, receiving their salute, to
the stage erected for
their reception, from which the
addresses were to be
delivered. Upon this stage, in addition
to the Gover-
nors, we were gratified to observe the
veteran Gen. Van
Renssellaer, whose services under Gen.
Wayne, as-
sisted greatly in the early settlement
of this country,
and whose presence on this occasion,
added no little in-
terest to the scene. We also observed
Mr. Lord and
Mr. Rathbone, of New York, the
gentlemen who it will
be recollected took our first loan. As
soon as the nec-
essary arrangements were made and
silence obtained,
the ceremonies of the day were opened
by a solemn and
appropriate prayer from the Rev. Ahab
Jenks, of Gran-
ville, who officiated as Chaplain. He
was followed by
Thomas Ewing, Esq., of Lancaster, the
orator of the
day, who occupied the attention of the
audience with an
address, of which it is unnecessary to
speak, as it is
given in this pamphlet. Although it was
pronounced
68
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
in the most forcible and energetic
manner, the im-
mense concourse and consequent distance
of great num-
bers from the stage, prevented them
from hearing dis-
tinctly. At that part of his discourse
in which the Ora-
tor addressed Gov. Clinton on behalf of
the people of
this State, the universal satisfaction
manifested by the
audience, discovered how truly and
happily their senti-
ments and feelings had been expressed.
After the close
of the Oration, a short pause of
deepest expectation en-
sued. Every eye was directed to our
distinguished
guest, who rose apparently under the
influence of much
feeling. His first sentences were
spoken in a tone so
low, that although the most death-like
silence prevailed,
they were only heard by those who were
so fortunate
as to be immediately around the stage.
But as he ad-
vanced, his voice became loud and
distinct, and his man-
ner in the highest degree impressive.
It was with dif-
ficulty, at different times during his
address, and par-
ticularly at that part of it in which
he traced the fu-
ture prosperity of this state, that his
delighted audience
could restrain the expression of their
feelings; and
when he closed, it was amid the
deafening cheers of the
thousands around him.
A grand procession was then formed to
move to the
spot selected as the place of beginning
the canal. A
large body of cavalry occupied the
front, next came sev-
eral companies of artillery and light
infantry. To
these succeeded the civic procession,
at the head of
which were to be seen Governors Morrow
and Clinton,
General Van Renssellaer, the Canal
Commissioners,
and Commissioners of the Canal Fund,
followed by a
great number of distinguished
gentlemen, from every
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 69
part of the state, and an immense
retinue of our citi-
zens; the rear was brought up by other
light companies
and a detachment of cavalry. Passing
out of the grove,
in which the previous exercises had
been performed,
the procession crossed the Newark road,
and entered
an extensive field on the farm of Mr.
Taylor. It was,
while passing through this field, that,
from an elevated
piece of ground, the eye might command,
at one view,
the whole of this vast concourse. The
effect was grand
and imposing beyond all description. It
was a scene
seldom witnessed, and never to be
forgotten. The spec-
tacle of a great people, moving slowly
and firmly to the
commencement of a work upon the success
of which
their future prosperity was staked.
Arrived at the ap-
pointed spot, the military in advance
opened to the
right and left, and the civil
procession passed through
them. It was here that the greatest
inconvenience was
experienced from the press of the
crowd. Order was
at length restored, and the thousands
that could not,
from the situation of the ground, see
what was pass-
ing, waited in breathless anxiety for
the signal that was
to announce the commencement of the
canal.
The ceremony was simple but full of
interest.
Messrs. Kelly and Williams, the acting
Canal Commis-
sioners, after a short but highly
appropriate address
from Mr. Kelly, presented two spades to
Judge Minor,
the President of the Board of Canal
Commissioners,
requesting him to hand them to
Governors Morrow and
Clinton -- Judge Minor received the
spades, and pre-
sented them to the Governors, desiring
them in the name
of the people of Ohio, to begin the
work. This was
done, simultaneously by the Governors,
standing im-
70 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
mediately opposite to each other. The
moment this
was announced, it was received by a
shout, that might
be heard even above the roar of
artillery. It was the
glad voice of a happy people.
After the different gentlemen composing
the two
boards of Commissioners, and the
gentlemen immedi-
ately around the spot, had in turn
assisted in the com-
mencement of the work, the procession
was again
formed, and moved back to the grove, at
the lower ex-
tremity of which, a dinner had been
prepared by our
enterprising townsman, Mr. Steinman.
There were
four parallel lines of tables, one
within another, and oc-
cupying three sides of a square,
covered with the great-
est profusion of excellent fare, and calculated
for the
accommodation of one thousand persons.
From each
end of the outer line of tables,
opposite the vacant side
of the square, an arch, handsomely
ornamented, was
sprung; under which, upon an elevated
seat, were
placed the Governors with Judge Minor
and the chap-
lain of the day on the right, and
General Van Renssel-
laer, Mr. Lord and Mr. Rathbone on the
left. After
the dinner, a number of toasts were
drunk, accompa-
nied by loud cheering, the discharging
of artillery and
volleys of musquetry. Thus ended the
ceremonies of
the day.
We cannot close without remarking,
that, through
the whole day, the strictest order and
decorum was
voluntarily kept up; and among the
eight thousand per-
sons the occasion had brought together,
not one instance
of disorderly conduct was observed.
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 71
ORATION
FELLOW CITIZENS,
We have assembled on this day, the
anniversary of
our national independence, to witness
and to celebrate
the commencement of a work, stupendous
in its nature,
and vitally important to the prosperity
of our rising
state.
This day ushers in the fiftieth year of
that independ-
ence. The period is brief, if referred
to the usual oper-
ation of time, on the state of nations
and the condition
of man; but, in effect, it has teemed
with the events of
many centuries.
We need not now dwell on the events of
that glorious
struggle for national existence, or
recount the names
or achievements of those sages and
heroes who ruled
in the council or toiled in the field
for the cause of our
freedom. Are not their names and their
deeds recorded
in the pages of imperishable history?
Are they not en-
graven in living characters on the
hearts of a free and
grateful people?
During the continuance of our national
struggle, and
long before its perfect consummation in
the adoption
of our federal constitution, the
principles in which it
originated, spread wide among the
nations of Europe,
and in many became the subject of free
and bold in-
vestigation. But their eyes were still
turned to Amer-
ica, for here they looked for a
practical illustration of
those principles, applied on an
extended theatre, to the
self-government of man; nor did they
look in vain.
From the crude materials of the old
confederation,
improved by experience and refined by
genius, there
arose a constitutional government, more
perfect in its
72 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
formation, than the fairest ideal
system which had ever
visited the speculations of the
philosopher or the dreams
of the poet. Then the triumph of
liberty was complete.
Among the European nations, France was
the first
to attempt our example, and never was
essayed a might-
ier experiment on the field of
political action, or one
pregnant with more important events.
The liberties of
Europe seemed staked upon the issue.
But that great and enthusiastic people
had not, like
our fathers, been reared, from
childhood, in the calm
and sober contemplation of their
rights, nor could they
learn at once to mark and respect the
boundary between
liberty and licentiousness. The bonds
which had long
held society together -- the restraints
of opinion and
power were too suddenly burst asunder,
and the un-
governed multitude, impelled by wild e
n t h u s i a s m,
rushed madly to deeds of rapine,
violence and anarchy.
Soon a mighty power, physical and
intellectual, arose
out of this chaos and spread desolation
over Europe.
In the name of liberty, it conquered
and enslaved her
republics, which even despotism had
respected -- it sub-
jugated her kingdoms that new monarchs
might possess
their thrones -- with the means of
regenerating the
world, it aimed only to subdue it.
That power was, at length, crushed, and
the ancient
dynasties resumed their dominion - but,
terrified by the
past, and jealous of the future, they
allied themselves
against their subjects, the avowed
enemies of liberty.
Such was the result of that revolution
from which
so much had been hoped by the friends
of European
liberty, and though baffled by the
event, those hopes
were not then visionary or extravagant.
For if the bet-
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 73
ter genius of France had prevailed --
if the mighty
spirit, which controlled her destinies
in the latter days
of her revolution, had been animated by
motives of real
glory -- if, like our Washington, he
had devoted him-
self to the cause of freedom and his
country, he might
have lived to be now hailed the
liberator of Europe.
And France, her liberties achieved, her
government
established on principles of rational
equality, rich in her
resources and invincible in power, she
might have main-
tained toward the world a most noble
attitude. In-
stead of forming one of a band of
unholy despots,
leagued against the liberties of man,
she had been, her-
self a host, arrayed on the side of
freedom. The spirit
of liberty which has since broken forth
among the na-
tions, where had been the power would
have dared op-
pose its march when supported and
encouraged by her
friendly alliance? Freedom, in that quarter of the
globe, had ere this day, triumphed over
oppression, and
Europe were now the seat of republics
instead of em-
pires.
But sad as has been the reverse, gloomy
and lowering
as is the oriental horizon, let not the
friends of Euro-
pean liberty despair. Although the
sudden blaze of
frenzied enthusiasm which burst forth
in revolutionary
France and glared for a time on Europe,
may have re-
tarded her political regeneration, yet
the example has
been rife with instruction and the
dreadful commotions
of the age have taught an impressive
lesson to man-
kind. "The statesman and the
philosopher who directed
the stormy scene, and the heroes who
gave it movement
and glory," have not lived and
died in vain -- the spirit
74 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
of liberty has gone forth among the
nations -- it is a
pervading, a conquering spirit -- and it will prevail.
Turn but your eyes on modern Greece and
remem-
ber how short the time since she was
sunk to the lowest
stage of political and moral
degradation -- her degen-
eracy, her abject slavery, a by-word, a
reproach among
the nations. She sued for foreign aid,
but no Christian
arm was raised to free her from her
infidel oppressors.
She at length aroused herself from her
lethargy -- her
chains burst asunder, and the deeds of
her modern sons
have eclipsed even the glory of her
ancient heroes.
Year after year, with a comparatively
feeble force she
has swept the seas of the fleets, and
the land of the
armies of her invaders. But her foes
multiply by de-
feat, and fleets and armies thicken on
her coast. Though
like the devoted band of Leonidas, she
may be wasted
in conquest and fall in the arms of
victory. Though
like Spain, she may be sold by
treachery or crushed by
overwhelming power: yet she will never
sink again to
slavery. The rising generation, the
sons of her pres-
ent race were born in the midst of
battles -- they have
learned on the knees, nay, even at the
breasts of their
mothers imbibed the spirit of bold and
unyielding de-
fiance -- the clangor of arms and the
wild song of free-
dom have been the lullaby of their
cradle. Men who
are nurtured and reared amidst scenes
like these, are
not formed for a base and abject
submission -- each
auspicious moment for the assertion of
their rights, will
be watched for with impatience and
seized with avidity.
Some champion of freedom, a Washington,
a Bolivar,
shall arise and lead them to victory
and emancipation.
But how firm has been the march -- how
perfect the
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 75
triumph of liberty on the American
continent. Fifty
years since, and not a single spot then
held by civilized
man but was the acknowledged property
of some Euro-
pean sovereign. She now forms one great
community
of independent republics, bound to each
other by the
strictest unity of political
principles, and the most lib-
eral treaties of amity and commerce.
Viewing the vast extent and matchless
fertility of
these territories; the natural tendency
of their govern-
ments to the advancement of industry --
the progress
of the arts, and the rapid accretion
and development of
natural power, the day seems not far
distant when the
preponderance of physical as well as
moral force, in the
civilized world, shall be on the side
of free govern-
ments; and their effects will be felt
even beyond the
limits of the American continent.
For that principle in human nature
which assimilates
men in their habits, thoughts and
feelings to the society
in which they move, which marks by
distinctive traits
the inhabitants of the same province or
country, oper-
ates more slowly but with equal
certainty and effect, in
assimilating the political character of
nations which
have intercourse with each other. This principle
may
be traced in all ages and countries of
the world.
The monarchies of Asia are marked by
similar and
characteristic features; they are calm,
cold, absolute,
without one ingredient of liberty --
the life and prop-
erty of the subject, alike at the
disposal of the prince.
But in all the kingdoms of Europe, even
though want-
ing the formality of a constitution,
there is a leaven of
freedom, a law of the public mind,
which prescribes at
least some bounds to the authority of
the monarch. He
76 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
may be absolute in theory but in effect
there are limits
to his power, which he cannot pass. The
same ages
and the same country gave rise to the
ancient republics
of Greece; they flourished together and
were crushed
by the same power. So the republics of
modern Eu-
rope; Holland, the cantons of
Switzerland, and the free
cities of northern Italy, were all
thrown together in lo-
cal postion, or united by mutual intercourse
and com-
merce. And the same age and country
have given birth
to the representative republics of
America.
Aware of the contagion of example, and
alarmed at
its effects, the allied sovereigns have
combined to ban-
ish liberty from Europe; but their exertions
will prove
frustrate and vain. The intercourse of
civilized man is
not now confined by seas, or shut out
by continents;
their power cannot stop the march of
mind, arrest the
progress of intelligence, or control
the communion of
opinion, or the authority of example.
The progress of
these may be silent and slow in Europe,
but their ulti-
mate effect will be sure.
From the period of the adoption of the
federal con-
stitution, the evils, which the severe
and protracted
struggle for national existence had
brought upon our
country, gradually disappeared. The
industry of the
husbandman applied to a fruitful and
prolific soil, fur-
nished abundant materials for
mercantile enterprise,
and every coast and every country was
visited by our
commerce. The nation soon rose to
credit, and the peo-
ple to competence and wealth.
For many years after the termination of
the Revolu-
tionary War, nay, even after the
adoption of the fed-
eral constitution this now populous and
promising state
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 77
was one extensive wilderness, which the
foot of civilized
man had scarce ever prest. But
enterprise was awak-
ened in our country, and when aroused,
who shall set
its bounds or point its direction?
Grants of land were
negotiated from the general government
-- the tide of
emigration set westward with strong and
undeviating
current -- the savages retired -- the
forests fell as it
advanced -- villages, towns, cities
arose out of the wil-
derness; and on this day more than seven
hundred
thousand free inhabitants compose the
strength and
population of Ohio.
Already advanced to the fourth in rank
in the na-
tional confederacy -- possessing a soil
almost matchless
in fertility, and admirably adapted to
the various wants
and pursuits of the husbandman -- rich
in the abun-
dance and variety of her mineral
products; one desidera-
tum alone remained to complete the
prosperity of our
state. Though washed by a noble river
on the east and
south, and an extensive lake on the
north; yet the ab-
sence of convenient facilities for
foreign commerce has
been severely felt in all the populous
and productive
portions of our country.
The cataract of Niagara barred all
egress from
Lake Erie to the ocean, and the only
remaining outlet
for heavy articles, which necessarily
include the grand
staples of our country, was through the
Ohio and Mis-
sissippi to New Orleans. This has been
attended with
many difficulties and much
discouragement.
The situation of New Orleans as a
maritime port is
by no means favorable. Its distance
from almost every
part of the world, with which we have
commercial in-
tercourse, is practically greater to
the navigator than
78 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
that of our other Atlantic cities; from
the ocean, it is
difficult of access and affords no
convenient harbour;
hence it is not, nor can it soon become
a place of exten-
sive commerce.
Add to this the unfavorable nature of
the climate --
low and moist in its situation, and
under an almost
vertical sun; its effects are soon
destructive to our com-
modities, which are lodged there for
exportation, and
dangerous in the highest degree to human
life.
Owing to these causes, especially the
extreme un-
healthiness of the climate, great
commercial capital has
not become fixed in that city. The
merchant sojourns
there that he may accumulate a fortune,
and go else-
where to enjoy it. Business is in a
perpetual state of
fluctuation, and frequently falls into
unworthy hands;
hence confidence, the life of
commercial intercourse,
is shaken.
Besides, the interior parts of our
country, which de-
pend upon the navigation of the
smallest streams, of
necessity seize the opportunity of a
freshet, for the ex-
portation of their produce; vast
quantities are thus
simultaneously freighted upon the
waters, and crowded
at once on the market. The limited
demand is more
than supplied. Vessels are waiting to
convey the sur-
plus to foreign markets. To store for
future sale, in-
volves sometimes, even more than a
total loss. Our
traders are thus placed in the power of
a few who pur-
chase for speculation; and whole
cargoes are frequently
sacrificed at a loss of the prime cost
of the article.
The overland conveyance of live stock
to the eastern
market has been attended with equal
difficulty, though
not equal hazard. The length and
tediousness of the
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 79
journey -- the great expense attending
it in the inter-
mediate countries, where the price of
grain is always
great, from the very circumstances of
its extensive de-
mand; and, moreover, the loss in weight
of the animal
and in the solidity and value of the
flesh from the fa-
tigues of the journey, detract greatly
from the clear
product to the Ohio farmer.
In the early settlement of our state,
while the cul-
tivated fields of the resident were
small in extent, and
their surplus products yearly consumed
by crowds of
emigrants who successively settled
among us, these
difficulties were scarce felt, except
in anticipation. But
now, in the improved and extended state
of our agri-
culture, when less than a moiety of the
average prod-
ucts of the soil is sufficient for home
consumption --
when vast supplies of the prime
necessities of life, the
wealth of the land, are wasting in our
barns, or sacri-
ficed in search of a precarious market,
the evil presses
sore upon us and calls aloud for
redress. And the rem-
edy has been directed by genius and
enterprise of a sis-
ter state.
The line of canal navigation projected
by New York,
from the Hudson to Lake Erie, and now
almost com-
pleted, promised a cheap and safe
conveyance of our
produce from the northern shores of our
state, through
their principal cities to the ocean.
With a view to that
vast work, whose progress had been
witnessed by us
from year to year with increasing
interest; and anxious
to extend its benefits as widely as
possible to our own
citizens, the Legislature of this state
caused skilful en-
gineers to be employed, and a survey to
be made of the
country, preparatory to the opening of
a like line of
80
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
navigation, from Lake Erie to the Ohio.
A favorable
route was selected; the enterprise was
resolved on; and
we this day witness the commencement of
the under-
taking.
But in all works of national
importance, the prac-
ticability and advantage of which
cannot be subjected
to the tests of actual and individual
experiment, but
must be inferred from reason and
analogy, a difference
of opinion will prevail and opposition
must be expected.
So it has been with this. Some have
denied that the
resources of the state are equal to the
magnitude of the
undertaking. Others contend that its
advantages, when
completed, will not repay the expenses
incurred in its
construction.
If the burden directly and immediately
rested on the
state, and the sums expended yearly,
were to be raised
yearly by taxation, there were more
room for appre-
hension; but even then, we should rely
with confidence
on the adequacy of our resources. Gold
and silver, it
is true, we have not, in like abundance
with those states
which possess all the facilities of
foreign commerce.
But money is not wealth, it is merely
its representative,
and when the productive enterprise is
confined within
the limits of our own state, it is not
the quantity of the
precious metals which it contains, that
is the criterion
of its power, but the excess of human
labour and hu-
man sustenance, which remains after
supplying the
people with the ordinary comforts of
life. For in the
execution of this, and indeed of any
national work,
whether designed to enrich, adorn or to
protect a coun-
try, the only efficient agent is human
labor, physical
and intelligent, and gold and silver are
but the means
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 81
in the hands of government, to call
forth that labor and
give it direction.
And if, even by those means, too large
a portion of
labor be drawn from the pursuits of
agriculture, the
country will be impoverished, and her
resources ex-
hausted even though flooded with gold.
On the other hand, if too large a
portion of the com-
munity be engaged in agricultural
pursuits, when no
practical market opens for the disposal
of its commodi-
ties; the labor which could be
performed by a few, oc-
cupies the time of the many, and
naturally induces to
indolence and inaction. Each of those
situations is un-
favorable to the prosperity of a
country, and each may
require the active interference of the
legislator for its
remedy. The tendency of our state has
been to the lat-
ter of these evils. Hence the scarcity
of the precious
metals among us, instead of deterring,
most strongly
evinces the expediency of the grand
undertaking, while
the abundance of our actual resources
proves beyond
doubt our ability to effect it, if
those resources can be
brought into action.
But money in the hands of government
was necessary
to command those resources, and in the
present situa-
tion of our country, the mode of
procuring the requisite
sums which was deemed least burdensome
to the peo-
ple and most advantageous to the state,
was by means
of a foreign loan. The fund thus placed
in the hands
of government, will call forth a
portion of the surplus
produce of the country, and that share
of individual
labor which may have lacked
encouragement and direc-
tion; thus a new domestic market will
be at once opened
82
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
to our produce, industry will be
stimulated to exertion,
and even the products of agriculture
increased.
In the progress of the work this fund
is spread among
the people and increases the amount of
their circulating
medium. A portion of this increased sum
may be again
taken up by taxation, and again and
again applied to
the same or similar objects.
The necessary loan has been negotiated
on terms
which meet the highest expectations of
the friends of
canal policy. The expenses of the work
have been care-
fully estimated by experienced and
scientific engineers,
and those parts of the line which have
been opened for
contract, have been already undertaken
at a rate con-
siderably below the estimate. Hence we have the
strongest assurances that the actual
will fall within the
limits of the estimated expenditure.
In these important particulars we no
longer remain
in uncertainty; we know the full extent
of the expenses
which we must meet, and the resources
which we may
command against them are scarcely more
problematical.
Until a completion of the grand work,
little more
than the interest will be required on
the sums which
shall have been actually expended in
its construction.
After this shall have been effected,
and a new and val-
uable market opened to our produce, the
gradual liqui-
dation of the principal debt, out of
the tolls and profits
of the canal, and the increased
circulating medium,
which it shall have originated among
us; still, how-
ever, it is feared, that after the work
shall have been
effected, the principal sum will, like
most other national
debts, be liquidated only by other
loans, and thus vir-
tually remain and descend a burden on
our posterity.
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 83
Though this has been the acknowledged
tendency of na-
tional debts, yet those of which we
have examples, have
been incurred in domestic or foreign
wars, and not in
the improvement of the country, from
which the sums
for their liquidation were to be drawn,
hence the anal-
ogy of the examples fails. Besides,
against this danger
every judicious provision has been made
by our legis-
lature, and we trust they will be
effectual, especially as
the application of the debt carries
with it the efficient
principle of its own redemption. But,
even should this
sombre prediction be verified -- should
the debt be re-
newed, and thus descend to after ages,
it were like the
debt incurred by the War of the
Revolution; a burden
which posterity would bear with
cheerfulness and ren-
der gratitude for its imposition. For
of the vast utility
of the work, in a national point of
view, both as a means
of internal commerce and a direct
source of revenue,
we have the strongest assurance that
can exist of any
fact which is not attested by actual
and individual ex-
periment.
It furnishes, at once, a remedy for all
those evils
which have heretofore attended our
commerce, and
borne down our agricultural interest,
by opening a free
and easy communication with the ocean,
through the
richest and most highly commercial city
in the United
States. Through this channel the
transportation of our
produce will be cheap, easy and
expeditious; -- its di-
rection through a salubrious clime,
highly favorable to
the perfect preservation of our
commodities and the
health of our citizens. The vast
accumulation of ac-
tive capital in the city of New York,
her great and
rapidly increasing population and
wealth, her exten-
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
sive commerce, and the high character
of her merchants
for punctuality and honor, ensure to
our adventurous
citizens a certain, speedy and fair
return for the prod-
ucts of our country. The losses which
we have yearly
suffered in the South will be avoided
-- a large propor-
tion of the great waste and expenditure
incurred in
conveying our live stock to the
Atlantic cities will be
saved. Through these lines of internal
communication,
and those contemplated between the
Raritan, the Dela-
ware and the Chesapeake, our
intercourse with all those
eastern cities with which we have now
commercial re-
lations, will be facilitated. In
effect, the extensive and
fertile lands of our country, will be
brought upon the
very seaboard and in the neighborhood
of the opulent
maritime cities.
And as the principal evil attending the
market of
New Orleans, arises from the immense
quantities of
produce, which are crowded upon it,
beyond its con-
sumption and capital, the direction
which will be given
to the products of the central and
upper parts of our
state to another mart, will leave this
less occupied and
more favorable to the lower country bordering
on the
Ohio. Thus our situation in point of
commercial ad-
vantages will be rendered favorable, as
it is now un-
propitious. The South and the East will
be alike open
to our enterprise, and the favorable
state of the mar-
kets will alone give direction to our
commerce.
Besides, the easy communication
afforded by this
canal, between different portions of
our country, will
give facility to the exchange of the
present article of
internal commerce, and give rise to
others, which have
heretofore had no existence. Iron,
salt, coal, timber,
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 85
lime, marble and gypsum, all of which
abound in dif-
ferent portions of our state, will be
conveyed, by means
of this canal, at a trivial expense,
from one part of our
country to another, giving to each
place within the
reach of its navigation, all the
advantages of a single
tract abounding with all those
commodities. Nor is it
to be presumed that national and
individual enterprise
will be limited solely to the works now
in contempla-
tion.
This route, which is the subject of
immediate opera-
tion, was selected as the most eligible
for uniting the
different portions of our country with
each other, and
opening to all the facilities of
foreign commerce. It
forms a base line from which other
navigable commun-
ication may be constructed, thereby
extending the bene-
fits of internal intercourse and
foreign commerce, as
far as nature will permit, to every
portion of our
country.
As a source of revenue, the experiments
which have
been tried in other countries, afford
convincing proofs
of its value and importance. The canals
in Holland,
though they afford an outlet to no
great extent of coun-
try, yield an incalculable revenue to
the state. It is
true, they pass through rich and
populous districts, but
that wealth and population are
themselves created by
those facilities of internal commerce.
The numerous
canals in England, have been the work
of individuals
and private companies, and though
limited in their tolls,
(by their acts of incorporation) to
what would seem a
mere pittance, they have proved to be
most profitable
investments of capital. So great,
indeed, has been their
product that in many instances, the
stock has increased
86
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
in value tenfold of the sums originally
expended in
their construction. The Grand Canal of
New York,
even in its unfinished state, when half
the ultimate
scope is not yet given it, exceeds all
that its most san-
guine friends had dared to predict of
its utility and im-
portance. It is already freighted with
vast stores of
commerce; cities of its own creation
have sprung up
on its borders and the whole country
which embosoms
it, teems with activity and wealth.
Our contemplated canal completes the
line of com-
munication between the Mississippi and
its tributaries:
the upper and lower lakes, St. Lawrence
and the Hud-
son. It unites by free and easy
communication, through
the heart of our fertile country, the
two grand rivers
of North America, forming more than
sixteen thou-
sand miles of connected inland
navigation, and open-
ing to the whole extended west an easy
access to the
city of New York, already the grand
emporium of
North American commerce.
All the various articles of exchange
between the
South and North, the West and the East,
will find their
way through this channel, and as
population and im-
provement spread themselves over the
inviting planes
of the Mississippi, the Missouri and
their tributary
waters, this commerce and intercourse
must increase
and the value and utility of the work
be augmented.
Long before its full benefits shall
have been devel-
oped by time, those who have projected,
those who now
witness it, each of us shall have been
gathered to his
fathers. But our age and generation
shall not have
passed in vain. With the blessings of
liberty, which I
trust in heaven, we shall transmit
inviolate to posterity,
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 87
we add a country, flourishing like an
Eden, which we
have redeemed from the wilderness; we
add this strong
bond of national union, this channel of
wealth, intelli-
gence and power.
To the first projector of the
magnificent work of
which this is the extension -- to you,
our illustrious and
honored guest, we tender the respectful
and high con-
sideration of a people, who greet you
as the friend
and benefactor of their country. Early
impressed with
the advantages to be derived to your
native state, from
the judicious application of her
resources to the im-
provement of internal commerce; you
were the first to
propose that magnificent work, which is
now the pride
of your state and the admiration of the
nation.
Through good and evil report, whether
the popular
voice applauded or condemned, you were
its constant,
tried and unyielding advocate; your
labors have been
crowned with success; the work is
consummated and
stands an honorable and enduring
monument of your
wisdom and patriotism.
CITIZENS OF OHIO -- the grand work
which is
this day begun is the effort of our
infant state, yet in
the cradle of her prosperity. In other
countries, where
works of this kind have been effected,
they were the
achievements of national maturity,
after ages of pro-
gressive improvement had passed away.
But our state
has not grown up like other nations, by
the slow and
gradual increase of a stationary
people, but has drawn
from her sister states, and the various
nations of Eu-
rope, a portion of their talent, their
strength and their
enterprise; exhibiting at once, all the
vigor and fresh-
ness of youth, the strength and
firmness of manhood
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
and the wisdom of age. Great as is the
undertaking
your powers are equal to its
completion; be but united,
firm and persevering, and if heaven
smile on your la-
bors, success is sure.
Animated by the hopes and cheered by
the prospects
of our individual state, we this day
join, with the as-
sembled millions of our fellow
citizens, to hail the an-
niversary of national independence. We
join in thank-
fulness and gratitude to the Ruler of Nations
for the
past blessings, which He has showered
upon our fav-
ored and happy country; and in fervent
aspirations, for
the continuance of her prosperity, and
the perpetuity
of her union.
After Mr. Ewing had concluded his
remarks, Gov-
Clinton arose and addressed the
audience. He began
by stating --
That no language could describe the
sublimity of the
scene or the auspicious consequences of
the proceed-
ings of this day. As for himself, he
could not restrain
the expression of the feelings which
animated his bosom
on this occasion. The day which he had
long looked
for, with extreme solicitude, had at
length arrived -- a
day of joy and congratulation to all
friends of free-
dom and union, and which would lay the
foundation of
both on an imperishable basis.
There is, (said he) a peculiar fitness
in the selection
of the natal day of the American nation
for the com-
mencement of one of the greatest works
of the age. If
this day has established our freedom
and given us a
national being, it will also consummate
the prosperity
of the American people, and shall
further exalt our na-
tional character in the estimation of
the civilized world.
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 89
The completion of this work will form a
navigable
communication between our great lakes
or Mediter-
ranean seas and the Gulf of Mexico, the
Bay of New
York and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It
will open free
avenues from a vast interior to the
Atlantic Ocean. It
will form a cordon of navigable
circumvallation round
the most fertile and extensive portion
of the United
States. Its blessings every man can
foresee, but no hu-
man being can predict all the auspicious
influences
which will spring from this state of
things.
It will unite the East and the West,
the North and the
South, by identity of interest, by
frequency of communi-
cation, and by all the ties which can
connect human be-
ings in the bonds of friendship and
social intercourse.
The union of the states will be as firm
as the everlast-
ing hills; and from this great epoch in
our history, we
may dismiss all fears of a
dismemberment of the Amer-
ican republic.
As a channel of commerce -- as a
stimulus to manu-
factures -- as a source of revenue --
as an encourage-
ment to agriculture -- it will excite
into activity all
kinds of productive and laudable
industry, and diffuse
a spirit of emulation and a power of
exertion, of which
nothing but actual experience can
furnish an adequate
idea. It will be a great school of
ingenuity that will
produce eminent engineers and
mechanicians. It will
be a guardian of morality, by rousing
the human mind
from a state of torpidity and
inactivity. But there are
other considerations which press with
irresistible force
in estimating the merits of this great
undertaking.
The history of Ohio from its far state
to the pres-
ent period, is without a parallel in the
history of man-
90 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
kind. Her existence, as a confederate
state, does not
extend beyond twenty-three years, when
her popula-
tion did not exceed fifty thousand
souls. And her first
effective settlement reaches back
little more than thirty
years. She now has a population, moral,
patriotic and
intelligent, of near eight hundred
thousand human be-
ings; and of the twenty-five millions
of acres, con-
tained in her territory, perhaps not one-seventh
part
has been brought to a state of
cultivation.
To what has this great increase of
population been
owing? To the unsurpassed fertility of
your soil; --
to the undoubted salubrity of your
climate; but above
all, to the moral power of freedom which
animates all
the energies of man and furnishes
inducements to ac-
tivity, that no other state of things
can exhibit.
With all these advantages, you have
felt the paralytic
effects of the want of markets for your
surplus produc-
tions. Cut out from almost all
profitable communica-
tions, with the great market towns of
the Atlantic,
your principal reliance has been on the
consumption
produced by emigration, and on the
small profits elicited
by distant, expensive and difficult
transportations.
You will now have, not only the markets
of New Or-
leans and New York but of Philadelphia,
Baltimore
and Montreal. The canals of New York,
in their con-
nection with the Susquehanna and Lake
Ontario, which
must speedily be formed, will furnish
almost all these
vast accommodations.
This great work will also confirm your
patriotism and
make you proud of your country. Every
man of Ohio
will say, not in a tone of
rhodomontade, but in a spirit
of temperate encomium: See what my
country has
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 91
done in her juvenile state! And if she
has achieved
this gigantic enterprise in infancy,
what will she not
effect in the maturity of her strength,
when her popu-
lation becomes exuberant and her whole
territory in
full cultivation? And your sister
states, and the civ-
ilized world, will be astonished. It
will exhibit a spec-
tacle, unprecedented and amazing. An
infant wielding
the club of Hercules, and managing the
lever of Arch-
imedes with irresistible power. When
the eagle, in its
first flight from the aerie soars to
the heavens, looks
at the sun with an unfailing eye, and
bears in its talons
the thunderbolts of Jove, who will not
admire this sub-
lime sight!
But I shall no longer engross your
time, which has
been more profitably directed to the
very able and elo-
quent discourse, just now pronounced.
Suffice it to say,
that all your energies will be awakened
-- that at the
expiration of ten years from the
completion of this
work, a clear annual revenue of a million
of dollars
will be at your disposal, which will of
course be applied
to all beneficial purposes; -- that
every citizen of Ohio
will feel the exaltation of his country
in the conduct of
his own life; -- that your fame will be
co-extensive
with civilized man; -- that the
benedictions of the most
remote prosperity will follow you; --
that the wise and.
the good of all countries, and of all
times, will look back
to you with respect, and will be ready
to exclaim with
the great Legislator of the Jews:
"Blessed of the Lord
be this land for the precious things of
Heaven, for the
dew and for the deep that coucheth
beneath, for the pre-
cious things of the earth and fullness
thereof".
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
TOASTS
1. The day we celebrate -- Long may its
annual re-
turn be cheered by the voice of
freemen, and hereafter
by the people of this state as the day
of the commence-
ment of their great system of internal
improvement.
2. The memory of Gen. George Washington
and
those sages and patriots who led our
country through
the Revolutionary War.
3. The President of the United States.
4. The man, who, guided by the unerring
light of
science, with vigorous and firm mind,
has led and now
leads his countrymen in the splendid
career of internal
improvement -- our much honored guest.
5. The governor of the State of Ohio.
6. The last legislature of this state
-- by their firm
and enlightened conduct, already the
dawn of commer-
cial prosperity has broken in upon us,
and promises
speedily to light our way to wealth and
happiness.
7. The Canal Commissioners,
Commissioners of the
Canal Fund, and Engineers -- By a
prompt and faith-
ful discharge of the duties assigned
them, they have
ably promoted the views of the state
and have entitled
themselves to our utmost confidence.
8. The Ohio Canal -- the great artery
of America
which will carry abundance to all the
extremities of the
Union.
9. The state of New York -- She has
given to the
world a practical lesson what freemen
can do when de-
termined to promote their own
happiness.
10. Henry Clay -- the early advocate
for the rec-
ognition of South American
independence, and the
firm and eloquent supporter of internal
improvement.
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 93
11. Gen. Bolivar--the Washington of
South Amer-
ica.
12. The South American states--by the
valor of
their arms, they have gained their
independence, and
long may they be blessed with civil and
religious liberty.
13. The fair sex of our country--in
prosperity the
partners of our joys, and in adversity
our greatest
solace.
VOLUNTEER TOASTS
By Gov. Clinton -- The Ohio Canal, a
fountain of
wealth, a chain of union, a dispenser
of glory.
By Gen. Van Renssellae -- The memory of
Gen.
Wayne, who, by his sword, cleared the
way for the set-
tlement of this country.
By Mr. Lord -- The canal policy of
Ohio, as it orig-
inated with the same men and at the
same period, may
it share the same success and be
recorded in the same
history with that of New York.
By Mr. Rathbone -- The blessings of a
Republican
government, where the money drawn from
the people
is expended in promoting their
prosperity and happi-
ness.
By Gen. Herrick -- Gen. Van
Renssellaer, our dis-
tinguislied guest, the patriot of '74
and 1812.
By J. Johnston--National improvement, a
fit sub-
ject for national pride.
By Col. M'Cracken--Internal improvements, the
great canal to national and individual
prosperity -- may
selfish scruples yield to the national
welfare.
By one of the Committee -- Our guests
Messrs. Lord
and Rathbone, they have an ample
guarantee for their
loan in the physical and moral energies
of this state.
94 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
By a Guest -- The state of New York --
while guided
by her present councils, her example
may be relied on
by her younger states as an unerring
guide to political
greatness.
By Col. Bacon--Public Education--by
uniting moral
energy with physical force, it becomes
in the hands of
a free government an efficient agent in
the development
of our internal resources.
By a Guest--Bolivar, like Washington,
may no
clouds obscure his evening horizon.
On the morning after the celebration,
Governor Clin-
ton and suite, escorted by a detachment
of Col. Mac-
Cracken's cavalry, and a number of
gentlemen, left
Newark for Lancaster. At 4 o'clock, P.
M. the party
arrived at Lancaster, and was received
by a salute from
a company of infantry, and one of
artillery, stationed
upon the eminence at the east end of
main-street. Gov.
Clinton then alighted from his
carriage, and, attended
by a number of gentlemen, was conducted
along main-
street, receiving the salutations of
our citizens as he
passed, to the hotel of Mr. Steinman,
where rooms had
been provided for his accommodation.
At 5 o'clock, his Excellency and suite,
with a number
of our most respectable citizens, sat down
to an excel-
lent dinner, at which Gen. Beecher
presided, assisted
by Thomas Ewing, Esq. After the removal
of the
cloth, a number of toasts were drunk,
among which, we
well recollect that of Gov. Clinton:
"The town of Lan-
caster--may it enjoy, from its
proximity to the canal,
that full share of prosperity, to which
the industry and
enterprise of its citizens entitle
it."
The next morning after breakfast, his
Excellency set
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 95
out for Columbus, with an escort of
cavalry and a great
number of citizens on horseback. When
within about
five miles of Columbus, he was met by
Gen. Warner
and suite, a squadron of cavalry, and a
number of citi-
zens, and Gov. Morrow's suite; and at
the edge of town,
by a number of light companies, who
conducted him to
the Representatives Hall, where Gov.
Morrow ad-
dressed him as follows:
Governor Clinton:
I assure you that it is with much
satisfaction I meet
you in the Capitol of the State of
Ohio, and have the
opportunity of tendering to you with,
and in behalf of
my fellow citizens, an affectionate and
cordial welcome.
I, at the same time, congratulate the
people of this state,
upon their having been able to commence
a great work
of internal improvement, under
circumstances so favor-
able to its success. I need only
mention the immense
advantages which must necessarily flow
from such re-
sults to the nation, if a state of
collision with a foreign
power should ever again occur, by
affording a means
of inter-communication so essential to
a vigorous use,
and appropriation of its whole means of
defense -- to
the citizens of our own state, by
opening a new market,
possessing all the advantages resulting
from abundant
capital, easy access from the ocean, a
climate favorable
to health, and the proper preservation
of the articles
constituting our principal exports --
and with a people
of congenial habits, as offering to a
mind like yours,
the highest reward for those
indefatigable exertions,
which have, and will, distinguish you
as one of the
great benefactors of the human family.
The claims which you have on the
gratitude of the
96 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
state of Ohio, are not confined to the
particular occa-
sion which affords us so gratifying an
opportunity for
acknowledging them. The interest and
zeal which you
have exhibited in the establishment of
common schools
has afforded to the world an example of
incalculable
value. It could not but occur to you,
that true great-
ness must result from a general
diffusion of knowl-
edge; and that in order permanently to
secure to a na-
tion the blessings of civil and
religious liberty, attended
by a complete development of their
resources, it would
be necessary to lay the foundation in
some system which
would dispense among the whole mass of
the commun-
ity the benefits of education -- and
may you witness in
that perfect state, where we all hope
to arrive, multi-
tudes who have been reclaimed from
ignorance and vice
through the means which this system has
afforded.
Our acknowledgments are also due for
the kind
manner in which at the instance of my
worthy prede-
cessor, our late Chief Magistrate, who
was first to dis-
cover and officially to recommend to
his fellow citizens,
the benefits within their reach and
prompt in the exer-
tion of his influence and talents for
securing them--
you co-operated by affording to him and
us, all the re-
sults of your own experience.
And at a period when our population did
not amount
to the numbers that would enable us to
demand our
admission as a member of the federal
union; and when
our claims were committed to an
individual delegate,
with limited powers in the councils of
the nation, you,
sir, espoused our cause and it was
owing in no small
degree to your exertions that we
received a place in the
union, among our sister states, which
has enabled us,
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 97
under the administration of a free
government, to ad-
vance from the weakness of infancy to
the state of
youth in which you now discover us.
While nations of
the old world, with a moral and
physical force less than
Ohio, trace their rise amid the
fabulous records of an-
tiquity, it must be such recollections
as only a great
mind, and benevolent heart, can
appreciate, that you
gave efficient aid in laying the first
foundation upon
which more than seven hundred thousand
souls are
resting their temporal happiness.
When, sir, I meet you in this place, at
so great dis-
tance from the circle of our domestic
happiness, devot
ing a small portion of time spared from
your active of-
ficial duties in your own state, to the
advancement of
our interests, and with the
recollections to which I have
adverted, pressing upon our minds, --
you will readily
appreciate the sincerity of our
congratulations, and ac-
cept our best wishes for your future
welfare.
To which Governor Clinton made the
following
reply:
Sir: -- I find myself at a loss for
language to ex-
press my profound sense of the
distinguished notice
taken of me by the excellent Chief
Magistrate of this
powerful and flourishing state, and by
our numerous
and respectable fellow citizens
assembled in this place.
I feel that my services have been
greatly overrated, but
I can assure you that your kindness has
not fallen on an
ungrateful heart, -- that I most cordially and sincerely
reciprocate your friendly sentiments,
and that any
agency I may have had in promoting the
cardinal inter-
ests to which you have been pleased to
refer, has been
as sincere as it has been
disinterested.
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Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
When Ohio was an applicant for
admission into the
union, it was my good fortune to have
it in my power in
co-operating with several distinguished
friends, most of
whom are now no more, to promote her
views, and to
assist in elevating her from a
territorial position to the
rank of an independent state. This was
an act of jus-
tice to her and a duty of high
obligation on our part.
At that early period I predicted, and
indeed it required
no extraordinary sagacity to foresee,
that Ohio would,
in due time, be a star of the first
magnitude in the federal
constellation; that she contained
within her bosom the
elements of greatness and prosperity;
and that her pop-
ulation would be the second, if not the
first, in the con-
federacy. All these anticipations have
been or will be
realized. The number of your
inhabitants at the next
census will probably exceed a million.
Cultivation has
advanced with gigantic steps. Your
fruitful soil is
teeming with plenty. You have a vast
surplus, beyond
your consumption, of all the
productions of agriculture;
-- villages, towns, and settlements are
springing up,
and extending in all directions, and
the very ground on
which we stand but a few years ago a
dreary wilder-
ness, is now the political metropolis
of the state, and
the residence of beauty and elegance,
of knowledge and
hospitality.
I have considered it my solemn duty, in
concurrence
with your late worthy chief magistrate,
your very able
Canal Board, of finance and
superintendence, and other
patriotic and enlightened citizens of
this state, to fur-
nish all the resources in my power in
aid of the great
system of internal navigation, so
auspiciously com-
menced on the fiftieth anniversary of
our national in-
Commencement of the Ohio Canal 99
dependence. This is a cause in which
every citizen and
every state, in our country, is deeply
interested; for
this work will be a great centripetal
power that will
keep the states within their federal
orbits, -- an ada-
mantine chain that will bind the union
together in the
most intimate connection of interest
and communica-
tion. It therefore secures not only the
prosperity of
Ohio, but the union of the states, and
the consequent
blessings of free government; and I now
think it my
duty to declare that I have the utmost
confidence in the
practicability of the undertaking, and
the economy and
ability with which it will be executed.
In five years
it may, and probably will, be completed
-- and I am
clearly of the opinion that in ten
years after the con-
summation of this work, it will produce
an annual rev-
enue of at least a million of dollars,
and I hope this re-
mark may be now noted, if anything I
say shall be
deemed worthy of particular notice, in
order that its
accuracy may be tested by experience.
I beg you, sir, to accept the assurance
of my high re-
spect for your private character, and
for your public
services, and to feel persuaded that I
consider your ap-
probation, and the approbation of
patriotic men like
yourself, an ample reward for any
service that a be-
nevolent providence may have enabled me
to render to
our common country.
Gov. Clinton partook of a public dinner
this day at
Mr. Robinson's tavern.
COMMENCEMENT ON THE OHIO CANAL
AT THE LICKING SUMMIT
This great work was commenced on
Monday, the
4th inst. under circumstances the most
favorable and
auspicious. On the day previous, all
the roads leading
to the point selected for the
celebration were crowded
with people on foot, on horseback, and
in every de-
scription of vehicle, hastening to
witness the scene. Al-
most every house within a distance of
five miles was
occupied; but on the evening of that day,
by far the
greatest multitude had assembled at
Newark, where
Gov. Clinton and his suite were
momentarily expected.
Towards evening the greatest anxiety
prevailed. Ex-
presses had been despatched along the
different roads,
by which it was supposed the Governor
might arrive,
but they uniformly returned without any
intelligence;
and it began to be seriously
apprehended, that, owing
to some mistake or accident, he would
not arrive in due
season. Early on Monday morning these
fears were
dissipated by the pleasing
intelligence, that his Excel-
lency was approaching by the Mount
Vernon road, and
would arrive in the course of a few
hours. His Excel-
lency Gov. Morrow's aids, the Canal
Commissioners
and Commissioners of the Canal Fund,
accompanied by
a number of gentlemen on horseback and
in carriages
and a detachment of cavalry,
immediately set out to
meet the coming party.
About nine o'clock in the morning the
whole party
arrived in Newark, receiving a salute
as it entered; --
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