After this reception the general was led into another room in the capitol, where General Pierce was in attendance, and who presented to him a great number of his old fellow soldiers, who, notwithstanding age and fatigue, had not hesitated to leave their distant fire-sides to shake hands and recall with him for a moment, scenes long passed. They, as well as the senators and members of the house of representatives, were individually introduced to him; the people joyfully prepared a dinner in the public square for six hundred guests, to which we were invited on leaving the capitol. The general had the pleasure of finding himself seated in the midst of two hundred officers and soldiers of the revolution, who could scarcely restrain their joy at the presence of their old friend.
Before leaving the table, several expressed in their toasts their feelings of philanthropic liberty. One drank “to the holy alliance between Lafayette and liberty—may it overthrow all plots against the rights of man.” Another gave “North America as she is, France as she ought to be.” The general replied to these wishes by the following toast: “The state of New Hampshire and its representatives, and this town, the residence of the constituted authorities of the state. May the citizens of New Hampshire always enjoy civil and religious liberty, benefits which the elevated souls of their ancestors led them to seek in a distant land, and which their fathers have founded on the solid basis of the sovereignty of the people, and the rights of men.” A discharge of artillery, and the unanimous plaudits of the crowd that surrounded the tables, attended this toast, and we left the table to proceed to the capitol square, where the militia were drawn up, waiting until the general reviewed them.
Our evening was divided between the musical society, who performed an excellent oratorio, and a party at Governor Morrill’s, at which were crowds of ladies, wishing to take leave of the national guest, who the next day left Concord with an escort of a corps of cavalry, and took the road to Dover, where he arrived before evening, and was received with an enthusiasm I shall not pretend to describe.
After having quitted Dover, we arrived on the frontiers of Maine, where General Lafayette was received by a deputation, with which we directed our course to Portland, the seat of government of that state. On the way we visited Kennebunk, a small town of about 2,500 inhabitants, remarkable for the commercial activity of its port. The sound of bells and artillery announced to the general with what pleasure he was expected by the people, with whom he resolved to spend some hours. When he entered the town-house, where the authorities of the state waited for him, he was received by Dr. Emmerson, who addressed him in the name of his fellow citizens.
Although the general had but a short time to devote to the citizens of Kennebunk, he yet accepted the public dinner they had prepared for him, and took his seat on a chair elegantly decorated with flowers by the ladies of the town: at the end of the repast each citizen expressed the feelings he experienced at this patriotic reunion, and Dr. Emmerson gave the following toast: “Our national guest, General Lafayette—he left Europe to give liberty to America; he returned to teach his country the manner of achieving happiness. To-day he comes among us to enjoy the result of his glorious deeds.”
The general replied to this toast by the following: “The village of Kennebunk, on the site of which the first tree was felled on the day in which the first gun was fired at Lexington, the signal of American and universal liberty! May that glorious date always be a pledge of the republican prosperity and increasing happiness of Kennebunk.”
On leaving the table, and before departing from the town, the general repaired to the house of one of the principal citizens, Mr. Storer, where all the ladies were assembled to be introduced to him. He thanked them affectionately for the delicate attentions which they had paid him during his stay at Kennebunk, and at 4 o’clock, P. M. he commenced his journey to Saco, where he slept.
On the 25th we arrived at Portland, a pretty town on the sea-shore, between the rivers Saco and Penobscot. It had been for a long time the seat of government of Maine, and its population, almost entirely commercial, is about nine thousand souls. The citizens of Portland and their magistrates had prepared a reception worthy of their love for Lafayette, and it may be said not to have yielded in magnificence to that accorded him by the largest cities of the Union; the militia, assembled from every part of the state, presented an imposing body in front of the town. The children of the different schools occupied the streets through which the general was to pass, and strewed flowers upon his path. The triumphal arches under which he passed, were remarkable for their good taste, and the delicacy of the inscriptions with which they were decorated. Upon one of them was a small model of a ship, under which was written, “I will purchase and equip a vessel at my own expense!” Words which Lafayette addressed, as is known, to the American commissioners at Paris, in 1777, when the latter acknowledged the inability of their country to provide the means of transporting him to the United States. Upon others were the names of the battles in which the young companion in arms of Washington had fought. Having slowly traversed the town amidst the acclamations of the crowd, the general arrived at the state house, where Governor Parris received and addressed him on behalf of the citizens of Maine, and in the presence of the representatives and magistrates of the people. The governor, in his address, recalled with enthusiasm the glorious epoch which commenced the reputation of Lafayette, and offered a merited tribute of eulogy and admiration to the soldiers of the revolution.
Replete with a vivid emotion in which all his auditors participated, General Lafayette briefly replied, but with that aptness and vigour, for which he was uniformly conspicuous.
From the senate chamber the general went to the house of Mr. Daniel Cobb, which had been prepared for him. He was there waited upon by a great number of deputations, who offered him the greetings of the neighbouring towns and villages. The grand officers of the masonic lodge of Portland were also there, and the president of the academy, who, in presence of the professors and students, conferred upon him the title of LL.D. As soon as he could disengage himself for a moment from the crowd, he visited Mrs. Thatcher, the daughter of his illustrious companion in arms, James Knox, with whom he remained until he was informed that the public authorities waited to accompany him to the dinner prepared by the citizens.