periods of our revolutionary war, and how active and uniform he had been,
through all the changes and excesses in his own country for upwards of
thirty years, it cannot be thought unreasonable, that the citizens of the
United States held his character in high estimation, and were desirous of
greeting him once more, on their own territory, which he had assisted by
his zeal and valour to defend. In his letters to his friends here, and in
the interviews, which he had with American gentleman at his own hospitable
mansion, he frequently expressed a wish and an intention of again visiting
this favored land of liberty. He cherished precious recollections of the
times, long since past, when he joined with many brave and honorable
spirits in the sacred cause of freedom. To the patriots and heroes who
achieved our independence, he had a most sincere and cordial attachment;
and his military associates who survived, and their children, who had often
heard of his heroic and generous deeds, were eager on their part to welcome
him to their country and their affections; and to show to him and to the
world, that they entertained a high sense of his sacrifices and efforts in
securing to them the privileges and blessings they so richly enjoy.

The feelings of General Lafayette will appear by the letters he wrote
to his friends in this country, when he was expecting to make his
long-intended visit. The following is an extract from one addressed to an
old revolutionary friend, who had previously written to Lafayette. "I am
deeply affected by your kindly remembrance. No one among the survivors,
who sharedin our glorious cause and military fraternity, can be attached
more than I am, to the memory of our departed brethren, and to the ties
which bind together the surviving American companions in arm. Since our
youthful revolutionary times, many vicissitudes have passed over our
heads. But in every situation, I have enjoyed, with great delight, the
recollection of our struggle so glorious and so pure; of our Columbian
country, so excellent and promising; of our brotherly army, so gallant, so