The audience expressed their sympathy with this address by long and enthusiastic cheering.  When order was restored, Mr. Adams rose, evidently under great and unaffected embarrassment.

He replied to the speech in an address of about half an hour, during which the attention of his audience was riveted upon the speaker, with intense interest and affection.  He declared the embarrassment he felt in speaking.  He was sensible that his fellow-citizens had laid aside all partizan feelings in coming up to greet him.  He desired to speak what would not wound the feelings of anyone.  He was grateful, deeply grateful, to them all.  But on what subject of public interest could a public man speak, that would find harmony among an intelligent, thinking people?  There were such subjects, but he could not speak of them.

The people of Western New York had always been eminently just and generous to him, and had recently proved their kindness on various occasions, by inviting him to address the State Agricultural Society on agriculture.  But his life had been spent in the closet, in diplomacy, or in the cabinet; and he had not learned the practice, or even the theory of agriculture.  After what he had seen of the harvests of Western New York, bursting with food for the sustenance of man, for him to address the people of such a district on agriculture, would be as absurd as the vanity of the rhetorician who went to Carthage to instruct Hannibal in the art of war.  He had been solicited to address the young.  In his life time he had been an instructor of youth, and, strange as from his present display they might think it, he had instructed them in the art of eloquence.  And there was no more honorable office on earth than instructing the young.  But the schools and seminaries had passed him, while he was engaged in other pursuits; and for him now to attempt to instruct the young of this generation, would evince only the garrulousness of age.

He had been invited to discourse on internal improvement; but that was a subject he feared to touch.  On one point, however, all men agreed.  All were in favor of internal improvement.  But there was a balance between the reasonable sacrifices of this generation, and the burden it had a right to cast upon posterity, and every individual might justly claim to hold his balance for himself.  One thing, however, he was sure he might assume with safety.  In looking over the State of New York, upon its canals and railroads, which brought the borders of the State into contiguity, and its citizens in every part into communion with each other, he was sure that all rejoiced, and might well glory in what had been accomplished.

Mr. A. said he had read and endeavored to inform himself concerning prison discipline, a subject deeply interesting to the peace, good order, and welfare of society; but after his examination of the penitentiary here, he was satisfied that he was yet a learner, instead of being able to give instruction on that important subject.