While we revere the Fourth of July—­and let us always revere it, and the liberties it conferred upon us—­yet it was not an American event, a great American day.

It was an American who applied that steam successfully.  There are not a great many world events, and we have our full share.  The telegraph, telephone, and the application of steam to navigation—­these are great American events.

To-day I have been requested, or I have requested myself, not to confine myself to furnishing you with information, but to remind you of things, and to introduce one of the nation’s celebrants.

Admiral Harrington here is going to tell you all that I have left untold.  I am going to tell you all that I know, and then he will follow up with such rags and remnants as he can find, and tell you what he knows.

No doubt you have heard a great deal about Robert Fulton and the influences that have grown from his invention, but the little steamboat is suffering neglect.

You probably do not know a great deal about that boat.  It was the most important steamboat in the world.  I was there and saw it.  Admiral Harrington was there at the time.  It need not surprise you, for he is not as old as he looks.  That little boat was interesting in every way.  The size of it.  The boat was one [consults Admiral], he said ten feet long.  The breadth of that boat [consults Admiral], two hundred feet.  You see, the first and most important detail is the length, then the breadth, and then the depth; the depth of that boat was [consults again] —­the Admiral says it was a flat boat.  Then her tonnage—­you know nothing about a boat until you know two more things:  her speed and her tonnage.  We know the speed she made.  She made four miles—–­and sometimes five miles.  It was on her initial trip, on, August 11, 1807, that she made her initial trip, when she went from [consults Admiral] Jersey City—­to Chicago.  That’s right.  She went by way of Albany.  Now comes the tonnage of that boat.  Tonnage of a boat means the amount of displacement; displacement means the amount of water a vessel can shove in a day.  The tonnage of man is estimated by the amount of whiskey he can displace in a day.

Robert Fulton named the ‘Clermont’ in honor of his bride, that is, Clermont was the name of the county-seat.

I feel that it surprises you that I know so much.  In my remarks of welcome of Admiral Harrington I am not going to give him compliments.  Compliments always embarrass a man.  You do not know anything to say.  It does not inspire you with words.  There is nothing you can say in answer to a compliment.  I have been complimented myself a great many times, and they always embarrass me—­I always feel that they have not said enough.

The Admiral and myself have held public office, and were associated together a great deal a friendly way in the time of Pocahontas.  That incident where Pocahontas saves the life of Smith from her father, Powhatan’s club, was gotten up by the Admiral and myself to advertise Jamestown.