red, there was wild excitement in the staid
city of Boston. He rode in an open barouche drawn by six white
horses; and was escorted by companies of militia, and by twelve
hundred mounted tradesmen, clad in white frocks.

It seems that Dr. Bowditch, the famous mathematician, a man too
dignified to smile on ordinary occasions, was caught in the crowd
that was waiting for Lafayette. He walked up a flight of steps, that
he might with proper dignity let the crowd pass. At the sight of the
famous Frenchman, he seemed to lose his senses; for in an instant he
was in the front ranks of the crowd, trying to shake hands with the
honored guest, and shouting with all his might.

On this trip Lafayette went east as far as Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
His tour was then directed by way of Worcester, Hartford, and the
familiar scenes of the Hudson, to the South and the Southwest, where
he visited all the large cities. From New Orleans, he ascended the
Mississippi and the Ohio. He then crossed Lake Erie, and, passing
through the state of New York and the old Bay State, visited
Portland, Maine. Returning by Lake Champlain and the Hudson, he
reached New York in time for the magnificent celebration of the
Fourth of July, 1825. The tour was brought to an end in September, by
a visit to the national capital.

Lafayette's journey through the country lasted for more than a year,
and was one unbroken ovation. {207} Towns and cities all over the
land vied with each other in paying him honor. It was one long series
of public dinners, patriotic speeches, bonfires, flower-decked
arches, processions of school children, and brilliant balls.

The old veterans who had fought under Washington eagerly put on their
faded uniforms, and found themselves the heroes of the hour, as they
fought their battles over again to crowds of eager listeners. In
fact, Lafayette's interviews with the old soldiers and the few
surviving officers appear to have been the most interesting and the
most pathetic features of the whole journey.

A few weeks after his arrival in this country, Lafayette went to
Yorktown, to celebrate the anniversary of that notable victory. He
was entertained in the house which had been the headquarters of
Cornwallis, forty-three years before. A single bed was found for the
marquis; but the little village was so crowded that the governor of
Virginia and the great officers of the state were forced to camp on
straw spread on the floor.

A big box