164 
fairly in;’ which leads one to wish that these Apollyons would 
always scare the bad boys and never the good ones. 
One other book, forgotten now perhaps, gave him the bent 
towards botany, which afterwards so much occupied him. This 
was Thornton’s Grammar of Botany. 
About this time steam navigation was occupying the father’s 
mind and after some efforts in that way on the Connecticut his 
attention was turned to the Hudson. He was thus frequently in 
New York for long periods while the son’s education was con- 
tinued for a year and a half at Stamford. Finally, in 1824, the 
family was removed to New York. The boy was now sent 
to the High School where, under the influence and _ instruc- 
tion of one of the teachers, a Mr. Barnes, he was instructed 
in mineralogy and had many a pleasant ramble in the 
country in his company. His school education was _ finally 
completed by a short course which he provided for himself 
at a private school, but between these two periods he at- 
tended the chemical lecture course of Dr. Torrey, an associa- 
tion which must have had great influence in his-pursuits in 
after life. His first business occupation was in a dry goods store, 
where he continued long enough to acquire a thorough detesta- 
tion of it. He then assisted his father in his steam transportation 
ventures and this occupied his business hours for many years. It 
is of more interest to us to know that his love of science continued 
and was intensified when, in 1836, he became a member of the New 
York Lyceum of Natural History, of which Dr. Asa Gray was 
then the Librarian and Superintendent. Here was commenced 
that friendship which was destined to be close and lasting. It was 
at this time that he acquired a taste for conchology, in which he 
made much progress and which resulted in a number of papers on 
this subject published in the Annals of the Lyceum. He thor- 
oughly explored the country in the vicinity, over land much of 
which is now probably closely built upon, and in every way which 
the time at his command and his means permitted strove to 
advance the scientific interests of himself and his associates. As 
early as 1846 he became a member of the Academy of Natural 
Sciences, of Philadelphia. In 1843 he made a very happy mar- 
riage and this, perhaps, was the eventual cause of his removal to 
