1865.] ~ 133 



(Wood. 



duly his function whether of host or of guest; participated in our 

 anniversary Philosophical Dinners, then more fashionable than now; 

 in all respects acted duly the part becoming his social position; and 

 gave to the various associations and institutions, benevolent, scien- 

 tific, or professional, with which he was connected, the proper share 

 of time and attention. Thus fully occupied, without being over- 

 worked, with no serious drawback to his comfort, he was, perhaps, as 

 happy as is consistent with this uncertain state; and the current of 

 his life, though somewhat agitated in its earlier course, now flowed 

 onward copiously, richly, and smoothly to its end. 



Having sufficiently detailed the incidents of his career, it only re- 

 mains that I should endeavor to portray his qualities as a man. Of 

 his personal appearance nothing need be said, as there is no one here, 

 I presume, not perfectly familiar with it. His mental qualities, 

 though not peculiar in their nature, were in some respects strikingly 

 so in degree, so as on the whole to constitute an extraordinary charac- 

 ter. With little of the imaginative or inventive faculty, he had an 

 excellent reason and judgment, and at least an average power of ob- 

 servation. He therefore seldom sought or made discoveries, never 

 formed theories, except as convenient categories for facts, and gene- 

 rally eschewed figures of speech and flights of fancy, whether in 

 speaking or writing; but he was almost always clear in thought and 

 correct in conclusion, remarkably sound in his opinions, and seldom 

 wrong in his judgments either as to the character and probable ac- 

 tions of men, or as to what was expedient under any given circum- 

 stances. In mental action, as in his bodily movements, he was re- 

 markably slow and deliberate, but was, therefore, all the less liable 

 to error; and when his conclusions were once attained, he was even 

 more slow to change than he had been to form them. 



Though generally serious in thought and manner, he was possessed, 

 in no slight degree, both of the sense and faculty of humor, which 

 often rendered him a delightful companion; but his pleasantries 

 partook of the quietness of his general deportment, were never bois- 

 terous or offensive, and rarely, if ever, out of place. There was a 

 singularly marked line of division between his serious and lighter 

 veins; and, unlike many wits who never hold back a ludicrous 

 thought, however grave the occasion, he almost never mixed the two 

 together. I have not known an individual who better illustrated the 

 adage, sujjientis est desipere in loco; who better knew, or, perhaps, I 

 should rather say, more accurately felt when it was proper to be 

 sober, and when to be gay and playful. 



