65 



chose to forego, not from any indifference to its value, but from 

 a sensitive unwillingness to subject his father to any unnecessary 

 expenditure of his means. He gave early indications of great 

 mental activity, and mastered with ease all the studies of the 

 Academy ; in mathematics, especially, he was unusually profi- 

 cient, and drew from his teacher the confession that in this 

 department he was no longer capable of giving him instruction ; 

 and it was the habit of other teachers in the neighborhood to 

 send to young Burnett for the solution of difficult questions which 

 they themselves were incompetent to master. Almost without 

 assistance, at a later period, he made himself familiar with the 

 French, Spanish, and German languages, and during the latter 

 part of his life had made some progress in the Swedish. 



At the age of sixteen he had become thoughtful beyond his 

 years ; and then commenced the development of those tenden- 

 cies in his mind which ever afterwards were so conspicuous, and 

 which continued to exert a controlling influence, viz. : the desire 

 of gaining an insight into the nature of things, and of forming 

 philosophical ideas and conceptions of natural processes, concep- 

 tions and ideas which can be obtained only by the exercise of 

 the higher powers of the mind. Mesmerism, materialism, and 

 theological questions occupied his thoughts, and were frequently 

 written upon and discussed by him. On all of these he mani- 

 fested independence and continuity of thought, and persistence 

 in whatever direction his mind was turned. It was at this early 

 age that his interest in the study of medicine commenced, when 

 he accompanied his father in his professional visits, and witnessed 

 the effects of disease, as manifested in the examination of bodies 

 after death. Entomology now especially engrossed his thoughts, 

 and nearly all his leisure moments were occupied in collecting, 

 studying, and classifying insects. While yet in his sixteenth year, 

 his father died. This event materially changed his prospects, 

 and was met with firmness and decision, and in the course of the 

 following year, finding that something must be done for his sup- 

 port, he commenced teaching school, and at the same time gave 

 his attention to the study of medicine. 



The subsequent years of his student life were spent under the 

 direction of Dr. Joseph Sargent, of Worcester, with whom there 



PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 5 NOVEMBER, 1854. 



