MEMOIR. 
XU1 
and all of which soon devolved upon him by the 
death of his father. In these operations he was 
eminently successful, and rapidly accumulated a 
fortune. 
In the midst of his extensive business he was 
never unmindful of science. This was his pas- 
sion ; and all his leisure moments were devoted 
to it, in preference to mingling in general society, 
for which he had veiy little taste ; and he always 
looked forward to the time when he should retire 
from business, become a patron of science and art, 
and make science his occupation. In the winter 
of 1836-7, having accumulated what he re- 
garded as a competence, and having invested it 
profitably as he supposed, he counted that the 
anticipated era had thus early arrived. But the 
well-remembered business disasters of 1837 came ; 
and so far from being able to retire from business, 
he was obliged to give himself exclusively to it, 
and with redoubled zeal, for the next five years, 
in order to meet the crisis and save his estates 
from the general ruin. Having successfully ac- 
complished this and much more, he again felt 
that, with a competence before him, he could with- 
draw from business cares, and devote himself 
more especially to science and art; and, next 
