XVI 



an English dialogue, at an exhibition in his Junior year ; but his 

 resolution enabled him to perform it to the gratification of his 

 friends, as it did also his second part, a finely written Latin ora- 

 tion on Classical Learning, a subject suggested to him by his ever- 

 attentive friend. Dr. Clarke. Great as was his enthusiasm for clas- 

 sical learning, he had, in college, as real a love for the study of the 

 mathematics, and highly distinguished himself in this department. 

 Near the close of his Senior year, he received the honor of a mathe- 

 matical part, which appeared to give him more pleasure than all 

 his other college honors. It afforded him an opportunity to manifest 

 his profound scholarship in a manner most agreeable to his feelings. 

 When he had delivered to the Corporation and Overseers this part, 

 containing solutions of problems by fluxions, he had the rare satis- 

 faction to be told that one of them was more elegant than the so- 

 lution of the great Simpson, who wrote a treatise on fluxions, in 

 which the same problem was solved by him. Such was the dis- 

 tinguished honor that crowned Mr. Pickering's intellectual labors in 

 college. 



At his Commencement, he had assigned to him a new part, one 

 never before introduced, which, with the subject, was intended by 

 the government as a particular honor to him, and his classical friend 

 before mentioned, from England. This was an English colloquy, 

 and the subject given them was, " A Panegyric on Classic Lit- 

 erature." The execution of the part was honorable to both, and 

 formed a suitable close to Mr. Pickering's academical life. 



At this important era, which fixed the character of his whole 

 earthly career, we may be allowed to pause for a moment to con- 

 template his attainments and his example. His education, in all 

 its essential objects, was now complete. Together with the ac- 

 quisition of a rich fund of various learning, all his faculties were 



