XX 



every step of his progress. Upon leaving the University and re- 

 turning to his parents in Philadelphia, he found himself in the very 

 situation which, of all others, he must have preferred for his con- 

 tinued advancement in various excellence. His father, then Sec- 

 retary of State, introduced him at once into the most intellectual 

 and cultivated society, and afforded every desirable opportunity for 

 the gratification of his literary taste and ambition. Having chosen 

 the law for his profession, he entered the office of Edward Tilgh- 

 man, Esq., and closely pursued his legal studies for about nine 

 months, when he was appointed secretary of legation to William 

 Smith, who had been a distinguished member of Congress from 

 South Carolina, and was then to be our minister at the court of 

 Lisbon. Nothing could have been more agreeable to Mr. Picker- 

 ing than such an appointment. It opened a delightful prospect for 

 the indulgence of his curiosity in seeing Europe, and for the exten- 

 sion of his literary and philosophical researches. In Mr. Smith, 

 who was as remarkable for his amiable disposition as for his talents, 

 he was sure to find a most valuable friend and companion. 



During his short residence in Philadelphia, he generally devoted 

 his early morning hours, as well as his evenings, to classical read- 

 ing. He assured a friend, whom he had left a student at Cam- 

 bridge, and whom he wished to imbue with a genuine love of an- 

 cient learning, that, instead of seeing the inutility of the classics, as 

 many of his classmates had predicted he would, he was fully con- 

 vinced of their value, and was then pursuing them, particularly 

 Greek, with more ardor than ever. His ardor in the pursuit and 

 promotion of Greek literature, as we all know, never abated. 



In August, 1797, Mr. Pickering, after a voyage of twenty-seven 

 days, arrived at Lisbon. On the passage he studied the Portu- 

 guese language, so that, by taking a few lessons after his arrival, 



