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thai p.eighbouihood. His moiher was desceivkd from the 

 antifnt and respectable family of Tonkin, of lYevavvnance, 

 in Ccrnwall, and, amongst his ancestors in that line, is 

 mentioned the author of a valuable history of Cornwall, 

 which was left nearly finished, and is at present in the pus- 

 session of lord De Diinstanville. 



" He was very early remarkable for the strength of his 

 understanding, and for the rapiditv with which he acquired 

 all the learning that a village school could afford him. 

 When ten \ears old, he was not only able to solve many 

 difficiik problems of Euclid,, luit was thought capable of in- 

 struclins" others : and such was his increasins; confidence in 

 his own superior powers, that he had scarcely reached his 

 twelfth year, when he set up an cvenins; school in St. Agnes, 

 and taught arithmetic and writing, for the latter of which he 

 was excellently o,ualified, as he wrote many various hands 

 with admirable eace and accuracy ; and he reckoned among 

 his pupils some who were nearly twice his own age. 



" H\n father was very solicitous to bring him up in his 

 own business, and to this end bound him apprentice to him- 

 self; but he soaring mind of the boy could not submit it- 

 self to drudge in the employment of a common man. The 

 love of drawino- and painting seems to have given a very 

 eaily bias to his inclinations; and the manner in which it 

 disclosed itself cannot be considered as uninteresting. 



" Emulation appears to have first lighted up the ready 

 flame. About the tenth year of his age, seeing one of his 

 companions, whose name was Mark Gates (now a captain 

 in the marine service) engaged in drawing a butterfly, he 

 looked eagcrlv, in silence, at the performance ; on being 

 asked what he was thinking of, he replied, " he was think- 

 ing that he could draw a bulteifly, if he was to try, as well 

 as Mark Gates." He accordingly made the experiment, and 

 triumphed ; and he returned home to his father's house in 

 bi'ih spirits, on account of the victory he had obtained. 



" From this mouunt the bent of his talents was deter- 

 mined. It h.ippcncd soon afterwards that his fallur, being 

 eiDploved in the repairs of a gentleman's house in Truro, 

 young Gpic attended hini : in the parlour hung a picture of 



a farm-yard y 



