PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 235 



particular application, thus publiclj' exhibited, was long before 

 any of the numerous patents were obtained for ice-making, not a 

 few of which adopted substantially the same process. 



State Appointment as a Civil Engineer. — Through the friend- 

 ship and confidence of an influential judge, Henry received about 

 this time an unexpected offer of an appointment as Engineer 

 on the survey of a route for a road through the State of ^"^ew 

 York, from the Hudson river on the east, to lake Erie on the 

 west. The proposal was too tempting to his natural proclivities 

 to be refused; and being appointed, he embarked upon his new 

 and arduous duties with the zeal and energy which were so pro- 

 minent a feature of his character. He completed the survey with 

 credit to himself, and to the entire satisfaction of the Commis- 

 sioners of the work.* 



So attractive appeared the profession of engineer to his enter- 

 prising disposition, that he was about to accept the directorship 

 in the construction of a canal in Ohio, when he was informed 

 that the Chair of Mathematics in the Albany Academy would 

 soon become vacant, and that his own name had already been 

 prominently brought forward in connection with the position. At 

 the urgent solicitation of his old friend and former teacher Dr. T. 

 Romeyn Beck, he consented with some hesitation to signify bis 

 willingness to accept the vacant chair if appointed thereto. 



Election as Professor of Mathematics. — In the spring of 1826, 

 Henry was duly elected by the Trustees of the Albany Academy 

 to the Professorship of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in 

 that Institution. As the duties of his office did not commence 

 till September of that year, he was allowed a practical vacation of 

 about five months; which was partly occupied with a geological 

 exploration in the adjoining counties, as assistant to Professor 

 Eaton, of the Rensselaer School, and partly devoted to a conscien- 

 tious preparation for his new position. 



In a worldly point of view, this variety of occupation and ver- 

 satility of adaptation might perhaps be regarded as unfavorable 

 to success. As a method of culture, it was of unquestionable 

 advantage to his intellectual powers. A hard student, with great 

 capacity for close application, he accumulated large stores of in- 

 formation: and in addition to his constant thirst for acquirement 

 in different directions, his leisure was occupied to a considerable 

 extent with physical and chemical examinations. On the 21st of 

 March 1827, he delivered before the Albany Institute a lecture 

 on "Flame," accompanied with experiments. f 



* In a popular jnuvtial (" Thp Eelectio Magazine") it is stated : " His 

 labors in this work were pxceedinetly arduous and responsible. Thsy ex- 

 tended far into the winter, and the operations were carried on in some 

 instances amid deep snows in primnval forests." 



t Trans. Albany Inst. vol. i. part 2, p. 59. 



9 



