54 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



none of those who have been named not even to 

 Denison was Mr. Silliman more warmly attached 

 than to the sons of his instructor, Charles and Elihu 

 Chauncey. They were his bosom-friends. Charles 

 Chauncey was admitted by examination to Yale 

 College when he was only ten years and one month 

 old, but was kept back by his father from entering 

 the institution until a year later. He received the 

 honors of the college in 1792, at the age of fifteen. 

 His younger brother, Elihu Chauncey, was a class- 

 mate of Mr. Silliman. Both the brothers were edu- 

 cated for the law, and established themselves in Phil- 

 adelphia. The former, by his talents, probity, cour- 

 tesy, and devotedness to professional duty, became 

 one of the foremost of American lawyers. The lat- 

 ter, if less distinguished, was nowise inferior to his 

 brother in intellectual ability. Early withdrawing 

 from his profession, he devoted his life principally to 

 financial studies and pursuits. When a young man, 

 he was one of the editors of the " United States 

 Gazette," an influential organ of the Federal party ; 

 and in the political strife of that day he had occasion 

 to manifest in more than one way his characteris- 

 tic energy and courage. Mr. Nathaniel Chauncey, a 

 still younger brother in the same family, was, it may 

 be remarked, at a later period, an esteemed friend 

 of Mr. Silliman. The latter sympathized with the 

 Chaunceys and the rest of his friends in political 

 sentiment. They were all stanch Federalists, hold- 

 ing the political theories of Jefferson in cordial de- 

 testation, and supporting with . all their might the 

 party of Washington and Hamilton, of Jay and 

 Ellsworth. The warfare of politics was waged with 



