46 



rough ; as a clergyman, what has been appropriately called his 

 "deep and unconquerable modesty of spirit," prevented his ever 

 rising above the Diaconate in the Protestant Episcopal Church. 

 As a fellow clergyman in that able paper, the New York Church 

 Journal writes : " the uncertainty of his health for many years 

 past prevented his undertaking the labors of a parish. His gen- 

 tle, quiet, and deep piety of character won him universal esteem. 

 He was chiefly known by the many works in which he has em- 

 bodied the history, the topography and the natural endowment of 

 his native State. In natural science, his proficiency was so re- 

 markable that he was in correspondence with most of the leading 

 Naturalists of this country and many of those abroad. He re- 

 ceived one of the medals of the late French Exhibition in this de- 

 partment. His place thus made vacant in Vermont, it will be 

 hard to fill." 



As an author, he has won high distinction for the profundity 

 of his research, and wonderful accuracy of date and detail has 

 characterized all of his historical productions. His astronomical 

 and meteorological observations were carefully made and noted, 

 and he was one of the best and most reliable correspondents of 

 the Smithsonian Institute. 



As his life has been chiefly spent in the development and illus- 

 tration of the natural productions of his native State ; the scien- 

 tific world, and especially Vermonters, will cherish his memory as 

 that of a man who devoted his life with energy and singleness of 

 purpose to objects of lasting interest and usefulness to the whole 

 community. 



In all of these note-worthy respects, he was not unlike the ven- 

 erable Professor T. Romeyn Beck, author of the valuable work 

 on Medical Jurisprudence who died in November last at Albany, 

 N. Y., after having been identified for forty years with every 

 leading measure in the State of New York for the promotion of 

 education and medical and general science and letters. Dr. 

 Beck, too, was a teacher of youth, and for more than twenty 

 years of the early part of his life, was the Principal of the Al- 

 bany Academy. Dr. Beck was, like Prof. Thompson, unambi- 

 tious and unselfish ; and both occupied comparatively humble po- 

 sitions, but only for the purpose of doing good. Both Professors 

 aimed to render their scientific and literary attainments available, 



