8 



industry, qualities we know he possessed. We regret, 

 that he abandoned the profession, and we regret it, 

 because his mode of argumentation would have been so 

 original, and his quiet and beautiful command of lan- 

 guage would have given to the bar a style of forensic 

 pleading altogether as unique as imposing as it 

 would have been novel. 



Professor Alexander chose the path of science and 

 literature, and he chose it with the deliberation, that 

 characterized all he did ; and on that arena, he won his 

 deathless fame. His first essay was the construction of 

 a map of his native State ; and his explorations were 

 marked with the patience and accuracy, that were 

 necessary to complete success. The end was not 

 secured, for though the map was finished, it was not 

 printed, for want of funds, the result of the State's 

 want of enterprise; and it is certainly very curious, 

 that in the two great departments of science and litera- 

 ture, the State faltered, when she should have ventured 

 something, and thus lost the map and the history of 

 her past glory, while her most gifted son of science, 

 Dr. Alexander, and her most eloquent orator and one 

 of her ablest writers, McMahon, were permitted to 

 turn aside to other more remunerative sources of study 

 and active employment. From that day to the close of 

 life, our lamented brother devoted himself to scientific 

 and literary pursuits; at times making a thousand 

 dollar fee, for some opinion on science. 



He w r as a profound mathematician, a poet, a ripe 

 and varied scholar, a laborious and successful writer, 

 and a punctual man of business. He was all this, or 

 I have not read his character aright. 



Perhaps his genius for Mathematics was his most 

 masterful power. It would take a mathematician to 

 sketch his character in this particular. If Professor 



