IT 



Life and writings of Count Mumford. 



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pliere his exertions were required ; whether in the closet 



the laboratory, the court or the field 



The 



of Benjamin Thomn 



afterwards Count 



Rumford, was the town of Wohurn in Massachusetts 



few 



miles from Bos to 



His parentage was fro 



common 



of yeomanry, and the labours of agriculture still give emnlovmeut 



Lis surviving connexions in that 



H 



father dying 



during his infancy, he was put under the guardianship of 



from wh 



he 



d 



ord 



advant 



of 



a 



ntry 



His early taste is said by those who knew him 



during his boyhood, to have displayed itself in a fondness for 



less capt 



mechanical and philosophical amusements. He was 

 vated by the usual sports of boys, than he was by the c 

 of little pieces of mechanism, by rude attempts at drawing and 



; of mechanics' work. 



painting, and the imitation of various article 



r 



In these occupations he engaged with great 



d per 



the p 



d was disturbed and impatient at any interruption of 

 His propensity for employments of this kind was 



so strons, that 



a manner to have 



his 



more regular duties, and to have 

 re made to initiate him in business 

 At the age of thirteen, as it appears from 



writing, he was put apprenti 



pacitated him 



defeated the attempts which 



hand 



meraorandu 

 in a merch 



S 



Afterwards h 



fcvf 



phy 



chant 



Woburn, and at the age of sixteen again entered a mer 



-house in B 



discovered an unifor 



In all these situations he 



disinclination for business, and 



prope 



sity to more eccentric pursuits. He privately amused himself 



periment 



th gunpowder and fire work 



and laboured to 



t 



> 



