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mT. 14.] AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 9 
lies high on the hills, between the West and East 
Canada creeks, seven miles north of Little Falls. 
I went there first in October, 1825, the date I fix by 
that of the completion of the Erie Canal. For that 
autumn, I think in November, I walked one after- 
noon, along with some other students, down to Little 
Falls to see there the arrival of the canal-boat which 
bore the canal-commissioners, with the governor, De 
Witt Clinton at their head, on their ceremonious voy- 
age from Buffalo to New York city. It reached Little 
Falls near sunset, and we walked to Fairfield that 
evening. The reason for my being sent to Fairfield 
Academy was that the principal of the academy was 
Charles Avery, uncle of my companion from infancy, 
Eli Avery, of our town, who died two years ago, who 
had been educated by the help of Eli’s father, Colonel 
Avery, one of the owners of Paris furnace. Charles 
Avery several years later took the professorship of 
quickly and easily would have leisure for some mischief, but he said, 
“ T always learned my lessons.”’ He loved to recall the long indies 
through the woods on Saturday holidays, and how in early spring - 
and his companions would climb to a lookout and see where colum 
he ran through the , without looking up at the leaves, havin 
then the keen power of observation though no especial interest in 
botany. For, as ways said, his first fancy was for min ey 
evening before the fire and smoked, he said to himself, “ Really, I am 
beginning to like it. It will become a habit; I shall be dependent 
upon it.’’ And so he threw his cigar into the fire and gave up 
smoking entirely. 
