In reference to his college course, Mr. Hilliard remarks, in the communication already cited ::

Although the College Government had a high estimate of his abilities, his classmates,—who knew him intimately, and who generally are the most competent judges,-assigned him a much higher place than his tutors. He felt no anxiety about his standing in his class, and made no extraordinary exertion in any particular branch of study. He excelled in metaphysical investigations. I well remember when we were reading Butler's Analogy, which to most students is no play, he seemed to give it about as much time as an ordinary mind would spend on a book of travels or a novel; but he made both the matter and the mode of reasoning completely his own. The fact is, everything he did was, or at least appeared to be, free from unnatural or violent effort. He never thrust himself forward, but when summoned, and the necessity was upon him, like a young Samson, he felt his strength, and failed not to make others feel it. As to his oratorical powers, which the event showed he possessed in such perfection, college is a poor place for their development. I can now remember two or three instances, perhaps more, in the presence of some six or eight of his classmates, when he gave indications of a fine embryo debater.

Another classmate* writes :

My recollections of your brother, while at college, are still very distinct, and of the most agreeable kind. His youthful face, with its bright, sparkling expression; his irresistible humor; the manly spirit which he ever exhibited; and his physical energy, even with the lameness under which he labored; are, at this distant day, vividly before me.

I believe I can truly say, that nearly all the shining qualities, both of mind and heart, which distinguished his brilliant career, w exhibited at this early period of life.

* John T. Gilman, M.D., Portland.

Still another writes :

The presence of your beloved brother s still vivid: the characteristic energy of his mien, his familiar manners, conversational enthusiasm, uniform flow of spirits, wonderful fluency of speech, exuberant fancy of diction, sparkling wit, sarcastic retort, as well as humorous repartee, are stereotyped in the memory; but the wear and tear of life has obliterated nearly all particular incidents and details. The only little spot yet green in our classic Olympiad is your brother's connection with a small club of kindred spirits. It was formed in our junior year, and consisted of six classmates, never more, never less: we were brother Peucinians, and that was an additional bond of union. Our first object was, improvement in extemporaneous speaking; we wanted something more frequent, and more familiar, too, than the opportunities presented by the college societies. We had no constitution, no officers, no by-laws! We met regularly in each other's rooms; the occupant was the presiding officer of the evening he assigned a subject for present discussion, and literary exercises for the subsequent meeting.

The only law that we had was, that every member, nolens volens, should take part in the debate. As the topic was not made known till the moment for discussion, there was, of course, no opportunity for preparation. In this respect our forensic exercise was strictly ex tempore, and not like many, now so called, conned by midnight lamp and delivered memoriter. The stimulus, in the absence of fines and penalties, was a cigar, which the officer, ex loco, was expected to provide.

The names of those who composed our little coterie, were as follows: William Appleton, the brother of Mrs. President Pierce, early cut off by death from a life of promise,*—Leonard

William Appleton was my brother's "chum" during his last year in college, and one of his most intimate and beloved friends. He accompanied him home to spend the vacation preceding Commencement, and charmed the whole household as well as neighboring families, by his gentlemanly bearing and quiet, scholar-like tastes. His name, for many years, was closely associated with that of my brother,

Apthorp, of Boston, one of the best scholars and writers of the class of 1826; his contributions to the Boston Galaxy (now Courier) were well known; especially his Miseries of a Country Schoolmaster,-Isaac McLellan, of Boston, the poet,-William Paine, Esq., present Marshal of Maine,—and your brother, who with the writer, made the complement. For want of a name sufficiently significant of the forensic and social character of this little band, we had to manufacture. None but a classic one would do, therefore, a Greek termination was added to a Saxon root, and ΣπоυTερoι (Spouteroi) was adopted.

We had other exercises in our weekly meetings; I well recollect a burlesque composition your brother introduced on one occasion, descriptive of the explosion of a torpedo. The usual monotony of college life had been disturbed by an incident of this kind, to the great excitement of the Faculty, and the personal danger of some officers and students. The circumstances of time and place were detailed with much minuteness,—the state of the college halls,-the hour, that noon of night when thought mounts her zenith with the stars!-the relative position of the heavenly luminaries,—the ominous forebodings of the celestial signs were portrayed in a grandiloquent style,-the very elements were described as hushed in consternation; the heavens were hung in black in anticipation of the dénoûment of the tragedy; the stars, as if conscious of the plot, watched the progress of the fearful catastrophe, and ever and anon were

with whom he kept up an affectionate correspondence until his lamented death, which occurred, I think, at Cincinnati in 1830, at the age of twenty-two.

His father, the Rev. Jesse Appleton, D.D., second President of Bowdoin College, was one of the most profound religious thinkers of his day. His ethical and theological writings exhibit more of the peculiar spirit and method of Bishop Butler than, perhaps, those of any other American divine.

The lady, whose letter has already been quoted, writes :

"I never knew a face, at the age of seventeen, that expressed such intellectual power and beauty as Seargent's. It was the perfect mirror of a bright, glowing and versatile mind. No one could see it without reading in every feature the signs of genius. I recollect his being at our village church with h's friend, young Appleton, when a lady, sitting beside me, called my attention to them, and observed that, she had never seen two such remarkably intellectual-looking young men' 'Surely,' said she,' they are destined to play some striking part on the stage of life.'"

seen, here and there, peeping out from behind the clouds to witness the consummation and be 'in at the death!'

In his connection with this Club, your brother's fine intellectual and social qualities appeared in all their force and beauty.*

Immediately upon leaving college, he commenced the study of Law, in the office of Hon. Josiah Pierce, of Gorham, now Judge of Probate; a gentleman, whose many noble qualities of head and heart won from him a strong and lasting regard.

Judge Pierce has furnished the following reminiscences :

When I first knew your gifted brother, he was a young boy, attending the Academy in Gorham. I had no particular acquaintance with him at that time; I used occasionally to visit the school, and was struck with his appearance, and manner of reciting his lessons; he was sprightly, and evinced that his perceptive faculties were unusually quick and discriminating. I had known and highly esteemed his parents; and, therefore, felt an interest in their son. For a short period, previous to his entering college, Seargent and myself boarded in the same family. I then found him sportive, mirthful, ready and sharp at retorts, full of good humor and kind feelings, possessing an exuberant imagination, and vivid perception of the ludicrous. His irony was polished and keen, but never malevolent.

While an undergraduate of Bowdoin College, I had few opportunities of seeing him, or of knowing much about his acquirements. He graduated on the first Wednesday of September, 1826, at the age of seventeen, and on the 20th of the same month, entered my office as a student of Law. He also boarded in my family. Mrs. P. and myself soon became much attached to him, and that attachment never, afterwards, suffered any diminution. Though several years my junior, we lived as equals, and felt as brothers. He speedily proved himself a delightful companion, possessed of warmth and purity of feelings, and deeply sympathizing in the weal and woes of others. As an

* Charles Lord, Esq., of Portland.

instance of the latter, I would state, that soon after Seargent became a member of our family, Mrs. Pierce had a sister die in our village. I was absent from town during her sickness. Your brother then showed himself to be a friend to the afflicted. He did all that the nearest relative could have done on the sad occasion; he participated in our sorrows, and his attention and services to Mrs. P. and the mourning family of her sister, were anremitting, and were performed in the most kind and delicate manner. Those services and that sympathy we ever held, and still hold, in grateful remembrance.

While he resided with me, his habits were unexceptionable. He usually passed his evenings at the house, and mingled with zest in all our little family parties and social gatherings; he would read aloud, and was fond of playing chess, also draughts, or checkers.

While living with us, he occasionally went a gunning-but more frequently a fishing to our rivers and small streams. He was a frequent and successful trout-catcher, and sometimes boasted of being a true disciple of old Izaak Walton. There was one brook, that contained many trouts; it had been one of the favorite haunts of his boyhood. To that stream he often resorted.

Your brother had quite a taste for natural beauties, and delighted on fine afternoons in autumn to ramble in the woodlands, or climb high hills, and in vivid language express the pleasure he derived from viewing the beautiful rolling country, and the rich and highly colored foliage of our October forests. He interested himself in plants and flowers, and we have yet, flourishing in our garden in Gorham, a wild rose bush that bears deep green, polished leaves, which he took from the forest, and planted near our windows with his own hand. It is a beautiful memorial, with which we should be very unwilling to part.

Пe was fond of poetry, and while with us, wrote several stories in rhyme; he made, too, quite a collection of old ballads and uncouth verses, written by unlearned men on occasions of fires, shipwrecks and other accidents. In my office, he read law studiously in the former part of the day, but in the afternoon perused other works. The writings of Walter Scott, Wash