somewhat extravagant; neither flimsy nor polished in its cast, but pointed and convincing. His perceptive faculties are very large, giving him an exact mechanical eye and discriminating judgment-can calculate by a look, the weight, bulk, height, etc., of an object, and has a precise idea of the arrangements of things, and is annoyed at their want of appropriateness. His reasoning faculties are fully developed, yet not as large as those ready, prompt characteristics, those quick, intuitive conceptions, which are ever hurrying him forward to obey their impulses—those rapid suggestions that rise at the moment, and impel him to action. Quick to observation, passing events cannot readily escape him, and he forms an accurate opinion of the nature, character, and motives of all he sees.

He is a great advocate for system, and his pursuits are marked by their perfect arrangement; would soon adjust a disordered business, but would not attempt to proceed while it was in a state of confusion. Rarely deceived in his estimates, he quickly calculates profit and loss, and seldom has reason to change his first impressions; has a better tact to purchase than to sell, a good business memory, and arrives at safe conclusions by a comparison of the present with past events. He is a correct measurer of distances, and having a clear, mechanical eye, would make an excellent marksman. His theory is practice; upon it is based the rules and elements of every action. He never adopts the measures and opinions of others, without an investigation; he depends upon his own practical experience, and not upon the arguments of the abstract theorist. He has an easy, fluent command of language, and upon the moment can readily deliver an address; yet it would be an array, a statement of facts and truths, rather than a rhetorical dissertation. A correct judge of human nature, he finds out, almost at a glance, a man's capacity, and the sphere to which he is entitled. His qualities are of great and versatile utility, enabling him to excel in different callings; yet he will succeed best, first as a business man, next as a scientific one, and thirdly in the direction of public affairs. He is qualified to direct and advise, yet, on the whole, is extravagantly organized; possessing different traits in opposite extremes, his mind is agitated with characteristics of uneven and different weights, which ever keeps it from a proper balance. He is, from these causes, consequently eccentric; each action and movement bears the impress of his mind, which makes him somewhat peculiar, isolated, and detached from his species. He should put a curb to his energy, ambition, enterprise, will, and spirit of opposition, with an increase of tact, prudence, respect, reserve, and philosophy, so as to give that harmonizing tone to his mind that would give it a calm yet forcible influence over others. Unlike one, perhaps, in ten thousand, you have sure and unmistakable guides to his disposition; his traits stand forth like landmarks, exhibiting the bold outlines of the character of the man. He is, like Napoleon Bonaparte, the architect of his own fortunes.

ZADOK PRATT.

"A wit's a feather, and a chief's a rod.

An honest man's the noblest work of God."

THE subject of this memoir was born October 30th, 1790, at Stephentown, Rensselaer County, New York. His father was a tanner. And Mr. Pratt spent his early days with him learning the trade at Middlebury. His life from the commencement of his early career has been checkered by an infinite variety. It exhibits pointed facts and established truths. It discloses a moral and a lesson that should be taught with REVELATION itself to the rising generation. It tells them in a language that they can. not mistake, that labor, perseverance, probity, and integrity will lead to independence and affluence, and gather honors for its votaries. show to them that there is but one road to pursue, and that is the path of virtue; that though thorns may peer at first through its narrow opening, yet the path widens as they advance, and flowers bloom to welcome them. We are not going to give a fancy sketch; we are going to exhibit the character, the life of a living, breathing man, marked by those positive traits which time has never changed, or prosperity ever weakened. We will follow Mr. Pratt through some of the leading events of his life (being confined for space), and we will see the same man through all its vicissitudes and changes. He is one of the very few to whom nature has given fixed, immovable principles of sterling solidity; upon whose granite basis he has reared his fortunes and his honors. His course has ever been onward; like a small fountain, we see him start from his source, winding through many labyrinths, yet increasing as he advanced, until he has arrived at his present position of magnitude and importance. He has been the architect of his own fortunes, rising from an humble position in life, with a step that never faltered and a determination that encountered obstacles but to surmount them. He has now reached the station that dazzles by its affluence, and that position that commands by its dignity; yet, what appears so remarkable, he never neglected in his advance through life any of those duties which it was incumbent upon him as "man" to perform. Though economical he was never penurious, and the various relations in which he has been placed, has ever shown him a friend and benefactor to all. He possesses ambition without its folly; never led away into those wild extremes of infatuation which make so many forsake the principles of rectitude so as to arrive more easily at the "golden mark" they wish for. He has sought distinction only through the medium of integrity. We will now trace him through all the successive phases of the mechanic, the tanner, the statesman, and the banker, and, at last, we will hold him up to posterity as the philanthropist-in which name virtue blends her every ray into a lovely consistency, like that which forms the light of creation. We will give facts to support us as we advance.

When Mr. Pratt was in his father's tannery a little circumstance occurred, which, though itself not of much import, yet served to shadow forth his future character. We see in it that germ of economy which strengthened with his life, and was one of that combination of intrinsic qualities which crowned all of his efforts with success. During his lei. sure hours, then a mere boy, he braided whip-lashes, the sale of which

after a little time, brought him the amount of thirty dollars, which was a large sum to be accumulated by a boy who had his regular labors to perform. He was next apprenticed to a saddler, where he continued until his time had expired. He may now be said to have fairly started into life.

He worked the first year for his father and brothers, as a journeyman saddler, at ten dollars per month, and then commenced business for himself. Always commencing every thing he undertook at the proper point, and never letting his business exceed his capacity, he opened his little shop at one end of a bark house, which was so unfortunately arranged, that whenever the door was opened clouds of dust from the mill came pouring in, rendering it scarcely tenantable. His average time of labor was fifteen to sixteen hours per day. With a system that commenced with his first pursuit in life, he kept an exact account of all business transactions, and every year made an inventory of his possessions, so as to calculate his profits; and it may be remarked, that he has adhered to this plan even to the present time. He made the first year five hundred dollars, and the second twelve hundred, which continually increased until 1815. He sold his store just in time to escape the storm which so frequently and suddenly rises in the commercial world, and which overwhelmed his purchasers. He now entered into partnership with his brothers in the tanning business, which was carried on with such energy and management, that it proved prosperous to all concerned. We will give a little incident that will serve as an illustration of his judgment and energy of character. He knew that the first annual products sold best early in the season, and he was always among the first in market with his yearly product of leather. One spring, however, one of his partners wished to postpone the sale, and which Mr. Pratt insisted should take place immediately. His partner at length yielded to his solicitations, and the result showed the correctness of Mr. Pratt's judgment. Twenty-eight cents per pound were obtained for the leather, which, if the sale had been postponed, would have brought but twenty-one cents and a half per pound; this last was the price obtained by the tanners who sold at the time that Mr. Pratt's partner wished to dispose of their joint stock.

We will here have to glance at Mr. Pratt in a new sphere of action; yet we will see the "man" the same in the change; the prompt and energetic spirit which distinguished him in his former vocation, marked him as a soldier and an officer. In 1814, inheriting the martial spirit of his father, who was one of the participators in the glorious, trying times of the Revolution, Mr. Pratt joined a company, and was appointed their steward. Always adhering strictly to the line of his duty in his conduct to others, he was firm to maintain his own rights when they were unjustly invaded. When he received the allowance as steward for his company from the commissary, he saw that the rations were much smaller than were allowed by the government. At the next time he received his supplies, he remonstrated against the injustice of the apportionment, and demanded the FULL rations provided by law. The commissary, surprised and indignant at the independence of an inferior, ordered him to be off. But he had to deal with one who would not suffer wrong with impunity; one who knew his rights, and had the spirit and courage to enforce them. Mr. Pratt obtained by his firmness and decision the full rations of his

company, and no attempt was again made by the dishonest commissary to curtail them while he remained steward.

company,

What

In 1821, he received a captain's commission in the Fifth Regiment of Artillery of the State of New York, and subsequently received an appointment of Colonel of the 116th Regiment of Infantry of the same state. His predominant characteristics were carried to his martial pursuits. That active energy which knew no cessation from its impulses, made him ever on the alert to promote the perfection of the discipline of his while his social qualities made him the favorite of his command. ever was needed by the company, more than was provided by law, and would contribute in any way to their improvement or respect, he furnished at his private expense. He furnished a regiment which he commanded with a full uniform, and all of the music, which cost him the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars. He proposed to mount the cannon at his own expense, but Governor Clinton complimentarily remarked, "that he had already done HIS part." In 1826, he resigned his commission, and retired from military life.

Mr. Pratt, in 1819 and 20, having disposed of his share in the concern, undertook an adventure for his brothers, to Canada, to traffic in furs. He underwent all the rigors of the Canada winter, and, indeed, so much was he liable to exposure and the cold, that had he not had an iron constitution, he must have sunk under them. But he safely and successfully accomplished the object of his mission, and on his return home stopped at the principal hotel in Albany. His apparel, which had been chosen with an eye to the comforts of his business, and though exactly suited to resist a Canadian winter, looked rather rough in the fashionable hotel at Albany. The host did not deny him admittance, but gave him an insulting welcome. He walked to the bar and asked him to keep a small package for him; this was a large purse of gold to a considerable amount. Our host's eyes glistened at the jingling of the yellow mint drops. He became the lion of the hotel, overwhelmed with the attention of the waiters, and bored with the officious politeness of our host, from whom he found it difficult to get rid the next morning on his departure. "This adventure," said he, "taught me, if I had money, I had friends.'

In 1828, among the wilds of Windham, he established his gigantic tannery, the largest in the world. That it has proved successful, is evinced by his immense fortune. We would here give a statement of the size and expense of this establishment, but we must hurry to a close. Let it suffice, that in that then wilderness, he founded a village which now bears his name, and contains two thousand inhabitants. One hundred of the houses were built by Col. Pratt himself, and to the erection of the public edifices he subscribed with a liberal hand. What will not one of nature's geniuses, joined with perseverance and industry, effect? Like the magician's wand, it surprises by the splendor of its creations. We have seen a village spring up through the power and influence of one man, as if by enchantment, and fields now pressed with luxuriant abundance, where a few years back the forest towered in pristine grandeur. This inculcates a moral and a lesson. It tells you a truth as sure as revealed in the Apocalypse, that the will of man is almost omnipotent, and if swayed by proper motives in the right direction, can perform wonders almost equal to the fabulous creations of Aladdin's lamp. The lib.

erality of Col. Pratt is unbounded. It lives every where in the literary institution, in the holy place of worship, and in the humble cabin of the cottager. We will give the following extract from the "Christian Intelligencer," as an illustration:

"Go thou and do likewise. It is common for men to feel interested in scenes and circumstances with which in former years they have been conversant; for this reason it afforded me much pleasure to notice in your weekly paper some weeks since, a brief outline relating to the early life, business habits, and successful career of the Hon. Zadok Pratt, of Greene County, New York, who, by steady perseverance and undeviating integrity, has attained the summit of pecuniary independence. As an appen dage to that communication, thinking that a few lines relating to his religious benevolence, which has been manifest on many occasions, irrespective of sectarian considerations, might be acceptable to many of your readers, and also might prove an incentive to others to imitate his laudable example, as an illustration of the prominent qualities of his energetic mind, as before stated, I will relate a little circumstance which occurred when he was about twenty-five years of age. At an election of trustees to superintend the pecuniary matters of the Presbyterian church, in the town where he then resided, he was chosen one of the number, and also collector. In reply to this invitation he stated, that he did not covet the office, but if he did serve in that capacity, he should insist upon prompt payment when due, as 'the laborer is worthy of his hire.' In case of failure, he should commence legal proceedings against the delinquents. Some objected, fearing such a course might give great offence; but the result was not so. This decisive announcement had the desired effect; the subscriptions were promptly and regularly paid, and all parties appeared to be convinced and satisfied with the propriety of such a prompt mode of procedure to secure the salary of the pastor at the appointed time of payment. Some years after this, during his absence from home, and while attending to his imperative duties, the tannery owned by him and brother was destroyed by fire. This roused the sympathy of their friends and neighbors, and many freely entered their names on a subscription list for their relief. Such an expression of kindness and benevolence was timely and praiseworthy; but the house of God at that time greatly needing repair, Col. Pratt generously gave the whole amount to carry that object into effect; saying to his brother, although we have sustained a loss, we are still as well off as many who have subscribed to our relief.' In a little while, by management and industry, he recovered from his loss, and bestowed one hundred dollars as a donation to a benevolent society in New York."

"Some time afterward," observes the same paper, 66 a new church was built at the cost of three thousand dollars, to which Col. Pratt subscribed one third, and offered a house worth eighty dollars per annum, rent free, as a residence for the minister. He also subscribed one third for the building of the Methodist church, and gave them a parsonage worth eight hundred dollars. To the erection of the Episcopal church he contributed likewise liberally, and the total amount of his charities may be set down as exceeding twenty thousand dollars.”

These facts speak for themselves, and they will live as long as there is a pen to record them and human nature is sensible to the worth of the higher attributes of a man.