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EXTRACTS 
 
 rSOM IHE 
 
 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE 
 
 OF IHB LA.IE 
 
 AMOS LAWRENCE; 
 
 "gxui ^mmt af Bmi ^mMU m \u f iff.' 
 
 EDITED BT HIS SON, 
 
 WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE, M. D. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 aOULD AND LINCOLN, 
 
 it WABHinaion bteixi. 
 
 NEW YORK : SHELDON, LAMPORT & BLAKEMAN. 
 
 LONDON : TRUBNEB t CO. 
 
 1855. 
 
 -■ P 
 
Entered according to Act or Congress, In the year 1855, by 
 
 WILLIAM B. LAWRENCE, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 Btereotjpad bj 
 
 BOUART k ROBfilNS, 
 
 Haw EngUnd Tjp« wid Stercotjpa Pounderj. 
 
 pTcei of OeoTse C. Bond a Atctj. 
 
Eo (lis 
 ONLY SURVIVING BROTHER, 
 
 AMOS A. LAWRENCE, 
 
 OF BOSTON, 
 
 @^i9 Volume ia ^^Tectioitaittls In^ciciibtD, 
 
 THE EDITOR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Among the papers of the late Amos Lawrence were found copies 
 of a large number of letters addressed to his children. 
 
 "With the hope that the good counsels there given, during a succession 
 of years, extending from their childhood to adult age, might still be 
 made profitable to their descendants, he had caused them to be carefully 
 preserved. 
 
 These letters, as well as an irregular record of his daily experience, 
 were scattered through many volumes, and required arrangement before 
 they could be of use to those for whom they were intended. 
 
 As no one else of the immediate family could conveniently undertake 
 the task, the editor considered it his duty to do that which could not 
 properly be committed to one less nearly connected with the deceased. 
 
 The present volume, containing what was thought most interesting 
 among those letters and extracts, was accordingly prepared for private 
 circulation ; and an edition of one hundred copies was printed and dis- 
 tributed among the nearest relatives and friends. 
 
 It has been thought by many that the record of such a life as is here 
 portrayed would be useful to other readers, and especially to young 
 men, — a class in whom ]\Ir. Lawrence was deeply interested, and with 
 
VI PEEFACE, 
 
 ■wiiom circumstances in his own life had given him a peculiar bond of 
 sympathy. 
 
 Although many, among both friends and strangers, have urged the 
 publication of the present memorial, and some have even questioned 
 the moral right of 'withholding from the view of others the light of an 
 example so worthy of imitation, much hesitation has been felt in sub- 
 mitting to the public the recital of such domestic incidents as are 
 treasured in the memory of every family ; those incidents which cast a 
 sunbeam or a shadow across every fireside, and yet possess little or no 
 interest for the busy world without. 
 
 At the solicitation of the " Boston Young Men's Christian Union," 
 the " Boston Young Men's Christian Association," and the students of 
 WiUiams College, through their respective committees, and at the 
 request of many esteemed citizens, the pages which were prepared for 
 the eye of kindred and friends alone are now submitted to the public. 
 Personal feeling is forgotten in the hope that the principles here incul- 
 cated may tend to promote the ends for which the subject of this 
 memorial lived and labored. 
 
 The interest manifested in his life, and the tributes rendered to hia 
 memory, have been a source of sincere gratification to his family ; and 
 they would here tender their acknowledgments to all those who have 
 expressed their interest and their wishes in regard to this publication. 
 
 The present volume is submitted with a few unimportant omissions, 
 and with the addition of some materials, received after the issue of 
 the first edition, which will throw light upon the character and prin- 
 ciples of Mr. Lawrence during his early business career. 
 
 His course was that of a private citizen, who took but little part in 
 public measures or in public life. 
 
PREFACE. Vn 
 
 To the general reader, therefore, there may be but little to amuse 
 in a career so devoid of incident, and so little connected with the 
 stirring events of his times; but there cannot fail to be something 
 to interest those who can appreciate the spirit which, in this instance, 
 led to a rare fidelity in the fulfilment of important trusts, and the 
 consecration of a life to the highest duties. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was eminently a religious man, and a deep sense of 
 accountability may be discovered at the foundation of those acts of 
 beneficence, which, during his lifetime, might have been attributed to 
 a less worthy motive. 
 
 It has been the object of the editor to allow the subject of this 
 memorial to tell his own story, and to add merely what is necessary to 
 preserve the thread of the narrative, or to throw light upon the various 
 matters touched upon in the correspondence. 
 
 It is designed to furnish such materials as will afford a history of 
 Mr. Lawrence's charitable efforts, rather than give a detailed account 
 of what was otherwise an uneventful career. 
 
 Such selections from his correspondence are made as seemed best 
 adapted to illustrate the character of the man ; such as exhibit his good 
 and valuable traits, without attempting to conceal those imperfections, 
 an exemption from which would elevate him above the common sphere 
 of mortals. 
 
 Most of his letters are of a strictly private nature, and involve the 
 record of many private details. His domestic tastes, and his affection 
 for his family, often led him to make mention of persons and events 
 in such a way that few letters could be wholly given without invading 
 the precincts of the family circle. 
 
VIII PREFACE. 
 
 The engraving at the commencement of the volume is from an 
 original portrait, by Harding, in the possession of the editor, a copy 
 of which hangs in the library of Williams College. 
 
 It seems also fitting to include a portrait of the Hon. Abbott Law- 
 rence, who, for forty-three years, was so intimately associated with the 
 subject of this memorial in all the trials, as well as in the triumphs, 
 of business life, and who was still more closely connected by the 
 bonds of fraternal afiection and sympathy. A few days only have 
 elapsed since he was removed from the scene of his earthly labors. 
 
 The grave has rarely closed over one who to such energy of char- 
 acter and strength of purpose united a disposition so gentle and 
 forbearing. Amidst the perplexities attending his extended business 
 relations, and in the excitement of the political struggles in which he 
 was called to take part, he was never tempted to overstep the bounds 
 of courtesy, or to regard his opponents otherwise than with feelings of 
 kindness. 
 
 His wealth was used freely for the benefit of others, and for the 
 advancement of all those good objects which tended to promote the 
 welfare of his fellow-men. 
 
 That divine spark of charity, which burned with such ceaseless 
 energy in the bosom of his elder brother, was caught up by him, and 
 exhibited its fruits in those acts of munificence which will make him 
 long remembered as a benefactor of his race. 
 
 Boston, September 1st, 1855. 
 
LETTERS, 
 
 REQUESTING PUBLICATION, 
 
 Rooms of the Boston Young Men's Christian Union, 
 6 Bedford-street, Boston, June 22, 1855. 
 
 WniiAM E. Lawbencb, Esq. 
 
 Beak Sib : The undersigned, members of the Goveniment of the Boston 
 Young Men's Christian Union, some of whom have perused the excellent 
 memoir of your honored father, feel deeply impressed with the desire that 
 it should be published and circulated, knowing that its publication and 
 penisal would greatly benefit the young, the old, and all classes of our 
 busy mercantile community. 
 
 Remembering with pleasure the friendship which your father expressed, 
 not only in kind words, but in substantial offerings to the treasury and 
 library of our Society, the Union would be most happy, should it comport 
 with your feelings, to be made the medium of the publication and circu- 
 lation of the memoir, which you have compiled with so much ability and 
 faithfulness. 
 
 Hoping to receive a favorable response to our desire. 
 
 We are most truly yours, 
 
 THOMAS GAFFIELD, H. B. WHITE, 
 
 JOHN SWEETSEB, J. F. AINSWORTH, 
 
 JOSEPH H. ALLEN, W. H. RICHARDSON, 
 
 CHAS. C. SMITH, FRANCIS 3. RUSSELL, 
 
 C. J. BISHOP, FREDERIC H. HENSHAW, 
 
 F. H. PEABODT, CHARLES F. POTTER, 
 
 W. IRVTNG SMITH, THORNTON K. LOTHROP, 
 
 ABTHDR W. HOBABT, GEO. S. HALE. 
 
Williams College, June 30, 1855. 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 The Btudents of Williams College having learned that you have pre- 
 pared, for private distribution, a volume illustrating the character of the 
 late Amos Lawrence, whose munificence to this Institution they appre- 
 ciate, and whose memory they honor ; the undersigned, a Committee 
 appointed for the purpose, express to you their earnest desire that you 
 would allow it to be published. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 SAMUEL B. FOBBES, 
 E. C. SMITH, 
 FBED. W. BEECHER, 
 To HENRY HOPKINS. 
 
 "W. E. Lawrence, M.D., Boston. 
 
Rooms of the Boston Young Men's Christian Association, 
 
 Tremont Temple, Boston, July 10, 1855. 
 Deae Sir : 
 
 The Committee on the Library of the Boston Young Men's Christian 
 Association beg leave, in its behalf, to tender you sincere thanks for your 
 donation of a copy of the ' ' Diary and Correspondence of Amos Lawrence . ' ' 
 It mil remain to the members of the Association a valued memorial of 
 one of its earliest benefactors. It will be yet more prized for its record of 
 his invaluable legacy, — the history of a long life — a bright example. 
 
 The Committee, uniting with the subscribers, managers of the Associa- 
 tion, are happy to improve this opportunity to express the hope that you 
 may be induced to give the book a more general circulation. The kindly 
 charities of your late lamented parent are still fresh in impressions of 
 gratitude upon their recipients. They require no herald to give them 
 publicity. The voice of fame would do violence to their spirit. 
 
 Yet, now that " the good man " can no more utter his words of sym- 
 pathy and counsel, — that his pen can no more subscribe its noble bene- 
 factions, or indite its lessons of wisdom and experience, — the press may 
 silently perpetuate those which survive him. 
 
 We must assure you of our pleasure in the knowledge that the liberal 
 interest in the Association, so constantly manifested by your revered 
 father, is actively maintained by yourself. 
 
 "We remain, in the fraternal bonds of Christian regard, 
 
 Yours, truly, 
 
 JACOB SLEBPEE, ELIJAH SWIFT, 
 
 SAMUEL GREGORY, B. C. CLABK, JR., 
 
 LUTHER L. TARBELL, JOSEPH P. ELLICOTT, 
 
 AlONZO C. TENNBir, GEO. N. NOTES, 
 
 MOSES W. POND, PEARL MARTIN, 
 
 STEPHEN G. DEBLOIS, W. H. JAMESON, 
 
 HENRY FURNAS, W. P. STOBY. 
 FRANCIS D. STBDMAN, 
 
 FRANKLIN W. SMITH, 
 E. M. PUTNAM, 
 CHAS. L. ANDREWS, 
 GEO. C. BAND, 
 To H. C. GILBEBT, 
 
 "WiLLiiJt E. Lawrence, M.D. 
 
 Librarv and Bomu. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 Pagb 
 BIKTH. — ANCESTRY. — PABENT3, 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 EARLY TEARS.— SCHOOL DATS APPRENTICESHIP,. . 20 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ARRIVAL IN BOSTON. — CLERKSHIP. — COMMENCES BUSINESS.— HABITS, . . . . 28 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BUSINESS HABITS.- HIS FATHER'S Mf RTQ AGE. — RESOLUTIONS. — ARRIVAL 
 
 OP BROTHERS IN BOSTON 35 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 VISITS AT GROTON.— SICKNESS. — LETTER PROM DR. SHATTUCK. —ENGAGE- 
 MENT.— LETTER TO RET. DR. GANNETT.— MARRIAGE, 40 
 
 2 9 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 BKAMBLE NETTS. — JITNIOR PABTNBR GOES TO ENGLAND. — LETTERS TO 
 
 BKOTHER 47 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 DEATH OF SISTER.— LETTERS, 5* 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DOMESTIC HABITS.— ILLNESS AND DEATH OE WIFE 69 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 JOURNEYS.— LETTERS.- JOURNEY TO NEW YORK, 68 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MARRIAGE.- ELECTED TO LEGISLATURE.— ENGAGES IN MANUFACTURES.- 
 
 REFLECTIONS 77 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. — BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.— LETTERS, 82 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 JOURNEY TO CANADA.— LETTERS.— DIARY CHARITIES, 89 
 
 CHAPTER XIII, 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE WITH ME. WEBSTEB LEITEBS, 98 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 CHAPTBE, XIV. 
 
 TESTIMONIAIi TO MK. WEBSIEB.— BANGEEOUS ILLNESS. — LETTEKS, 102 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 JOURNEY TO NEW HAMPSHIRE.— LETTEKS.— RESIGNS OITICE OF TRUSTEE 
 
 AT HOSPITAI..- LETTERS 109 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 DATLT EXERCISE.— REGIMEN.— MPROTINQ HEALTH. — LETTERS 122 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 EETLECTIONS.- TlSrr TO WASHINGTON.— TISIT TO KAESfSFORD ISLAND. 
 
 REFLECTIONS.— VIEW OF DEATH. —REFLECTIONS, 137 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 BROTHER'S DEATH. —LETTERS GUTS. —LETTERS. —BIRTH-PLACE. — DIARY. 
 
 — APPLICATIONS FOB AID REFLECTIONS. —LETTER FROM RET. DR. 
 
 STONE DIARY, 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 REFLECTIONS.— LETTERS.— ACCOUNT OF EFFORTS TO COMPLETE BUNKER 
 
 HILL MONUMENT 165 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 INTEREST IN MOUNT AUBURN. —REV. DR. SHARP LETTER FROM BISHOP 
 
 McILVAINE.— LETTER FROM JUDGE STORY ; 175 
 
Xn CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 ACQUAINTANCE ■WTTH PEESIDBNT HOPKINS. — LETTEES. — AFFECTION FOR 
 BKATTLE^TREET CHDKCH. — DEATH OP MKS. APPLEION.— LETTEKS,— 
 AMESBUEY CO 183 
 
 CHAPTER XXII, 
 
 DEATH OF HIS DAUGHTER UETTERS. — DONATION TO WILIJAMS COLLEGE. 
 
 — BENEFICENCE.— LETTERS 193 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 LETTER FROM DR. SHARP ILLNESS AND DEATH OF HIS SON. — LETTERS. 
 
 — AFFLICTIONS, 203 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. — EXPENDITURES. — LETTERS.— DONATION FOR LIBRARY AT 
 
 WILLIAMS COLLEGE.- TCEWS ON STUDY OF ANATOMY, 212 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 DONATION TO LAWRENCE ACADEMY. — CORRESPONDENCE WITH R. G. PARKER. 
 
 — SLEIGH-RIDES. —AVERSION TO NOTORIETY. — CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, 221 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 CAPTAIN A. s. Mckenzie.— DIARY. — AID to Ireland.- madam prescott. 
 
 — SIR WILLIAM COLEBROOKE, 234 
 
CONTENTS. Sm 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 MB. LATTKENCE AS AN APPUOANT. — LEITEES. — DIAKY. — PRATER AND 
 MEDITATIONS.— FAC-SIMILB OP HAND-WRITING. —LIBERALITY 10 A 
 CREDITOR LETTERS, 242 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 REFLECTIONS.— TUWS ON HOLDINa OFFICE. — LETTERS. — CAPT. A. SLIDELL 
 
 Mckenzie.— DEATH as brother and of hon. j. mason, 235 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 system in accounts.- LETTER FROM PROF. STUART LETTERS. — DIARY. 
 
 —DR. HAMILTON. —FATHER MATHEW, 263 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 codicil to will.— ILLNESS.— gen. WHITING.— LETTERS.- DIARY 271 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 DIARY.- reflections. — SICKNESa — LETTER FROM DR. SHARP. — COREES- 
 
 PONBENCE, 273 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 AMIN BEY.— AMOUNT OF DONATIONS TO WILLIAMS COLLEGE 286 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 LETTERS.- LIKENESS OF ABBOTT LAWRENCE DIARY, 292 
 
XrV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Sm T. F. BUXTON.— LETTER FROM LADY BUXTON. — ELLIOTT CRESSON.— 
 
 LETTERS 298 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXV. 
 
 LETTERS.— REV. DR. 3C0RESBY. — TVAB ASH COLLEGE, 304 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 DLiRT. — AMOUNT OF CHARITIES LETTERS. — THOMAS TARBELL. — UNCLE 
 
 TOBY.— REV. DR. LOWELL 311 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE.- DIARY, 324 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 MR. LATVREXCE SERVES AS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTOR. — GEN. FRANKLIN 
 
 PIERCE. — SUDDEN DEATH. — FUNERAL, 334 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 SKETCH OF CHARACTER BY REV. DBS. LOTHROP AND HOPKINS 343 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 CONCLUSION, 352 
 
 INDEX 3ai 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BIRTH. — ANCESTRY. — PARENTS. 
 
 Amos Lawrence was bom in Groton, Mass., on the 
 22d of April, 1786. His ancestor, John Lawrence, 
 was baptized, according to the records, on the 8th of 
 October, 1609, at Wisset, County of Suffolk, England, 
 where the family had resided for a long period, though 
 originally from the County of Lancaster. 
 
 Butler, in his "History of Groton," has, among 
 other details, the following : 
 
 " The first account of the ancestor of the numerous families of 
 this name in Groton and Pepperell, which can be relied upon as 
 certain, is, that he was an inhabitant of Watertown as early as 
 1635. He probably came in the company -which came with 
 Governor Winthrop, in 1630. His given name was John, and 
 that of his wife was Elizabeth. Whether they were married in 
 England or not, has not been ascertained. Their eldest child was 
 born in Watertown, January 14, 1635. He removed to Groton, 
 
 15 
 
16 DIARY AND COKEESPONDENCB. 
 
 with probably all bis family, at an early period of its settlement, 
 as hia name is found in the records there in 1663. He was an 
 original proprietor, having a twenty-acre right." 
 
 Of the parents of the subject of this memoir, the 
 same author writes : 
 
 " Samuel Lawrence, the son of Captain Amos Lawrence, sen., 
 was an officer in the continental army, in the former part of the 
 Revolutionary "War. He was in the battle of Bunker Hill, where 
 a musket-ball passed through his beaver hat. He was also in the 
 battle in Rhode Island, where he served as adjutant under Gen- 
 eral Sullivan. On the 22d day of July, 1777, being at home, on 
 a furlough, for the express purpose, he was married to Susanna 
 Parker. * * * * 
 
 " Having faithfully served in the cause of his country during 
 the term of his engagement, he returned to his native town, to 
 enjoy the peace and quiet of domestic life on his farm. He was 
 elected by his townsmen to some of the highest offices in their 
 gift ; he was a deacon of the church, and a justice of the peace 
 quorum mius. He took a deep interest in providing means for 
 the education of youth, particularly in establishing and support- 
 ing the seminary in Groton, which now, in gratitude to him and 
 his sons, bears the family name. Of this institution he was a 
 trustee thirty-three years, and in its benefits and advantages he 
 gave ample opportunities for all his children to participate. Here 
 their minds undoubtedly received some of those early impressions, 
 the developments and consequences of which it will be the work 
 of their biographers hereafter to portray. No deduction, however, 
 should hei'e be made from the importance of parental instruction, 
 to add to the merit of academical education. The correct lessons 
 given by the mother in the nursery are as necessary to give the 
 
DIAKY AND COERESPONDENCE. 17 
 
 right inclination to the tender mind as are those of the tutor in 
 the highest seminary to prepare it for the business of life and 
 intellectual greatness. In the present case, all the duties incum- 
 bent on a mother to teach her ofifepring to be good, and conse- 
 quently great, were discharged with fidelity and success. Both 
 parents lived to see, in the subject of their care, all that they 
 could reasonably hope or desire. He died November 8, 1827, 
 set. seventy-three; and his venerable widow, May 2, 1845, set. 
 eighty-nine." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence writes, in 1849, to a friend : 
 
 " My father belonged to a company of minute-men in Groton, 
 at the commencement of the Revolution. On the morning of the 
 19th of April, 1775, when the news reached town that the British 
 troops were on the road from Boston, General Prescott, who was 
 a neighbor, came towards the house on horseback, at rapid speed, 
 and cried out, ' Samuel, notify your men : the British are com- 
 ing.' My father mounted the general's horse, rode a distance of 
 seven nules, notified the men of his circuit, and was back again 
 at his father's house in forty minutes. In three hours the com- 
 pany was ready to march, and on the next day (the 20th) 
 reached Cambridge. My father was in the battle of Bunker 
 Hill ; received a bullet through his cap, which cut his hair from 
 front to rear ; received a spent grape-shot upon his arm, without 
 breaking the bone ; and lost a large number of men. His vete- 
 i-an Captain Farwell was shot through the body, was taken up 
 for dead, and was so reported by the man who was directed to 
 carry him ofi". This report brought back the captain's voice, and 
 he exclaimed, with his utmost power, ' It an't true ; don't let my 
 poor wife hear of this ; I shall live to see my country free' 
 And so it turned out. This good man, who had served at the cap- 
 
18 DIAKT AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 ture of Cape Breton in 1745, again in 1755, and now on Bunker 
 Hill in 1775, is connected witli everything interesting in my early 
 days. The bullet was extracted, and remains, aa a memento, with 
 his descendants. My father and mother were acquainted from 
 their childhood, and engaged to be married some time in 1775. 
 They kept up a correspondence through 1776, when he was at 
 New York ; but, on a visit to her, in 1777 (his mother having 
 advised them to be married, as Susan had better be Sara's widow 
 than his forlorn damsel), tihey were married; but, while the 
 ceremony was going forward, the signal was given to call all 
 soldiers to their posts ; and, within the hour, he left his wife, 
 father, mother, and friends, to joia his regiment, then at Cam- 
 bridge. This was on the 22d day of July, 1777. In considera- 
 tion of the circumstances, his colonel allowed him to return to his 
 wife, and to join the army at Rhode Island in a brief time (two 
 or three days). He did so, and saw nothing more of home until 
 the last day of that year. The army being in winter quarters, 
 he got a furlough for a short period, and reached home in time to 
 assist at the ordination of the Rev. Daniel Chaplin, of whose 
 church both my parents were then members. His return was a 
 season of great joy to all his family. His stay was brief, and 
 nothing more was seen of him until the autumn of 1778, when 
 he retired from the army, in time to be with his wife at the birth 
 of their first child. From that time he was identified with every- 
 thing connected with the good of the town. As we children 
 came forward, we were carefully looked after, but were taught to 
 use the talents intrusted to us ; and every nerve was strained to 
 provide for us the academy which is now doing so much there. 
 We sons are doing less for education for our means than our 
 &ther for his means." 
 
 Of his mother Mr. Lawrence always spoke in the 
 
DIAKT AND COEEESPONDENCE. 19 
 
 strongest terms of veneration and love, and in many 
 of his letters are found messages of affection, such as 
 could have emanated only from a heart overflowing 
 with filial gratitude. Her form bending over their 
 bed in silent prayer, at the hour of twilight, when 
 she was about leaving them for the night, is still 
 among the earliest recollections of her children. 
 
 She was a woman well fitted to train a family for 
 the troubled times in which she lived. To the kind- 
 est affections and sympathies she united energy and 
 decision, and in her household enforced that strict and 
 unhesitating obedience, which she considered as the 
 foundation of aU success in the education of children. 
 Her hands were never idle, as may be supposed, when 
 it is remembered that in those days, throughout New 
 England, in addition to the cares of a farming estab- 
 lishment, much of the material for clothing was manu- 
 factured by the inmates of the family. Many hours 
 each day she passed at the hand-loom, and the hum 
 of the almost obsolete spinning-wheel even now comes 
 across the memory like the remembrance of a pleasant 
 but half-forgotten melody. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 EAKLT TEAES. — SCHOOL DATS. — APPRENTICESHIP. 
 
 The first public instruction received by Mr. Law- 
 rence was at the district scbool kept at a short 
 distance from his father's house. Possessing a feeble 
 constitution, he was often detained at home by sick- 
 ness, where he employed himself industriously with 
 his books and tools, in the use of which he acquired 
 a good degree of skill, as may be seen from a letter 
 to his son, at Groton, in 1839 : 
 
 " Near the barn used to be an old fort, where the people went 
 to protect themselves from the Indians ; and, long since my 
 remembrance, the old cellar was there, aurrounded by elder- 
 bushes and the like. I made use of many a piece of the elder 
 for pop-guns and squirts, in the preparation of which I acquired a 
 strong taste for the use of the pen-knife and jack-knife. I like 
 the plan of boys acquiring the taste for tools, and of their taking 
 pains to learn their use ; for they may be so situated as to make 
 a very slight acquaintance very valuable to them. And, then, 
 another advantage is that they may have exercise of body and 
 mind in some situations where they would suffer without. How 
 do you employ yourself? Learn as much as you can of farming ; 
 for the work of your hands in this way may prove the best 
 
 20 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 21 
 
 resource in securing comfort to you. The beautiful images of 
 early life come up in these bright moonlight nights, the like of 
 which I used to enjoy in the fields below our old mansion, where 
 I was sent to watch the cattle. There I studied astronomy to 
 more account than ever afterwards ; for the heavens were impress- 
 ive teachers of the goodness of that Father who is ever near to 
 each one of his children. May you never lose sight of this 
 truth, and so conduct yourself that at any moment you may be 
 ready to answer when He calls ! " 
 
 He did not allow himself to be idle, but, from his 
 earliest years, exhibited the same spirit of industry 
 which led to success in after life. With a natural 
 quickness of apprehension, and a fondness for books, 
 he made commendable progress, in spite of his disad- 
 vantages. His father's social disposition and hospita- 
 ble feelings made the house a favorite resort for both 
 friends and strangers ; and among the most welcome 
 were old messmates and fellow-soldiers, to whose mar- 
 vellous adventures and escapes the youthful listener 
 l£nt a most attentive ear. In after life he often 
 alluded to the intense interest with which he hung 
 upon these accounts of revolutionary scenes, and times 
 which "tried men's souls." The schoolmaster was 
 usually billeted upon the family ; and there are now 
 living individuals high in political and social life who 
 served in that capacity, and who look back with 
 pleasure to the days passed under that hospitable roof. 
 
 At a later period, he seems to have been transferred 
 
22 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 to another scliool, in the adjoining district, as will be 
 seen by the following extract of a letter, written in 
 1844, to a youth at the Groton Academy : 
 
 " More than fifty years ago, your father and I were school 
 children together. I attended then at the old meetmg-house, or 
 North Bam, as it was called, hy way of derision, where I once 
 remember being in great tribulation at having lost my spelling- 
 book on the way. It was afterwards restored to me by Captain 
 Richardson, who found it under his pear-tree, where I had been, 
 without leave, on my way to school, and with the other children 
 helped myself to his fruit." 
 
 From the district school, Mr. Lawrence entered the 
 Groton Academy, of which all his brothers and sisters 
 were members at various times. As his strength was 
 not sufficient to make him useful upon the farm, in 
 the autumn of 1799 he was placed in a small store, 
 in the neighboring town of Dunstable. There he 
 passed but a few months ; and, on account, perhaps, 
 of greater facilities for acquiring a knowledge of 
 business, he was transferred to the establishment of 
 James Brazer, Esq., of Groton, an enterprising and 
 thrifty country merchant, who transacted a large busi- 
 ness, for those times, with his own and surrounding 
 towns. The store was situated on the high road lead- 
 ing from Boston to New Hampshire and Canada, and 
 was, consequently, a place of much resort, both for 
 travellers and neighbors who took an interest in pass- 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 23 
 
 ing events. Several clerks were employed ; and, as 
 Mr. Brazer did not take a very active part in the 
 management of the business, after a year or two nearly 
 the whole responsibility of the establishment rested 
 upon young Lawrence. The stock consisted of the 
 usual variety kept in the country stores of those days, 
 when neighbors could not, as now, run down to the 
 city, thirty or forty miles distant, for any nttle matter 
 of fancy, and return before dinner-time. Puncheons 
 of rum and brandy, bales of cloth, kegs of tobacco, 
 with hardware and hosiery, shared attention in common 
 with silks and thread, and all other articles for female 
 use. Among other duties, the young clerk was obliged 
 to dispense medicines, not only to customers, but to 
 all the physicians within twenty miles around, who 
 depended on this establishment for their supply. 
 
 The confidence in his good judgment was such that 
 he was often consulted, in preference to the physician, 
 by those who were suffering from minor ails ; and 
 many were the extemporaneous doses which he admin- 
 istered for the weal or woe of the patient. The same 
 confidence was extended to him in all other matters ; 
 no one doubted his assertion ; and the character for 
 probity and fairness which accompanied him through 
 life was here established. 
 
 The quantity of rum and brandy sold would surprise 
 the temperance men of modern days. At eleven 
 o'clock, each forenoon, some stimulating beverage, 
 
24 DIAEr AND COREBSPONDENCE. 
 
 according to the taste of the clerk who compounded 
 it, was served out for the benefit of clerks and cus- 
 tomers. Mr. Lawrence partook with the others ; but, 
 soon finding that the desire became more pressing at 
 the approach of the hour for indulgence, he resolved 
 to discontinue the habit altogether : 
 
 " His mind was soon made up. Understanding perfectly the 
 ridicule he should meet with, and which for a time he did meet 
 with in its fullest measure, he yet took at once the ground of 
 total abstinence. Such a stand, taken at such an age, in such 
 circumstances of temptation, before temperance societies had been 
 heard of, or the investigations had been commenced on which they 
 are based, was a practical instance of that judgment and decision 
 which characterized him through life." * 
 
 In regard to this resolution, he writes, many years 
 afterward, to a young student in college : 
 
 " In the first place, take this for your motto at the commence- 
 ment of your journey, that the difierence of going just right, or 
 a little wrong, will be the difference of finding yourself in good 
 quarters, or in a miserable bog or slough, at the end of it. Of 
 the whole number educated in the Groton stores for some years 
 before and after myself, no one else, to my knowledge, escaped 
 the bog or slough ; and my escape I trace to the simple fact of 
 my having put a restraint upon my appetite. We five boys were 
 in the habit, every forenoon, of makiag a drink compounded of 
 
 * President Hopkins's Sermon in commemoration of Amos Lawrence. 
 
DIART AND CORKESPONDENCE. 25 
 
 nun, raisins, sugar, nutmeg, &c., -with biscuit, — all palatable to 
 eat and drink. After being in the store four weeks, I found 
 myself admonished by my appetite of the approach of the hour 
 for indulgence. Thinking the habit might make trouble if 
 allowed to grow stronger, without further apology to my seniors 
 I declined partaking with them. My first resolution was to 
 abstain for a week, and, when the week was out, for a month, 
 and then for a year. Finally, I resolved to abstain for the rest 
 of my apprenticeship, which was for five years longer. During 
 that whole period, I never drank a spoonful, though I mixed 
 gallons daily for my old master and his customers. I decided 
 not to be a slave to tobacco in any form, though I loved the odor 
 of it then, and even now have in my drawer a superior Havana 
 cigar, given me, not long since, by a friend, but only to smell of 
 I have never in my life smoked a cigar ; never chewed but one 
 quid, and that was before I was fifteen ; and never took an ounce 
 of snufij though the scented rappee of forty years ago had great 
 chaorms for me. Now, I say, to this simple fact of starting jiist 
 right am I indebted, with God's blessiag on my labors, for my 
 present position, as well as that of the numerous connections 
 sprung up around me. I have many details that now appear as 
 plain to me as the sun at noonday, by which events are connected 
 together, and which have led to results that call on me to bless the 
 Lord for all his benefits, and to use the opportunities thus per- 
 mitted to me in cheeriug on the generation of young men who 
 have claims upon my sympathies as relations, fellow-townsmen, or 
 brethren on a more enlarged scale." 
 
 Of this period he writes elsewhere, as follows : 
 
 " When I look back, I can trace the small events which hap- 
 pened at your age as having an influence upon all the after 
 4 
 
26 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 things. My academy lessons, little academy balls, and eight-cent 
 expenses for music and gingerbread, the agreeable pai-tners in the 
 hall, and pleasant companions in the stroll, all helped to make me 
 feel that I had a character even then ; and, after leaving school 
 and going into the store, there was not a month passed before I 
 became impressed with the opinion that restraint upon appetite 
 was necessary to prevent the slavery I saw destroying numbers 
 around me. Many and many of the farmers, mechanics, and 
 apprentices, of that day, have filled drunkards' graves, and have 
 left destitute families and friends. 
 
 " The knowledge of e very-day affairs which I acquired in my 
 business apprenticeship in Groton has been a source of pleasure 
 and profit even in my last ten years' discipline." 
 
 The responsibility thrown upon the young clerk was 
 very great ; and he seems cheerfully to have accepted 
 it, and to have given himself up entirely to the per- 
 formance of his business duties. His time, from early 
 dawn till evening, was fully taken up ; and, although 
 living in the family of his employer, and within a mile 
 of his father's house, a whole week would sometimes 
 pass without his having leisure to pay even a flying 
 visit. 
 
 But few details of his apprenticeship can now he 
 gathered either from his contemporaries or from any 
 allusions in his own writings. He was disabled for a 
 time by an accident which came near being fatal. In 
 assisting an acquaintance to unload a gun, by some 
 means the charge exploded, and passed directly 
 
DIAEY AND COBEESPONDENCE. 27 
 
 through the middle of his hand, making a round hole 
 like that of a bullet. Sixty-three shot were picked 
 out of the floor after the accident, and it seemed 
 almost a miracle that he ever again had the use of 
 his hand. 
 
CHAPTEE III. 
 
 ARRrVAL IN BOSTON. — CLERKSHIP. — COMMENCES BUSINESS.— 
 HABITS. — LETTERS. 
 
 On the 22d of April, 1807, Mr. Lawrence became 
 of age ; and his apprenttceship, which had lasted seven 
 years, was terminated. 
 
 On the 29th of the same month, he took his father's 
 horse and chaise, and engaged a neighbor to drive 
 him to Boston, with, as he says, many years after- 
 wards, — 
 
 " Twenty dollars in my pocket, but feeling richer than I had 
 ever felt before, or have felt since ; so rich that I gave the man 
 vrho came with me two dollars to save him from any expense, and 
 insure him against loss by his spending two days on the journey 
 here and back (for which he was glad of an excuse)." 
 
 His object was to make acq^uaintances, and to estab- 
 lish a credit which would enable him to commence 
 business in Groton on his own account, in company 
 with a fellow-apprentice. 
 
 A few days after his arrival in Boston, .he received 
 the offer of a clerkship from a respectable house ; and, 
 
 28 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 29 
 
 wishing to familiarize himself with the modes of con- 
 ducting mercantile affairs in the metropolis, and with 
 the desire of extending his acquaintance with business 
 men, he accepted the offer. His employers were so 
 well satisfied with the capacity of their new clerk, 
 that, in the course of a few months, they made a 
 proposition to admit him into partnership. Without 
 any very definite knowledge of their affairs, he, much 
 to their surprise, declined the offer. He did not con- 
 sider the principles on which the business was con- 
 ducted as the true ones. The result showed his 
 sagacity ; for, in the course of a few months, the firm 
 became insolvent, and he was appointed by the cred- 
 itors to settle their affairs. This he did to their 
 satisfaction ; and, having no further occupation, de- 
 cided upon commencing business on his own account. 
 He accordingly hired a smaU store in what was then 
 called Cornhill, and furnished it by means of the credit 
 which he had been able to obtain through the con- 
 fidence with which he had inspired those whose 
 acquaintance he had made during his brief sojourn in 
 Boston. 
 
 On the 17th of December, 1807, he commenced 
 business, after having engaged as his clerk Henry 
 Whiting, in after years well and honorably known as 
 Brigadier- General Whiting, of the United States Army. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence writes to General Whiting, in 1849, 
 as follows : 
 
30 DIARY AND COKBESPONDENCE. 
 
 " I have just looked into my first sales-book, and there see the 
 entries made by you more than forty-one years ago. Ever siace, 
 you have been going up from the cornet of dragoons to the 
 present station. Abbott, who took your place, is now the repre- 
 sentative of his country at the Court of St. James." 
 
 In a memorandum in one of his account-books, lie 
 thus alludes to his condition at that time : 
 
 " I was then, in the matter of property, not worth a dollar. 
 My father was comfortably off as a farmer, somewhat in debt ; 
 with perhaps four thousand dollars. My brother Luther was in 
 the practice of law, getting forward, but not worth two thousand 
 dollars ; William had nothing ; Abbott, a lad just fifteen years 
 old, at school ; and Samuel, a child seven years old." 
 
 Of the manner in which he occupied himself when 
 not engaged about his business, he writes to his son 
 in 1832 : 
 
 " When I first came to this city, I took lodgings in the family 
 of a widow who had commenced keeping boarders for a living. 
 I was one of her first, and perhaps had been in the city two 
 months when I went to this place ; and she, of course, while I 
 remained, was inclined to adopt any rules for the boarders that I 
 prescribed. The only one I ever made was, that, after supper, 
 all the boarders who remained ia the public room should remain 
 quiet at least for one hour, to give those who chose to study or 
 read an opportunity of doing so without disturbance. The con- 
 sequence was, that we had the most quiet and improving set of 
 young men in the town. The few who did not wish to comply 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 31 
 
 •with the regulation went abroad after tea, sometiines to the 
 theatre, sometimes to other places, but, to a man, became bank- 
 rupt in after life, not only in fortune, but in reputation ; while a 
 majority of the other class sustained good characters, and some 
 are now living who are ornaments to society, and fill important 
 stations. The influence of this small measure will perhaps be 
 felt throughout generations. It was not less favorable on myself 
 than on others." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was remarkable througli life for the 
 most punctilious exactness in all matters relating to 
 business. Ever prompt himself in all that he under- 
 took, he submitted with little grace to the want of 
 the same good trait in others. He writes to a friend : 
 
 " And now having delivered the message, having the power 
 at the present moment, and not having the assurance that I shall 
 be able to do it the next hour, I will state that I practised upon 
 the maxim, ' Business before friends,' from the commencement 
 of my course. During the first seven years of my business in 
 this city, I never allowed a bill against me to stand unsettled 
 over the Sabbath. If the purchase of goods was made at auction 
 on Saturday, and delivered to me, I always examined and settled 
 the bill by note or by crediting it, and having it clear, so that, 
 in case I was not on duty on Monday, there would be no trouble 
 for my boys ; thus keepiug the business before me, instead of 
 allowing it to drive me." 
 
 Absence from his home seemed only to strengthen 
 the feelings of attachment with which be regarded 
 its inmates : 
 
32 _ DIART AND COKRBSPONDENCE. 
 
 " My interest in home, and my desire to hare something to 
 tell my sisters to instruct and improve them, as well as to hear 
 their comments upon whatever I communicated, was a powerful 
 motive for me to spend a portion of each evening in my boarding- 
 house, the first year I came to Boston, in reading and study." 
 
 During the same month in which he commenced his 
 business, he opened a correspondence with one of his 
 sisters by the following letter : 
 
 "Boston, December, 1807. 
 
 " Dear E. : Although the youngest, you are no less dear to 
 me than the other sisters. To you, therefore, I ought to be as 
 liberal in affording pleasure (if you can find any in reading my 
 letters) as to S. and M. ; and, if there is any benefit resulting 
 from them, you have a claim to it as well as they. From these 
 considerations, and with the hope that you will write to me 
 whenever you can do so with convenience, I have begun a cor- 
 respondence which I hope will end only with life. To be able 
 to write a handsome letter is certainly a very great accomplish- 
 ment, and can best be attained by practice ; and, if you now 
 begin, I have no hesitation in saying, that, by the time you are 
 sixteen, you will be mistress of a handsome style, and thrice the 
 quantity of ideas you would otherwise possess, by omitting this 
 part of education. At present, you can write about any subject 
 that will afibrd you an opportunity of putting together a sen- 
 tence, and I shall read it with pleasure. I mention this, that you 
 need not fear writing on subjects not particularly interesting to 
 me ; the manner at present being of as much consequence aa the 
 matter. 
 
 " For our mutual pleasure and benefit, dear E., I hope you 
 wUl not fail to gratify your afiectionate brother Amos." 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 33 
 
 To show the nature of the correspondence between 
 the parties, extracts are given below from a letter 
 dated within a few days of the preceding, and ad- 
 dressed to another sister : 
 
 " From you, my dear sister, the injunction not to forget the 
 duties of religion comes "with peculiar grace. You beg I will 
 pardon you for presuming to oiFer good advice. Does a good act 
 require pardon ? Not having committed an offence, I can grant 
 you no pardon ; but my thanks I can give, which you will accept, 
 with an injunction never to withhold any caution or advice which 
 you may think necessary or beneficial on account of fewer years 
 having passed over your head. * * * * 
 
 " Many, when speaking of perfection, say it is not attainable, 
 or hitherto unattainable, and it is therefore vain to try or hope 
 for it. To such I would observe, that, from motives of duty to 
 our Creator, and ambition in ourselves, we ought to strive for it, 
 at least so far as not to be distanced by those who have preceded 
 us. Morality is strict justice between man and man ; therefore, 
 a man being moral does not imply he is a Christian, but being a 
 Christian implies he is a moral man. * * * * 
 
 " We ought to use our utmost endeavors to conquer our pas- 
 sions and evil propensities, to conform our lives to the strict rules 
 of morality and the best practice of Christianity. I cannot go 
 further, without introducing the subject of evil speaking, which 
 you will perhaps think I have exhausted. * * * 
 
 " I do not, my dear M., set myself up as a reformer of human 
 nature, or to find fault with it ; but these observations (which 
 have occurred to me as I am writing) may serve to show how apt 
 we are to do things which afford us no pleasure, and which often- 
 
34 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 times are attended with the most disagreeable consequences. If 
 you receive any improvement from the sentiments, or pleasure 
 from the perusal, of this letter, the time in writing will be con- 
 sidered as well spent by your affectionate brother A mo"? " 
 
CHAPTEE rV. 
 
 BUSINESS HABITS.— mS FATHER'S MORTGAGE.— RESOLUTIONS.— 
 ARRIVAL OF BROTHERS IN BOSTON. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence had early formed, in the managemeiit 
 of his affairs, certaia principles, to which he rigidly 
 adhered tiU the close of life. He writes : 
 
 " I adopted the plan of keeping an accurate account of mer- 
 chandise bought and sold each day, with the profit as far as 
 practicable. This plan was pursued for a number of years ; and 
 I never found my merchandise fall short in taking an account of 
 stock, which I did as often at least as once in each year. I was 
 thus enabled to form an opinion of my actual state as a business 
 man. I adopted also the rule always to have property, after my 
 second year's business, to represent forty per cent, at least more 
 than I owed ; that is, never to be in debt more than two and a 
 half times my capital. This caution saved me from ever getting 
 embarrassed. If it were more generally adopted, we should see 
 fewer failures in business. Excessive credit is the rock on which 
 so many business men are broken. 
 
 " When I commenced, the embargo had just been laid, and 
 with such restrictions on trade that many were induced to leave 
 it. But I felt great confidence, that, by industry, economy, and 
 integrity, I could get a living ; and the experiment showed that 
 I was right. Most of the young men who commenced at that 
 
 35 
 
36 DIAET AND CORRESPONI^ENCE. 
 
 period failed by spending too much money, and using credit too 
 freely. 
 
 " I made about fifteen hundred dollars the first year, and more 
 than four thousand the second. Probably, had I made four 
 thousand the first year, I should have failed the second or third 
 year. I practised a system of rigid economy, and never allowed 
 myself to spend a fourpence for unnecessary objects until I had 
 acquired it." 
 
 It is known to many of Mr. Lawrence's friends that 
 his father mortgaged his farm, and loaned the pro- 
 ceeds to his son ; thereby enabling him, as some 
 suppose, to do what he could not have done by his 
 own unaided efforts. To show how far this supposition 
 is correct, the following extract is given. It is copied 
 from the back of the original mortgage deed, now 
 lying before the writer, and bearing date of September 
 1, 1807. The extract is dated March, 1847 : 
 
 " The review of this transaction always calls up the deep 
 feelings of my heart. My honored father brought to me the one 
 thousand dollars, and asked me to give him my note for it. I 
 told him he did wrong to place himself in a situation to be made 
 unhappy, if I lost the money. He told me he guessed I 
 would rit lose it, and I gave him my note. The first thing I 
 did was to take four per cent, premium on my Boston bills (the 
 difierence then between passable and Boston money), and send 
 a thousand dollars in bills of the Hillsborough Bank to Amherst, 
 New Hampshire, by my father, to my brother L. to carry to the 
 bank and get specie, as he was going there to attend court that 
 week. My brother succeeded in getting specie, principally in 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 37 
 
 silver change, for the bills, and returned it to me in a few days. 
 In the mean time, or shortly after, the bank had been sued, the 
 bills discredited, and, in the end, proved nearly worthless. I 
 determined not to use the money, except in the safest way ; and 
 therefore loaned it to Messrs. Parkman, in whom I had entire 
 confidence. After I had been in business, and had made more 
 than a thousand dollars, I felt that I could repay the money, 
 come what would of it ; being insured against fire, and trusting 
 nobody for goods. I used it in my business, but took care to pay 
 off the mortgage as soon as it would be received. The whole 
 transaction is deeply interesting, and calls forth humble and 
 devout thanksgiving to that merciful Father who has been to us 
 better than our most sanguine hopes." 
 
 In alluding to this transaction in another place, he 
 says : 
 
 " This incident shows how dangerous it is to the independence 
 and comfort of families, for parents to take pecuniary responsibil- 
 ities for their sons in trade, beyond their power of meeting them 
 without embarrassment. Had my Hillsborough Bank notes not 
 been paid as they were, nearly the whole amount would have 
 been lost, and myself and family might probably have been 
 ruined. The incident was so striking, that I have uniformly 
 discouraged young men who have applied to me for credit, offer- 
 ing their fathers as bondsmen ; and, by doing so, I have, I 
 believe, saved some respectable families from ruin. My advice, 
 however, has been sometimes rejected with anger. A young man 
 who cannot get along without such aid will not be likely to get 
 along with it. On the first day of January, 1808, I had been 
 but a few days in business ; and the profits on all my sales to 
 that day were one hundred and seventy-five dollars and eighteen 
 
38 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 cents. The expenses were to come out, and the balance was my 
 capital. In 1842, the sum had increased to such an amount as I 
 thought would be good for my descendants ; and, from that time, 
 I have been my own executor. How shall I show my sense of 
 responsibility ? Surely by active deeds more than by unmeaning 
 words. God grant me to be true and faithful in his work ! " 
 
 Having become fairly established in Boston, Mr. 
 Lawrence concluded to take his brother Abbott, then 
 fifteen years of age, as an apprentice. On the 8th of 
 October, 1808, Abbott accordingly joined his brother, 
 who says of him : 
 
 "In 1808, he came to me as my apprentice, bringing his 
 bundle under his arm, with less than three dollars in his pocket 
 (and this was his fortune) ; a first-rate business lad he was, but, 
 like other bright lads, needed the careful eye of a senior to guard 
 him from the pitfalls that he was exposed to." 
 
 In his diary of February 10, 1847, he writes : 
 
 " In the autumn of 1809, I boarded at Granger's Coffee 
 House, opposite Brattle-street Church ; and, in the same house, 
 Mr. Charles White took up his quarters, to prepare his then new 
 play, called the ' Clergyman's Daughter.' He spent some 
 months in preparing it to secure a run for the winter ; and used 
 to have Tennett, Canfield, Robert Treat Paine, and a host of 
 others, to dine with him very often. I not unfrequently left the 
 party at the dinner-table, and found them there when I returned 
 to tea. Among the boarders was a fair proportion of respectable 
 young men, of different pursuits; and, having got somewhat 
 
DIART AND CORKESPONDENCE. 39 
 
 interested for White, we all agreed to go, and help bring out his 
 ' Clergyman's Daughter.' Mrs. Darley was the lady to per- 
 sonate her, and a more beautiful creature could not be found. 
 She and her husband (who sung his songs better than any man I 
 had ever heard then) had all the spirit of parties in interest. 
 We filled the boxes, and encored, and all promised a great run. 
 After three nights, we found few beside the friends, and it was 
 laid aside a failure. In looking back, the picture comes fresh 
 before me ; and, among all, I do not recollect one who was the 
 better, and most were ruiued. The theatre is no better now." 
 
 In 1849, he resumes : 
 
 " About this time, my brother William made me a little visit 
 to recruit his health, which he had impaired by hard work on the 
 farm, and by a generous attention to the joyous meetings of the 
 young folks of both sexes, from six miles around, which meetings 
 he never allowed to break in upon his work. He continued his 
 visit through the winter, and became so much interested in my 
 business that I agreed to furnish the store next my own for his 
 benefit. Soon after that, I was taken sick ; and he bought goods 
 for himself to start with, and pushed on without fear. From 
 that time, he was successful as a business man. He used his 
 property faithfully, and I trust acceptably to the Master, who has 
 called him to account for his talents. Our father's advice to us 
 was, 
 
 " ' Do not fall out by the way, for a three-fold cord is not 
 quickly broken.' " 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 VISITS AT GROTON. — SICKNESS.— LETTER FROM DR. SHATTUCK.— 
 ENGAGEMENT. — LETTER TO REV. DR. GANNETT. — MARRIAGE. 
 
 During these years, Mr. Lawrence was in the habit 
 of making occasional visits to his parents in Groton, 
 thirty-five miles distant. His custom was to drive 
 himself, leaving Boston at a late hour on Saturday 
 afternoon, and often, as he says, encroaching upon the 
 Sahbath before reaching home. After midnight, on 
 Sunday, he would leave on his return ; and thus was 
 enabled to reach Boston about daybreak on Monday 
 morning, without losing a moment's time in his 
 business. 
 
 In 1810, Mr. Lawrence was seized with an alarm- 
 ing iUness, through which he enjoyed the care and 
 skiU of his friend and physician, the late Dr. G. 0. 
 Shattuck, who, shortly before his own death, trans- 
 mitted the following account of this iUness to the 
 editor of these pages, who also had the privilege of 
 enjoying a friendship so much prized by his father : 
 
 " Feb. 28, 1853. 
 
 " More than forty years ago, New England was visited with a 
 
 pestilence. The people were stricken with panic. The first vic- 
 
 40 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 41 
 
 tims were taken off unawaxes. In many towns in the interior of 
 the commonwealth, the people assembled in town meeting, and 
 voted to pay, from the town treasury, physicians to be in readiness 
 to attend on any one assailed with the premonitory symptoms of 
 disease. The distemper was variously named, cold plague, spot- 
 ted fever, and malignant remittent fever. After a day of unusual 
 exercise, your father was suddenly taken iU. The worthy family 
 in which he boarded were prompt in their sympathy. A physi- 
 cian was called : neighbors and friends volunteered their aid. 
 Remedies were diligently employed. Prayers in the church were 
 offered up for the sick one. A pious father left his home, on the 
 banks of the Nashua, to be with his son. To the physician in 
 attendance he gave a convulsive grasp of the hand, and, with 
 eyes brimful of tears, and choked utterance, articulated, ' Doctor, 
 if Amos has not money enough, I have ! ' To the anxious father 
 his acres seemed like dust in the balance contrasted with the life 
 of his son. He was a sensible man, acting on the principle- that 
 the stimulus of reward is a salutary adjunct to the promptings of 
 humanity. God rebuked the disorder, though the convalescence 
 was slow. A constitution with an originally susceptible nervous 
 temperament had received a shock which rendered him a long 
 time feeble. An apprentice, with a discretion beyond his years, 
 maintained a healthy activity in his mercantile operations, to the 
 quiet of his mind. He did not need great strength ; for sagacity 
 and decision supplied every other lack. Supply and demand were 
 as familiar to him as the alphabet. He knew the wants of the 
 country, and sources of supply. Accumulation followed his 
 operations, and religious principle regulated the distribution of 
 the cumbrous surplus. A sensible and pious father, aided by a 
 prudent mother, had trained the child to become the fiiture man. 
 You will excuse my now addressing you, when you recur to the 
 
42 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 tradition that I had participated in the joy of the house when 
 you first opened your eyes to the light. That God's promises to 
 the seed of the righteous may extend to you and yours, is the 
 prayer of your early acquaintance, 
 
 "George C. Shattuck." 
 
 But few details of Mr. Lawrence's business from 
 this date untD. 1815 are now found. Sufi&ce it to 
 say, that, through the difficult and troubled times in 
 which the United States were engaged in the war 
 with England, his effiirts were crowned with success. 
 Dark clouds sometimes arose in the horizon, and vari- 
 ous causes of discouragement from time to time cast 
 a gloom over the mercantile world ; but despondency 
 formed no part of his character, while cool sagacity 
 and unceasing watchfulness and perseverance enabled 
 him to weather many a storm which made shipwreck 
 of others around him. 
 
 Amidst the engrossing cares of business, however, 
 Mr. Lawrence found time to indulge in more genial 
 pursuits, as wiU be seen from the following lines, 
 addressed to his sister : 
 
 "Boston, March 17, 1811. 
 "My not having written to you since your return, my dear 
 M., has proceeded from my having other numerous avocations, 
 and partly from a carelessness in such aiFairs reprehensible in me. 
 You will, perhaps, be surprised to learn the extent and import- 
 ance of my avocations ; for, in addition to my usual routine of 
 mercantile afifairs, I have lately been engaged in' a negotiation of 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 43 
 
 the first importance, and wliich I have accomplished very much to 
 my own satisfaction. It is no other than having offered myself as 
 a husband to your very good friend Sarah Richards, which offer 
 she has agreed to accept. So, next fall, you must set your mind 
 on a wedding. Sarah I have long known and esteemed : there is 
 such a reciprocity of feelings, sentiments, and principles, that I 
 have long thought her the most suitable person I have seen for 
 me to be united with. Much of my time, as you may well suppose, 
 is spent in her society ; and here I cannot but observe the infi- 
 nite advantage of good sense and good principles over the merely 
 elegant accomplishments of fashionable education. By the latter 
 we may be fascinated for a time ; but they will afford no satisfac- 
 tion on retrospection. The former you are compelled to respect 
 and to love. Such qualities are possessed by Sarah; and, were 
 I to say anything further in her favor, it would be that she is 
 beloved by you. Adieu, my dear sister, A. L." 
 
 As this volume is intended only for the perusal of 
 the family and friends of the late Amos Lawrence, no 
 apology need be made for introducing such incidents 
 of his life, of a domestic nature, as may be thought 
 interesting, and which it might not seem advisable to 
 introduce under other circumstances. Of this nature 
 are some details connected with this engagement. 
 The young lady here alluded to, whose solid qualities 
 he thus, at the age of twenty-five and in the first 
 flush of a successful courtship, so calmly discusses, in 
 addition to these, possessed personal charms sufficient 
 to captivate the fancy of even a more philosophical 
 admirer than himself. Her father, Giles Richards, 
 
44: DIARY AND OOEKESPONDENCE. 
 
 was a man of great ingenuity, who resided in Boston 
 at the close of the Revolutionary War. He owned an 
 establishment for the manufactory of cards for prepar- 
 ing wool. A large number of men were employed; 
 and, at that time, it was considered one of the objects 
 worthy of notice by strangers. As such, it was visited 
 by General Washington on his northern tour ; and may 
 be found described, in the early editions of Morse's 
 Geography, among the industrial establishments of 
 Boston. As in the case of many more noted men of 
 inventive genius, his plans were more vast than the 
 means of accomplishment ; and the result was, loss of 
 a handsome competency, and embarrassment in busi- 
 ness, from which he retired with unsullied reputation, 
 and passed his latter years in the vicinity of Boston. 
 Here the evening of his life was cheered by the con- 
 stant and watchful care of his wife, whose cheerful and 
 happy temperament shed a radiance around his path, 
 which, from a naturally desponding character, might 
 otherwise have terminated in gloom. She had been 
 the constant companion of her husband in all his jour- 
 neyings and residences in nearly every State in the 
 Union, where his business had called him ; and, after 
 forty years, returned to die in the house Avhere she was 
 born, — the parsonage once occupied by her father, the 
 Rev. Amos Adams, of Roxbury, who, at the time of 
 the Revolution, was minister of the church now under 
 the pastoral care of the Rev. Dr. Putnam. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 45 
 
 Sarah had been placed in the family of the Eev. Dr. 
 Chaplin, minister of the church at Groton, and was a 
 member of the academy when Mr. Lawrence first made 
 her acquaintance. " The academy balls, the agreeable 
 partners in the hall, the pleasant companions in the 
 stroll," remembered with so much pleasure in after life, 
 were not improbably associated with this acquaintance, 
 who had become a visitor and friend to his own sisters. 
 After a separation of four years, the acquaintance was 
 accidentally renewed ia the year 1807. Sarah was on 
 a visit at Cambridge to the family of Caleb Gannett, 
 Esq., then and for many years afterwards Steward of 
 Harvard University. In a letter to Eev. Dr. Gannett, 
 dated February 15, 1845, Mr. Lawrence thus alludes 
 to this interview : 
 
 " My first interview •with you, tliirty-eight year a ago, when 
 you were led by the hand into the store where I then was, in 
 Comhill, by that friend (who was afterwards my wife), uncon- 
 scious of my beiag within thirty miles, after a four years' separa- 
 tion, connects you in my thoughts with her, her children and 
 gi-andchildren, in a way that no one can appreciate who has not 
 had the experience." 
 
 Enclosed in this letter was a faded paper, on which 
 were written several verses of poetry, with the follow- 
 ing explanation : 
 
 " Only think of your sainted mother writing this little scrap 
 thirty-eight years ago, when on her death-bed, for her young 
 friend, then on a visit to her, to teach to you, who could not 
 
46 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 read; and this scrap, written upon a blank term-bill witliout 
 premeditation, being preserved by that friend while she lived, 
 and, after her death, by her daughter while she lived, and, after 
 her death, being restored to me as the rightful disposer of it ; and 
 my happening, within four days after, to meet you under such 
 circumstances as made it proper to show it to you." 
 
 MRS. GANNETT'S HYMN FOK HEE IJTTLE BOY IN 1807. 
 
 How can a child forgetful prove 
 
 Of all that wakes the heart to love, 
 
 And from the path of duty stray, 
 
 To spend his time in sport and play ; 
 
 Neglectful of the blessing given, 
 
 Which marks the path to peace and heaven ? 
 
 ! how can I, who daily share 
 
 A mother's kind, assiduous care, 
 
 Be idle, and ungrateful too ; 
 
 Forsake the good, the bad pursue ; 
 
 Neglectful of the blessings given. 
 
 Which mark the path to peace and heaven ? 
 
 O ! how can I such folly show, 
 
 When faults indulged to vices grow, — 
 
 Who know that idle days ne'er make 
 
 Men that are useful, good, or great ? 
 
 Dear mother, still be thou my guide, 
 
 Nor suffer me my faults to hide ; 
 
 And may God his grace impart 
 
 To fix my feeble, foolish heart. 
 
 That I may wait the blessing given, 
 
 Which marks the path to peace and heaven ! 
 
 Mem. — Mrs. Gannett died soon after writing this on a blank term-bill of Har- 
 vard College, in 1807. — A. L., 1847. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Lawrence took place in Boston, 
 on the 6th of June, 1811, three months after announc- 
 ing his engagement to his sister. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 BRAMBLE NEWS.— JUNIOR PAKTNER GOES TO ENGLAND.— 
 LETTERS TO BROTHER. 
 
 In 1849, Mr. Lawrence writes as follows : 
 
 " On the 1st of January, 1814, I took my brother Abbott 
 into partnership on equal shares, putting fifty thousand dollars, 
 that I had then earned, into the concern. Three days afterwards, 
 the ' Bramble News ' came, by which the excessive high price of 
 goods was knocked down. Our stock was then large, and had 
 cost a high price. He was in great anguish, considering him- 
 self a bankrupt for at least five thousand dollars. I cheered him 
 by offering to cancel our copartnership indentures, give him up 
 his note, and, at the end of the year, pay him five thousand 
 dollars. He declined the offer, saying I should lose that, and 
 more beside, and, as he had enlisted, would do the best he could. 
 This was in character, and it was well for us both. He was 
 called off to do duty as a soldier, through most of the year. I 
 took care of the business, and prepared to retreat with my family 
 into the country whenever the town seemed liable to fall into the 
 hands of the British, who were very threatening in their demon- 
 strations. We still continue mercantile business under the first 
 set of indentures, and under the same firm, merely adding ' & 
 Co.,' as new partners have been admitted." 
 
 In March, 1815, the junior partner embarked on 
 
 47 
 
48 DIARY AND COEEESPONDENCB. 
 
 board the ship Milo, the first vessel which sailed from 
 Boston for England after the proclamation of peace. 
 On the eve of his departure, he received from his 
 brother and senior partner a letter containing many 
 good counsels for his future moral guidance, as well as 
 instructions in relation to the course of business to be 
 pursued. Erom that letter, dated March 11th, the 
 following extracts are taken : 
 
 " Mt dear Brother : I have thought best, before you go 
 abroad, to suggest a few hints for your benefit in your intercourse 
 with the people among whom you are going. As a first and 
 leading principle, let every transaction be of that pure and honest 
 character that you would not be ashamed to have appear before 
 the whole world as clearly as to yourself. In addition to the 
 advantages arising from an honest course of conduct with your 
 fellow-men, there is the satisfaction of reflecting within yourself 
 that you have endeavored to do your duty ; and, however greatly 
 the best may fall short of doing all they ought, they will be sure 
 not to do more than their principles enjoin. 
 
 " It is, therefore, of the highest consequence that you should 
 not only cultivate correct principles, but that you should place 
 your standard of action so high aa to require great vigilance in 
 living up to it. 
 
 " In regard to your business transactions, let everything be so 
 registered in your books, that any person, without difficulty, can 
 understand the whole of your concerns. You may be cut ofi" in 
 the midst of your pursuits, and it is of no small consequence that 
 your temporal affairs should always be so arranged that you may 
 be in readiness. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 49 
 
 " If it is important that you should be well prepared in this 
 point of view, how much more important is it that you should be 
 prepared in that which relates to eternity ! 
 
 " You are young, and the course of life seems open, and 
 pleasant prospects greet your ardent hopes ; but you must 
 remember that the race is not always to the swift, and that how- 
 ever flattering may be your prospects, and however zealously you 
 may seek pleasure, you can never find it except by cherishing 
 pure principles, and practising right conduct. My heart is full 
 on this subject, my dear brother, and it is the only one on which 
 I feel the least anxiety. 
 
 " While here, your conduct has been such as to meet my entire 
 approbation ; but the scenes of another land may be more than 
 your principles will stand against. I say, may be, because 
 young men, of as fair promise as yourself, have been lost by 
 giving a small latitude (innocent in the first instance) to their 
 propensities. But I pray the Father of all mercies to have you 
 in his keeping, and preserve you amid temptations. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " I can only add my wish to have you write me frequently and 
 
 particularly, and that you will embrace every opportunity of 
 
 gaining information. Your afiectionate brother, 
 
 "Amos Lawrence. 
 "To Abbott Lawrence. " 
 
 Again, on the 28th of the month, he writes to the 
 same, after his departure : 
 
 " I hope you will have arrived in England early in April ; and 
 if so, you will be awaiting with anxious solicitude the arrival of 
 the ' Galen,' by which vessel you will receive letters from home, 
 a word which brings more agreeable associations to the mind and 
 
 7 
 
50 DIARY AND COKKESPONDENCE. 
 
 feelings of a young stranger in a foreign land than any other in 
 our language. I have had many fears that you have had a rough 
 passage, as the weather on the Friday following your departure 
 was very boisterous, and continued so for a number of days, and 
 much of the time since has been uncomfortable. I trust, how- 
 ever, that the same good Hand which supplies our daily wants has 
 directed your course to the desired port. 
 
 " With a just reliance on that Power, we need have no fear, 
 though winds and waves should threaten our destruction. The 
 interval between the time of bidding adieu and of actual depart- 
 ure called into exercise those fine feelings which those only have 
 who can prize friends, and on that account I was happy to see so 
 much feeling in yourself 
 
 " Since your departure nothing of a public nature has trans- 
 pired of particular interest. All that there is of news or interest 
 among us you will gather from the papers forwarded. 
 
 " Those afiairs which relate particularly to ourselves will be of 
 as much interest as any; I shall therefore detail our business 
 operations. 
 
 ^T" TV" T^ *J^ ^^ 
 
 " My next and constant direction will be to keep a particular 
 watch over yourself, that you do not fall into any habits of vice ; 
 and, as a means of preserving yourself, I would most strictly 
 enjoin that your Sabbaths be not spent in noise and riot, but that 
 you attend the public worship of God. This you may think an 
 unnecessary direction to you, who have always been in the habit 
 of doing so. I hope it may be ; at any rate, it will do no harm. 
 
 " That you may be blessed with health, and enjoy properly the 
 blessings of life, is the wish of your ever affectionate brother, 
 
 "A. L. 
 <' To Abbott Lawrence." 
 
DIART AND COEBESPONDENCE. 61 
 
 (to ABBOTT LAWRENCE.) 
 
 " Boston, April 15th, 1815. 
 
 "My dear Bkother: By the favor of Heaven I trust ere 
 thi3 you have landed upon the soil from which sprang our fore- 
 fathers. In the contemplation of that wonderful ' Me ' on your 
 first arrival, there must be a feeling bordering on devotion. The 
 thousand new objects, which make such constant demand on your 
 attention, will not, I hope, displace the transatlantic friends from 
 the place they should occupy in your remembrance. Already do 
 I begin to count the days when I may reasonably hear from you. 
 
 " I pray you to let no opportunity pass without writing, as you 
 will be enabled to appreciate the pleasure your letters will give 
 by those which you receive from home. Since your departure, 
 our father has been dangerously ill ; he seems fast recovering, but 
 we much fear a relapse, when he would, in all probability, be 
 immediately deprived of life, or his disease would bo far weaken 
 him as to terminate his usefulness. Our mother continues as 
 comfortable as when you left us. Should you live to return, 
 probably one or both our parents may not be here to welcome 
 you ; we have particular reason for thankfulness that they have 
 both been spared to us so long, and have been so useful in the 
 education of their children. 
 
 " All others of our connection have been in health since your 
 departure, and a comfortable share of happiness seems to have 
 been enjoyed by all. 
 
 ^ * -tF -TV •TT n^ 
 
 " Now for advice : you are placed in a particularly favorable 
 situation, my dear brother, for improving yourself in the knowl- 
 edge of such things as will hereafter be useful to you. Let no 
 opportunity pass without making the most of it. There are 
 necessarily many vacant hours in your business, which ought not 
 
52 DIART AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 to pass unemployed. I pretend not to suggest particular objects 
 for your attention, but only the habit generally of active employ- 
 ment, which, while making your time useful and agreeable to 
 yourself, will be the best safeguard to your virtue. The Ameri- 
 can character, I trust, is somewhat respected in England at this 
 time, notwithstanding it was lately at so low an ebb ; and I would 
 wish every American to endeavor to do something to improve it. 
 Especially do I wish you, my dear A., who visit that country 
 under circumstances so favorable, to do your part in establishing 
 a character for your country as well as for yourself Thus prays 
 your affectionate brother, A. L." 
 
 To his wife, at Groton, Mr. Lawrence writes, under 
 date of June 4, 1815 : 
 
 " The Milo got in yesterday, and brought letters from 
 Abbott, dated 4th April. He was then in Manchester, and 
 enjoyed the best health. He wrote to our father, which letter, I 
 hope, will arrive at Groton by to-morrow's mail. I received from 
 him merchandise, which I hope to get out of the ship and sell 
 this week. I suspect there are few instances of a young man 
 leaving this town, sending out goods, and having them sold within 
 ninety days from the time of his departure. It is eighty-four 
 days this morning since he left home." 
 
 (to ABBOTT LAWRENCE.) 
 
 " Boston, June 7, 1815. 
 " Dbae Brother : By the arrival of the Milo last Saturday, 
 and packet on Monday, I received your several letters, giving an 
 account of your proceedings. You are as famous among your 
 acquaintances here for the rapidity of your movements as Bona- 
 parte. Mr. thinks that you leave Bonaparte entirely in the 
 
DIARY AND COKKESPONDENCE. 53 
 
 background. I really feel a little proud, my dear brother, of 
 your conduct. Few instances of like despatch are known. 
 
 " The sensations you experienced in being greeted so heartily 
 by the citizens of Liverpool, were not unlike those you felt on 
 hearing the news of peace. I am happy to state to you that our 
 father has so far recovered from his illness as to be able to attend 
 to his farm. Our mother's health is much as when you left. 
 
 " Your friends here feel a good deal of interest in your welfare, 
 and read with deep interest your letters to them. The opportu- 
 nity is peculiarly favorable for establishing a reputation as a close 
 observer of men and manners, and for those improvements which 
 travelling is reputed to give. 
 
 " When writing to you sentences of advice, my heart feels all 
 the tender sympathies and affections which bind me to my own 
 children. This is my apology, if any be necessary, for so fre- 
 quently touching on subjects for your moral improvement. 
 
 "In any condition I can subscribe myself no other than your 
 ever affectionate brother, A. L." 
 
CHAPTEE YII. 
 
 DEATH OF SISTER. — LETTERS. 
 
 On the 19th of August, 1815, Mr. Lawrence, in the 
 following letter to his brother, announced the sudden 
 death of a sister, who to youth and beauty united many 
 valuable qualities of mind and character : 
 
 " To you, who are at such a distance from home, and employed 
 
 in the busy pursuits of life, the description of domestic woe will 
 
 not come with such force as on us who were eye-witnesses to an 
 
 event which we and all our friends shall not cease to deplore. 
 
 We have attended this morning to the last sad ofGce of affection 
 
 to our loved sister S. Although for ourselves we mourn the loss 
 
 of so much excellence, yet for her we rejoice that her race is so 
 
 soon run. We are permitted to hope that she is now a saint in 
 
 heaven, celebrating before the throne of her Father the praises of 
 
 the redeemed. She met death in the enjoyment of that hope 
 
 which is the peculiar consolation of the believer. This event, I 
 
 know, my dear brother, is calculated to awaken all the tender 
 
 recoUectiona of home, and to call forth all your sympathy for 
 
 the anguish of friends ; but it is also calculated to soften the heart, 
 
 and to guide you in your own preparation for that great day of 
 
 account. The admonition, I hope, may not be lost on any of us, 
 
 and happy will it be for us if we use it aright." 
 
 64 
 
DIAKY AND COBBESPONDENCE. 55 
 
 (to the same.) 
 
 " Boston, October 19, 1815. 
 
 " Dear Abbott : By this vessel I have written to you, but 
 am always desirous of communicating the last intelligence from 
 home, therefore I write again. The situation of our town, our 
 country, our friends, and all the objects of endearment, continues 
 the same as heretofore. We are, to be sure, getting into a 
 religious controversy which does not promise to increase the stock 
 of charity among us, but good will undoubtedly arise from it. 
 The passions of some of our brethren are too much engaged, and 
 it would seem from present appearances that consequences unfa- 
 vorable to the cause of our Master may ensue ; but the wrath of 
 man is frequently made subservient to the best purposes, and the 
 good of mankind may in this case be greatly promoted by what at 
 present seems a great evil. Men's passions are but poor guides to 
 the discovery of truth, but they may sometimes elicit light by 
 which others may get at the truth. 
 
 " It does seem to me that a man need only use his common 
 sense, and feel a willingness to be instructed in the reading of the 
 Scriptures, and there is enough made plain to his understanding 
 to direct him in the way he should go. 
 
 " Others, however, think differently; but that should not be a 
 reason with me for calling them hard names, especially if by their 
 lives they show that they are followers of the same Master." 
 
 On December 2d, he writes again : 
 
 " I heard from you verbally on the 1st of October, in company 
 with a platoon of New England Guards ; and hope the head of the 
 corps allowed Lord Wellington the honor of an introduction, and 
 of inspecting this choice corps, which once had the honor of pro- 
 
56 DIAEY AND COKEESPONDENCE. 
 
 tecting the constitution and independence of the United States, 
 when menaced by the ' proud sons of Britain.' This is a theme 
 on -which you may be allowed to dwell with some delight, although 
 there are no recitals of hair-breadth escapes and hard-fought 
 actions, when numbers bit the dust. Yet to you, who were active 
 in performing duty, this should be a source of comfortable feeling, 
 as the amount of human misery has not been increased by your 
 means. Shakspeare's knight of sack thought ' the better part of 
 valor was discretion,' but I do not believe the Guards would have 
 confirmed this sentiment, had the opportunity offered for a trial. 
 I am really glad to hear of you in Paris, and hope you will 
 improve every moment of your time in acquiring information that 
 will be agreeable and interesting ; and, more particularly, I hope 
 you will have gone over the ground where the great events have 
 happened that now allow Europe to repose in peace. How much 
 should I delight in a few hours' intercourse with you ; but that 
 must be deferred to another period, perhaps to a very distant 
 period. 
 
 " I feel very healthy and very happy ; my wife and children 
 all enjoying health, and a good share of the bounties of Providence 
 in various ways. Well you may be contented, you will say. 
 What more is wanting? Such is not always the lot of man 
 possessing those blessings. There is often a voracious appetite 
 for other and greater blessings. The d^ire for more splendor, 
 -the possession of more wealth, is coveted, without the disposition 
 to use it as an accountable creature ; and too late the poor man 
 finds that all his toil for these earthly objects of his worship fails 
 in satisfying or giving a good degree of content. I, therefore, 
 have reason for thankfulness that I am blessed with a disposition 
 to appreciate tolerably the temporal blessings I enjoy. To the 
 Father of all mercies I am indebted for this and every other good 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPOKDENCE. 57 
 
 thing ; even for the increased affection with which I think of you. 
 That he may bless and keep you, dear Abbott, is the prayer of 
 your brother, A. L." 
 
 On June 6th, 1817, a few days after the birth of a 
 daughter, he writes to a friend : 
 
 " I am the richest man, I suppose, that there is on this side of 
 the water, and the richest because I am the happiest. On the 23d 
 ult. I was blessed by the birth of a fine little daughter ; this, as 
 you may well suppose, has filled our hearts with joy. S. is 
 very comfortable, and is not less gratified than I am. I wish you 
 were a married man, and then (if you had a good wife) you 
 would know how to appreciate the pleasures of a parent. I have 
 lately thought more than ever of the propriety of your settling 
 soon. It is extremely dangerous to defer making a connection 
 until a late period ; for a man is in more and more danger of not 
 forming one the longer he puts it off; and any man who does not 
 form this connection grossly miscalculates in the use of the means 
 which God has given him to supply himself with pleasures in the 
 downhill journey of life. 
 
 " He is also foolish to allow himself to be cheated in this con- 
 nection by the prospect of a few present advantages, to the 
 exclusion of the more permanent ones. Every man's best pleas- 
 ures should be at home ; for there is the sphere! for the exercise 
 of his best virtues ; and he should be particularly careful, in the 
 selection of a partner, to get one who will jeopardize neither. On 
 this subject, you know, I am always eloquent. But, at this time, 
 there is reason for my being so, as it is the anniversary of my 
 wedding day. 
 
 " S. has put her eye on a rib for you. The said person, you 
 
58 DIARY AND COEEESPONDENCE. 
 
 must know, is of a comely appearance (not beautiful), is rather 
 
 taller than , has a good constitution, is perfectly acquainted 
 
 ■with domestic economy, and has all the most desirable of the 
 fashionable accomplishments, such as music, painting &c. ; and my 
 only objection to her is, as far as I have observed her, that she 
 has a few thousand dollars in cash. This, however, might be 
 remedied ; for, after furnishing a house, the balance might be 
 given to her near connections, or to some public institution. I 
 will give no further description, but will only say that her 
 connections are such as you would find pleasure in. No more 
 on this subject. The subject of principal interest among us now 
 is the new tariff of duties." * * * * 
 
CHAPTER YIIL 
 
 DOMESTIC HABITS.— ILLNESS AND DEATH OP WIFE. 
 
 In searcMng for records of the business at this period, 
 the first copied letters are found in a volume com- 
 mencing with the date of March 10, 1815 ; since which 
 period the correspondence, contained in many volumes, 
 is complete. On the first page of this volume is a 
 letter from the senior partner somewhat characteristic. 
 It relates to a hill of exchange for two thousand rupees, 
 which he knew was a doubtful one, but which he had 
 taken to relieve the pressing necessities of a young 
 Englishwoman from Calcutta, with a worthless husband. 
 He writes to his friends in that city : 
 
 " We have been so particular as to send a clerk to her with the 
 money, that we might be sure of her receiving it. Previous to 
 her receiving the money from us, we were told her children were 
 ragged, barefooted, and hungry ; afterwards we knew they were 
 kept comfortably clad." 
 
 In tracing the course of business as revealed by the 
 perusal of the correspondence, it is evident that Mr. 
 Laivrence's time and attention must have been en- 
 
 59 
 
60 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 grossed by tlie increasing importance and magnitude 
 of the mercantile operations of his firm. The cares 
 and perplexities of the day did not, however, unfit 
 him for the quiet enjoyments of domestic life ; and, 
 however great and urgent were the calls upon his 
 time and his thoughts from abroad, home, with its 
 endearments, occupied the first place in his affections. 
 So much did its interests transcend all others in his feel- 
 ings, that he speaks in after life of having "watched 
 night and day without leaving, for a fortnight," a sick 
 child ; and then being rewarded for his care by having 
 it restored to him after the diligent application of 
 remedies, when the physician and friends had given up 
 all hope of recovery. 
 
 With such affections and sources of happiness, con- 
 nected with prosperity in his affairs, it may well be 
 supposed that the current of life flowed smoothly on. 
 His evenings were passed at home ; and urgent must 
 have been the call which could draw him from his fire- 
 side, where the social chat or friendly book banished 
 the cares of the day. 
 
 A gentleman, now a prominent merchant in New 
 York, who was a clerk with Mr. Lawrence at this time, 
 says of him : 
 
 " When the business season was over, he would sit down with 
 me, and converse freely and famiharly, and would have something 
 interesting and useful to say. I used to enjoy these sittings; 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 61 
 
 and, while I always feared to do anything, or leave anything 
 undone, which would displease him, I at the same time had a very 
 high regard, and I may say love, for him, such as I never felt for 
 any other man beside my own father. He had a remarkable faculty 
 of bringing the sterling money into our currency, with any 
 advance, by a calculation in his mind, and would give the result 
 with great accuracy in one quarter of the time which it took me 
 to do it by figures. I used to try hard to acquire this faculty, 
 but could not, and never saw any other person who possessed it to 
 the degree he did. His mind was remarkably vigorous and 
 accurate; and consequently his business was transacted in a 
 prompt and correct manner. Nothing was left undone until to- 
 morrow which could be done to-day. He was master of and con- 
 trolled his business, instead of allowing his business to master and 
 control him. When I took charge of the books, they were kept 
 by single entry ; and Mr. Lawrence daily examined every entry 
 to detect errors. He was dissatisfied with this loose way of keep- 
 ing the books; and, at his request, I studied book-keeping by 
 double entry with Mr. Gershom Cobb, who had just introduced 
 the new and shorter method of double entry. I then transferred 
 the accounts into a new set of books on this plan, and well 
 remember his anxiety during the process, and his expression of 
 delight when the work was completed, and I had succeeded in 
 making the first trial-balance come out right. This was the first 
 set of books opened in Boston on the new system. While Mr. 
 Lawrence required all to fulfil their engagements fully and 
 promptly, so long as they were able to do so, he was lem'ent to 
 those who were unfortunate, and always ready to compromise 
 demands against such. No case occurred, while I was with him, 
 in which I thought he dealt harshly with a debtor who had failed 
 in business." 
 
62 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 The year 1818 opened with cheering prospects ; but 
 a cloud was gathering which was destined to cast a 
 shadow over all these pleasant hopes. During the 
 spring, Mrs. Lawrence was troubled with a cough, 
 which became so obstinate at the beginning of the 
 summer, that she was persuaded to remain at Groton 
 for a short period, in order to try the benefit of country 
 air. Mr. Lawrence writes to her, July 16 : 
 
 "I am forcibly reminded of the blessings of wife, children, and 
 friends, by the privation of wife and children ; and, when at home, 
 I really feel homesick and lonesome. Here I am, in two great 
 rooms, almost alone ; so you must prepare at a minute's notice to 
 follow your husband." 
 
 She remained in the country for several weeks, and 
 was summoned suddenly home by the alarming illness 
 of her husband ; the result of which, for a time, seemed 
 very doubtful. After a season of intense anxiety and 
 unremitted watchings at his bedside, Mrs. Lawrence 
 was seized during the night with a hemorrhage from 
 the lungs. This symptom, which so much alarmed her 
 friends, was hailed by herself with joy, as she now had 
 no wish to outlive her husband, whose life she had 
 despaired of. Mr. Lawrence's recovery was slow ; 
 and, as soon as it was deemed prudent, he was sent to 
 Groton to recruit his strength. He vmtes, under date 
 of November 5, 1818 : 
 
DIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 63 
 
 "Dearest Sarah: We have heard of the fire on Tuesday 
 evening, and hope the alarm has not impaired your health. I 
 enjoy myself here as much as it is possible for any one to do 
 under like circumstances. The idea of leaving the objects most 
 dear to me, a wife and child sick, is too great a drawback upon 
 my happiness to allow me as much quiet as is desirable. Yet I 
 have great reason for thankfuhiess that I am at this time able to 
 enjoy the society of friends, and that you are so comfortable as to 
 give good reason to hope that the next season will restore to you a 
 tolerable share of health." 
 
 Mrs. Lawrence writes, in reply to his letter : 
 
 " I have just received yours, and feel better to hear that you 
 are so well. I hope that you will leave no means unimproved to 
 regain health. Do not allow unreasonable fears on my account. 
 I am as well as I was the week past ; but we are uneasy mortals, 
 and I do not improve as I could wish. You know me : therefore 
 make all allowances. It is a cloudy day." 
 
 It soon became evident to all that the disease under 
 which Mrs. Lawrence labored was a settled consump- 
 tion, and that there could be little hope of recovery. 
 To her mother Mr. Lawrence writes, Dec. 7 : 
 
 " Since I last wrote to you, there has been no material change 
 in Sarah's situation. She sufiers less pain, and has more cheer- 
 ful spirits than when you were here. She is very well apprised 
 of her situation, and complains that those who are admitted to see 
 her look so sorrowful, that it has a painftil efiect upon her feel- 
 
64 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 ings. She is desirous of being kept cheerful and happy; and, 
 as far as I am capable of making her so, I do it. Yet I am a 
 poor hand to attempt doing, with my feeble health, what is so 
 foreign to my feelings. Although she is much more comfortable 
 than she was, I cannot flatter myself that she is any better. She 
 still retains a faint hope that she may be so ; yet it is but a faint 
 one. It takes much from my distress to see her so calm, and so 
 resigned to the will of the Almighty. Although her attachments to 
 life are as strong and as numerous as are the attachments of most, 
 I believe the principle of resignation is stronger. She is a genuine 
 disciple of Christ ; and, if my children walk in her steps, they 
 will all be gathered among the blest, and sing the song of the 
 redeemed. Should it be the will of God that we be separated for 
 a season, there is an animation in the hope that we shall meet 
 again, purified from the grossness of the flesh, and never to be 
 parted. ' God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.' I shall have, 
 therefore, no more put upon me than I am able to bear ; yet I 
 know not how to bring my mind to part with so excellent a friend, 
 and so good a counsellor." 
 
 On Jan. 13, 1819, he writes : 
 
 " Sarah has continued to sink since you left, and is now 
 apparently very easy, and very near the termination of her earthly 
 career. She may continue two or three days ; but the prospect 
 is, that she will not open her eyes upon another morning. She 
 suffers nothing, and it is, therefore, no trial to our feelings, com- 
 pared with what it would be did she suffer. Her mind is a little 
 clouded at times, but, in the main, quite clear. We shall give 
 you early information of the event which blasts our dearest earthly 
 hopes. But God reigns : let us rejoice." 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 65 
 
 A few hours before her death, she called for a paper 
 (now in possession of the writer), and, with a pencil, 
 traced, in a trembling hand, some directions respecting 
 small memorials to friends, and then added : 
 
 " Feeling that I must soon depart from this, I trust, to a better 
 world, I resign very dear friends to God, who has done so much 
 for me. I am in ecstacies of love. How can I praise him 
 enough ! To my friends I give these tokens of remembrance." 
 
 On the 14th of January, 1819, Mr. Lawrence closed 
 the eyes of this most beloved of aU his earthly objects, 
 and immediately relapsed into a state of melancholy and 
 gloom, which was, no doubt, greatly promoted by the 
 peculiar state of health and physical debility under 
 which he had labored since his last illness. 
 
 A valued friend writes, a few days after the death of 
 Mrs. L. : 
 
 " It waa my privilege to witness the closing scene ; to behold 
 fe-ith triumphing over sense, and raising the soul above this w^orld 
 of shadows. It was a spectacle to convince the sceptic, and to 
 animate and confirm the Christian. About a week before her 
 death, her increasing weakness taught her the fallacy of all hope 
 of recovery. From this time, it was the business of every 
 moment to prepare herself and her friends for the change which 
 awaited her. Serene, and even cheerful, she could look forward 
 without apprehension into the dark valley, and beyond it she 
 beheld those bright regions where she should meet her Saviour, 
 
 through whose mediation she had the blessed assurance that her 
 9 
 
66 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 sins were pardoned, and her inheritance secure. God permitted a 
 cloud to obscure the bright prospect ; it was but for a moment, 
 and the sun broke forth with redoubled splendor. On the last 
 night of her life, she appeared to suffer extremely, though, when 
 asked, she constantly replied in the negative. She repeated, 
 in a feeble voice, detached portions of hymns of which she had 
 been fond. Towards morning, as she appeared nearly insensible, 
 Mrs. R. was persuaded to lie down and rest. Shortly after, 
 Sarah roused herself, and said to L., 'I am going ; call my 
 mother.' Mrs. R. was at her bedside immediately, and asked her 
 if she was sensible that she was leaving the world. She answered 
 ' Yes,' and expressed her resignation. 
 
 "Mrs. R. then repeated a few lines of Pope's Dying Christian, 
 and the expiring saint, in broken accents, followed her. On her 
 mother's saying 'the world recedes,' she added, 'It disappears, 
 — heaven opens.' These were the last words I heard her utter. 
 She then became insensible, and in about ten minutes expired. 
 Not a sound interrupted the sacred silence ; the tear of affection 
 was shed, but no lamentation was heard. The eye of affection 
 dwelt on the faded form, but faith pointed to those regions where 
 the blessed spirit was admitted to those joys which eye has not 
 seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man 
 to conceive. Mr. L. is wonderfully supported. He feels as a man 
 and a Christian." 
 
 Upon this letter Mr. Lawrence has endorsed the 
 following memorandum : 
 
 " I saw this letter to-day for the first time. My son-in-law 
 handed to me yesterday a number of memorials -of my beloved 
 daughter, who was called home on the second day of December 
 
DIAKY AND COERESPONDENCE. 67 
 
 last, when only a few montli3 younger than her mother, whose 
 death is so beautifully described within. The description brought 
 the scene back to my mind with a force that unmanned me for a 
 time, and leads me to pray most earnestly and humbly that I may 
 be found worthy to join them through the beloved, when my 
 summons comes. A. L. 
 
 " February 5th, 1845." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 JOURNEYS. — LETTERS.— JOUKNEY TO NEW YORK. 
 
 The sense of loss and the state of depression under 
 which Mr. Lawrence labored were so great, that he 
 was advised to try a change of scene ; and accord- 
 ingly, after having placed his three children with kind 
 relatives in the country, he left Boston, on a tour, 
 which lasted some weeks, through the Middle States 
 and Virginia. He wrote many letters during this 
 time, describing the scenes which he daily witnessed, 
 and particularly the pleasure which he experienced in 
 Virginia from the unbounded hospitality with which 
 he was welcomed by those with whom he had become 
 acquainted. He also visited Washington, and listened 
 to some important debates on the admission of Missouri 
 into the Union, which produced a strong and lasting 
 influence upon his mind respecting the great questions 
 then discussed. 
 
 In a letter to his brother from the latter city, dated 
 Feb. 25th, after describing a visit to the tomb of 
 "Washington at Mount Vernon, he vvrites : 
 
 " Friend Webster has taken a stand here which no man can 
 
 68 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 69 
 
 surpass ; very few are able to keep even with him. He has made 
 a wonderful argument for the United States Bank. If he does 
 not stand confessedly first among the advocates here, he does not 
 stand second. Tell brother L. of this ; it will do him good." 
 
 On March 30, he writes to his sister, after his return 
 to Boston : 
 
 " I am once more near the remains of her who was lately more 
 dear to me than any other earthly object, after an absence of two 
 months ; my health much improved, — I may say restored ; my 
 heart filled with gratitude to the Author of all good for so many 
 and rich blessings, so rapidly succeeding such severe privations 
 and trials." 
 
 A few days later, he writes to his sister-in-law : 
 
 " Sunday evening, April 4, 1819. 
 " Dear S. : It is proper that I should explain to you why my 
 feelings got so much the better of my reason at the celebration of 
 the sacrament this morning. The last time I attended that ser- 
 vice was with my beloved S., after an absence on her part of 
 fifteen months, during which period you well know what passed 
 in both our minds. On this occasion our minds and feelings were 
 elevated with devotion, and (as I trust) suitably affected with 
 gi-atitude to the Father of mercies for once more permitting her 
 to celebrate with her husband this memorial of our Saviour. 
 Then, indeed, were our hearts gladdened by the cheering prospect 
 of her returning health and continued life. The consideration 
 that I had since this period been almost within the purlieu of the 
 grave, that my beloved Sarah had fallen a sacrifice to her care 
 and anxiety for me, and that I was for the first time at the table 
 
70 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 of the Lord mthout her, -vrith a view to celebrate the most solemn 
 service of our religion, overwhelmed me as a torrent, and my 
 feelings were too powerful to be restrained ; I was almost suf- 
 focated ia the attempt. 
 
 " Comment is unnecessary. God grant us a suitable improve- 
 ment of the scene ! 
 
 " Your affectionate brother, A. L." 
 
 On April 6, he writes to a friend in England : 
 
 " Since I last wrote, family misfortunes, of which you have 
 from time to time been apprised, have pressed heavily upon me. 
 I am now in tolerable health, and hope soon to see it entirely 
 confirmed." 
 
 After a visit to Ms parents, at Groton, he says, on 
 April 9 : 
 
 " I arrived at home last Saturday night, at eleven o'clock, after 
 rather an uncomfortable ride. However, I had the satisfaction on 
 Monday of exercising my right of suffrage, which, had I not 
 done, I should have felt unpleasantly. I wrote to M., on Tues- 
 day, under a depression of spirits altogether greater than I have 
 before felt. The effect of hope upon my feelings, before I saw 
 the little ones, was very animating ; since that time (although I 
 found them all I could desire), the stimulus is gone, and I have 
 been very wretched. The principles I cherish will now have 
 their proper effect, although nature must first find its level. Do 
 not imagine I feel severely depressed all the time ; although I 
 certainly have much less of animal spirits than I had before my 
 return, I do not feel positively unhappy. Under all the circum- 
 stances, it is thought best for me to journey. Hitherto, I havo 
 
DIAET AND CORRESPONDENCE. 71 
 
 experienced the iind protection of an almighty Friend ; it will 
 not hereafter be withheld. Commending all dear friends and 
 myself to Him, I remain your truly affectionate brother, 
 
 " A. L." 
 
 To another sister he writes five days afterwards, 
 before conmiencing a second journey : 
 
 " In a few moments I am off. I gladly seize the leisure they 
 furnish me, to tell you I feel well, and have no doubt of having 
 such a flow of spirits as will make my journey pleasant. At any 
 rate, I start with this determination. You know not, dear E., 
 the delight I feel in contemplating the situation of my little ones ; 
 this (if no higher principle) should be sufiicient to do away all 
 repining and vain regrets for the loss of an object so dear as was 
 their mother. In short, her own wishes should operate very 
 strongly against these regrets. I hope to be forgiven the offence, 
 if such it be ; and to make such improvement of it as will sub- 
 serve the purposes of my heavenly Father, who doth not willingly 
 afflict the children of men, but for their improvement. My 
 prayer to God is, that the affliction may not be lost upon me ; 
 but that it may have the effect of making me estimate more 
 justly the value of all temporal objects, and, by thus softening 
 the heart, open it to the kind influences of our holy religion, and 
 produce that love and charity well pleasing to our Father. I 
 have no object in view further south than Baltimore ; from thenco 
 I shall go across the AUeghanies, or journey through the interior 
 to the northern border of this country. At Baltimore I remain 
 a few days ; my business there is as delegate from Brattle-street 
 Church, in the settlement of a minister, a young gentleman 
 named Sparks, from Connecticut." 
 
72 DIAKT AND COBRESPONDENCE. 
 
 (to ABBOTT LAWKENCE.) 
 
 " Philadelphia, April 25, 1819. 
 
 " Dear Brother : When I see how people in other places 
 are doing business, I feel that we have reason to thank God that 
 we are not obliged to do as they do, but are following that regular 
 and profitably safe business that allows us to sleep well o' nights, 
 and eat the bread of industry and quietness. The more I see of 
 the changes produced by violent speculation, the more satisfied I 
 am that our maxims are the only true ones for a life together. 
 Different maxims may prove successful for a part of life, but 
 will frequently produce disastrous results just at the time we 
 stand most in need; that is, when life is on the wane, and a 
 family is growing around us. 
 
 "Two young brokers in have played a dashing game. 
 
 They have taken nearly one hundred thousand dollars from the 
 bank, without the consent of the directors. A clerk discounted 
 for them. They have lost it by United States Bank speculations. 
 
 " Look after clerks well, if you wish to keep them honest. 
 Too good a reputation sometimes tempts men to sin, upon the 
 strength of their reputation. 
 
 " As to business, it must be bad enough ; that is nothing new; 
 but patience and perseverance will overcome all obstacles, and, 
 notwithstanding all things look so dark, I look for a good year's 
 work. 
 
 " You must remember that I have done nothing yet, and I 
 have never failed of accomplishing more than my expectations ; 
 so I say again, we will make a good year's work of it yet, by the 
 blessing of Heaven." 
 
 From Lancaster, Penn., April 29, he ■writes to Ms 
 sister : 
 
DIARY AND COBKESPONDENCE. 73 
 
 " My feelings are usually buoyant, except occasionally when 
 imagination -wanders back to departed days ; then comes over me 
 a shadow, which, by its frequency, I am now enabled to dispel 
 without violence, and even to dwell upon without injury." 
 
 (to ABBOTT LAWKENCB.) 
 
 " Baltimore, May 25, 1819. 
 
 " Dear Brother : I arrived in this city this morning, in the 
 steamboat, from Norfolk, and have found a number of letters 
 from you and brother W. From the present aspect of affairs in 
 this city, I fear that I shall make but a short stay. At no 
 period has the face of affairs been more trying to the feelings of 
 the citizens. Baltimore has never seen but two days which will 
 compare with last Friday : one of those was the mob day, the 
 other was the day of the attack by the British. 
 
 " Nearly one half the city, embracing its most active and 
 hitherto wealthiest citizens, have stopped or must stop payment. 
 Confidence is prostrated, capital vanished. 
 
 " I am rejoiced to hear of your easy situation, and hope it 
 may continue. Avoid responsibilities, and all is well with us. 
 I am in no wise avaricious, and of course care not whether we 
 make five thousand dollars more or less, if we risk twenty 
 thousand to do it. 
 
 " I have a high eulogium to pay the Virginians, which I must 
 reserve for another letter ; as also an account of my travels from 
 Petersburg." 
 
 In a letter to a friend, dated at Baltimore, lie says : 
 
 " Since I have been here, I have been constantly occupied ; 
 and, although the heavy cloud which overhangs this city is dis- 
 charging its contents upon their heads, they bear it well, resolv- 
 10 
 
74 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 ing that, if they are poor, they will not be unsocial, nor uncivil ; 
 and on this principle they meet in little groups, without much 
 style or ceremony, and pass sensible and sociable evenings 
 together. 
 
 " I have really become very much interested in some of the 
 people here. 
 
 " And now my advice to you is, get married, and have no fear 
 about the expense being too great. If you have two children 
 born unto you within a twelve-month, you will be the richer man 
 for it. Nothing sharpens a man's wits, in earning property and 
 using it, better than to see a little flock growing up around him. 
 So I say again, man, fear not." 
 
 On his return, it seems to have been his object to 
 interest himself as much as possible in business, and 
 thus endeavor to divert his mind from those painful 
 associations, which, in spite of all his efforts, vfould 
 sometimes obtain the mastery. In the mean time, he 
 had given up his house, and resided in the family of 
 his brother Abbott ; where he was welcomed as an 
 inmate, and treated with so much sympathy and con- 
 siderate kindness, that his mind, after a time, recov- 
 ered its tone : his health was restored, and he was 
 once more enabled to give his full powers to the grow- 
 ing interests of his firm. For the few succeeding 
 years, he was engaged in the usual routine of mercan- 
 tile affairs, and has left but few memorials or letters, 
 except those relating to his business. In the winter 
 of 1820, he made a visit to New York, which he 
 
DIAKT AND COKEESPONDENCE. 75 
 
 describes in his diary under date of February 15, 
 1846: 
 
 " Yesterday was one of the most lovely -winter days. To-day 
 the snow drives into all the cracks and corners, it being a bois- 
 terous easterly snow-storm, which recalls to my mind a similar 
 one, which I shall never forget, in February, 1820. 
 
 " I went to New York during that month, for the New Eng- 
 land Bank, with about one hundred thousand dollars in foreign 
 gold, the value of which by law at the mint was soon to be 
 reduced from eighty-seven to eighty-five cents per pennyweight, 
 or about that. I also had orders to buy bills with it, at the best 
 rate I could. Accordingly I invested it, and had to analyze the 
 standing of many who ojGFered bills, as drawers or endorsers. 
 
 " Some of the bills were protested for non-acceptance, and 
 were returned at once, and damages claimed. This was new 
 law in New York, and resisted; but the merchants were con- 
 vinced by suits, and paid the twenty per cent, damages. The law 
 of damage was altered soon after. 
 
 " On my return, I took a packet for Providence, and came at 
 the rate of ten knots an hour for the first seven hours of the 
 night. I was alarmed by a crash, which seemed to me to be 
 breaking in the side of the ship, within a few inches of my head. 
 I ran upon deck, and it was a scene to be remembered. Beside 
 the crew, on board were the ofBcers of a wrecked vessel from 
 Portsmouth, N. H., and some other old ship-masters, all at work, 
 and giving directions to a coaster, which had run foul of us, and 
 had lost its way. By favor and labor, we were saved from being 
 wi'ecked ; but were obliged to land at some fifteen miles from 
 Providence, and get there as we could through the snow. I 
 arrived there almost dead with headache and sickness. Madam 
 
76 DIARY AND COEKESPONDENCE. 
 
 Dexter and her daughter left the day before, and reached home in 
 perfect safety before the storm. Such are the scenes of human 
 life ! Here am I enjoying my own fireside, while all who were 
 then active with me in the scenes thus recalled are called to their 
 account, excepting Philip Hone, M. Van Schaick, N. Goddard, 
 Chancellor Kent, and his son-in-law, Isaac Hone." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 MAKRIAGE. — ELECTED TO LEGISLATURE. — ENGAGES IN MANUFAC- 
 TURES. — REFLECTIONS. 
 
 In April, 1821, Mr. Lawrence was married to Mrs. 
 Nancy Ellis, widow of the late Judge Ellis, of Clare- 
 mont, N. H., and daughter of Robert Means, Esq., of 
 Amherst, in the same State. His children, who had 
 been placed with his parents and sisters at Groton, 
 were brought home ; and he was now permitted again 
 to unite his family under his own roof, and to enjoy 
 once more those domestic comforts so congenial to 
 his taste, and which each revolving year seemed to 
 increase until the close of his life. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was elected a representative from 
 Boston to the Legislature for the session of 1821 and 
 22 ; and this was the only occasion on which he ever 
 served in a public legislative body. Although deeply 
 engaged in his own commercial pursuits, he was con- 
 stantly at his post in the House of Representatives ; 
 and attended faithfully to the duties of his ofl&ce, 
 although with much sacrifice to his own personal 
 interests. Yery little is found among his memoranda 
 relating to this new experience. As a member of a 
 
 77 
 
78 DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 committee of the Legislature having in charge the 
 subject of the erection of wooden buildings in Boston, 
 he seems to have had a correspondence with the late 
 Hon. John Lowell, who took strong ground before the 
 committee against the multiplication of buildings of 
 this material, and backed his arguments with some 
 very characteristic statements and observations. On 
 one of these letters Mr. Lawrence made a memoran- 
 dum, dated March, 1845, as foUows : 
 
 " The Boston Rebel was a true man, such as we need more of 
 in these latter days. The open-mouthed lovers of the dear peo- 
 ple are self-seekers in most instances. Beware of such." 
 
 The following extract is taken from a letter, dated 
 January 4th, 1822, addressed by Mr. Lawrence to 
 Hon. Frederic Wolcott, of Connecticut, respecting a 
 son who was about to be placed in his counting-room, 
 and who, in after years, became his partner in business : 
 
 "H. will have much leisure in the evening, which, if he 
 choose, may be profitably devoted to study ; and we hope he will 
 lay out such a course for himself, as to leave no portion of his 
 time unappropriated. It is on account of so much leisure, that 
 so many fine youths are ruined in this town. The habit of 
 industry once well fixed, the danger is over. 
 
 " Will it not be well for him to furnish you, at stated periods, 
 an exact account of his expenditures? The habit of keeping 
 such an account will be serviceable, and, if he is prudent, the 
 satisfaction will be great, ten years hence, in looking back and 
 observing the process by which his character has been formed. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 79 
 
 If he does as well as he is capable, we have no doubt of your 
 experiencing the reward of your care over him." 
 
 For the several following years, Mr. Lawrence was 
 deeply engaged in business ; and the firm of which he 
 was the senior partner became interested in domestic 
 manufactures, which, with the aid of other capitalists, 
 afterwards grew into so much importance, until now it 
 has become one of the great interests of the country. 
 Apart from all selfish motives, he early became one of 
 the strongest advocates for the protection of American 
 industry, believing that the first duty of a government 
 is to advance the interests of its own citizens, when it 
 can be accomplished with justice to others ; and in 
 opposition to the system of free trade, which, however 
 plausible in theory, he considered prejudicial to the 
 true interests of our own people. He was conscientious 
 in these opinions ; and, in their support, corresponded 
 largely with some of the leading statesmen at Washing- 
 ton, as AveU as with prominent opponents at the South, 
 who combatted his opinions while they respected the 
 motives by which he was actuated. He tested his 
 sincerity, by embarking a large proportion of his prop- 
 erty in these enterprises ; and, to the last, entertained 
 the belief that the climate, the soil, and the habits of 
 the people, rendered domestic manufactures one of 
 the permanent and abiding interests of New England. 
 During seasons of high political excitement and sec- 
 tional strife, he wrote to various friends at the South, 
 
80 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 urging them to discard all local prejudices, and to enter 
 with the North into manly competition in ail those 
 branches of domestic industry which would tend, not 
 only to enrich, hut also to improve the moral and 
 intellectual character of their people. He watched, 
 with increasing interest, the progress of Lowell and 
 other manufacturing districts, and was ever ready to 
 lend a helping hand to any scheme which tended to 
 advance their welfare. Churches, hospitals, libraries, 
 in these growing communities, had in him a warm and 
 earnest advocate ; and it was always with honest pride 
 that he pointed out to the intelligent foreigner the 
 moral condition of the operative here, when compared 
 with that of the same class in other countries. 
 
 On the 1st of January, in each year, Mr. Lawrence 
 was in the habit of noting down, in a small memo- 
 randum-book, an accurate account of all his property, 
 in order that he might have a clear view of his own 
 affairs, and also as a guide to his executors in the set- 
 tlement of his estate, in case of his death. This annual 
 statement commences in 1814, and, with the exception 
 of 1819, when he was in great affliction on account of 
 the death of his wife, is continued every year until that 
 of his own death, in 1852. In this little volume the 
 following memorandum occurs, dated January 1, 1826 : 
 
 " I have been extensively engaged in business during the last 
 two years, and have added much to my worldly -possessions ; but 
 have come to the same conclusions in regard to them that I did in 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 81 
 
 1818. I feel distressed in mind that the resolutions then made 
 have not been more effectual in keeping me from this overen- 
 gagedness in business. I now find myself so engrossed with its 
 cares, as to occupy my thoughts, waking or sleeping, to a degree 
 entirely disproportioned to its importance. The quiet and com- 
 fort of home are broken in upon by the anxiety arising from the 
 losses and mischances of a business so extensive as ours ; and, 
 above all, that communion which ought ever to be kept free 
 between man and his Maker is interrupted by the incessant calls 
 of the multifarious pursuits of our establishment." 
 
 After noting down several rules for curtailing his 
 affairs, he continues : 
 
 " Property acquired at such sacrifices as I have been obliged 
 to make the past year costs more than it 's worth ; and the 
 anxiety in protecting it is the extreme of folly." 
 
 \st of January, 1827. — "The principles of business laid 
 down a year ago have been very nearly practised upon. Our 
 responsibilities and anxieties have greatly dinunished, as also have 
 the accustomed profits of business ; but there is sufficient remain- 
 ing for the reward of our labor to impose on us increased respons- 
 ibilities and duties, as agents who must at last render an account. 
 
 God grant that mine be found correct ! " 
 11 
 
CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. — BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. — LETTERS. 
 
 l5^ of January, 1828. — After an account of hig 
 aifairs, lie remarks : 
 
 " The amount of property \a great for a young man under 
 forty-tvro years of age, ■who came to this town when he was 
 twenty-one years old with no other possessions than a common 
 country education, a sincere love for his own family, and habits 
 of industry, economy, and sobriety. Under God, it is these 
 same self-denying habits, and a desire I always had to please, so 
 far as I could without sinful compliance, that I can now look 
 back upon and see as the true ground of my success. I have 
 many things to reproach myself with ; but among them is not 
 idling away my time, or spending money for such things as are 
 improper. My property imposes upon me many duties, which 
 can only be known to my Maker. May a sense of these duties 
 be constantly impressed upon my mind ; and, by a constant dis- 
 charge of them, God grant me the happiness at last of hearing 
 the joyful sound, 'Well done, good and faithful servant, enter 
 thou into the joy of thy Lord ! ' Amen. Amen." 
 
 Previous to this date, but few private letters written 
 by Mr. Lawrence were preserved. From that time, 
 however, many volumes have been collected, a greater 
 
 82 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 83 
 
 part of tliem addressed to his children. Out of a very- 
 large correspondence with them and with friends, such 
 selections wiU be made as are thought most interesting, 
 and most worthy to be preserved by his family and 
 their descendants. The nature of this correspondence 
 is such, involving many personal matters of transient 
 interest, that often scraps of letters only can be given ; 
 and, although it wiU be the aim of the editor to give 
 an outline of the life of the author of these letters, it 
 will be his object to allow him to speak for himself, and 
 to reveal his own sentiments and character, rather than 
 to follow out, from year to year, the details of his 
 personal history. This correspondence commences with 
 a series of letters extending through several years, and 
 addressed to his eldest son, who was, during that time, 
 at school in France and Spain. 
 
 " Boston, November 11, 1828. 
 " I trust that you will have had favoring gales and a pleasant 
 passage, and will be safely landed at Havre within twenty days 
 after sailing. You will see things so different from what you 
 have been accustomed to, that you may think the French are far 
 before or behind us in the arts of life, and formation of society. 
 But you must remember that what is best for one people may be 
 the worst for another ; and that it is true wisdom to study the 
 character of the people among whom you are, before adopting 
 their manners, habits, or feelings, and carrying them to another 
 people. I wish to see you, as long as you live, a well-bred, 
 upright Yankee. Brother Jonathan should never forget his 
 self-respect, nor should he be impertinent in claiming more for 
 
84 DIAKT AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 his country or himself than is due ; but on no account should he 
 speak ungraciously of his country or its friends abroad, whatever 
 may be said by others. Lafayette in France is not what he is 
 here ; and, whatever may be said of him there, he is an ardent 
 friend of the United States ; and I will venture to say, if you 
 introduce yourself to him as a grandson of one of his old Yankee 
 officers, he will treat you with the kindness of a father. You 
 must visit La Grange, and G. will go with you. He will not 
 recollect your grandfather, or any of us. But tell him that 
 your father and three uncles were introduced to him here in the 
 State House ; that they are much engaged in forwarding the 
 Bunker Hill Monument ; and, if ever he return to this country, 
 it will be the pride of your father to lead him to the top of it." 
 
 Among Mr. Lawrence's papers, this is the first 
 allusion to the Bunker Hill Monument, in the erection 
 of which he afterwards took so prominent a part, and 
 to which he most liberally contributed both time and 
 money. From early associations, perhaps from the 
 accounts received from his father, who was present 
 during the battle, his mind became strongly interested 
 in the project of erecting a monument, and particularly 
 in that of reserving the whole battle-ground for the use 
 of the public forever. He had been chosen one of the 
 Building Committee of the Board of Directors in Octo- 
 ber, 1825, in company with Dr. John C. Warren, 
 General H. A. S. Dearborn, George Blake, and Wil- 
 liam Sullivan. From this time until the completion of 
 the monument, the object occupied a proniinent place 
 in his thoughts ; and allusion to his efforts in its behalf 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 85 
 
 during the succeeding years will, from time to time, be 
 introduced. 
 
 On December 13, 1828, he thus alludes to the death 
 of an invalid daughter six years of age : 
 
 " She Tvas taken with lung fever on the 4th, and died, after 
 much suffering and distress, on the 8th. Nothing seemed to 
 relieve her at all; and I was thankful when the dear child 
 ceased to suffer, and was taken to the bosom of her Saviour, 
 where sickness and suffering will no more reach her, and the 
 imperfections of her earthly tenement will be corrected, and her 
 mind and spirit will be allowed to expand and grow to their full 
 stature in Christ. In his hands I most joyfully leave her, hoping 
 that I may rejoin her with the other children whom it has pleased 
 God to give me." 
 
 (to his son.) 
 
 " December 29. 
 
 " My thoughts are often led to contemplate the condition of 
 my children in every variety of situation, more especially in 
 sickness, since the death of dear M. Although I do not allow 
 myself to indulge in melancholy or fearful forebodings, I cannot 
 but feel the deepest solicitude that their minds and principles 
 should be so strengthened and stayed upon their God and Saviour 
 as to give them all needed support in a time of such trial and 
 suffering. You are so situated as perhaps not to recall so fre- 
 quently to your mind as may be necessary the principles in 
 which you have been educated. But let me, in the absence of 
 these objects, remind you that God is ever present, and sees the 
 inmost thoughts ; and, while he allows every one to act freely, he 
 gives to such as earnestly and honestly desire to do. right all 
 needed strength and encouragement to do it. Therefore, my dear 
 
86 DIAEY AND COEEESPONDENCE. 
 
 son, do not cheat yourself by doing what you suspect may be 
 wrong. You are as much accountable to your Maker for an 
 enlightened exercise of your conscience, as you would be to me 
 to use due diligence in taking care of a bag of money which I 
 might send by you to Mr. W. If you were to throw it upon 
 deck, or into the bottom of the coach, you would certainly be 
 culpable; but, if you packed it carefully in your trunk, and 
 placed the trunk in the usual situation, it would be using com- 
 mon care. So in the exercise of your conscience : if you refuse 
 to examine whether an action is right or wrong, you voluntarily 
 defraud yourself of the guide provided by the Almighty. If you 
 do wrong, you have no better excuse than he who had done so 
 willingly and wilfully. It is the sincere desire that will be 
 accepted." 
 
 To his second son, then at school in Andover, he 
 writes : 
 
 "I received your note yesterday, and was prepared to hear 
 your cash fell short, as a dollar-bill was found in your chamber 
 on the morning you left home. You now see the benefit of 
 keeping accounts, as you would not have been sure about this 
 loss without having added up your account. Get the habit 
 firmly fixed of putting down every cent you receive and every 
 cent you expend. In this way you will acquire some knowledge 
 of the relative value of things, and a habit of judging and of 
 care which will be of use to you during all your life. Among 
 the numerous people who have failed in business within my 
 knowledge, a prominent cause has been a want of system in 
 their affairs, by which to know when their expenses and losses 
 exceeded their profits. This habit is as necessary for profes- 
 sional men as for a merchant ; because, in their business, there 
 
DIAKY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 87 
 
 are numerous ways to make little savings, if they find their income 
 too small, -which they would not adopt without looking at the 
 detail of all their expenses. It is the habit of consideration I 
 wish you to acquire ; and the habit of being accurate will have 
 an influence upon your whole character in life." 
 
 (to his son m TRANCE.) 
 
 " April 28, 1829. 
 
 " I beseech you to consider well the advantages you enjoy, and 
 to avail yourself of your opportunities to give your manners a 
 little more ease and polish ; for, you may depend upon it, man- 
 ners are highly important in your intercourse with the world. 
 Good principles, good temper, and good manners, will carry a 
 man through the world much better than he can get alon^ with 
 the absence of either. The most important is good principles. 
 Without these, the best manners, although, for a time, very 
 acceptable, cannot sustain a person in trying situations. 
 
 " If you live to attain the age of thirty, the interim will 
 appear but a span ; and yet at that time you will be in the full 
 force of manhood. To look forward to that period, it seems very 
 long ; and it is long enough to make great improvement. Do not 
 omit the opportunity to acquire a character and habits that will 
 continue to improve during the remainder of life. At its close, 
 the reflection that you have thus done will be a support and stay 
 worth more than any sacrifice you may ever feel called on to 
 make in acquiring these habits." 
 
 (to the same.) 
 
 "June 7, 1829. 
 
 " I was forcibly reminded, on entering our tomb last evening, 
 of the inroads which death has made in our family since 1811, at 
 the period when I purchased it. How soon any of us who sur- 
 vive may mingle our dust with theirs, is only known to Omnis- 
 
88 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 cience ; but, at longest, it can be in his view but a moment, a 
 mere point of time. How important, then, to us who can use this 
 mere point for our everlasting good, that we should do it, and not 
 squander it as a thing without value ! Think upon this, my son ; 
 and do not merely admit the thought into your mind and drive it 
 out by vain imaginations, but give it an abiding and practical use. 
 To set a just value upon time, and to make a just use of it, 
 deprives no one of any rational pleasure : on the contrary, it 
 encourages temperance in the enjoyment of all the good things 
 which a good Providence has placed within our reach, and thank- 
 fulness for all opportunities of bestowing happiness on our fellow- 
 beings. Thus you have an opportunity of making me and your 
 other friends happy, by diligence in your studies, temperance, 
 truth, integrity, and purity of life and conversation. I may not 
 write to you again for a number of weeks, as I shall commence a 
 journey to Canada in a few days. ' You will get an account of 
 the journey from some of the party." 
 
CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 JOURNEY TO CANADA. — LETTERS. — DIARY.— CHAEITIES. 
 
 Mb. Lawrence, with a large party, left Boston on 
 the 13th of June, and passed through Vermont, across 
 the Green Mountains, to Montreal and Quebec. Com- 
 pared with these days of railroad facilities, the journey 
 was slow. It was performed very leisurely in hired 
 private vehicles, and seems to have been much enjoyed. 
 He gives a glowing account of the beauty of the 
 country through which he passed, as well as his 
 impressions of the condition of the population. 
 
 From Quebec the party proceeded to Niagara Falls, 
 and returned through the State of New York to Bos- 
 ton, " greatly improved in health and spirits." This, 
 with one other visit to Canada several years before, 
 was the only occasion on which Mr. Lawrence ever 
 left the territory of the United States ; for, though 
 sometimes tempted, in after years, to visit the Old 
 World, his occupations and long-continued feeble 
 health prevented his doing so. 
 
 12 89 
 
90 DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 (to his son.) 
 
 " July 27. 
 
 " If, in an endeavor to do right, we fall short, we shall still 
 be in the way of duty ; and that is first to be looked at. We 
 must keep in mind that we are to render an account of the use 
 of those talents which are committed to us ; and we are to be 
 judged by unerring Wisdom, which can distinguish all the 
 motives of action, as well as weigh the actions. As our steward- 
 ship has been faithful or otherwise, will be the sentence pro- 
 nounced upon us. Give this your best thoughts, for it is a 
 consideration of vast importance." 
 
 " August 27. 
 
 " Bring home no foreign fancies which are inapplicable to our 
 state of society. It is very common for our young men to come 
 home and appear quite ridiculous in attempting to introduce 
 their foreign fashions. It should be always kept in mind that 
 the state of society is widely difierent here from that in Europe ; 
 and our comfort and character require it should long remain so. 
 Those who strive to introduce many of the European habits and 
 fashions, by displacing our own, do a serious injury to the 
 republic, and deserve censure. An idle person, with good pow- 
 ers of mind, becomes torpid and inactive after a few years of 
 indulgence, and is incapable of making any high effort; highly 
 important it is, then, to avoid this enemy of mental and moral 
 improvement. I have no wish that you pursue trade. I would 
 rather see you on a farm, or studying any profession." 
 
 " October 16. 
 
 " It should always be your aim so to conduct yourself that 
 
 those whom you value most in the world would approve your 
 
 conduct, if all your actions were laid bare to their inspection ; 
 
 and thus you will be pretty sure that He who sees the motive of 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 91 
 
 all our actions will accept the good designed, though it fall short 
 in its accomplishment. You are young, and are placed in a 
 situation of great peril, and are perhaps sometimes tempted to do 
 things which you would not do if you knew yourself under the 
 eye of your guardian. The blandishments of a beautiful city 
 may lead you to forget that you are always surrounded, sup- 
 ported, and seen, by that best Guardian." 
 
 " December 27. 
 " I suppose Christmas is observed with great pomp in France. 
 It is a day which our Puritan forefathers, in their separation 
 from the Church of England, endeavored to blot out from the 
 days of religious festivals ; and this because it was observed with 
 so much pomp by the Romish Church. In this, as well as in 
 many other things, they were as unreasonable as though they 
 had said they would not eat bread because the Roman Catholics 
 do. I hope and trust the time is not far distant when Christmas 
 will be observed by the descendants of the Puritans with all 
 suitable respect, as the first and highest holiday of Christians ; 
 combining all the feelings and views of New England Thanks- 
 giving with all the other feelings appropriate to it." 
 
 " January 31, 1830. 
 " You have seen, perhaps, that the Directors of the Bunker 
 Hill Monument Association have applied to the Legislature for a 
 lottery. I am extremely sorry for it. I opposed the measure in 
 all its stages, and feel mortified that they have done so. They 
 cannot get it, and I desire that General Lafayette may understand 
 this ; and, if he will write us a few lines during the coming 
 year, it will help us in getting forward a subscription. When 
 our citizens shall have had one year of successful busuiess, they 
 will be ready to give the means to finish the monument. My 
 
92 DIART AND CORBESPONDENCE. 
 
 feelings are deeply interested in it, believing it highly valuable 
 as a nucleus for the affections of the people in after time ; and, 
 if my life be spared and my success continue, I will never cease 
 my efforts until it be completed." 
 
 Further details will be given in this volume to show 
 how nobly Mr. Lawrence persevered in the resolution 
 thus deliberately formed ; and,' though he was destined 
 to witness many fruitless efforts, he had the satisfaction 
 at last of seeing the completion of the monument, and 
 from its summit of pointing out the details of the 
 battle to the son of one of the British generals in 
 command* on that eventful day. 
 
 On the same page with the estimate of his property 
 for the year 1830, he writes : 
 
 " With a view to know the amount of my expenditures for 
 objects other than the support of my family, I have, for the year 
 1829, kept a particular account of such other expenses as come 
 under the denomination of charities, and appropriations for the 
 benefit of others not of my own household, for many of whom I 
 feel under the same obligation as for my own family." 
 
 This memorandum was commenced on the 1st of 
 January, 1829, and is continued until December 30, 
 1852, the last day of his life. It contains a com- 
 plete statement of his charities during that whole 
 period, including not only what he contributed in 
 money, but also all other donations, in the shape of 
 
 * Lord Prudhoe, now Duke of Northumberland. 
 
BIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 93 
 
 clothing materials, books, provisions, &c. His cus- 
 tom was to note down at cost the value of the dona- 
 tion, after it had been despatched ; whether in the 
 shape of a book, a turkey, or one of his immense 
 bundles of varieties to some poor country minister's 
 family, as large, as he says in addressing one, " as a 
 small haycock." Two rooms in his house, and some- 
 times three, were used principally for the reception of 
 useful articles for distribution. There, when stormy 
 weather or ill health prevented him from taking his 
 usual drive, he was in the habit of passing hours in 
 selecting and packing up articles which he considered 
 suitable to the wants of those whom he wished to aid. 
 On such days, his coachman's services were put in 
 requisition to pack and tie up " the small haycocks ; " 
 and many an illness was the result of over-exertion 
 and fatigue in supplying the wants of his poorer 
 brethren. These packages were selected according to 
 the wants of the recipients, and a memorandum made 
 of the contents. In one case, he notifies Professor 
 
 , of College, that he has sent by railroad 
 
 " a barrel and a bundle of books, with broadcloth and 
 pantaloon stuffs, with odds and ends for poor students 
 when they go out to keep school in the winter." 
 Another, for the president of a college at the West, 
 one piece of silk and worsted, for three dresses ; one 
 piece of plaid, for " M. and mamma ; " a lot of pretty 
 books ; a piece of lignum-vitse from the Navy Yard, 
 
94 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 as a text for the support of tlie navy ; and various 
 items for the children : value, twenty-five dollars. 
 
 To a professor in a college in a remote region he 
 sends a package containing " dressing-gown, vest, 
 hat, slippers, jack-knife, scissors, pins, neck-handker- 
 chiefs, pantaloons, cloth for coat, ' History of Grroton,' 
 lot of pamphlets," &c. 
 
 Most of the packages forwarded contained substan- 
 tial articles for domestic use, and were often accom- 
 panied by a note containing from five to fifty dollars 
 in money. 
 
 The distribution of books was another mode of 
 usefulness to which Mr. Lawrence attached much 
 importance. 
 
 In his daily drives, his carriage was well stored with 
 useful volumes, which he scattered among persons of 
 all classes and ages as he had opportunity. 
 
 These books were generally of a religious character, 
 while others of a miscellaneous nature were purchased 
 in large numbers, and sent to institutions, or individ- 
 uals in remote parts of the country. 
 
 He purchased largely the very useful as weU as 
 tasteful volumes of the American Tract Society and 
 the Sunday-School Union. An agent of the latter 
 society writes : "I had almost felt intimately ac- 
 quainted with him, as nearly every pleasant day he 
 visited the depository to fill the front seat of his coach 
 with books for distribution." 
 
DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 95 
 
 Old and young, rich and poor, shared equally in 
 these distributions ; and he rarely allowed an occasion 
 to pass unimproved when he thought an influence could 
 be exerted by the gift of an appropriate volume. 
 
 While waiting one day in his carriage with a friend, 
 in one of the principal thoroughfares of the city, he 
 beckoned to a genteeUy-dressed young man who was 
 passing, and handed him a book. Upon being asked 
 whether the young man was an acquaintance, he 
 replied : 
 
 " JN'o, he is not ; but you remember where it is 
 written, ' Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou 
 shalt find it after many days.' " 
 
 " A barrel of books " is no uncommon item found in 
 his record of articles almost daily forwarded to one and 
 another of his distant beneficiaries. 
 
CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. WEBSTER. — LETTERS. 
 
 (to his son.) 
 
 " February 5, 1830. 
 
 " Be sure and yisit La Grange before you return ; say to Gen- 
 eral Lafayette that the Bunker Hill Monument will certainly be 
 finished, and that the foolish project of a lottery haa been aban- 
 doned. If, in the course of Providence, I should be taken away, 
 I hope my children will feel it a duty to continue the eflforts that 
 are made in this work, which I have had so much at heart, and 
 have labored so much for." 
 
 To his son, then at school at Yersailles, he writes 
 on Feb. 26, 1830 : 
 
 " After hearing from you again, I can judge better what to 
 advise respecting your going into Spain. At all events, let no 
 hope of going, or seeing, or doing anything else, prevent your 
 using the present time for improving yourself in whatever you 
 find to do. My greatest fear is, that you may form a wrong 
 judgment of what constitutes your true respectability, happiness, 
 and usefulness. To a youth just entering on the scenes of life, 
 the roses on the wayside appear without thorns; but, in the 
 eagerness to snatch them, many find, to their sorrow, that all 
 which appears so fair is not in possession what it was in prospect, 
 
 96 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 97 
 
 and that beneath the rose there is a thorn that sometimes wounds 
 like a serpent's bite. Let not appearances deceive you ; for, 
 when once you have strayed, the second temptation is more likely 
 to be fallen into than the first." 
 
 " March 6, 1830. 
 
 " We are all in New England deeply interested by Mr. Wel> 
 ster's late grand speech in the Senate, vindicating New England 
 men and New England measures from reproach heaped upon 
 them by the South ; it was his most powerful effort, and you will 
 see the American papers are full of it. Tou should read the 
 whole debate between him and Mr. Hayne of South Carolina; 
 you will find much to instruct and interest you, and much of 
 what you ought to know. Mr. Webster never stood so high in 
 this country as at this moment ; and I doubt if there be any man, 
 either in Europe or America, his superior. The doctrines upon 
 the Constitution in this speech should be read as a text-book by 
 all our youth." 
 
 After reading tlie great speech of Mr. Webster, Mr. 
 Lawrence addressed to that gentleman a letter, ex- 
 pressing his admiration of the manner in which New 
 England had been vindicated, and also his own per- 
 sonal feelings of gratitude for the proud stand thus 
 taken. 
 
 Mr. "Webster replied as follows : 
 
 " Washington, March 8, 1830. 
 
 " Dear Sir: I thank you veiy sincerely for your very kind 
 
 and friendly letter. The sacrifices made in being here, and the 
 
 mortifications sometimes experienced, are amply compensated by 
 
 the consciousness that my friends at home feel that I have done 
 13 
 
98 DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE 
 
 some little service to our New England. I pray you to remem- 
 ber me with very true regard to Mrs. Lawrence, and believe me 
 " Very faithfully and gratefully yours, 
 
 " Daniel Webster. 
 
 " To Amos Lawrence, Esq." 
 
 EXTRACTS OF LETTERS TO HIS SON. 
 
 " April 13, 1830. 
 
 " You may feel very sure that any study which keeps your 
 mind engaged will be likely to strengthen it ; and that, if you 
 leave your mind inactive, it will run to waste. Your arm is 
 strengthened by wielding a broadsword, or even a foil. Your 
 legs by various gymnastic exercises, and the organs of sight and 
 hearing by careful and systematic use, are greatly improved; 
 even the finger is trained, by the absence of sight, to perform 
 almost the service of the eye. All this shows how natural it is 
 for all the powers to grow stronger by use. You needed noib 
 these examples to convince you ; but my desire to have you 
 estimate your advantages properly induces me to write upon 
 them very often. Every American youth owes his country his 
 best talents and services, and should devote them to the country's 
 welfare. In doing that, you will promote not only your own 
 welfare, but your highest enjoyment. o 
 
 " The duty of an American citizen, at this period of the 
 world, is that of a responsible agent ; and he should endeavor to 
 transmit to the next age the institutions of our country uninjured 
 and improved. We hope, in your next letter, to hear something 
 more of General Lafayette. The old gentleman is most warm in 
 his affection for Americans. May he live long to encourage and 
 bless by his example the good of all countries ! Li contemplat- 
 ing a life like his, who can say that compensaticm even here is 
 not fully made for all the anguish and suffering he has formerly 
 
DIAKY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 99 
 
 endured ? Long life does not consist in many years ; but in the 
 period being filled with good services to our fellow-beings. He 
 whose life ends at thirty may have done much, while he who has 
 reached the age of one hundred may have done little. With the 
 Almighty, a thousand years are a moment ; and he will therefore 
 give no credit to any talents not used to his glory ; which use is 
 the same thing as promoting, by all means in our power, the 
 welfare and happiness of the beings among whom we are placed." 
 
 " May 7, 1830. 
 
 " I have been pretty steady at my business, without working 
 hard, or having anxious feelings about it. It is well to have an 
 agreeable pursuit to employ the mind and body. I think that I 
 can work for the next six years with as good a relish as ever T 
 did ; but I make labor a pleasure. I have just passed into my 
 forty-fifth year, you know. At my age, I hope you will feel as 
 vigorous and youthful as I now do. A temperate use of the 
 good things of life, and a freedom from anxious cares, tend, as 
 much as anything, to keep off old age." 
 
 " June 17, 1830. 
 
 " To-day completes fifty-five years since the glorious battle of 
 Bunker Hill, and five years since the nation's guest assisted at 
 the laying of the corner-stone of the monument which is to com- 
 memorate to all future times the events which followed that 
 battle. If it should please God to remove me before this struc- 
 ture is completed, I hope to remember it in my will, and that my 
 sons will live to see it finished. But what I deem of more con- 
 sequence is to retain for posterity the battle-field, now in the 
 possession of the Bunker Hill Monument Association. The 
 Association is in debt, and a part of the land may pass out of its 
 possession; but I hope, if it do, there will be spirit enough 
 
100 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 among individuals to purchase it and restore it again ; for I would 
 rather the whole work should not be resumed for twenty years, 
 than resume it by parting with the land. I name this to you 
 now, that you may have a distinct intimation of my wishes to 
 keep the land open for our children's children to the end of 
 time." 
 
 " July 17, 1830. 
 
 " Temptation, if successfully resisted, strengthens the charac- 
 ter ; but it should always be avoided. ' Lead us not into tempta- 
 tion ' are words of deep meaning, and should always carry with 
 them corresponding desires of obedience. At a large meeting of 
 merchants and others held ten days ago, it was resolved to make 
 an effort to prevent the licensing of such numbers of soda-shops, 
 retailers of spirits, and the like, which have, in my opinion, done 
 more than anything else to debase and ruin the youth of our 
 city. It is a gross perversion of our privileges to waste and 
 destroy ourselves in this way. God has given us a good land and 
 many blessings. We misuse them, and make them minister to 
 our vices. We shall be called to a strict account. Every good 
 citizen owes it to his God and his country to stop, as far as he 
 can, this moral desolation. Let me see you, on your return, an 
 advocate of good order and good morals. * * * 
 
 "Our old neighbor the sea-serpent was more than usually 
 accommodating the day after we left Portsmouth. He exhibited 
 himself to a great number of people who were at Hampton Beach 
 last Satui-day. They had a full view of his snakeship from the 
 shore. He was so civil as to raise his head about four feet, and 
 look into a boat, where were three men, who thought it the wisest 
 way to retreat to their cabin. His length is supposed to be about 
 one hundred feet, his head the size of a ten-gallon cask, and his 
 body, in the largest part, about the size of a barrel. I have 
 
DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 101 
 
 never had any more doubt respecting the existence of this animal, 
 since he was seen here eleven years ago, than I have had of the 
 existence of Bonaparte. The evidence was as strong to my mind 
 of the one as of the other. I had never seen either ; but I was 
 as well satisfied of the existence of both, as I should have been 
 had I seen both. And yet the idea of the sea-serpent's existence 
 has been scouted and ridiculed." 
 
 " September 25. 
 " The events of the late French Revolution have reached us up 
 to the 17th August. The consideration of them is animating, 
 and speaks in almost more than human language. We are poor, 
 frail, and mortal beings ; but there is something elevating in the 
 thought of a whole people acting as with the mind and the aim of 
 one man, a part which allies man to a higher order of beings. I 
 confess it makes me feel a sort of veneration for them ; and trust 
 that no extravagance will occur to mar the glory and the dignity 
 of this enterprise. Our beloved old hero, too, acting as the 
 guiding and presiding genius of this wonderful event ! May God 
 prosper them, and make it to the French people what it is capa- 
 ble of being, if they make a right use of it ! I hope that you 
 have been careful to see and learn everything, and that you will 
 preserve the information you obtain in such a form as to recall 
 the events to your mind a long time hence. We are all very well 
 and very busy, and in fine spirits, here in the old town of Boston. 
 Those who fell behind last year have some of them placed them- 
 selves in the rear rank, and are again on duty. Others are laid 
 up, unfit for duty ; and the places of all are supplied with fresh 
 troops. We now present as happy and as busy a community as 
 you would desire to see." 
 
CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 TESTIMONIAL TO MR. WEBSTER. — DANGEROUS ILLNESS.— 
 LETTERS. 
 
 During the autumn of 1830, m order to testify in a 
 
 more marked manner his appreciation of Mr. Webster's 
 
 distinguished services in the Senate of the United 
 
 States, Mr. Lawrence presented to that gentleman a 
 
 service of silver plate, accompanied hy the following 
 
 note : 
 
 ,, „ ^ ^ " Boston, October 23, 1830. 
 
 " Hon. Daniel Webster. ' 
 
 " Dear Sir : Permit me to request your acceptance of the 
 accompanying small service of plate, as a testimony of my gi-ati- 
 tude for your services to the country in your late efforts in the 
 Senate ; especially for your vindication of the character of Massa- 
 chusetts and of New England. 
 
 " From your friend and fellow-citizen, 
 
 "Amos Lawrence. 
 
 "P. S. — If by any emblem or inscription on any piece of 
 this service, referring to the circumstances of which this is a 
 memorial, the whole will be made more acceptable, I shall be glad 
 to have you designate what it shall be, and permit me the oppor- 
 tunity of adding it." 
 
 102 
 
DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 103 
 
 To which Mr. Webster replied, on the same evening, 
 as follows : 
 
 " StMHER-sTEEET, October 23, 1830. 
 " My dear Sir : I cannot well express my sense of your 
 kindness, manifested in the present of plate, which I have received 
 this evening. I know that, from you, this token of respect is 
 sincere ; and I shall ever value it, and be happy in leaving it to 
 my children, as a most gratifying evidence of your friendship. 
 The only thing that can add to its value is your permission that it 
 may be made to bear an inscription expressive of the donation. 
 " I am, dear sir, with unfeigned esteem, 
 
 " Your friend and obedient servant, 
 
 " Daniel Webster. 
 
 " Amos Lawrence, Esq." 
 
 (to his son.) 
 
 " Boston, January 16, 1831. 
 "Our local affairs are very delightful in this state and city. 
 We have no violent political animosities ; and the prosperity of 
 the people is very great. In our city, in particular, the people 
 have not had greater prosperity for twenty years. There is a 
 general industry and talent in our population, that is calculated 
 to produce striking results upon their character. In your reflec- 
 tions upon your course, you may settle it as a principle, that no 
 man can attain any valuable influence or character among us, who 
 does not labor with whatever talents he has to increase the sum of 
 human improvement and happiness. An idler, who feels that he 
 has no responsibilities, but is contriving to get rid of time without 
 being useful to any one, whatever be his fortune, can find no com- 
 fort in staying here. We have not enough such to make up a 
 society. AVe are literally all working-men ; and the attempt to 
 
104 DIAET AND COKEESPONDENCE. 
 
 get up a ' Working-men's party ' is a libel upon the whole popu- 
 lation, as it implies that there are among us large numbers who 
 are not working-men. He is a working-man whose mind is 
 employed, whether in making researches into the meaning of 
 hieroglyphics or in demonstrating any invention in the arts, just 
 as much as he who cuts down the forests, or holds the plough, or 
 swings the sledge-hammer. Therefore let it be the sentiment of 
 your heart to use all the talents and powers you may possess in 
 the advancement of the moral and political influence of New 
 England. New England, I say ; for here is to be the stronghold 
 of liberty, and the seat of influence to the vast multitude of mil- 
 lions who are to people this republic." 
 
 At the period when the preceding letter was writ- 
 ten, the manufacturing interests had become of vast 
 importance in this community ; and the house of 
 which Mr. Lawrence was the senior partner had iden- 
 tified itself with many of the great manufacturing 
 corporations already created, or then in progress. 
 With such pecuniary interests at stake, and with a 
 sense of responsibility for the success of these enter- 
 prises, which had been projected on a scale and plan 
 hitherto unknown, it may be supposed that his mind 
 and energies were fully taxed, and that he could be 
 fairly ranked among the working-men alluded to. 
 While in the full tide of active life, and, as it were, at 
 the crowning point of a successful career, the hand of 
 Providence was laid upon him to remove him, for the 
 rest of his days, from this sphere of honor and activity 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 105 
 
 to the chamber of the invalid, and the comparatively 
 tame and obscure walks of domestic life. Ever after 
 this, his life hung upon a thread ; and its very uncer- 
 tainty, far from causing him to despond and rest from 
 future effort, seemed only to excite the desire to work 
 while the day lasted. The discipline thus acquired, 
 instead of consigning him to the inglorious obscurity 
 of a sick chamber, was the means of his entering upon 
 that career of active philanthropy which is now the 
 great source of whatever distinction there may be 
 attached to his memory. His business life was ended ; 
 and, though he was enabled to advise with others, and 
 give sometimes a direction to the course of affairs, he 
 assumed no responsibility, and had virtually retired 
 from the field. 
 
 On the 1st of June, 1831, the weather being very 
 warm, Mr. Lawrence, while engaged in the business 
 of his counting-room, drank moderately of cold water, 
 and, soon after, was seized with a violent and alarming 
 illness. The functions of the stomach seemed to have 
 been destroyed ; and, for many days, there remained 
 but small hope of his recovery. Much sympathy was 
 expressed by his friends and the public, and in such a 
 manner as to afford gratification to his family, as well 
 as surprise to himself when sufficiently recovered to be 
 informed of it. He had not yet learned the place 
 which he had earned, in the estimation of those around 
 him, as a merchant and a citizen ; and it was, not 
 
 14 
 
106 DIABT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 improbably, a stimulus to merit, by his future course, tbe 
 high encomiums which were then lavished upon him. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence announced his sickness to his son, 
 then in Spain, in the following letter, dated 
 
 "Boston, June 27, 1831. 
 " I desire to bless God for being again permitted to address you 
 in this way. On the 1st day of this month, I was seized -with a 
 violent illness, -which caused both myself and my friends almost 
 to despair of my life. But, by the blessing of God, the remedies 
 proved efficacious ; and I am still in the land of the living, with 
 a comfortable prospect of acquiring my usual health, although, 
 thus far, not allowed to leave my chamber. In that dread hour 
 when I thought that the next perhaps would be my last on earth, 
 — my thoughts resting upon my God and Saviour, then upon the 
 past scenes of my life, then upon my dear children, — the belief 
 that their minds are well directed, and that they will prove 
 blessings to society, and fulfil, in some good degree, the design 
 of Providence in placing them here, was a balm to my spirits 
 that proved more favorable to my recovery than any of the other 
 remedies. May you never forget that every man is individually 
 responsible for his actions, and must be held accountable for his 
 opportunities ! Thus he who has ten talents will receive a pro- 
 portionate reward, if he makes a right use of them ; and he who 
 receives one will be punished, if he hides it in a napkin." 
 
 " June 29, 1831. 
 "My dear and ever-honoeed Mother: Through the 
 divine goodness, I am once more enabled to address you by 
 letter, after having passed through a sickness alarming to my 
 friends, although to myself a comparatively quiet one. I caimot 
 in words express my grateful sense of God's goodness in thus 
 
DIAKT AND COEEESPONDENCE. 107 
 
 carrying me, as it were, in his hand, and lighting the way by the 
 brightness of his countenance. During that period in which I 
 considered my recovery as hardly probable, my mind was calm ; 
 and, while in review of the past I found many things to lament, 
 and in contemplation of the future much to fear, but more to 
 hope, I could find no other words in which to express my 
 thoughts than the words of the publican, ' God be merciful to me 
 a sinner ! ' All the small distinctions of sects and forms dwindled 
 into air, thin air, and seemed to me even more worthless than 
 ever. The cares and anxieties of the world did not disturb me, 
 believing it to be of small moment whether I should be taken 
 now or spared a few years longer. With returning health and 
 strength, different prospects open, and different feelings take the 
 place of those which were then so appropriate ; and the social 
 feelings and sympathies have their full share in their hold upon 
 me. * * * * 
 
 " From your ever-loving and dutiful son, A. L." 
 
 (to his son.) 
 
 " July 14. 
 " I have been constantly gaining since my last to you, and, 
 with constant care, hope to acquire my usual health. I am, 
 however, admonished, by the two attacks I have experienced 
 within a month, that the continuance of my life for any consider- 
 able period will be very likely to depend upon a rigid prudence in 
 my labor and living. The recovery from this last sickness is 
 almost like being restored to life ; and I hope the span that may 
 be allowed me may be employed in better service than any period 
 of my past life. We are placed here to be disciplined for another 
 and higher state ; and whatever happens to us makes a part of 
 this discipline. In this view, we ought never to murmur, but to 
 
108 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 consider, Tvhen ills befall us, how we can make them subserve our 
 highest good. What I am more desirous than anything else for 
 you is, that you may feel that you are accountable for all your 
 talents, and that you may so use them as to have an approving 
 conscience, and the final recompense of a faithful servant at last. 
 The period of trial is short; but the consequences are never- 
 ending. How important to each individual, then, — to you and 
 to me, — that we use aright the period assigned us ! " 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 JOUENEY TO NEW HAMPSHIRE. — LETTERS. — RESIGNS OFFICE OF 
 TRUSTEE AT HOSPITAL. — LETTERS. 
 
 A FEW days after the date of the preceding letter, a 
 change was thought desirable for the improvement of 
 Mr. Lawrence's health ; and he accordingly, with 
 Mrs. L., went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and 
 remained a week with his friend and brother-in-law, 
 the late Hon. Jeremiah Mason. From thence he pro- 
 ceeded to visit friends in Amherst, New Hampshire, 
 where he was attacked by a severe rheumatic fever, 
 which confined him for several weeks ; and it was with 
 great difficulty that he succeeded in reaching home 
 about the 20th of September, after an absence of nearly 
 two months. On the 27th of September, he writes to 
 his son : 
 
 "It is only within a few days that I have been able to be 
 removed to my own house. I am now able to walk my chamber, 
 and sit up half the day ; and, by the best care in the world, I 
 have a fair hope of again enjoying so much health as to feel that 
 I may yet be of some use in the world. My bodily sufferings 
 have been great during this last sickness ; but my miad in 
 
 109 
 
110 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 general has been quiet. I seem to want nothing which this 
 world can give to make me an enviably happy man, but your 
 presence and a return of my health ; but these last are wisely 
 withheld. We are apt, in the abundance of the gift, to lose the 
 recollection whence it came, and feel that by our own power we 
 can go forward. Happy for us that we are thus made to feel that 
 all we have is from God ; this recurrence to the Source of all our 
 blessings makes us better men. I do not expect to be able to 
 leave the house before the next spring ; and, in the mean time, 
 must be subject to the casualties hicident to a person in my 
 situation." 
 
 On October 29, Mr. Lawrence, in a letter to the 
 same son, expresses his gratitude for the enjoyment 
 of life, " even in a sick chamber, as mine must be 
 termed." 
 
 "I receive my friends here, and once only have walked abroad 
 for a few minutes. I drive in a carriage every pleasant day, and 
 I can truly say that my days pass in the full enjoyment of more 
 than the average of comfort. My mind is as easy as it ever is, 
 and as active as is safe for the body. I employed myself yester- 
 day in looking over your letters since you left home three years 
 ago, and was reminded by them that the fourth year of your 
 absence has just commenced. Although a brief space since it is 
 passed, an equal time, if we look forward, appears to be far 
 distant. The question you will naturally ask yourself is. How has 
 the time been spent ? and from the answer you may gather much 
 instruction for the future. If you have made the best use of this 
 period, happy is it for you, as the habit of the useful application 
 of your time will make its continuance more natural and easy. 
 
DIARY AND CORKESPONiENCE. Ill 
 
 K you have misused and abused your opportunities, there is not a 
 moment to be lost in retracing your steps, and making good, by 
 future effort, what has been lost by want of it. In short, we can 
 none of us know that a fiiture will be allowed us to amend and 
 to correct our previous misdoings and omissions ; and it is not less 
 the part of wisdom than of duty to be always up and doing, that 
 whenever our Master comes we may be ready. I never was 
 made so sensible before of the power of the mind over the body. 
 It is a matter of surprise to some of my friends, who have known 
 my constant habits of business for a quarter of a century, that I 
 can find so much comfort and quiet in the confinement of my 
 house, when I feel so well, and there are so many calls for my 
 labors abroad. I hope to pursue such a discreet course as shall 
 allow me to come forth in the spring with my poor frame so far 
 renovated and restored as to enable me to take my place among 
 the active laborers of the day, and do what little I may for the 
 advancement and well-being of my generation. If, however, I 
 should, by any accident or exposure, be again brought to a bed of 
 pain and suffering, may God grant me a patient and submissive 
 temper to bear whatever may be put upon me, with a full con- 
 viction that such chastisements will tend to my good, if I make a 
 right use of them ! " 
 
 The first of January, 1832, found Mr. Lawrence 
 confined to his sick room, and unable, from bodily 
 weakness, to drive out in the open air, as he had 
 hitherto done. He writes to his son : 
 
 " I am reminded, by the new year, that another portion of 
 time has passed, by which we are accustomed to measure in 
 prospect the space that is allotted us here ; and the reflections at 
 
112 DIARY AND COKEESPONDENCE. 
 
 the close of the old and the commencement of the new year are 
 calculated, if we do not cheat ourselves, to make us better than 
 we otherwise should be. I am enjoying myself highly under the 
 close confinement of two parlor chambers, from which I have only 
 travelled into the entry since November. I have lived pretty 
 much as other prisoners of a different character live, as regards 
 food ; namely, on bread and water, or bread and coffee or cocoa. 
 I have come to the conclusion that the man who lives on bread 
 and water, if he have enough, is the genuine epicure, according to 
 the original and true meaning. I am favored with the visits of 
 more pretty and interesting ladies than any layman in the city, I 
 believe. My rooms are quite a resort ; and, old fellow as I am, 
 I have the vanity to suppose I render myself quite agreeable to 
 them." 
 
 On the same day, in a letter of sympathy to his 
 sister-in-law, whose invalid son was about to leave for 
 a long voyage, he writes : 
 
 " While my family are all absent at church, I am sitting alone, 
 my mind going back to the beginning of the year just ended 
 and forward through that just commenced ; and, in view of 
 both periods, I can see nothing but the unbounded goodness 
 of our heavenly Father and best friend, in all that has been 
 taken from me, as well as in all that is left to me. I can 
 say, with sincerity, that I never have had so much to call forth 
 my warmest and deepest gratitude for favors bestowed as at the 
 present time. Among my sources of happiness is a settled con- 
 viction that, in chastening his children, God desires their good ; 
 and if his chastisements are thus viewed, we cannot receive them 
 in any other light than as manifestations of his fatherly care and 
 kindness. Although, at times, ' clouds and darkness are round 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 113 
 
 about him,' -we do certainly know, by the words of inspiration, 
 ' that justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne,' and 
 goodness and mercy the attributes of his character; and if it 
 should please him further to try me with disease during the period 
 of my probation, my prayer to him is that my mind and heart 
 may remain stayed on him, and that I may practically illustrate 
 those words of " our blessed Saviour, ' Not my will, but thine be 
 done.' It is quite possible that there may still be a few years of 
 probation for me ; but it is more probable that I may not remain 
 here to the close of the present ; but whether I remain longer 
 or shorter is of little consequence, compared with the preparation 
 or the dress in which I may be found when called away. It has 
 seemed to me that the habit of mind we cultivate here will be that 
 which will abide with us hereafter ; and that heaven is as truly 
 begun here as that the affections which make us love our friends 
 grow stronger by use, and improve by cultivation. We are here m 
 our infancy ; the feelings cherished at this period grow with our 
 growth, and, in the progress of time, will fit us for the highest 
 enjoyments of the most distant future. I say, then, what sources 
 of happiness are open to us, not only for the present, but for all 
 future time ! These hasty remarks are elicited on occasion of the 
 separation so soon to take place from your son. I know full well 
 the anxieties of a parent on such an occasion. 
 
 " His health cannot, of course, be certainly predicted ; but you 
 will have the comfort of knowing that you have done everything 
 that the fondest parents could do in this particular, whatever effect 
 the absence may have upon him. 
 
 " should feel that his obligations are increased, with his 
 
 m.eans and opportunities for improvement. If by travel he 
 acquire a better education, and can make himself more useful on 
 his return, he can no more divest himself of his increased duties, 
 15 
 
114 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 than he can divest himself of his duty to be honest. The account 
 is to be rendered for the use of the talents, ■whether they be ten, 
 or five, or one. If I have opportunity, I shall write a few lines 
 
 to before he leaves. If I should not, I desire him to feel 
 
 that I have great aifection for him, and deep interest in his 
 progi-ess, and an ardent hope that his health, improvement, and 
 knowledge, may be commensurate with the rare advantages he will 
 enjoy for the acquisition of all. 
 
 "I know the tender feelings of your husband on all things 
 touching his family or friends ; and perhaps I may find opportu- 
 nity to speak a word of comfort to him. But I know not what 
 more to say than to reiterate the sentiment here expressed. 
 Nature will have its way for a time, but I hope reason will be 
 sufiicient to make that time very short. Whatever time it may be, 
 of this I feel confident, that, after the feelings have once sub- 
 sided, — — will have all the sunshine and joy which the event is 
 calculated to produce. He cannot know until he has realized the 
 pleasure of hearing the absent ones speak, as it were, in his ear, 
 from a distance of three thousand miles. 
 
 "May the best blessings of the Almighty rest on you and 
 yours ! From your ever afiectionate A. L." 
 
 (to his son.) 
 
 " Sunday morning, Feb. 5, 1832. 
 " I have seated myself at my writing-desk, notwithstanding it 
 is holy time, in the hope and belief that I am in the way of duty. 
 This consecration of one day in seven to the duties of religion, — 
 comprisiag, as these do, every duty, — and if they be well per- 
 formed, to self-examination, is a glorious renovation of the world; 
 Who that has witnessed the efiects of this rest upon the moral 
 and physical condition of a people, can doubt the wisdom of the 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 115 
 
 appointment ? Wherever -we turn our eyes or our thoughts, if wo 
 only will be as honest and candid, in our estimate of the value of 
 the provision made for us, as we ordinarily are in our estimate of 
 the character and conduct of our fellow-men, we must be struck 
 with admiration and gratitude to that merciful Father who has 
 seen our wants, and provided for our comfort to an extent to which 
 the care and provision of the best earthly parents for their children 
 hardly gives the name of resemblance." 
 
 In speaking of some application for aid which he 
 had received from a charitable institution, he writes to 
 his son : 
 
 " Our people are liberally disposed, and contribute to most 
 objects which present a fair claim to their aid. I think you will 
 find great advantage in doing this part of your duty upon a 
 system which you can adopt; thus, for instance, divide your 
 expenses into ten parts, nine of which may be termed for what is 
 considered necessary, making a liberal calculation for such as your 
 situation would render proper, and one part applied for the pro- 
 motion of objects not directly or legally claiming your support, 
 but such as every good citizen would desire to have succeed. 
 This, I think, you will find the most agreeable part of your 
 expense; and, if you should be favored with an abundance of 
 means later in life, you may enlarge your appropriations of this 
 sort, so as to be equal to one tenth of your income. Neither 
 yourself nor those who depend upon you will ever feel the poorer. 
 I assume that you have plenty, in thus fixing the proportion. I 
 believe the rule might be profitably adopted by many who have 
 small means; for they would save more by method than they 
 would be required to pay. 
 
116 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 " To-morro-w completes a hundred years since the birth of 
 Washington. The day Tvill be celebrated, from one end of the 
 country to the other, with suitable demonstrations of respect, by 
 processions, orations, and religious ceremonies, according to the 
 feelings of the people who join in it. I think the spectacle -will 
 be a grand one, of a whole people brought together to commem- 
 orate the birth of one of their fellow-mortals, who by his virtues 
 and his talents has made his memory immortal, and whose pre- 
 cepts and example are calculated to secure happiness to the 
 countless millions of his fellow-beings who are to people this 
 vast empire through all future time. It is permitted to few to 
 have open to them such a field as Washington had ; but no one 
 since the Christian era has filled his sphere so gloriously. We 
 are jogging along, in political, theological and commercial afiiiirs, 
 very much as usual." 
 
 During the month of January, Mr. Lawrence, on 
 account of ill health, resigned his seat in the Board 
 of Trustees of the Massachusetts General Hospital, in 
 which he had served for several years. This duty 
 had always been one of unmingled pleasure to him ; 
 and, by means of his visits there, and at the McLean 
 Asylum for the Insane, under the management of the 
 same board, he became conversant with a class of 
 sufferers who had excited a great interest in his mind, 
 and whom he often visited during the remainder of his 
 life, to cheer them in their sadness, and to convey to 
 them such little tokens of kindness as assured them of 
 his interest and sympathy. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 117 
 
 In a letter to his second son, at Andover, he writes, 
 April 21 : 
 
 " You -will be glad to hear I have got along very Tvell through 
 the -n-et, cold weather of the week, and am looking forward with 
 cheerful hope to the sunny days to come. If it were not for my 
 faculty of turning present disappointments to future pleasures in 
 prospect, I should run down in spirits. I have always indulged 
 myself in castle-building ; but have generally taken care so to 
 build as to be in no danger of their falling on my head, so that 
 when I have gone as far with one as is safe, if it does not promise 
 well, I transfer my labor to another, and thus am always supplied 
 with objects. The last one finished was commenced last May, 
 and it is one I delight to think of. It was then I determined to 
 get your Uncle Mason* here. N. thought it a castle without 
 foundation, but the result shows otherwise. 
 
 " I send some of W.'s late letters, by which you perceive he is 
 not idle ; the thought of the dear fellow makes the tears start. 
 God in mercy grant him a safe return, fully impressed with his 
 obligations as a man and a Christian ! That I am now living in 
 the enjoyment of so much health, surrounded by so many bless- 
 ings, is overpowering to my feelings. What shall I render unto 
 God for all these benefits ? I feel my unworthiness, and devoutly 
 pray him that I may never lose sight of the great end of my 
 being ; and that, whenever it shall please him to call me hence, I 
 may be found in the company of the redeemed through the merits 
 and mediation of the Son of his love. If there is any one thing 
 I would impress on your mind more strongly than another, it is 
 to give good heed to the religious impressions with which you 
 
 * Hon. Jeremiah Mason, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who passed 
 the rest of his life in Boston. 
 
118 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 may be imbued ; and, at a future day, these may prove a founda- 
 tion that will support you when all other supports would fail. 
 The youthful imagination frequently magnifies objects at a dis- 
 tance ; experience is an able teacher, and detects, too late, 
 perhaps, the fraud upon youth. Be wise in time, and avoid this 
 fraud." 
 
 A few days later, he writes to the same son, on the 
 subject of systematic charity : 
 
 " It is one of my privileges, not less than one of my duties, to 
 be able thus to administer to the comfort of a circle of very dear 
 friends. I hope you will one day have the delightful conscious- 
 ness of using a portion of your means in a way to give you as 
 much pleasure as I now experience. Your wants may be brought 
 within a very moderate compass ; and I hope you will never feel 
 yourself at liberty to waste on yourself such means, as, by sys- 
 tem and right principles, may be beneficially applied to the good 
 of those around you. Providence has given us unerring princi- 
 ples to guide us in our duties of this sort. Our first duty is to 
 those of our own household, then extending to kindred, fi-iends, 
 neighbors (and the term ' neighbor ' may, in its broadest sense, 
 take in the whole human family), citizens of our state, then of 
 our country, then of the other countries of the world." 
 
 In another letter, written soon after the preceding, 
 he speaks of certain principles of business which gov- 
 erned him in early life, and adds : 
 
 " The secret of the whole matter was, that we had formed the 
 habit of promptly acting, thus taking the top of the tide ; while 
 the habit of some others was to delay until about half-tide, thus 
 
DIARY AND OORKESPONDENCE. 119 
 
 getting on the flats; while we were all the time prepared for 
 action, and ready to put into any port that promised well. I 
 wish, by all these remarks, to impress upon you the necessity of 
 qualifying yourself to support yourself The best education that 
 I can secure shall be yours, and such facilities for usefulness as 
 may be in my power shall be rendered ; but no food to pamper 
 idleness or wickedness will I ever supply willingly to any con- 
 nection, however near. I trust I have none who will ever misuse 
 so basely anything that may come to them as a blessing. This 
 letter, you may think, has an undue proportion of advice. ' Line 
 upon line, precept upon precept,' is recommended by one wiser 
 than I am." 
 
 (to his daughter.) 
 
 " Sunday morn. 
 
 "My dear Daughter: In the quiet of this morning, my 
 mind naturally rests on those objects nearest and dearest to me ; 
 and you, my child, are among the first. 
 
 " The family are all at church, but the weather is not such as 
 to permit my going ; and the season by them employed in the 
 service of the sanctuary will by me be employed in communi- 
 cating with you. 
 
 " You have now arrived at an age when the mind and heart are 
 most susceptible of impressions for weal or woe ; and the direction 
 which may be given to them is what no parent can view with 
 indifference, or pass over without incurring the guilt of being 
 unfaithful in his duties. My earnest desire for you is, that you 
 may fully appreciate your opportunities and responsibilities, and 
 so use them that you may acquire a reasonable hope that you may 
 secure the object for which we are placed here. The probation is 
 short, but long enough to do all that is required of us, if faith- 
 fully used ; the consequences are never-ending. 
 
120 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 " These simple views are such as any child of your ago can 
 comprehend, and should be made as familiar to your mind as the 
 every-day duties of life. If the mind, from early days, be thus 
 accustomed to look upon life as a school of preparation for higher 
 services, then the changes and adversities to -which we are all 
 liable can only be viewed as necessary discipline to fit us for those 
 higher services, and as such be considered as applied for our good, 
 however painful they may seem at first. There is no truth better 
 settled than this : that all the discipline of our heavenly Parent, 
 if rightly used, will eventuate in our good. How, then, can we 
 murmur and repine at his dealings with us ? This conduct only 
 shows our weakness and folly, and illustrates the better care of 
 us than we should take of ourselves. 
 
 " We are in the condition of the sick man, who sometimes 
 craves that which, if given him by his friend, would cause his 
 certain death ; but he is not aware at the time that it is withheld 
 for his good. The importance, then, of cultivating a right 
 understanding of the things of which our duties and our happi- 
 ness are composed, is second to no object which can employ the 
 mind : for, with this knowledge, we must suppose that no one 
 can be so lost to his own interest as not to feel that in the per- 
 formance of these duties is to result the possession of those riches 
 which are promised to the faithful by our Father in heaven, 
 through the Son of his love. In the preparation which awaits 
 you, do not stop at the things which are seen, but look to those 
 which are unseen. These views, perhaps, may be profitably 
 pondered long after I have been gathered to my fathers. 
 
 " The tenure of my life seems very frail ; still it may continue 
 longer than the lives of my children ; but, whenever it shall 
 please God to call me hence, I hope to feel resigned to his will, 
 and to leave behind me such an influence as shall help forward 
 
DIART AND COERESPONDENCE. 121 
 
 the timid and faint-hearted in the path of duty ; and particularly 
 on you, my child, do I urge these views. They debar you from 
 no real or reasonable pleasure ; they speak to you, in strong lan- 
 guage, to enjoy all those blessings which a bountiful Parent has 
 scattered in your path with unsparing plenty, and admonish you 
 that to enjoy is not to abuse them ; when abused, they cease to be 
 
 enjoyed." 
 
 16 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 DAILY EXERCISE.— EEGIMEN. — IMPEOVING HEALTH. — LETTERS. 
 
 During the summer and autumn of 1832, Mr. 
 Lawrence's health and strength were so much im- 
 proved, that he was enabled to take exercise on horse- 
 back ; and almost daily he took long rides, sometimes 
 alone, sometimes with a friend, about the environs of 
 the city. This habit he was enabled to continue, with 
 some intermissions, for two or three years, through 
 summer and winter. The effect of the exercise amidst 
 the beautiful scenery of the environs of Boston, of 
 which he was an enthusiastic admirer, was most bene- 
 ficial to his health, and, it is believed, was a great 
 means of prolonging his life. Whenever he could do 
 so, he secured the company of a friend, and kept a 
 horse expressly for the purpose. As the ride was 
 taken in the morning, when his business acquaintances 
 were occupied, his most usual companion was some one 
 of the city clergy, whom he secured for the occasion, 
 or one of his sons. No denominational distinctions 
 seemed to regulate his choice on these occasions. His 
 own beloved pastor and friend, the Kev. Dr. Lothrop, 
 
 122 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 123 
 
 Eev. Drs. Stone and Greenwood, and Father Taylor, 
 the seamen's chaplain, were often his companions. 
 Occasionally a stray merchant or lawyer was engaged ; 
 and, as was sometimes the case where they had not 
 heen much accustomed to the exercise, a long trot of 
 many miles in the sun, or in the face of a keen winter 
 north-wester, would severely tax their own strength, 
 while they wondered how so frail a figure as that 
 of Mr. Lawrence could possess so much endurance. 
 With all this apparent energy and strength, he was 
 extremely liable to iUness, which would come when 
 least expected, and confine him for days to his house. 
 An item of bad news, some annoying incident, a little 
 anxiety, or a slight cold, would, as it were, paralyze 
 his digestive functions, and reduce his strength to the 
 lowest point. It was this extreme sensitiveness which 
 unfitted him to engage in the general current of 
 business, and which compelled him to keep aloof from 
 participation in commercial afiairs, and to adopt that 
 peculiar system in diet and living which he adhered to 
 for the remainder of his life. This system limited him 
 to the use of certain kinds of food, which, from time 
 to time, was slightly modified, as was thought expe- 
 dient. This food was of the most simple kind, and 
 was taken in small quantities, after being weighed in 
 a balance, which always stood before him upon his 
 writing-table. To secure perfect quiet during his 
 meals, and also that he might not be tempted to over- 
 
124 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 step the bounds of prudence, a certain amount was 
 sent to him in his chamber, from which he took what 
 was allowed. The amount of liquid was also weighed ; 
 and so rigid was he in this system of diet, that, for the 
 last sixteen years of his life, he sat down at no meal 
 with his family. The amount of food taken varied, of 
 course, with his strength and condition. In a letter to 
 his friend. President Hopkins, of Williams College, he 
 says : 
 
 " If your young folks want to know the meaning of epicurean- 
 ism, tell them to take some bits of coarse bread (one ounce and a 
 little more), soak them in three gills of coarse-meal gruel, and 
 make their dinner of them and nothing else ; beginning very 
 hungry, and leaving off more hungry. The food is delicious, and 
 such as no modern epicureanism can equal." 
 
 For a considerable period, he kept a regular diet- 
 table, in which he noted down the quantity of solid and 
 liquid food taken during the twenty-four hours. One 
 of his memorandum-books, labelled " Record of Diet 
 and Discipline for 1839 and 1840," contains accurate 
 records of this sort. 
 
 In October, 1832, in writing to his son in the coun- 
 try, he alludes to this improvement in his health and 
 strength : 
 
 " We are all doing as well as usual here, myself among them 
 doing better than usual. My little ' Doctor ' * does wonders for 
 
 * The name of his horse. 
 
DIART AND COEEESPONDENCE. 125 
 
 me. I ride so much, and so advantageously, that I do not know 
 
 but I shall be bold enough, by and by, to ride to B and back 
 
 in a day, but shall hardly dare do so until I have practised a 
 little more in this neighborhood. 
 
 '" I want you to analyze more closely the tendency of princi- 
 ples, associations, and conduct, and strive to adopt such as will 
 make it easier for you to go right than go wrong. The moral 
 taste, like the natural, is vitiated by abuse. Gluttony, tobacco, 
 and intoxicating drink, are not less dangerous to the latter, than 
 loose principles, bad associations, and profligate conduct, are to the 
 former. Look well to all these things." 
 
 The year 1833 opened witli bright and cheering pros- 
 pects ; for, with Mr. Lawrence's increasing strength 
 and improved health, there seemed a strong ground of 
 hope that he might yet recover all his powers, and once 
 more take his place among his former business asso- 
 ciates. 
 
 He writes at this time to his son at Andover : 
 
 " I am as light as a feather this morning, and feel as if I could 
 
 mount upon a zephyr, and ride upon its back to A ; but I 
 
 am admonished to be careful when my spirits are thus buoyant, 
 lest I come down to the torpor of the insect, which is shut up by 
 the frost. Extremes are apt to follow, unless I take great care. 
 Last Sabbath, I kept my bed, most of the day, with a poor turn. 
 Brother A. said, on Saturday, he knew I was going to have one, 
 for I talked right on." 
 
 In March, he writes : 
 
126 DIAKY AND COKRESPONDBNCB. 
 
 " The season is coming forward now so as to allow me the use 
 of the roads around Roxbury and Dorchester. My ' Doctor ' 
 looks so altered by a two hours' canter, that his own mother 
 would hardly know him at first sight. We continue excellent 
 friends ; and I think he has never used me better than during the 
 last few days. We both ' feel our oats ' and our youth. I feel 
 like sweet twenty-five ; and he, I judge, like vigorous seven." 
 
 On April 28, he writes to a young friend : 
 
 " When you get married, do not expect a higher degree of per- 
 fection than is consistent with mortality in your wife. If you do, 
 you will be disappointed. Be careful, and do not choose upon a 
 theory either. I dislike much of the nonsense and quackery that 
 is dignified with the name of intellectual among people. Old- 
 fashioned common sense is a deal better. * * * * 
 
 "There was a part of Boston which used to be visited by 
 young men out of curiosity when I first came here, into which I 
 never set foot for the whole time I remained a single man. I 
 avoided it, because I not only wished to keep clear of the tempta- 
 tions common in that part, but to avoid the appearance of evil. 
 I never regretted it; and I would advise all young men to 
 strengthen their good resolutions by reflection, and to plant deep 
 and strong the principles of right, and to avoid temptation, as 
 time gives them strength to stand against it." 
 
 On December 23, he writes to his wife, who had 
 been summoned to the bedside of a dying relative : 
 
 " Your absence makes a great blank in the family ; and I feel 
 that I must be very careful lest any little accident should make 
 me feel of a deep blue while you are away. Confidence is a great 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 127 
 
 matter, not only in curing, but in preventing disease, whether of 
 the body or the mind ; and I have somehow got the notion that I 
 am more safe when you * are looking after me than when you are 
 not, and that any trouble is sooner cured when you are present 
 than when you are not. This is, I suppose, the true charm 
 which some people have faith in to keep off their ills. I have 
 been forcibly reminded of the passage of time, by reviewing the 
 scenes of the last three years, and am deeply sensible of the 
 mercies that have been extended to me. What little I do is a 
 poor return : may a better spirit prompt and guide my future 
 services ! What few I have rendered are estimated by my breth- 
 ren beyond their value, and of course tend to flatter my self-love. 
 This should not be ; and I ought to see myself as I am seen by 
 that eye that never sleeps. The situation I occupy is one that I 
 would not exchange, if I had the power, with any man living : it 
 is full of agreeable incidents, and free from the toils and anxieties 
 frequently attendant on a high state of prosperity ; and is, beside, 
 free from that jealousy, or from any other cause of uneasiness, so 
 common among the ardent and successful in this world's race." 
 
 To his daughter, who was on a visit at Washington, 
 he writes : 
 
 " Boston, May 18th, 1834. Sunday evening. 
 " My dear ChiIiD : The contrast in the weather to-day with 
 
 * The editor, in justice to his own feelings, will here remark, that he 
 believes the continuation of Mr. Lawrence's life, after he became a con- 
 firmed invalid, was, under Providence, in a great measure due to the care 
 and faithful attentions of his wife. For more than twenty years, and 
 during his frequent seasons of languor and sickness, she submitted to many 
 sacrifices, and bestowed a degree of care and watchfulness such as affection 
 alone could have enabled her to render. 
 
128 DIARY AND COEEESPONDENCE. 
 
 •what it has been most of the time since you left home, is as great 
 as is usual between a bleak November day and the soft air of 
 June. To-day it is beautiful, but on Wednesday it snowed, 
 hailed, and rained, and I am told, indeed, that a few miles beyond 
 Amherst the snow fell four inches in depth. You hare reason to 
 be thankful that you have been in a milder climate, and, at the 
 same time, are seeing all the wonders that open upon you in the 
 new world on which you have entered. 
 
 " I shall be expecting a letter from you -within a day or two ; 
 there can be no want of materials where so many new objects are 
 constantly presenting themselves, and there is a pleasure in 
 receiving them just as they appear to you ; so you need not be 
 afraid to place before me the first sketches, precisely as you catch 
 them. 
 
 " To-day I suppose you are in Philadelphia, and, if so, I hope 
 you have attended a Friends' meeting. The manner of worship 
 and the appearance of the people are different from anything you 
 have seen ; and the influence of this sect upon the taste and man- 
 ners of the people is very striking, particularly in the matter of 
 their dress. It is said that you can judge something of the char- 
 acter of a lady from her dress. Without deeming it an essential, I 
 think it of some consequence. This strikes the eye only, and may 
 deceive ; how much more important that the dress of the heart 
 and mind and affections be right, and that no deception be found 
 there ! I do most earnestly pray God that every opportunity may 
 be improved by you, my dear S., to adorn yourself with all those 
 graces that shall not only charm the eye, but also with those that 
 shall win the affections of those whose affection you would prize, 
 and more especially that you will secure the approval of our best 
 Friend. 
 
 * * * * * * 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 129 
 
 " Monday afternoon, May 19. — I have received your charm- 
 ing letter, dated on Thursday last. It is just the thing, a simple 
 narrative of facts ; and you -will find plenty of materials of this 
 sort, as I stated to you before. I have been in the saddle to-day 
 nearly five hours with your Uncle W. and Father Taylor, and 
 am very tired, but shall get refreshed by a night's rest. 
 
 " The day is beautiful, finer than any we have had since you 
 left home. We went to Mount Auburn, and it appears very 
 lovely ; how much better than the dreary resting-places for the 
 dead so common in New England, overgrown with thistles, and 
 the graves hardly designated by a rude stone ! Our Puritan 
 forefathers mistook very much, I think, in making the place of 
 deposit for our mortal remains so forbidding in appearance to the 
 living. A better taste is growing among us. It may become a 
 matter of ostentation (we are so apt to go to extremes), to build 
 sepulchres and monuments to hold our bodies, that will speak to 
 our shame when we are no longer subjects of trial ; when, in 
 short, we shall have gone to our account. If these monuments 
 could speak to their living OT\'ners, and induce them to labor to 
 merit, while they may, a good word from the future lookers on, 
 then they would be valuable indeed. As it is, I have no fault to 
 find ; it is decidedly better than the old fashion of making these 
 tenements look as dreary as anything in this world can look." 
 
 To the same he writes, a few days later : 
 
 " Tell that I saw little this morning. She is the 
 
 sweetest little creature that ever lived, and I find myself smiling 
 whenever I think of the dear child in health. Sympathy is a 
 powerful agent in illustrating through the countenance the feel- 
 ings within. I believe my face is as arrant a tell-tale as- ever was 
 worn ; and whenever I think of those I love, under happy circum- 
 17 
 
130 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 stances, I am happy, too. So you may judge how much I enjioy 
 in the belief that you are enjoying so much, and doing so well, in 
 this journey." 
 
 On February 8, 1835, he writes to a young friend : 
 
 " Take care that fancy does not beguile you of your under- 
 standing in making your choice : a mere picture is not all that is 
 needful in the up and down hills of life. The arrangements of 
 the household and the sick room have more in them to fasten 
 upon the heart than all the beauties and honors of the mere gala 
 days, however successfully shown off. Be careful, when you pick, 
 to get a heart, a soul, and a body ; not a show of a body that has 
 mere vitality. All this comes in by the ears ; but it is in, — I 
 will not blot it out." 
 
 March 16, he writes to his sister : 
 
 " I have had so much call for my sympathy, assistance, and 
 advice, among my brethren in trade, that I have little inclination 
 or spirit to write social or family letters since my last ; but, in all 
 this turmoil and trouble (and it really is as disastrous as a siege 
 or a famine to the country), I have kept up a good heart, and have 
 been able to view the work of destruction with as much composure 
 as the nature of the case will allow. Whatever effects it shall 
 produce on my property, I shall submit to, as the inevitable 
 destruction that comes without any fault of my own, of course 
 without any self-reproaches ; but for the authors I feel a just 
 indignation. As regards the pecuniary distress among us, it is 
 subsiding : there have been fewer failures than were anticipated ; 
 but there have been numbers on the brink, who have been saved 
 by the help of friends. A few persons have done great service in 
 
DIAKT AND COERESPONDENCE. 131 
 
 helping those who could not help themselves ; and the conse- 
 quences will be felt here for years to come ia the credit and 
 standing of many worthy people, who must otherwise have been 
 broken down. Brother A. has had a load of care and responsi- 
 bility much too severe for him, and has now agreed to throw off a 
 part of the business as soon as the present pressure is past." 
 
 April 29, he writes : 
 
 " I am busy these days, but have no very important duties, 
 except riding with the ministers and the young ladies." 
 
 Again, a few days later : 
 
 " I am completely on one side, while I appear to be quite busy 
 in putting in an oar now and then." 
 
 To Ms daughter, on her eighteenth birth-day, he 
 writes : 
 
 " Boston, May 23, 1835. 
 " My dear S. : You have been much in my mind to-day, and 
 now that I am sitting alone this evening, I place myself at your 
 writing-desk to communicate with you, and thus impart some 
 portion of those feelings of interest and affection which a return 
 of this day brings more strongly into play. Eighteen years of 
 your life are now passed, and the events of this period have 
 been deeply interesting to me, and have made such impressions 
 on you, and have left such marks of progress, I hope, in the 
 divine life, as will insure your onward and upward course, until 
 you shall join that dear one whose home has been in heaven 
 for nearly the whole period of your life. When I look upoa 
 
132 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 you, or think of your appearance, the image of your mother is 
 before me, and then I feel that deep solicitude that your mind 
 and heart may be imbued with those heavenly influences that gave 
 a grace and charm to all she did. 
 
 " There is no substitute for those traits, and you may feel 
 entire confidence that a practical use of tliem in prosperity will 
 prove the best security against the changes which adversity brings 
 about. If I were to select for you the richest portion which a 
 fond father could choose, it would be that you might have a mind 
 and a heart to perform all those duties which your station and 
 condition in life require, upon the true Christian principle of 
 using your one or more talents, and thus, at the day of account, 
 receive the cheering sound of the Master's voice. 
 
 " What treasure will compare with this ? The charms of life 
 are captivating to the imagination, but there are none more calcu- 
 lated to add to our joys here than elevated Christian principles, 
 however they may be branded by the mere worldling as ' cold, 
 unsocial,' and the like. You see how important it is to form a 
 just estimate of the value of these different objects. When a 
 mistake is made here, the consequences may be never-ending. 
 Our danger is in cheating ourselves, by leaving undone those 
 things our conscience tells us we ought to do, and doing others 
 that it tells us we ought not to do. 
 
 " I have thought, for some time past, my dear child, that your 
 mind was laboring under the influence of religious truth, and I 
 have been made most comfortable in this belief. Cultivate those 
 feelings, and study to make your example good to others, as well 
 as safe for yourself. Our time here is short, but it is long enough 
 to accomplish the work we are sent to perform, and the conse- 
 quences will be on our oivn heads if we omit or neglect to 
 do it." 
 
DIARY ANB COKRESPONDENCE. 133 
 
 (to the sajce.) 
 
 " Gboton, August 9, 1835. 
 
 " Dear S. : I have been talking with your gi-andmother, for 
 the last hour, upon the events of her early days, and I feel (as I 
 always do when I contrast our present condition with the past) 
 that we, as a whole people, and as individuals, have more reasons 
 for gratitude and obedience to our heavenly Father than have 
 ever before been placed before any people ; and it seems to me we 
 are more likely to disregard them than any other people I have 
 any knowledge of. The fact is, we are so prosperous that we 
 seem to forget the source of our prosperity, and take it as a 
 matter of course that the character and conduct of a people 
 cannot influence their condition. We are ready to say of an 
 individual when he has been reckless and extravagant, that he has 
 brought destruction on himself Why, then, may not a whole 
 people be judged by the same standard? Our great danger arises 
 from false principles. We never act above the standard we 
 adopt ; and if our standard be so low as to authorize the gratifi- 
 cation of the basest passions, how natural that our tastes become 
 conformed to this standard ! 
 
 "These reflections arose in my mind by hearing from my 
 mother the stories of the ' times that tried men's souls ; ' how she 
 was separated from her husband immediately after her marriage, 
 when he joined the army in Rhode Island ; how, after a battle, 
 his mother said to her ' she did not know but Sam was killed ; ' 
 how she fell instantly upon the floor, and how, within a day or 
 two, after a separation of eight months, she was rejoiced to see her 
 husband safe and sound (although at the time alluded to he had 
 been in great peril, having been saved from captivity by the des- 
 perate efibrts of a company of blacks, and by the fleetness and 
 force of his fine charger) ; and how, by confidence in the justness 
 
134: DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 of the cause and the aid of the Almighty, they trusted they 
 should get through the contest, and be permitted to enjoy the 
 fruits of their own labor in their own way. And now, what 
 proportion of the people do you suppose refer to the aid of the 
 Almighty, or to his justice or judgment as a motive to their 
 actions, or how far does his fear or his love influence their con- 
 duct ? These questions are more easily asked than answered ; 
 but they fill the mind with mournful forebodings of the 
 necessary consequences to any people of forgetting God and 
 departing from his love. You and I, and every individual, have 
 it in our power to keep off in some degree this fatal consum- 
 mation. Let us, therefore, examine well ourselves, and strive to 
 be numbered among those faithful stewards who, at their Master's 
 coming, shall be placed among the happy company who enter the 
 joy of their Lord. 
 
 '■ This morning is one of those delightful quiet Sabbaths that 
 seem to be like the rest of the saints above. We are all soon to 
 be on our way to public worship. * * * * 
 
 (to his mother.) 
 
 "Aug. 16, 1835. 
 
 "My dear and honored Mother: My mind turns back 
 
 to you almost as frequently as its powers are brought into separate 
 
 action, and always with an interest that animates and quickens my 
 
 pulse ; for, under God, it is by your good influence and teachings 
 
 that I am prepared to enjoy those blessings which he has so 
 
 richly scattered in my path in all my onward progress in life. 
 
 How could it be otherwise than that your image should be with 
 
 me, unless I should prove wholly unworthy of you? Your 
 
 journey is so much of it performed, that those objects which 
 
 interested you greatly in its early stages have lost their charms ; 
 
 and well it is that they have ; for they now would prove clogs in 
 
BIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 135 
 
 the way ; and it is to your children, to your Saviour, and your 
 God, that your mind and heart now turn as the natural sources of 
 pleasure. Each of these, I trust, in their proper place and degree, 
 supply all your wants. The cheering promise that has encouraged 
 you when your powers were the highest, will not fail you when 
 the weight of years and infirmities have made it more necessary 
 to your comfort to get over the few remaining spans of the 
 journey. To God I commend you ; and pray him to make the 
 path light, and your way confiding and joyful, until you shall 
 reach that home prepared for the faithful." 
 
 In a letter to Ms sister, dated Oct. 25, he further 
 alludes to his mother, as follows : 
 
 " My thoughts this morning have been much engaged with my 
 early home. I conclude it best to embody them in part, and send 
 them forward to add (if they may) a token of gratitude and 
 thankfulness to that dear one who is left to us, for her care of our 
 early days, and her Christian instruction and example to her 
 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; each genera- 
 tion of whom, I trust, will be made better in some of its members 
 by her. It is more natural, when in our weakness and want, to 
 turn our thoughts to those whom they have been accustomed to 
 look to for assistance ; and thus to me the impression of the blessing 
 I enjoy in having such a home as mine is, and the blessing I early 
 enjoyed of having such a home as mine was under my father's 
 roof, say to my heart : ' All these increase thy responsibilities, 
 and for their use thou must account.' I have had one of my 
 slight ill turns within the last two days, that has brought back 
 all these feelings with increased force ; and I look upon these as 
 gentle monitors, calculated to make me estimate more fully my 
 blessings and my duties. Frequently as I am admonished of the 
 
136 DIARY AND COE.EESPONDENCE. 
 
 frail tenure by whicli I hold my life, I am negligent and careless 
 in the performance of those high and every-day duties which I 
 should never lose sight of for an hour. I have also such buoyancy 
 of spirits, that life seems to me a very, very great blessing, and I 
 do at times strive to make it useful to those around me." 
 
CHAPTER XYII. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. —VISIT TO WASHINGTON. — VISIT TO RAINSFOED 
 ISLAND. — VIEWS OF DEATH. — REFLECTIONS. 
 
 From memorandum-book of property, December 31, 
 1835: 
 
 "My expenses have been thousand dollars this year; of 
 
 ■which about one half went for persons and objects that make me 
 feel that it has been well expended, and is better used than to remain 
 ia my possession. God grant that I may have the disposition to 
 use these talents in such manner as to receive at last the joyful 
 sound of ' Well done ! ' " 
 
 On Marcli 29, 1836, Mr. Lawrence writes : 
 
 " My anxiety for a day or two about little things kept me from 
 the enjoyment of those bright scenes that are so common to me 
 when not oppressed by any of these may he events. My nerves 
 are in such a shattered state, that I am quite unfit to encounter 
 the responsibilities incident to my station, and I am ashamed of 
 myself thus to expose my weakness." 
 
 During the spring, Mr. Lawrence's health was so 
 feeble, and his nervous system so shattered, that a 
 journey was recommended ; and, in the month of 
 
 18 137 
 
138 DIAKT AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 May, in company with his friend and pastor, the Eev. 
 Dr. Lothrop, he paid a visit to his brother Abbott, at 
 "Washington, then the representative in Congress for 
 Boston. During this journey, he experienced a severe 
 illness, and was shortly joined by Mrs. Lawrence. 
 The visit to Washington extended through several 
 weeks : and, although his health remained feeble and 
 the weather unfavorable, he seems to have been alive 
 to objects around him, and interested in what was 
 going forward in the halls of Congress as well as in 
 the society of the capital. He speaks of visits to the 
 houses of Congress, and pleasant rides on horseback, 
 ' ' with hosts of agreeable companions ready to sally 
 forth when the weather shall permit." He also takes 
 a survey of the general state of society in Washington, 
 with an occasional allusion to some particular person- 
 age. He writes : 
 
 " It used to be said that Washington and the Springs -were the 
 places for matrimonial speculations. I feel a natural dislike to a 
 lady being brought out as an extraordinary afifair, having all per- 
 fections, and having refused forty-nine offers, and still being on 
 the carpet. It shows that she is either very silly herself, or has 
 very silly friends, or both. Good strong common sense is worth 
 more than forty-nine offers, with any quantity of slaves, or bank- 
 notes, or lands, without it. * * * * * 
 
 " I have passed two hours in the Representatives' Hall and 
 Senate Chamber to-day. I heard the usual sparring, and confess 
 myself greatly interested in it. I could learn nothing of the 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 139 
 
 merits of any of the questions ; but I had a preference, such as 
 one feels in seeing two dogs fight, that one should beat. It was 
 very agreeable to me to see and hear those various distinguished 
 characters, and goes to demonstrate the common saying, that some 
 objects appear smaller by our getting nearer to them." 
 
 During this absence, one of his family remaining at 
 home had experienced a light attack of varioloid ; and, 
 according to the law then in force, was obliged to be 
 transported to the Quarantine Hospital, situated in 
 Boston Harbor. Soon after Mr. Lawrence's return 
 from the South, he paid a visit to Rainsford Island, 
 on the invitation of Dr. J. V. G. Smith, then Quaran- 
 tine Physician, and there passed some weeks very 
 pleasantly, riding about the island on his horse, and 
 watching, from the shores, the sea-views, which, with 
 the passing ships, here aiFord an endless variety. 
 
 In August, he returned to his own house in Boston ; 
 and, on the 21st, writes to his sister as follows : 
 
 " The scenery in front, side, and rear, and all within, is 
 unrivalled, except by the charms of the dear old home of my 
 mother and sister; in short, it seems to me that no two spots 
 combine so many charms as my early and present homes ; and 
 they impress me more fully now by my being so well as to enjoy 
 not only natural scenery, but the social intercourse with loved 
 ones, that more than compensate for anything I may have lost by 
 sickness and suffering. I yesterday was on horseback nearly three 
 hours, but did not ride more than ten miles : and, in that distance, 
 I went over some scenes that I felt unwilling to leave, especially 
 
140 MART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 some of the old works on and near Dorchester Heights , for they 
 appeared more interesting than ever before, from the circumstance 
 of your showing me that mass of original letters from Washing- 
 ton, Hancock, Samuel Adams, and various other revolutionary 
 charactera, to General Ward ; some of them touching the occupa- 
 tion of these heights sixty years ago, and some of them alluding 
 to scenes which have scarcely been noticed in the published 
 histories of those days. All go to show, however, the whole souls 
 of those men to have been engaged in their work ; and, further, how 
 vain it is for us of this day, who are ambitious of distinction, to 
 found it on any other basis than uprightness of character, purity 
 of Hfe, and the active performance of all those duties included in 
 ' the doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly.' How 
 few of us remember this ! I hardly know when I have been more 
 forcibly impressed with a plain truth than I was yesterday, while 
 sitting alone on horseback, on the top of the redoubt on Dorchester 
 Heights, and the considerations of the past, the present, and the 
 future, were the subject of my thoughts, connecting the men of 
 those days with the present, and the men of these days with the 
 future. The evidence is irresistible, that there is a downhill 
 tendency in the character of the people, which, in sixty years 
 more, will make us more corrupt than any other enlightened 
 nation so young as ours, unless we are checked by adversity and 
 suffering. But this is not what I intended to write about, so I 
 will go to something else. The old revolutionary documents, 
 memorials of our father, never appeared to me so interesting as 
 now ; and those I now return to you will be carefully preserved, 
 and such others as you may find, added to them. I would give a 
 great sum of money, if by it I could get all the documents I 
 used to see when I was a child, and which we thought of so little 
 value that we did not preserve them with that care which should 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 141 
 
 have been used in a family which cherishes such deep feelings of 
 respect and affection for parents." 
 
 The year 1837 will be remembered as one of great 
 pecuniary embarrassment and distress in the commer- 
 cial world. Mr. Lawrence alludes to it as follows, on 
 May 13 : 
 
 " The violent pecuniary revulsion that has been anticipated for 
 more than a year has at length overtaken this country, and is 
 more severe than our worst fears. In addition to the failure of 
 people to pay their debts, in all sections of the country, for the 
 last two months, the banks, from Baltimore to Boston, and 
 probably throughout the Union, as fast as the iatelligence spreads, 
 have suspended specie payment, and will not probably resume 
 again very soon." 
 
 On December 17 of the same year, he writes to his 
 mother as foUows : 
 
 "This day completes thirty years since my commencing 
 business, with the hope of acquiring no very definite amount of 
 property, or having in my mind any anticipation of ever enjoying 
 a tithe of that consideration my friends and the public are disposed 
 to award me at this time. In looking back to that period, and 
 reviewing the events as they come along, I can see the good hand 
 of God in all my experience; and acknowledge, with deep 
 humiliation, my want of gratitude and proper return for all his 
 mercies. May each day I live impress me more deeply with a 
 sense of duty, and find me better prepared to answer his call, and 
 account for my stewardship ! The changes in our family have 
 been perhaps no greater than usual in other families in that 
 
142 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 period, excepting in tlie matter of the eminent success that has 
 attended our efforts of a worldly nature. This worldlj success is 
 the great cause of our danger in its uses, and may prove a snare, 
 unless -we strive to keep constantly in mind, that to -whom much 
 is given, of him will much be required. I feel my own deficien- 
 cies, and lament them ; but am encouraged and rewarded by the 
 enjoyment, in a high degree, of all my well-meant efforts for the 
 good of those around me. In short, I feel as though I can still 
 do a little to advance the cause of human happiness while I 
 i-emain here. My maxim is, that I ought to ' work while the day 
 lasts : for the night of death will soon overtake me, when I can 
 
 Jo f 
 
 no more work.' I continue to mend in strength, and feel at times 
 the buoyancy of early days. It is now raining in torrents, keep- 
 ing us all within doors. I have been at work with gimblet, saw, 
 fore-plane, and hammer, thus securing a good share of exercise 
 without leaving my chamber." 
 
 " January 1, 1838. — Bless the Lord, my soul ! and forget 
 not all his benefits ; for he has restored my life twice during the 
 past year, when I was apparently dead, and has permitted me to 
 live, and see and enjoy much, and has surrounded me with bless- 
 ings that call for thankfulness. The possession of my mind, the 
 intercourse with beloved friends, the opportunity of performing 
 some labor as his steward (although imperfectly done), all call 
 upon me for thanksgiving and praise. The violent revulsion in 
 the business of the country during the past year has been ruinous 
 to many ; but, so far as my own interests are concerned, has been 
 less th'an I anticipated. My property remains much as it was a 
 year ago. Something beyond my income has been disposed of; 
 and I have no debts against me, either as a partner in the firm or 
 individually. Everything is in a better form for settlement than 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 143 
 
 at any former period, and I hope to feel ready to depart whenever 
 called." 
 
 The following is copied from an account-book, pre- 
 sented at the commencement of the year to his young- 
 est son, then twelve years of age : 
 
 " My dear Son : I give you this little book, that you may 
 write in it how much money you receive, and how you use it. It 
 is of much importance, in forming your early character, to have 
 correct habits, and a strict regai-d to truth in all you do. For 
 this purpose, I advise you never to cheat yourself by making a 
 false entry in this book. If you spend money for an object you 
 would not willingly have knoirn, you will be more likely to avoid 
 doing the same thing again if you call it by its right name here, 
 remembering always that there is One who cannot be deceived, 
 and that He requires his children to render an account of all 
 their doings at last. I pray God so to guide and direct you that, 
 when your stewardship here is ended, he may say to you that the 
 talents intrusted to your care have been faithfully employed. 
 
 " Your affectionate father, A. L." 
 
 In transmitting to his sister a letter received from 
 Baltimore, from a mutual friend, he writes, on March 
 12, in a postscript : 
 
 " This morning seems almost like a foretaste of heaven. The 
 sun shines bright, the air is soft ■, I am comfortable, and expect a 
 pleasant drive in the neighborhood. It is indeed brilliant, beau- 
 tiful, and interesting to me, beyond any former experience of my 
 life. I am the happiest man alive, and yet would willingly 
 
144 DIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 
 
 exchange worlds this day, if it be the good pleasure of our best 
 Friend and Father in heaven." 
 
 . The extract quoted above will giA'^e an idea of that 
 state of mind in which Mr. Lawrence was often found 
 by his friends, and which he unceasingly strove to 
 cultivate. He could not always exult in the same 
 buoyant and almost rapturous feelings here expressed ; 
 for, with his feeble frame and extreme susceptibility 
 to outward influences, to believe such was the case 
 would be to suppose him more than mortal. The 
 willingness to exchange worlds was, however, a con- 
 stant frame of mind ; and the daily probability of 
 such an event he always kept in view. The work of 
 each day was performed with the feeling that it might 
 be his last ; and there is, throughout his correspond- 
 ence and diary, frequent allusion to the uncertain 
 tenure by which he held life, and his determination 
 to work while the day lasted. If a matter Avas to be 
 attended to, of great or little importance, whether the 
 founding a professorship, signing a will, or paying a 
 household bill, all was done at the earliest moment, 
 with the habitual remark, "I may not be here 
 to-morrow to do it." 
 
 In the same cheerful spirit, he writes to his son a 
 few days after his marriage, and then on a journey to 
 Virginia : 
 
 '/ The whole scene here on Thursday last was so delightful 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 145 
 
 that I hardly kne-w whether I was on the earth, or floating 
 between earth and heayen. I have been exalted ever since, and 
 the group of happy friends will be a sunny spot in your no less 
 than in their remembrance." 
 
 To his sister he writes, Dec. 22 : 
 
 " It is thirty-one years this week since I commenced business 
 on my own account, and the prospects were as gloomy at that 
 period for its successful pursuit as at any time since ; but I never 
 had any doubt or misgiving as to my success, for I then had no 
 more wants than my means would justify. The habits then 
 formed, and since confirmed and strengthened by use, have been 
 the foundation of my good name, good fortune, and present happy 
 condition. At that time (when you know I used to visit you as 
 often as I could, by riding in the night until I sometimes 
 encroached upon the earliest hour of the Sabbath before reaching 
 my beloved home, to be at my business at the dawn of day on 
 Monday morning), my gains were more than my. expenses; thus 
 strengthening and encouraging me in the steady pursuit of those 
 objects I had in view as a beginner. From that time to this, I 
 am not aware of ever desiring or acquiring any great amount by 
 a single operation, or of taking any part of the property of any 
 other man and mingling it with my own, where I had the legal 
 right to do so. I have had such uniform success as to make my 
 fidelity a matter of deep concern to myself; and my prayer to 
 God is, that I may be found to have acted a uniform part, and 
 receive the joyful ' Well done,' which is substantial wealth, that 
 no man can take away. K my experience could be made avail- 
 able by my successors, I sometimes feel that it would be a 
 guaranty that they would keep in the best path ; but, as they are 
 to be fitted by discipline for the journey, it is perhaps a vain thing 
 19 
 
146 DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 for me to allow any doubts to rest upon my mind that that disci- 
 pline is not for their highest good. The pleasures of memory 
 have never been more highly enjoyed than during the period of 
 my last sickness. They have solaced my pains, and supported me 
 through numerous fainting fits, growing out of the surgical treat- 
 ment I have endured. I would ask you, my dear sister, if a 
 merciful Parent has not stretched forth his hand almost visibly to 
 support me through this trying scene, by scattering in my path 
 these ilowers and fruits so freely as almost to make me forget 
 bodily pains ; and bless him for what is past, and trust that what 
 is future will be the means of making me a better man." 
 
 '■'■December 31, 1838. — The business of the year now brought 
 to a close has been unexpectedly productive, and the prospects 
 of continued success are very flattering. At the commencement 
 of the year, my life seemed a flickering light, with small hope of 
 its continuance through the winter ; but a merciful Providence 
 has permitted a brighter view, and my happiness through the 
 year has been superior to that of any year of my life." 
 
 After enumerating some domestic events whicli had 
 contributed to tMs result, he adds : 
 
 " My own health is so £ir restored as to allow me the enjoy- 
 ment of everything around me in perfection. May God in mercy 
 keep me mindful of my duties, and prepared to surrender my 
 account at any moment he may call me hence ! " 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 BROTHEE'S DEATH. — LETTERS. — GIFTS. — LETTERS. — DIARY. — AP- 
 PLICANTS rOR AID. — REFLECTIONS. — LETTER FROM REV. DR. 
 STONE.— DIARY. 
 
 If, at the close of the last year, Mr. Lawrence could 
 say that ' ' his happiness had been superior to that of 
 any year of his life," it could not be said that its 
 successor was one of unmingled brightness. The un- 
 broken band of brothers who had marched thus far 
 hand in hand, united by a common bond of sympathy 
 and affection, sustaining each other in all trials, and 
 rejoicing together in their common prosperity, was 
 about to be sundered. Since their earliest days, they 
 had had but one interest, and, residing near each other 
 after leaving their early home, had been in the habit 
 of most constant and intimate intercourse. Many of 
 their friends wiU well remember seeing four, and some- 
 times five, of them, on Sunday evening, after service, 
 walking together abreast, arm in arm ; and have been 
 tempted to exclaim, " Behold how good and pleasant 
 a thing it is for brethren to dweU together in unity." 
 They had more than obeyed their father's injunction 
 "not to fall out by the way, for a three-fold cord is not 
 
 147 
 
148 DIABT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 quickly broken." Witli them, it had been a five-fold 
 cord ; and, amidst all the perplexities of business, the 
 management of important interests, and the various 
 vicissitudes of domestic life, no strand had been broken 
 until severed by the ruthless hand of death. The 
 eldest brother, Luther, had been educated at Harvard 
 College ; had studied law with the Hon. Timothy 
 Bigelow, then of Groton, afterwards of Medford, whose 
 sister he subsequently married ; and had commenced 
 the practice of his profession in his native town. 
 There he met with good success, and, for many years, 
 represented the town in the House of Representatives, 
 of which he was chosen Speaker for the session of 
 1821 and 1822. He was induced by his brothers, who 
 had become largely interested in the new town of 
 LoweU, to remove thither ; and he accordingly took up 
 his residence there in 1831, having accepted the presi- 
 dency of the bank which had been lately established. 
 In 1838, he had been elected Mayor of the city, and 
 had given himself up to the pressing duties incident to 
 the office in a new and growing community. WhUe 
 holding this office, he, on the 17th of April, 1839, 
 accompanied an old friend and connection, who was on 
 a visit at Lowell, to inspect the works of the Middle- 
 sex Manufacturing Company, recently erected by 
 his brothers. In passing rapidly through one of the 
 rooms, he made a misstep, and was precipitated many 
 feet into a wheel-pit, causing almost instant death. 
 
DIARY AND COEKESPONDENCE. 149 
 
 This sad event was deeply felt by Mr. Lawrence, as 
 weU as by all who knew and appreciated the character 
 of the deceased. In a letter to his sisters, dated April 
 22, he says : 
 
 " I should have addressed a word of comfort to you before 
 this. That he should be taken, and I left, is beyond my ken, 
 and is a mystery which will be cleared up hereafter. I do, how- 
 ever, know now that all is right, and better ordered than we 
 could have done it. We must submit, and should be resigned. 
 Brother L.'s death may, perhaps, be more efficient in instructing 
 us in the path of duty than would have been his life ; and the 
 whole community around is admonished by this event in a way 
 that I have rarely seen so marked. The homage to his character 
 is a legacy to his children of more value than all the gold of the 
 mint. Shall we, then, repine at his separation from us ? Surely 
 not. He has fulfilled his mission, and is taken home, with all his 
 powers fresh and perfect, and with the character of having used 
 these powers for the best and highest good of all around him. 
 We shall all soon be called away, and should make his departure 
 the signal to be also ready. This is the anniversary of my birth, 
 and has been marked by many circumstances of peculiar interest." 
 
 On the same date, he writes to a connection, who 
 was about to take possession of his house on that day 
 for the first time after his marriage : 
 
 " I intended speaking a word in your ear before your leaving 
 us for your own fireside and home, but have concluded to take 
 this mode of doing it ; and it is to say, that you possess a jewel in 
 your wife, above price, which should be worn in such an atmos- 
 
150 DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 phere as Tvill increase its purity and value the longer you possess 
 it ; and that is around the family altar. That you intend to 
 establish it, I have no doubt; but, as to the precise time, you 
 may not be fixed. What time so good as the present time, when 
 the first evening of possession of this paradise on earth (a house 
 and home of your own with such a wife), to make that offering to 
 the Father of mercies which ascends to his throne as sweet 
 incense from his children ? It is the nutriment and efficient pro- 
 ducing power of the best principles and the best fruits of our 
 nature. Be wise in time, and strive to secure these, that you 
 may go on from one degree to another, until you shall have 
 reached our Father's house, and shall hear the cheering ' Well 
 done ! ' promised to such as have used their talents without 
 abusing them. My blessing attend you ! " 
 
 (to his daughter.) 
 
 " Monday evening. 
 
 "Dear S. : The admonition of the last week comes home to me 
 in a way not to be neglected, and I hope to keep in mind that, in 
 my best days, I am as likely to be called ofi", as in these days of 
 anxious care, when pressed down with pain and weakness, and 
 surrounded by those dear ones who look upon every emotion with 
 deep solicitude. On comparing myself now with myself a year 
 ago, I have much to animate and cheer in the increased strength 
 of body and renewed powers, by which I can enjoy life ; but I 
 have also much to speak to the heart, and to tell me to be con- 
 stantly ready to be called ofi" without previous note of prepara- 
 tion. May I never lose sight, for a single hour, of the tenure by 
 which I hold the privilege of seeing the dear ones settled so 
 happily ! It is more than I had reason to anticipate. 
 
 "May you, dear child, never lose sight of the end for which 
 your privileges are made so ample, nor forego the happiness of 
 
II 
 
 lll'l 
 
 
 til 
 
 
 ^W'C'y^ 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 151 
 
 doing the best in your power at every stage of your journey, so 
 that wlienever you may be called hence, you may feel that you 
 are ready, and that your •work is done. It will not do for me to 
 rely upon my every-day firmness to secure me against attacks of 
 the kind last experienced. I do most fervently desire to be kept 
 in mind of my exposure, and never for an hour forget that it may 
 be my last." 
 
 Several passages in Mr. Lawrence's letters wiU show 
 the attachment which he felt towards the place of his 
 birth, connected as it was with so many associations 
 and memories of the past. The old house, with the 
 great elm in front and its welcome shade ; the green 
 meadow, stretching for a mile along a gentle declivity 
 to the river ; the range of mountains in the west, just 
 distant enough to afford that tinge of blue which adds 
 an indescribable charm to every landscape ; the grace- 
 ful undulations of the hills on the east, with the quiet 
 village sleeping at their base, all seemed in his mind so 
 associated with the loved inmates of his early home, 
 that he ever contemplated the picture with delight. 
 
 On June 4, in a letter to his sisters, he writes : 
 
 " R. leaves us this morning, on his way to the old homestead, 
 which, to my mind's eye, has all the charms of the most lovely 
 associations of early days, with all the real beauty of those splen- 
 did descriptions given by the prophets of the holy city. I would 
 earnestly impress all my children with a deep sense of the beauty 
 and benefit of cherishing and cultivating a respect and. afiection 
 
152 DIART AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 for this dear spot, and for those more dear objects that hare 
 served to make it what it really is to all us children." 
 
 In a letter to his son, whose visit is alluded to 
 above, he says : 
 
 " The beautiful scenery from Gibbet Hill, in Groton, and from 
 the road from our old mansion south for a mile, towards the 
 Wachusett and the Monadnock Mountains, comes next, in point of 
 beauty, to my taste, to these views around the Boston Common. 
 Be careful to do all things as you will wish you had done, that 
 you may look back upon this visit with pleasure, and forward to 
 another visit with increased relish. Remember that in the best 
 performance of all your duties lies the highest enjoyment of all 
 your pleasures. Those pleasures that flow from plans and doings 
 that your conscience condemns are to be shunned as the net of 
 the wicked one. When once entangled, the desire and effort to 
 be released grow weaker, till, at length, conscience is put asleep, 
 and the sleep of death comes over the soul. Be careful, there- 
 fore, to avoid evil, and not only so, but to avoid all appearance 
 of evil. In this way, you will grow up with principles and 
 fixed habits that will secure you against the ills of life, and 
 supply a foretaste of the enjoyments of a better life to come." 
 
 During a visit which he made to his early home a 
 few months subsequent to the date of the preceding 
 extract, he writes to his daughter : 
 
 " I was very tired on arriving here last evening, but a quiet 
 sleep has brought me into my best state. 
 
 " This morning has allowed me to ride for two hours, and I 
 have enjoyed everything and everybody here to the utmost. 
 
DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 153 
 
 Groton is beautiful beyond any other place I have ever seen ; but 
 
 perhaps I am in the situation of old Mr. , whose opinion of 
 
 his -wife's beauty, when questioned of its accuracy, was justified 
 by the declaration that the person must have his eyes to look 
 through. 
 
 " The whole country is full of charms ; nothing seems wanting 
 to impress upon the heart the goodness of that Parent who seeks 
 by all means to bring us nearer to himself. 
 
 " This visit has been full of interest, and it is a source of 
 unfeigned thanksgiving that it has been permitted to me." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence always took great delight in sending 
 to friends and relatives, little and great, mementoes of 
 bis affection ; and a great deal of time was spent in 
 penning and reading the letters and notes which such 
 transactions called forth. He had a rare faculty of 
 adapting his gift to the peculiar necessities or tastes 
 of the recipient ; and, whether the matter treated of 
 was a check for thousands or a bouquet of flowers, 
 equal pleasure seemed to be given and received. In 
 sending a gift of the former description, he notices the 
 commencement of the year 1840 as foUows : 
 
 " January 1. 
 " Dear S. : W. will prize the enclosed more highly from your 
 hand ; for he will have proof that a good wife brings many bless- 
 ings, that he never would know the value of but for you. May 
 you experience many returns of the ' new year,' and each more 
 
 happy than the past ! " 
 20 
 
154 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 In a letter to his second son, then on a visit to 
 Europe, he writes, under date of March 5, 1840 : 
 
 " We are all curious to know Tvliat impressions your visit to 
 France and Italy produces, and still more ■what impressions a 
 careful overlooking of our fatherland makes upon you. There is 
 much food for reilection, and abundant material for the exercise 
 of your powers of observation, in every league of the ' fast- 
 anchored isle,' especially in the scenes so beautifully portrayed in 
 many of the books we have access to. In fact, I have an exten- 
 sive collection of materials to renew your travels and observa- 
 tions, and shall value them more highly when you point out this 
 or that seat or castle or abbey, which has arrested your notice. 
 But the best scenes will be those in which the living souls of the 
 present day are engaged. The habits and tastes of the people of 
 England have doubtless much changed since the Spectator days ; 
 but, in many important pai-ticulars, I should hope they had not. 
 Some thirty years ago, I had a good specimen of the feelings and 
 principles of a great variety of people, embracing almost all 
 classes, from the year 1774 to 1776, in a multitude of letters 
 that had accumulated in the post-office in this town, under 
 Tuthill Hubbart. After his death, his house was pulled down ; 
 and, among the strange things found in it, were bushels of letters, 
 of which I was permitted to take what I pleased. These letters 
 showed a deeper religious feeL'ng in the writers of those days, 
 from England, Ireland, and Scotland, than I have seen in any 
 miscellaneous collections of a later date. If that deep-toned 
 piety which pervaded them has not been extinguished by the 
 Jacobinism and freethinking of later days, happy for the people 
 and the government ! But I fear it has, in some great measure, 
 been blotted out or obscured, as there seems to be a spirit of 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 155 
 
 reckless adventure in politics and religion not contemplated 
 seventy years ago. Hoav far our experience in self-government 
 in this country is going to advance the cause of good govern- 
 ment, and the ultimate happiness of man, is yet a problem. Our 
 principles are of the most elevating character ; our practices under 
 them, of the most debasing ; and, if vre continue in this way 
 another generation, there will not be virtue enough in active use 
 to save the forms of our government. We may hope that a better 
 heart may be given us." 
 
 In a letter to his son-in-law, the Rev. Charles Mason, 
 who was at that time in company with his own son on 
 a visit to England, he writes on June 28th, 1840 : 
 
 " I intended to defer writing until to-morrow morning; but the 
 beauty of the western scenery and sunset is so striking, that I am 
 strongly impelled to tell you that, much as you see, and highly 
 as you enjoy the scenes of old England, there is nothing there 
 more beautiful and sublime than this very scene fi'om my chamber 
 windows. It seems as though nature never was so beautifully 
 dressed at this time of the year as at present. The season has 
 been unusually favorable for the foliage, fruits, and flowers ; and 
 all around bears evidence of that goodness that never rests, and in 
 my own person I feel that I am enjoying in a month what ought 
 to content me for a year." 
 
 The foregoing extract is selected from among many 
 others of a similar nature, as an illustration of Mr. 
 Lawrence's appreciation of the heauties of natural 
 scenery. 
 
156 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 Towards the close of the day, his favorite seat was 
 at a window, from which he could witness the glories 
 of the setting sun, and, still later, the fading beauties 
 of the twilight. Nature to him was no sealed volume ; 
 and with her, in all her phases, he loved to commune. 
 
 The gorgeous hues of the western sky, the chang- 
 ing tints of the autumnal foliage, and the smiling 
 features of the landscape, were in his mind typical 
 of the more resplendent beauties of the future world. 
 He writes : 
 
 "To-day is one of those holy spring days which make us feel 
 that, with right principles and conduct, we may enjoy a foretaste 
 of that beautiful home we all long for. I have been over the 
 Roxbury and Dorchester hills, which are a transcript of the 
 beautiful scenery around Jerusalem. Mount Zion seemed before 
 me, and by stretching my arms, I could almost fly upon its sides." 
 
 He loved to think that the spirits of the departed 
 may he permitted to hover around, and minister to those 
 whom they have once loved on earth ; and sometimes, 
 as he viewed nature in her softer moods, he would 
 imagine himself as holding communion with former 
 cherished objects of affection. He writes to a friend : 
 
 " Dear S. and R. speak in words without sounds, through every 
 breeze and in every flower, and in the fragrance of every perfume 
 from the field or the trees." 
 
DIARY AND COEBESPONDENCE. 157 
 
 And again : 
 
 " Is there anything in Scripture to discourage the belief that 
 the spirits of departed friends are still ministering spirits to such 
 as are left here, and that a recognition and reunion will follow 
 when we are called off? I believe fully in this happy reunion ; 
 and it is, next to the example of the beloved, the most animating 
 feeling that prompts me through this wearisome journey." 
 
 To a friend tvIio had invited Mm to pay her a visit at 
 her residence in the country, he writes : 
 
 " N says I am like a child in the matter of the visit, and 
 
 would be as much disappointed if it should not be accomplished ; 
 and I must admit that I am guilty of this weakness. There are 
 so many loved ones on the old spot, so many lessons to be reviewed, 
 and so many friends ' passed on,' whose spirits surround and fill 
 the place with the peculiar halo and charm of the good angels 
 (those ministering spirits in whose company we may ever find 
 comfort, if we will think so). I say, with all these things, can I 
 be blamed for being a child in this matter ? You will all say No, 
 and will love me the better for it." 
 
 On the anniversary of his commencing his business, 
 Dec. 17, Mr. Lawrence, as usual, reviews his past life 
 and mercies, and adds : 
 
 " My daily aspirations are for wisdom and integrity to do what 
 is required of me ; but the excuses for omissions, and the 
 hidden promptings of pride or selfishness in the sins of com- 
 mission, take away all confidence that all is done as it should be. 
 
158 DIAET AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 I am in the enjoyment of as much as belongs to our condition 
 here. Wife, children, and friends, those three little blessings that 
 ■were spared to us after the fall, impart enjoyment that makes my 
 home as near a heaven on earth as is allowed to mortals. 
 
 " Dec. 23. — This morning has been clear and beautiful, and I 
 have enjoyed it highly. Have been sleigh-riding with Chancellor 
 Kent. "Went over to Bunker Hill Monument, and around by the 
 river-side to Charlestown Neck, and had a regular old-fashioned 
 talk with him. He gave me an accoimt of the scenes which 
 occurred where he was studying, in Connecticut, when the news 
 came of the Lexington fight. As we parted, he promised to come 
 again in the spring, take another ride, and resume the conversation. 
 He leaves for New York at three o'clock, and is as bright and 
 lively as a boy, though seventy-eight years old. The old gentle- 
 man attends to all his own affairs, had walked around the city this 
 morning some miles, been to the Providence Railroad Depot for his 
 ticket, overlooked divers bookstores, and so forth. He is very 
 interesting, and has all the simplicity of a child." 
 
 About this time, also, Mr. Lawrence seems to have 
 had pleasant intercourse with the Chevalier Hulsemann, 
 the Austrian Minister, so well known by his corres- 
 pondence with Mr. Webster when the latter was 
 Secretary of State. The minister was on a visit to 
 Boston, and, from the correspondence which ensued, 
 seems to have conceived a high regard for Mr. 
 Lawrence, expressed in very kind and courteous 
 terms ; and this regard seems to have been fully 
 reciprocated. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 159 
 
 " April 1, 1841. — S. N., of T., an apprentice on board the 
 United States ship ' Columbus,' in this harbor, thirteen years old, 
 whom I picked up intoxicated in Beacon-street a month ago, and 
 to whom I gave some books, with request to call and see me when 
 on shore, came to-day, and appears very well. Gave him a 
 Testament and some good counsel. 
 
 " Jmie 6. — G. M. called to sell a lot of sermons called the 
 
 , which he said he caused to be published to do good ; he 
 
 repeated it so often that I doubted him. He seems to me a 
 
 woodeM nutmeg fellow, although he has the Rev. Mr. 's 
 
 certificate." 
 
 The preceding entry is given here merely as a 
 sample of many such which are found in Mr. Law- 
 rence's diary. Few who have not had the like 
 experience can estimate the annoyance to which his 
 reputation for benevolence and well-doing subjected 
 him, in the shape of applications for aid in every 
 imaginable form. His perceptions were naturally 
 acute ; and a long experience and intercourse with men 
 enabled him to form, at a single glance, a pretty fair 
 estimate of the merits of the applicant. He may 
 sometimes have judged precipitately, and perhaps 
 harshly ; but, when he discovered that he had done so, 
 no one could have been more ready to confess his fault 
 and make reparation. A few years after this time, the 
 annoyance became so serious, from the number and 
 character of the applicants, that he felt obliged, on 
 account of ill-health, to deny himself to all, unless 
 personally known to him, or accredited by some one 
 
160 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 in whose statement he had confidence. Further than 
 this, he was confirmed in his decision by actual abuse 
 which had occasionally been administered to him by 
 disappointed candidates for charitable aid. He kept 
 upon his table a small memorandum-book, in which 
 he recorded the names of those who sought aid, with 
 their business, and often their age, the age and number 
 of their children, sometimes facts in their past history, 
 and any other information which could enable him to 
 form an opinion of their claim upon him for assistance. 
 He sometimes indulges also in somewhat quaint remarks 
 respecting those who apply, or the manner in which 
 they haA'e presented their application. 
 
 To the Rev. Eobert TurnbuU, a Baptist clergyman 
 then settled in Boston, and who had sent to Mr. Law- 
 rence a copy of his work entitled " Claims of Jesus," 
 he writes under date of Nov. 2 : 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir : I thank you for the little volume so 
 kindly presented, and deem it the duty of all the friends of the 
 Saviour to do what they can to stop the flood of infidelity and 
 atheism that threatens such waste and devastation among us. 
 However we may seem to be, I trust many may be found, in the 
 ranks of my Unitarian friends, who admit the ' claims of Jesus ' 
 in their most elevated character, and who repudiate the doctrine 
 of those who sink him to the level of a mere human teacher, as 
 subversive of his authority and as nullifying his teachings. We 
 take the record, and what is clearly declared ; we do not go 
 behind, even though we do not clearly comprehend it. It gives 
 
DIAEY AND COKKESPONDENCE. 161 
 
 me pleasure to learn you are so well recovered from the injury 
 you received from the overturn of your carriage near my house. 
 " With great respect, believe me truly yours, A. L." 
 
 " January, 1842. — This year opens with renewed calls upon 
 me to bless God for his mercies throughout its course. My 
 family circle has not been broken by the death of any one of our 
 whole number, and my own health has been better for the last 
 half-year than for five years before. I have not had occasion to 
 call a physician through the year. My brothers A. and W. have 
 been dangerously sick, but are happily recovered ; and both feel, 
 I believe, that their hold on life is not as firm as they have felt it 
 to be in former years. My dear children are growing up around 
 me to bless and comfort me ; and all I need is a right understand- 
 ing of my duties, and a sincere purpose to fulfil them. I hope to 
 have the wiU to continue them in as faithful a manner as hereto- 
 fore, to say the least." 
 
 Among the traits in Mr. Lawrence's character was 
 that enlarged spirit of Christian feeling which enabled 
 him to appreciate goodness in others, without refer- 
 ence to sect or denomination. This spirit of universal 
 brotherhood was not in him a matter of mere theory, 
 but was carried out in the practice of daily life, and 
 was the means of cementing many and lasting friend- 
 ships, especially among the clergy of various denomi- 
 nations around him. It may not be uninteresting in 
 future years, for those now in childhood, for whom this 
 volume has been prepared, to be reminded of the strong 
 feeling of sympathy and affection which their grand- 
 
 21 
 
162 DIAET AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 father entertained for the Eev. John S. Stone, D.D., 
 once the Kector of St. Paul's Church, in Boston, and 
 now the Rector of St. Paul's, in Brookline, Mass. The 
 following is an extract from a letter written hy that 
 gentleman from Brooklyn, N. Y., during the year 1842, 
 with a memorandum endorsed by Mr. Lawrence, dated 
 October, 1847, in which he says : 
 
 " This letter was very interesting to me when received. I kept 
 it in my pocket-book with one from Judge Story, which he had 
 
 requested me to keep for my children. While son was in 
 
 Europe, I did not expect to live but a short time, and sent him 
 the two letters, as the proper person to keep them for the use of 
 his children." 
 
 The letter commences by strong expressions of 
 affection and regard, over which Mr. Lawrence's 
 modesty had induced him to paste a slip of paper, 
 endorsed as follows: "Personal matters between the 
 writer and myself, covered up here, and not to be read 
 by any of the friends to whom I may show this letter," 
 The letter continues as follows : 
 
 " Shall I ever forget the happy moments, hours, days, I may 
 say weeks, which I have spent in riding with you, and chatting, 
 as we rode, of all things as we passed them, till I seemed to 
 myself to be living in the by-gone days of Boston and its neigh- 
 borhood ; and all its old families, houses, names, and anecdotes, 
 became as familiar to my mind as the stories of my boyhood ? 
 Can I forget it all ? I trow not. These things are all blended 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 163 
 
 in ■ffith the beautiful scenery through which we used to ride, and 
 associated with those graver lessons and reflections which you 
 used to give me ; insomuch that the picture which my memory 
 retains of nature, society, history, and feeling, truth, friendship, 
 and religion, and in which Boston and the living friends there are 
 comprehended, has become imperishable. It never can fade out 
 of my mind. It is a picture in which man has done much, 
 friendship more, religion most, and God all ; for religion is his, 
 and friendship is from him, and man is his creature, and the green 
 earth and glorious heavens are his home. There are many, very 
 many, objects in this picture, which I contemplate with special 
 delight ; and few which give me pain, or which I would not have 
 had there, had the whole ordering of its composition been left to 
 me. Indeed, had this whole ordering been left to me, it may 
 well be doubted whether, as a whole, it would have contained 
 half of the beautiful and blessed things which it now contains. 
 Taking it as it is, therefore, I am well content to receive it, hang 
 it up in the choicest apartment of my memory, and keep it clean 
 and in good order for use." * * * 
 
 As an illustration of the pleasant intercourse alluded 
 to above, among Mr. Lawrence's papers is found 
 another most friendly letter from the Eev. Henry 
 "Ware, jun., dated a few days afterwards, with the 
 following endorsement : 
 
 " I went on Friday to Mr. "Ware's house, and had a free, full, 
 and deeply-interesting conversation upon the appointment of his 
 successor ; and was delighted to find him with the same views I 
 have upon the necessity of removing the theological department 
 from Cambridge." 
 
164 DIABT AND CORRESPONUENCE. 
 
 Dec. 2, Mr. Lawrence alludes to the probability of 
 his own death taking place in the manner in which it 
 actually occurred ten years afterwards, as follows : 
 
 " Yesterday I was very well, and have been so for some time 
 past. Experienced a severe ill turn this morning at five o'clock, 
 more so than for years. This check brings me back to the reflec- 
 tion that, when I feel the best, I am most Ukely to experience 
 one of my ill turns ; some one of which will probably end my 
 journey in this hfe. God grant me due preparation for the next ! " 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. — LETTERS. — ACCOUNT OF EFFORTS TO COMPLETE 
 BUNKER HILL MOmJMENT. 
 
 In the memorandum-lbook of property for 1843 is 
 found the usual estimate and list of expenditures ; 
 after which Mr. Lawrence writes as follows : 
 
 " My outlay for other objects than my own family, for the last 
 
 fourteen years, has been dollars, which sum I esteem better 
 
 invested than if in bond and mortgage in the city ; and I have 
 reason to believe many have been comforted and assisted by it, 
 and its influence will be good on those who follow me. God grant 
 me grace to be faithful to my trust ! " 
 
 To Hon. R. C. Winthrop, Member of Congress, at 
 Wahington, enclosing a letter from a young colored man : 
 
 " Boston, Feb. 15, 1843. 
 "Dear Sir: This young man, as you will observe by his 
 style, is well educated ; and the circumstances he states, I have 
 no doubt, are true. He applied to me, about two years since, for 
 employment in writing or other business, to obtain means for 
 further education ; and I interested myself to secure to him what 
 was required. A few months since, he started from here to go to 
 Jamaica, to commence the practice of law, and was supplied by 
 
 165 
 
166 DIART AND COERESPONDENCE. 
 
 those who had taken an interest in him with a library suited to 
 his wants. He received his early education in Indiana ; and his 
 parents were once slaves. He is a handsome colored fellow, 
 better-mannered, better-looking, and more to be respected, than 
 many young gentlemen who move in the higher walks of life, 
 either in Carolina or Massachusetts. Now, I should like to know, 
 if he should be admitted as an attorney to practice in our courts, 
 and should take passage for Jamaica, and put into Charleston, 
 would he be imprisoned, as is now the practice in regard to our 
 black sailors ? I feel a much stronger desire to see your report 
 upon this subject of imprisoning our colored people, after the 
 unfair course taken by the majority of your house to smother it ; 
 and I hope still to see it in print before the adjournment. I 
 would further remark, that N. T. is a member of Grace Church 
 in this city, I believe, under the care of Rev. T. M. Clark ; and 
 would, doubtless, bear affliction, if it should ever be his fortune to 
 be afflicted by being imprisoned because his skin is dark, with a 
 spirit becomiag his profession. With great respect and esteem, 
 believe me very truly yours, AMDS Laweence." 
 
 (to his sister.) 
 
 " Boston, AprU 19, 1843. 
 " Dear Sister M. : When I heard a gun this morning, I was 
 immediately transported back in imagination to the 19th of April, 
 1775, when our grandmother retreated from her house on the 
 roadside in Concord, with her family, to keep out of the way of 
 the ' regulars ; ' and that day and its scenes, as described, came 
 back upon me with a force which kept me awake in considering 
 whether the gun was fired to recall the facts to the people of this 
 day ; and, if recalled, whether we can profit by the events which 
 followed. I found, however, on receiving my newspapei-s, that the 
 gun was not for commemoration of Lexington and Concord, but 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE, 167 
 
 to announce the arrival of the British steamer from Liverpool. 
 The news by this steamer is of no more than common interest ; 
 and the intercourse is now so easy and rapid, that the interest felt 
 to learn what is passing in Europe is not much greater than we 
 used to feel on Call's stage-coach arriving at Groton from Boston 
 once a week, fifty years ago. The changes within my own recollec- 
 tion are such as almost to make me distrust my own senses ; and 
 many of the changes are at the cost of much good. The down- 
 hill tendency in the standard of character is a bad sign, and 
 threatens the prostration of our political fabric. Built as it is on 
 the virtue and intelligence of the people, every waste of these 
 endangers the stability of the whole structure." 
 
 ^^ April 24. — I resume, though not in the same train of 
 thought, which is slept off. My birth-day has passed since then ; 
 and I am now in my fifty-eighth year. This is the birth-day of 
 our father, who would have been eighty-nine if living ; and this 
 week on Saturday will also complete thirty-six years since I left 
 home to spend a few months in this city, preparatory to my com- 
 mencing business in Groton. Here I have continued ; and the 
 consequences to our family seem to have stamped upon us such 
 marks as make us objects of influence, for good or evil, to a much 
 greater extent than if I had returned to commence my business 
 career in my native town. I view in this a hand pointing 
 upward, — ' Seek me and ye shall find,' — and a caution to us to 
 use without abusing the good things intrusted to us. How hard 
 it is for those in prosperity to bring home to their feelings their 
 dependence, their abuse of their privileges, their desires for objects 
 wholly disproportionate to their value, their anxiety about trifles, 
 while they are so utterly careless and indifferent about those of 
 the highest moment ! How we strive unceasingly to secure objects 
 that can, at best, give us but a slight reward, and, in many cases, 
 
168 DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 if attained to the full extent of our hopes, only serve to sharpen 
 our appetite for more ; thus demonstrating the benevolence of our 
 heavenly Father in removing these obstacles to our progress in the 
 ways and works of godliness ! How important, then, for us to see 
 a Father's hand in the disappointments, not less than in the 
 success, of our plans ! I now speak practically of those anxieties 
 which I feel and condemn myself for, in looking forward to the 
 condition of my family. This is all wrong ; and I pray God to 
 pardon me the want of faith this feeling implies. 
 
 " I have thought much of your account of Mrs. N. going out, 
 on the Sabbath after her husband's death, with her nine children. 
 I remember her, and many others of my youthful schoolmates, 
 with interest and regard. Please say so to her. And now, dear 
 M., as the clouds seem thinner, I may hope to secure a little run, 
 and shall take the post-office in my way; so must bid you adieu." 
 
 (to geueral ) 
 
 " May 5, 1843. 
 "My dear old General: Our anticipated drive to-day is 
 not to be : the weather settles it that I must keep house ; and, to 
 indemnify myself for the disappointment, will you allow me to 
 feel that I have not gone too far in requesting you to receive the 
 enclosed check ? I am spared here for some object, and do not 
 feel that to hoard money is that object. While I am in the 
 receipt of an income so ample, I find it sometimes troublesome to 
 invest exactly to my mind. In the present case, the hope that 
 you may, by using this, add something to your enjoyment, makes 
 me feel that it is one of my best investments ; and for the reason 
 that your proverbial good-will cannot refuse me such a boon, I 
 have made this request. My heart yearns strongly toward the 
 old-fashioned John Jay school in politics and morals ; and, when I 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 169 
 
 have an opportunity to minister in any way to one of the early 
 members, it is a pleasure that sweetens my days as they pass." 
 
 Oa the letter written in reply to the above, Mr. 
 Lawrence has endorsed : 
 
 " This letter from old General , now eighty-eight years 
 
 old, and blind, is an acknowledgment of some little kindnesses I 
 was enabled to render through the hand of Judge Story. It has 
 afforded me more pleasure than it could have done either the 
 Judge or the General. I am sure the good old man's feelings 
 were gratified ; and I am thankful that I could comfort him." 
 
 On the 17th of June, 1843, took place the celebra- 
 tion in honor of the completion of the Bunker Hill 
 Monument ; an event which was regarded with no 
 ordinary emotions by Mr. Lawrence, after so many 
 years of eifort and expectation. His only regret was 
 that the whole battle-field could not have been pre- 
 served, and have remained, to use his own words, " a 
 field-preacher for posterity." Eleven years before this, 
 he had written to his son in Europe : 
 
 "If we be true to ourselves, our city is destined to be the 
 Athens of America, and the hallowed spots in our neighborliood 
 to be the objects of interest throughout all future time. In this 
 view, I would never permit a foot of the battle-field of Bunker Hill 
 to be alienated ; but keep it for your great-great-grandchildren, as 
 a legacy of patriotism worth more than their portion of it, if 
 covered with gold by measure. Until you are older,. I do not 
 expect you to feel as I do on this subject." 
 22 
 
170 DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 This would seem to be the proper place to mention 
 a few facts in regard to Mr. Lawrence's agency in 
 securing the completion of the monument. It has 
 already been mentioned that he was one of the earliest 
 friends of the project to erect a monument, and, in 
 1825, had been placed upon the Standing Committee 
 of Directors, with full powers to manage the affairs of 
 the Association. In September, 1831, in a letter to 
 his friend. Dr. J. C. "Warren, who himself had been one 
 of the warmest and most efficient advocates of the 
 measure, he proposed to subscribe five thousand doUars, 
 on condition that fifty thousand dollars should be raised 
 within one year. The following passage occurs in that 
 letter : 
 
 " I think it inexpedient to allude to the sale of the land on 
 Bunker Hill, as a resource for paying the debt, except in case of 
 extreme necessity ; and, at this time, I should personally sooner 
 vote to sell ten acres of the Common, in front of my house, to pay 
 the city debt (of Boston), than vote to sell the ten acres on 
 Bunker Hill, until it shall appear that our citizens will not 
 contribute the means of saving it." 
 
 The proposition thus made was not responded to by 
 the public* As early as December, 1830, he had 
 made provision by his wiU, in case of his own death, 
 
 * For a history of the Bunker Hill Monument, see an article in collec- 
 tions of " Maine Historical Society," vol. iii., by Professor Packard, of 
 Bowdoin College. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 171 
 
 to secure the battle-field, liquidate the debts of the 
 corporation, and complete the monument. These pro- 
 visions were superseded by another will, executed 
 April 1, 1833, after his health had failed, so as to 
 forbid active participation in affairs. An extract from 
 this document wiU show the views of the testator : 
 
 "I am of opinion that the land owned by the Bunker Hill 
 Monument Association, in Charlestown, will be of great value to 
 posterity, if left as public ground. The spot is the most interest- 
 ing in the country ; and it seems to me it is calculated to impress 
 the feelings of those who come after us with gratitude to the 
 people of this generation, if we preserve it to them. The whole 
 field contains about fifteen acres ; and, in the hope of preserving 
 it entire, either as the property of the State, of this city, or of 
 any other competent body, and with the further view of insuring 
 the completion of the monument, which now stands as a reproach 
 to us, I have set apart a larger share of my property than would 
 be necessary, had not the subject been presented to the public 
 in such a manner as to discourage future attempts at raising the 
 necessary funds by voluntary contribution." 
 
 The amount thus devised for the monument, in case 
 that amount should not be raised in other ways, was 
 fifty thousand dollars. In June, 1832, before the 
 annual meeting of the Bunker HiU Monument Associa- 
 tion, the same offer of five thousand dollars, as first 
 named, was renewed, with an urgent appeal for the 
 preservation of the land, and completion of the monu- 
 ment. A movement followed this appeal, but was not 
 
172 DIART AND COEKESPONDENCE. 
 
 successful. In April, 1833, Mr. Lawrence proposed to 
 the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association to 
 attempt the raising of fifty thousand dollars, to be 
 secured within three months, for completing the mon- 
 ument and preserving the field ; accompanying the 
 proposition was an offer of five thousand dollars, or 
 ten per cent, on any less sum that might be raised, as 
 a donation to the Association. A public meeting was 
 held in Faneuil HaU in response to this proposition, at 
 which Hon. Edward Everett made a most powerful 
 appeal, which produced so great an effect upon his 
 auditors that the object was considered as accom- 
 plished. The effort was again unsuccessful. Early in 
 1839, Mr. Lawrence addressed a letter to George Dar- 
 racott, Esq., President of the Mechanic Association, in 
 which, after expressing regret that his feeble and pre- 
 carious health would not permit him to make personal 
 application to the citizens of Boston, he adds : 
 
 " The next best thing I can do is to give money. The Monu- 
 ment Association owes a debt. To discharge the debt, finish the 
 monument, surround it with a handsome iron fence, and otherwise 
 ornament the ground as it deserves, will require forty thousand 
 dollars more than it now has. If the Association will collect 
 thirty thousand dollars the present year, and pay ofi" the debt, I 
 will give to the Charitable Mechanic Association ten thousand 
 dollars to enable it to complete the work in a manner which our 
 fathers would have done, had they been here to direct it." 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 173 
 
 A further donation of ten thousand dollars was made 
 by Judah Touro, Esq., of New Orleans ; five thousand 
 dollars were received from other sources ; and this, 
 with thirty thousand dollars received at the great 
 fair held in Quincy Hall, September, 1840, afforded 
 the means of completing the monument according to 
 the original design. Thus was consummated a work 
 which had been very near to Mr. Lawrence's heart, and 
 which had cost him many a sleepless night, as well as 
 days of toU and perplexity. To his associates in this 
 work too much credit cannot be awarded, discouraged, 
 as they often were, by indiiference, and even censure. 
 Their names will be handed down for centuries, in con- 
 nection with a monument, which, while it commemo- 
 rates a nation's freedom, teaches also a practical lesson 
 of the perseverance and energy of man. 
 
 The following is an extract from a newspaper pub- 
 lished about the time the monument was completed, 
 giving an account of a festival held in commemoration 
 of the event : 
 
 " The president remarked, that, among the benefactors to 
 ■whom the Association had been particularly indebted for the 
 means of completing the monument, two, whose names were writ- 
 ten on a scroll at the other end of the hall, were Amos Lawrence 
 and Judah Touro, each of whom had made a donation of ten 
 thousand dollars. He thought it proper they should be remem- 
 bered at the festive board, and gave the following : 
 
1,74 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 " Amos and Judah ! venerated names ! 
 Patriarch and prophet press their equal claims ; 
 Like generous coursers, running neck and neck, 
 Each aids the work by giving it a check. 
 Christian and Jew, they carry out a plan ; 
 For, though of different faith, each is in heart a man.'' 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 I2STEEEST IN MOUNT AUBURN REV. DR. SHARP. — LETTER FROM 
 
 BISHOP McILVAINE. — LETTER FROM JUDGE STORY. 
 
 After tlie establishment of the cemetery at Mount 
 Auburn, Mr. Lawrence had taken a deep interest in 
 its progress, as well as in every plan for its gradual 
 improvement and embellishment. In connection with 
 his brothers, he had purchased a large space, which 
 had been enclosed by a permanent granite wall and 
 iron railing. To this spot he habitually resorted, con- 
 taining, as it did, the remains of some of the dearest 
 earthly objects of his affection, and destined, as it was, 
 to be the final resting-place of not only himself, but of 
 the various branches of his family. When this enclos- 
 ure had been finished, it became an object with him to 
 gather around him in death those whom he had loved 
 and honored in life. In this way, he had been instru- 
 mental in causing to be removed to a burial-lot 
 adjoining his own the remains of the Rev. J. S. 
 Buckminster, the former minister of Brattle-street 
 Church ; and had also presented another lot to his 
 friend and pastor, the Eev. Dr. Lothrop. Another 
 friend, whose grave he wished to have near his own, 
 
 175 
 
176 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 was the Eev. Daniel Sharp, D.D., minister of the 
 Charles-street Baptist Church, in Boston. There were 
 few in Boston who were not familiar with the appear- 
 ance of this venerable clergyman, as he daily appeared 
 in the streets ; and fewer stiU who had not learned to 
 appreciate the truly catholic and Christian spirit which 
 animated him in his intercourse with men of all sects 
 and parties. Mr. Lawrence had early entertained a 
 great esteem for his character ; and this esteem had 
 become mutual, and had ripened into the closest inti- 
 macy and friendship. On receiving a deed of a lot at 
 Mount Auburn, Dr. Sharp writes as follows : 
 
 " Boston, August 23, 1843. 
 " My dear Sir : I cannot find words with which to express 
 my sense of your unexpected and considerate kindness, in pro- 
 viding so beautiful a resting-place in Mount Auburn for me and 
 my love<l ones. It is soothing to me to anticipate that my grave 
 will be so near your own. May the Almighty, in his infinite 
 mercy, grant, that, when the trumpet shall sound, and the dead 
 shall awake, we may both rise together, to be forever with the 
 Lord ! K the proximity of my last place of repose to ministers 
 of another denomination shall teach candor, charity, and peace, I 
 enjoy the sweet consciousness that this will be in harmony with 
 the object of my life. Yours, gratefully, 
 
 " Daniel Sharp. 
 
 " Amos Lawresce, Esq." 
 
 The enlarged Christian spirit which formed so prom- 
 inent a trait in Mr. Lawrence's character, and which 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 177 
 
 enabled him to appreciate goodness wherever it could 
 be found, without reference to nation, sect, or color, 
 may be further illustrated by the following note of 
 acknowledgment, received about the same time with 
 the preceding, from Bishop Mcllvaine, of the Protest- 
 ant Episcopal Church in Ohio, who was then on a visit 
 to Boston to procure funds in aid of Kenyon College : 
 
 " Wednesday evening. 
 " Mt dear Sir : I have just received your very kind and 
 grateful letter, Tvith its cheering enclosure of a hundred dollars 
 towards an object which engrosses me much just now. Thank 
 you, dear sir, most truly, for your kindness, and the first fruits 
 of Boston, for I came only to-day. I trust the ingathering will 
 not dispossess the first ripe sheaf. Coming from one not of my 
 own church, it is the more kind and grateful. 0, sir ! if God 
 shall so bless my present effort as to send me home with the sum 
 I seek, I shall know a freedom of mind from care and anxiety 
 such as I have not experienced for many years, during which our 
 present crisis has been anticipated. I shall have great pleasure 
 in riding with you, according to your note to Mr. E.. To-morrow 
 will probably be a day of more leisure to me than any other 
 while I shall be in Boston. 
 
 " Yours, very truly and respectfully, 
 
 " Charles P. McIlvaine." 
 
 (to one or HIS PARTNERS.) 
 
 " December 18, 1843. 
 
 " Dear Mr. Parker : I am pvffed up (with ague), but not 
 
 in a manner to gratify my pride, as I am housed, and denied the 
 
 sight of most of those who call, but not the privilege of reading 
 23 
 
178 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 their papers, and spending money. In short, I have more use for 
 money when in the house than when able to be abroad. If you 
 ■will tell Brother Sharp * his beautiful bills find an exceedingly 
 ready use, I shall be glad of one hundred in ones and twos, two 
 hundred in fives, and three hundred in tens and twenties ; say six 
 hundred dollars, just to keep me along till the end of the month. 
 The calls are frequent and striking. ' Do with thy might what 
 thy hand findeth to do ; for the night cometh, when no man can 
 work.' God grant me the blessing of being ready to answer the 
 call, whether it be at noon or at midnight ! " 
 
 Twelve days after, he writes to the same gentleman 
 for another supply ; the sum already received not 
 having been sufficient apparently to carry him through 
 the year : 
 
 " December 30, 184.3. 
 
 " ' The good there is in riches lieth altogether in their use, like 
 the woman's box of ointment ; if it be not broken and the con- 
 tents poured out for the refreshment of Jesus Christ, in his dis- 
 ti-essed members, they lose their worth ; the covetous man may 
 therefore truly write upon his rusting heaps, "These are good 
 for nothing." He is not rich who lays up much, but he who lays 
 out much ; for it is all one not to have, as not to vise. I will 
 therefore be the richer by charitable laying out, while the 
 worldling will be poorer by his covetous hoarding up.' 
 
 " Here is the embodiment of a volume, and whoever wrote it 
 deserves the thanks of good men. I would fain be rich, accord- 
 ing as he defines riches ; but possession, possession, is the devil, 
 as the old Frenchman at said to George Cabot. This devil 
 
 * For more than forty years Teller in Massachusetts Bank. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 179 
 
 I ■would try to cast out ; you will therefore please send me twelve 
 hundred dollars, which may do something for the comfort of those 
 who have seen better days. Your friend, A. L. 
 
 " To C. H. Parkek, Esq." 
 
 The following letter from Judge Story was received 
 at about the time the preceding letter was written ; 
 but no memorandum is found by which to ascertain the 
 occasion which called it forth. It may be that he had 
 been made the channel, as was the case a few months 
 before, of some donation to a third person ; a mode 
 which Mr. Lawrence often adopted when he felt a 
 delicacy in proffering direct aid to some one whose 
 sensitiveness might be wounded in receiving assistance 
 from a comparative stranger : 
 
 " Cambridge, Saturday noon. 
 "My dear Sir: I have this moment finished reading your 
 letter and its enclosures, which did not reach me until this noon, 
 and I can scarcely describe to you how deeply I have been 
 affected by them. I almost feel that you are too much oppressed 
 by the constant calls for charitable purposes, and that your liberal 
 and conscientious spirit is tasked to its utmost extent. ' The poor 
 have ye always with you ' is a Christian truth ; and I know not, 
 in the whole circle of my friends, any one who realizes it so fully, 
 and acts upon it so nobly, as yourself. God, my dear sir, will 
 reward you for all your goodness ; man never can. And yet the 
 gi-atitude of the many whom you relieve, their prayers for your 
 happiness, their consciousness of your expanded benevolence, is 
 of itself a treasure of inestimable value. It is a source of con- 
 solation, which you would not exchange for any earthly boon of 
 
180 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 equal value. Wealth is to you an enlightened trust, for the 
 benefit of your race. You administer it so gi-acefully, as well aa 
 so justly, that I can only regret that your means are not ten 
 times as great. Gracious Heavens ! What a contrast is your 
 life to that of some wealthy men, who have lived many years, and 
 have yet to learn how to give, or, as you beautifully expressed it 
 the other day, who have yet to learn to be their own executors ! 
 My heart is so full of you, and of the whole matter, that I would 
 fain pour out my thoughts at large to you ; for you understand 
 me, and I can sympathize with you. But just now I am full of 
 all sorts of business, and without a moment to spare, having 
 many judicial opinions to prepare in the few remaining days 
 before I go to Washington ; and, withal, having Mrs. S. very ill, 
 in respect to whom I feel a deep anxiety. But, wherever I am, I 
 pray you to believe that you are always in my thoughts, with the 
 warmest affection and dearest remembrance. And, if this hasty 
 scrawl is not too slight for such a matter, pray preserve it among 
 your papers, that your children may know what I thought of 
 their father, when you and I shall be both in our graves. 
 
 " I am most truly and faithfully your obliged friend, 
 
 " Joseph Stoky. 
 
 " Amos L-iwhencb, Esq. 
 
 "P. S. — I have sent the letter and its accompaniments to Mr. 
 . Think of . Think of those rich men in , who 
 
 have never dreamed of the duties of charity. Cast a view to 
 their own posterity. How striking a memento is the very case of 
 
 , presented in his own letters, of the instability of human 
 
 fortune !" 
 
 Mr. Lawrence closes the year 1843 by a review of 
 his temporal affairs, and by fresh resolutions of fidelity 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 181 
 
 to liis trusts. He then, gives an estimate of liis income 
 and expenditures, showing a somewhat large excess of 
 the latter, though, as he says, from the state of the 
 times, not to the detriment of his property. 
 
 (to the mechanic apprentices' library association.) 
 
 " My young Friends : It cheers and comforts me to learn of 
 your well-doing, and encourages me to offer a word of counsel, as 
 prosperity is often more dangerous in its time than adversity. 
 Now is your seed-time. See to it that it is good ; for ' what- 
 soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' The integrity, 
 intelligence, and elevated bearing, of the Boston mechanics, have 
 been and are a property for each citizen of great value ; inasmuch 
 as the good name of our beloved city is a common property, that 
 every citizen has an interest in, and should help to preserve. At 
 your time of life, habits are formed that grow with your years. 
 Avoid rum and tobacco, in all forms, unless prescribed as a med- 
 icine ; and I will promise you better contracts, heavier purses, 
 happier families, and a more youthful and vigorous old age, by 
 thus avoiding the beginning of evil. God speed you, my young 
 friends, in all your good works ! With the enclosed, I pray you 
 to accept the felicitations of the season. 
 
 " Amos Lawrence." 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 ACQUAINTANCE WITH PRESIDENT HOPKINS. — LETTEKS. — AFFEC- 
 TION FOR BRATTLE-STREET CHURCH. — DEATH OF MRS. APPLETON. 
 — LETTERS. — AMESBURY CO. 
 
 At the commencement of the year 1844, President 
 Hopkins, of Williams College, delivered a course of 
 lectures on the "Evidences of Christianity," before the 
 Lowell Institute, in Boston. Mr. Lawrence had pre- 
 viously seen him, and had thought that he detected, in 
 some features of his face, a resemblance to the family 
 of his first wife. In allusion to this acquaintance, he 
 writes to his son about this period : 
 
 " President H. has the family look of your mother enough 
 to belong to them ; and it was in consequence of that resem- 
 blance, ■when I was first introduced to him many years ago, that I 
 inquired his origin, and found him to be of the same stock." 
 
 The acquaintance was renewed, and an intimacy 
 ensued, which was not only the cause of much happi- 
 ness to Mr. Lawrence through the remainder of his life, 
 but was also the means of directing his attention to the 
 wants of Williams College, of which he eventually be- 
 came the greatest benefactor. An active and constant 
 
 182 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 183 
 
 correspondence followed this acquaintance, and was so 
 much prized by Mr. Lawrence that he had most of the 
 letters copied, thereby filling several volumes, from 
 which extracts will from time to time be made. In 
 one of his first letters to that gentleman, dated May 11, 
 he says : 
 
 "If, by the consecration of my earthly possessions to some 
 extent, I can make the Christian character practically more 
 lovely, and illustrate, in my own case, that the higher enjoyments 
 here are promoted by the free use of the good things intrusted to 
 me, -what so good use can I make of them ? I feel that my stew- 
 ardship is a very imperfect one, and that the use of these good 
 things might be extended profitably to myself; and, since I have 
 known how much good the httle donation did your college, I feel 
 ashamed of myself it had not been larger, — at any rate, sufficient 
 to have cleared the debt." 
 
 To the same gentleman, who had informed Mr. Law- 
 rence that an accident had befallen a plaster bust of 
 himself, he writes, under date of May 16 : 
 
 " Dear President : You know the phrase ' Such a man's 
 head is full of notions' has a meaning that we all understand to 
 be not to his credit for discretion, whatever else may be said of 
 him. As I propose throwing in a caveat against this general 
 meaning, I proceed to state my case. And, firstly. President H. 
 is made debtor to the Western Raihoad Corporation for the trans- 
 portation of a barrel to Pittsfield. The bill is receipted, so that 
 you can have the barrel to-morrow by sending for it ; which bar- 
 rel contains neither biscuit nor flour, but the clay image of your 
 
184 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 friend. In the head are divers notions that my hand fell upon as 
 I was preparing it for the jaunt ; and, ■when the head was filled 
 with things new and old, I was careful to secure the region under 
 the shoulders, especially on the left side, and near the heart, by 
 placing there that part of a lady's dress which designates a gov- 
 ernment that we men are unwilling openly to acknowledge, but 
 is, withal, very conservative. Within its folds I wrapped up 
 very securely ' Pilgrim's Progress,' and stuffed the empty space 
 between my shoulders, and near my heart, brim full. I hope 
 my young friend will find a motive and a moral in the image and 
 in the book, to cheer him on in his pilgrimage of life." 
 
 "July 22, 1844. — Sixty-seven years ago this day, my mother, 
 now living, was married; and, while standing up for the cere- 
 mony, the alarm-bell rang, calling all soldiers to their posts. My 
 father left her within the hour, and repaired to Cambridge ; but 
 the colonel, in consideration of the circumstances, allowed him to 
 return to Groton to his wife, and to join his regiment within three 
 days at Rhode Island. This he did, spending but a few hours 
 with his wife ; and she saw nothing more of him until the last day 
 of the year, when he made her a visit. I have ordered a thousand 
 dollars paid to the Massachusetts General Hospital, to aid in 
 enlarging its wings, and to commemorate this event. The girls 
 of this day know nothing of the privations and trials of their 
 grandmothers." 
 
 On the same day witli the above entry in his diary 
 occurs another, in which he alludes to assistance 
 afforded to some young persons in Brattle-street 
 Church, — "sons of Brattle-street, and, as such, as- 
 sisted by me." Mr. La-vvrence's early religious asso- 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 185 
 
 ciations were connected with this church, where, it is 
 believed, he attended from the first Sunday after his 
 coming to Boston. With such associations, and con- 
 nected as they were with the most endeared recollec- 
 tions of those who had worshipped there with him in 
 early days, all that pertained to this venerable church 
 possessed a strong and abiding interest. In this con- 
 nection is quoted the beautiful testimony of his pastor, 
 the Rev. Dr. Lothrop, furnished in the funeral sermon 
 delivered by him, where he speaks of Mr. Lawrence's 
 love for the church, as well as of his religious char- 
 acter : 
 
 " Tlie prominent feature in Mr. Lawrence's life and character, 
 its inspiration and its guide, was religion, — religious faith, affec- 
 tion, and hope. He loved God, and therefore he loved all God's 
 creatures. He believed in Christ as the Messiah and Saviour of 
 the world, and therefore found peace and strength in his soul, 
 amid all the perils, duties, and sorrows of life. His religious 
 opinions lay distinct and clear in his own mind. They were 
 the result of careful reading and of serious reflection, and were 
 marked by a profound reverence for the Sacred Scriptures, and 
 the divine authority of Jesus Christ. A constant worshipper 
 here during the forty-sis years of his residence in this city, for 
 more than forty years of this period a communicant, and for more 
 than ten a deacon of this church, — resigning the office, at length, 
 because of his invalid state of health, — he had strong attach- 
 ments to this house of God. ' Our venerable church,' he says in 
 one of his notes to me, ' has in it deeply impressive, improving, 
 instructive, and interesting associations, going back to the early 
 24 
 
186 DIAKT AND COKKESPONDENCE. 
 
 days of my worshipping there ; and the prayers of my friends 
 and fello-ff-worshippers of three generations, in part no-vv belonging 
 there, come in aid of my weakness in time of need ; and no other 
 spot, but that home where I was first taught my prayers, and this 
 my domestic fireside, where my children have been taught theirs, 
 has the same interest as our own old Brattle-square Church.' " 
 
 To an old business friend and acquaintance, Joshua 
 Aubin, Esq., tbe agent of the Amesbury Company, who 
 had from the beginning been associated with him in this 
 first and favorite manufacturing enterprise in which he 
 had engaged, he writes on September 18, after receiv- 
 ing a quantity of manufactured articles for distribution 
 among the poor : 
 
 "You are brought very near to me on such a day as this 
 (when I am shut up in the house), by your work as well as by 
 your words. 
 
 " Now, as to your last consignment, I have derived, and expect 
 to derive, as much comfort and enjoyment from it as I ordinarily 
 should from a cash dividend on my shares. In truth, I am able 
 to employ these odds and ends to such uses and for such persons 
 as will make me feel as though I were spared here for some use. 
 
 " For instance, I had a call from a most respectable friend 
 (president of one of the best colleges in the West) last week, 
 who agreed to come again this week to do some shopping as soon 
 as he got some money for preaching on Sunday, and look over 
 my stock of goods. 
 
 " I intend making him up a good parcel of your work, and, 
 depend on it, it is good seed, and will take root at the West. He 
 says that they have no money, but plenty of corn, and beef, and 
 
DIAKY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 187 
 
 pork. Com pays for growing at ten cents a bushel, and will not 
 bring that in cash ; and ten bushels will not pay for a calico gown, 
 or a flannel petticoat. 
 
 "With his large family of children, don't you think these 
 odds and ends will come as a blessing ? Besides, he is an old- 
 fashioned Massachusetts "Whig ; loves the old Bay State as well 
 as ever the Jews loved their State, and is, through his college, 
 
 exercising an influence in that no body of men in that State 
 
 can do ; and will, in the end, bring them into regular line, as to 
 education and elevation of character. Send me some of your 
 
 flannels to give to Madam for her family of one or two 
 
 hundi-ed children in the Childi-en's Friend Society. 
 
 " will give them over to these poor little destitute, unclad 
 
 creatures. They are taken and saved by this interesting society. 
 
 " A rainy day like this is the very time for me to work among 
 my household goods. Many a poor minister and his family, and 
 many a needy student at school or college, fare the better for 
 your spinning and weaving. 
 
 "I am living in my chamber, and on very close allowance. 
 Every day to me is a day of glorious anticipations, if I am free 
 from bodily sufiering, and if my mind is free." 
 
 On another occasion he writes to the same gen- 
 tleman : 
 
 "I have your letter and package; the cold of this morn- 
 ing will make the articles doubly acceptable to the shivering and 
 sick poor among us. J. C.'s case is one for sympathy and relief. 
 Engage to supply him a hundred dollars, which I will hand to 
 you when you visit me ; and tell the poor fellow to keep in good 
 heart, for our merciful Father afflicts in love, and thus I trust 
 that this will prove a stepping-stone to the mansions of bliss. I 
 
188 BIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 shall never cease to remember with interest the veterans of the 
 A. F. Co. How are my friends B. and others of early days ? 
 Also, hoTT is old father F. ? Does he need my warm outside 
 coat, when I get supplied with a better ? 
 
 "After your call upon me a few weeks since, I went back in 
 memory to scenes of olden times, which had an interest that you 
 can sympathize in, and which I intended to express to you before 
 this ; but I have had one of those admonitory ill turns since, that 
 kept me under the eye of the doctor for a number of days. 
 
 "In reviewing my beginnings in manufacturing, under your 
 recommendation and care, almost a quarter of a century ago, I 
 can see the men, the machines, the wheel-pit, and the speed- 
 gauge, and especially I can see our old friend W. lying on the 
 bottom of the pit, lamp in hand, with his best coat on, eying the 
 wheels and cogs as an astronomer makes observations in an 
 observatory. All these scenes are as fresh in my memory as 
 though seen but yesterday. 
 
 "Do you remember C. B., the brother of J. and G. B. ? All 
 three of whom were business men here at the time you Avere, and 
 
 all were unfortunate. C- tried his hand in , and did not 
 
 succeed there ; returned to this country, and settled on a tract of 
 
 land in , where he has been hard at work for ten years, and 
 
 has maintained his family. His wife died a few months since. 
 One after another of his family sickened, and he became some- 
 what straitened, and knew not what to do. He wrote to an old 
 business friend, who was his debtor, and who had failed, had paid 
 a part only, and was discharged thirty years ago, and who has 
 since been prosperous. He stated his case, and asked me to say 
 a good word for him. That person sent one half, and I sent the 
 other half, the day before Thanksgiving. It will reach him on 
 Monday next, and will make his eyes glisten with joy. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 189 
 
 "Remember me to Capt. and J. C, and B., and any 
 
 other of the veterans." 
 
 Sept. 23, Mr. Lawrence receives from an old debtor, 
 once a clerk in his establishment, a check for five 
 hundred dollars, which a sense of justice had induced 
 him to send, though the debt of some thousands had 
 been long since legally discharged. On receiving it, 
 he writes, in a memorandum at the bottom of the letter 
 received, to his brother and partner : 
 
 " Dear Abbott : I have the money. J. D. was always a 
 person of truth. I take the statement as true ; but I had no 
 recollection of the thing till recalled by his statement. What 
 say you to putting this money into the life office, in trust for his 
 sister ? Your affectionate brother, Amos." 
 
 "Memorandum. November 23. — Done, and policy sent to 
 the sister." 
 
 There are but few men, distinguished in public or 
 private life, who are burdened with an undue amount 
 of praise from their contemporaries ; and yet this was 
 the case with Mr. Lawrence, who was often chagrined, 
 after some deed of charity, or some written expression 
 of sympathy, to see it emblazoned, with superadded 
 colors, in the public prints. Some one had enclosed to 
 him a newspaper from another city, which contained a 
 most labored and flattering notice of the kind referred 
 to, to which he writes the following reply : 
 
190 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 " September, 1844. 
 
 " Dear : I received the paper last evening, and have 
 
 read and re-read it with deep interest and attention. However 
 true it may be, it is not calculated to promote the ultimate good 
 of any of us ; for we are all inclined to think full well enough 
 of ourselves ; and such puffs should be left for our obituaries. 
 Truth is not always to be pushed forward ; and its advocates may 
 sometimes retard it by injudicious urging. Such is the danger 
 in the present case. The writer appears to be a young man 
 who has received favors, and is laboring to repay them or secure 
 more. He has told the truth ; but, as I before said, neither you 
 nor I, nor any one of our families, are improved or benefited in 
 any degree by it. God grant us to be humble, diligent, and 
 faithful to the end of our journey, that we may then receive his 
 approval, and be placed among the good of all nations and 
 times ! " 
 
 On the 29tli of October, Mrs. Appleton, his sister- 
 in-law, and widow of the Rev. Jesse. Appleton, D.D., 
 formerly President of Bowdoin College, died at his 
 house, after a lingering illness. In a letter to his son, 
 after describing her character and peaceful death, he 
 says : 
 
 " With such a life and such hopes, who can view the change 
 as any other than putting away the fugitive and restless pleasures 
 of an hour for the quiet and fixed enjoyments of eternity ? Let 
 us, then, my dear children, not look upon the separation of a few 
 short years as a calamity to be dreaded, should we not meet here 
 again in any other way than as we now meet. While I am here, 
 every joy and enjoyment you experience, and give us an account 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 191 
 
 of, is not less so to us than if we were with you to partake, as 
 we have done of all such heretofore; and, in this source of 
 enjoyment, few people hare such ample stores. Three families 
 of children and grandchildren within my daily walk, — is not this 
 enough for any man? And here I would impress upon my 
 grandsons the importance of looking carefully to their steps. 
 The difference between going just right and a little wrong in the 
 commencement of the journey of life, is the difference between 
 their finding a happy home or a miserable slough at the end of 
 the journey. Teach them to avoid tobacco and intoxicating 
 drink, and all temptations that can lead them into evil, as it is 
 easier to prevent than to remedy a fault. ' An ounce of preven- 
 tion is worth a pound of cure.' I was going on to say that, 
 according to my estimate of men and things, I would not change 
 conditions with Louis Philippe if I could by a wish, rich as he is 
 in the matter of good children. I have a great liking for him, 
 and a sincere respect for his family, as they are reported to me; 
 but I trust that mine will not be tried by the temptations of great 
 worldly grandeur, but that they will be found faithful stewards 
 of the talents intrusted to them. Bring up your boys to do 
 their work first, and enjoy their play afterwards. Begin early 
 to teach them habits of order, a proper economy, and exact 
 accountability in their affairs. This simple rule of making a 
 child, after he is twelve years old, keep an exact account of all 
 that he wears, uses, or expends, in any and every way, would 
 save more suffering to families than can fairly be estimated by 
 those who have not observed its operation. 
 
 " And now, to change the subject," he writes Nov. 15, " we 
 have got through the elections, and are humbled as Americans. 
 The questions affecting our local labor, produce, and pecuniary 
 interests, are of small moment, compared with that of annexing 
 
192 DIARr AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 Texas to this Union. I wrote a brief note yesterday to our 
 
 friend Chapman, late Mayor of the city, and a member of the 
 
 Whig Committee, which speaks the language of my heart. It 
 was as follows : 
 
 " ' Mt dear Sir : The result of the election in Massachusetts 
 is matter of devout and gi-ateful feelings to every good citizen, 
 and, so far as pride is allowable, is a subject of pride to every 
 citizen, whatever his politics ; for, wherever he goes, and carries 
 the evidence of belonging to the old Bay State, he may be sui-e 
 of the respect of all parties. This glorious result has not been 
 wrought "without works;" and for it we, the people, are greatly 
 indebted to your committee. So far as may be needed, I trust 
 you will find no backwardness on our part in putting matters 
 right. I bless God for sparing my life to this time ; and I hum- 
 bly beseech him to crown your labors with success in future. If 
 Texas can be kept off, there will be hope for our government. 
 All other questions are insignificant in comparison with this. 
 The damning sin of adding it to this nation to extend slavery will 
 be as certain to destroy us as death is to overtake us. The false 
 step, once taken, cannot be retraced, and will be to the people 
 who occupy what rum is to the toper. It eats up and uproots the 
 very foundation on which Christian nations are based, and will 
 make us the scorn of all Christendom. Let us work, then, in a 
 Christian spirit, as we would for our individual salvation, to 
 prevent this sad calamity befalling us.' " 
 
CHAPTEE XXII. 
 
 DEATH OF HIS DATJGHTEK. — LETTERS. — DONATION TO WILLIAMS 
 COLLEGE. — BENEFICENCE. — LETTERS. 
 
 On the 29tli of November, Mr. Lawrence addressed 
 to his son a most joyous letter, announcing the hirth of 
 twin-grand daughters, and the comfortable health of his 
 daughter, the wife of the Rev. Charles Mason, Rector of 
 St. Peter's Church, at Salem, Massachusetts. The letter 
 is filled with the most devout expressions of gratitude at 
 the event, and cheering anticipations for the future, 
 and yet with some feelings of uneasiness lest the 
 strength of his daughter should not he sufficient to 
 sustain her in these trying circumstances. He adds : 
 
 " Why, then, should I -worry myself about what I cannot help, 
 and practically distrust that goodness that sustains and cheers and 
 enlivens my days ? " 
 
 The fears expressed were too soon and sadly real- 
 ized ; the powers of her constitution had been too 
 severely taxed, nature gave way, and, four days after- 
 wards, she ceased to live. Mr. Lawrence announced 
 the death of this cherished and only daughter in the 
 following letter : 
 
 25 193 
 
194 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 " Boston, December 14, 1844. 
 " My dear Son : The joyous event I mentioned of S.'s twins 
 has in it sad memorials of the uncertainty of all joys, excepting 
 those arising from the happiness of friends whose journey is 
 ended, and whose joys are commencing. Long life does not con- 
 sist in many years, but in the use of the years allowed us ; so 
 that many a man who has seen his four-score has, for all the pur- 
 poses of life, not lived at all. And, again, others, who have 
 impressed distinct marks, and have been called away befoi-e 
 twenty-eight years have passed over them, may have lived long 
 lives, and have been objects of grateful interest to multitudes who 
 hardly spoke to them while living. Such has been the case with 
 our hearts' love and desire, Susan Mason. The giving birth to 
 those two babes, either of whom would have been her pride and 
 delight, was more than she could recruit from. The exhaustion 
 and faintness at the time were great, but not alarming ; and the 
 joy of our hearts for a season seemed unmixed. After three 
 days, the alarm for her safety had taken stronger hold of her 
 other friends than of myself; and, at the time I wrote you last, 
 I felt strong confidence in her recovery. On Sunday evening, at 
 seven o'clock, a great change came over her, that precluded all 
 hope, and she was told by C. how it was. She seemed prepared 
 for it, was clear in her mind, and, with what little strength she 
 had, sent messages of love. ' Give love to my father, and tell 
 him I hope we shall meet in heaven,' was her graphic and char- 
 acteristic message ; and then she desired C. to lead and guide her 
 thoughts in prayer, which he continued to do for as many as six 
 times, until witbui the last half-hour of her life. At three 
 o'clock on Monday morning, the 2d instant, her pure spirit passed 
 out of its earthly tenement to its heavenly home, where our 
 Father has called her to be secured from the trials' and pains and 
 
DIAEY AND CORRESPONDEITCE. 195 
 
 exposures to which she was here L"ahle. It is a merciful Father, 
 who knows better than we do what is for our good. What is now 
 mysterious will be made plain at the right time, for ' He doeth all 
 things well.' Shall we, then, my dear children, doubt him in 
 this? Surely not. S. was ripe for heaven, and, as a good 
 scholar, has passed on in advance of her beloved ones ; but beck- 
 ons us on, to be reunited, and become joint heirs with her of 
 those treasures provided for those who are found worthy. We 
 are now to think of her as on the other side of Jordan, before the 
 same altar that we worship at, without any of the alloy that 
 mixes in ours ; she praising, and we praying, and all hoping an 
 interest in the Beloved that shall make all things seem less than 
 nothing in comparison with this. We have had the sympathy of 
 friends ; and the circumstances have brought to light new friends, 
 that make us feel our work here is not done. I feel called two 
 ways at once : S. beckoning me to come up ; the little ones 
 appealing to the inmost recesses of my heart to stay, and lead 
 them, with an old grandfather's fondest, strongest, tenderest 
 emotions, as the embodiment of my child. Her remains are 
 placed at the head of her mother's; and those two young 
 mothers, thus placed, will speak to their kindred with an elo- 
 quence that words cannot. I try to say, in these renewed tokens 
 of a Father's discipline, ' Thy will be done,' and to look more 
 carefully after my tendency to have some idol growing upon me 
 that is inconsistent with that first place he requires ; and I fur- 
 ther try to keep in mind, that, if I loved S. much, he loved her 
 more, and has provided against the changes she was exposed to 
 under the best care I could render. Let us praise God for her 
 long life in a few years, and profit by the example she has left. 
 The people of her own church are deeply aiBicted, and not until 
 her death were any of us aware of the strong hold she had upon 
 
196 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 them. Some touching incidents hare occurred, -which are a 
 better monument to her memory than any marble that can be 
 reared. * * * * 
 
 " This morning opens most splendidly, and beautifully illus- 
 trates, in the appearance of the sky, that glorious eternity so 
 much cherished in the mind of the believer. 
 
 "With sincerest affection, your father, A. L." 
 
 " Tbemont-street, Tuesday morning. 
 " Dear Partners : The weather is such as to keep me 
 housed to-day, and it is important to me to have something to 
 think of beside myself. The sense of loss will press upon me 
 more than I desire it, without the other side of the account. All 
 is ordered in wisdom and in mercy ; and we pay a poor tribute to 
 our Father and best Friend in distrusting him. I do most sin- 
 cerely hope that I may say, from the heart, ' Thy will be done.' 
 Please send me a thousand dollars by G., in small bills, thus 
 enabling me to fill up the time to some practical purpose. It is a 
 painful thought to me that I shall see my beloved daughter no 
 more on earth ; but it is a happy one to think of joining her in 
 heaven. Yours, ever, A. L. 
 
 " A. & A. Lawrence & Co." 
 
 On the last day of 1844, a date now to be remem- 
 bered by Ms friends as that on which his own departure 
 took place, eight years later, he writes to Ms children 
 in France : 
 
 " This last day of the year seems to have in it such tokens and 
 emblems as are calculated to comfort and encourage the youthful 
 pilgrim, just in his vigor, not less than the old one, near the end 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 197 
 
 of his journey ; for the sun in the heavens, the hills in the west, 
 and the ocean on the east, all speak, in tones not to be mistaken, 
 ' Be of good courage,' ' Work while it is day,' and receive, without 
 murmuring, the discipline a Father applies ; for he knows what is 
 best for his children. Whether he plants thorns in the path, or 
 afflicts them in any way, he does all for their good. Thus, my 
 dear chikben, are we to view the removal of our beloved S. This 
 year had been one of unusual prosperity and enjoyment, from the 
 first day to the present month ; and all seemed so lovely here 
 that there was danger of our feeling too much reliance on these 
 temporals. The gem in the centre has been removed, to show us 
 the tenure by which we held the others." 
 
 At the opening of the year 1845, Mi*. Lawrence, 
 after noting in his property-book the usual annual 
 details, makes the foUoAving reflections : 
 
 " The business of the past year has been eminently successful, 
 and the increased value of many of the investments large. In 
 view of these trusts, how shall we appear when the Master calls ? 
 I would earnestly strive to keep constantly in mind the fact that 
 he loill call, and that speedily, upon each and all of us ; and that, 
 when he calls, the question will be. How have you used these ? 
 not How much have you hoarded ? " 
 
 With the new year, he set himself at work with 
 renewed zeal to carry into effect his good resolutions. 
 One of the first results was a donation of ten thousand 
 dollars to Williams College, which he enters upon his 
 book with the following memorandum : 
 
 " I am so well satisfied with the appropriations heretofore made 
 
198 DIAEY AND CORRESPONBENCE. 
 
 for the advancement and improvement of Williams College that I 
 desire to make further investment in the same, to the amount of 
 ten thousand dollars. In case any new professorship is estab- 
 lished in the college, I should be gratified to have it called the 
 Hopkins Professorship, entertaining, as I do, the most entire 
 confidence and respect for its distinguished President." 
 
 Nearly every day, at this period, bears some record 
 of Ms charities ; and among others was a considerable 
 donation to a Baptist college, in another State, enclosed 
 to a Baptist clergyman in Boston, with a check of fifty 
 dollars for himself, to enable him to take a journey for 
 recruiting his health and strength, of which he was 
 much in need. Soon after Mr. Lawrence's death, an 
 article appeared in an influential religious publication 
 giving an estimate of the amount of his charities, and 
 also stating that his pocket-book had written upon it a 
 text of Scripture, calculated to remind him of his duties 
 in the distribution of his wealth. The text was said to 
 be, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole 
 world, and lose his own soul ? " 
 
 After making diligent search, the editor of this vol- 
 ume, rather to correct the statement in regard to the 
 amount of his charities than for any other object, con- 
 tradicted the assertion, and also expressed the opinion 
 that Mr. Lawrence needed no such memorial as this to 
 remind him of his duties ; for the law of charity was 
 too deeply graven on his heart to require the insertion 
 of the text in the manner described. Some time after- 
 
DIARY AND COBKESPONDENCE. 199 
 
 ward, an old pocket-book was found, whicli had not 
 probably been in use for many years, but wMch con- 
 tained the text alluded to, inscribed in ink, though 
 faded from the lapse of time and constant use. It 
 may have been useful to him in early years, before he 
 engaged systematically in the work of charity ; but, 
 during the latter years of his life, if we can judge 
 from his writings, as well as from his daily actions, his 
 sense of accountability was extreme, if there can be an 
 extreme in the zealous performance of one's duty in 
 this respect. 
 
 If the class of politicians alluded to in the following 
 extract could have foreseen the course of events with 
 the same sagacity, it might have saved them from much 
 uncertainty, and have been of service in their career : 
 
 " We are in a poor way, politically, in this country. This 
 practice of taking up demagogues for high office is no way to 
 perpetuate liberty. The new party of Native Americans is likely 
 to go forward, and will break up the Whig party, and where it 
 will stop is to be learned." 
 
 ^^ March 1. — Spring opens upon us this morning with a 
 fi-owning face ; the whole heaven is veiled, and the horizon dark 
 and lowering." 
 
 "May 7. — My venerated mother finished her earthly course 
 last Friday, with the setting sun, which was emblematic of her 
 end. She was such a woman as I am thankful to have descended 
 from. Many interesting circumstances connected with' her life, 
 
200 DIAET AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 before and after her marriage (in July, 1777), are worth record- 
 ing. She was in her ninetieth year." 
 
 (to his son.) 
 
 " April 30. 
 
 " I began a record yesterday morning, referring to my position 
 
 and duties thirty-eight years ago, when I left my father's house 
 
 (one week after I was free), with less than twenty dollars in my 
 
 possession. I came an unknown and unfriended young man, but 
 
 feeling richer the morning after I came than I have ever felt 
 
 since ; so that I gave the man who came with me, in my father's 
 
 chaise, a couple of dollars to save him from any expense, and 
 
 insure him against loss, by his spending two days on the journey, 
 
 for which he was glad of an excuse. Had he been as industrious 
 
 and temperate and frugal, he would have left his wife and children 
 
 independent, instead of leaving them poor and dependent. These 
 
 contrasts, and the duties they impose, have pressed heavily upon 
 
 my strength for a few days past ; and, in endeavoring to place in 
 
 a clear view my hopes and wishes, I became pressed down, and, 
 
 since yesterday, have been upon my abstinence remedy. My wish 
 
 has been to do a good work for our Athenseum and our Institution 
 
 for Savings, by making it the interest of the Savings Institution 
 
 to sell their building to the Athenseum, so that a handsome and 
 
 convenient building may be erected while we are about it. To 
 
 this end, I have offered to supply the beautiful temple built for 
 
 the "Washington Bank, rent free, for one year, or a longer period 
 
 to the end of time, while used as a Savings Bank ; intending, by 
 
 this, to express to those who deposit their money there that I feel 
 
 deeply interested in their welfare, and would earnestly impress 
 
 upon them the importance of saving, and, when they become rich, 
 
 of spending for the good of their fellow-mortals the surplus which 
 
 a bountiful Father in heaven allows them to acquire. This sur- 
 
DIAET AND CORRESPONDENCE. 201 
 
 plus -with me, at the present time, will be sufficient to allow me 
 to speak with earnestness, sincerity, and power, to the tens of 
 thousands of industrious Thomases and Marthas* as well as to 
 the young mechanics, or the youngsters who have had little sums 
 deposited for their education. All these characters appreciate a 
 kind act as fully as those who move in a different sphere in the 
 world. 
 
 "7 P. M. — I have just learned that there is some difficulty 
 not easily overcome in this removal of the Bank ; and, after all, 
 nothing may come out of my offer. If not, I shall have more 
 spare means for something else." 
 
 The value of tlie building thus offered was about 
 twenty thousand dollars. Owing to the difficulties 
 alluded to in the preceding letter, the offer was 
 declined, though the motive for the act was fully- 
 appreciated. 
 
 (to a JFMEND.) 
 
 " My dear Friend : I have this moment learned the death 
 of your dear boy J. L., and am with you in spirit in this trying 
 scene. Our Father adapts his discipline to our needs ; and in 
 this (although to our weak perception it may seem harsh disci- 
 pline) he has a Father's love and care of and for you ; and the 
 time will come when all will be made clear to you. In this trust 
 and confidence, I hope both your dear wife and self will be able 
 to say from the heart, ' Thy will be done.' Our business in this 
 world is to prepare for another ; and, if we act wisely, we shall 
 view aright the calls upon us to make this world our great object, 
 by attaining its honors, its houses, its lands, its praises for gener- 
 osity, disiater'estedness, and divers other things that pass well 
 
 • Names of two faithful domestics. 
 26 
 
202 DIART AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 among men. Where we hope to be welcomed, temptations are not 
 needed. We pray, therefore, to be accepted, through the Beloved, 
 and so make aU things work together to help us safely through 
 our course. Yours ever, A. L." 
 
 To the agent of a manufactory in which he was 
 largely interested he writes : 
 
 " We must make a good thing out of this establishment, unless 
 you ruin us by working on Sundays. Nothing but works of 
 necessity should be done in holy time ; and I am a firm believer 
 in the doctrine that a blessing will more surely follow those exer- 
 tions which are made with reference to our religious obligations, 
 than upon those made without such reference. The more you can 
 impress your people with a sense of religious obligation, the better 
 they will serve you." 
 
CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 LETTER fROM DR. SHARP.— ILLNESS AND DEATH OF SON.— 
 LETTERS. —AFFLICTIONS. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Sharp, of the Baptist denomLaation, 
 who has been previously alluded to as a valued friend 
 of Mr. Lawrence, had made a visit to England, the 
 land of his birth, after an absence of forty years, and 
 thus addresses him from Leeds, July 1 : 
 
 " I esteem it one of the happy events of my life that I have 
 been made personally acquainted with you. Not certainly 
 because of your kind benefactions to me and mine, but because 
 I have enjoyed your conversation, and have been delighted with 
 those manifestations of principle and conduct, which, let them 
 grow under what Christian culture they may, I know how to 
 honor, to acknowledge, and to love." 
 
 The same gentleman writes, shortly afterwards : 
 
 " I thank you for the kind manner in which you express your- 
 self in regard to my occasional sermons. I never had any taste 
 for controversy, nor for theological speculation ; although, as a 
 Christian watchman, I have kept myself informed of the religious 
 opinions that have been, and that are. I thank you,- as does my 
 dear wife, for your thoughtful concern of the sacred spot so dear 
 
 203 
 
204 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 both to my recollections and hopes. There, when life's journey 
 is ended, I hope to rest by the side of those whose company and 
 unfailing affection have gladdened so many of my years ; and it 
 has given me a subdued pleasure, when I have thought that my 
 own bed of death would be so near that of the kind and gentle- 
 hearted friend who provided me with mine. May all who shall 
 repose near that interesting spot be imbued with a pure and 
 loving Christian spirit, that, when the trumpet shall sound, and 
 the dead shall arise, we may all rise together in glorious forms, 
 to be forever with the Lord ! " 
 
 (to one of his paetners.) 
 
 " Tremont-street, September 30, 1845. 
 " Dear Mr. Parker : I am buoyant and afloat again, and 
 able to enjoy the good things you are so liberal in providing. 
 The widow's box of ointment was broken before its value was 
 learned. The sermon is significant and practical. I would be 
 thankful to improve under its teaching. Will you send me two 
 thousand dollars this morning in Mr. Sharp's clean money ? thus 
 allowing me the opportunity of expressing my gratitude to a 
 merciful Father above, that he still permits me to administer the 
 goods things he has intrusted to me. Dear R. had a quiet night, 
 although he did not sleep much during the first part. This 
 experience is, indeed, the most trying ; but I hope to be able to 
 say truly, ' Thy will be done.' Your friend, 
 
 "A. L. 
 
 " 0. H. Pakkee, Esq." 
 
 The trying experience alluded to was the serious 
 illness of his youngest son, Robert, then a member of 
 Harvard College. He had for some time been troubled 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 205 
 
 by a cough, wMcli had now become alarming, and 
 excited the worst apprehensions of his friends. In 
 relation to this sickness, he writes several letters to his 
 son, from which the following extracts are made : 
 
 " October 15. 
 
 " We are in great anguisli of spirit on account of dear R. 
 
 We are getting reconciled to parting witli the dear child, and to 
 
 feel that he has done for us what any parents might feel thankful 
 
 for, by living a good life, and in nineteen years giving us no 
 
 cause to wish any one of them blotted out. If now called away, 
 
 he will have lived a long life in a few years, and will be spared 
 
 the trials and sufferings that flesh is heir to, and will be gathered 
 
 like early fruit, before the blight or frost or mildew has marked 
 
 it." 
 
 " October 29. 
 
 " R. remains gradually failing with consumption, but without 
 much suffering, and perfectly aware of his situation. He never 
 appeared so lovely as he has on his sick bed ; so that his happy 
 spirit and resignation, without a complaint or a wish that any- 
 thing had been done differently, keep us as happy as we can be 
 under such a weight of apprehension that we may so soon part 
 with him. He asked me yesterday what I should write to you 
 about him. I told him I should say that he was very sick, and 
 might never be any better; but that he might also be better if the 
 great Physician saw best, as it is only for him to speak, and the 
 disease would be cured. If he were taken before me, I told him, 
 it would be, I hoped, to welcome me to the company of the loved 
 ones of our kindred and friends who have gone before, and to the 
 society of angels and just men made perfect, who compose the 
 great congregation that are gathered there from all the world, 
 
206 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 that God's love, through Christ, has redeemed. God so loved 
 the ■world that he gave his only-begotten Son to redeem it from 
 sin ; and his teachings should not be lost on us, while we have 
 power to profit by them. In this spirit, we talked of the good 
 men whose writings have an influence in helping on this good 
 work ; and especially we talked of Dr. Doddridge, and his ' Eise 
 and Progress.' 
 
 "p. M. — I have been with M. to Brookline since writing the 
 above. The falling leaves teach a beautiful lesson. The green 
 leaf, the rose, the cypress, now enclosed to you, and all from 
 your grounds, are instructive. These were cut within the last 
 two hours." 
 
 " November 1. 
 " Dear R. had a trying day yesterday, and we thought might 
 not continue through the night. He is still alive, and may con- 
 tinue some time ; was conscious and clear in his mind after he 
 revived yesterday ; feels ready and willing and hoping to be with 
 his Saviour." 
 
 " November 14. 
 "We toil for treasure through our years of active labor, and, 
 when acquired, are anxious to have it well secured against the 
 time when we or our children may have need of it ; and we feel 
 entire confidence in this security. We allow the common flurries 
 of the world to pass by without disturbing our quiet or comfort 
 essentially. What treasure of a temporal character is comparable 
 with a child who is everything a Christian parent could desire, 
 and who is just coming into mature life universally respected and 
 beloved, and who is taken before any cloud or spot has touched 
 him, and who has left bright and clear marks upon those who have 
 come within his sphere of influence ? Such was R. The green 
 eai-th of Mount Auburn covers his mortal remains ; the heavens 
 
DIAEY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 207 
 
 above have his immortal ; he was a ripe child of God, and I there- 
 fore feel that blessed assurance of entire security which adds 
 another charm to that blessed company to which I hope, through 
 mercy, to be admitted in our Father's own good time. This early 
 death of our beloved youngest comes upon us as an additional les- 
 son, necessary, without doubt, to prepare us for our last summons ; 
 and the reasons which now seem mysterious will be fully under- 
 stood, and will show us that our good required this safe keeping 
 of this treasure, so liable to be made our idol. R. had passed the 
 dangerous period of his college life without blemish, and was only 
 absent from prayers three times (which were for good cause), and 
 had a settled purpose, from the beginning of his college life, so to 
 conduct in all respects as to give his parents no cause for anxiety ; 
 and, for the last year, I have felt perfectly easy in regard to him. 
 We have visited his grave to-day. The teachings there are such 
 as speak to the heart with an eloquence that language cannot. 
 Dear S. and R. ! She the only daughter, he the only son of his 
 mother ! and both placed there since you left ! " 
 
 " November 22. 
 " President H., in a letter a few days before I wrote to you, 
 had this sentiment : ' The old oak, shorn of its green branches, is 
 more liable to decay.' Applying this to the old oak fronting the 
 graves of those loved ones who have passed on, the outspread 
 branches of which make the spot more lovely, I was more deeply 
 impressed than mere words could have impressed me. A few 
 months after the death of S., a violent storm tore off a main limb 
 of the old oak about midway between the ground and the top, in 
 such way as to mar its beauty, and endanger its life. The limb 
 fell upon the graves, but avoided the injury to the monuments 
 which might have been expected. Since then, I noticed that some 
 
208 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 of the lower limbs cast a sort of blight or mildew upon the pure 
 white of your mother's monument, and they required dressing. 
 I desired the ' master ' to do this, and also to come and heal the 
 wound occasioned by the loss of this main limb on that side of the 
 tree. The trimming out was done at once ; the other was left 
 undone until the request was renewed. On my visit there last 
 week, I discovered, for the first time, that the wound had been 
 healed, and the body of the tree appeared smooth, and of its 
 natural color, and its health such as to give good hope that its 
 other branches will spread out their shade more copiously than 
 before. What a lesson was here ! The appeal was to the heart ; 
 and, in my whole life, I remember none more eloquent. To-day 
 I have been to Mount Auburn again ; and the spot seems to be 
 ' none other than the gate of heaven.' " 
 
 " December 22. 
 
 " Twenty-five years ago this morning, I came home from 
 Plymouth, where I had spent the night previous, and heard Web- 
 ster's great address. He has never done anything to surpass it ; 
 and it now is a model and a text for the yoiith of our country. 
 The people who then were present are principally taken hence ; 
 and the consideration of how the time allowed has been spent, and 
 how it now fares with us, is of deep interest. God in mercy 
 grant us to act our part so as to meet his approval, when called to 
 answer for the trust in our hands ! I have thought of the 
 emblem of the ' old oak,' till it has assumed a beauty almost 
 beyond anything in nature ; and, if I live to see the fresh leaves 
 of spring spreading their covering over the head of the stranger 
 or the friend who may stop under its shade, I will have a sketch 
 of the spot painted, if the right person can be found. There is 
 in the spot and scene a touching eloquence that language can 
 scarcely communicate. The dear child's expressive look, and 
 
DIAET AND CORRESPONDENCE. 209 
 
 motion of his finger, when he said ' I am going up,' will abide 
 with me while I live. The dealings of a Father with me have 
 been marked, but ofttimes mysterious for a season. Now many 
 things are clear ; and aU others wiU be, I trust, when I am fitted 
 to know them." 
 
 (to mS GEANTSON.) 
 
 " Boston, December 30, 1845. 
 " My dear F. : Tour charming letter of 28th November 
 reached me by last steamer, and showed, in a practical way, how 
 important the lessons of childhood are to the proper performance 
 of the duties of manhood. It carried me back to the time when 
 my own mother taught me, and, from that period, forward 
 through the early lessons inculcated upon your father, and 
 especially to the time when he began to write me letters, which I 
 always encouraged him in, and thus formed a habit which has 
 been the best security for our home affections that can be devised 
 when separated from those most dear to us. If the prayers and 
 labors of your ancestors are answered by your good progress and 
 good conduct in the use of the privileges you enjoy, you will 
 come forth a better and more useful man than any of the genera- 
 tions preceding ; for you enjoy advantages that none of us have 
 enjoyed. My heart beats quicker and stronger whenever I think 
 of you ; and my prayers ascend for you at all hours, and through 
 every scene connecting us. Last Saturday, I had the first sleigh- 
 ride of the season. The day was beautiful ; and there was just 
 snow enough to make the sleigh run smoothly. I visited Mount 
 Auburn ; and the day and pla<;e, the ' old oak ' standing in front 
 of our graves leafless and apparently almost lifeless, spoke to me 
 a language as intelligible as if utterance had been given in 
 sounds. I thought of you, dear F., as my eldest grandson, and 
 27 
 
210 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 in a maimer the representative of the family to future times, and 
 asked myself whether I was doing all I ought to make you feel 
 the force of your trusts. There lie the mortal parts of your dear 
 aunt and uncle, both placed there since you left home ; and the 
 spirits of both, I trust, are now rejoicing with the multitude of 
 the beloved ones, whose work here is well done, and whom the 
 Saviour has bid to ' come unto him,' and through whom they 
 hoped to be accepted. Dear R. seems to call to us to ' come up ; ' 
 and, whether I ever see you again or not, I pray you never to 
 forget that he was such an uncle as you might well feel anxious 
 to copy in your conduct to your parents ; for he had a settled 
 principle to do nothing to cause his parents anxiety. So, if you 
 see your young companions indulging in any evil practices which 
 may lead to bad habits, avoid them ; for prevention is better than 
 remedy. When you stand near the 'old oak,' whether its 
 branches are green with shady leaves, or dry from natural decay, 
 let it speak to your conscience, ' Come up,' and receive the reward 
 promised to the faithful. 
 
 " Ever your affectionate grandfather, A. L." 
 
 The year 1845 closed with many sad recollections ; 
 and nearly every letter written at this period dwells 
 upon the mournful events which had marked its course. 
 In one letter, he says, " Death has cut right and left 
 in my family." In a little more than twelve months, 
 ten of his own immediate family and near connections 
 were removed, and most of them when least expected. 
 Although bowed down, and penetrated with grief at 
 each successive blow, there was a deep-seated principle 
 in Mr. Lawrence's heart, which made him rise above 
 
DIART AND COKEESPONDENCE. 211 
 
 them all, and receive each call in that spirit of submis- 
 sion which the Christian faith alone can give. His 
 own sorrows seemed only to augment his sympathy for 
 the woes of others, and to excite him to renewed efforts 
 in the great cause of charity and truth, to which he 
 had consecrated every talent he possessed. In this 
 spirit he makes an entry in his memorandum-book on 
 the first day of the opening year. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 EXPENDITURES. — LETTERS.— DONATION FOR LIBRARY AT WILLIAMS 
 COLLEGE VIEWS ON STUDY OF ANATOMY. 
 
 ^^ January 1, 1846. — The business of the past year has been 
 very prosperous in our country ; and my own duties seem more 
 clearly pointed out than ever before. What am I left here for, 
 and the young branches taken home ? Is it not to teach me the 
 danger of being unfaithful to my trusts ? Dear R. taken ! the 
 delight of my eyes, a treasure secured ! ■which explains better 
 than in any other way what my Father sees me in need of. I 
 hope to be faithful in applying some of my trusts to the uses God 
 manifestly explains to me by hia dealings. I repeat, ' Thy will 
 be done.' " 
 
 That his trasts, so far as the use of his property 
 was concerned, were faithfully performed, may be 
 inferred from the fact that, in July, or at the termina- 
 tion of the half-year, in making up his estimate of 
 income and expenditures, he remarks that the latter 
 are nearly twenty thousand dollars in advance of the 
 former. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was often much disturbed by the pub- 
 licity which attended his benevolent operations. There 
 are, perhaps, thousands of the recipients of his favors 
 
 212 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE, 213 
 
 now living, who alone are cognizant of his bounty 
 towards themselves ; but when a public institution 
 became the subject of his liberality, the name of the 
 donor could not so easily be concealed. The following 
 letter will illustrate the mode which he sometimes was 
 obliged to adopt to avoid that publicity ; and it was 
 his custom not unfrequently to contribute liberally to 
 objects of charity through some person on whom he 
 wished the credit of the donation to faU. 
 
 (to president HOPKINS.) 
 
 " Boston, Jan. 26, 1846. 
 " My dear Friend : Since Saturday, I have thought much 
 of the best mode of helping your college to a library building 
 without getting into the newspapers, and have concluded that 
 you had better assume the responsibility of building it ; and, if 
 anybody objects that you can't afford it, you may say you have 
 friends whom you hope to have aid from ; and I will be respons- 
 ible to you for the cost to an amount not exceeding five thousand 
 dollars ; so that you may feel at liberty to prepare such a build- 
 ing as you will be satisfied with, and which will do credit to your 
 taste and judgment fifty years hence. If I am taken before this is 
 finished, which must be this year, my estate will be answerable, 
 as I have made an entry in my book, stating the case. I had 
 written a longer story, after you left me, on Saturday evening, 
 but have laid it aside to hand you this, with best wishes, and that 
 all may be done ' decently and in order.' I will pay a thousand 
 or two dollars whenever it is wanted for the work. 
 
 "Your friend, A. L." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence had read in the newspapers the 
 
214 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 memorial to Congress of Mrs. Martha Gray, widow of 
 Captain Robert Gray, the well-known navigator, who 
 discovered, first entered, and gave its present name to 
 the Columbia Eiver. Captain Gray had been in the 
 naval service of his country ; and his widow, who had 
 survived him for forty years, amidst many difficulties 
 and struggles for support, petitioned for a pension, in 
 consideration of the important discovery, and for the 
 services rendered by her husband. Mr. Lawrence 
 sent to Mrs. Gray a memorial of his regard, with the 
 following note : 
 
 " As a token of respect to the widow of one whose name and 
 fame make a part of the property of every American who has a 
 true heart, will Mrs. Gray accept the accompanying trifle from 
 one, who, though personally unknown, felt her memorial to 
 Congress through every nerve, and will hope to be allowed the 
 pleasure of paying his respects in person when his health 
 permits." 
 
 About the same date, he says to President Hopkins : 
 
 " I am happily employed, these days, in administering upon my 
 own earnings, and have hope of hearing soon from you and your 
 good work. I am still on my good behavior, but have been able 
 to chat a little with Mr. D., and administer to His Excellency 
 Governor Briggs, who has had a severe trial of fever and ague. 
 On Saturday he rode an hour with me, and returned with his 
 face shortened considerably. I can only say to you that I believe 
 I am left here to do something more to improve and help on the 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 215 
 
 brethren and sons -who have more mind and less money than I 
 have ; but the precise way to do it is not so clear to me as it may 
 be by and by." 
 
 After receiving tlie proposed plan of the library 
 wMch he had authorized to be built at Williams Col- 
 lege, IVIr. Lawrence writes to the same, on May 15 : 
 
 " I left off, after a brief note to you, three hours since, fur- 
 nishing you a text on epicureanism to preach from, which I trust 
 will find favor and use. 
 
 "What think you? Why, that I am interfering in your 
 business. When I awoke this morning, thinks I to myself. My 
 friend won't have elbow-room in the centre of his octagon ; and, 
 as there is plenty of land to build upon, he may as well make his 
 outside to outside fifty feet as forty-four feet, and thus give him- 
 self more space iu the centre. The alcoves appear to me to be 
 very nice; and, in the matter of expense, my young friend A. L. 
 H. will see to that, to the tune of one or two thousand dollars. 
 So you may feel yourself his representative in acting in this 
 matter." 
 
 " April 22. — My birth-day ! Three-score years old ! My 
 life, hanging by a thread for years, and apparently, at times, 
 within a few hours of its close, still continued, while so many 
 around in the prime of life and vigor have been called away ! " 
 
 (to a friend.) 
 
 " Tremont-street, April, 1846. 
 
 " My friend : I have arisen after my siesta, and, aa 
 
 the Quakers say, am moved by the spirit to speak. So you will 
 
216 DIAKY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 give what I have to say the value you consider it worth. And, in 
 the first place, I will say, that this period of the year is so full 
 of deeply-interesting memories of the past, that I hardly know 
 where to begin. From my earliest days, the story of the intelli- 
 gence reaching Groton at ten o'clock on the 19th April, 1775, 
 that the British were coming, was a most interesting one. My 
 father mounted Gen. Prescott's horse, and rode, at a speed which 
 young men even of the present day would think rapid, to the 
 south end of the town, by Sandy Pond, and notified the minute- 
 men to assemble at the centre of the town forthwith. He made 
 a range of seven miles, calling on all the men, and was back at 
 his father's house in forty minutes. At one o'clock, p. m., the 
 company was in readiness to march, and under way to Concord 
 to meet the British. They kept on until they reached Cam- 
 bridge ; but, before that, they had seen and heard all that had 
 been done by the troops sent out to Concord. The plough was 
 left in the field ; and my grandfather, with his horse and wagon, 
 brought provisions to his neighbors and his son shortly after. My 
 grandmother on my mother's side, then living in Concord, has 
 described to me over and over again the appearance of the 
 British, as she first saw them coming over the hill from Lincoln, 
 about two miles from the centi-e of Concord ; the sun just rising ; 
 and the red coats, glittering muskets, and fearful array, so capti- 
 vating to us in peace-times, appearing to her as the angel of 
 destruction, to be loathed and hated. She therefore left her house 
 with her children (the house was standing within the last thirty 
 years, and may be now, near the turn to go through Bedford, 
 half a mile or more this side of Concord meeting-house), and went 
 through the fields, and over the hills, to a safe place of retreat. 
 The British, you are aware, on their retreat, had a hard time of 
 it. They were shot down like wild game, and left by the way- 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 217 
 
 side to die or be taken up as it might happen. Three thus left 
 within gun-shot of my grandmother's house were taken up, and 
 died in the course of a very few hours. But what I am coming to 
 is this : Lord Percy, you know, was sent out from Boston with 
 a strong body of troops to protect those first sent out ; and, but 
 for this, the whole would have been destroyed or made prisoners. 
 About three years ago, Lord Prudhoe, second son of Lord Percy, 
 was here ; and I had considerable delightful intercourse with him. 
 He, as you may well suppose, was deeply interested in all that 
 related to his father ; and I met him in the library at Cambridge, 
 where he was very observant of the order and arrangement, and 
 especially of the curious old documents and books, so nicely 
 arranged, touching the early history of the proviace. After leav- 
 ing Cambridge, he went to Mr. Cushing's and Mr. Pratt's, at 
 Watertown, and was much iaterested in all that we ia this city 
 are proud of. I had not strength to be devoted to him more than 
 an hour or two at a time, having then some other strangers under 
 my care, belonging to Gov. Colebrooke's family. Lady Colebrooke 
 being a niece of Major Andre; so that I had only some half- 
 dozen interviews with him, all of which were instructive and 
 iateresting." 
 
 The dissection of human bodies by medical students 
 has always been a subject of deep-rooted prejudice in 
 New England ; and, even to this day, it exists in so 
 great a degree that the facilities for this important and 
 absolutely essential branch of instruction are not nearly 
 as great as they should be, nor such as are afforded in 
 the schools of other countries. When these difficulties 
 shall be removed, and the prejudice allayed against the 
 
 28 
 
218 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 aoq[uisition of a kind of knowledge which it is of the 
 utmost interest to every one that the surgeon and 
 physician shall receive, many young men will remain 
 at home, and acquire that education which, with few 
 exceptions, might be attained here as well as by a resort 
 to foreign schools. In this prejudice Mr. Lawrence 
 could not sympathize, as wiU be seen in the following 
 extract of a letter to a friend : 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ * -tP 
 
 "Many years ago, there yraa a great stir, on account of graves 
 being robbed for subjects for dissection, and some laws were 
 passed : the want became so pressing, that subjects were brought 
 from a long distance, and in a very bad state. Dr. Warren was 
 attending me, and said he had invited the Legislature, then in 
 session, to attend a lecture in the Medical College. He told me 
 he intended to explain the necessity of having fit subjects, he 
 having been poisoned in his lecture to his students a few days 
 before, and was then sufifering from it. He invited me also to 
 attend, which I did, and took with me my precious boy R. 
 While lecturing, the doctor had a man's hand, which he had just 
 taken ofi" at the hospital, brought in, nicely wrapped up in a wet 
 cloth, by his son J. M. W., then a youngster. There were 
 present about two hundred representatives ; and, as soon as they 
 saw the real hand, two or three fainted nearly away, and a half- 
 dozen or more made their escape from the room. The scene was 
 so striking, that I told Dr. Warren it was a pity that such a 
 prejudice should exist ; and, as I was desirous to be of use as far 
 as in my power, and probably should be a good subject for him, I 
 would gladly have him use me in the way to instruct the young 
 men ; but to take care of my remains, and have them consumed 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 219 
 
 or buried, unless my bones were kept. I also told him that I 
 desired very much to have this false feeling corrected, and per- 
 haps my example might do something toward it. Some time 
 
 afterwards, I spoke to upon the subject ; but I found it gave 
 
 pain, and the plan was given up. * * * A. L." 
 
 " Outward gains are ordinarily attended with inward losses. 
 He indeed is rich in grace whose graces are not hindered by 
 his riches." 
 
 In a letter, dated June 3, Mr. Lawrence bears testi- 
 mony to the character and services of the late Louis 
 Dwight, so long and favorably known as the zealous 
 Secretary of the Massachusetts Prison Discipline 
 Society : 
 
 " I have this moment had an interview with Louis D wight, 
 who leaves for Europe in two days. My labors and experience 
 with him for nearly a quarter of a century enable me to testify ta 
 his ability, and unceasing efforts in the cause." 
 
 "May '27, 1846. — The following commentary * on the Lec- 
 tures of the Rev. Dr. accompanied their return to me 
 
 from one to whom I had loaned the volume. I have now no 
 recollection who the person is ; but the words are full, and to the 
 point : 
 
 " ' This sucking the marrow all out of our Bible, and leaving 
 it as dry as a husk, pray what good to man, or honor to God, 
 does that do ? If we are going to fling away the old book from 
 which ten thousand thousand men have drawn and are still draw- 
 
 * Supposed to be by Hon. Jeremiah Mason. 
 
220 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 ing the life of their souls, then let us stand boldly up, and fling 
 it away, cover and all ; unless, indeed, a better way would be to 
 save the boards and gilding, and make a family checker-board 
 of it.' " 
 
CHAPTER XXY. 
 
 DONATION TO LAWRENCE ACADEMY. — COKKESPONDENCE WITH 
 R. G. PARKER. — SLEIGH-RIDES. — LETTERS.— AVERSION TO NOTO- 
 RIETY. — CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence had always taken a deep interest in 
 the academy at Groton, of which he, with all his 
 brothers and sisters, had been members. The resi- 
 dence of his former master, James Brazer, Esq., 
 with whom he lived when an apprentice, bordered on 
 the academy grounds. It was a large, square, old- 
 fashioned house, and easily convertible to some useful 
 purpose, whenever the growing prosperity of the insti- 
 tution should require it. He accordingly purchased the 
 estate ; and, in July, 1846, presented it to the Board 
 of Trustees by a deed, with the following preamble : 
 
 " To all persons to whom these presents shall come, I, Amos 
 Lawrence, of the City of Boston, in the County of SuflFolk, and 
 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Esquire, send greeting : 
 
 " Bom and educated in Groton, in the County of Middlesex, in 
 said Commonwealth, and deeply interested in the welfare of that 
 town, and especially of the Lawrence Academy, established in it 
 by my honored father, Samuel Lawrence, and his worthy associ- 
 ates, and grateful for the benefits which his and their descendants 
 
 221 
 
222 DIAET AND COBBESPONDENCE. 
 
 have derived from that institution, I am desirous to promote its 
 future prosperity ; trusting that those charged with the care and 
 superintendence of it will ever strive zealously and faithfully to 
 maintain it as a nursery of piety and sound learning." 
 
 This had been preceded by a donation of two thou- 
 sand dollars, with smaller gifts, at various dates, of 
 valuable books, a telescope, etc., besides the foundation 
 of several free scholarships. The present prosperity of 
 the academy is, however, mainly due to his brother, 
 "William Lawrence, who has been by far its greatest 
 benefactor ; having, in 1844, made a donation of ten 
 thousand dollars, followed by another, in 1846, of five 
 thousand, and, finally, by wiU, bequeathed to it the 
 sum of twenty thousand. The following memoranda 
 are copied from Mr. Lawrence's donation-book : 
 
 '^August 20, 1847. — I have felt a deep interest in Groton 
 Academy for a long time ; and while brother L. was living, and 
 its president, he had it in charge to do what should be best to 
 secure its greatest usefulness, and, while perfecting these plans, he 
 was suddenly taken from this world. Since then, I have kept on 
 doing for it : which makes my outlay for the school about twenty 
 thousand dollars. I had prepared ten thousand dollars more, which 
 brother William has assumed, and has taken the school upon him- 
 self, to give it such facilities as will make it a very desirable place 
 for young men to enter to get a good preparation for business or 
 college life." 
 
 In an address * deKvered at the jubilee celebration 
 
 * See account of Jubilee of Lawrence Academy. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 223 
 
 of the Lawrence Academy, held in Groton, July 12, 
 1854, the Rev. James Means, a former preceptor of the 
 Institution, thus speaks of the benefactions of the two 
 brothers : 
 
 "It was my good fortune, after becoming the preceptor, in 
 1845, to have frequent intercourse with them in this particular 
 regard, — the interests of the school. I shall never forget the im- 
 pression made upon my mind by the depth of their feeling, and the 
 strength of their attachment. They were both of them men of 
 business ; had been trained to business habits, and would not fool- 
 ishly throw away the funds which God had intrusted to them as 
 stewards. But it seemed to me then, as the event has proved, 
 that they were willing to go as far as they could see their way 
 clear before them to establish this school on a foundation that 
 never should be shaken. 
 
 " There was a singular difference in the character of these two 
 brothers, and there is a similar difference in the results of their 
 benefactions. I have reason personally to know that they con- 
 ferred frequently and earnestly respecting the parts which they 
 should severally perform in upbuilding this school. There was an 
 emulation ; but there was no selfishness, there was no difference of 
 opinion. Both loved the academy, both wished to bless it and 
 make it a blessing ; each desired to accommodate the feelings of 
 the other, each was unwilling to interfere with the other, each 
 was ready to do what the other declined. Out of more than forty- 
 five thousand dollars provided for the academy by Mr. William 
 Lawrence, forty thousand still remain in the hands of the trustees 
 for pui'poses of instruction. Of the library Mr. Amos Lawrence 
 says, in one of his letters : ' I trust it will be second to no other in 
 the country except that of Cambridge, and that the place will 
 
224 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 become a favorite resort of students of all ages before another fifty 
 years have passed away. When he presented a cabmet of medals, 
 he ■writes, ' I present them to the Institution in the name of my 
 grandsons, F. W. and A. L., in the hope and expectation of im- 
 planting among their early objects of regard this school, so dear 
 to us brothers of the old race, and which was more dear to our 
 honored father, who labored with his hands, and gave from his 
 scanty means, in the beginning, much more in proportion than 
 we are required to do, if we place it at the head of this class of 
 institutions, by furnishing all it can want' " 
 
 At the same celebration, the Hon. John P. Bigelow, 
 president of the day, in his opening address, said : 
 
 " Charles Sprague, so loved and so honored as a man and a 
 poet, was an intimate friend of the lamented William and Amos 
 Lawrence. I invited him hither to-day. He cannot come, but 
 sends a minstrel's tribute to their memory, from a harp, which, till 
 now, has been silent for many years. 
 
 ' These, these no marble columns need : 
 Their monument is in the deed ; 
 A moral pyramid, to stand 
 As long as wisdom lights the land. 
 The granite pillar shall decay, 
 The chisel's beauty pass away ; 
 But this shall last, in strength sublime, 
 Unshaken through the storms of time.' " 
 
 On July 15, Mr. Lawrence made a considerable 
 donation of books to the Johnson School for girls, 
 accompanied by a note to E. Gr. Parker, Esq., the 
 Principal, from which the following extract is taken : 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 225 
 
 "The sleigh-ride comes to me as though daguerreotyped, and I 
 can hardly realize that I am here to enjoy still further the com- 
 fort that I then enjoyed. K the pupils of your school at that 
 time were gratified, I was more than satisfied, and feel myself a 
 debtor to your school of this day ; and, in asking you to accept, 
 for the use of the five hundred dear girls who attend upon your 
 instruction, such of the books accompanying as you think proper 
 for them, I only pay a debt which I feel to be justly due. The 
 Johnson School is in my own district ; and many a time, as I 
 have passed it in my rides, have I enjoyed the appropriate anima- 
 tion and glee they have manifested in their gambols and sports 
 during their intermission, and have felt as though I would gladly 
 be among them to encourage them. Say to them, although per- 
 sonally unknown, I have looked on, and felt as though I wanted 
 to put my hand upon their heads, and give them a word of 
 counsel, encouragement, and my glossing. This is what I am left 
 here for ; and, when the Master calls, if I am only well enough 
 prepared to pass examination, and receive the ' Well done ' prom- 
 ised to such as are faithful, then I may feel that all things here 
 are less than nothing in comparison to the riches of the future." 
 
 The allusion to the sleigh-ride was called forth by a 
 note received from Mr. Parker a day or two before, in 
 which that gentleman writes : 
 
 " As you have not the credit of a very good memory, so far 
 as your own good actions are concerned, it will be proper that I 
 should remind you that the occasion to which I refer was the time 
 that the pupils of the FrankHn School were about enjoying a 
 sleigh-ride, from which pleasure a large number were excluded. 
 On that occasion, as you were riding by, you were induced to 
 29 
 
226 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 inquire the reason of the exclusion of so many sad little faces ; 
 and, on learning that their inability to contribute to the expense 
 of the excursion would cause them to be left behind, you very 
 generously directed that all should be furnished -with seats, and a 
 draft made upon you for the additional expense." 
 
 To a fondness for cMldren, there seemed to be united 
 in Mr. Lawrence a constant desire to exert an influence 
 upon the youthful mind ; and rarely was the oppor- 
 tunity passed over, when, by a word of advice or 
 encouragement, or the gift of an appropriate book, he 
 thought he could effect his object. His person was 
 well known to the boys and girls who passed him in 
 the streets ; and, in the winter season, his large, open 
 sleigh might often be seen filled with his youthful 
 friends, whom he had allowed to crowd in to the 
 utmost capacity of his vehicle. 
 
 The acquaintances thus made would often, by his 
 invitation, call to see him at his residence, and there 
 would receive a kind notice, joined with such words of 
 encouragement and advice as could not sometimes fail 
 to have a lasting and beneficial influence. 
 
 '^ August 2. — 'Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou 
 mayest be no longer steward.' — Luke 16 : 2. 
 
 " How ought this to be sounded in our ears ! and how ought 
 we to be influenced by the words ! Surely there can be no 
 double meaning here. The words are emphatic, clear, and of vast 
 concern to every man. Let us profit by them while it is day, lest 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 227 
 
 the night overtake us, when we can no longer do the work of the 
 day." 
 
 On the 22d of August, Mr. Lawrence sent a cane 
 to Governor Briggs, at Pittsfield, with the following 
 inscription graven upon it : 
 
 FROM THE "OLD OAK" OP MOUNT AUBURN: 
 S ^rmcnto of HobtH ©nc2 flont betan. 
 
 AMOS LAWRENCE TO GEORGE N. BRIGGS. 
 1846. 
 
 The cane was accompanied by the following note : 
 
 " My dear Friexd : Your letter of Monday last came, as all 
 your letters do, just right as a comforter through a feeble week ; 
 for I have been confined to the house, and unable to speak above 
 a whisper, most of the time, and am still not allowed to talk or 
 work much. The corresponding week of the last year, when our 
 precious R. was your guest, comes over my mind and heart, at all 
 hours of the night and the day, in a manner I need not attempt 
 to describe to you ; and it is only distressing when I see the suf- 
 fering of his dear mother. But we feel that he is now the guest 
 of the Supreme Governor, whose care and kindness takes from 
 liim all that can interrupt his perfect happiness through all time ; 
 and this surely ought to satisfy us. The good opinion of good 
 men you know how to value, and can therefore judge how much I 
 prize yours. Acting upon the public mind for good as you do, 
 the memorial from the old oak will not be without its use in your 
 instruction and advice to the young, whose special improvement 
 and safety you have so much at heart. The cane is a part of the 
 same branch as that sent to President H., and came to me since 
 
228 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 noon to-day. Accept it with assurances of continued and 
 increased affection and respect. Most sincerely yours, 
 
 "A. L." 
 
 " August 28. — Called at shop, Washington-street, and 
 
 there saw a nice-looking boy seventeen or eighteen years old, 
 named T. S., to whom I gave a word of good counsel and encour- 
 agement. Shall look after him a little, as I like his manners." 
 
 " August 29. — A woman writes a figuring letter, calling her- 
 self S. M. ; says she is sixty years old ; has lost her sons, and 
 wants help ; came from New Hampshire. Also, N. T. wants aid 
 to study, or something else. Also, a Mr. P., with a great share 
 of hair on his face, gold ring, and chains, wants to travel for his 
 health ; has a wife and child. These three cases within twenty- 
 four hours are very forbidding." 
 
 In a letter of advice to a young gentleman who was 
 a stranger to Mm, but who through a mutual friend 
 had asked his opinion on a matter of business, he 
 writes, on Sept. 19th : 
 
 " Your letter of the 17th is a flattering token of confidence 
 and respect, that I wish were better merited. Such as I am, I 
 am at your service ; but there is uothing of me. I have been 
 stricken doiyn within a few days, and am hardly able to stand up. 
 A kind Father keeps me vigilant by striking without notice, and 
 when least expected ; and on some one of these occasions I am to 
 close the account of my stewardship, and no matter when, if the 
 accounts are right. I cannot advise you except in one particular : 
 Do with your might what your hands find to do ; spend no man's 
 money but your own, and look carefully after little items that 
 tempt you." 
 
DIAET AND COERESPONDENCE. 229 
 
 The notoriety attendant upon acts of beneficence 
 which Mr. Lawrence instinctively shrunk from, and 
 which so often deters the sensitive from the good acts 
 which, without this penalty, they would gladly per- 
 form, was, as has before been stated, a subject of 
 serious annoyance. This is illustrated by the following 
 note, written to Mr. Parker, the Principal of the 
 Johnson School for girls : 
 
 " October 2, 1846. 
 " I hope to send a few volumes to help forward the young 
 guides of the mind and heart of the sons of New England, 
 wherever they may be ; for it is the mothers who act upon their 
 sons more than all others. I hope to be felt as long as I am able 
 to work, and am quite as vain as I ought to be of my name and 
 fame, but am really afraid I shall wear out my welcome if my 
 little paragraphs are printed so frequently in the newspapers. I 
 gave some books last Monday, and saw them acknowledged yes- 
 terday in the newspaper, and since have received the letter from 
 the children. Now, my dear sir, I merely want to say, that I 
 hope you will not put me in the newspaper at present; and, 
 when my work is done here, if you have anything to say about 
 me that will not hurt my children and grandchildren, say on." 
 
 A few days afterwards, Mr. Lawrence received a 
 letter from the parties to whom the books above alluded 
 to had been sent, inquiring if he could suggest the 
 name of some benevolent individual, to whom applica- 
 tion might be made for aid in furthering the objects of 
 the Association, He writes : 
 
230 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 " In reply to yours of to-day, I know of no one, but must 
 request that my name be not thrust forward, as though I was to 
 be a byword for my vanity. I want to do good, but am son-y to 
 be published, as in the recent case." 
 
 During the autumn of this year, Mr. Lawrence pur- 
 chased the large building in Mason-street, which had, 
 for many years, been used as the Medical School of 
 Harvard College, with the intention of founding a 
 charitable hospital for children. He had heard of the 
 manner in which such institutions were conducted in 
 France, and believed that a great benefit would be con- 
 ferred on the poorer classes by caring for their sick 
 children when their own poverty or occupations pre- 
 vented their giving them that attention which could be 
 secured in an institution of this kind. The great 
 object was to secure the confidence of that class, and to 
 overcome their repugnance to giving up their children 
 to the care of others. The plan had not been tried in 
 this country ; though in France, where there exists a 
 much larger and more needy population, the system 
 was completely successful. Although but an experi- 
 ment, Mr. Lawrence considered the results which 
 might be obtained of sufficient magnitude to warrant 
 the large outlays required. He viewed it not only as 
 a mode of relieving sickness and suffering, but as a 
 means of exercising a humanizing effect upon those 
 who should come directly under its influence, as weU. as 
 
DIAET AND CORKESPONDENCE. 231 
 
 upon that class of persons generally for whose benefit it 
 was designed. His heart was ever open to the cry of 
 suffering ; and he was equally ready to relieve it, 
 whether it came from native or foreigner, bond or free. 
 The building which had been purchased for the object, 
 from its internal arrangement, and from its too confined 
 position, was found less suitable than another, in the 
 southerly part of the city, where an open view and 
 ample grounds were more appropriate for the purpose ; 
 while there was no cause for that prejudice which, it 
 was found, existed toward the project in the situation 
 first thought of. With characteristic liberality, Mr. 
 Lawrence offered the Medical College, now not re- 
 quired, to the Boston Society of Natural History at the 
 cost, with a subscription from himself of five thousand 
 dollars. The offer was accepted. An efibrt was made 
 by the Society to raise by subscription the necessary 
 funds ; and the result was their possession of the 
 beautiful building since occupied by their various col- 
 lections in the different departments of natural history. 
 The large house on Washington-street was soon put 
 in complete repair, suitably furnished, provided with 
 physicians and nurses, and opened as the Children's 
 Infirmary, with accommodations for thirty patients. 
 The following spring was marked by a great degree of 
 mortality and suffering among the emigrant passengers, 
 and consequently the beds were soon occupied by whole 
 families of children, who arrived in the greatest state 
 
232 DIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 
 
 of destitution and misery. Many cases of ship-fever 
 were admitted ; so that several of the attendants were 
 attacked by it, and the service became one of consider- 
 able danger. Many now living in comfort attribute the 
 preservation of their life to the timely succor then fur- 
 nished ; and, had no other benefits followed, the good 
 bestowed during the few weeks of spring would have 
 compensated for the labor and cost. This institution 
 continued in operation for about eighteen months, dur- 
 ing which time some hundreds of patients were pro- 
 vided for. The prejudices of parents, which had been 
 foreseen, were found to exist, but disappeared with the 
 benefits received ; and the whole experiment proved 
 conclusively that such an institution may be sustained 
 in this community with vast benefit to a large class of 
 the suffering ; and it is hoped that it may one day lead 
 to an establishment of the kind on a larger scale, and 
 with a more extensive organization and means of use- 
 fulness. In this experiment, it was found, from the 
 limited number of beds, that the cost of each patient 
 was much greater than if four times the number had 
 been provided for, and so large that Mr. Lawrence 
 decided that the same amount of money could be made 
 to afford relief to much larger numbers of the same 
 class of sufferers applied in some other way. He was 
 a constant visitor at the Infirmary, and took a deep 
 interest in many of the patients, whose varied history 
 had been recited to him ; and in after years, as he 
 
DIAKY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 233 
 
 passed tlirough the streets, many an eye would brigMen 
 as it caugM a glimpse of the kind friend who had 
 whispered words of consolation and hope in the lonely 
 hours of sickness. 
 
 30 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 CAPTAIN A. S. MoKENZIE. — DIARY. — AID TO IRELAND. — MADAM 
 PRESCOTT. — SIR WILLIAM COLEBROOKE. 
 
 (to CAPT. ALEXANDER SLIDELL MCKENZIE, U. S. N.) 
 
 " November 2, 1846. 
 " My dear Sir : I was exceedingly gratified by your kind 
 remembrance of me, a few days since, in sending me a copy of 
 your ' Life of Decatur,' -which to its merits as a biography adds 
 the charm of bringing before me my old friend Bainbridge, and 
 the -writer, whom I have felt a strong interest in ever since read- 
 ing his ' Year in Spain ; ' for my son resided in the same family 
 soon after you left, and made me acquainted -with you before I 
 had seen you. I am a ' minute-man ' in life, but, while I remain 
 here, shall always be glad to take you by the hand when you visit 
 us. Whether we meet here is of less importance than that our 
 work be done, and be said by the Master to be well done, when 
 called off. Respectfully and faithfully yours, 
 
 "A. L." 
 
 ^^ December 17. — Thirty-nine years have passed since my first 
 entry in this book ; and, in reviewing this period, I have abun- 
 dant reason to bless God for his great mercies, and especially for 
 continuing us four brothers, engaged as we have been in business, 
 an unbroken band to this day, and for the success attending our 
 labors. We have been blessed more than most men, and have the 
 
 2S4 
 
DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 235 
 
 power, by our right use of these blessings, of benefiting our fellow- 
 men. God grant that the spirits of our parents may be cheered 
 in their heavenly home by our doing the work here that we ought 
 to do ! To my descendants I commend this memorial, with the 
 prayer that they may each of them be better than I am." * * * 
 " Fifteen years hence, and the chief interest in us will be found 
 in our Mount Auburn enclosure ; and we ought to look well to 
 the comment." 
 
 As an expression of the feeling here referred to, he 
 purchased a gold box of beautiful workmanship, and 
 forwarded it to his youngest brother, then a resident 
 of Lowell, with the following inscription engraven 
 upon it : 
 
 "BEHOLD, HOW GOOD AND HOW PLEASANT IT IS FOR BRETHREN TO DWELL 
 TOGETHER IN UNITY ! " 
 
 TO SAMUEL LAWEENCE, 
 
 FROM 
 
 HIS BROTHER AUOS. 
 
 "December 19. — Eode to-day to the Asylum for the Blind 
 with Major Arthur Lawrence, of the Rifle Brigade, British 
 Army, and had a very interesting visit. Dr. Howe very atten- 
 tive ; and Laura Bridgman and Oliver Caswell both appeared 
 well." 
 
 "December 27. — Rev. Mr. Rogers said to-day, 'Gold is not 
 the coin of heaven : if it had been, Christ would have been rich ; 
 but he was a poor man.' " 
 
 "January 1, 1847. — In July last, I had spent the advance 
 of my income, but am thankful now to be able to state the case 
 differently, being in the receipt of ample means to be a comfort to 
 the needy." 
 
236 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 From the various entries quoted in his Diary, it will 
 be inferred that Mr. Lawrence's means for charitable 
 distribution varied considerably in amount from year to 
 year. To explain this difference, it may not be amiss 
 to state here, that he had, from the first efforts to 
 establish home manufactures in New England, taken a 
 deep interest in their success, and had consequently 
 invested a large proportion of his property in the 
 various manufacturing corporations which had been 
 built up in Lowell and other towns in Massachusetts 
 and New Hampshire. The great fluctuations in this 
 department of industry are known to every one ; for, 
 while the returns of one year would be ample, those 
 of the next year would, from embarrassments in the 
 commercial world, or from some other cause, be little 
 or nothing. 
 
 '■'■January 8. — T. R. and S. J., two Englishmen in the employ 
 of J. C, mended our pump to-day. I gave them some books and 
 a word of counsel, and hope to observe their progress." 
 
 '■'■February 15. — T. J. called, and is to embark to-morrow, on 
 his way to the war in Mexico. He asked me to give him money 
 to buy a pistol, which I declined, as I could not wish them success 
 in Mexico ; but gave him some books, a Bible, and good counsel." 
 
 During the month of February, an appeal was made 
 to the citizens of Boston in behalf of the famished popu- 
 lation of Ireland, and resulted in the sending to that 
 country a large quantity of food and clothing. Mr. 
 Lawrence contributed himself towards the object, and, 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 237 
 
 as was often the case, endeavored to interest others 
 equally with himself. On the 24th of that month, he 
 addressed a note to J. A. Stearns, Esq., Principal of 
 the Mather School, at South Boston, for the pupils of 
 his school composing the Lawrence Association. This 
 Association, comprising a large number of boys and 
 girls, had been formed for moral and intellectual 
 improvement, and had been named in honor of Mr. 
 Lawrence, who had, from its commencement, taken a 
 deep interest in its success, and had often contributed 
 books and money when needed. 
 
 " Wednesday, March 2. 
 "My Fkibnds : Tlie value of the offering to suffering Ireland 
 from our city will be enhanced by the numbers contributing, as 
 the offering will do more good as an expression of sympathy than 
 as a matter of relief. The spirit of dear R. seems to speak 
 through your ' Oak Leaf,' * and to say, ' Let all who will of the 
 Association subscribe a half-dollar each, and all others a quarter 
 each, for their suffering brethren, and children of a common 
 Father.' A. L. 
 
 P. S. — The purses were presents to me, and must be returned. 
 One of them from the lady of Sir John Strachan, herself a 
 descendant of one of our Boston girls ; the two open-work ones 
 from ladies in this city. Take from them what is required, 
 and return the balance, if any be left. If more is required, let me 
 know, aa I do not know the amount in the purses. A. L." 
 
 One hundred and two members of the Association, 
 
 • A little newspaper published by the Association. 
 
238 DIARY AND COBRESPONDENCE. 
 
 and four hundred and thirty-eight other members of the 
 school, in all five hundred and forty, availed them- 
 selves of the privilege thus offered them, and contrib- 
 uted the sum of one hundred and sixty dollars towards 
 the object. 
 
 At the church in Brattle-street, a collection vras 
 taken in aid of the same object ; and, among other 
 contributions, was a twenty-dollar bank-note, with the 
 following attached to it, probably by Mr. Lawrence : 
 
 "A ship of TTar to carry bread to the hungry and suffering, 
 instead of powder and ball to inflict more suffering on our 
 brethren, — children of the same Father, — is as it should be; 
 and this is in aid of the plan." 
 
 Among the most respected and valued friends of Mr. 
 Lawrence was the venerable Madam Prescott, widow 
 of the late Judge William Prescott, and mother of the 
 distinguished historian of "Ferdinand and Isabella." 
 Tears seemed rather to quicken her naturally warm 
 sympathies for the distresses of others ; and, at the age 
 of more than four-score, she was to be daily seen on foot 
 in the streets, actively engaged upon her errands of 
 mercy. Mr. Lawrence had, the year before, found a 
 small volume, entitled the " Comforts of Old Age," by 
 Sir Thomas Bernard ; and had sent it to several of his 
 friends, principally those in advanced age, asking for 
 some record of their experience. His note to Madam 
 Prescott on this subject was as follows : 
 
DIAKY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 239 
 
 " March 8, 1847. 
 " Dear Madam Prescott : I have been a long time anxious 
 to receive a favor from you, and have felt diffident in asking it ; 
 but am now at the required state of resolution. The book I send 
 you is so much in character with your own life, that my grand- 
 children, who love you, will read to their grandchildren your 
 words, written by your own hand in this book, if you will but 
 place them there. I must beg you, my excellent friend, to 
 believe that I am desirous of securing for my descendants some 
 of your precious encouragements in the discipline of life. 
 " Your friend, 
 
 " Amos Lawrence." 
 
 The Tolume was returned with the following record : 
 
 "Boston, March 10, 1847. 
 " My dear Sir : You ask me what are the comforts of old 
 age. I answer, the retrospection of a well-spent life. The man 
 who devotes himself to the cause of humanity, who clothes the 
 naked, feeds the hungry, soothes the sorrows of the afflicted, and 
 comforts the mourner, — whom each rising sun finds in the con- 
 templation of some good deed, and each night closes with the 
 assurance that it has been performed, — surely such a life must be 
 the comfort of an old age. But where shall we find such a man ? 
 May I not be permitted to apply the character to my highly 
 valued and respected friend, whose charities are boundless, and 
 who daily dispenses blessings to all around him? May the 
 enduring oak be emblematical of the continuance of your life ! 
 I depend much upon accompanying you to Mount Auburn, and to 
 visit the spot which contains the precious relics of him whose life 
 it is sweet to contemplate, and whose death has taught us how 
 
240 DIARY AND COKEESPONDENCE. 
 
 a Christian should die. The perusal of this little volume has 
 increased my veneration and friendship for its owner. 
 " Respectfully and affectionately, 
 
 " C. Gr. Pkescott." 
 
 "Mem. by a. L., May 20, 1850. — Madam P., now much 
 passed four-score years of age (bom August 1, 1767), is as 
 bright and active in body and mind as most ladies of fifty." 
 
 "April 10. — Mrs. T. called to ask aid for a poor widow, which 
 I declined, by telling her I did not hear or read people's stories 
 from necessity, and I could not inquire this evening. She claims 
 
 to be acquainted with Rev. Mr. and Rev. Mr. . She 
 
 gave me a severe lecture, and berated me soundly." 
 
 '■^ April 19. — Mrs. C, of Lowell, asks me to loan her three 
 hundred dollars to furnish a boarding-house for twelve young 
 ladies at S., which I declined by mail this morning." 
 
 In reply to Sir William Colebrooke, Grovernor of New 
 Brunswick, who requested Mr. Lawrence to notify cer- 
 tain poor people in the neighborhood of Boston that 
 their deposits in the Frederickstown Savings' Bank, 
 which had been previously withheld, would be paid by 
 means of an appropriation for the purpose recently 
 made by the Provincial Assembly, he writes : 
 
 " Boston, April 26, 1847. 
 " Mt dear Sir William : Your kind letter of the 8th 
 instant reached me on the 13th, and is most welcome and grateful, 
 in making me the medium of so much solid comfort to the numer- 
 ous people whose earnings are thus restored to them through your 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 241 
 
 unceasing and faittful labors. May God reward you, and enable 
 you to enjoy through life the elevated satisfaction that follows 
 such good works to those who can give you nothing but their 
 prayers ! It is alike creditable to your Provincial Government 
 and those true principles which are the best riches of all free 
 governments ; and I hope may exercise some good influence upon 
 our State Governments, which have done injustice to many poor 
 persons who have given credit to their promises. I have caused 
 your notice to be scattered broadcast, and trust that all who have 
 any interest in the Frederickstown Savings' Bank will know that 
 their money and interest are ready for them. Pray present me 
 most affectionately to Lady Colebrooke and your daughters ; and 
 assure her we shall take more comfort than ever in showing her 
 over our beautiful hills, that have health and joy in every breeze. 
 My own health continues as good as when you were last here ; 
 and my family (who have not been taken hence) seem devoted to 
 my comfort. What reason have we for devout thanksgiving, that 
 our two countries are not at swords' points, and that the true feel- 
 ing of our common ancestry is now sweeping over our land ! We 
 are in deep disgrace on account of this wicked Mexican business. 
 What the end is to be can only be known to Infinite Wisdom ; but 
 one thing is certain, — no good can come to us from it. 
 
 "Again I pray you to be assured of my highest respect and 
 regard, and am very faithfully yours, 
 
 " Amos Lawbence." 
 
 31 
 
CHAPTEE XXVII. 
 
 MR. LAWKENCE AS AN APPLICANT. — LETTERS. — DIARY. — PRAYER 
 AND MEDITATIONS.— LIBERALITY TO A CREDITOR. — LETTERS. 
 
 It was not uncommon for Mr. Lawrence, when a 
 good work was in progress, to give not only his own 
 means, but to lend a helping hand by soliciting con- 
 tributions from others. The following note, addressed 
 to a wealthy bachelor, is a specimen : 
 
 " Boston, June 11, 1847. 
 " My dear Sir : You ■will be surprised at this letter, coming 
 as it does as a first ; but I know, from my experience of your skill 
 and talents as a business man, how pleasant it is to you to make 
 good bargains and safe investments ; and, although you are a 
 bachelor, the early business habits you acquired are marked, and 
 are to be carried forward till the footing up of the account, and 
 the trial-balance presented to the Master at his coming. As I 
 said before, you like safe investments, that shall be returned four- 
 fold, if such can be made. Now, I am free to say to you, I know 
 of such an one ; and the promisor is a more secure one than A. & A. 
 L. & Co., Uncle Sam, the Old Bay State, or bonds and mortgages 
 in your own neighborhood. You ask, Then why not take it 
 yourself? I answer. Because I have invested in advance in the 
 same sort of stock in other quarters, but am willing to give my 
 guai'anty that you shall be satisfied that it is all I represent when 
 
 242 
 
DIAKT ANB CORRESPONDENCE. 243 
 
 you make your final settlement. It is this : Amherst College 
 you know all about ; and that is now in especial need of new 
 instructors, and increased funds for their support. Twenty 
 thousand dollars from you will place it on high ground, give a 
 name to a professorship, make you feel happier and richer than 
 you ever did in your life. What say you ? — will you do it ? The 
 respect of good men will be of more value to you through your 
 remaining days than any amount of increase, even if as vast as 
 Girard's or Aster's. As I am a mere looker-on, you will take 
 this, as I design it, as an expression of good-wiU to the coUege, 
 no less than to you." 
 
 " Mem. by A. L. — Received an answer on the 16th, very 
 good and kind, from Mr. ." 
 
 In addition to the " very good answer," Mr. Law- 
 rence had soon after the gratification of knowing that 
 the application had been successful, and that the neces- 
 sary sum had been contributed by his correspondent. 
 
 About the same date, he writes to his friend. Pro- 
 fessor Packard, of Bowdoin College, as follows : 
 
 " Tour visit to us the last week has opened new views and 
 visions, that are better described in the last chapter of Revelations 
 than in any account I can give. Bowdoin College is connected 
 with all that is near and dear to President Appleton, — not only 
 those on the stage of action with him, but all who came after, 
 embracing in this latter class your own loved ones, who may con- 
 tinue to exercise an important agency in making the college what 
 the good man, in his lifetime, strove to make it. The love, vene- 
 ration, and respect, my dear wife had for him, makes her feel a 
 
244 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 peculiar pleasure in doing -what would have cheered and comforted 
 him so much had he lived till this time. The thousand dollars 
 handed to you is a first payment of six thousand that she will give 
 to the college in aid of the fund now in progress of collection; and 
 she directs that the Lawrence Academy, at Groton, may be 
 allowed to send one scholar each year to Bowdoin College, to be 
 carried through the four years without charge for instruction; 
 and that, whenever the trustees of the academy do not supply a 
 pupil, the college may fill the place. I will hold myself responsi- 
 ble to make good Mrs. L.'s intentions, should she be deprived 
 in any way of this privilege before the work is done." 
 
 Early in the summer of this year, the Hon. Abbott 
 Lawrence made his munificent donation of fifty thousand 
 dollars to Harvard College, for the purpose of founding 
 what was afterwards called, in honor of the donor, the 
 Lawrence Scientific School. After reading the letter 
 accompanying this donation, Mr. Lawrence addressed to 
 his brother the following : 
 
 " Wednesday morning, June 9, 1847. 
 " Dear Brother Abbott : I hardly dare trust myself to 
 speak what I feel, and therefore write a word to say that I thank 
 God I am spared to this day to see accomplished by one so near 
 and dear to me this last best work ever done by one of our name, 
 which will prove a better title to true nobility than any from the 
 potentates of the world. It is more honorable, and more to be 
 coveted, than the highest political station in our country, pur- 
 chased as these stations often are by time-serving. It is to 
 impress on unborn millions the great truth that our talents are 
 trusts committed to us for use, and to be accounted for when the 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 245 
 
 Master calls. This magnificent plan is the great thing that you 
 will see carried out, if your life is spared ; and you may well 
 cherish it as the thing nearest your heart. It enriches your 
 descendants in a way that mere money never can do, and is a 
 better investment than any one you have ever made. 
 
 " Your affectionate brother, Amos. 
 
 " To Abbott Lawrence." 
 
 To a friend he writes, soon after : 
 
 " This noble plan is worthy of him ; and I can say truly to 
 you, that I feel enlarged by his doing it. Instead of our sons 
 going to France and other foreign lands for instruction, here will 
 be a place, second to no other on earth, for such teaching as our 
 country stands now in absolute need of. Here, at this moment, it 
 is not in the power of the great railroad companies to secure a 
 competent engineer to carry forward their work, so much are the 
 services of such men in demand." 
 
 " Boston, June 18, 1847. 
 " Dear Partners : Please pass to the credit of my friend, the 
 Rev. Mark Hopkins, two thousand dollars, to pay for four schol- 
 arships at Williams College, to be used through all time by the 
 Trustees of Lawrence Academy, in Groton. The said trustees, or 
 their representatives, may send and keep in college four pupils 
 from the academy, without any charge for tuition ; and, whenever 
 they omit or decline keeping up their full number, the govern- 
 ment or the proper authorities of the college are authorized to fill 
 the vacancy or vacancies firom their own college pupils. Charge 
 the same to my account. A. L. 
 
 " To A. & A. L. & Co." 
 
246 DIART AND COEKESPONUENCE. 
 
 During tlie last twenty years of his life, Mr. Law- 
 rence was unable to attend more than the morning 
 services of the church on Sunday, on account of the state 
 of his health. 
 
 He was a most devout and constant worshipper, and 
 many of those who have conducted the religious services 
 of the church which he attended will weU remember 
 the upturned countenance, the earnest attention, and 
 the significant motions of his head, as he listened with 
 an expression of approval to the faithful declarations of 
 the speaker. He loved to listen to those who " did not 
 shun to declare aU the counsel of God," and would 
 sometimes express disappointment when the preacher 
 failed to declare what he considered the important 
 truths of the Gospel. 
 
 In writing to a friend, after listening to a discourse 
 of the latter description from a stranger, he compares 
 it, in its adaptation to the spiritual wants of the hearers, 
 to the nourishment which a wood-chopper would receive 
 by placing him in the top of a flowering tree, and 
 allowing him to feed only on the odor of its blossoms. 
 His feelings on this subject are expressed in a letter to 
 an esteemed clergyman, who had solicited his aid in 
 behalf of a church in a distant city. 
 
 " Boston, June 11, 1847- 
 " My Friend : I have your letter of yesterday ; and, in reply, 
 I offer it as my opinion that the Unitarianism growing up among 
 
DIAKT AND CORKESPONDENCE. 247 
 
 US the few years past tas so much philosophy as to endanger the 
 Christian character of our denomination, and to make us mere 
 rationalists of the German school, which I dread more than any- 
 thing in the way of religious progress. The church at may 
 
 be of use in spreading Christianity ; but it may also be a reproval 
 to it. I do not feel sufficient confidence in it to give money to 
 keep Ufe in it until I see evidence of some of the conservative 
 influences that my own beloved and honored pastor is calling 
 back among us. Your well-wisher and friend, 
 
 "A. L. 
 
 "P. S. — I fully agree in the opinion that is an import- 
 ant point for the dissemination of truth ; and, before giving aid, I 
 must know the man before I help support the minister, having 
 small confidence in the teachings of many who enjoy considerable 
 reputation as teachers of righteousness. I may have expressed 
 doubts and fears that may not seem well founded; but I feel 
 them." 
 
 The following entry in Ms diary wiU give some idea 
 of Mr. Lawrence's exactness in his daily business : 
 
 " Saturday, July 24, 1847. — Enclosed in a note to the Eev. 
 , of , a fifty-dollar bank-note, of the Atlantic 
 
 Bank, No. 93, dated Jan. 1, 1846, payable to George William 
 Dodd ; letter A at each end of the bill, and A. P. P. in blue ink, 
 in my writing, at the top. Sent the letter to the post-office by 
 coachman, and paid the postage ; he keeping a memorandum of 
 his having delivered it, and paid for it. A. L." 
 
 " Sept. 14. — Professor , of the Baptist College in , 
 
 has called, to whom I shall give a parcel of books for the use of 
 
248 DIABY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 the college, and also a good word, which I hope will make him 
 remember in whose service he is engaged." 
 
 "Sept. 15. — Delivered him about two hundred and fifty 
 volumes, various ; all of value to him and his college, he said. 
 He is a young man (under thirty years) and a minister." 
 
 " September 16, 1847, Sabbath-day* — ' most blessed Lord 
 and Saviour ; thou who didst, by thy precious death and burial, 
 take away the sting of death and the darkness of the grave ! grant 
 unto me the precious fruit of this holy triumph of thine, and be 
 my guide both in life and in death. In thy name will I lay me 
 down in peace and rest ; for thou, Lord, makest me to dwell in 
 safety ! Enlighten, Lord, the eyes of my understanding, that 
 I may not sleep the sleep of death ! Lito thy hands I commend 
 my spirit ; for thou hast redeemed me, thou covenant-keeping 
 God ! Bless and preserve me, therefore, both now and forever ! 
 Amen ! ' 
 
 " These are suitable thoughts and aspirations, such as every 
 Christian may profitably indulge on retiring each night. His 
 bed should remind him of his grave ; and, as the day past brings 
 him so much nearer to it, the appearance, when summoned hence, 
 should be the point most distinctly before him. If he pass on 
 with the ' Well done,' no time can be amiss when called up. 
 God ! grant me to be ever ready ; and, by thy blessing and thy 
 mercy, grant me to be allowed to join company with those loved 
 and precious ones whom I feel entirely assured are at thy right 
 hand, then to be no more separated ! Amos Lawrence." 
 
 The following note and memorandum by Mr. Law- 
 rence will show how he dealt with an old debtor : 
 
 * The opposite page is a fac-simile of the original manuscript found in Mr. Law- 
 rence's pocket-book after his death. It may serve as a fair specimen of his obirog- 
 raphy during his latter years. 
 
Sac-SimHc of iJlr. £at««tt«'s iSantr-inriUng iu ISW. 
 
 ''fiw!w_. iw^uoYV* Mr^gwm^ -. Arhm j, L 
 q^oWxTxyCorrs its- AW^-^^ 15~ '^<^ c <?vnj'a>u7r 
 
 V^iAw c^Wii- dlvlf/CaXy ^S^UAJ2jc\^_ OA-O-. 2^31_ 
 
 32 
 
Sac-Simile of iHr. Uraunu's mnb-mmng in 1S47. 
 
 " ^^^^^ cl(n\fi^ 'yCoW>SL c^Vw hjL ?lW^ 
 V^vCAv <^Wii_ (i-K:*y<uX^ -^.h \*\suK^ oajl. ^E-- 
 
DIARY AND COBRESPONDENCE. 251 
 
 (to mk. g.) 
 " Mt dear Sir : If you have any mode by which I can have 
 the pleasure of receiving your note and interest, amounting to 
 twenty-three hundred dollars, to be vested by me for the benefit 
 of your wife, I shall be pleased to do it, having long since deter- 
 mined to appropriate this money, whenever received, in this way. 
 " Yours, truly, A. L. 
 
 " For himself and brother A." 
 
 " Mem. — Mr. was an invalid, and confined to his house 
 
 at that period, and sent for me to call and see him. I did so, and 
 he seemed much afiected at my ofier ; but told me he was in better 
 circumstances than I had supposed him, and declined the profiered 
 aid. The information thus given me in this last interview was 
 most welcome : from that time, I never mentioned his debt. After 
 his decease, it was paid by his sons ; and the family has been 
 prosperous since. I spent the money for others in need, and am 
 rejoiced that all his are so comfortable." 
 
 Many of our readers wlio can look back a few years 
 will recall to memory the manly form, and fine, open 
 countenance, of William L. Green, who was so suddenly 
 cut oif at the very threshold of what promised to be an 
 honorable and useful career. He had come to Boston 
 from his native town of Groton ; and, after serving an 
 apprenticeship, had entered upon a successful business. 
 He had endeared himself to a large circle of friends, 
 and possessed such qualities of mind and heart as had 
 made him the stay and hope of his parents in their 
 declining years. 
 
252 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 Upon hearing of the death of this nephew, Mr. Law- 
 rence addressed to his parents the following letter of 
 sympathy : 
 
 " Boston, October 22, 1847. 
 " Dear Brother and Sister : God speaks to us through 
 the rustling of the leaves no less distmctly than in the voice of 
 the whirlwind and the storm ; and it is now our business and our 
 privilege to look at him and to him for the lesson of yesterday. 
 Dear W., as he parted from me the Sabbath noon before the last, 
 looked the embodiment of health, long life, and happiness. Now, 
 that noble figure, face, expression, and loved spirit, which lightened 
 his path, is no longer among us, to be in danger of injury from 
 our yielding him that which belongs to God only. Were we not 
 liable, dear brother and sister, to interrupt those communings 
 which God calls us to with himself? He is our merciful Father, 
 and does for us what he sees is best ; and, if we receive his teach- 
 ings, however dark they may appear to us at present, all will be 
 made clear at the right time. Your precious treasure is secured, 
 I trust, and will prove an increased attraction to you to follow ; 
 and it seems to me that our children are uniting in their joyful 
 meeting in heaven. May we see in this event, more clearly than 
 ever, where we are to look for direction, instruction, and support ! 
 May we be ready when called ! So prays your affectionate and 
 afflicted brother, A. L." 
 
 To a friend he writes, Dec. 27 : 
 
 " In our domestic relations, we are all as we could desire, save 
 the individual case of my brother William, who is barely remain- 
 ing this side Jordan, and in a happy state, I trust, to pass over. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 253 
 
 For a number of days, we have supposed each might be the last ; 
 but he may continue for some days, or possibly weeks. Death 
 strikes right aiid left, and takes from our midst the long-honored 
 and beloved, in their maturity. Dr. Codman and Judge Hubbard 
 are both to be buried to-day ; two men whose places will not 
 soon be filled, I fear. Only last Tuesday, in my ride with good 
 Dr. Sharp, we agreed to call and pay our respects to Dr. C. on 
 Thursday ; but, on that morning, learned that he was dead. On 
 Thursday, Judge Hubbard rode out, and transacted legal business 
 as a magistrate ; in the evening went to bed as usual ; in the 
 night-time was turned over in bed, as he requested to be, and 
 ceased to breathe. How could a good man pass over Jordan 
 more triumphantly and gloriously ? " 
 
 The reader will not fail to note the coincidence, 
 that, almost exactly five years later, Mr. Lawrence was 
 summoned to "pass over" in the same manner, which, 
 from the expression used, seems to have been to him so 
 desirable ; though his own departure was stiU more 
 sudden and striking. 
 
 (to a physician.) 
 
 " Sabbath evening, seven o'clock. 
 
 " Dear W. : I have been reading to the last hour, 
 
 beginning at the second chapter of Matthew, and so on in course. 
 Please look at the fourth chapter, and the latter part of the 
 twenty-third verse, and I think you will need no apology for doing 
 what you do, with such instruction. Christ's example, no less 
 than his precepts, is designed to be practically useful to the whole 
 family of man ; and I feel humbled and grieved that I have not 
 
254 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 followed him better, and preached better by all the motives he has 
 thus spread out. I say, then, to you and yours, God bless you 
 in your good ■work, and make you a worthy follower of the 
 Beloved! A. L." 
 
CHAPTER XXYIII. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. — VIEWS ON HOLDING OFFICE. — LETTERS. — CAPTAIN 
 A. SLtDELL McKENZIE. — DEATH OF BROTHER. AND OF HON. 
 J. MASON. 
 
 " Jan. 1, 1848. — In reviewing the scenes and the business of 
 the past year, I have continued evidence of that mercy which a 
 Father bestows on his children, and a louder call to yield more 
 fully than I ever yet have done to the teachings he designs. 
 Many things that seem dark, of which the reasons are not under- 
 stood, will be made clear at the right time. It is manifest that 
 my stewardship is not so far well done as to permit me to fold my 
 arms and feel easy. No : my life is spared for more work. May 
 its every day be marked by some token that shall meet Thine 
 approval, when the final call shall come ! " 
 
 (to president HOPKINS.) 
 
 " Boston, March 9. 
 " This religious awakening among your college students is 
 among the blessings that our Father vouchsafes to his servants who 
 labor faithfully in their work ; and I can see his hand as plainly in 
 it as though it were thrust before my face as I write this sentence. 
 Let us, then, bless his holy name, and thank him, as disciples and 
 followers of Christ the Beloved; and urge upon these young men 
 to come forward, as doves to their windows. If my life and my 
 trusteeship have been in any manner instrumental in this good 
 
 255 
 
256 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 work in your college, it Tvill be matter of grateful thanksgiving 
 while I live. Mrs. L. and myself both felt our hearts drawn out 
 to you as we read your letter ; and we commend you, and the 
 good work of guiding these interesting young Christians in the 
 ways and the works that lead to that blessed home to which our 
 loved ones have been called, and to which we hope to be welcomed. 
 To his grace and guidance we commend all things touching this 
 onward and upward movement. I have been under the smarting- 
 rod a few days within the past fortnight. Severe pain took all my 
 courage and light-heartedness out of me, and made me a sorry 
 companion ; and my friends, seeing me in my every-day dress, 
 would hardly know me in this sombre garb. Again, dear friend, 
 I bid you God-speed in the good work ; and, at last, may you 
 receive the ' Well done ' promised to the faithful ! " 
 
 In the presidential campaign of 1848, the Hon. 
 Abbott Lawrence was made a prominent candidate of 
 the Whig party for the Vice-Presidency ; and, in the 
 convention which assembled at Philadelphia in June, 
 was voted for, and received but one vote short of that 
 which would have secured the nomination. Mr. Fill- 
 more, it wiU be recollected, was the successful candi- 
 date. During the canvass, a gentleman, editing a 
 newspaper which strongly advocated the nomination of 
 Taylor and Lawrence, addressed a very courteous letter 
 to Mr. Amos Lawrence, asking for aid in supporting 
 this movement, which he supposed he would of course 
 be deeply interested in. The reply is given here, as an 
 illustration of his views in regard to holding high 
 political office : 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 257 
 
 " Dear Sir : la reply to yours, tliis moment handed me, 
 I state that my income is so reduced, thus far, this year, that 
 I am compelled to use prudence in the expenditure of money, 
 and must therefore decline making the loan. If my vote 
 would make my brother Vice-President, I would not give it, as 
 I think it lowering his good name to accept office of any sort, by 
 employing such means as are now needful to get votes. I hope 
 ' Old Zack ' will be President. 
 
 " Respectfully yours, A. L." 
 
 To President Hopkins he writes, April 15 : 
 
 "What should we do, if the Bible* were not the foundation 
 of our system of self-government? and what will become of us, 
 when we wilfully and wickedly cast it behind us ? We have all 
 more than common reason to pray, in the depths of our sins, God 
 be merciful to us sinners. The eiforts made to lessen respect for 
 it, and confidence in it, will bring to its rescue multitudes who 
 otherwise would not have learned how much they owe it. The 
 'Age of Reason,' fifty years ago, told, on the whole, in advancing 
 truth, by bringing to its support the best minds of Christendom. 
 I hope it may be so now. This is a theme for your head and heart 
 and pen. No man in New England can make a deeper mark. 
 What say ye ? The Bible is our great charter, and. does more 
 than all others, written or unwritten." 
 
 " W. C. writes from N., asking me to loan him three thousand 
 
 * In looking over the list of Life Directors of the American Bible 
 Society, made such by the payment of one hundred and fifty dollars each, 
 there are found at least ten who are known to haye been constituted by 
 Mr. Lawrence. 
 
 33 
 
258 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 dollars to buy a farm, and to improve his health and mind ; 
 stating that he is a cripple, but wants to do something for the 
 TTorld." 
 
 " That man may last, but never lives, 
 Who much receives, but nothing gives. 
 Whom none can love, whom none can thank. 
 Creation's blot, creation's blank." 
 
 (to president HOPKINS.) 
 
 " Boston, June 12, 1848. 
 " My dear Friend : Only think what changes a few weeks 
 have produced in Europe, and the probable effects upon this 
 country. It seems now certain that vast numbers will emigrate 
 here, rich and poor, from the continent and from England. The 
 question for us is, How shall we treat them ? It is certain that 
 foreigners will come here. We have land enough for them, but 
 have not the needful discipline to make them safe associates in 
 maintaining our system of government. Virtue and intelligence 
 are our platform; but the base passions of our country have been 
 ministered to so abundantly by unscrupulous politicians, that our 
 moral sense has been blunted ; and these poor, ignorant foreigners 
 are brought into use for selfish purposes, and the prospects for the 
 future are appalling. Yet a ray of light has just broken in upon 
 us by the nomination of General Taylor for President ; and my 
 belief is, he is the best man for the place who can be named, 
 with any prospect of success. He is not a politician, but a plain, 
 straight-forward, honest man, anxious to do his duty in all his 
 relations. As to my brother's nomination for Vice-President, I 
 am thankful they did not make it in convention : he is in a higher 
 position before the country than he would be if chosen Vice- 
 President. His course has been elevated and magnanimous in this 
 
DIAET AND CORRESPONDENCE. 259 
 
 matter ; for he might, by his personal influence and efforts, have 
 received the nomination. 
 
 " Additional. — It is now almost two, p. m., and I have but 
 just returned from Mount Auburn. The visit has been deeply 
 interesting, on many accounts, and has almost unfitted me to 
 finish this letter. However, there is nothing in the visit but what 
 ought to make me thankful that my treasures, though removed, 
 are secured ; and, if my poor efforts can bring me again into their 
 society through the blessed Saviour, I ought not allow this gush 
 of feeling to unman me." 
 
 A few days later, he writes to the same friend : 
 
 " I have not as yet heard of the examination of yesterday at 
 the Lawrence Academy, which son A. A. attended, but hope for 
 a good report. In truth, I feel as if that school and your college 
 are to go hand in hand in making whole men for generations to 
 come. There is a pleasant vision which opens to me when I look 
 forward to the characters that the academy and the college are to 
 send forth for the next hundred years. I bless God for my old 
 home, and the great elm in front, which has a teaching and a 
 significance that I shall endeavor to make use of in training my 
 grandchildren and dear ones of my family connection. How 
 important, then, that our places of education be sustained, as 
 supplying the pure and living streams that shall irrigate every 
 hill and valley of this vast empire, and train men to know and do 
 their duty ! I will not quarrel with a man's Presbyterian, Epis- 
 copal, or Baptist creed, so be he will act the part of a good soldier 
 of Christ; for I verily believe great multitudes, of all creeds, 
 desire to serve him faithfully." 
 
 ^^ Aug. 23. — T. G. sent me a paper this morning, having 
 
260 DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 many names on it, with a polite note. The paper I returned 
 without reading ; telling him I did not read such, or hear stories, 
 and must be excused. He took the answer in high dudgeon, and 
 sent another note, saying he had mistaken me, and desired that 
 his first note should be returned. I wrote upon it that I lived 
 by the day and hour, an invalid, and, for two years, had adopted 
 this course, and had treated bishops, clergymen, and laymen, with 
 the fewest words ; that I intended no disrespect, and begged his 
 pardon if I had done anything wrong. I also told him this 
 course was urged upon me by my medical adviser ; but, with all 
 my care, there is now an average of six applications a day 
 through the year." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence had, many years previous to this 
 date, formed an acquaintance with Captain Slidell 
 McKenzie, of the United States Navy, which had 
 been continued, and was a source of mutual pleasure. 
 Among other relics in the possession of the writer, is a 
 cane of palm-wood, presented by Capt. McKenzie, on 
 his return from Mexico as commander of the United 
 States Steamship " Mississippi," to Mr. Lavrrence, 
 who had caused to be engraven upon it, on a silver 
 plate, the following inscription : 
 
 ALEXANDER SLIDELL McKENZIE TO AMOS LAWRENCE. 
 
 1845'. 
 
 PALM-WOOD FBOM THE BANKS OF THE TOBASCO RFPER. 
 
 raoa THE raiTED states HAVAL COMMANBBK who was not ArBAID TO DO HIS DDTT iraKH 
 LIFE WAS BEQUmED AT THE TAKD-AllM. 
 
 The latter part of the inscription is in allusion to 
 
DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 261 
 
 the course which Capt. McKenzie felt obliged to adopt 
 in the mutiny on board the United States Brig " Som- 
 ers," in 184-. 
 
 On Sept. 15, he thus notices the death of that officer 
 in his diary : 
 
 '■' This morning's newspapers give the intelligence that the 
 excellent and accomplished Capt. McKenzie died at Sing Sing, 
 N. Y., two days ago. He fell from his horse by an affection 
 of the heart, and died almost instantly. Thus has departed a 
 man whom I esteemed as among the best and purest I am 
 acquainted with, and whose character should be a treasure for his 
 family and the nation. I think him a model officer and a good 
 Christian." 
 
 ''Oct. 11.— 
 
 CANADIAN BOAT-SONG. 
 
 ' Faintly as toUs the evening chime, 
 Our voices keep tune, and our oars keep time ; 
 Soon as the woods on shore look dim, 
 We '11 sing at St. Ann's our parting hymn. 
 Kow, brothers, row : the stream runs fast, 
 The rapids are near, and daylight 's past.' 
 
 I first heard this song sung and played on the piano by , 
 
 afterwards Mrs. , at her house in street, in 1809. 
 
 The song rang in my ears sweetly for weeks, as I was taken 
 down with fever the next morning. I never think of it but with 
 delight." 
 
 " Oct. 15. — My brother William died on Saturday, Oct. 14, 
 at three, p. m., in the sixty-sixth year of his age; and my brother 
 Mason died only five hours afterwards, in his eighty-first year, — 
 
262 DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 within three doors of each other. Both were very dear to me in 
 life, and both are very dear to me in death ; and, in God's good 
 time, I trust that I shall meet them again, not subject to the ills 
 and changes of my present abode." 
 
 In a letter of the same date to a friend, lie says : 
 
 " My letter of last Tuesday will have prepared you for the 
 sad intelligence in this. Brother William continued without 
 much suffering or consciousness till two o'clock yesterday, and 
 then ceased breathing, without a groan. Yesterday morm'ng, the 
 hand of death was manifestly upon Brother Mason, who was 
 conscious to objects around, and requested C. to pray with him ; 
 and, when asked if he understood what was said, answered, 
 ' Yes,' and expressed by words and signs his wants and feelings. 
 He continued in a quiet, humble, and hopeful frame, we judge, 
 until just eight o'clock, when, with a single gasp and a slight 
 noise, his mighty spirit passed out of its immense citadel of clay, 
 to join the throng of the loved ones gone before. Brother W. 
 was in his sixty-sixth year. Brother M. in his eighty-first ; and 
 both were such men as we need, true as steel fii all good works 
 and words. Mr. M. was never sick a day to disable him from 
 attending to his professional and public duties in fifty years, and, 
 until within a short time, never confined a day to his house by 
 illness. On the last Sunday evening, I passed a most refreshing 
 half-hour with him. He appeared as well as he had done for 
 a year ; inquired very particularly into Brother W.'s state ; 
 expressed the opinion that his own time was near at hand, and a 
 hope that he might be taken without losing his mental and 
 bodily powers. He remarked that protracted old age, after the 
 loss of power to give and receive comfort, was not to be desired. 
 
DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 263 
 
 He has often expressed to me the hope that he should be taken 
 just as he has been. Have Yre not reason to praise and bless 
 God in taking, no less than in snaring, these honored and loved 
 ones ? " 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 SYSTEM IN ACCOUNTS. — LETTER FROM PROF. STUART.— LETTERS. 
 — DURY.— DR. HASHLTON.— FATHER MATTHEW. 
 
 January 1, 1849. — The habit of keeping an account of my 
 expenditures for objects other than for my family, and for strictly 
 legal calls, I have found exceedingly convenient and satisfactory ; 
 as I have been sometimes encouraged, by looking back to some 
 entry of aid to a needy institution or individual, to do twice as 
 much for some other needy institution or individual. I can truly 
 say, that I deem these outlays my best, and ■would not, if I could 
 by a wish, have any of them back again. I adopted the practice, 
 ten years ago, of spending my income. The more I give, the 
 more I have ; and do most devoutly and heartily pray God that I 
 may be faithful in the use of the good things intrusted to me." 
 
 "January 2. — Yesterday, Peter C. Brooks died, aged eighty- 
 two ; a man who has minded his own business through life, and 
 from a poor boy became the richest man in the city. I honor 
 him as aa honest man." 
 
 (from PKOF. STUART, OF ANDOTEK.) 
 
 " Andover, January 23, 1849. 
 
 " Mt DEAR Sir : Soon after my daughter's return from Boston, 
 
 I received a garment exceedingly appropriate to the severe cold 
 
 to which I am daily exposed in my rides. Many, many hearty 
 
 thanks for your kindness ! To me the article in question is of 
 
 264 
 
DIAKY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 265 
 
 peculiar value. The cold can hardly penetrate beneath such a 
 garment. God has blessed you with wealth ; but he has given 
 you a richer blessing still ; that is, a heart overflowing with kind- 
 ness to your fellow-beings, and a willingness to do good to all as 
 you have opportunity. I accept, with warm emotions of grati- 
 tude and thankfulness, the kindness you have done to me. I 
 would not exchange your gift for a large lump of the California 
 gold. Be assured you have my fervent prayer and wishes, that 
 you may at last receive a thousand-fold for all the kindness that 
 you have shown to your fellow-men. You and I are near our 
 final account. May I not hope that this will also be entering on 
 our final reward ? I do hope this ; I must hope it. What else 
 is there in life that can make us patiently and submissively and 
 calmly endure its ills? God Almighty bless and sustain and 
 guide and comfort you until death: and then may you pass 
 through the dark valley without a fear, cheerfully looking to 
 what lies beyond it ! 
 
 " I am, my dear sir, with smcere gratitude, your friend and 
 obedient servant, Moses Stuart." 
 
 To President Hopkins lie writes, Jan. 3 : 
 
 " Your letters always bring light to our path, and joy to our 
 hearts, in one way or another. The two last seemed to come at 
 the very time to do both, in a way to impress our senses and feel- 
 ings, as the clear heavens, and brilliant sky, and exhilarating 
 atmosphere, of this charming cold day, do mine, in contrast with a 
 beautiful bouquet of flowers on my table as a love-token from 
 some of my young sleigh-riding friends, and which makes me feel 
 a boy with these boys, and an old man with such wise ones as 
 
 you. 
 
 34 
 
266 DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 " In tke scenes of the past year, much that will mark its char- 
 acter stands out in bold relief; and, if we of this country are true 
 to our principles, the gi-eat brotherhood of man will be elevated ; 
 for there have been overturns and overturns which will act until 
 He whose right it is shall reign. If we live up to our political 
 professions, our Protestant religion will elevate the millions who 
 will be brought under our levelling process. ' Level up,' but not 
 down, was Judge Story's maxim of democratic levelling, as he 
 began his political career. In the business of levelling up, the 
 Lawrence Academy, I trust, may do something. The late notices 
 of it have been somewhat various by the newspaper editors to 
 whom the preceptor sent catalogues." 
 
 '^February 25. — Attended Brattle-street Church this morn- 
 ing, and heard a consolatory sermon ; and, at the closing prayer, 
 the giving of thanks to our Father in heaven, through Jesus 
 Christ, who lived to serve us, and died to save us." 
 
 On the 28th, he writes to his brother Abbott, who 
 had had tendered to him, by General Taylor, the office 
 of Secretary of the Navy : 
 
 " Dear Brother : I have heard since noon that you have the 
 invitation of General Taylor to take a seat in his cabinet, and 
 that you will proceed to Washington forthwith to answer for 
 yourself I am not less gratified by the offer than you can be ; 
 but I should feel deep anguish, if I thought you could be induced 
 to accept it, even for a brief period. Your name and fame as a 
 private citizen is a better inheritance for your children than any 
 distinction you may attain from official station ; and the influence 
 you can exercise for your country and friends, as you are, ia 
 
DIAET AND COKEESPONDENCE. 267 
 
 higher and better than any you can exercise as an official of the 
 goyernment." 
 
 On March 3, lie writes to his brother at Washiagton : 
 
 " I awoke this morning very early, and, after a while, fixed 
 my mind in prayer to God, that your duty may be clearly seen, 
 and that you may perform it in the spirit of a true disciple." 
 
 And again on March 5, after hearing that his brother 
 had declined the proffered seat in the cabinet, he writes 
 to him : 
 
 "The morning papers confirm my convictions of what you 
 would do ; and I do most heartily rejoice, and say that I never 
 felt as proud before." 
 
 " Apr mi. — A subscription paper, with an introductory let- 
 ter from , was handed me, on which were seven or eight 
 
 names for a hundred dollars each, to aid the family of , 
 
 lately deceased. Not having any acquaintance with him or fam- 
 ily, I did not subscribe. Applications come in from all quarters, 
 for all objects. The reputation of giving freely is a very bad 
 reputation, so far as my personal comfort is concerned." 
 
 April 21, he writes to a friend : 
 
 " The matters of deepest interest in my last were , the 
 
 religious movement, 's ill-health, and 's accident. All 
 
 these matters are presenting a sunny show now. Our dead Uni- 
 tarianism of ten or fifteen years ago is stirred up, and the deep 
 feelings of sin, and salvation through the Beloved, are awakened, 
 
268 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 where there seemed to be nothing but indiflFerence and coldness ; 
 my hope and belief are that great good mil follow. Li the 
 matter of the enjoyment of life, you judge me rightly ; few men 
 have so many and rich blessings to be thankful for ; and, while 
 I am spared with sufficient understanding to comprehend these, 
 I pray that I may have the honesty to use them in the way that 
 the Master will approve. Of what use will it be to have my 
 thoughts directed to the increase of my property, at the cost of 
 my hopes of heaven ? There, a Lazarus is better off than a score 
 of Dives. Pray without ceasing, that I may be faithful." 
 
 The following extract of a letter is taken from a 
 work entitled " A Eomance of the Sea-Serpent, or the 
 Ichthyosaurus," and will show Mr. Lawrence's views 
 respecting the much contested subject of which it 
 treats : 
 
 " Boston, April 26, 1849. 
 
 "I have never had any doubt of the existence of the Sea- 
 Serpent since the morning he was seen off Nahant by Martial 
 Prince, through his famous mast-head spy-glass. For, within the 
 next two hours, I conversed with Mr. Samuel Cabot, and Mr. 
 Daniel P. Parker, I think, and one or more persons beside, who 
 had spent a part of that morning in witnessing his movements. 
 In addition. Colonel Harris, the commander at Fort Independence, 
 told me that the creature had been seen by a number of his 
 soldiers while standing sentry in the early dawn, some time 
 before this show at Nahant ; and Colonel Harris believed it as 
 firmly as though the creature were drawn up before us in State- 
 street, where we then were. 
 
 " I again say, I have never, from that day to this, had a doubt 
 of the Sea-Serpenf s existence. The revival of the stories will 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 269 
 
 bring out many facts that will place the matter before our people 
 in such a light as -will make them as much ashamed to doubt, as 
 they formerly were to believe in its existence. 
 
 "Yours truly, Amos Lawkence." 
 
 To a friend he writes, July 18 : 
 
 "Brother A. has received the place of Minister to the Court 
 of St. James ; the most flattering testimony of his worth and 
 character that is within the gift of the present administration, and 
 the only oiSce that I would not advise against his accepting." 
 
 About tliis time, Mr. Lawrence read a small work, 
 entitled "Life in Earnest," by the Kev. James Ham- 
 ilton, D.D., Minister of the Scotch Church, Eegent's 
 Square, London. The sentiments of this little volume 
 were so much akin to his own, and were withal so 
 forcibly exemplified, that he commenced a correspond- 
 ence with the author, which became a most interesting 
 one, and continued until the close of his life. 
 
 " Boston, July 18, 1849. 
 "To Eet. J. IIamilto:^, D.D. 
 
 " Sir : The few lines on the other side of this sheet are 
 
 addressed to me by our excellent governor, whose good word may 
 
 be grateful to you, coming as it does from a Christian brother 
 
 across the Atlantic. If it should ever happen to you to visit this 
 
 country, I need not say how great would be my pleasure to see 
 
 you. I am a minute-man, living by the day and by the ounce ; 
 
 but am compensated for all privations, by reading such tracts as 
 
 ' Life in Earnest,' in such a way that few are allowed. I have 
 
 cleared out the Sunday-school depository three times in the last 
 
270 DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 four •weeks, and have scattered the work broadcast, and intend to 
 continue to do so if my health alloirs. Among those to -vvhom I 
 have given one is my younger brother, ■who is soon to be with you 
 in England, as Minister to your Court. I recommend him to 
 your prayers and your confidence. 
 
 " With great respect for your character, I am yours, 
 
 " Amos Lawreitce." 
 
 "July 23. — We are to have Father Matthew here to-morrow : 
 he is a lion, but I probably shall only see him at a distance. 
 The influence he is said to have upon his Irish people may result 
 in making many of them industrious citizens, who would, without 
 him, be criminals, and a pest to honest people. The evil of such 
 masses being thrown upon us we must bear, and study how to 
 relieve ourselves in any practicable way. I see none but to edu- 
 cate the children, and circulate the Bible and good books among 
 them, which shall encourage them to do the best they can for 
 themselves. 
 
 " The Christian banner may have many local influences and 
 teachings ; but its broad folds, I trust, will cover many true fol- 
 lowers, however exact its worldly interpreters may be of what 
 constitutes a true follower. I saw, in the New York Observer 
 (I think it was), a statement of a district in the South-west, 
 where were forty-one Christian denominations, and no two of 
 whose ministers could exchange pulpit labors. Do not these 
 people need a Christian teacher? " 
 
 "August 3. — Father Matthew is doing a good work here; 
 and the result of his power is in his benevolent and sincere 
 expression, and charming head and face. He has called to sec 
 me twice, and I intend to call and see him to-morrow. His ease 
 and eloquence could not do for him what his heavenly expression 
 does." 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 CODICIL TO WILL.— ILLNESS. — GEX. ■WHITING. — LETTERS. — DIARY. 
 
 In August, 1849, Mr. Lawrence reviewed his will, 
 and added to it the following codicil : 
 
 " Throngh the mercy of God, my life has been prolonged to 
 this time, and my mental and bodily powers continued to me to 
 an extent that has enabled me to see to the application of those 
 trusts that have been confided to me ; and, should my stewardship 
 end now or next year, and the ' Well done ' of the Master be 
 pronounced upon my labors, all things here will seem nothing, 
 and leas than nothing, in comparison. 
 
 " In short, my life, cheerful and happy as it is made by the 
 three blessings conferred upon man after his fall (wife, children, 
 and friends), is in the keeping of a merciful Father, who, by 
 thus continuing it, allows me a foretaste of that future home I 
 hope for whenever he calls. 
 
 " In reviewing my will, above written, executed on the 21st 
 day of February, A. D. 1846, I see nothing to alter, and every- 
 thing to confirm. And I do hereby declare it still my will, and 
 this codicil is to be taken as a confirmation of it; and I do 
 earnestly hope all in interest will see clearly the meaning of 
 every clause, and carry out my meaning without any quibbling, 
 question, or conti-oversy. I have been my own executor, for 
 many years, of the surplus property I have received, and intend 
 
 271 
 
272 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 to be while my powers of mind will allow it. Many near and 
 dear friends to whom I looked for counsel and direction, at the 
 time my will was executed, have been taken hence, which makes 
 me more desirous of giving a renewed expression at this time." 
 
 In this connection was the following note to his sons, 
 found in his pocket-book after his decease : 
 
 "Dear W. and A.: In my will, I have made no bequests 
 as tokens of remembrance, and have endeavored to do for all 
 (whom I am interested in out of my own family connections) 
 what is needful and proper and best ; yet I wish some expres- 
 sion of kindness to M. and E., if in the family when I am 
 taken." * * * * 
 
 Here follow donations to domestics who had been for 
 many years in his family. 
 
 About the 20th of September, Mr. Lawrence expe- 
 rienced a severe attack of cholera morbus, which was 
 then a sort of epidemic in the community. Of this 
 attack, he writes to President Hopkins as follows : 
 
 " I hardly know how to address you, since I find myself once 
 more spared to lay open my heart to you ; for I do indeed feel all 
 the force of the words, What shall I render unto God for all his 
 unspeakable goodness ? I have been upon the brink of Jordan, 
 and, with my outstretched hand, seized hold of our merciful 
 Father's hand, that was held out towards me, and was supported 
 by his grasp as plainly as I could have been by your own hand. 
 I was waiting, and praying to him to conduct me to the other 
 side, and permit me to join the company of loved ones passed 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 273 
 
 on, and felt almost sure I should never see the sunlight of this 
 world again, -when, to my amazement, I found my pains subsiding, 
 and that I had not finished the work he had assigned. When you 
 were here, I gave you some little outline of my plan of work for 
 
 . On the 18th of September, I completed that work, and 
 
 felt stronger on that day than on any day for a month. Under 
 the excitement of the scene and a sudden change of weather, I 
 took cold, and had a terrible attack of cholera, which, by the 
 immediate administration of remedies, was in a degree quieted. 
 Thus my poor old worn-out machine was still kept from parting, 
 as the sole of the shoe is sometimes kept on by freezing snow and 
 water upon it." 
 
 In the beginning of this volume, mention is made 
 of the first clerk whom Mr. Lawrence employed after 
 entering business in the year 1807. To that gentle- 
 man, now Brigadier- General "Whiting, was addressed 
 the following letter, which was the recommencement of 
 a correspondence which had ceased for many years : 
 
 " Boston, November, 1849. 
 " My dear General : I have been deeply interested in over- 
 looking your volume of revolutionary orders of Washington, 
 selected from your father's manuscripts, as it brought back scenes 
 and memories of forty years and more ago, when I used to visit 
 at your house in Lancaster, and to read those papers with a relish 
 that might well be coveted by the youth of the present day. I 
 thank you for this token of auld lang syne, and shall feel the 
 more thankful if you will come and see me. I would certainly go 
 to you, if I had the strength, and could do it safely : but shall 
 never go so far from home, being at any moment liable to be 
 35 
 
274 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 called off. My earnest desire is to be ' in line,' and to be able to 
 answer, promptly, ' here.' I hope to hear from you and your wife 
 and wee things : all have a hold upon me, and you will give them 
 an old man's love. I have taken the opportunity to send you 
 some little reminiscences of old times. Butler's 'History of 
 Groton ' (which connects Lancaster in early days) is a model for 
 its exact truthfulness : he was the preceptor of the academy until 
 long after you entered the army. Then I have sent a catalogue 
 of the school, from its beginning for fifty years or more ; ' His- 
 tory of Lowell as it "Was, and Lowell as it Is,' well written and 
 ti-ue ; ' Boston Notions,' put together by old Mr. Dearborn, the 
 printer, whom you knew ; and some other little matters, which 
 will serve to freshen old things, as your ' Revolutionary Orders 
 of Washington ' have done with me. I have just looked into my 
 first sales-book, and there see the entries made by you more than 
 forty years ago. Ever since, you have been going up, from the 
 cornet of dragoons to the present station. 
 
 "Farewell. Your old friend, Amos Lawkencb. 
 " Gen. Henry Whiting, Fort HamUton, N. Y." 
 
 (to ROBERT BARNWELL RHETT, ESQ., OF SOnTH CAROLIN.i.) 
 
 "Boston, Dec. 12, 1849. 
 " Mt dear Sir : Your letter of November 30 reached me iu 
 due course, and gave me unfeigned pleasure in seeing my hopes 
 confirmed, that the practical common sense of South Carolina was 
 returning, and that the use of their head and' hands was getting to 
 be felt among the citizens, as necessary to their salvation as com- 
 mon brethren in the great family of States. Without the use of 
 those trusts placed in their hands by our common Father, the 
 State will not be worth the parchment on which to draw the deeds 
 fifty years hence ; and I most earnestly pray God to guide, guard, 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 275 
 
 and save the State from their childishness in theii\fears that our 
 northern agitators can harm them. I spent the winter of 1819 in 
 Washington, and heard the whole of the debate upon admitting 
 Alabama and Missouri into the Union. Alabama was admitted, 
 Missouri rejected ; and I made up my mind then that I would 
 never interfere until requested by my brethren of the Slave- 
 holding States ; which resolution I have carried out from that 
 day to this ; and I still hold to it. But I would not have admit- 
 ted Alabama then or Missouri on the terms they were admitted. 
 We of the North have windy, frothy politicians, who hope to 
 make capital out of their ultraism ; but, in the aggregate, they 
 soon find their level. Now, of the point to which I desire to 
 come, I do earnestly desire your State to carry out your proph- 
 ecy, that, in ten years, you will spin all your own crop of 
 cotton ; for we of Massachusetts will gladly surrender to you the 
 manufacture of coarse fabrics, and turn our industry to making 
 fine articles. In short, we could now, if you are ready, give up 
 to you the coarse fabrics, and turn one half of our. machinery into 
 spinning and weaving cotton hose ; and nothing will help us all 
 so much as specific duties. The whole kingdom of Saxony is 
 employed at this moment in making cotton hose for the United 
 States from yarns purchased in England, and made of your cot- 
 ton. How much better would it be for you and for us to save 
 these treble profits and transport, by making up the cotton at 
 home ! Think of these matters, and look at them without the 
 prejudice that prevails so extensively in your State. A few 
 
 years ago, I asked our kinsman, Gen. , of your State, how 
 
 the forty-bale theory was esteemed at that time. His answer 
 was, ' We all thought it true when it was started, and it had its 
 efiect ; but nobody is of that mind now.' Still, I believe, when 
 an error gets strong hold of the popular mind, it is much more 
 
276 DIAKY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 difEcult to eradicate it than it is to supply the truth in its place. 
 If I know myself, I tvouH not mete to you any different measure 
 from -svhat I -vyould ask of you ; and I must say to you, that your 
 State and people have placed themselves in a false position, which 
 will be as apparent to them in a few years as the sun is at noon- 
 day. My own family and friends are in usual health ; and no 
 man this side heaven enjoys earth better than I do. I do pray 
 you to come and see us. I hope to see your son at Cambridge 
 this week. Most respectfully yours, 
 
 " Amos Lawrence." 
 
 " Boston, December 11, 1849. 
 " To Gen. Henry Whiting, U. S. A., Fort Hamilton, N. Y. 
 
 " My early Friend : Forty years and more ago, we used to 
 talk over together the dismemberment of Poland and the scenes 
 that followed, and to pour out together our feelings for those 
 martyrs of liberty. At the present moment, my feelings are 
 deeply moved by taking by the hand Colonel P. and Major F., 
 just landed here, and driven from their country, martyrs to the 
 same cause. I need only say to you that they are strangers 
 among us, and any attentions from you will be grateful to them, 
 and duly felt by your old friend, A. L." 
 
 "December 24, 1849. — I have been daily employed, of late, 
 in accompanying visitors to our public institutions ; among these, 
 Mr. Charles Carroll, of Maryland, to the Mather School and the 
 Perkins Asylum for the Blmd. The eifect of kindness upon the 
 character of children is more strikingly illustrated in the Mather 
 School than in any other I know of. Three fifths of the pupils 
 are children of foreigners, — English, Irish, Scotch, German, 
 Swiss, and the like, — mostly very poor. Two fifths are Amer- 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 277 
 
 ican ; and these foreign children, after a few months, are ambitions 
 to look as well and do as well as the best. The little Irish creat- 
 ures are as anxious to have their faces clean, their hair smooth, 
 their clothes mended, and to learn to read, write, and explain 
 their lessons, as the upper children. These upper children, 
 to the number of about one hundred, belong to the Lawrence 
 Association." 
 
 "December 2b, Christmas afternoon. — The following beau- 
 tiful little note, accompanied by a silver cup, almost unmanned 
 me. Forty-three girls signed the note ; two others engaged in it 
 are sick ; and one died, and was buried at Mount Auburn by her 
 particular request, — making forty-six of these children, who, of 
 their own motion, got up this token. Their note is dated to-day, 
 and runs thus : 
 
 " ' Respected Sir : The misses of the Lawrence Association, 
 anxious to testify their gratitude for the kind interest which you 
 have ever manifested towards them, would most respectfully 
 request your acceptance of this small token of their gratitude.' " 
 (Signed by forty-three girls.) 
 
 " 26. — We had great times with the children last evening at 
 Sister M.'s. It really seemed to me that the entertainment gave 
 me as much pleasure as any child among them ; beside Avhich, I 
 went to the house of my old friend Dr. Bowditch (where I used 
 to visit twenty-five years ago on like occasions), for a few minutes, 
 and there found seventeen of his grandchildren enjoying the fruits 
 of the Christmas-tree in the best manner possible." 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 DIART. — REFLECTIONS. — SICKNESS. — LETTER FROM REV. BR. 
 SHARP. — CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 On the first of January, 1850, Mr. Lawrence, as 
 usual, reviews, in his property-book, the state of his 
 afiairs during the preceding year, with an estimate of 
 his expenditures. The entry for the present year is as 
 follows : 
 
 " The amount of my expenditures for all objects (taxes 
 included) is about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. I 
 consider the money well spent, and pray God constantly that I 
 may be watchful in the use of the blessings he bestows, so that 
 at last he may admit me among the faithful that surround his 
 throne." 
 
 The above entry will give some idea of the fidelity 
 with which his trusts had been fulfilled, so far as 
 regarded his worldly possessions. Each year, as it 
 rolled by, as well as each successive attack of illness, 
 seemed only to stimulate him in his efforts to accom- 
 plish what he could while the day lasted. No anxious 
 fears disturbed him as he looked forward to the near 
 approach of "that night when no man can work." 
 
 278 
 
DIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 279 
 
 That night to him was hut a prelude of rest from 
 hodily weakness and suffering, and the forerunner of a 
 brighter day, of which, even in this world, he was 
 sometimes permitted to obtain a glimpse. He says : 
 
 " My own health and strength seem renewed. That cholera 
 attack has changed the whole man ; and it is only now and then 
 I am brought to a pause that quickens me in my work when . 
 again started. A week siace, I ventured on two ounces of soHd 
 food for my dinner, differing from what I have taken for many 
 yeai-s. Nine hours after, in my sleep, I fainted, and waa brought 
 to Ufe by dear N. standing over me, giving ammonia, rubbing, 
 and the like. Fasting the day following brought me back to the 
 usual vigor and enjoyments. Do you not see in this the sentence, 
 ' Do with thy might what thy hand findeth to do,' stereotyped in 
 large letters before me. This it is that brings me to the work at 
 this hour in the morning." 
 
 ^^ March 24. — Received a letter from Rev. Mr. Ilallock, 
 Secretary of the American Tract Society, saying that the Society 
 will publish Dr. Hamilton's lecture on the literary attractions of 
 the Bible, which I had sent them a few weeks since ; and will 
 supply me with two thousand copies, as I requested. 
 
 " Received also, this morning, another tract of Dr. H. from 
 sister K., in London, called the ' Happy Home,' which finished 
 that series to the working people. After reading this number, I 
 feel a strong desire to see the preceding nine numbers." 
 
 (to the rev. JAilES HAMILTOX, D.D.) 
 
 " Boston, March 24, 1850. 
 " Ret. and dear Sib : I need not repeat to you how deeply 
 interesting all your writings which I have seen have been to me ; 
 
280 DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 
 
 but you may not feel indifferent to the fact that the lecture you 
 delivered four months ago, on the literary attractions of the Bible 
 (■svhich I received from my sister, Mrs. Abbott Lawrence, a few 
 weeks since), is now in process of republication by the American 
 Tract Society, agreeably to my request. I hope to assist in scat- 
 tering it broadcast over our broad land ; and thus you will be 
 speaking from your own desk, with the speed of light, to an 
 audience from Passamaquoddy to Oregon. Will you do me the 
 favor to give me a copy of ' Happy Home,' from which I may 
 teach my children and grandchildren. 
 
 " KespectfuUy your friend, and brother in Christ, 
 
 "Amos Lawkence." 
 
 (to a country clergyman (orthodox congregational).) 
 
 " Boston, May 16, 1850. 
 " Rev. and dear Sir : I make no apology in asking your 
 acceptance of the above, as I am quite sure it cannot come amiss 
 to a poor clergyman, situated as you are. I pray that you will 
 feel, in using it, you cheer my labors, and make me more happy 
 while I am able to enjoy life, in thus sending an occasional 
 remembrancer to one for whom I have always felt the highest 
 respect and esteem. Your friend, " Amos Lawrence." 
 
 The above letter contained a draft for one hundred 
 dollars, of which Mr. Lawrence makes the following 
 memorandum, dated on the 18th : 
 
 " Mr. acknowledges the above letter in very grateful 
 
 terms, being what his pressing wants require." 
 
 In a letter to President Hopkins, dated June 22, 
 Mr. Lawrence says : 
 
DIAEY AND COBKESPONDENCE. 281 
 
 " If I cannot visit you bodily, as I had vainly hoped to do, I 
 can convince you that the life and hope of younger days are still 
 in me. Your parting word touched me to the quick, and I can- 
 not repeat or read it •without a sympathetic tear filling my own 
 eye. I am not able to stand up ; but am cheered by the hope 
 that, before many weeks, I may be able to stand alone. Our 
 good friend Governor Briggs called to see me this week, and 
 was quite horrified to see me trundled about on a hospital chair ; 
 however, after a good talk, he concluded that what was cut off 
 from the lower works was added to the upper, and the account in 
 my favor. It has always been so with me ; the dark places have 
 been made clear at the right time; so I am no object of pity." 
 
 The lameness here mentioned was caused by a slight 
 sprain of the ankle, but was followed by great prostra- 
 tion of the bodily strength, and a feeble state of all the 
 functions, resulting in that vitiated state of the blood 
 called by physicians " purpura." Violent hemorrhages 
 from the nose succeeded ; and these, with the intense 
 heat of the weather, so reduced his strength, that the 
 only hope of recovery seemed to be in removing him 
 from the city to the bracing air of the sea-shore. 
 Towards the end of July, he was accordingly removed 
 upon a mattress to the house of his son, at Nahant ; 
 and, from the moment he came within the influence of 
 the fresh sea-breeze, he began to recover his spirits and 
 his strength. A day or two after reaching Nahant, he 
 received from his friend, the Kev. Dr. Sharp, the fol- 
 lowing letter, which is so characteristic, and- reminds 
 
282 DIABT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 one so forcibly of the calm and staid manner of that 
 venerable man, that it is given entire : 
 
 " Boston, July 30, 1850. 
 " My very dear Friend : It was with deep regret I learned, 
 on Friday last, that you were quite unwell, and at Nahant. 
 It was in my mind yesterday morning to visit you ; nothing 
 prevented me but an apprehension that it might be deemed 
 inexpedient to admit any one to your sick room, except your 
 own family. But, although I have not seen you in person 
 since your last sickness, yet I have been with you in spirit. I 
 have felt exceedingly sad at the probability of your earthly 
 departure. Seldom as we have seen each other, your friendship 
 has been precious to me ; and, to say nothing of your dear family, 
 your continuance in life is of great importance ,to that large 
 family of humanity, the poor, who have so often participated in 
 your bounty. Indeed, as we cannot well spare you, I rather 
 cherish the hope that, in his good providence, God will continue 
 you to us a little longer. But, whatever may be the issue of 
 your present illness, I trust that you, with all your friends, will 
 be enabled to say, ' The will of the Lord be done.' If he ' lives 
 the longest who answers life's great end,' your life, compared 
 with most, has not been short. Not that any of us have done 
 more than our duty. Nay, we have all come short, and may 
 say, with all modesty and truthfulness, we are unprofitable ser- 
 vants; although, in some respects, and to our fellow-beings, we 
 may have been profitable. I trust, my dear friend, you are look- 
 ing for the mercy of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, unto 
 eternal life. Death is not an eternal sleep ; no, it is the gate to 
 life. It opens up a blessed immortality to all who, in this world, 
 have feared God and wrought righteousness. This world is a 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE, 283 
 
 probationary state ; if 'we have been faithful, in some humble 
 degree, to our convictions of duty ; if we have regretted our 
 follies and sins ; if we have sought to do the will of our heavenly 
 Father, and sought forgiveness through the mediation of his Son, 
 — God will receive us to his heavenly glory. I believe, in his 
 own good time, he will receive you, my very dear friend ; 
 although my prayer is, with submission, that he will restore you 
 to comfortable health, and allow you to remain with us a little 
 longer. May God be with you, and bless you, in life, in death, 
 and forevermore ! With most respectful regard to Mrs. L., and 
 sympathy with you in your afflictions, in which my dear wife 
 joins, I am truly yours, Daniel Sharp." 
 
 From Little Nahant, Mr. Lawrence writes to a 
 friend, under date of Aug. 16 : 
 
 " I have just arisen from bed, and am full of the matter to tell 
 you how much good your letter has done. I came here as the 
 last remedy for a sinking man ; and, blessed be God, it promises 
 me renewed life and enjoyment. What is it for, that I am thus 
 saved in life, as by a miracle ? Surely it must be in mercy, to 
 finish out my work begun (in your college and other places), yet 
 unfinished. Pray, give us what time you can when you visit 
 Andover. If I continue to improve as I have done for ten days, 
 I hope to return home next week ; but may have some drawback 
 that will alter the whole aspect of afiairs. This beautiful Little 
 Nahant seems to have been purchased, built up, and provided, by 
 the good influence of our merciful Father in heaven upon the 
 
 heart of , that he might save me from death, when it was 
 
 made certain I could not hold out many days longer- Surely I 
 am called on by angel voices to render praise to God." 
 
284 DIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 
 
 The five weeks' residence upon tlie sea-shore was 
 greatly enjoyed by Mr. Lawrence. As the weather 
 was generally fine, much of his time was passed in the 
 open air, in watching the ever-varying sea-views, in 
 reading, or in receiving the visits of his friends. Near 
 the end of August, his health and strength had become 
 so far restored as to warrant his return to the city, and, 
 as his memoranda show, to increased efforts in the field 
 of charity. 
 
CHAPTEE XXXII. 
 
 AMIN BET.— AMOUNT OF DONATIONS TO WILLLAMS COLLEGE. 
 
 In November, 1850, Amin Bey, Envoy from the 
 Sultan of Turkey to the United States, visited Boston. 
 Among other attentions, Mr. Lawrence accompanied 
 him on a visit to the Female Orphan Asylum, then 
 containing about one hundred inmates ; and the pleas- 
 ant intercourse was continued by a visit of the minister 
 at Mr. Lawrence's house. 
 
 The following note accompanied a number of 
 volumes relating to Boston and its vicinity : 
 
 (to his excellency amin bet.) 
 
 " My Brother : The manifest pleasure you felt in visiting 
 our Female Orphan Asylum yesterday has left a sunbeam on my 
 path, that will illumine my journey to our Father's house. 
 When we meet there, may the joy of that reunion you hope 
 for with the loved ones in your own country be yours and mine, 
 and all the good of all the world be our companions for all time ! 
 With the highest respect, believe me your friend, A. L." 
 
 (to president HOPKINS.) 
 
 "Boston, November 11, 1850. 
 " My DEAR Friend : My brief letter of introduction by my 
 young friend S., and your answer to it, which I mislaid or lost 
 
 285 
 
286 DIAKT AND COREESPONBENCE. 
 
 soon after it came, has made me feel a wish to write every day 
 since the first week after I received yours. S. made me out bet- 
 ter than I was when he saw me. I could walk across the rooms, 
 get down and up stairs without much aid, and bear my weight on 
 each foot ; having strength in my ankle-bones that enabled me to 
 enter the temple walking, not leaping, but praising God. If ever 
 I am able to walk so far as around the Common, what gratitude 
 to God should I feel to take your arm as my support ! I am fre- 
 quently admonished by faint turns that I am merely a ' minute- 
 man,' liable to be called for at any moment. Only a few days 
 since, I had a charming call from Amin Bey and suite, whom 
 I received in my parlors below, where were some friends to 
 meet him. All seemed interested, and Amin as much so as a 
 Turk ever does. When he left us, I went with him to the door, 
 saw him out and in his carriage, turned to open the inner entry- 
 door, became faint just as M. was leaving the party, and leaned 
 on her to get into the parlor. I was laid on the sofa, insensible for 
 a short time, but, by labor, abstinence, and great care, for two or 
 three days, have got upon my high horse again, and rode with N. 
 to make calls upon the good people of Cambridge. After dinner, 
 when I awoke, I tried to go about my work, but was called off 
 again, and, from that time to this, have been up a little, and then 
 down a little ; thus asking me, with angels' voices. Why are you 
 left here ? The answer is plain : You have more work to do. 
 Pray, my dear friend, for me to be faithful while my powers are 
 left with me. The reports of and from your college make me 
 feel that my labors in helping it to get on its legs have been 
 repaid four-fold. I am its debtor, and will allow the money out 
 of the next year's income to be used for a telescope, if you deem 
 it best. I have made no further inquiry for the one in progress 
 here, but will ask W. to look and see what progress is making. 
 
DIAEY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 287 
 
 When I leave off writing, I shall ride to the office in Court- 
 square, and deposit my Whig vote for Governor Briggs and the 
 others. We are so mixed up here as hardly to know who are sup- 
 porters of the regular ticket, and who not. This fugitive-slave 
 business will keep our people excited till the law is blotted out. 
 In some of our best circles the law is pronounced unconstitu- 
 tional ; and my belief is that Franklin Dexter's argument on 
 that point will settle the question by starting it, our great men to 
 the contrary notwithstanding." 
 
 In tlie above letter Mr. Lawrence speaks of the 
 gratification which he had derived from the results of 
 his efforts in behalf of Williams College ; and, as there 
 may be no more fitting place to give an account of 
 these efforts, the following record is here introduced, 
 from the pen of President Hopkins. It is found in his 
 sermon commemorative of the donor, delivered at the 
 request of the students, on February 21, 1853. 
 
 " In October, 1841, the building known as the East College 
 was burned. Needy as the institution was before, this rendered 
 necessary an application to the Legislature for funds ; and, when 
 this failed, to the public at large. Owing to a panic in the money 
 market, this application was but slightly responded to, except in 
 this town. In Boston the sum raised waa less than two thousand 
 dollars ; and the largest sum given by any individual was one 
 hundred dollars. This sum was given by Mr. Lawrence, who was 
 applied to by a friend of the college ; and this, it is believed, was 
 the only application ever made to him on our behalf. This 
 directed his attention to the wants of the college ; but nothing 
 
288 DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 more was heard from him till January, 1844. At that time, I 
 was delivering a course of the Lovrell Lectures, in Boston, when 
 his son, Mr. Amos A. Lawrence, called and informed me that his 
 father had five thousand dollars which he wished to place at 
 the disposal of the college. As I was previously but slightly 
 acquainted with Mr. Lawrence, and had had no conversation with 
 him on the subject, this was to me an entire surprise ; and, 
 embarrassed as the institution then was by its debt for the new 
 buildings, the relief and encouragement which it brought to my 
 own mind, and to the minds of others, friends of the college, can 
 hardly be expressed. Still, this did not wholly remove the debt. 
 On hearing this casually mentioned, he said, if he had known 
 how we were situated, he thought he should have given us more ; 
 and the following July, without another word on the subject, he 
 sent me a check for five thousand dollars. This put the college 
 out of debt, and added two or three thousand dollars to its avail- 
 able funds. In January, 1846, he wrote, saying he wished to see 
 me ; and, on meeting him, he said his object was to consult me 
 about the disposition of ten thousand dollars, which he proposed 
 to give the college. He wished to know how I thought it would 
 do the most good. I replied, at once, By being placed at the 
 disposal of the trustees, to be used at their discretion. He said, 
 ' Very well ; ' and that was all that passed on that point. So I 
 thought ; and, knowing his simplicity of character, and singleness 
 of purpose, I felt no embarrassment in making that reply. Here 
 was a beautiful exemplification of the precept of the apostle, ' He 
 that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.' Such a man had a 
 right to have, for one of his mottoes, ' Deeds, not words.' This 
 was just what was needed; but it gave us some breadth and 
 enlargement, and was a beginning in what it had long been felt 
 must, sooner or later, be undertaken, — the securing of an avail- 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 289 
 
 able fund suitable as a basis for such an institution. His next 
 large gift was the library. This came from his asking me, as I 
 was riding vrith him the following winter, if we wanted anything. 
 Nothing occurred to me at the time, and I replied in the nega- 
 tive ; but, the next day, I remembered that the trustees had voted 
 to build a library, provided the treasurer should find it could be 
 done for twenty-five hundred dollars. This I mentioned to him. 
 He inquired what I supposed it would cost. I replied, ' Five 
 thousand dollars.' He said, at once, ' I will give it.' With his 
 approbation, the plan of a buildiag was subsequently adopted that 
 would cost seven thousand dollars ; and he paid that sum. A 
 year or two subsequently, he inquired of me the price of tuition 
 here, saying he should like to connect Groton Academy with Wil- 
 liams College ; and he paid two thousand dollars to establish four 
 scholarships for any one who might come from that institution. 
 His next gift was the telescope, which cost about fifteen hundred 
 dollars. The history of this would involve some details which I 
 have not now time to give. In 1851, accompanied by Mrs. Law- 
 rence, he made a visit here. This was the first time either of 
 them had seen the place. In walking over the grounds, he said 
 they had great capabilities, but that we needed more land ; and 
 authorized the purchase of an adjoining piece of four acres. This 
 purchase was made for one thousand dollars ; and, if the college 
 can have the means of laying it out, and adorning it suitably, it 
 will, besides furnishing scope for exercise, be a fit addition of the 
 charms of culture to great beauty of natural scenery. In addition 
 to these gifts, he has, at difierent times, enriched the library with 
 costly books, of the expense of which I know nothing. Almost 
 everything we have in the form of art was given by him. In 
 December, 1845, I received a letter from him, dated the 22d, or 
 
 ' Forefathers' Day,' which enclosed one hundred dollars, to be 
 37 
 
290 DIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 
 
 used for the aid of needy students in those emergencies which 
 often arise. This was entirely at his own suggestion ; and nothing 
 could have heen more timely or appropriate in an institution like 
 this, where so many young men are struggling to make their own 
 way. Since that time, he has furnished me with at least one 
 hundred dollars annually for that purpose ; and he regarded the 
 expenditure with much interest. Thus, in different ways, Mr. 
 Lawrence had given to the college between thirty and forty thou- 
 sand dollars ; and he had expressed the purpose, if he should live, 
 of aiding it still further. Understanding aa he did the position 
 and wants of this college, he sympathized fully with the trustees 
 in their purpose to raise the sum of fifty thousand dollars, and, at 
 the time of his death, was exerting a most warm-hearted and 
 powerful influence for its accomplishment. In reference to this 
 great effort, we feel that a strong helper is taken away. The aid 
 which Mr. Lawrence thus gave to the college was great and indis- 
 pensable ; and probably no memorial of him will be more endur- 
 ing than what he has done here. By this, being dead, he yet 
 speaks, and will continue to speak in all coming time. From him 
 will flow down enjoyment and instruction to those who shall walk 
 these grounds, and look at the heavens through this telescope, and 
 read the books gathered in this library, and hear instruction from 
 teachers sustained, wholly or in part, by his bounty. Probably 
 he could not have spent this money more usefully ; and there is 
 reason to believe that he could have spent it in no way to brinrf 
 to himself more enjoyment. The prosperity of the college was a 
 source of great gratification to him ; and he said, more than once, 
 that he had been many times repaid for what he had done here. 
 That he should have thus done what he did unsolicited, and that 
 he — and, I may add, his family — should have continued to find 
 m it so much of satisfaction, is most grateful to my own feelings, 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 291 
 
 and must be so to every friend of the college. In doing it, he 
 seemed to place himself in the relation, not so much of a patron 
 of the college, as of a sympathizer and helper in a great and 
 good work." 
 
CHAPTEE XXXIII. 
 
 LETTERS. — DIARY. 
 
 At the beginning of the year 1851, Mr. Lawrence 
 writes to President Hopkins : 
 
 "The closing of the old year was like our western horizon 
 after sunset, bright and beautiful ; the opening of the new, radiant 
 with life, light, and hope, and crowned with such a costume of 
 love as few old fathers, grandfathers, and uncles, can muster ; in 
 short, my old sleigh is the pet of the season, and rarely appears 
 without being well filled, outside and inside. It is a teacher to 
 the school-children, no less than to my grandchildren ; for they 
 all understand that, if they are well-behaved, they can ride with 
 me when I make the signal ; and I have a strong persuasion that 
 this attention to them, with a present of a book and a kind word 
 now and then, makes the little fellows think more of their conduct 
 and behavior. At any rate, it does me good to hear them call 
 out, ' How do you do, Mr. Lawrence ? ' as I am driving along the 
 streets and by-ways of the city." * * * 
 
 To an aged clergyman in the country, who was blind 
 and in indigent circumstances, he writes : 
 
 "Jan. 14. 
 " Your letter of last week reached me on Saturday, and was 
 indeed a sunbeam, which quickened me to do what I had intended 
 
 292 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 293 
 
 for a ' happy new-year,' before receiving yours. I trust you will 
 have received a parcel sent by railroad, on Monday, directed to 
 you, and containing such things as I deemed to be useful in your 
 family ; and I shall be more than paid, if they add one tint to the 
 ' purple light ' you speak of, that opens upon your further hopes 
 of visiting us the coming season. For many months I was unable 
 to walk ; but my feet and ankle-bones have now received strength. 
 I feel that the prayers of friends have been answered by my 
 renewed power to do more work. How, then, can I enjoy life 
 better than by distributing the good things intrusted to me among 
 those who are comforted by receiving them? So you need not 
 feel, my friend, that you are any more obliged than I am. The 
 enclosed bank-bills may serve to fit up the materials for use ; at 
 any rate, will not be out of place in your pocket. I trust to see 
 you again in this world, which has to me so many interesting 
 connecting links between the first and only time I have ever seen 
 you (thirty-five or more years ago, in Dr. Huntington's pulpit, 
 Old South Church) and the present." 
 
 (from rev. JAMES HAMILTON, D.D.) 
 
 " 42 GOWER-STREET, LoNDON, Feb. 15, 1851. 
 
 " Mt deak Sir : No letter which authorship has brought to 
 me ever gave me such pleasure as I received from yours of July, 
 1849, enclosing one which Governor Briggs had written to you. 
 That strangers so distinguished should take such interest in my 
 writings, and should express yourselves so kindly towards myself, 
 overwhelmed me with a pleasing surprise, and with thankfulness 
 to God who had given me such favor. I confess, too, it helped to 
 make me love more the country which has always been to me the 
 dearest next to my own. In conjunction with some m.uch-prized 
 friendships which I have formed among your ministers, it would 
 
294 DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 almost tempt me to cross the Atlantic. But I am so bad a sailor 
 that I fear I must postpone personal intercourse with those Amer- 
 ican friends who do not come to England, until we reach the land 
 ■where there is no more sea. However feebly expressed, please 
 accept my heartfelt thanks for all the cost and trouble you have 
 incurred in circulating my publications. It is pleasant to me to 
 think that your motive in distributing them, in the first instance, 
 could not be friendship for the author ; and to both of us it will 
 be the most welcome result, if they promote the cause of practical 
 Christianity. Owing to weakness in the throat and chest, I can- 
 not preach so much aa many of my neighbors, and therefore I 
 feel the more anxious that my tracts should do something for the 
 honor of the Saviour and the welfare of mankind. You were kind 
 enough to reprint my last lecture to young men. I could scarcely 
 wish the same distinction bestowed on its successor, because it is a 
 fragment. I have some thoughts of extending it into a short 
 exposition of Ecclesiastes, which is a book well suited to the times, 
 and but little understood. * * * 
 
 " Yours, most truly, James Hamilton." 
 
 In reply to the above letter, Mr. Lawrence writes, 
 April 8 : 
 
 " I will not attempt to express to you in words my pleasure in 
 receiving your letter of Feb. 15, with its accompaniments. The 
 lecture delivered to the young men on the 4th of February, 
 although designated by you as a fragment, I sent to my friend, 
 with a copy of your letter, asking him whether he would advise 
 its publication, and whether he would scatter it with its prede- 
 cessor ; and, if so, I would pay the expense. His answer you 
 have here, and I have the pleasure of saying that the ' Fracr- 
 ment ' will be ready to circulate by thousands the present week ; 
 
<' ^v 1 
 
 -V. 
 
 '•<=J'-:«„;;' 
 
 -^i^ 
 
DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 295 
 
 and, when you shall have added jonv further comments upon 
 Solomon and his works, our American Tract Society ■will be ready 
 to publish the iivhole by hundreds of thousands, I trust, thus 
 enabling you to preach through our whole country. The Memoir 
 of Lady Colquhon is a precious jewel, which I shall keep among 
 my treasures to leave my descendants. I had previously pur- 
 chased a number of copies of the American edition, and scattered 
 them among my friends, so that there is great interest to see your 
 copy sent me. The pai-t of your letter which touched my heart 
 most was that in which you speak of my brother Abbott, and say 
 of him that 'no foreign minister is such a favorite with the 
 British public' It brought him before me like a daguerreotype 
 likeness, through every period of his life for fifty years. First, as 
 the guiding spirit of the boys of our neighborhood, in breaking 
 through the deep snow-drifts which often blocked up the roads in 
 winter ; then as my apprentice in the city ; and, in a few years, 
 as the young military champion, to watch night and day, under 
 arms, on the point of Bunker Hill nearest the ocean, the move- 
 ments of a British fleet lying within four or five miles of him, 
 and threatening the storming of Boston; then, soon after, as 
 embarking' in the very first ship for England, after the close of 
 the war, to purchase goods, which were received here in eighty- 
 three days after he sailed. Since that time, our firm has never 
 been changed, except by adding ' & Co.,' when other partners 
 were admitted. He has been making his way to the people's 
 respect and affection from that time to this, and now fills the only 
 public station I would not have protested against his accepting, 
 feeling that place cannot impart grace. My prayers ascend con- 
 tinually for him, that he may do his work under the full impres- 
 sion that he must give an account to Him whose eye is constantly 
 upon him, and whose ' Well done ' will be infinitely better than 
 
296 DIAEY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 all things else. I believe he is awakening an interest to learn 
 more about this country ; and the people will be amazed to see 
 what opportunities are here enjoyed for happiness for the great 
 mass. What we most fear is that ignorance which will bring 
 everything down to its own level, instead of that true knowledge, 
 which shall level up the lowest places, now inundated with foreign 
 emigrants. Our duty is plain ; and, if we do not educate and 
 elevate this class of our people, they will change our system of 
 government within fifty years. Virtue and intelligence are the 
 basis of this government ; and the duty of all good men is to keep 
 it pure. * * * 
 
 " And now, my friend, what can I say that will influence you 
 to come here, and enjoy with me the beautiful scenes upon and 
 around our Mount Zion ? 
 
 " With the highest respect and affection, I am most truly yours, 
 
 "Amos Lawrence. 
 
 "P. S. — Mrs. L. desires me to present to you and your lady 
 her most respectful regard, with the assurance that your writings 
 are very precious to her. She is a granddaughter to a clergyman 
 of your ' Kirk,' and enjoys much its best Avritings." 
 
 To the same gentleman lie writes soon after : 
 
 " And now let me speak about the ' Royal Preacher.' * I 
 expected much, but not so much as I found in it. We, on this 
 side the Atlantic, thank you ; and the pictures of some of our 
 own great men are drawn to the life, although their history and 
 character could not have been in your eye. Truth is the same 
 now as in Solomon's time ; and it is surprising that the mass of 
 men do not see and acknowledge that ' the saint is greater than 
 
 * A tract by Dr. Hamilton. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 297 
 
 the sage, and discipleship to Jesus the pinnacle of human dignity.' 
 I have had, this morning, two calls, from different sections of our 
 Union, for your ' Life in Earnest,' ' Literary Attractions of the 
 Bible,' ' Solomon,' ' Redeemed in Glory,' &c., which I responded 
 to with hearty good-will. Some of the books will go out of the 
 country many thousand miles, and will do good. I must shake 
 hands with you across the Atlantic, if you can't ' screw up ' your 
 courage to come here, and bid you God-speed in all your broad 
 plans for the good of your fellow-men. 
 
 " I have a great respect for deep religious feelings, even when 
 I cannot see as my friends do ; and therefore pray God to clear 
 away, in his good time, all that is now dark and veiled. 
 
 ■' It is time for me to say farewell." 
 38 
 
CHAPTER XXXIY. 
 
 SIR T. F. BUXTON. — LETTER FROM LADT BUXTON. — ELLIOTT 
 CRESSON. — LETTERS. 
 
 After the death of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, Mr. 
 Lawrence had read what had been published respecting 
 his life and character, and had formed an exalted 
 opinion of his labors in behalf of the African race. 
 A small volume had been issued, entitled "A Study 
 for Young Men, or a Sketch of Sir T. T. Buxton," by 
 Kev. T. Binney, of London Mr. Lawrence had pur- 
 chased and circulated large numbers of this work, 
 which recorded the deeds of one upon whom he con- 
 sidered the mantle of Wilberforce to have fallen ; and, 
 through a mutual friend, he had been made known to 
 Lady Buxton, who writes to him as follows : 
 
 " Very, very grateful am I for your love for him, and, through 
 him, to me and my children. I desire that you may be enriched 
 by all spiritual blessings ; and that, through languor and illness 
 and infirmity, the Lord may bless and prosper you and the work 
 of your hands. I beg your acceptance of the third edition, in 
 the large octavo, of the memoir of Sir Fowell." 
 
 Those who have read the memoir referred to will 
 
 298 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 299 
 
 remember the writer, before her marriage, as Miss 
 Hannah Gurney, a member of that distinguished 
 family of Friends of which Mrs. Fry was the elder 
 sister. During the remaining short period of Mr. 
 Lawrence's life, a pleasant correspondence was kept 
 up, from which a few extracts will hereafter be given. 
 
 To Elliott Cresson, of Philadelphia, the enthusiastic 
 and veteran champion of the colonization cause, Mr. 
 Lawrence writes, June 12, 1851 : 
 
 " Mt dear old Friend Cresson : I have just re-read your 
 kind letter of June 2, and have been feasting upon the treasure 
 you sent me in the interesting volume entitled ' Africa Re- 
 deemed.' I will set your heart at rest at once by assuring you 
 that I feel just as you do towards that land. Do you remember 
 visiting me, a dozen or more years ago, to get me to lead ofiF with 
 a thousand-dollar subscription for colonization, and my refusing 
 by assuring you that I would not interfere with the burden of 
 slavery, then pressing on our own Slave States, until requested 
 by them ? * * * * Liberia, in the mean time, has gone 
 on, and now promises to be to the black man what New England 
 has been to the Pilgrims, and Pennsylvania to the Friends. I 
 say, with all my heart, to Gov. Roberts and his associates, God 
 speed you, and carry onward and upward the glorious work of 
 redeeming Africa ! I had a charming message from a young 
 missionary in Africa a few days since, — the Rev. Mr. Hoffman, 
 of the Episcopal Mission ; and you will be glad to hear that the 
 good work of education for Liberia progresses surely and steadily 
 here. My son A. is one of the trustees and directors (Prof 
 Greenleaf is president), and has given a thousand dollars from ' a 
 
300 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 young merchant ; ' and I bid him give another thousand from 
 ' an old merchant,' which he will do aa soon as he returns from 
 our old home with his family. Now I say to you, my fi-iend, I 
 can sympathize and work with you while I am spared. God be 
 praised ! we are greatly favored in many things. No period of 
 my life has been more joyous. 
 
 " With constant affection, I am yours, 
 
 "Amos Lawence." 
 
 Among other memoranda of the present month is 
 found a cancelled note of five hundred dollars, which 
 had been given by a clergyman in another State to a 
 corporation, which, by reason of various misfortunes, 
 he had not been able to pay. Mr. Lawrence had heard 
 of the circumstance, and, without the knowledge of 
 the clergyman, had sent the required sum to the 
 treasurer of the corporation, with directions to cancel 
 the obligation. 
 
 (to lady BUXTON.) 
 
 " Boston, July 8, 1851. 
 " Dear Lady Buxton : Your letter, and the beautiful copy 
 of the memoir of your revered and world-wide honored husband, 
 reached me on the 26th of June. I have read and re-read your 
 heart-touching note with an interest you can understand better 
 than I can describe. I can say that I thank you, and leave you 
 to imagine the rest. Sir Fowell was born the same year, and in 
 the same month, that I was ; and his character and his labors I 
 have been well acquainted with since he came into public life ; 
 and no man of his time stood higher in my confidence and respect. 
 Although I have never been in public life, I have been much 
 interested in public men ; and have sometimes had my confidence 
 
DIAET AND COKRESPONDENCE. 301 
 
 abused, but have generally given it to men who said what they 
 meant, and did what they said. I feel no respect for the dema- 
 gogue, however successful he may be ; but am able to say, with 
 the dear and honored friend whose mantle fell upon Sir Fowell, 
 ' What shadows we are, and what shadows we pursue ! ' I feel 
 pity for the man who sacrifices his hopes of heaven for such vain 
 objects as end in the mere gaze of this world. The ' Study for 
 Young Men,' republished here a short time since, is doing such 
 work among us as must cheer the spirit of your husband in his 
 heavenly home. 
 
 " I enclose you a note from Laura Bridgman, a deaf, dumb, 
 and blind girl, who has been educated at our asylum for the last 
 twelve years or more (now about twenty- two years old), which 
 may interest you from the fact of her extraordinary situation. 
 " With great respect, I remain most truly yours, 
 
 " Amos Lawkbncb." 
 
 (to a lady in PHILADELPHIA.) 
 
 " Dear L. : Your call on me to ' pay up ' makes me feel that 
 I had forgotten, and therefore neglected, my promise. I begin 
 without preface. When a child, and all the way up to fifty years 
 of age, the incidents of revolutionary history were so often talked 
 over by the old soldiers who made our house their rendezvous 
 whenever they came near it, that I feel as if I had been an actor 
 in the scenes described. Among these, the Battle of Bunker 
 Hill was more strongly impressed upon my mind than any other 
 event. My father, then twenty-one years old, was in Captain 
 Farwell's company, a subaltern, full of the right spirit, as you 
 may know, having some sparks left when you used to ride on his 
 sled and in his wagon, and eat his 'rattle apples,' which were 
 coveted by all the children. He was in the breastwork ; and his 
 captain was shot through the body just before or just after Pitcaim 
 
302 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 was shot. My father did not know Major Pitcaim personally, but 
 understood it was he who mounted the breastwork, calling to his 
 soldiers to follow, when he pitched into the slight trench outside, 
 riddled and dead, as mj father always thought as long as he 
 lived. But it turned out other\Yise. He was brought from the 
 field, and lodged in a house in Prince-street, now standing (the 
 third from Charlestown Bridge) ; and the intelligence was imme- 
 diately communicated to the Governor, then in the Royal House, 
 now called the Province House. He sent Dr. Kast and an 
 officer, accompanied by young Bowdoin as an amateur, to see to 
 the major, and report. On entering the chamber, the doctor 
 wished to examine the wound; but Pitcaim declined allowing 
 him, saying it was of no use, as he should soon die. When 
 pressed by the argument that his excellency desired it, he allowed 
 Dr. Kast to open his vest, and the blood, which had been 
 stanched, spirted out upon the floor ; so that the room carried the 
 mark, and was called ' Pitcaim' s Chamber ' until long after the 
 peace. The doctor returned immediately to the Governor to 
 report ; and, before he could get back, life had fled. He was laid 
 out in his regimentals, and was deposited in the vault of St. 
 George's Church, now the Stone Chapel, and there remained 
 until 1788, when Dr. Winship, of Roxbury, then on a visit to 
 London, had occasion to call on Dr. C. Letsom, and informed him 
 that he had in his possession the key of the vault ; that he had 
 examined the body, which was in so good a state of preservation, 
 that he recognized the features ; and that he had counted at least 
 thirty marks of musket-balls in various parts of the body. An 
 arrangement was made, through Dr. Winship, for the removal of 
 the body to England. Dr. William Pitcaim built a vault in the 
 Burying-ground of St. Bartholomew, near the hospital, for its 
 reception. Capt. James Scott, the commander of -a trading vessel 
 
DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 303 
 
 between Boston and London at that period, undertook the service 
 of removal, although he foresaw difficulty in undertaking the 
 business, on account of the strong prejudice of sailors to having a 
 corpse on board. With a view to concealment, the coffin was 
 enclosed in a square deal case, containing the church-organ, which 
 was to be sent to England for repairs. This case, with ' Organ ' 
 inscribed upon it, was placed, as it was said, for better security, 
 in a part of the ship near the sailors' berths, and in that situa- 
 tion was used occasionally during the passage for their seat or 
 table. On arrival of the ship in the river, an order was obtained 
 for the landing of the case ; and, as it was necessary to describe 
 its contents, the order expressed permission to land a corpse. 
 This revealed the stratagem of Capt. Scott, and raised such a 
 feeling among the sailors as ,to show that they would not have 
 been quiet had they known the truth respecting their fellow- 
 lodger. Major Pitcairn was the only British officer particularly 
 regarded by our citizens, as ready to listen to their complaints, 
 and, as far as in his power, to relieve them, when not impeded by 
 his military duties. Our excellent old friend B. will be inter- 
 ested in the ' Stone Chapel ' part of this story, and probably can 
 add particulars that I may have omitted. 
 
 " Tour affectionate Amos Lawrence." 
 
CHAPTEE XXXY. 
 
 LETTERS.— BEV. DR. SCORESBY. — WABASH COLLEGE. 
 
 After receiving a note from a relative of Lady Cole- 
 brooke, announcing her death, at Dunscombe, in the 
 island of Barbadoes, Mr. Lawrence wrote the following 
 note of sympathy to her husband. Sir William Cole- 
 brooke, then Governor of that island. She will be 
 remembered as the lady who had formerly visited 
 Boston, and who was alluded to in one of his letters, as 
 a niece of Major Andre : 
 
 " Dear Sir William : I lose no time in expressing to you the 
 feelings of my heart, on reading the brief notice of the last hours 
 of dear Lady Colebrooke. All my recollections and associations 
 of her are of the most interesting character ; and for yourself I 
 feel more than a common regard. We may never meet again in 
 this world ; but it matters little, if, when we are called off, we are 
 found ' in hne,' and ready to receive the cheering ' Well done ' 
 when we reach that better world we hope for. I trust that you, 
 and all your dear ones, have been in the hollow of our Father's 
 hand, through the shadings of his face from you ; and that, in his 
 own good time, all will be cleared away. 
 
 " Faithfully and respectfully yours, Amos Lawrence. 
 
 " Boston, Aug. 8, 1851." 
 
 304 
 
DIARY AND COREESPONDENCE. 305 
 
 (to the HON. CHARLES B. HADDOCK, MINISTER OF THE UNITED STATES TO 
 
 PORTUGAL.) 
 
 "Boston, Aug. 19,1851. 
 " Dear and kind-heartbd Friend : Your letters to me before 
 leaving the country, and after reaching England, awakened many- 
 tender remembrances of times past, and agreeable hopes of times 
 to come. In that, I felt as though I had you by the hand, with 
 that encouraging ' Go forward ' in the fear of God, and confidence 
 in his fatherly care and guidance. I know your views have 
 always put this trust at the head of practical duties, and that you 
 will go forward in your present duties, and do better service to the 
 country than any man who could be sent. Portugal is a sealed 
 book, in a great degree, to us. Who so able to unlock and lay 
 open its history as yourself? Now, then, what leisure you have 
 may be most profitably applied to the spreading out the treas- 
 ures before us ; and, my word for it, your reputation as a writer 
 and a thiaker will make whatever you may publish of this sort 
 desirable to be read by the great mass of our reading population. 
 
 TT tP TV 'if' TT 
 
 " I hold that God has given us our highest enjoyments, in 
 every period, from childhood to old age, in the exercise of our 
 talents and our feelings with reference to his presence and over- 
 sight ; and that, at any moment, he may call us off, and that we 
 may thus be left to be among the children of light or of darkness, 
 according to his word and our preparation. These enjoyments of 
 childhood, of middle age, of mature life, and of old age, are all 
 greatly increased by a constant reference to the source from 
 whence they come; and the danger of great success in life is 
 more to be feared, in our closing account, than anything else. A 
 brief space will find us in the earth, and of no further consequence 
 than as we shall have marked for good the generation of men 
 39 
 
306 DIAET AND COERESPONDENCE. 
 
 growing up to take our places. The title of an honest man, who 
 feared God, is worth more than all the honors and distinction of 
 the world. Pray, let me hear from you, and the dear lady, whom 
 I hope to escort once more over the sides of our Mount Zion, and 
 introduce to some of my children and grandchildren settled upon 
 the borders ; and, if any stranger coming this way from you will 
 accept such facilities as I can give to our institutions, I shall 
 gladly render them. It is now many years since I have sat at 
 table with my family, and I am now better than I have been at 
 any time during that period ; in short, I am light-hearted as a 
 child, and enjoy the children's society with all the zest of early 
 days. I must say, ' God speed you, my friend,' and have you 
 constantly in the hollow of his hand ! In all kind remembrances, 
 Mrs. L. joins me, to your lady and yourself 
 
 " Faithfully and respectfully your friend, 
 
 " Amos Lawrence." 
 
 Ou the same day that the preceding letter was 
 penned, Mr. Lawrence, in acknowledgment of some 
 work sent to him by the Eev. Dr. Scoresby, of Brad- 
 ford, England, wrote the following letter. That gen- 
 tleman had visited this country twice, and had made 
 many friends in Boston. Once an Arctic traveller, and 
 a man of great scientific acquirement, he has now 
 become an eminent and active clergyman in the Church 
 of England, and has devoted all his energies to the 
 task of elevating the lower orders of the population 
 where his field of labor has been cast. 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 307 
 
 " Boston, Aug. 19, 1851. 
 
 " My dear Friend : Your letter from Torquay, of ninth 
 July, reached me on the sixth of this month. It brought to 
 memory our agreeable intercourse of former years, and cheered 
 me with the hope that I might again see you in this world, and 
 again shake your hand in that cordial, social way that goes direct 
 to the heart. I had been much interested in the account brought 
 
 by , and in your kind messages by him. Your memorials 
 
 of your father interest me exceedingly, and I thank you most 
 sincerely for the volume and the sermon you sent. This sermon 
 I sent to a friend of mine, and also a friend of yours, who 
 became such after hearing you preach in Liverpool. Professor 
 
 , of College, is a most talented, efficient, and popular 
 
 teacher ; and his present position he has attained by his industry 
 and his merit. He was a poor youth, in Liverpool, who followed 
 you in your preaching ; came here, and went as an apprentice to 
 a mechanical business ; was noticed as a bright fellow ; was edu- 
 cated by persons assisting him, and graduated at ' College. 
 
 He became a tutor, and is now a professor, and is an honor to the 
 college and his nation. "We are all at work in New England, 
 and now feel a twinge from too fast driving in some branches of 
 business ; but, in the aggregate, our country is rapidly advancing 
 in wealth, power, and strength, notwithstanding the discontent of 
 our Southern brethren. We have allowed the ' black spot ' to be 
 too far spread over our land ; it should have been restrained more 
 than thirty years ago, and then our old Slave States would have 
 had no just cause of complaint. I am called off, and must bid 
 you farewell, with kind regards of Mrs. L., and my own most 
 faithful and affectionate remembrance. Amos Lawrence. 
 
 " Eev. William Scokesbt, D.D., Torquay, Devonshire, Eng." 
 
308 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 (to president HOPKINS.) 
 
 " Boston, Nov. 15, 1851. 
 " Mt DEAR Friend : This is a ramy day, wtich keeps me 
 housed ; and, to improve it in ' pursuit,' I have a bundle made 
 up, of the size of a small ' haycock,' and directed to you by rail- 
 road, with a few lines enclosed for the amusement of the children. 
 I have told A. and L. that they could n't jump over it ; but H. 
 could, by having a clear course of two rods. Louis Dwight has 
 spent a half-hour with me this morning, exhibiting and explaining 
 his plan for the new Lunatic Asylum of the State, which I think 
 is the best model I have ever seen, and is a decided improvement 
 on all our old ones. The committee, of which Governor Briggs is 
 chairman, will give it a careful consideration and comparison 
 with Dr. Bell's, and perhaps Dr. Butler's and others ; and, with 
 such an amount of talent and experience, the new asylum will be 
 the best, I trust, that there is on this side of the Atlantic. Louis 
 Dwight is in fine spirits, and in full employ in his peculiar line. 
 The new institution in New York for vagrant children will very 
 likely be built on his plan. He is really doing his work most 
 successfully, in classing and separating these young sinners, so 
 that they may be reclaimed, and trained to become useful citizens ; 
 in that light, he is a public benefactor. * * * 
 " Faithfully and affectionately yours, 
 
 "Amos Lawrence." 
 
 In a letter to a friend, written on Sunday, and 
 within a few days of the preceding, Mr. Lawrence 
 says, after describing one of his severe attacks : 
 
 " I am not doing wrong, I think, in consecrating a part of the 
 day to you, being kept within doors by one of those kindly admo- 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 309 
 
 nitions AYhich speaks ttrough the body, and tells me that my 
 home here is no shelter from the storm. I had been unusually 
 well for some weeks past, and it seemed to me that my days 
 passed with a rapidity and joyousness that nothing short of the 
 intercourse with the loved ones around me could have caused. 
 What can be more emphatic, until my final summons ? If my 
 work is done, and well done, I should not dread the summons ; 
 pray that it may be, and that we may meet again after a brief 
 separation. I am hoping to be safely housed by and by where 
 cold and heat, splendid furniture, luxurious living, and handsome 
 houses, and attendants, will all be thought of as they really 
 merit." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence had, for a considerable time, been 
 interested in the Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, 
 Indiana ; and, on the 24th of November, announced to 
 the Trustees a donation from Mrs. L. of twelve hundred 
 dollars, to found four free scholarships for the use of the 
 academy at Groton. He adds : 
 
 " I would recommend that candidates for the scholarships who 
 abstain from the use of intoxicating drinks and tobacco always 
 have a preference. This is not to be taken as a prohibition, but 
 only as a condition to give a preference." 
 
 Mr. Lawrence speaks of his interest in Wabash Col- 
 lege, growing out of his affection and respect for its 
 President, the Rev. Charles White, D.D., who went 
 from New England, and with whom he had become 
 acquainted during a visit which that gentleman had 
 
310 DIAKT AND COKRESPONDENCB. 
 
 made to his native State. Bight days after this dona- 
 tion to Wabash College, Mr. Lawrence enclosed to 
 Rev. Dr. Pond, of the Theological School at Bangor, 
 Maine, the sum of five hundred dollars ; which he 
 says, with other sums already subscribed by others 
 for new professorships, would " prove a great blessing 
 to all who resort to the institution through all time." 
 
CHAPTER XXXYI. 
 
 DIART.— AMOUNT OF CHARITIES. — LETTERS. — THOMAS TARBELL. 
 — UNCLE TOBY.— REV. DR. LOWELL. 
 
 " January 1, 1852. — The value of my property is somewhat 
 more than it was a year ago, and I pray God that I may be faith- 
 ful in its use. My life seems now more likely to be spared for a 
 longer season than for many years past ; and I never enjoyed 
 myself more highly. Praise the Lord, my soul ! 
 
 "P. S. — The outgoes for all objects since January 1, 1842 
 (ten years), have been six hundred and four thousand dollars, 
 more than five sixths of which have been applied in making other 
 people happy ; and it is no trouble to find objects for all I have 
 to spare." 
 
 This sum, in addition to the subscriptions and dona- 
 tions for the year 1852, makes the amount of his 
 expenditures for charitable purposes, during the last 
 eleven years of his life, to be about five hundred and 
 twenty-five thousand dollars. From 1829 to 1842, the 
 sum expended for like appropriations was, according 
 to his memoranda, one hundred and fourteen thousand 
 dollars ; making, for the last twenty-three years of his 
 life, the sum of six hundred and thirty-nine thousand 
 
 311 
 
312 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 dollars expended in charity. Taking the amount of his 
 property at various times, as noted by himself, from 
 the year 1807 to 1829, a period of twenty-two years, 
 with his known liberality and habits of systematic char- 
 ity, it would be safe to assert that during his life he 
 expended seven hundred thousand doUars for the ben- 
 efit of his fellow-men. Many persons have done more ; 
 but few perhaps have done as much in proportion to the 
 means which they had to bestow. 
 
 In a letter to President Hopkins, dated March 31, 
 Mr. Lawrence writes : 
 
 " I am interested in everything you write about in your last 
 letter ; but among the items of deepest interest is the fact of the 
 religious feeling manifested by the young men ; and I pray God 
 it may take deep root, and grow, and become the controlling 
 power in forming their character for immortality. I trust they 
 will count the cost, and act consistently. May God speed them 
 in this holy work ! " 
 
 A few days later, he writes on the same subject : 
 
 " And now let us turn to matters of more importance ; the 
 awakening of the young men of your college to their highest 
 interest, — the salvation of their souls. I have been moved to 
 tears in reading the simple statement of the case, and I pray God 
 to perfect the good work thus begun. I have much to think of 
 to-day, this being my sixty-sixth birth-day. The question comes 
 home to me. What I am rendering to the Lord for all his benefits; 
 and the answer of conscience is. Imperfect service. If accepted, 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 313 
 
 it will be through mercy ; and, with this feeling of hope, I keep 
 about, endeavoring to scatter good seed as I go forth in my daily 
 ministrations." 
 
 The following correspondence was not received in 
 time to be placed in the order of its date, but is now 
 given as an illustration of Mr. Lawrence's views on 
 some important points, and also as an instance of his 
 self-control. In the autumn of 1847, he became ac- 
 quainted with the Rev. Dr. , a Scotch Presbyterian 
 
 clergyman, then on a visit to some friends in Boston. 
 During a drive in the environs, with this gentleman 
 and the Rev. Dr. Blagden, Mr. Lawrence made a 
 remark of a practical nature upon some religious topic, 
 which did not coincide with the views of his Scotch 
 friend ; and a debate ensued, which was characterized 
 by somewhat more of warmth than was warranted by 
 the nature of the subject. Mutual explanations and 
 apologies followed, and the correspondence, which was 
 
 continued after the return of Dr. to Scotland, 
 
 shows that the discussion on the occasion referred to 
 had caused no diminution of their mutual regard or 
 good-will. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Blagden, in a note to the editor, dated 
 Boston, April 18, 1855, writes as foUows : 
 
 " As the result of our incidental conversation on Monday last, 
 let me say, that the facts of which we spoke occurred during a 
 
 drive which the Rev. Dr. , of Scotland, and I were enjoy- 
 
 40 
 
314 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 ing -with your father, in his carriage, at his kind invitation, in 
 October, 184T. 
 
 " Without being able to recall the precise connection in -which 
 the remarks were made, I only now remember that Mr. Lawrence 
 was led to speak with some degree of warmth, but with entire 
 kindness, on the great error of relying on any idea of justification 
 before God by faith, without corresponding works ; so that, to one 
 not familiar with the religious events in the history of this com- 
 munity, which, by operating on Mr. Lawrence's habits of thought, 
 might well lead him to be jealous of any view of faith which did 
 not directly express the necessity of good works, his remarks 
 might very readily have seemed like a direct attack on that great 
 truth of justification by faith, which Luther afiSrmed to be, as it 
 was held or rejected, the test of a falling or rising church. 
 
 " Immediately, that which the late Edward Living, in one of 
 his sermons, under the name of ' Orations,' calls the ' ingenium 
 
 perfervidum Scotorum,' burst from the Rev. Dr. , with 
 
 something of that zeal for the doctrines of Knox and Calvin for 
 which I understand he has been somewhat remarkable in his own 
 country. He vehemently declared his abhorrence of any such 
 denial of the first and fundamental truth of the Gospel, evidently 
 taking it somewhat in the light of an insult to us as the preachers 
 of that truth. He ended by saying, with much force and warmth, 
 that the apostle Paul sometimes condensed the whole of the Gos- 
 pel into a single phrase ; and one of these phrases, as expressed 
 in the Epistle to the Philippians, he commended to the notice of 
 Mr. Lawrence, namely, ' We are the circumcision which worship 
 God in the spirit ; and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no 
 confidence in the flesh.' 
 
 " Mr. Lawrence met this strong, and apparently indignant, and 
 truly honest expression of feeling, with entire courtesy and self- 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 315 
 
 command, but with evident and deep emotion ; and, repressing all 
 expression of displeasure, he gradually led the conversation to less 
 umvelcome subjects, so that our ride ended pleasantly, though the 
 embarrassment created by this event continued, in a lessening 
 degree, to its close. 
 
 " It TV ill probably add to the interest of the whole transaction, 
 in your own mind, if I state, not only what you seemed aware of 
 on Monday, that your father sent me, a day or two after, ' Barr's 
 Help ' (I believe is the name of the volume), with a very kind 
 and polite note, alluding to what had passed, and a paper con- 
 taining some development of his own religious belief; but Rev. 
 
 Dr. , also, soon after, in alluding to the circumstances in 
 
 a note to me, on another subject, and which is now before me, 
 wrote : 
 
 " ' I regret the warmth with which I did so. Alas ! it is my 
 infirmity ; but it was only a momentary flash, for I was enabled, 
 through a silent act of prayer, to get my mind purged of all heat, 
 before I ventured to resume the conversation on the vital topic 
 which our good and kind friend himself was led to introduce.' 
 
 "I suspect this will reach you at an hour too late entirely for 
 the use which you thought might possibly be made of it. It may, 
 however, have some little interest, as a further development of the 
 excellent character of your father ; and it refers to a scene of 
 which I have never been in the habit of speaking to others, but 
 which I shall always remember with great interest, as one among 
 many pleasing and profitable recollections of him." 
 
 The following extracts are taken from the paper 
 referred to in the preceding communication : 
 
316 DIARY AND COKEESPONDENCE. 
 
 " Boston, November 4, 1847. 
 "To Eev. G. W. Blagden, D.D. 
 
 " Eev. and dear Sir : Our interesting ride last Thursday- 
 has peculiar claims upon me as a teacher and a preacher for a 
 better world. To one who knows me well, my unceremonious 
 manner to our friend would not seem so strange ; but it was none 
 the less unkind in me to treat him thus. 
 
 " My first impressions are generally the right ones, and govern 
 the actions of daily and hourly experience here ; and these impres- 
 sions were entirely favorable to our friend ; and my treatment, up 
 to the moment that you ' poured your oil upon the waters,' had 
 been such as I am now well pleased with. But the conversation 
 then commenced; and the lecture, illustrations, arguments, and 
 consequences, were all stereotyped in my mind, having been 
 placed there twenty-seven years ago by a learned and pious 
 Scotchman, whose character came back to my memory like a 
 flash of light. It is enough to say that a multitude of matters 
 wholly adverse to my first impressions left me no command of my 
 courtesies ; and I stopped the conversation. * * * 
 
 " I believe that our Saviour came among men to do them good, 
 and, having performed his mission, has returned to his Father and 
 to our Father, to his God and our God ; and if, by any means, he 
 will receive me as a poor and needy sinner with the ' Well done ' 
 into the society of those whom he shall have accepted, I care not 
 what sort of ism I am ranked under here. 
 
 " There is much, I think, that may be safely laid aside among 
 Christians who are honest, earnest, and self-denying. Again I say, 
 I have no hope in isms, but have strong hope in the cross of Christ. 
 
 " The little book* I send is a fuller exposition of the Kirk's 
 
 * "Help to Professing Christians. By Key. John Barr. Published by 
 Perkins and Marvin. Boston, 1831." 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 317 
 
 docti-ine than our friend's. I have reviewed it, and see no reason 
 to alter a prayer or an expression. Ketum it at your leisure, 
 with the two notes of our friend to me since our drive. Soon 
 after I left you, I came home, sat do-\Yn at my table to write a 
 note as an apology to him for my rudeness in stopping his dis- 
 course, fainted, went to bed ; next day, ate three ounces of crusts, 
 rode out, and went to bed sick with a cold in my face. For the 
 following forty-eight hours, I did not take an ounce of food ; the 
 slightest amount of liquid sustained me ; and yesterday was the 
 first day of my being a man. To-day, I called to see and apologize 
 to you." ***** 
 
 (to a FKEEND in south CAROLINA.) 
 
 "Boston, June 12, 1852. 
 
 " Mt dear Friend : The announcement of the death of your 
 beloved wife, and the queries and suggestions you made, touched 
 me in a tender place. You and your dear wife are separated, it 
 is true ; but she is in the upper room, you in the lower. She is 
 with Jesus, where, with his disciples, he keeps the feast ; and, not 
 long hence, he will say to you, ' Come up hither.' Your spirit 
 and hers meet daily at the same throne, — hers to praise, yours to 
 pray ; and, when you next join her in person, it will be to part no 
 more. Is not the prospect such as to gild the way with all those 
 charms, which, in our childhood, used to make our hours pass too 
 slowly ?***** 
 
 " My connection with the people of your State, growing out of 
 my marriage, has brought me into personal intercourse, for more 
 than thirty years past, with a great family connection, embracing 
 in its circle many of your distinguished characters. All the M. 
 fiimily, of whom your present Governor is one, came from the 
 same stock ; and the various ramifications of that family at the 
 South include, I suppose, a great many thousand souls. I, 
 
318 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 therefore take a lively interest in everything interesting to your 
 people. We have hot heads, and so have you ; but I think your 
 people misjudge, -when they think of setting up an independent 
 government. The peculiar institution which is so dear to them 
 will never be interfered with by sober, honest men ; but will never 
 be allowed to be carried where it is not now, under the Federal 
 government. Politicians, like horse-jockeys, strive to cover up 
 wind-broken constitutions, as though in full health ; but hard 
 driving reveals the defect, and, within thirty years, the old Slave 
 States will feel compelled to send their chattels away to save 
 themselves from bankruptcy and starvation. I have never coun- 
 tenanced these abolition movements at the North ; and have lately 
 lent a hand to the cause of Colonization, which is destined to make 
 a greater change in the condition of the blacks than any event 
 since the Christian era. * * * 
 
 " You need no new assurance of my interest in, and respect for, 
 yourself, and the loved ones around you. I enjoy life as few old 
 men do, I believe ; for my family seem to live around and for 
 me. My nephew by marriage, Franklin Pierce, seems to be a 
 prominent candidate for the ' White House ' for the next four 
 years. He is the soul of honor, and an old-fashioned Democrat, 
 bom and bred, and to be depended on as such ; but, as I am an 
 old-fashioned George Washington, John Jay Federalist, from my 
 earliest days, and hope to continue to be, I shall prefer one of this 
 stamp to him. * * * 
 
 " With a heart overflowing, I hardly know where to stop. We 
 shall meet in the presence of the Saviour, if we hold fast to the 
 hem of his garment ; and I hope may be of the number of those 
 whose sins are forgiven. 
 
 " Ever yours, Amos Lawrence." 
 
 During the summer, a small volume appeared, 
 
DIARY AND COEEESPONDENCE, 319 
 
 entitled "Uncle Toby's Stories on Tobacco." Mr. 
 Lawrence read it ; and the views there inculcated so 
 nearly coincided with his own, so often expressed 
 duiing his whole life, that he caused two editions, of 
 some thousands of copies, to be published and circu- 
 lated, principally by the boys of the Mather School. 
 On this subject, he writes to President Hopkins, under 
 date of Aug. 5 : 
 
 " My two last scraps told their own stories to the children, and 
 to-day you irill receive a package hy express that may require 
 explanation. Uncle Toby has hit the nail on the head in telling 
 his tobacco stories to American la<j3 ; and I think your students 
 will do good service in carrying them among their friends 
 wherever they are, to show them how much better it is to prevent 
 an evil than to remedy it ; and, taking school-boys as they are, 
 these stories will do more good than any that have been published. 
 I met the author yesterday accidentally at the American Sabbath 
 School Union Depository, where I had just paid for the fifty 
 copies sent to you, and he was very earnest to have me write a few 
 lines for him to publish in his book ; but I referred him to the 
 three hundred boys of the Mather School, who are full of the 
 matter to help other school-boys to do as they are doing. How- 
 ever, I may say to him, that, as a school-boy, I was anxious to be 
 manly, like the larger boys ; and, by the advice of one, I took a 
 quid, and kept it till I was very sick, but did not tell my parents 
 what the matter was ; and, from that time to this, have never 
 chewed, smoked, or snuffed. To this abstinence from its use (and 
 from spirit) I owe, under God, my present position in society. 
 Further, I have always given the preference to such persons as I 
 
320 DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 have employed, for more than forty years past, who have avoided 
 rum and tobacco ; and my experience has been such as to confirm 
 me that it is true -wisdom to have done so. The evil is growing 
 in a fearfully rapid ratio among us ; and requires the steady course 
 of respected and honored men to prevent its spread, by influencing 
 the school-children of our land against becoming its slaves. You 
 will please use the fifty copies in the way you think best. If my 
 life is spared, the Mather School boys will be allowed to tell their 
 own experience to the boys of all the other public schools in this 
 city and neighborhood. In short, I look to these boys influencing 
 three millions of boys within the next thirty or forty years. Is 
 not this work worth looking after ? " 
 
 The following well-merited tribute to the character 
 of a respected citizen, who devoted his life to the pro- 
 motion of every good object, is extracted from a note 
 written by Mr. Lawrence to the Hon. Benjamin Seaver, 
 then Mayor of the city, and dated Aug. 23 : 
 
 " My fkiend Seaver : I have desired, for some weeks past, 
 to inquire of you some further particulars of the disposition our 
 friend Tarbell * made of his property. You mentioned that some- 
 thing would be paid over to A. & A. Lawrence, and something to 
 the Old Ladies' Home, which institution he helped forward by 
 his labors and his influence, in an important stage of its existence ; 
 and he was called off just as he was beginning to enjoy the fruits 
 of his labor, in making a multitude of old ladies happy in thus 
 supplying them a home for the remainder of their days on earth. 
 Our friend has passed on ; but I doubt not that his labors have 
 
 * The late Thomas Tarbell, originally from Groton, Mass. 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 321 
 
 prepared him to enter that ■world where there is no weariness or 
 want, and all sufferings are at an end. I have journeyed side by 
 side, for more than three-score years, with our friend ; and can 
 say, with truth, that I never knew him guilty of a dishonest or 
 dishonorable act, and that his life was a practical exponent of his 
 Christian principles. I pray to our Father to make me more 
 faithful in doing the work our friend had so much at heart, while 
 I can do it. My share of the money,* coming from his estate, I 
 shall wish paid over to the Old Ladies' Home, and I doubt not 
 brother A. will wish the same done with his share. This appro- 
 priation will increase our friend's happiness, even in his heavenly 
 home ; for the voice from Heaven proclaims, ' Blessed are the 
 dead which die in the Lord from henceforth ; that they may rest 
 from their labors, and their works do follow them.' " 
 
 Tlie editor feels some delicacy in inserting the fol- 
 lowing, from a gentleman still living, and in our own 
 vicinity ; but the tribute to Mr. Lawrence, coming, as 
 it does, from a divine so distinguished in all those 
 qualities which adorn his own profession, as well as for 
 every Christian virtue, is too flattering to be omitted : 
 
 " Elmwood, Sept. 3. 
 " My dear Friend : I take such paper as happens to be 
 near me, in my sick chamber, to thank you for the books and 
 pamphlets, which I have read aa much as my dim sight and weak 
 nerves will allow me at present to read. I wish, when you write 
 to your friend Dr. Hamilton, you would thank him for me for his 
 
 » This was a debt contracted by Mr. T., in 1826, amounting, at that 
 time, to about fifteen hundred dollars, when he failed in business. The 
 amount of the debt waa soon after transferred to the " Old Ladies' Home." 
 41 
 
322 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 eloquent and evangelical appeals for Christian truth and duty. 
 Tell him I am a Congregational Minister of Boston, but no sect- 
 arian ; that I was matriculated at the University of Edinburgh, 
 fifty years ago, and studied divinity there under Drs. Hunter, 
 Micklejohn, Moodie, &c., and moral philosophy, under Dugald 
 Stewart ; — that my particular friends were David Dickson, since 
 Minister of St. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh; David Wilkie, since 
 Minister of Old Gray Friar's Church, Edinburgh; Patrick 
 McFarlane, since Minister in Glasgow and Greenock; Thomas 
 Brown, since Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh ; David 
 Brewster, since Sir David, &c. : most of whom he probably 
 knows. Tell him I should be glad of his correspondence, as I 
 have that of his friend. Principal Lee, of the University of Edin- 
 burgh ; and that we should be glad to see him in Boston. I was 
 happy to see your name appended to a petition on the subject 
 of the liquor law, though I always expect to find it among the 
 advocates of every benevolent enterprise within your reach. Your 
 visit did me much good. I have much valued your friendship, 
 and your manifestations of respect and regard for me. Heaven 
 bless you and yours, and make you more and more a blessing ! 
 Come and see me when you can, my dear friend. With much 
 afiection and respect, 
 
 " Tour old friend, Charles Lowell. 
 
 "P. S. — I write with a feeble hand, dim sight, and nervous 
 temperament." 
 
 In enclosing the preceding note to the Kev. Dr. 
 Hamilton, Mr. Lawrence writes, Sept. 4 : 
 
 "The writer of the foregoing is the Eev. Dr. Lowell, of this 
 city, who is broken down in health, but not at all in his confidence 
 
DIARY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 323 
 
 and hope and joy in the beloved Jesua. Of all men I have ever 
 known, Dr. Lowell is one of the brightest exemplars of the 
 character and teachings of the Master; for all denominations 
 respect him, and confide in him. For more than forty years I 
 have known him ; and, in all the relations of a good pastor to his 
 people, I have never known a better. I have met him in the sick 
 chamber, with the dying, and in the house of prayer. In the 
 character of a teacher, and a leader of the people heavenward, no 
 one among us has been more valued. Although I have not been 
 a member of his church, he has, in times of great urgency, sup- 
 plied our pulpit, and has always been ready to attend my family 
 and friends when asked. I sent him such of your writings as I 
 had in store for circulation, ' The Royal Preacher ' among them ; 
 and I must say to you that I think no living man is preaching to 
 greater multitudes than you are at this day. I have circulated 
 tens of thousands of your tracts and volumes, and, if I am spared, 
 hope to continue the good work. Millions of souls will be influenced 
 by your labors." 
 
CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. — DIARY. 
 
 (fKOM lADV BUXTON.) 
 
 " NoRTHRUPp's Hill, Sept. 8, 1852. 
 
 " My dear Friend : Again I have to thank you for your 
 kind remembrance of me in your note and little book on the 
 abuse of tobacco, and your sympathy with me in my late deep 
 anxiety, ending in the removal of my most tenderly beloved and 
 valued daughter Priscilla. It pleased God to take her to himself 
 on June 18, to the inexpressible loss and grief of myself, and her 
 husband and children. We surely sorrow with hope ; for she had 
 loved and followed the Lord Jesus from her childhood, and had 
 known and obeyed the Holy Scriptures, which did make her, 
 under the influence of the blessed Spirit, wise unto salvation. 
 To her, to live was Christ, and therefore to die, gain ; and we are 
 thankful, and rejoice for her. Her spirit is with the Lord, 
 beholding and sharing his glory, and reunited to her dearest 
 father, brothers, and sisters, and many beloved on earth, in joy 
 unspeakable. Still, we do and are permitted to mourn. * * 
 
 " Priscilla traced the foundation of her illness to the great exer- 
 tion she used in revising and altering her father's work on the 
 remedy for the slave-trade. The stress upon her feelings and 
 mind was too great for her susceptible nature. I believe it might 
 be traced further back to her very great efforts to assist her father 
 in his public business ; so that I may say, I have had to part 
 
 324 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 325 
 
 •with the two most beloved, and gifted nearly, I have ever known, 
 for the cause of God. But the comfort is intense that they can- 
 not lose the abundant recompense of reward given through mercy 
 and favor, not for any merits of their own, to those who love and 
 serve the Lord. I must thank you most warmly again for the 
 valuable gift of ' Uncle Tom's Cabin.' When it arrived, it was 
 unknown in this country ; now it is universally read, but sold at 
 such a cheap rate, in such poor print, that this very beautiful 
 copy is quite sought after. How wonderfully successful a work 
 it has proved ! I hope your little book upon tobacco may be of 
 use here. I shall send it to my grandsons at Rugby. I fear you 
 have been suffering much from bodily illness and infirmity, my 
 dear friend. I trust your interesting circle about you are all 
 well and prospering, and enjoying the blessing and presence of 
 the Saviour. With kindest regards and affection, I am yours very 
 sincerely, H. Bxjxton." 
 
 "September 23, 1852. — By a singular coincidence, at the 
 same time I received Lady Buxton's letter, I received one from 
 'Mrs. Sunny Side,'* from her sick chamber, asking the loan of 
 some of Miss Edgeworth's works ; also a note from Mrs. Stowe, 
 giving me some information respecting the publication of ' Uncle 
 Tom's Cabin' in England and Germany; also a letter from our 
 minister in Portugal ; and, three or four hours later, ' Uncle 
 Toby ' called, having spent the day in the Mather School, lectur- 
 ing on tobacco." 
 
 From a letter written about this time, an extract is 
 
 * Mrs. Phelps, wife of Professor Phelps, of Andover, and daughter of 
 Professor Stuart, the authoress of " Sunny Side," " Peep at Number 
 Five," and other popular works. 
 
326 DIART AND COEEESPONDENCE. 
 
 made, which is interesting as showing his system of 
 diet : 
 
 " My o-vm wants are next to nothing, as I live on the most 
 simple food, — crusts and coffee for breakfast ; crusts and cham- 
 pagne for dinner, with never more than three ounces of chicken, 
 or two ounces of tender beef, without any vegetable, together 
 eight ounces ; coarse wheat-meal crusts, and two or three ounces 
 of meat, in the twenty-four hours, — beginning hungry, and leav- 
 ing off more hungry. I have not sat at table with my family for 
 fifteen years, nor eaten a full meal during that time, and am now 
 more hale and hearty than during that whole period." 
 
 (to a LADT in FLORIDA.) 
 
 " Boston, Oct. 14, 1852. 
 
 " Dear Mrs. : Your deeply interesting note reached me 
 
 within the last half-hour ; and I feel that no time should be lost 
 in my reply. My life has been protracted beyond all my friends' 
 expectations, and almost beyond my own hopes ; yet I enjoy the 
 days with all the zest of early youth, and feel myself a spare 
 hand to do such work as the Master lays out before me. This of 
 aiding you is one of the things for which I am spared ; and I 
 therefore forward one hundred dollars, which, if you are not wil- 
 ling to accept, you may use for the benefit of some other person 
 or persons, at your discretion. Your precious brother has passed 
 on ; and, in God's good time, I hope to see him face to face, and 
 to receive, through the Beloved, the ' Well done ' promised to 
 such as have used their Lord's trusts as he approves. I enclose 
 you Lieut. 's letter on his return from sea. * * * * 
 
 " I had a charming ride yesterday with my nephew Frank 
 Pierce, and told him I thought he must occupy the White House 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 327 
 
 the next term, but that I should go for Scott. Pierce is a fine, 
 spirited fellow, and will do his duty wherever placed ; but Scott 
 will be my choice for President of the United States. God bless 
 you, my child, and have you in the hollow of his hand, in these 
 days of trial. Your friend, A. L." 
 
 (to the HON. JONATHAN PHILLIPS.) 
 
 " Boston, Oct. 25, 1852. 
 
 " To MT RESPECTED AND HONOKBD Feiend : The changing 
 scenes of life sometimes recall with peculiar freshness the events 
 and feelings of years long past ; and such is the case with me, 
 growing out of the death of our great New England statesman, 
 who has, for a long period of years, been looked up to as preach- 
 ing and teaching the highest duties of American citizens with a 
 power rarely equalled, never surpassed. He is now suddenly 
 called to the bar of that Judge who sees not as man sees, and 
 where mercy, not merit, will render the cheering ' Well done ' to 
 aU who have used their trusts as faithful stewards of their Lord, 
 — the richest prize to be thought of. Our great man had great 
 virtues, and, doubtless, some defects ; and I pray God that the 
 former may be written in the hearts of his countrymen, the latter 
 in the sea. Here I begin the story that comes over my thoughts. 
 
 " About forty years ago, walking past your father's house, 
 with my wife and some of our family friends, on a bright, 
 moonlight night, we were led to discuss the character of the 
 owner (your honored father) ; some of the party wishing they 
 might possess a small part of the property which would make 
 them happy, others something else, when my own wish was 
 expressed. It was, that I might use whatever Providence might 
 allow me to possess as faithfully as your father used his posses- 
 sions, and that I should esteem such a reputation as his a better 
 
328 DIAKY AND COKRESPONDENCE. 
 
 inlieritance for my children than the highest political honors the 
 country could bestow. A few years later, I was visiting Stafford 
 Springs with my wife, and there met you and Mrs. P., and first 
 made your acquaintance. Still a few years later, I became per- 
 sonally acquainted with your father by being chosen a Director 
 of the Massachusetts Bank, he being President. Still later, I 
 became more intimate with yourself by being a member of the 
 Legislature with you, when the seceders from Williams College 
 petitioned to be chartered as Amherst College, which you opposed 
 by the best speech that was made ; and we voted against the sepa^ 
 ration, and, I believe, acted together on all the subjects brought 
 up during that session. Since then, which is about thirty years, 
 I have been a successful business man, although, for the last twenty 
 years, I have been a broken machine, that, by all common experi- 
 ence, should have been cast aside. But I am still moving ; and no 
 period of my life has had more to charm, or has had more flowers 
 by the wayside, than my every-day life, with all my privations. 
 The great secret of the enjoyment is, that I am able to do some 
 further work, as your father's example taught me, when the ques- 
 tion was discussed near forty years ago. Can you wonder, then, 
 my friend, that I wish our names associated in one of the best 
 literary institutions in this country; viz., "Williams College? 
 My interest in it seemed to be accidental, but must have been 
 providential ; for we cannot tell, till we reach a better world, 
 what influence your speech had in directing my especial atten- 
 tion to the noble head of the college, when I first met him in a 
 private circle in this city ; and, since then, my respect for his 
 character, my love for him as a man and a brother, has caused 
 me to feel an interest in his college that I never should have felt 
 without this personal intercourse. The two hundred young men 
 there need more teachers ; and the college, in view of its wants, 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 329 
 
 has appealed to the public for fifty thousand dollars, to place it 
 upon an independent footing. ***** 
 
 " There is money enough for all these good objects ; and, if 
 our -worthy citizens can only be made to see that it will be 
 returned to them four-fold, in the enjoyment of life in the way 
 that never clogs, it will not be thought presumptuous in me to 
 advise to such investments. From long observation, I am satis- 
 fied that we do better by being our own executors, than by hoard- 
 ing large sums for our descendants. Pardon me for thus writing 
 to you ; but knowing, as I do, that the college has commenced its 
 appeal for aid, I am sure you will excuse me, whether you con- 
 tribute to its aid or not. With great respect, I am, as I have 
 always been, 
 
 " Your friend, Amos Lawrence. 
 
 " P. S. — If you wish to talk with me, I shall be rejoiced to 
 say what I know about the college." 
 
 In his diary of the same date, Mr. Lawrence 
 writes : 
 
 " 6 p. M. — My good old friend has called to see and talk with 
 me, and a most agreeable conversation we have had. He ex- 
 pressed good wishes for the college, and will subscribe a thousand 
 dollars at once, which is a cheering beginning in this city. The 
 interest in the college will grow here, when people know more 
 about it." 
 
 "Boston, Saturday mornivg, Nov. 13, 1852. — The circum- 
 stances which have brought me the following letter from my 
 valued friend, ' Honest John Davis,' are these : Many years ago, 
 I learned, from undoubted sources, that his pecuniary losses, 
 42 
 
330 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 througli the agency of others, had so straitened him as to decide 
 him to take his two sons from Williams College, which seemed to 
 me a pity ; and I therefore enclosed to him five hundred dollars, 
 with a request that he would keep his boys in college, and, when 
 his affairs became right again, that he might pay the same to the 
 college for some future needy pupils. Two or three years after- 
 wards, he said he was intending to hand over to the college the 
 five hundred dollars, which I advised not to do until it was per- 
 fectly convenient for him. The circumstances which now call 
 him out are very interesting ; and, to me, the money seems worth 
 ten times the amount received in the common business of hfe. 
 Within ten minutes after Mr. Davis's letter was read to me. Dr. 
 Peters, the agent of the college to collect funds for its necessities, 
 called in to report progress in his work. I immediately handed 
 over the five hundred dollars from John Davis, with a request 
 that he would acknowledge its reception to my friend at once." 
 
 " Worcester, Nov. 12, 1852. 
 " Mt dear Sir: I have been in Boston but once since my 
 return from Washington, and then failed to see you. Neverthe- 
 less, you are seldom absent from our thoughts ; you do so much 
 which reminds us of the duties of life, and fixes in our minds 
 sentiments of cherished regard and unalterable affection. No one 
 can desire a more enviable distinction, a more emphatic name, 
 than he whom all tongues proclaim to be the good man ; the man 
 who comprehends his mission, and, with unvarying steadiness of 
 purpose, fulfils it. There is such a thing as mental superiority, 
 as elevated station, as commanding influence, as glory, as honor ; 
 and these are sometimes all centered in the same individual ; but, 
 if that individual has no heart ; if humanity is not mixed in his 
 nature ; if he has no ear for the infirmities, the weaknesses, and 
 
DIARY AND COEEESPONDENCE. 331 
 
 sufferings of his fellow-beings, — he is like the massiTe, coarse 
 •walls of a lofty fortress, having strength, greatness, and power ; 
 but, as a man, he is unfinished. He may have much to excite 
 surprise or to overawe, but nothing to awaken the finer sensibil- 
 ities of our nature, or to win our love. The divine efflatus has 
 never softened the soul of such a man. The heavenly attributes 
 of mercy, brotherly love, and charity, have never touched his 
 heart with sympathy for his race. He forgets that a fellow- 
 being, however humble, is the work of the same God who made 
 him, and that the work of the Almighty has a purpose. He for- 
 gets the great command to love our neighbor. He forgets that 
 all who are stricken down with disease, poverty, aifliction, or 
 suffering, are our neighbors ; and that he who ministers to such, 
 be he Jew or Samaritan, is, in the lofty, scriptural sense, a 
 neighbor. Neither the hereditary descent of the Levite, nor the 
 purple of the priest, makes a neighbor ; but it is he who binds 
 up the bleeding wound. This is the act upon which Heaven 
 places its seal of approval, as pleasing in the sight of him that is 
 perfect. Where there is an absence of purity of heart or gener- 
 ous sympathy, the man lacks the most ornate embellishment of 
 character, that lustrous brightness which is the type of heaven. 
 To minister to the necessities of the humble and lowly is the 
 work of God's angels ; and the man who follows their example 
 cannot be far from his Maker. You have the means of doing 
 good ; but have what is greater, and a more marked distinction, 
 the disposition to do it when and where it is needed. Your heart 
 is always alive, and your hand untiring. ***** 
 
 " Some years ago, you did that for me and mine which will 
 command my gratitude while I live. I needed aid to educate my 
 children ; and you, in a spirit of marked generosity, came un- 
 asked to my relief. I need not say how deeply, how sincerely 
 
332 DIARY AND COKBESPONDENCE. 
 
 thankful I was, that one, upon whom I had no claim, should 
 manifest so generous a spirit. After a while, times changed 
 somewhat for the better ; and, feeling that I was able to do it, I 
 asked permission to restore the sum advanced, that you, to whom 
 it belonged, might have the disposition of it, since it had per- 
 formed with me the good that was intended. You kindly gave 
 me leave to hand it over to the college, but advised me to take 
 my own time, and suit my convenience. That time has now 
 come ; and, as you are again extending to the college your sus- 
 taining arm, and may wish to take this matter into the account, 
 I herewith enclose a check for five hundred dollars, with the 
 renewed thanks of myself and my wife for the great and gener- 
 ous service which you have done us. We shall, in all respects, 
 have profited greatly by it ; and have no wish to cancel our 
 obligations by this act, but to recognize them in their fullest 
 extent. I am, most truly and faithfully, 
 
 " Your friend and obedient servant, 
 
 " John Davis." 
 
 Some inquiries having been made of Mr. Lawrence 
 respecting the early history of the Bunker Hill Monu- 
 ment, he writes, on the 12th of November, in a short 
 note : 
 
 Dear Son : You may be glad to copy the twelfth section of 
 my will, executed in 1833. This information is not before the 
 world, but may be interesting to your children. I could have 
 finished the monument, sick as I was, at any time before Edmund 
 Dwight's death, by enlisting with him, who made me the ofier, to 
 join a small number of friends (three Appletons, Robert G. 
 
DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 333 
 
 Shaw, and us three Lawrences), without saying, ' by your leave,' 
 
 to the public." 
 
 ****** 
 " Surety-ship is a dangerous craft to embark in. Avoid it aa 
 
 you would a sail-boat with no other fastenings than mere wooden 
 
 pegs and cobweb sails." 
 
CHAPTER XXXVIIL 
 
 MR. LAWRENCE SERVES AS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTOR. — GEN. FRANK- 
 LIN PIERCE.— SUDDEN DEATH. — FUNERAL. 
 
 In November, Eobert Gr. Shaw, Esq., and Mr. Law- 
 rence, were chosen Presidential Electors for the district 
 in which they resided. Both, at that time, were in 
 the enjoyment of their usual health, and yet both were 
 removed within a few months by death. The Electoral 
 College was convened in the State House at Boston, in 
 December ; and Mr. Lawrence has noticed the event by 
 a memorandum, endorsed upon his commission of Elec- 
 tor, as follows : 
 
 "December 1. — I have attended to the duty, and have given 
 my vote to Winfield Scott for President, and WilUam A. Gra/- 
 ham for Vice-President." 
 
 He did not add, that, before leaving the State 
 House, he gave the customary fee paid in such cases 
 towards freeing the family of a negro from slavery. 
 
 But little is found in the handwriting of Mr. Law- 
 rence for the month of December, except his usual 
 record of donations to charitable objects. He seems to 
 have written but few letters, which may in part be 
 
 334 
 
DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 335 
 
 accounted for by having had his time much occupied 
 by a most agreeable intercourse with Gen. Franklin 
 Pierce, who, with his family, were his guests during a 
 part of the month. That gentleman had for many 
 years been on terms of intimate friendship with Mr. 
 Lawrence, and had kept up a familiar correspondence 
 from "Washington and elsewhere, which no political 
 differences had abated. He had always been a favorite ; 
 and now, having been elected to the Presidential chair, 
 and engaged in plans for his future administration, it 
 may be imagined what interest this intercourse excited 
 in Mr. Lawrence, deeply concerned as he was in every 
 movement that tended to promote the political and 
 moral welfare of the country. Many excursions were 
 made to the interesting spots and charitable institutions 
 of Boston and its vicinity, during this visit, which has a 
 melancholy interest from the events which immediately 
 followed it. On the twenty-sixth. General and Mrs. 
 Pierce left Boston for their home at Concord, N. H., 
 with the intention of spending a few days with their 
 friends at Andover. They were accompanied by their 
 only child Benjamin, a bright and promising boy, 
 twelve years of age, whose melancholy death, but a 
 few days afterwards, will give an interest to the follow- 
 ing note, which he wrote to Mr. Lawrence in acknowl- 
 edgment of a little token of remembrance : 
 
336 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 "Andotee, Dec. 27, 1852. 
 
 " Dear Uncle Lawrence : I admire the beautiful pencil 
 
 you sent me, and I think I shall find it very useful. I shall 
 
 keep it very carefully for your sake, and I hope that I may learn 
 
 to write all the better with it. It was kind in you to write such 
 
 a good little note, too ; and I see that being industrious while you 
 
 were young enables you to be kind and benevolent now that you 
 
 are old. I think that you have given me very good advice, and 
 
 I hope I shall profit by it. So, dear uncle, with much love to 
 
 aunt, I am 
 
 " Your afiectionate nephew, 
 
 "B. Pierce." 
 
 The brief history of this promising boy, who exhib- 
 ited a maturity and thoughtfulness far beyond his 
 years, is soon told. Nine days afterwards, in company 
 with his father and mother, he left Andover on his 
 return home. A few minutes after starting, the cars 
 were precipitated down a steep bank, among the rocks, 
 causing the instant death of Benjamin, and bruising 
 the father and many other passengers severely. The 
 accident sent a thriU of sympathy throughout the 
 Union, and cast a withering blight upon the prospects 
 of the bereaved parents, which, amidst all earthly 
 distinctions, can never be forgotten, and which has 
 perhaps rendered more irksome the great and unceasing 
 responsibilities of high official station. 
 
 " Dec. 28. — I sent a large bundle of clothing materials, 
 books, and other items, with sixty dollars, by steamer for Bangor, 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 337 
 
 to Professor Pond, of Bangor Theological Seminary, for the 
 students. Also gave a parcel, costing twenty-five dollars, to 
 
 Mrs. , who is a Groton girl, and now having twins, making 
 
 twenty children : is very poor. 
 
 '■'•Dec. 30. — To Professor , by dear S., one hundred 
 
 dollars. Books and items to-day, five dollars." 
 
 These were his last entries. 
 
 On the afternoon of the above date, the writer, in 
 his usual walk, passed Mr. Lawrence's door with the 
 intention of calling on his return, but, after proceeding 
 a few steps, decided, from some unaccountable motive, 
 to give up the accustomed exercise, and pass the time 
 with his father. Mr. Lawrence appeared in excellent 
 health and spirits ; and nearly an hour was agreeably 
 spent in discussing the topics of the day. He seemed 
 more than usually communicative ; and, although 
 always kind and affectionate, there was, on this occa- 
 sion, an unusual softness of manner, and tenderness 
 of expression, which cannot be forgotten. The last 
 topic touched upon was the character of a prominent 
 statesman, just deceased, and the evidence which he 
 had given of preparation for an exchange of worlds. 
 He spoke somewhat fully upon the nature of such pre- 
 paration, and expressed a strong hope, that, in the 
 present instance, the exchange had been a happy one. 
 
 In the latter part of the evening, Mr. Lawrence 
 addressed to his friend. Prof. Packard, of Bowdoin 
 College, the following note, in reply to some questions 
 
 43 
 
338 BIAKY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 asked by that gentleman in regard to the Bunker Hill 
 Monument, of which he was preparing a history for 
 publication among the records of the Maine Historical 
 Society : 
 
 " Boston, December 30, 1852, evening. 
 " My dear Friend : Your letter of Tuesday reached me just 
 before my morning excursion to Longwood to see our loved one 
 there. In reply to your first query, I answer, that Mr. E. 
 Everett presented a design of Bunker Hill Monument, which was 
 very classic, and was supported by Col. Perkins and Gen. Dear- 
 born, I beUeve, and perhaps one or two more. Young Greenough 
 (Horatio), then a student of Harvard College, sent in a plan with 
 an essay, that manifested extraordinary talents, and was substan- 
 tially adopted, although the column was amended by the talents, 
 taste, and influence of Loammi Baldwin, one of our directors. 
 The discussion of the model was very interesting ; and, among 
 the whole mass of plans, this of Mr. Everett and Mr. Baldwin, 
 or, as I before said, a modification of Greenough's, were the only 
 ones that were thought of. Mr. Everett, and those who favored 
 his classic plan, were very cordial in their support of the plan of 
 the monument as it is, very soon after its adoption. Mr. Ticknor 
 was very active in support of the plan as adopted ; and I have a 
 strong impression that young Greenough's arguments were wholly 
 just, and, abating some assertions which seemed a little strong for 
 a mere college-lad, were true and unexceptionable. I write from 
 memory, and not from overlooking the plans carefully since the 
 time they were considered. Young Greenough I felt a deep 
 interest in, and advanced money to his father to allow him to go 
 abroad to study, which has been repaid since his father's death. 
 Here I have an interesting story to tell you of this. debt, which I 
 ■wished to cancel, that the widow might receive the amount. Mr. 
 
DIAET AND CORRESPONDENCE. 339 
 
 Greenough was near his end, and deeply affected, but fully per- 
 suaded that, by the provisions of his "will, his widow would soon 
 have an ample income, and declined the offer. It has turned out 
 better than he ever anticipated. The books shall go forward, as 
 you requested. All our family, ' kith and kin,' are pretty well. 
 The President elect has, I think, the hardest time, being over- 
 worked ; and, as we are now without any one, we shall be rejoiced 
 to see you here. Pray, come. I shall write again when I send 
 the ' red book ' you request. 
 
 " With love to all, N. and I join ; and I bid you adieu. 
 " From your friend, 
 
 " Amos Lawrence. 
 
 " To Prof. Packard, Brunswick, Me." 
 
 The above letter was folded, directed, and left upon 
 his table, and doubtless contained the last words he ever 
 wrote. 
 
 After the usual family devotions, he retired at about 
 ten o'clock, and, before his attendant left the room, 
 asked a few questions relating to the situation of a poor 
 family which he had relieved a day or two before. 
 Mrs. Lawrence had been in an adjoining room, and, on 
 returning, found him lying quietly, and apparently 
 engaged in silent prayer. She did not, therefore, dis- 
 turb him, but retired for the night without speaking. 
 In less than two hours, she was awakened by one of his 
 usual attacks. Eemedies were applied ; but, no rally- 
 ing symptoms appearing, the physician and family were 
 summoned. All that medical skill could do was in 
 vain ; and, at a quarter past twelve, on the last day of 
 
340 DIARY AND COBRESPONDEXCE. 
 
 the year, he quietly breathed his last, without having 
 awakened to consciousness after his first sleep. 
 
 All his temporal affairs seemed to have been arranged 
 in view of this event. The partnership with his brother, 
 which had existed for nearly forty years, was dissolved 
 in that way which he had resolved in former years 
 should alone terminate it. From various prudential 
 reasons, however, he had changed his opinion, and had 
 decided to withdraw from all business relations, and 
 accordingly furnished the advertisement, which was to 
 appear on the next day in the public prints, announcing 
 his withdrawal. Four days previous, he had executed 
 a codicil to his wiU ; and thus seemed to have settled 
 his concerns with the closing year. The summons did 
 not find him unprepared ; for it was such as he had 
 long expected, and had alluded to many times in his 
 conversation, as weU as in his letters to friends. The 
 plans of each day were made with reference to such a 
 call. Nor can we doubt that he was, in the highest 
 sense, prepared to exchange what he sometimes was 
 permitted to caU " the heaven on earth " for that higher 
 heaven where so many of his most cherished objects of 
 earthly affection had preceded him. On the morning 
 of his death, the editor found upon his table the follow- 
 ing lines, which had been copied by him a few days 
 previous, and which are the more interesting from being 
 a part of the same hymn containing the lines repeated 
 
DIARY AND COEKESPONDENCE. 341 
 
 by his wife upon her death-bed, thirty-three years 
 before : 
 
 " Vital spark of heavenly flame, 
 Quit, 0, quit this mortal frame ! 
 Trembling, hoping, lingering, flying, — 
 0, the pain, the bliss, of dying ! 
 Cease, fond nature, — cease the strife. 
 And let me languish into life. 
 
 Hark ! 
 
 It would almost seem that a vision of the angel- 
 messenger had been afforded, and that the sound of his 
 distant footseps had fallen upon his ear ; for, with the 
 unfinished line, the pen thus abruptly stops. 
 
 The funeral ceremonies were performed on Tuesday, 
 the 4:th of January. A prayer was first offered before 
 the body was taken from the house, in the presence of 
 the family and friends of the deceased, by the Kev. A. 
 H. Vinton, D.D., Rector of St. Paul's Church. Public 
 exercises in Brattle-street Church were then performed, 
 in the presence of a crowded congregation, composed 
 of the numerous friends and former associates of the 
 deceased, clergymen of all denominations, and large 
 numbers representing the various professions and trades 
 of the community. 
 
 The religious services were conducted by three of 
 Mr. Lawrence's most intimate and valued friends, 
 representing three difierent denominations. These 
 were the Rev. Dr. Lothrop, pastor of Brattle-street 
 Church ; the Rev. Dr. Hopkins, President of Williams 
 
342 DIAET AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 College ; and the Eev. Dr. Sharp, pastor of the Baptist 
 Society in Charles-street. A beautiful and appropriate 
 hymn was sung by the members of the Lawrence Asso- 
 ciation, from the Mather School, who surrounded the 
 coffin, and, at the conclusion of the hymn, covered it 
 with flowers. The body, followed by a large procession 
 of mourning friends, was then conveyed to Mount 
 Auburn, and deposited by the side of the loved ones 
 who had preceded him, and under the shade of the 
 " Old Oak," where may it rest until summoned to the 
 presence of that Saviour whose example and precepts 
 he so much loved on earth, and through whom alone he 
 looked for happiness in heaven ! 
 
CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 SKETCH OF CHARACTER BY REV. DR3. LOTHROP AND HOPKINS. 
 
 The correspondence in the preceding pages will, 
 perhaps, give a clearer vievr of the character of Mr. 
 Lawrence than anything which can be adduced by 
 others. It may not be amiss, however, to quote what 
 has been written by two of his most intimate friends, 
 who had the most ample means of forming a just esti- 
 mate of the man, and of the motives by which he was 
 actuated. Dr. Lothrop, in his sermon preached on the 
 Sunday after the funeral, says : 
 
 "I have intimated that Mr. Lawrence was intellectually great. 
 I think he was so. By this, I do not mean he was a scholar or 
 learned man, with a mind developed and disciplined by severe 
 training, and enlarged and enriched by varied culture in the 
 various departments of human thought and study. This, we 
 know, he was not ; although he was a man of considerable read- 
 ing, who loved and appreciated the best books in English liter- 
 ature. But I mean that he was a man of great native vigor of 
 intellect, whose mind was clear, strong, comprehensive in its 
 grasp, penetrating, far-reaching in its observation, discerning and 
 discriminating in its judgments, sagacious in its conclusions : a 
 mind, which, if enriched by the requisite culture, and directed to 
 
 843 
 
344 DIARY AND COERESPONDENCE. 
 
 such objects, would have made him eminent in any of the walks 
 of literary or professional life, as, without that culture, it did 
 make him eminent in those walks of practical, commercial life to 
 which he did direct it. I mention this, not to dwell upon it, but 
 simply because some who have known him little, and that only 
 since disease had somewhat sapped his strength, may not do him 
 justice in this respect. Those who remember his early manhood ; 
 who saw the strong, bold, and vigorous tread with which he 
 walked forward to his rightful place among the merchants of the 
 city ; those who remember the sagacity of his enterprises, his 
 quick and accurate discernment of character, and the commanding 
 influence he exercised over others ; the ease and rapidity with 
 which he managed the concerns of a large commercial establish- 
 ment, and decided and despatched the most important commercial 
 negotiation, — these will be ready to admit that he was intellect- 
 ually a strong man. To the last this vigor of intellect showed 
 itself; if not always in his conversation, yet always in his letters, 
 many of which will be found to have a force of thought, a fulness 
 of wisdom and sound judgment, a terse, epigrammatic compre- 
 hensiveness of expression, of which no man, however distinguished 
 by his learning and scholarship, would have need to be ashamed. 
 The merchants of this city have ever been distinguished, I believe, 
 for their integrity and benevolence. Nowhere is wealth acquired 
 by a more honest and healthy activity ; nowhere is a larger por- 
 tion of it devoted to all the objects which a wise philanthropy, 
 an extended patriotism, and a tender Christian sympathy, would 
 foster and promote. Mr. Lawrence was conspicuous for these 
 qualities. His integrity, I may venture to say, stands absolutely 
 unimpeached, without spot or blemish. His history, as a mer- 
 chant, from first to last, will bear the strictest scrutiny. Its 
 minutest incidents, which have faded from the memory of those 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 345 
 
 concerned; its most secret acts, those of ■which no human eye 
 could take knowledge, — might all he brought into the lin-ht 
 before us ; and like those, I trust, of many of his fraternity, they 
 would seem only to illustrate the purity and integrity of his prin- 
 ciples, the conscientious regard to truth and right and justice 
 with which he conducted all the negotiations of business, and all 
 the aiFairs of his life. He seemed ever to me to have a reverence 
 for right, unalloyed, unfaltering, supreme ; a moral perception 
 and a moral sensibility, which kept him from deviating a hair's 
 breadth from what he saw and felt to be his duty. It was this 
 that constituted the strength of his character, and was one of the 
 great secrets of his success. It was this that secured him, when 
 a young man, the entire confidence, and an almost unlimited 
 use of capital, of some of the wealthiest and best men of that 
 
 Qg^y, ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 "The prominent feature in Mr. Lawrence's life and charac- 
 ter, its inspiration and its guide, was religion ; religious faith, 
 affection, and hope. He loved God, and therefore he loved all 
 God's creatures. He believed in Christ, as the promised Mes- 
 siah and Saviour of the world ; and therefore found peace and 
 strength to his soul, amid all the perils, duties, and sorrows of 
 lifo. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 " There was nothing narrow or sectarian about Mr. Lawrence's 
 religious opinions or feelings. He had a large, catholic spirit, 
 which embraced within the arms of its love, and of its pecuniary 
 bounty also when needed, all denominations of Christians ; and it 
 is to be hoped that the influence of his example and character has 
 done something, and will continue to do more, to rebuke that 
 bigotry which 'makes its own light the measure of another's 
 illumination.' He took no pleasure in religious disputes or dis- 
 cussions. The practical in Christianity was what interested him. 
 44 
 
346 DIAEY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 His great aim was to illustrate his faith by his daily walk, and 
 authenticate his creed by a life of practical usefulness, constant 
 benevolence, and cheerful piety. This aim he successfully accom- 
 plished, to the conviction of persons of all creeds and of every 
 name. These will all give him a name in the church universal ; 
 will all admit that he was a noble specimen of a true Christian, — 
 a loving and believing disciple, who had the very spirit of his 
 Master. That spirit pervaded his daily life, and formed the moral 
 atmosphere in which he lived and breathed. It quickened in him 
 all holy, devout, and pious affections ; gave him a profound rev- 
 erence, a cheerful submission, a bright and glorious hope, — a 
 hope that crowned every hour with gladness, robbed death of all 
 terrors, and, in his soul, brought heaven down to earth." 
 
 The following extracts are taken from the sermon, 
 by President Hopkins, before the students of "Williams 
 College, — a sermon from which extracts have been 
 already made : 
 
 " Having thus spoken of the use of his property by Mr. 
 Lawrence, I observe that it was distinguished by the three 
 characteristics which seem to me essential to the most perfect 
 accomplishment of the ends of benevolence, and that in two of 
 these he was preeminent. 
 
 " The first of these is, that he gave the money in his life-time. 
 No man, I presume, has lived on this continent, who has approxi- 
 mated him in the amount thus given ; and in this course there are 
 principles involved which deserve the careful attention of those 
 who would act conscientiously, and with the highest wisdom. 
 There may doubtless be good reasons why property destined for 
 benevolent uses should be retained till death, and he is justly 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 347 
 
 honored who then gives it a wise direction ; but giving thus can- 
 not furnish either the same test or discipline of character, or the 
 same enjoyment, nor can it always accomplish the same ends. By 
 his course, Mr. Lawrence put his money to its true work long 
 before it could have done anything on the principle of accumula- 
 tion ; and to a work, too, to which it never could have been put in 
 any other way. He made it sure, also, that that work should be 
 done ; and had the pleasure of seeing its results, and of knowing 
 that through it he became the object of gratitude and affection. 
 So doing, he showed that he stood completely above that tendency 
 to accumulate which seems to form the chief end of most success- 
 ful business men ; and which, unless strongly counteracted, nar- 
 rows itself into avarice, as old age comes on, almost with the 
 certainty of a natural law. He did stand completely above this. 
 No one could know him, without perceiving, that, in his giving, 
 there was no remnant of grudging or reluctance ; that he gave, 
 not only freely, but with gladness, as if it were the appropriate 
 action of a vital energy. And in so doing, and in witnessing the 
 results, and in the atmosphere of sympathy and love thus created, 
 there was a test and a discipline and an enjoyment, as well as a 
 benefit to others, that could have been reached in no other way. 
 
 " The second peculiarity in the bounty of Mr. Lawrence, and 
 in which he was preeminent, was the personal attention and sym- 
 pathy which he bestowed with it. He had in his house a room 
 where he kept stores of useful articles for distribution. He made 
 up the bundle ; he directed the package. No detail was over- 
 looked. He remembered the children, and designated for each the 
 toy, the book, the elegant gift. He thought of every want, and 
 was ingenious and happy in devising appropriate gifts. Li this 
 attention to the minutest token of regard, while, at the. same time, 
 he could give away thousands like a prince, I have known no one 
 
348 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 like him. And, if the gift was appropriate, the manner of giving 
 •was not less so. There was in this the nicest appreciation of the 
 feelings of others, and an intuitive perception of delicacy and pro- 
 priety. These were the characteristics that gave him a hold upon 
 the hearts of many, and made his death really felt as that of few 
 other men in Boston could have been. In this, we find not a little 
 of the utility, and much of the beauty, of charity. Even in his 
 human Ufe, man does not live by bread alone, but by sympathy 
 and the play of reciprocal afiection, and is often more touched by 
 the kindness than by the relief Only this sympathy it is that 
 can establish the right relation between the rich and the poor ; 
 and the necessity for this can be superseded by no legal provision. 
 This only can neutralize the repellent and aggressive tendencies 
 of individuals and of classes, and make society a brotherhood, 
 where the various inequalities shall work out moral good, and 
 where acts of mutual kindness and helpfulness may pass and 
 repass, as upon a golden chain, during a brief pilgrimage and 
 scene of probation. It is a great and a good thing for a rich man 
 to set the stream of charity in motion, to employ an agent, to send 
 a check, to found an asylum, to endow a professorship, to open a 
 fountain that shall flow for ages ; but it is as different from sym- 
 pathy with present suffering, and the relief of immediate want, as 
 the building of a dam to turn a factory by one great sluiceway is 
 from the irrigation of the fields. By Mr. Lawrence both were 
 done. 
 
 " The third characteristic referred to of the bounty of Mr. 
 Lawrence was, that he gave as a Christian man, — from a sense 
 of religious obligation. Not that all his gifts had a religious 
 aspect : he gave gifts of friendship and of affection. There was a 
 large enclosure, where the affections walked foremost, and where, 
 though they asked leave of Duty, they yet received no prompting 
 
DIART AND CORRESPONDENCE. 349 
 
 from her. Whether he always drew this line rightly ; whether, 
 in the measure and direction of his charities, he was always right ; 
 whether so much of diffusion and individuality was wise, — it is 
 not for me to say. Certain it is, that this form of charity holds a 
 place in the church now less prominent relatively than it did in 
 the early ages ; and it may be that the proportions of Christian 
 chai-acter, in portions of the church, need to be remodelled and re- 
 cast in this respect. These are questions for each individual. It 
 is sufficient to know that Mr. Lawrence looked the great doctrine 
 of stewardship full in the face, and prayed earnestly over it, and 
 responded to it practically, as few have done. * * * * 
 
 " Undoubtedly, he was a man of great original powers. On this 
 point, I have had but one opinion since knowing him. His mind 
 was not speculative, discursive, metaphysical: but, in the high 
 moral qualities ; in decision and energy ; in intuitive perception, 
 and sound, practical judgment; in the sensibility and affections, 
 and in the imagination, — he was great. Like all remarkable men 
 who are not one-sided, he had large faculties, which found 
 their harmony in their conflict, or rather in their balance. He 
 was quick and tender in his feelings, yet firm; ardent in his affec- 
 tions, yet judicious ; large in his gifts, yet discriminating ; he was 
 a keen observer, yet kind in his feelings ; he had a fertile and 
 shaping imagination : he built air-castles, and they vanished, and , 
 then he built others ; but, when he decided to build anything on 
 the ground, it was well-planned and promptly finished. His tastes 
 were natural and simple, his habits plain, and his feelings always 
 fresh, genuine, and youthful. Not even the smell of the fire of 
 prosperity had passed on him. He shunned notoriety. He had a 
 strong repugnance to all affectation and pretence and misplaced 
 finery. A young man with rings on his fingers had small chance 
 of favor or employment from him. He was impatient of talk when 
 
350 DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 action was called for, and of all attempts to substitute talk for 
 action. His command over the English language, especially in 
 writing, indicated his power. Style is no mechanical product, 
 that can be formed by rules, but is the outgrowth and image of 
 the mind ; and his had often great felicity and strength. When 
 he wrote under the impulse of his feelings, he seemed to impreg- 
 nate the very paper, and make it redolent of them. He loved 
 nature ; and, instead of becoming insensible to it as years came 
 on, it seemed rather to open upon him like a new revelation. It 
 was full of life and of teaching, and the charms of natural beauty 
 were heightened by those associations which his quick imagination 
 connected with its objects and scenes. After the death of two of 
 his children, he says : ' Dear S. and E,. speak in words without 
 sound through every breeze, and in every flower, and in the fra- 
 grance of every perfume from the fields or the trees.' Years ago, 
 after a long confinement, with little hope of recovery, he visited, 
 when first able to get out, the Panorama of Jerusalem, then on 
 exhibition in Boston, and remained there till the scene took full 
 possession of his mind. Shortly after, on a fine day, he rode out 
 to Brookline ; and, as returning health threw over those hills a 
 mantle of beauty that he had never seen before, they were imme- 
 diately associated in his mind with the Panorama of Jerusalem, 
 and then with the glories of the Jerusalem above. This associa- 
 tion was indissoluble, and he would take his friends out to see his 
 ' Mount Zion.' In 1850, he says, ' It really seems to me like the 
 sides of Mount Zion, and that I can cling to them as I view 
 them.' ***** 
 
 " He was a deeply religious man. His trust in God, and his 
 hope of salvation through Christ, were the basis of his character. 
 He believed in the providence of God as concerned in all events, 
 and as discriminating and retributive in this world. He felt that 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 351 
 
 he could trust God in his providence, where he could not see. 
 ' The events of my life,' he writes, ' have been so far ordered in a 
 way to make me feel that I know nothing at the time, except that 
 a Father rules ; and his discipline, however severe, is never more 
 so than is required.' He believed in the Bible, and saw rightly its 
 relation to all our blessings. ' What,' he writes again, ' should 
 we do, if the Bible were not the foundation of our self-govern- 
 ment? and what will become of us, when we wilfully and wickedly 
 cast it behind us ? ' He read the Bible morning and evening in 
 his family, and prayed with them ; and it may aid those who are 
 acquainted with the prayers of Thornton, in forming a conception 
 of his religious character, to know that he used them. Family 
 religion he esteemed as above all price ; and, when he first learned 
 that a beloved relative had established family worship, he wept for 
 joy. He distributed religious books very extensively, chiefly 
 those of the American Tract Society, and of the American Sun- 
 day School Union. * * * * Of creeds held in the understanding, 
 but not influencing the life, he thought little ; and the tendency 
 of his mind was to practical rather than doctrinal views. He 
 believed in our Lord Jesus Christ as a Saviour, and trusted in him 
 for salvation. He was a man of habitual prayer. The last time 
 I visited him, he said to me, that he had been restless during the 
 night, and that the only way in which he could ' get quieted was 
 by getting near to God,' and that he went to sleep repeating a 
 prayer. During the same visit, he spoke strongly of his readiness, 
 and even of his desire, to depart. He viewed death with tranquillity 
 and hope and preparation, for it was habitual with him. What 
 need I say more ? At midnight the summons came, and his work 
 was done." 
 
CHAPTER XL. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Mk. Lawrence was of about the medium height, and, 
 until reduced by sickness, was erect in person, and 
 active and vigorous in his movements. The expression 
 of his countenance was mild and cheerful, partaking of 
 that benevolent cast which one would have been led to 
 expect from the tenor of his daily life. His affections 
 were warm, and his feelings quick and ardent. His 
 temperament was of a nervous character, thereby in- 
 clining him to impatience. With this defect he had to 
 struggle much in early life. It is related of him, that 
 he once, by some hasty reply, wounded the sensitive 
 feelings of a cherished sister, who afterwards died ; and 
 so much did he regret his impatience, that he made a 
 resolution to persevere in his eiForts until he had con- 
 quered the fault. A great change was soon remarked 
 in him in this respect ; so much so, that a relative, Ivho 
 passed several months under his roof during his early 
 married life, was surprised at not seeing the least evi- 
 dence of this tendency. During his latter years, when 
 weakened by disease, and when his nervous system had 
 been shattered by his violent and peculiar attacks of 
 
 852 
 
DIAET AND COKRESPONDENCE. 353 
 
 illness, he had more difficulty in controlling his feelings 
 and expressions. On the second, sober thought, how- 
 ever, no one could have been more ready to confess 
 the fault, and to make such reparation as the case 
 demanded. 
 
 His daily actions were guided by the most exalted 
 sense of right and wrong ; and in his strict sense of 
 justice, Aristides himself could not surpass him. He 
 was a living example of a successful merchant, who had, 
 from the earliest period of his business career, risen 
 above all artifice, and had never been wUling to turn to 
 his own advantage the ignorance or misfortune of others. 
 He demonstrated in his own case the possibility of suc- 
 cess, while practising the highest standard of moral 
 obligation. He had ever commanded the confidence of 
 those around him. When an apprentice in his native 
 town, many of his customers relied upon his judgment 
 rather than their own. He never deceived them, and 
 early adopted as his rule of life, to do to others as he 
 would have them do to him. Thus he stood high in 
 the confidence, as well as in the estimation, of his neigh- 
 bors. What " Amos " said was right, and no one could 
 gainsay. 
 
 If any one thing was, more than another, the means 
 of promoting his success in life, we should say it was 
 this faculty of commanding the confidence of others. 
 To this can be traced the prosperity of his earliest busi- 
 ness years ; and, as his sphere enlarged, and his financial 
 
 45 
 
354 DIAKT AND CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 operations were extended, the same feeling of confidence 
 gave him the unlimited command of the means of some 
 of the wealthiest capitalists in New England, who, 
 through the most critical seasons in the mercantile 
 world, placed implicit confidence in the house of which 
 he was the senior partner. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence had no fluency in conversation. His 
 mind was ever active ; but the volume of thought found 
 no corresponding channel of utterance. The very num- 
 ber of ideas seemed to impede the power of expression. 
 
 Had his talents been devoted to literary or scientific 
 pursuits, he would have earned distinction by his pen. 
 His mind was not of that logical cast, which, from 
 patient reasoning, can deduce effects from a succession 
 of causes ; but arrived at its conclusions by a kind of 
 intuition, somewhat like those rare instances of mathe- 
 maticians who solve a difficult problem, and yet can 
 give no account of the mental process by which the 
 solution has been reached. 
 
 As a husband and father, he was ever kind and 
 affectionate. He was domestic in his tastes, and found 
 his greatest enjoyment in his home. Here he was 
 eminently favored, and ever found the warmest sympa- 
 thy, and that considerate care and kindness so necessary 
 in latter years to his feeble health. No one who has 
 read the preceding correspondence can have failed to 
 see the interest which he ever took in all that concerned 
 the welfare of those whom Providence had committed 
 
DIARY AND COKEESPONDENCE. 355 
 
 to his keeping. His letters to his children would fill 
 many volumes, and are in themselves an enduring testi- 
 mony to his fidelity and watchfiil care during a long 
 series of years. His motto was, " Line upon line, pre- 
 cept upon precept ;" and thus his constant aim was to 
 impress upon their minds the great principles of religion 
 and morality. No parent could be more indulgent when 
 such indulgence was consistent with the true welfare of 
 his children, or more resolute in denying what was 
 hurtful. Their present happiness was a great object ; 
 but his desire for their ultimate good was still greater. 
 
 As a friend, he was most faithful and sympathizing ; 
 and many now living can testify to the value of his 
 friendship. Few, perhaps, have had more friends. 
 Their affection for him was not founded so much upon 
 gratitude for his constantly recurring favors, as upon 
 the warm sympathy and affection with which his heart 
 was filled toward them and theirs. 
 
 As a citizen, his views were comprehensive, and 
 were bounded by no lines of sectional or party feeling. 
 He was most deeply interested in all that concerned the 
 honor and prosperity of his country, and keenly sensi- 
 tive to the injury inflicted by such measures as tended 
 to depreciate her standing in the estimation of other 
 nations, or of good men among her own citizens. He 
 was a true patriot, and had adopted the views and aims 
 of the best men of the republic in former days, while 
 he viewed with distrust many of the popular movements 
 
356 DIARY AND CORKESPONDENCE. 
 
 of more modern times. From his father he had inher- 
 ited the most profound veneration for Gen. Washington, 
 and faith in his public policy ; while the political prin- 
 ciples of Alexander Hamilton and John Jay were those 
 alone by which he thought the permanent happiness 
 and prosperity of the country could be secured. 
 
 As a Christian, he endeavored to walk in the foot- 
 steps of his Master. He had no taste for the discussion 
 of those minor points of doctrine upon which good men 
 so often diifer, but embraced with all his heart the 
 revealed truths of the Gospel, which the great body of 
 Christians can unite in upholding. He sought those 
 fields of labor where all can meet, rather than those 
 which are hedged in by the dividing lines of sect and 
 party. 
 
 He reverenced the Bible, and, from the first chapter 
 of the Old Testament to the last chapter of the New, 
 received it as the inspired "Word of God. This was his 
 sheet-anchor ; and to doubt was, in his view, to leave 
 a safe and peaceful haven, to embark upon an unknown 
 ocean of danger and uncertainty. 
 
 Eeligion was for him a practical thing for every-day 
 use, consisting not so much in frames and emotions as 
 in the steady and persevering performance of the daily 
 duties of life. His view of duty did not limit him to 
 the common obligations of morality, but included the 
 highest sense of duty towards God ; or, as he has 
 expressed it in one of his early letters, "to be a moral 
 
DIAKT AND COBRESPONDENCE. 357 
 
 man merely, is not to be a Christian." He was an 
 active helper in all that tended to promote the cause 
 of Christianity among nations, as well as to promote 
 spiritual progress among individuals. The Christian 
 banner, in his view, covered many denominations ; 
 and, with this belief, his charities were directed to the 
 building up of institutions under the influence of the 
 various sects differing from that under which he himself 
 was classed. 
 
 What has been said of John Thornton might be 
 applied to him : 
 
 " He was a merchant renowned in his generation for a muni- 
 ficence more than princely. He was one of those rare men in 
 whom the desire to relieve distress assumes the form of a master- 
 passion. Conscious of no aims hut such as may invite the scrutiny 
 of God and man, he pursued them after his own fearless fashion, 
 yielding to every honest impulse, choosing his associates in scorn 
 of mere worldly precepts, and worshipping with any fellow- 
 Christian whose heart beat in unison with his own, however 
 inharmonious might be some of the articles of their respective 
 creeds. His benevolence was as unsectarian as his general habits ; 
 and he stood ready to assist a beneficent design in every party, 
 but would be the creature of none. He not only gave largely, 
 but he gave wisely. He kept a regular account (not for ostenta- 
 tion, or the gratification of vanity, but for method) of every pound 
 he gave. With him, his givings were made a matter of business, 
 as Cowper says, in an ' Elegy ' he wrote upon him, — 
 
 ' Thou hadst an industry in doing good, 
 Restless as his who toils and sweats for food. ' " 
 
358 DIAET AND COKEESPONDENCE. 
 
 Those who were not acquainted with Mr. Lawrence 
 might suppose that his long continued ill-health, extend- 
 ing through a period of twenty-one years, permitted the 
 formation of a character which few could attain who 
 should not he called upon to pass through a similar 
 discipline. 
 
 That the isolation from the business-world, and 
 freedom from the cares and struggles of active life, 
 to which most men are subjected, tended to give 
 him a more just and dispassionate view of his rela- 
 tions to God, as weU as to his fellow-men, cannot be 
 doubted. 
 
 The peculiar elevation and spirituality of mind which 
 he acquired must not, however, be looked upon as the 
 hot-bed growth of the invalid's chamber ; but rather as 
 the gradual development of a character whose germ was 
 planted far back in the years of childhood. The prin- 
 ciples of religion and truth which were inculcated by a 
 faithful and sensible mother upon the heart of the child, 
 shone forth in all the events which marked the life of 
 the future man. 
 
 Of Mr. Lawrence's religious opinions respecting 
 those doctrinal points upon which Christians are divi- 
 ded, the writer will not speak ; though, from repeated 
 conversations with his father on the subject, in the 
 hours of health as well as of sickness, he might con- 
 sistently do so. Eather than make assertions which 
 might lead to discussion, it is more grateful to his feel- 
 
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE. 359 
 
 ings to leave the subject to tlie unbiassed judgment of 
 tbose wbo sliall read the preceding correspondence. 
 
 Let it rather be the aim of those who loved and hon- 
 ored him in life to imitate his example, now that he is 
 dead. They may rejoice that they were permitted to 
 claim as a relative, and to have daily intercourse with, 
 one who has exhibited, in such an abundant degree, 
 those fruits which are the truest and best evidence of a 
 genuine faith. 
 
 In completing this volume, the editor feels that he 
 has fulfilled a sacred trust ; and his great regret is, that 
 the work could not have been undertaken by some one 
 more fitted, by his qualifications and past experience, 
 to do justice to the subject. For reasons given in the 
 Preface, this could not be ; and it is, therefore, with 
 great diffidence that these pages are submitted as a 
 memorial of one whose life and character deserve more 
 than a passing record. 
 
 If, however, what has been done shall be the means 
 of directing the attention of those for whom the volume 
 has been prepared to the consideration of the precepts 
 here recorded ; and, above all, if those precepts shall 
 be the means of influencing them for good in their 
 future course in life, — the effort will not have been 
 in vain. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abstinenoe, total, from tobacco and 
 intozicatmg drinks, by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 25 
 
 Accounts, benefit of keeping, illustrated, 86 
 
 Adams, Amos, 44 
 
 Adams, Samuel, 140 
 
 Advice, letters of, to Abbott Lawrence, 
 
 48—53 
 Amherst College, effort of Mr. Law- 
 rence in behalf of, 243 
 
 Amiu Bey, letter to, from Mr. Lawrence, 285 
 Anatomy, views of Mr. Lawrence re- 
 specting the dissection of hnman 
 
 bodies, 218 
 
 Andr£, Major, 217 
 
 Appleton, Jesse, 190 
 
 Appleton, Mrs., death of, 190 
 
 Athenaeum, in Boston, Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 plana for benefit of, 200 
 
 Baldwin, Loammi, 338 
 
 Baltimore, derangement of business in, 73 
 Bangor Theological Seminary, dona- 
 tion by Mr. Lawrence to, . . . 310 
 donation for students in, ... . 337 
 Banks, suspension of in 1837, .... 141 
 Bible, Mr. Lawrence's estimate of the, 257 
 Birth-place, attachment to expressed 
 
 by Mr. Lawrence, 151 
 
 of Mr. Lawrence, engraving of, . 151 
 Blagden, George W., note from, re- 
 specting Rev. Dr. , of Scot- 
 land, 313 
 
 letter from Mr. Lawrence to, . . 316 
 
 Blake, Greorge, 84 
 
 46 
 
 Bondsmen, advice respecting fathers 
 
 becoming, 37 
 
 Book-keeping by double entry, adopt- 
 ed by Mr. Lawrence, 61 
 
 Boston, religious controversy in, . . . 55 
 Mr. Lawrence elected representa- 
 tive of, 77 
 
 wooden buildings in, 78 
 
 post-office, dead letters from, . • 154 
 Bowdoin College, donation by Mrs. 
 
 Lawrence to, 244 
 
 Brattle-street Church, Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 connection with, 184 
 
 Brazer, James, 22, 221 
 
 his store described, 23 
 
 Bridgman, Laura, 235 
 
 Briggs, George K., 214, 281 
 
 presentation of a cane to, by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 227 
 
 Brooks, Peter 0., death and character of, 263 
 Bnckminster, J. S., remains of re- 
 moved to Mount Auburn by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 175 
 
 Bunker Hill, desire of Mr. Lawrence to 
 retain for posterity the battle- 
 field, 99 
 
 Bunker Hill Monument, Mr. Law- 
 rence's interest in, 84 
 
 objection to a lottery for, .... 91 
 
 completion of, 169 
 
 Mr. Lawrence's agency in securing 
 
 the completion of, ... 170 — 174 
 note from Mr. Lawrence respect- 
 ing early history of, 332 
 
362 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bunker Hill Monument, history of the 
 
 plan of, 338 
 
 Burial-placee, Mr. Lawrence's views 
 
 respecting, 129 
 
 Business, secret of Mr. lawrence's suc- 
 cess in, 1^5 
 
 Buzton, Lady, letter from, to Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 298 
 
 letter from, to Mr. Lawrence, . .324 
 Buxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, .... 298 
 
 Cabot, Samuel, 268 
 
 Cambridge Theological School, views 
 
 respecting, '■ . . . 163 
 
 Canada, journey of Mr. Lawrence to, . 89 
 
 Canadian Boat-song, 261 
 
 Canfield, Mr., 38 
 
 Carroll, Charles, 276 
 
 Caswell, Oliver, 235 
 
 Chaplin, Daniel, 18 
 
 Chapman, Jonathan, 192 
 
 Charities, memorandum of, . . . 92 — 95 
 
 proportion of, in 1835, 137 
 
 money for, 178 
 
 "odds and ends" for, . . 186—187 
 correction of a publio statement 
 
 respecting Mr. Lawrence's, . . 198 
 amount expended during ten years 
 
 in, 311 
 
 total amount expended in, . .312 
 Charity, systematic, inculcated by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 118 
 
 Children, fondness of Mr. Lawrence 
 
 for, 225—226 
 
 hospital for, founded by Mr. Law- 
 rence, 230 — 233 
 
 Christ, object of his death, 266 
 
 Christmas, Mr. Lawrence's view of, . . 91 
 Cobb, Gershom, introduces book-keep- 
 ing by double entry, 61 
 
 Codman, Dr., 253 
 
 Colebrooke, Lady, 217 
 
 death of, 304 
 
 Colebrooke, Sir William, letter to, &om 
 
 Mr. Lawrence, 240 
 
 letter from Mr. Lawrence to, . . 304 
 Colonization of Africa, aided by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 299, 318 
 
 Concord, Mr. Lawrence's account of 
 
 the fight in 1775 at, . . . 215—217 
 
 Controversy, religious, in Boston, . . 55 
 Copartnership, offer of Amos Lawrence 
 to dissolve, — declined by Ab- 
 bott Lawrence, 47 
 
 Copartnership of A. & A. Lawrence 
 
 dissolved by death, 340 
 
 Comhill-street, store of Mr. Lawrence 
 
 in, 29 
 
 Credit system, Mr. Lawrence's view of, 35 
 Cresson, Elliott, letter to, from Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 299 
 
 Barley, Mrs., 39 
 
 Barracott, George, 172 
 
 Davis, John, loan of $500 by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence to, 330 
 
 letter from, to Mr. Lawrence, . . 330 
 
 Bearbom, H. A. S., 84, 338 
 
 Debts, Mr. Lawrence's promptness in 
 
 paying, 31 
 
 Dexter, Franklin, estimate of his argu- 
 ment on the fugitive slave law, 287 
 
 Dexter, Madam, 75 
 
 Diet of Mr. Lawrence, 123, 326 
 
 table of, kept by Mr. Lawrence, . 124 
 Borchester Heights, reflections on, . . 140 
 Brinking habits in Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 early days, 23 
 
 Bwight, Edmund, 332 
 
 Bwight, Louis, 308 
 
 testimony of Mr. Lawrence re- 
 specting, 219 
 
 Ellis, Judge, 77 
 
 Ellis, Mrs. Nancy, marriage of Mr. 
 
 Lawrence to, 77 
 
 Epicureanism, Mr. Lawrence's notion 
 
 of, 124 
 
 European fashions, introduction of 
 
 discountenanced, 90 
 
 Everett, Edward, 172, 338 
 
 Expenditures, by Mr. Lawrence, in 
 
 1849, 278 
 
 from 1842 to 1852, 311 
 
 Eac-simile of Mr. Lawrence's hand- 
 writing, 248 
 
 Family worship, Mr. Lawrence's re- 
 marks on, 150 
 
 Farwell, Captain, 17, 301 
 
 Fillmore, Millard, 256 
 
 Foreign gold, exchange" of negotiated, 75 
 
INDEX, 
 
 3t)3 
 
 Fraternal affection, example of, . . . 147 
 French Revolution of 1830, Mr. Law- 
 rence's sympathy with, .... 101 
 Fugitive slave law, Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 opinion of the, 287 
 
 Funeral ceremonies at the death of 
 
 Amos Lawrence, .... 341, 342 
 
 Gannett, Ezra S., letter to, 45 
 
 Gannett, Caleb, 45 
 
 Gannett, Mrs., hymn for her little boy by, 46 
 
 Goddard, N., 76 
 
 Granger's Coffee House, 38 
 
 Gray, Mrs. Martha, present from Mr. 
 
 Lawrence to, 214 
 
 Gray, Eobert, 214 
 
 Green, Wm. L., death of, 251 
 
 Greenongh, Horatio, 338 
 
 Greenwood, Kev. Dr., 123 
 
 Groton, scenery in, 152, 153 
 
 Groton Academy, donations of Mr. 
 Lawrence to, preamble of the 
 
 deed, 221 
 
 amount of donations to, by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 222 
 
 donations of $45,000 by WiUiam 
 
 I^wrence to, 222 
 
 extract from address at jubilee of, 223 
 Gumey, Hannah (see Buxton, Lady), 299 
 Haddock, Charles B., letter from Mr. 
 
 Lawrence to, 305 
 
 Hallock, Eev. Mr., 279 
 
 Hamilton, James, letters from Mr. 
 
 Lawrence to, ... . 269, 279, 322 
 letter from, to Mr. Lawrence, . . 293 
 
 Hancock, John, 140 
 
 Harris, Colonel, 268 
 
 Harvard College, donation of $50,000 
 
 by Abbott Lawrence to, ... 244 
 Heaven, reunion of friends in, ... 157 
 Hillsborough Bank, Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 draft on for specie, . . . . 36, 37 
 
 Hone, Isaac, 76 
 
 Hone, Philip, 76 
 
 Hopkins, Mark, President of Williams 
 
 College, 341 
 
 letters to, from Mr. Lawrence, 124, 
 
 183, 213, 214, 255, 257, 258, 
 
 259, 265, 272, 280, 285, 292 
 
 lectures in Boston, 182 
 
 Hopkins, Mark, extract from his ser- 
 mon on death of Mr. Lawrence, 287 
 peculiarities of Mr. Lawrence's 
 bounty sketched by, . . 346 — 360 
 
 Howe, Dr., 235 
 
 Hubbard, Judge, 253 
 
 Hubbart, Tuthill, 154 
 
 Hulsemann, Chevalier, interview of 
 
 Mr. Lawrence with, 158 
 
 Immigration from Europe, Mr. Law- 
 rence's view of, 258, 270 
 
 Income, net, of Mr. Lawrence in the 
 
 first two years, 36 
 
 practice of spending it, adopted 
 
 by Mr. Lawrence, 263 
 
 Intoxicating liquors, total abstinence 
 
 from, by Mr. Lawrence, ... 25 
 Ireland, Mr. Lawrence's contributions 
 
 to the famished in, . . . 236, 233 
 Johnson School, donation to, by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 224 
 
 Kast, Dr., 302 
 
 Kent, Chancellor, 76 
 
 ride with — character of, ... . 158 
 Kenyon College, aid to by Mr. Lawrence,177 
 Lafayette, General, Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 opinion of, 84 
 
 message to, 96 
 
 Lothrop, Samuel K... . 122, 138, 175, 342 
 extract from his sermon on the 
 
 death of Mr. Lawrence, . . . 185 
 sketch of character of Mr. Law- 
 rence by, 343—346 
 
 Lawrence, Abbott, 30, 131, 138 
 
 letters to, 48, 49, 51, 62, 55, 56, 72, 
 73, 189, 244, 266, 267 
 becomes partner with Amos, . . 38 
 character as an apprentice, ... 38 
 declines offer to dissolve copart- 
 nership, 47 
 
 sails for Europe, 48 
 
 his dispatch of business, .... 62 
 his military service in the last 
 
 war with Great Britain, . 56, 295 
 donation of $50,000 to Harvard 
 
 College, 244 
 
 candidate for the Vice-Presidency, 256 
 tendered the office of Secretary 
 of the Navy, 266 
 
364 
 
 INDEX , 
 
 Lawrence, Abbott, appointed Minister 
 
 to the Court of St. James, . , 269 
 his popularity in Great Britain, . 295 
 
 likeness of, 295 
 
 Lawrence, Mrs. Abbott, 280 
 
 Lawrence, Amos, when and where bom, 15 
 
 ancestry of, 15 
 
 early instmotion of, 20 
 
 his mechanical skill in boyhood, . 20 
 
 anecdote of his school-days, ... 22 
 
 enters Groton Academy, , , , , 22 
 
 becomes a merchant's clerk, ... 22 
 adopts the principle and practice 
 
 of total abstinence, 24 
 
 wounded by a gunshot, 26 
 
 apprenticeship terminated, ... 28 
 
 accepts a clerkship In Boston, . . 29 
 
 commences business in Boston, . 29 
 
 his boarding-house rule, .... 30 
 
 his promptness in paying bills, . 31 
 
 motive for daily study, 32 
 
 his remarks on letter-writing, . . 32 
 his distinction between morality 
 
 and religion, 34 
 
 his mercantile principles, .... 35 
 
 view of the credit system, ... 35 
 net income of first two years, ,,36 
 advice against parents becoming 
 
 bondsmen for their sons, ... 37 
 
 his opinion of the theatre, ... 39 
 assists to establish his brother 
 
 William in business, 39 
 
 flying visits to Groton, 40 
 
 alarming illness, 40 
 
 engagement of marriage, .... 43 
 
 marriage, 46 
 
 offer to dissolve copartnership de- 
 clined, 47 
 
 letter on the death of his sister, . 54 
 letter on the birth of his daugh- 
 ter, 67 
 
 recommends marriage, 57 
 
 domestic attachments, 60 
 
 adoption of book-keeping by 
 
 double entry, 61 
 
 leniency to unfortunate debtors, . 61 
 
 second alarming illness, .... 62 
 resignation in prospect of his 
 
 wife's death, 64 
 
 Lawrence, Amos, tour through the Mid- 
 dle States, 68 
 
 appreciation of the right of suffrage, 70 
 delegate to assist in settlement of 
 
 Jared Sparks, . . 71 
 
 becomes an inmate of his broth- 
 er's family, 74 
 
 negotiates an exchange of foreign 
 
 gold, 75 
 
 narrow escape from shipwreck, . 75 
 
 second marriage of, 77 
 
 resumes housekeeping, .... 77 
 representative in the Legislature, 77 
 letter to Mr. Wolcott respecting 
 
 his son, 78 
 
 becomes a manufacturer, .... 79 
 curtailment of his business, ... 81 
 extent of his correspondence, . . 83 
 
 opinion of Lafayette, 84 
 
 interest in Bunker Hill Monument, 84 
 
 journey to Canada, 89 
 
 objection to European fashions, . 90 
 objection to a lottery for Bunker 
 
 Hill Monument, 91 
 
 presentation of plate to Daniel 
 
 "Webster, 102, 103 
 
 dangerous illness of, 105 
 
 feelings in sickness, . 106, 107, 111 
 visit to New Hampshire, .... 109 
 his life in a sick chamber, . . . 112 
 his submission under divine chas- 
 tisements, 112 — 114 
 
 inculcates systematic charity, . . 118 
 
 secret of his success, 118 
 
 exercise on horseback, 122 
 
 his diet, 123 
 
 improvement of health, . . . . 1 25 
 avoids the appearance of evil, . . 126 
 his views of burial-places, . • . 129 
 advice about selecting a wife, , , 130 
 advice to his daughter, . , , 131, 132 
 gratitude towards his mother, . , 135 
 
 visit to Washington, 138 
 
 aversion to matrimonial specula- 
 tions, 138 
 
 estimate of Congressional debates, 139 
 visit to Bainsford Island, .... 139 
 reflections on completing thirty 
 years of business, 141 
 
INDEX. 
 
 365 
 
 Lawrence, Amos, peonniarj condition, 
 
 January lat, 1838, 142 
 
 habits of promptness, 144 
 
 prospects on December 31st, 1838, 146 
 reflections on the death of his 
 
 brother, 149 
 
 advocates family worship, . . . 150 
 engraving of his birth-place, . .151 
 character in the bestowal of gifts, 153 
 enjoyment of natural scenery, 
 
 155, 156 
 belief in reunion of friends here- 
 after, 157 
 
 annoyances arising from his rep- 
 utation for benevolence, . . . 159 
 
 his religious belief, 160 
 
 interest in a young colored law- 
 yer, 166 — 6 
 
 leflections on his fifty-eighth 
 
 birth-day, 167 
 
 his agency in securing comple- 
 tion of Bunker Hill Monu- 
 ment, 170—174 
 
 poetical toast to, 174 
 
 Tenders aid to Kenyon College, . 177 
 acquaintance with Fres. Hopkins, 182 
 presents sent to President Hop- 
 kins, 183 — 4 
 
 his aversion to public commenda- 
 tion of himself, 189, 229 
 
 advice respecting his grandchil- 
 dren, 191 
 
 opposes annexation of Texas, . .192 
 joy at birth of twin grand- 
 daughters, 193 
 
 letter on death of his daughter, 
 
 194—196 
 sentiments in view of his pros- 
 perity, 197 
 
 his view of keeping the Sabbath, 202 
 offer of his remains for the dissect- 
 ing-room, 218 
 
 his interest in the Johnson School, 224 
 
 fondness for children, 226 
 
 provides a hospital for sick chil- 
 dren, 230 
 
 his gratitude for prosperity, . . . 234 
 contributes to the famished in 
 Ireland, 236 
 
 Lawrence, Amos, his application in 
 
 behalf of Amherst College, . . 242 
 congratulates Abbott Lawrence 
 on his donation to Harvard 
 
 College, 244 
 
 his attendance at church, .... 246 
 his exactness in business, .... 247 
 kindness to an old debtor, . . . 248 
 fac-simile of his hand-writing, . 248 
 sentiments respecting a religious 
 
 awakening in college, . . 255, 312 
 objects to his brother's taking 
 political office, . 256 — 257, 258, 266 
 
 estimate of the Bible, 257 
 
 prefers Gen. Taylor for President, 258 
 treatment of an applicant for aid, 260 
 joy at a revival of religion among 
 
 Unitarians, 267 
 
 interview with Father Mathew, . 270 
 adds a codicil to his will, .... 271 
 
 illness, 272 
 
 desire for death, 272 
 
 keeps Christmas with children, . 277 
 
 circulates Br. Hamilton's works, 279, 
 
 291, 292, 294 
 
 lameness, 281 
 
 attentions to children, 292 
 
 circulates Buxton's Life, .... 298 
 cancels a note for $500 against a 
 
 clergyman, 300 
 
 interest in Wabash College, . . . 309 
 controversy with a Scotch clergy- 
 man, 313 — 315 
 
 his ground of religious hope, . . 316 
 circulates Uncle Toby's Stories on 
 
 Tobacco, 319 
 
 his diet, 326 
 
 prefers Scott for President, . . .327 
 solicits aid for Williams College, 
 
 from Jonathan Phillips, . . . 328 
 relieves the straitened circum- 
 stances of Gov. Davis, .... 330 
 chosen presidential elector, . . . 333 
 votes for Scott and Graham, . . 334 
 intercourse with Franklin Pierce, 335 
 
 his last writing, 339 
 
 death of, 340 
 
 funeral ceremonies, .... 341, 342 
 sketches of his character, .... 343 
 
366 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Lawrence, Amos, personal appearance, 352 
 character of Jolm Thornton ap- 
 plied to, 357 
 
 general character, .... 352 — 359 
 
 Lawrence, Amos A 288 
 
 Iiawrence, Arthur, 235 
 
 Lawrence, John, 15 
 
 Lawrence, Luther, Talue of his property, 30 
 Speaker of House of Kepresenta- 
 
 tives 148 
 
 Mayor of Lowell, 148 
 
 death of, 148, 149 
 
 Lawrence, Robert, illness of, .... 205 
 letters of Mr. Lawrence respect- 
 ing, 206—210 
 
 Lawrence, Samuel, Sen., 30 
 
 account of, 16 
 
 sketch of his military career, . 17, 18 
 Lawrence, Samuel, presentation of a 
 
 gold box to, by Mr. Lawrence, 235 
 Lawrence, Mrs. Sarah, illness of, . . 62 
 
 letter to her husband, 63 
 
 her condition described by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 64 
 
 death of, 65 
 
 her death-bed scene described, 65 — 6 
 Lawrence, Mrs. Susanna, character of, 19 
 
 death of, 199 
 
 Lawrence, William, 30, 252 
 
 commences business in Boston, . 39 
 donations of $45,000 to Groton 
 
 Academy by, 222 
 
 death and character of, . 261, 262 
 Lawrence Association, in the Mather 
 
 School, note to, 237 
 
 contributions for Ireland by, . . 238 
 presentation of a silver cup to 
 
 Mr. Lawrence by, 277 
 
 hymn sung at funeral of Mr. 
 
 Lawrence by, 342 
 
 Letsom, Dr. C, 302 
 
 Letters from Amos Lawrence, .... 47 
 
 to a friend, 17, 57, 70, 73, 126, 130, 
 
 157, 186, 187, 190, 201, 215, 
 
 245, 246, 252, 262, 267, 283 
 
 to his son, 20, 30, 85, 99, 100, 101, 
 
 112, 114, 115, 124, 152, 190, 
 
 194, 200, 205, 206, 207, 332 
 
 to a college student, 24, 25 
 
 Letters to Gen. Henry Whiting, . 30, 273, 
 
 276 
 
 to a sister, 32, 33, 42, 68, 71, 73, 130, 
 
 166, 145 
 
 to Dr. Gannett, 45 
 
 to Abbott Lawrence, 48, 49, 51, 52, 
 55, 66, 72, 73, 189, 244, 266, 267 
 
 to his wife, 52, 63, 126 
 
 to a brother, 54, 68 
 
 to his mother-in-law, 63 
 
 to his sister-in-law, .... 69, 112 
 
 to Frederic Woloott, 78 
 
 to his eldest son, abroad, 83, 87, 90, 
 
 91, 96, 98, 103, 106 
 
 to his second son, at Andover, 86, 117, 
 
 118, 125 
 
 to Daniel Webster, 97, 102 
 
 to his mother, 106, 107, 109, 110, 134, 
 
 141 
 
 to his daughter, 119, 127, 129, 131, 
 
 133, 150, 152 
 
 to his youngest son, 143 
 
 to his sisters, 149, 151 
 
 to a connection, 149 
 
 to his second son, in Europe, . . 154 
 to KeT. Charles Meisou, . . . .155 
 to Bev. Robert Tnmbull, D.D., . 160 
 to Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, . . 165 
 
 to General , 168 
 
 to Mr. Parker (a partner), . 177, 204 
 to the Mechanic Apprentices' Li- 
 brary Association, 181 
 
 to President Hopkins, 183, 213, 214, 
 
 255, 257, 258, 259, 265, 272, 
 
 280, 285, 292 
 
 to his partners, 196, 245 
 
 to his children in France, .... 196 
 
 to his grandson, 209 
 
 to R. G. Parker, 224, 229 
 
 to Got. Briggs, 227 
 
 to Alexander S. McKenzie, . . . 234 
 to J. A. Steams, for Lawrence 
 
 Association, 237 
 
 to Madam Prescott, 239 
 
 to Sir Wm. Colebrooke, . . 240, 304 
 
 to a wealthy bachelor, 242 
 
 to Prof. Packard, 243, 338 
 
 to Mr. G , . ". 251 
 
 to Mr. and Mrs. Green, .... 252 
 
INDEX. 
 
 3G7 
 
 Letters, to a physiciaji, 253 
 
 to a newspaper editor, 257 
 
 to Rev. Jamea Hamilton, D.D., 269, 
 279, 294, 296, 322 
 
 to his sons, 272 
 
 to Robert Barnwell Ehett, ... 274 
 to a country clergyman, . , , ,280 
 
 to an aged clergyman, 292 
 
 to Elliott Creason, 299 
 
 to Lady Buxton, 300 
 
 to a lady in Philadelphia, . . . 301 
 to Charles B. Haddock, .... 305 
 
 to EcT. Dr. Scoresby, 307 
 
 to Rev. Geo. W. Blagden, D.D., . 316 
 to a friend in South Carolina, . .317 
 
 to Benjamin Seaver, 320 
 
 to a lady in Florida, 326 
 
 to Jonathan Phillips, 327 
 
 LereUing, Judge Story's mazim of, . 266 
 Loan of money to Mr. Lawrence by 
 
 his father, 36 
 
 Lowell, Charles, letter to Mr. Law- 
 rence from, 321 
 
 Lowell, John, 78 
 
 Lunatic Asylum, plan for the new, . . 308 
 Manufactures, engagement of Mr. 
 
 Lawrence in, 79 
 
 largeness of his interest in, . . . 104 
 
 fluctuations in, 236 
 
 views of Mr. Lawrence respect- 
 ing coarse and fine, 275 
 
 Marriage of Amos Lawrence, .... 46 
 
 Mason, Charles, 193 
 
 letter from Mr. Lawrence to, . . 155 
 
 Mason, Jeremiah, 109, 117 
 
 remarks of, on Rev. Dr. ^"s 
 
 lectures, 219, 220 
 
 death and character of, . . 261, 262 
 Mason, Mrs. Susan, Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 letter on the death of, . . 194 — 196 
 Massachusetts General Hospital, place 
 of Trustee resigned by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence 116 
 
 Mather School, character of, ... . 276 
 
 Mathew, Father, 270 
 
 Matrimonial speciilations, arersion of 
 
 Mr. Lawrence to, 138 
 
 Maxims of business — speculation 
 
 condemned, 72 
 
 MoHraine, Charles P., letter from, to 
 
 Mr. Lawrence, 177 
 
 McKenzie, Alexander S., letter to, 
 
 from Mr. Lawrence, 234 
 
 present of a, cane to Mr. Law- 
 rence from, 260 
 
 death of, 261 
 
 Means, James, extract from address 
 at jubilee of Groton Academy, 
 
 by, 223 
 
 Means, Robert, 77 
 
 Mercantile principles adopted by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 35 
 
 " Milo," arrival of ship, 52 
 
 Money, advice about spending, . . . 143 
 Morality and religion, Mr. Law- 
 rence's distinction between, . . 34 
 Mortgage of his father's farm, ... 36 
 Mount Auburn, interest taken in, by 
 
 Mr. Lawrence, 175 
 
 j^ational character, reflections upon, 
 
 133, 134 
 Native Americans, Mr. Lawrence's 
 
 view of, 199 
 
 Natural History Society, donation to, 
 
 by Mr. Lawrence, 231 
 
 Old Ladies' Home, donation to, by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 321 
 
 " Old Oak," in Mount Auburn, . 207, 208 
 
 Paine, Robert Treat, 38 
 
 Parker, C. H., letter to, 177 
 
 Parker, Daniel P., 268 
 
 Parker, R. G., letter from to Mr. Law- 
 rence, 225 
 
 Parker, Susanna, 16 
 
 Parkman, Messrs., 37 
 
 Percy, Lord, 217 
 
 Perkins, Thomas H., 338 
 
 Pestilence, Dr. Shattuck's account of 
 
 the, 40 — 42 
 
 Phelps, Mrs., 325 
 
 Phillips, Jonathan, letter from Mr. 
 Lawrence to, respecting aid to 
 
 Williams College, 327 
 
 donation from, to WUliams Col- 
 lege, 229 
 
 Pierce, Benjamin, son of President 
 Pierce, note from, to Mr. Law- 
 rence, 336 
 
368 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Fierce, Benjamin, sudden death of, . 336 
 Pierce, Franklin, character of) . 318, 326 
 his intercourse with Mr. Lawrence, 335 
 Pitcairn, Major, account of his death, 302 
 removal of his remains to Eng- 
 land, 303 
 
 Pitcairn, William, 302 
 
 Pond, Eev. Dr., 310 
 
 Prayer adopted by Mr. Lawrence, . . 248 
 
 Presoott, General, 17 
 
 Madam, note from Mr. Lawrence 
 
 to, 239 
 
 her views on the comforts of old 
 
 age, 239 
 
 Presidential Elector, Mr. Lawrence 
 
 chosen in 1852, 334 
 
 Prince, Martial, 268 
 
 Property, memorandum-book of Mr. 
 
 Lawrence respecting his, ... 80 
 
 Pradhoe, Lord, 217 
 
 Bainsford Island, visit to, and descrip- 
 tion of scenery, 139 
 
 Beligion. (See Morality.) 
 
 its cultivation urged upon his 
 
 daughter, 119—121 
 
 Bepresentative, Mr. Lawrence elected, 77 
 Richards, Giles, his card manufactory, 44 
 Bichards, Sarah, Mr. Lawrence's en- 
 gagement of marriage with, . 43 
 
 Bichardson, Captain, 22 
 
 Sabbath, Mr. Lawrence's view of 
 
 keeping the, 202 
 
 Savings Institution. (See Athenaeum.) 
 Scenery, Mr. Lawrence's enjoyment 
 
 of, 155, 166 
 
 Scoresby, Wm., letter from Mr. Law- 
 rence to, 307 
 
 Sea-serpent seen at Hampton Beach in 
 1830, Mr. Lawrence's belief in 
 
 the, 100 
 
 Mr. Lawrence's belief in the 
 
 existence of the, 268 
 
 Sectarianism, Mr. Lawrence's freedom 
 
 from, 161 
 
 Sharp, Daniel, 253, 342 
 
 letters from, to Mr. Lawrence, . 176, 
 203, 282 
 Shattuck, George C, his afioount of 
 
 the New England pestilence, 40 — 42 
 
 Shaw, Robert O., 333,334 
 
 Shipwreck, narrow escape of Mr. 
 
 Lawrence from, 76 
 
 Slavery, views of Mr. Lawrence on 
 
 questions of, 27S 
 
 view of its tendencies, 318 
 
 contribution for freeing a negro 
 
 from, 334 
 
 South Carolina, manufactures in, en- 
 couraged by Mr. Lawrence, . . 275 
 Sparks, Jared, Mr. Lawrence a dele- 
 gate to assist in the settlement of, 71 
 
 Story, Joseph, 169 
 
 letter from, to Mr. Lawrence, 179, 180 
 his maxim of " levelling," . . . 266 
 
 Stone, John S., 123 
 
 letter from to Mr. Lawrence, . 162 
 
 Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 325 
 
 Strachan, Lady, 237 
 
 Stuart, Moses, letter of thanks from, . 263 
 
 Sullivan, William, 84 
 
 Tarbell, Thomaa, tribute to the mem- 
 ory of, 320 
 
 Taylor, Father, 123 
 
 Zachary, preferred for President 
 
 by Mr. Lawrence, 258 
 
 Tennett, Mr., 38 
 
 Texas, letter of Mr. Lawrence to 
 Mayor Chapman, on the an^ 
 
 nexation of, 192 
 
 Tioknor, George, 338 
 
 Tobacco, total abstinence from, by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 25 
 
 book against, circulated by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 319 
 
 letter respecting use of, .... 319 
 Touro, Judah, his donation for Bun- 
 ker Hill Monument, 173 
 
 Tumbull, Bobert, letter from Mr. 
 
 Lawrence to, 160 
 
 Uncle Tom's Cabin, Lady Buxton's 
 
 testimony respecting, . . . .325 
 Unitarianism, Mr. Lawrence's opinion 
 
 of, 246, 247 
 
 Van Schaick, M., 76 
 
 Vinton, Alexander H., 341 
 
 Wabash College, donation from Mrs. 
 
 Lawrence to, 309 
 
 Ward, General, 140 
 
INDEX. 
 
 369 
 
 TVare, Henry, Jr., 163 
 
 ■Warren, John C, 84, 170, 218 
 
 Washington, General, 44 
 
 celebration of his birth-day, . . 116 
 Webster, Daniel, letter from Mr. 
 
 Lawrence respecting, , . .68, 69 
 Mr. Lawrence's view of his speech 
 
 in reply to Hayne, 97 
 
 letter to Mr. Lawrence from, . . 97 
 letter to, from Mr. Lawrence, ac- 
 companying a presentation of 
 
 plate, 102 
 
 letter from to Mr. Lawrence, . . 103 
 remarks on his address at Plym- 
 outh, 208 
 
 view of his character by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 327 
 
 of his preparation for death, . . 337 
 White, Charles, accoont of hia play, 
 
 the " Clergyman's Daughter," 38, 39 
 White, Charles, President of Wabash 
 
 College, 309 
 
 Whiting, Henry, clerk to Mr. Law- 
 rence, 29 
 
 Will of Amos Lawrence, codicil to, . 271 
 Williams College, Mr. Lawrence's in- 
 terest in, 182 
 
 donation of $10,000 to, by Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 197 
 
 donation of $5,000 by Mr. Law- 
 rence, for a library building 
 
 at, 213 
 
 enlargement of library building 
 
 proposed, 215 
 
 scholarships established in, by 
 
 Mr. Lawrence, 245 
 
 account of Mr. Lawrence's bene- 
 factions to, 287—291 
 
 donation to, by Jonathan Phil- 
 lips, 329 
 
 Winsbip, Dr., 302 
 
 Wolcott, Frederic, letter to, from Mr. 
 
 Lawrence, 78