TRUMAN HENRY SAFFORD was born in Royalton, Vermont, in the

year 1836. He was a frail and delicate infant, and but for the peculiar tenderness and care of his very affectionate and skilful mother, his life could not have been saved. So feeble and sickly was he the first year of his life, that he passed most of its nights in wakefulness and weeping. After he entered upon his second year of life, his health improved. He showed more vigor; and seemed, by the strong affection he exhibited, to be desirous of repaying in love the toil and care which had cherished his doubtful life.

He very early gave evidence that his mind was superior to that of other children. He was always asking curious questions. When only twenty months old, he learned the alphabet from blocks, each of which had a letter upon it, and which were given him for amuse

ment.

When he was three years of age he could compute the time by the clock.

About this time he was sent to school. His teachers were puzzled. They had never seen such a boy to learn. One Tuesday morning they placed Adams' New Arithmetic in his hands, and by Friday evening he had completed all the sums it contained! Such ciphering as this by a child was truly wonderful, and his teachers could only look on and wonder what it meant.

One day, when in the sixth year of his age, he said to his mother

“Mother! if I knew how many rods it is round our meadow, (his father was a farmer,) I could tell you its circumference in barley-corns.

His fathe

His mother not knowing the size of the field, he waited until his father came in, to whom he made the same remark. replied by saying:

"The field contains 1,040 rods."

The boy thought a few minutes, and without using a slate or pencil of any kind, answered

"Then its circumference is 617,760 barley-corns !"

You will certainly think this a wonderful act in a little feeble boy of six years old.

Before Henry was nine years of age, he could multiply four figures by four figures in his mind, as rapidly as it could be done on the slate by a good arithmetician. When he was nine, he could equal the celebrated ZERAH COLBURN's greatest feat, which was to multiply five figures by five figures mentally.

Among his recreations about this time, was that of surveying his father's farm, which he did accurately, aided only by his younger sister.

Nor was his power to acquire confined to mathematics alone. His mind grasped all kinds of knowledge with scarcely any effort. He seemed to see through every subject to which he directed his attention. Hence he took great delight in a copy of" Gregory's Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences" which was obtained for him. He soon mastered its topics, and acquired from it that taste for the higher mathematics which has made him so distinguished.

One day he went to his father and said:

"Father, I want to calculate eclipses and to make an almaBut I need some books and instruments. Will you get them for me?"

nac !

His father, hardly knowing what to do with such a request, put him off. But Henry persisted, and followed his father into the fields, begging affectionately and earnestly to have his wishes gratified. His perseverance won the victory. His indulgent father took him to Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, to obtain the required books and instruments, if possible.

On arriving in sight of the college, young Henry's heart beat high with enthusiasm and hope. His eyes glistened with excitement,

and he cried out:

"O there is the college! There are the books! There are the instruments!"

Having secured the much desired books and instruments at Dartmouth and elsewhere, our little mathematician returned home, and proceeded to calculate eclipses with all the skill and correctness of a learned astronomer.

In 1845, before he was ten years of age, he did what no child had ever done before him. He prepared an almanac! How surprising! A boy only nine years and a half old making an almanac ! The next year he calculated four more, for Vermont, Boston, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. They were done with remarkable accuracy. LIEUT. MAURY, to whom a copy was sent, wrote that his "almanac would not do discredit to a mathematician of mature years. Young Safford is a prodigy; I have never heard of his equal."

There is one very striking fact about these almanac culculations. He did not confine himself to the old rules for making them; but he made new rules for himself by which he very materially abridged the labor of difficult calculations. He was several days in making one of these rules, and seemed to be "in a sort of trance." But one morning he flew down stairs in his night dress, seized his slate, and exclaimed in a voice of ecstasy

"O father, I have got it

I have got it! It comes it comes!" I have not space to write you all the details of Henry's progress. But his rare powers continued to improve, and the attention of learned

men was called to him. Professor Dewey examined him when he was nine years old, and was astonished. When he was ten, the Rev. Henry W. Adams examined him for three hours, on questions involving the higher branches of mathematics, and was amazed at his performances. Among some arithmetical questions, Mr. Adams asked: "Can you tell me how many seconds old I was last March, the twelfth day, when I was twenty-seven years old?"

In an instant young Safford replied :

"You were 85,255,200 seconds old.”

Another sum given him by Mr. Adams to perform mentally, was this: "Multiply," said that gentleman, “in your head, 365,365,365, 365,365,365 by 365,365,365,365,365,365!"

According to his common habit at that time, Henry flew round the room like a top, pulled his pantaloons over his boots, bit his hand, rolled his eyes in their sockets, and seemed to be in an agony for a minute, when he said:

"133,491,850,208,566,925,016,658,299,941,583,225!" and he added, "This is the largest sum I ever did.”

An account of this examination being published, the attention of men of eminence was drawn more particularly to Henry's wonderful powers. The result was, that some benevolent gentlemen of Boston offered to provide for the residence of Henry and his parents at Cambridge, and for his education at the university. Accordingly, in 1846, the whole family removed to a pleasant locality about two miles from Cambridge University. Since that time, Henry has pursued his studies under the direction of Messrs. Everett and Pierce, in such a manner as not to injure his very delicate health. Under their judicious instruction, his mind has continued to unfold its marvellous powers; he has mastered the most difficult branches of the higher mathematics, and made rapid advances in other branches of knowledge. His health has improved, and, in all probability, he will live to be a man, and to realize the high promise of his childhood in the quiet walks of scholastic life. What he will accomplish for science cannot of course be foretold. But that he will add materially to its treasures, especially in his favorite branch-the mathematics there is little doubt.

One thing is worthy of remark and admiration in Henry. He is

not lifted up because God has given him such great powers. This trait in his character is very beautiful; and I hope my readers will all try to imitate it, and never be proud of any thing in which they may seem to be superior to others.

[The following narrative is very interesting and strictly truthful. It was written by a lady of my acquaintance, who was residing at a hotel in this city.]

Johnny Leonard and his Mother.

She had come, that

Ar the close of one of the coldest days in the winter of 1835, an old lady called at our house to pass the night. day, from B—, in the southern part of this state was cold, fatigued and hungry, having tasted no food since she left her own desolate home.

Upon entering the room, I was attracted by her appearance. Sixty-five years could scarcely have told the length of her life's pilgrimage, yet she seemed afflicted with few of the infirmities usually attendant upon such age. Her dress, somewhat fanciful, was of Scotch plaid, and the large, bright checks of scarlet, green and black, made rather an unbecoming contrast with the deep traces that time had graven on her face; her little starched cap, in full trim, set daintily up; and the high-heeled shoes which she had slipped from her feet were lying, toe to toe, at prudent distance from the fire; all seemed the carefully preserved relics of former taste and years.

As she drew up her small figure more erectly in the chair, and glanced her black eyes familiarly round the apartment, I thought I had never seen the face of years so bright with animation; as if she had either never known the many disappointments allotted for the threescore years and ten or that such trials had been happily forgotten; her whole countenance, indeed, indicated that she had just set out in life with new hopes, new joys.

After she had taken supper, I drew my seat towards her, and she soon revealed to me the following simple story. I will endeavor to 'tell the tale as 't was told to me."