the Spanish Ambassador who signed the treaty of peace in
1783, but only _four_! He may have the sagacity of a Jewish Rabbi,
or the profundity of a Calvin, or the sublimity of a Homer for
aught I know. But time will bring forth all things."

An interesting forecast, that, of the future of Finley Morse! He grew
to be a perfectly normal small boy who kept his mother very busy
looking after him, but was no more lively and mischievous than other
boys of his age. Here is a quaint little note to him from his father's
friend, Mr. Wells, written when Finley was only two years old:

"My dear Little Boy,

As a small testimony of my respect and obligation to your excellent
Parents and of my love to you I send you with this six (6) English
Guineas. They are pretty playthings, and in the country I came from
many people are fond of them. Your Papa will let you look at them,
and then he will take care of them, and by the time you are grown
up to be a Man, they will, under Papa's wise management increase to
twice their present number. With wishing you may never be in want
of such playthings and yet never too fond of them, I remain your
affectionate friend

Wm. M. Wells.

July 2, 1793."

When he was four years old Finley was sent to a school for very little
children, kept by "Old Ma'am Rand". She was lame and could not walk
across the room, but she kept a rattan rod by her side long enough to
reach any naughty pupil in the room, and the children were much afraid
of having this happen.

One day the teacher discovered Finley at the back of the room, busy
"drawing" a picture of her with a sharp brass pin on the shiny wooden
lid of a chest.

"Bring it to me!" commanded the old lady, and the boy came slowly
forward, pin in hand. When he was near enough to reach, Old Ma'am Rand
gripped him firmly and pinned him to her dress with the big pin. He
struggled so hard that he got away and ran screaming to the end of the
room with a piece of the old lady's dress that had been torn in the
struggle, hanging on his sleeve.

But evidently he and his teacher were really good friends, for he
stayed in her class until he was seven years old. Then he went to a
preparatory school in Andover, Mass., and from there to Phillips
Academy, also in Andover, where he was prepared for Yale college.

The following is the only letter preserved that was written by him at
that early date, from the p