and character,
beautiful in person, well informed, resolute, generous, amiable, kind,
and, above all, eminent for piety and the religious virtues." Her little
property, it seems, was lost through fraud or neglect, and the widowed
mother, with her four infant children, thrown destitute upon the world.
In a few years, however, she was again married to Dr. Moor, and John was
removed to the house of his grandfather, at Hartford, where, at a very
early age, it is said, he showed many peculiarities in his manners and
habits, indicating an eccentric, an unsettled, and romantic turn of
mind. Having gone through the grammar-school, he was placed with a
relative of the name of Seymour, to study the profession of the law; but
this dry kind of study was soon found to have no attractions for one of
his volatile turn of mind. Something, however, was to be done to rescue
from sheer idleness a youth of nineteen, with very narrow means, few
friends, and no definite prospects; and, by the kindness of Dr.
Wheelock, the pious founder of Dartmouth College, who had been the
intimate friend of his grandfather, he was enabled to take up his
residence at this new seat of learning, with the ostensible object of
qualifying himself to become a missionary among the Indians.

Impatient of restraint, and indignant at remonstrance and admonition, he
soon abandoned the missionary scheme that appeared to require too severe
initiation, and resolved to make his escape from the college. The mode
adopted to carry this project into execution was strongly marked with
that spirit of enterprise by which, in after-life, he was so highly
distinguished.

On the margin of the Connecticut river, which runs near the college,
stood many majestic forest trees, nourished by a rich soil. One of these
Ledyard contrived to cut down. He then set himself at work to fashion
its trunk into a canoe, and in this labour he was assisted by some of
his fellow-students. As the canoe was fifty feet long and three wide,
and was to be dug out and constructed by these unskilful workmen, the
task was not a trifling one, nor such as could be speedily executed.
Operations were carried on with spirit, however, till Ledyard wounded
himself with an axe, and was disabled for several days. When recovered,
he applied himself anew to his work; the canoe was finished, launched
into the stream, and, by the further aid of his companions, equipped and
prepared for a voyage. His wishes were now at th