des creating a desire and demand for more. It will ever give me
pleasure to hear from you when convenient. Letters left at Mr. Taylor's
will find me.

I herewith send you two or three pamphlets and a copy of the last edition
of my "American Gazetteer" which I pray you to accept as a small token of
the high respect and esteem with which I am

Your friend,
J. MORSE.

Young Morse now settled down to serious work as the following extracts
will show, which I set down without further comment, passing rapidly over
the next few years. He was, however, not entirely absorbed in his books
but still longed for the pleasures of the chase:--

"May 13, 1807. Just now I asked Mr. Twining to let me go a-gunning for
this afternoon. He told me you had expressly forbidden it and he
therefore could not. Now I should wish to go once in a while, for I
always intend to be careful. I have no amusement now in the vacation, and
it would gratify me very much if you would consent to let me go once in a
while. I suppose you would tell me that my books ought to be my
amusement. I cannot study all the time and I need some exercise. If I
walk, that is no amusement, and if I wish to play ball or anything else,
I have no one to play with. Please to write me an answer as soon as"
possible.

June 7, 1807.

MY DEAR PARENTS,--I hope you will excuse my not writing you sooner when I
inform you that my time is entirely taken up with my studies.

In the morning I must rise at five o'clock to attend prayers and,
immediately after, recitation; then I must breakfast and begin to study
from eight o'clock till eleven; then recite my forenoon's lesson which
takes me an hour.

At twelve I must study French till one, which is dinner-time. Directly
after dinner I must recite French to Monsieur Value till two o'clock,
then begin to study my afternoon lesson and recite it at five.
Immediately after recitation I must study another French lesson to recite
at seven in the evening; come home at nine o'clock and study my morning's
lesson until ten, eleven, and sometimes twelve o'clock, and by that tine
I am prepared to sleep.... You see now I have enough to do, my hands as
full as can be, not five minutes' time to take recreation. I am
determined to study and, thus far, have not missed a single word. The
students call me by the nickname of "Geography."

"_June 18, 1807._ Last week I went to Mr. Beers and saw a set of
Montaigne's 'Essays' in French in eight volumes,