ent Military Academy. As this legal outline has been little changed since, it is necessary that we should look to its provisions, for correc ideas of what the law intended, and what has been substantially carried out in its growth and development.

1st. It was provided, that the number of cadets might be in creased to two hundred and fifty, and attached at the discretion of the President as students to the Military Academy at West Point and be subject to the regulations thereof.

2d. That these cadets should be between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one, and previous to his appointment should be well versed in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

3d. That the Military Academy should consist of the Corps of Engineers, the Professors of Philosophy, of Mathematics, of En gineering, with their assistants, and the teachers of French and Drawing.

4th. That when any cadet shall receive a regular degree from the Academical Staff, he shall be considered a candidate for a commis sion in any corps for which he shall be deemed competent.

In addition to these provisions for education, money was appro priated for buildings and books, and for a band of music. The ex penditure provided for was very small, compared with the need of the Academy; but it was enough for a beginning. It was fa easier, as we shall see, to provide for all its material wants, than to bring it into that state of moral and intellectual discipline, which was essential to the attainment of great results. The institution in its former period, was in an inchoate condition. A few young officers, raised up partly as teachers, and partly as pupils, withou a course of studies, without regulations, and without discipline could furnish no just ideas, from experience, of what a highly intel lectual, well-ordered school of science should be; and accordingly the want of just ideas of education was precisely what first stood in the way of making West Point what it subsequently became.

For more than five years there was a wrestling between old and new ideas. There was a positive ignorance of what high education should be. In fact, the country had no models for it. Then ther were old habits to overcome. Lastly, there was a willfulness on the part of some in authority, opposed as long as opposition was possi ble, to any new idea of things. For people are aware, in this day of change and novelty, how strongly the vis inertia of intellectua

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the academic instruction on ine nign grouna really intenaea. derstand this we must here advert to some provisions of which were either overlooked or neglected. First, the law e recognized an Academic Staff, who should confer degrees. S that the cadets of West Point should be students, subject regulations of the Academy. All this evidently meant tha two hundred and fifty young men should be placed, like stu college, under regular academic instruction, and that the and teachers should constitute an academic faculty, with regulate the education of the cadets, and confer degrees ac to merit. Ultimately this was accomplished; but it tool effort on the part of the Professors to bring the military ties into a just conception of this scheme. During the yea and 1813, little was done except in commencing buildings, apparatus, appointing the cadets, and getting ready for the re ness of the institution. Here we must record the first ac faculty organized at West Point. The professorship of Natu Experimental Philosophy, which was higher in rank and ments than the others, was instituted expressly for Col. MANSFIELD, who, having retained his commission in the c engineers, while he was surveyor-general in the north-western was now (October, 1812,) appointed to the same professorship he held ten years before. ANDREW ELLICOTT, who had been omer of the United States, and had a wide reputation for matical knowledge, was appointed professor of Mathema September, 1813, at which time, also, ALDEN PARTRIDGE pointed professor of Engineering. The teacher of drawin CHRISTIAN E. ZOELLER, reappointed; and of French, FLO DE MASSON. This was the first academic faculty. Subseq the principal professors were allowed assistants, and other t were at still later periods provided in the departments of Tactics, Artillery, Chemistry, &c., as the institution was en and its wants were better known. The gentlemen above were, however, the first professors and the first faculty. Th the real labor and responsibility of taking the initial steps, an large extent, of forming the Military Academy. At the ve step a difficulty occurred, which could not have been antic Captain ALDEN PARTRIDGE, (who was professor of Engin was superintendent of West Point, from January, 1815, to N ber, 1816-nearly two years. He was a man of strong will

dependent and rather eccentric ideas, who quite naturally as a mi tary man, long resident at the Point, wished to forget that the la required the education of the institution to be decided by an ad demic faculty, and governed by regulations. He chose rather remember that it was a military post, governed by a military co mandant, and sought to gratify his own ambition by grasping sole direction. Professors Mansfield and Ellicott, who held no co mand in the army, took a different view of the subject. Th justly thought, that the object of the institution was to give thorough scientific education, especially adapted to the art of wa that this required discipline, and a course of studies systematic an complete; and that all this was evidently contemplated by the la which said that the Academy should be governed by regulation and hence an academic faculty. This difference of opinion w vital. It led to a controversy of two years, which belongs to th private rather than the public history of the Academy. Little it was known to the public, and we are now concerned only in th issue. Had the views of Captain Partridge prevailed, the instit tion never could have become what it is.* Fortunately, the Pr fessors had the law on their side, and also the good opinion of th administration, and eventually gave to the scientific college the ca and features which it now has. For three years, between 1814 a 1817, this internal controversy continued, gradually tending to gi the Academy a systematic organization. General JOSEPH G. SWIF (head of the corps of engineers,) who was officially inspector of th Academy, took up his residence at West Point, in November, 181 but remained only two months. While there, there could be r controversy, as to the government of the Academy, since the con mander of engineers was legally its chief. After the removal General Swift, Captain Partridge, as senior officer, again took con mand. It was determined, however, to remove him; and the Go ernment most fortunately hit upon an officer, whose character, ed cation, and accomplishments, most eminently fitted him for the po of governing, and disciplining the young men, who were in turn become the savans as well as the ornaments of their country. Th officer was SYLVANUS THAYER, a native of Massachusetts, commi sioner in 1808 from West Point to the engineer corps, and wh had recently traveled in Europe, examining the military schools o France and Germany. The arrival of Colonel Thayer constitut

• Captain Partridge who was a useful and energetic man had subs

full opport

the Academy, and the discipline which it furnishes. Up to we have seen that the Military Academy was merely a sma pany of officers and cadets, who, being stationed at one post required while there to pursue certain mathematical and m studies. It had no one element of organization. From 1 1817, professors Mansfield and Ellicott were struggling with n than partial success, to give it organization and systematic in tion. But, in 1817, Colonel Thayer, who had seen in Franc such institutions required, and whose enlightened mind realiz necessity of adopting better methods, at once coöperated wi Professors, in making a permanent and successful reform.

At this point we should notice the additions made to th demic staff, between 1816 and 1819, and the steps taken 1 war department toward carrying out the views of the Prof and Colonel Thayer. CLAUDE CROZET was appointed profes Engineering, in March, 1817; DAVID B. DOUGLAS was app assistant professor of Natural Philosophy, in January, CHARLES DAVIES was appointed assistant professor of Mathe in December, 1816. Rev. THOMAS PICTON was appointed Cha and professor of Ethics, in July, 1818. THOMAS GIMBREDE appointed teacher of Drawing, in January, 1819. Major BLISS, instructor of Tactics, in April, 1818; Lieut. GEORG GARDINER, instructor of Artillery, in September, 1817. CLA BERARD succeeded Francis Masson, as teacher of French, in uary, 1815; JOSEPH DU COMMUN was appointed second teach French, in March, 1818. Of the old professors, Captain Part and Francis Masson were gone; all the others remain. Th 1817, when Colonel Thayer took charge of the Academy, the of teachers was composed of professors Mansfield, Ellicott, and zet; teachers Zoeller and Berard; and assistant professors Do and Davies, exclusive of the military teachers and of thos pointed in 1818 and 1819. This was properly the Academic and Colonel Thayer was willing and pleased to have them take proper part in organizing the institution, and raising it to that standard of discipline and excellence to which it has since atta In the meanwhile, the war department, under the enlightene ministration of Mr. Crawford, had endeavored to supply some o obvious defects of the Academy, by new regulations.

So far we have pursued the history of the Academy, as it gressed from a germinal idea to actual being and life. It is

tial element and peculiar character. In this the student of educa tion may be more interested, and as we trace it still further, in it fruits, the education and services of more than two thousand young men, who have held the most important positions in all the depart ments of life, we shall be better able to pronounce a just judgmen upon its merits and services.

Mr. CRAWFORD, one of the most enlightened men who have ap peared in public affairs, was, we believe, the first to understand and attempt to remedy the defects and irregularities which Professor Mansfield and Ellicott had pointed out.* In March, 1816, "Rule and Regulations" were drawn up by Mr. Crawford. The mai points in them were—

1. There shall be a Board of Visitors, to consist of five suitable gentlemen, who shall attend each annual examination.

2. There shall be a General Examination twice in each year in July and December, and an annual vacation in July and August. 3. Cadets shall be admitted in September, and examined in spell ing, reading, writing, and arithmetic.

4. A course of studies, embracing definitely all branches of sci ence and instruction to be procured, and rules for classification shal be drawn up, and comprise a complete course of education at the institution.

According to the last regulation, a course of studies was draw up by the Academic Faculty, and approved by Mr. Crawford, i July, 1816. This course comprised four years, and was substan tially the same (although largely increased,) which has been pursued since.

The first year studies were English Grammar, French, Algebra Geometry, and Logarithms.

The second year comprised French, Geometrical Construction, Ap plication of Algebra, Mensuration, Plain and Spheric Trigonometry the Conic Sections, and Drawing.

The third year, Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Astron omy, and Drawing.

The fourth year, Engineering, Geography, History, and Ethics. In the first draft, Engineering was put in the third year; bu since 1817, has been placed in the fourth. In a year or two after wards was added the Calculus; and in a few years, Chemistry, Min

These defects and irregularities arose from not obeying the law, and not pursuing th ideas it pointed out. The great effort of Professors Mansfield and Ellicott, was to get the spiri