Norwich the Academy was attended by 480 pupils, repres twenty-one out of the twenty-four states, and of these, and esp of such as continued on an average two years at the institut large proportion became distinguished in military, public, and ness life-as large it is believed as the records of any other in tion for the same period of time can show. Its success demons beyond cavil, that military exercises and duties are not incons with ardent devotion, and the highest attainments in literar scientific studies.

In 1824, the citizens of Middletown, Connecticut, made a 1 subscription to secure the location there, of a college about established in that State, under Episcopal auspices. Failing i object, by the location of the institution at Hartford, where i exists under the name of Trinity College, they invited Capt tridge to remove his Academy to their city, and offered to ere place at his disposal suitable buildings for his accommodation. invitation and offer were accepted, and on the 1st of April, 18 closed his institution at Norwich, and on the 1st of Septemb lowing, opened his new course of instruction at Middletown, w attendance of two hundred and ninety-seven pupils in the first During the three years-up to September 1828, the American rary, Scientific, and Military Academy at Middletown remaind der his superintendence, there were nearly twelve hundred representing every State and Territory of the United State British Provinces, Mexico, several of the South American S and the West Indies. This attendance shows conclusively, th military and scientific element, together with an optional cou study, and a term of residence limited by the ability of the to complete the course, met a want not provided for in existin leges. Of those who completed the full course of study beg Norwich, as large a proportion, as the corresponding gradua any American college, attained a high degree of usefulnes eminence in widely diversified fields of labor. Among its grad are to be found the founders or professors of several State M Institutes, many officers of the highest rank in the military s of the United States, several eminent civil engineers, superinten of railroads, members of Congress, lawyers, and men of pra efficiency and success in every line of business.

One of the characteristic features of Captain Partridge's

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of instruction and discipline at Middletown, was the military marches and pedestrian excursions for scientific and recreating purposes conducted under his personal command, or in his company. Several of these excursions occupied three or four weeks, extending in one instance to Washington. The military marches amounted in the aggregate to over two thousand miles, and these and the various pedesterain excursions, included visits to nearly all points of military and historical interest in New England and New York. The immediate and controlling reasons which induced Capt. Partridge to leave Middletown, are not known to the writer of this memoir. He has however, understood it was owing partly to a desire for temporary relief from the cares and confinement of immediate superintendence, that he might start a similar institution in the neighbor hood of New York, and partly from disgust at the refusal of the Legislature of Connecticut in 1828, to grant to the institution at Middletown, the usual privileges and powers of a college.

In 1833, 1834, 1837, and 1839, Capt. Partridge was elected repre sentative from the town of Norwich, to the Legislature of Vermont, and in that capacity labored to give efficiency to the military system of the State. In 1834, he secured for certain petitioners a charter for the Norwich University, in which the Trustees are required "to provide for a constant course of instruction in military science and civil engineering," and are "prohibited from establishing any regulations of a sectarian character, either in religion or politics." Of this corporation, consisting of twenty-five trustees, Capt. Partridge was a member, and in organizing the institution in 1825, he was elected president of the Faculty. He continued to instruct in his own department of military science and engineering, and administered the affairs of the university till 1844, when owing to some difficulties arising out of the use of the building, arms, and accourtrements, which were his private property, he resigned.

In 1838, he was influential in calling together a convention of military officers and persons interested in giving greater efficiency to the organization of the militia of the several states, to meet for consultation. This convention met at Norwich on the 4th of July; and continued to meet annually for many years, to discuss plans for the organization and discipline of the militia, for the dissemination of a knowledge of military science, for the defense of the coast, &c. Many reports of this body were drawu up by him, and the proceedings were forwarded to, and printed by order of the Congress of the United States.

by an appropriation out of the Literary Fund. This Institu an Institute of a similar character at Lexington, in the west of the State, has been greatly instrumental in diffusing widely ginia a knowledge and taste for military affairs. The su this institution, and the personal influence of many of scholars at Norwich and Middletown, led to the establish similar schools in other southern states.

In May, 1842, Capt. Partridge accepted the position of C structor for a large body of officers and men of the Penn volunteer militia in encampment at Reading, Berks County evening he delivered a lecture to officers assembled in the G marquee, and during the day exercised the troops in the ma arms, and in company, regimental, and brigade movements field. On this, and many similar occasions, he demonstra correctness and practicability of his theory of national def far as testing the qualifications of officers for command, an accuracy, rapidity, and steadiness of exercise and moven troops, by assembling officers and men of the State Militia, twice in the year, in convenient numbers and places, under tors properly qualified for the work. A few instructors, the trained in the best military institutions, and familiar with ev provement in military organization, equipment, and movem especially when clothed with the reputation of success in actual would soon bring the entire militia of the states into a unifo tein, and give respectability and efficiency to this departmen public service. This result would be more speedily realiz number of educational institutions similar to those which he ganized under many disadvantages and against many pre could call out and cultivate military taste and accomplishments a portion of the young men of each state.

In 1853, he opened at Brandywine Springs, near Wilming the State of Delaware, another institution in which he fondly his ideal of a National school of education would be realiz institution in which physical training in connection with exercises and movements, should accompany the acquisition tical knowledge of the great principles of science that unde the arts of peace and war, and resorted to by students from state of the American Union. His plan as developed in co tion with those directly interested, embraced his old ideas o

tific, and literary studies with systematic pedestrian excursions,* and marches in vacations to the great objects of natural, economical, and historical interest in different parts of the country. In this latter particular, he unconsciously applied the suggestion of Milton in his letter to Samuel Hartlib, that "the students of his Academy should go out in companies with prudent and staid guides to all quarters of the land, learning and observing all places of strength, and all commodities (facilities) of building and of soil, for towns and tillage, harbors and ports of trade, even sometimes taking sea as far as to our navy to learn there also, what they can in the practical knowledge of sailing and sca-fight." Arrangements were made for a class of ten or twelve of the most advanced and matured cadets to accompany him to Europe to study the strategy of the great battles of the world, and the armies, armories, and resources of the great nations of Europe—thus again realizing Milton's plan of gratifying "the desire of the more hopeful youth ""to see other countries at three or four and twenty years of age, not to learn principles, but to enlarge experience and make wise observation." But these hopes were darkened for a time by a great disaster, and soon extinguished in the sudden death of the great projector. In the autumn of 1853, the buildings at Brandywine Springs, were consumed by fire, and although arrangements were at once made to secure suitable accommodations at Bristol, Pennsylvania, and upwards of one hundred pupils enrolled their names to attend for a year at that place, still the great motive power of the enterprise was stricken down.

At the close of the year, 1853, Capt. Partridge returned to Nor wich, where his family still resided, in apparently good health and the best spirits. A few days after he reached home, he was attacked by sharp and excruciating pains in his back, which were soon sub dued by anodynes, but from the prostration and the cause, which proved on a post-mortem examination to be an aneurism near the base of the spine, and which had been exhausting his vitality for years he never rallied, and on the 17th of January, 1854, he breathed his last-widely and deeply mourned by troops of friends, who loved and admired him as their teacher, or looked up to him as the best expounder of principles of military science and education, and of national defense.

* Captain Partridge attached much importance to pedestrian excursions in reference both to hygenic, and educational considerations. To these excursions he attributed his own robust health, and his familiar knowledge of all the details of American battles. In one year, (1830,) he made four excursions from Norwich, each occupying from four to six days-and from one hundred and

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a genial companion in his own room and home. In 18 married Miss Swazey, the daughter of a merchant in Clar New Hampshire, and to this happy union were born two ch The oldest boy, George, was educated by the father on his ov tem, and had displayed vigorous health, and strong partialit attainments in mathematical studies and their applications; survived his father only a few months-" long desolate month were to the widow and children "—and the tenement of that intellect was laid by the side of that of his hardy and indefa father in the little village burying-ground. The other son II he grew up, showed a partiality for the profession of law, a pursuing his studies in Warren, Penn., when the call of the Pr of the United States for volunteers, summoned him to the of the flag of the country. He enlisted for the war, and w moted to a captaincy in a Pennsylvania regiment, which was at to the army of the Potomac, whose varying fortunes he sha greatly weakened by exposure and disease, he was honoral charged from the service. His superior officer in writing to hi er, says: "He is in every respect a model officer. How coul otherwise? He has it all by right of inheritance, and I fully ciate that you have made a very great contribution to the ment and the country in sending him forth to fight the battle: have been forced upon us."