in Third-street, was built under the superintendence of Mr. James McFarland, master mason, and Messrs. Co ryell & McRae, carpenters, all of Troy, and cost includ ing the building lot and furniture, $37,600.

SKETCHES OF AMERICAN CHARACTER.

BENJAMIN WEST.

Written for the Monthly Repository and Library of Entertaining Knowledge, In our sketches of American character we take the liberty to include in the range of our selection those Americans who have won their proudest laurels in other lands, as well as those who have spent their lives in the fair land that gave them birth. greater achievement of mental strength for a young unIt is, perhaps, a titled American to hew his way by the upward energies of his own genius in a stranger land, to a commanding eminence of reputation, than it would have been to secure applause, influence, and a virtuous fame at home -and this greater display of self-making power renders its possessor a nobler, fairer pattern for the generous, high-minded youth of our country.

Mr. John West, the father of Benjamin, was descended of an ancient family in Buckinghamshire, England. He belonged to the Society of Friends. After his education was completed at the Quaker's seminary at Uxbridge, he followed his father's family across the blue waters of the Atlantic, and married Sarah Pearson in Philadelphia, whose grandfather was the confidential friend of the venerable William Penn. settled in Springfield, in the state of Pennsylvania. AfHe ter Mrs. West had been the mother of nine children, she went to hear one Edward Peckover preach in the fields near her residence. His sermon was a denunciation against the old world. corrupt European governments as breaking up under He represented the wicked, the fierce terror of the Lord; a terrible sword was drawn in heaven, and the dark clouds were whirling with the wind of its descending blade, and there would be no retreat for the humble any where but in happy, quiet America. Moved by the prophetic denunciation, Mrs. West shrieked out and was borne to her home in con

vulsions. After a dangerous illness of twelve days she gave birth to Benjamin West.

Peckover augured the future greatness of a son born at a season of such mental excitement, and John West had no objections to the fond dream of his Benjamin's future greatness; but from whence, or how this distinction was to be developed, remained for a while covered with the veil of futurity. When Benjamin was in his seventh year, being left with a fly-flap in his hand to watch the sleeping infant of his eldest sister, the babe smiled in sleep, and struck with its beauty the young genius of pictorial power drew its portrait in red and black ink. His mother, on her return, snatched away the paper which he sought to conceal, and, with emotions of joyful surprise, said, 'I declare he has made a likeness of little Sally.' She took him in her arms and kissed him fondly. When he was eight years old a party of Cherokee Indians passed through Springfield, and were delighted with some of little Benjamin's drawings. They gave him some further instruction in the preparation of colors, and thus the earliest masters of the future president of the British Academy of Artists in the sublime and difficult art of painting, were a band of roaming savages.

A merchant by the name of Pennington, who was Benjamin's cousin, was pleased with these indications of genius, and sent him a box of paints, with pencils, and prepared canvass. But what was of the most importance to the young artist, the envelope contained six engravings by Grevling. West placed the box by his bed side, and was unable to sleep. Rising with the dawn he carried his box, canvass, and engravings to the garret, and by playing truant from school a few days, succeeded in making up a picture from two of the engravings, without servilely copying either, and colored it with a skill and effect which was truly surprising. Sixty-seven years afterwards West exhibited this first regular essay of his genius in the same room with the sublime painting of Christ Rejected—and the artist was surprised to find inventive touches of art in this early production which the lapse of years of study and sci. ence had not enabled him to surpass.

In his ninth year, while on a visit to Philadelphia, he saw the first specimens of true art in the rooms of a painter by the name of Williams. West was so much affected as to burst into tears. The Society of Friends, at the request of Benjamin's parents, now took his extraordinary case into consideration, and wisely considering that as heaven had kindled up this flame in his bosom, it would be useless to attempt to smother it, they called young West into their circle, and when the women all kissed him, and the men placed their hands on his head, he received a sort of ordination to become Virtue's painter, and the inheritor of a spotless renown.

He commenced portrait painting at an early age, and found no difficulty, youth as he was, in giving satisfaction to those who sat to him for their portraits. But being left at this early age to the unlimited freedom of his own direction, he transgressed Quaker principles sadly, by catching the enthusiasm of the times, and enlisting as a soldier under General Forbes, who proceeded with a body of troops in search of the relics of the gallant army that was lost in the wilderness by the unfortunate General Braddock. West was much impressed by a circumstance that occurred on his expedition. An Indian had told Major Sir Peter Halket, the commander of the well-known forty-second, who had lost a father and a brother in Braddock's overthrow, that he saw an elderly officer drop dead in the battle beneath a large and remarkable tree, and a young subaltern, who hastened to his aid, fall mortally wounded across the body. Halket supposed these persons must have been his father and his brother. When General Forbes's detachment reached the fatal battle ground, and saw the scattered bones of Britons and Americans strewed about on the bare earth, they were greatly affected-while the Indian looked anxiously around, darted into the woods, and soon gave a shrill cry. The soldiers followed and found him gazing at a large tree. A circle of soldiers was drawn up round the tree, while others proceeded to remove the leaves of the forest, which had fallen since the battle. They found two skeletons, one lying across the other. Halket and West approached and examined the skulls; Halket said faintly

it is my father-and fell senseless into the arms of his companions. He had recognized it by an artificial tooth. Many years afterwards West mentioned this scene to a British nobleman as a grand subject for an historical painting. (To be continued.)

S

ANCIENT BABYLON.

Babylon is often mentioned in the Bible, and is remarkable for having been the place where the Jews were so long captives. It stood upon a large level plain, on the banks of the river Euphrates. Very little is said of its early history; nor is it certain who first built it; but it was Nebuchadnezzar who enlarged and beautified it, and made it the wonder of the whole earth. The city was in the form of a square; each side of the square being fifteen miles in length, requiring sixty miles to go round it. It was surrounded with a deep and wide ditch, lined with bricks, and filled with water; and by walls, inside the ditch, three hundred and fifty feet in height, and eighty-seven in thickness. The walls were built of large bricks, cemented with bitumen, that is, a slimy substance found in that country. To enter the city were one hundred gates, twentyfive on each side, all of solid brass. (Isa. xlv. 2.)

Be

tween every two of these gates were three towers, raised ten feet higher than the wall; also four more at the four corners of this great square. From each of the gates ran a street, one hundred and fifty feet wide, in a straight line, to the gate opposite to it, on the other side of the city. The whole number of streets was fifty, besides four half-streets on the inside of the walls, two hundred feet wide, and built only on one side, that is the side opposite the walls. These fifty streets crossing each other, and the half-streets, at what are called right angles, cut the whole city into six hundred and seventysix smaller squares, each of which would be about two miles and a quarter round. The houses were built on the sides of the squares only, and were three or four stories high, and beautified with all kinds of ornaments. The space within was left open, and laid out in gardens, or employed for other purposes of use and or

nament.

The river Euphrates, or a branch of it, ran quite across the city, entering at the north side, and going out at the south, over which was a bridge, in the middle of the city, a furlong, or an eighth part of a mile long, and thirty feet wide. This bridge was built with wonderful art, because the bottom of the river was sandy, and did not furnish a good foundation for building on. At the east end of the bridge stood the old palace of Babylon, so large that it covered four of the squares above named; at the west stood the new palace, which was much larger still, and covered no fewer than nine squares. The temple of Belus, which covered one entire square, stood next the old palace. A wall, like that which went round the city, was built on each side of the river, and massy brazen gates were also placed at the ends of the streets leading down to the river. which was crossed by boats. Cyrus, having turned the river out of its channel, entered by these gates, which had been carelessly left open in the night, during a public festivity, and so took the city. This was when he set the Jews at liberty, and gave them leave to return to their own country.

The most wonderful works in Babylon were, the walls, already described; the temple of Belus; the new