have roamed in my youth with gun and fishing rod, my soul rises with the inspiration of the scene, and I almost involuntarily exclaim, Thank God, I am with you once again!""

'I feel the gales that from ye blow,

A momentary bliss bestow,

As waving fresh your gladsome wing
My buoyant soal you seem to soothe,
And redolent with scenes of youth,

I breathe a second spring.""

At the age of twelve he was sent to New Ipswich Academy, under the care of Master Taylor. At this seminary, which was founded in 1789, several men of distinction received their early education: among whom were S. P. Miles, late principal of the High School, Boston; Rev. Addison Searle, Chaplain in U. S. Navy; the late Dr. Augustus A. Gould, and others, a sketch of whom will be found in the account of the Academy by Frederic Kidder, Esq., in the History of New Ipswich. He was there one year, and returning home he was put under the tuition of the Rev. Joseph Brown, it being his father's wish that he should receive a collegiate education and pursue some profession. But Providence otherwise ordered. With his gun and fishing rod, he preferred the forests and lakes of his native place and an active life, to all the charms of Virgil, though teaching the woodlands to resound ever so sweetly with the beautiful Amaryllis. Whatever his studies were, or the books he read at that time, he certainly did lay the foundation of an easy, graceful style of composition, and of much useful knowledge. Finally, at sixteen, his father gave him the choice of three things-to go to college, be a merchant, or work on the farm; and he chose the last. In this employment, whether industrious or not, he acquired, by athletic labor and breathing the mountain air, that firm, enduring health and manly bearing to which he was indebted for such mental and physical energy so many years of his life.

The business of the store, however, had increased to such a degree that his father concluded to take him into it; and it was a wise decision. There he began as other boys did, like a sailor before the mast, earning his promotion. He acquired habits of industry, method and punctuality. Under his excellent and judicious parent, he gained a knowledge of trade, he rose in trust, and at last was taken into partnership in the mercantile concern. He was also appointed Postmaster of Rindge. Soon after, in 1820, he married Miss Tryphosa Jewett, daughter of Dr. Stephen Jewett, of that place. She was the bride of his youth, on whom he used to look askance at church. She died on a visit to her native place, July 31, 1831, leaving four children, as named in the genealogy at the close of this memoir.

He had a taste for military tactics. Enrolled in the N. H. militia at sixteen, he made it an object of so much attention and pride, that he rose rapidly in office; at twenty-one he was commissioned as Adjutant; at twenty-five, as Lieut. Colonel, and finally, at twenty-six, was chosen Colonel of the Regiment. He organized and equipped an independent company in his native town, of which he was chosen captain; and among the New Hampshire mountain boys, there were few companies more popular than the Rindge Light Infantry.

As it is desirable to finish this department in the memoir of his life, it may be well to remark here, that after his removal to Boston he joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. There was a time in the history of this company, when the militia, so important as the guardian of peace, the protector of the laws and our dernier

resort in time of trouble, had lost its influence, become degraded in popular favor, and was regarded by too many as a mere census of men and arms. Col. Wilder wished to see the militia restored to its pristine rank in public opinion, and did all in his power to promote a right military spirit for the defence of our country. This company suffered, in common with others, but never lost sight of its antiquity and former high standing. Chartered in 1638, it has celebrated more than 200 anniversaries, on each of which, with few exceptions, some noted clergyman has delivered a sermon; time has hallowed this patriotic festival; and long, long has its return been a gala-day in the city and honored by the people. For twenty-five years Col. Wilder had never been absent from this celebration. In looking into its early history, it became still more endeared to its members; for it is the only offspring in the world of the Royal Artillery Company of London, founded in 1537, and which by virtue of his rank the king commanded.

Col. Wilder, having been nominated four times and declined the honor, accepted the command in 1857. Induced to believe that his Royal Highness, Prince Albert, might be the commander of the parent company, he entered into a correspondence with him through our Minister, George M. Dallas, Esq., on the 1st of February, 1857, wherein he remarked: "Permit me also to state, that we regard the relation of these Companies as one of the many ties which bind young America to her old English Parent; that we fondly cherish the hope, and the belief, that these bonds will never be sundered; and we pray that peace and prosperity may crown both nations."

On receiving this letter, Lord Clarendon, on the 8th of April following, replied, enclosing a list of the present members of the Artillery Company of London, and a copy of the revised Rules and Regulations, and also at his Royal Highness's command a copy of Highmore's History of the Company to 1802, a scarce book; and said, "His Royal Highness begs that the Company may be informed that he cannot but be highly gratified at the manner in which the Parent Company, of which he is at the head, is spoken of by its descendant at Boston; and he will be much obliged by your having the expression of his best thanks conveyed to Col. Wilder, for his kindness in sending his Royal Highness a copy of the History of the Boston Company, which he has looked over with much interest, and will have great pleasure in adding to his library."

At the 219th Anniversary of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, June 1, 1857, the commander, "Col. Wilder, then put the question, as to whether his Royal Highness, Prince ALBERT, Field Marshal, Captain General, and Colonel of the Royal Artillery Company of London, should be made a Special Honorary Member of the Corps-an overwhelming shout ofaye, aye,' was the response, accompanied with great applause." It was voted, on motion of Gen. Tyler, that the commander should inform Prince Albert of his election. In conclusion, Col. Wilder observed:

"Gentlemen-I must not trespass longer upon your time. The moment has arrived when we should call into action the big guns. But before I close, permit me to say that 1 accepted the command of this Company from a conviction that the existence of military power is the surest safeguard of civil authority, and from a desire to aid in perpetuating the history and fame of our Ancient Corps. For more than two centuries it has stood a faithful sentinel on the watch-tower of freedom. There may it stand forever! [Prolonged cheering.]"

At the age of twenty-one, he commenced business under the firm of S. L. Wilder & Son. This continued till 1825, when he sought a wider field and moved to Boston. His acquaintance with military men and merchants in New Hampshire, gave him at once an extensive trade. In the wholesale W. I. goods business, under the firm of Wilder & Payson, he began in Union Street: then pursued it under the firm of Wilder & Smith, North Market street; and then, in his own name, at No. 3 Central Wharf, was in the wholesale and importing line till 1837. He then became a partner in the Commission House of Parker, Blanchard & Wilder, Water street; afterwards, Parker, Wilder & Parker, Pearl street; and at the present time, Parker, Wilder & Co., Winthrop square, in a warehouse which is one of the most capacious and elegant structures in the city. This firm has also a branch in New York. Mr. Wilder has passed through various crises of commercial embarrassment, yet he has never failed to meet his obligations and maintain a fair and honorable reputation; and has been successful in business.

As a merchant his character stood high. He was sought for to fill stations of responsibility and trust. He was an original director in the Hamilton Bank and National Insurance Company, and has held those offices for more than thirty years; he has been a director for twenty years in the Mutual Life Insurance Company, and also in other institutions of the kind. The Merchants' Magazine for January, 1855, No. 187, contains a portrait and well drawn sketch of the principal events of his life to that date, and the description of his indefatigable perseverance, his urbanity as a gentleman, and his appearance at the desk of his counting-room, surrounded by files and masses of letters from numerous correspondents, is there faithfully portrayed.

But trade and wealth were not the all-engrossing pursuits of his mind; though too often the sole objects of those who, absorbed in the details of commerce, become men of one idea-their horizon bounded by the money market-their delight in laying up for themselves treasures upon earth-until, with care-worn looks and anxious greed for more and more, they die, "passing through nature to eternity." Far from this was the philanthropic spirit of Mr. Wilder. In his prosperity he saw a wide field opening before him in which he could do good to others and benefit his country. He devoted a suitable time to business, and all his leisure to horticultural and agricultural pursuits. He spared no expense, he rested from no labors, to instil into the public mind a taste for such honorable and useful employments. He cultivated his grounds, imported trees, seeds and plants from distant countries, and thus by his example he endeavored to assist and elevate the rank of the husbandman.

Those who have resided long in Boston can well recollect the change which has taken place in our fruit market within a few years. They must have noticed with admiration the abundance of pears, apples, peaches, and strawberries of various kinds and delicious flavor, which in their season crowd the fruit stands; flowers, too, of surpassing beauty and rareness bloom in our conservatories, ready to adorn the festival or soften the sorrows of the grave. Whence comes this astonishing improvement in the most salubrious as well as the most ornamental luxuries of life? Go to the green-house, the suburban garden, or the large fruit-nursery, and inquire their history, and you

1867.]

Hon. Marshall P. Wilder.

will find they are the work of a few enterprising men, among whom the subject of this memoir stands in the foremost rank.

It has been already remarked, that in the year 1831 he was bereaved of her who was the "wife of his youth." She left four young children, and the home where he had been so happy was turned into gloom and darkness. He sought a change of residence, and finding a spot, which, from his love of rural life, was calculated to assuage his sorrow and loneliness by useful employment, he in 1832 purchased the country seat in Dorchester, originally built by Governor Increase Sumner, on the Roxbury line, and near Grove Hall; here It is about three and a half he has resided for thirty-five years. miles from Boston. The house stands back from the road, on a lovely spot, in the midst of sylvan scenery. He has a handsome and choice library, to which he is no stranger-a large garden, orchard, greenHe seems early to have learned houses, and a forest of fruit trees. and practised, in all his pursuits, one of those grand principles which influence the whole course of life, the philosophy of habit-a power almost omnipotent for good or evil in human destiny. He is an early riser, and devotes the morning to study or writing, or in the season of cultivation to his men in the garden, directing their labors and often assisting them, and in the middle of the day attends to his mercantile affairs in the city. The evening is spent with his family and his books. Every thing is done by method and system. Numerous letters from abroad are received and answered. Thus passed several years while he was acquiring that knowledge and skill in the raising of fruits and flowers, which prepared him for the usefulness and honor which he attained. He could now speak from experience. He has in his collection of the numerous plants and trees, 2500 pear trees, and has had more than 800 varieties of this fruit in his grounds. But, there is something so peculiar in the love and pursuit of knowledge, that it cannot rest alone, shut up and watched like the treasures of a miser; we long to impart it to others, and spread its blessings among them. Possessing this disposition, we find him joining or forming societies, in which he soon took the lead. Of such, a brief account will now claim the attention of the reader.

A charter was granted, June 12, 1829, to Zebedee Cook, Jr., Robert L. Emmons, William Worthington, B. V. French, John B. Russell, J. R. Newell, Cheever Newhall, and Thomas G. Fessenden with their associates, as a Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Gen. Henry A. S. Dearborn was elected its first President; Col. Wilder soon after joined it; and although their names do not appear among the grantees of the charter, yet in its early operations they were among its efficient It was a darling object of Gen. and most energetic supporters. Dearborn-and he soon found a warm coadjutor in Col. Wilder-to make the institution a blessing to the public and an honor to its members. He spent years in laying out and embellishing the grounds of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge; and to him Forest Hills' Cemetery in Roxbury owes its origin and much of the striking but not gloomy scenery which surrounds that home of the dead. The grateful proprietors have erected a handsome monument to the memory of this excellent man, whose honored friendship the writer of this article regards among the sweetest reminiscences of his earlier days.

Many men of note early belonged to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society: John Lowell, Elias Phinney, Henry Colman, Robert Manning, Samuel G. Perkins and Alexander H. Everett, and also. Judge Story and Daniel Webster, par nobile fratrum. Alas! not one of them survives.

Soon after the Society was formed, Dr. Jacob Bigelow, who for many years had been seeking an opportunity to found a Cemetery out of the city for the burial of the dead, suggested the expediency of purchasing Mount Auburn for this object, and also for an Experimental Garden. He presented a plan to the Society, and Gen. Dearborn, the President, was instructed to visit and examine the spot, and report on its adaptation.

The result was favorable. The premises, under the name of "Sweet Auburn," were owned by George W. Brimmer, Esq., who had commenced laying out and embellishing the grounds for his private residence; but on solicitation he consented to dispose of them for $6000. On the report of Gen. Dearborn, resolutions were passed authorizing a purchase, provided a hundred gentlemen could be found to take burial lots at sixty dollars each; which was done, Mr. Wilder being one of the number, and a conveyance was made; and thus Mount Auburn was originally established as a Cemetery and Experimental Garden. "But the proprietors of these lots were not de facto members of the Horticultural Association, and in 1835 expressed a desire for a separation of the Cemetery from the Society. On Mr. Wilder's motion, a committee representing each of these interests was appointed, to mature a plan and agree on the conditions of separation. This body, of which Judge Story was chairman, acting for the proprietors of the cemetery, as Mr. Wilder and his associate, Hon. Elijah Vose, did for the members of the Horticultural Society, made many unsuccessful attempts at agreement, till the Judge, despairing of a union, arose and left the room. This was a critical moment for both institutions. Mr. W. saw the danger, and following the Judge, besought him to return, at the same time pledging him the most cordial co-operation in a new proposition for a settlement. They returned, and having resumed their seats, the subject of this sketch submitted a resolution, providing that one fourth part of the gross proceeds from the annual sale of lots, after deducting certain expenses, should be paid year by year by the proprietors to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, in consideration of its relinquishing its right and title to the same."* This resolution prevailed, and became the basis of the separation of these two interests-a transaction in the highest degree beneficial to both-enabling the proprietors of Mount Auburn Cemetery to prosecute the worldrenowned object with more singleness of purpose, and with greater success; and also placing at the disposal of the Horticultural Society a considerable portion of the funds for the erection of the Hall in School street, and since for the elegant Temple in Tremont street. This income is both annual and perpetual, and the present year amounts to more than eight thousand dollars.

In 1840, Mr. Wilder was chosen the fourth President of the Society -an office to which he was annually elected for eight years. His first

"Portraits of Eminent Americans now living," by John Livingston, 1854.