'The Literary World' speaks of him, confidently, as a native of
Presburg (misled, perhaps, by the account in 'The Home Journal') but I
am pleased in being able to state positively, since I have it from his
own lips, that he was born in Utica, in the State of New York,
although both his parents, I believe, are of Presburg descent. The
family is connected, in some way, with Maelzel, of
Automaton-chess-player memory. In person, he is short and stout,
with large, fat, blue eyes, sandy hair and whiskers, a wide but
pleasing mouth, fine teeth, and I think a Roman nose. There is some
defect in one of his feet. His address is frank, and his whole
manner noticeable for bonhomie. Altogether, he looks, speaks, and acts
as little like 'a misanthrope' as any man I ever saw. We were
fellow-sojouners for a week about six years ago, at Earl's Hotel, in
Providence, Rhode Island; and I presume that I conversed with him,
at various times, for some three or four hours altogether. His
principal topics were those of the day, and nothing that fell from him
led me to suspect his scientific attainments.
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