The excitement that followed the discovery of gold in California led him to abandon college life, with the intention of seeking his fortune in that land of promise, and he wrote to his father, who was then in Washington, for his permission and assistance. Mr. Mott, with the practical shrewdness which distinguished him, made the following proposition to the young adventurer : " You can have the privations and the profits of a miner's life without going to California. You shall live in a tent in my garden, without seeing any of your friends or relatives, and holding no communications with them except by mail and at long intervals ; you shall do your own cooking and washing and mending. You will be deprived of all that now makes your life enjoyable, and in return I will pay you the average wages of a miner -- about fifteen dollars a day. Or you can remain at home in possession of the comforts you enjoy, with the prospect of succeeding to the business I have established."

When these two pictures were presented in such vivid contrast the young man was not long in making his decision, and leaving the gold of California to be dug by other hands, he sought for wealth with equal energy, and doubtless far more success, in his native city.

From that time it was the object of his life to establish the works that bear his name on a firmer foundation, and increase their extent and capacity, and in the prosecution of this enterprise he has met with well-merited success. At the works at Mott Haven sixty tons of iron are now melted daily, -- a vast increase, indeed, from the time when to melt two tons on alternate days was their full capacity. Taking an active interest in political affairs, Mr.