Agreeably to the plan on which the following memoirs have been
conducted, it will be perceived, that they contain a great variety of
matter; of which, some particulars have a remote, others merely an
incidental connexion, with the chief object of the work. There may
perhaps be some readers, to whom the introduction of such matters as the
_University of Pennsylvania_ and the _Medical School_ connected with it,
the _Pennsylvania Hospital_, the _Philadelphia Library_, and the like,
into the _Life of Rittenhouse_, will, on a cursory view, seem to have
little or no affinity to that object. But when it is considered, that
this work is designed to comprehend Memoirs, not only of Rittenhouse
personally, but of several literary, scientific, and other public
institutions, as well as of many eminent men, with which his individual
history and the annals of his time were in various ways associated, it
is presumed, that the slight sketches which have been taken of those
matters, in passing along, will neither prove foreign to the nature of
the present undertaking, nor uninteresting in themselves. As a citizen
of Pennsylvania; as an inestimable public and private character; as a
distinguished son of science, of great probity and extensive usefulness
in society; in all these points of view, the History of Dr. Rittenhouse
may be contemplated, as holding a relationship with almost every object
connected with science and the arts, in his day, that could in any wise
contribute to the well being of mankind in general, and his native
country in particular. Conspicuous and eminently meritorious as he was,
yet an insulated account of his talents, his virtues, and his personal
services,—a bare specification of such qualities and merits as he
possessed, abstracted from a due consideration of the state of society
and circumstances resulting from it, taken in connexion with them,
during the same period,—would not be equally intelligible and
instructive; and, consequently, must prove less useful. For these
reasons, the Memorialist has pursued that course which he conceives to
be perfectly congenial with the main design of his work; as best
calculated to promote its general usefulness, and most suitably adapted
to render it interesting, even to those who read for amusement solely.
In the adoption of this plan, the writer has been chiefly influenced by
a desire to illustrate the history, genius and character of the times,
which his Memoirs embrace; together with the progress and improvement of
literature, science and the arts, within the same compass, more
especially in this country; and this consideration has obviously led him
to introduce, in conjunction with those objects, as well as with the
Life of the great American Philosopher, various notices of many persons
distinguished for their talents and merit, not only in our own time, but
at different periods in the annals of science. He has thought it right
to rescue from oblivion—to commemorate in this way, if not to
consecrate, the names of some men in this country, more especially, who
deserve to be ranked among the worthies of America. All this the writer
has done, too, in conformity to the mode prosecuted by some of the most
judicious biographers and memorialists, together with other writers of
the same class: It is believed to be a manner of treating the
interesting subjects, on which the pens of such authors have been
employed, which, while it renders their works more pleasing, greatly
increases their usefulness.—If, therefore, some of the matter which has
been introduced into the present work should, at first sight, appear
irrelative, and even unimportant, the Memorialist nevertheless flatters
himself, that, on reflection, nothing will be deemed really so, how
remotely soever it may seem, on a transient view of the subject, to be
connected with the principal design of the undertaking; provided it has
a tendency to illustrate the great objects he was desirous of
accomplishing.[I1]
-----
Footnote I1:
The biographer of RITTENHOUSE entirely coincides with the compilers of
the _Encyclopædia Britannica_, in opinion, respecting the utility and
propriety of giving an account, in such Memoirs as the present, of
_things_ as well as _persons_, connected in various ways with the main
object of the work.
In the preface to that useful dictionary of arts, sciences and
miscellaneous literature, are the following observations: the
consideration they merit; is submitted to the good sense of the
reader.
“While one part of our readers,” say the encyclopedists, when
referring to the _biographical_ department of their work, “will regret
that we have given no account of their favourite philosopher, hero, or
statesman, others may be disposed to remark, that we have dragged from
obscurity the names of many persons who were no proper objects of such
public regard. To these we can only reply, that, with the greatest
biographer of modern times, we have long thought that there has rarely
passed a life, of which a faithful narrative would not be useful; and
that in the lives of the most obscure persons, of whom we have given
any account, we saw something either connected with recent discoveries
and public affairs, or which we thought capable of affording a lesson
to great multitudes in similar circumstances.”—“Between eminent
achievements and the scenes where they were performed, there is a
natural and necessary connexion. The character of the warrior is
connected with the fields of his battles; that of the legislator, with
the countries which he civilized; and that of the traveller and
navigator, with the regions which they explored. Even when we read of
the _persons_ by whom, and the occasions on which, any particular
branch of knowledge has been improved, we naturally wish to know
something of the _places_ where such improvements were made.”
-----
The diversity of the materials which are, by these means, blended with
the biographical account of Dr. Rittenhouse, in the Memoirs now
presented to the world, made it expedient, in the opinion of the writer,
to have recourse to the free use of notes, for the purposes of
illustration, reference, and explanation. In a work of such a
complexion—constituting a book composed of very various materials,
designed to elucidate and inform, as well as to please—it became, in
fact, necessary to throw a large portion of that matter into the form of
notes; in order to avoid, by numerous digressions on subjects arising
out of the primary object of the work, too much disjointing of the text.
There are persons, no doubt, by whom this course will be disapproved.
The able and learned author of the _Pursuits of Literature_ has been
accused by _some critics_—while others, who have no pretensions to those
qualifications which entitle a man to exercise the functions of a
critic, have even affected to laugh at him—for the multiplicity, the
variety, and the length of the notes, which he has appended to that
poem. But its being a _satirical_ poem, is the circumstance to which may
be fairly attributed the censorious cavils which his work excited: his
satire was felt; and it roused the spleen of those who were its objects,
and their partizans. The present work, however, is far from being
intended to _satirise_ any one; its author has no such object in view:
for, although he has, in some instances, expressed his disapprobation of
certain principles, theories, and even measures, which he believes to be
not only repugnant to true science, but destructive of both private and
social happiness—he has refrained as far as possible from personal
censure;—he would much rather be engaged in the functions of an
eulogist, than those of a censor. The numerous notes the Memorialist has
employed—many of them, too, pretty long—will not therefore, he presumes,
be objected to, on the ground of personality or supposed ill-humour. He
has introduced them into his Memoirs, because he believed them to be not
only useful, but peculiarly well adapted to a work of this nature, and
suited to answer the general scope of its design. The author may then
say, in the words of the poetical writer just mentioned—as an apology
for the frequency and copiousness of the notes annexed to these
Memoirs;—“I have made no allusions which I did not mean to explain. But
I had something further in my intention. The notes are not always
explanatory; they are of a structure rather peculiar to themselves: many
of them are of a nature between an essay and an explanatory comment.
There is much in a little compass, suited to the exigency of the times.
I expatiated on the casual subject which presented itself; and when
ancient or modern writers expressed the thoughts better than I could
myself, I have given the original languages. No man has a greater
contempt for the parade of quotation (as such) than I have. My design is
not to quote words, but to enforce right sentiments in the manner which
I think best adapted to the purpose, after much reflection.”
The method of disposing of the notes, in this work, may be thought by
some to impair the symmetry of the page: but so trivial a defect as this
may be, in the typographical appearance of the book, will, it is
supposed, be amply compensated by the convenience the reader will
experience, in having the annotations, almost always, on the same pages
with their respective references.
In the arrangement of the Memoirs, the author has placed the incidents
and circumstances relating to the Life of Dr. Rittenhouse, in their
chronological order, as nearly as could be conveniently done.
An APPENDIX,—containing sundry letters and other papers, which could
neither be incorporated with propriety into the text, nor inserted in
marginal notes,—is placed after the conclusion of the Memoirs. In this
part of the work the reader will find, among other interesting
documents, Dr. Rittenhouse’s _Oration_ on the subject of Astronomy,
pronounced before the American Philosophical Society, in the year 1775.
The addition of this treatise to the Life of our Philosopher, was
rendered the more proper,—independently of the intrinsic merit of the
performance,—by reason of the pamphlet having had, originally, a very
limited circulation, and its being now out of print. The Notes, added to
this little tract, as well as to some other papers in the Appendix, by
the Memorialist, are designated by the initials of his name; in order to
distinguish the annotations from either the notes originally attached to
them,—or from other matter, in the Text, not written by himself.
The author has embellished his work with an elegantly engraved likeness
of Dr. Rittenhouse, executed by an able artist, from a portrait painted
by Mr. C. W. Peale, in-the year 1772,[I2] when our Philosopher was forty
years of age. At that time he wore a wig,—and was so represented in the
picture: but afterwards, when he resumed the wearing of his own hair,
(and which he continued to do during the remainder of his life,) the
portrait was altered accordingly, by Mr. Peale. The original picture
(now in the possession of Mrs. Sergeant,) bore a strong resemblance to
Dr. Rittenhouse, at that period of his life in which it was taken; and
the engraving, prefixed to these Memoirs, is an excellent copy.
-----
Footnote I2:
Mr. C. W. Peale painted at the same time another portrait of him, for
himself; which is likewise altered from the original painting. It has
a place in Mr. Peale’s Gallery of Portraits. There is a third, by the
same hand, in the possession of the American Philosophical Society.
Another good picture of Dr. Rittenhouse was also then made, by Mr.
James Peale, for the Rev. Mr. Barton. This (which represents him with
a wig) is now in the possession of John Moore White, Esq. of
New-Jersey, who married Mr. Barton’s youngest daughter.
A pretty good mezzotinto, in a large size,—done from Mr. C. W. Peale’s
painting of our Philosopher,—was executed by Mr. E. Savage, in the
winter of 1796: and since that time, some small engravings have been
made from different pictures of him; but these do not so well preserve
the likeness.
-----
To a portion of the readers of this work, some of the matter it contains
may be thought superfluous,—because already familiar to _them_: and, to
men of extensive learning and research, much of the information herein
collected may really be so. But to persons of less erudition and
science, the knowledge thus communicated it may be presumed, will prove
in some degree useful; and the writer indulges a confident belief, that
the greater number of his readers will derive both instruction and
gratification, from a perusal of the Memoirs now offered to their
attention.
The favours which the Memorialist has received, in the communication of
sundry papers and some information for this work, demand his thankful
acknowledgments to the contributors. Among these,—besides those
gentlemen occasionally mentioned in the Memoirs,—the writer returns his
thanks to his worthy relatives, Mrs. Sergeant, Mrs. Waters, and Dr.
Benjamin Smith Barton; and also to the Rt. Rev. Bishop White, Andrew
Ellicott, Esq. John Vaughan, Esq. the Rev. Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith,
Charles Smith, Esq. and the Rev. Mr. Cathcart. To the friendship and
politeness of these very respectable characters, he holds himself
indebted, on this occasion.[I3]
-----
Footnote I3:
Some interesting information was likewise communicated by the late
Professor Rush. The death of that gentleman having occurred since the
completion of the present work, the author has inserted a concise
biographical notice of him, in the Appendix, in place of the mention
originally made of his name in this preface.
-----
It has been the earnest desire of the writer, to adhere strictly to
Truth, in every part of his narrative: he has not, therefore, introduced
into his work any thing, as a matter of Fact, which he did not believe
to be well founded. Wherever he has ventured to express an Opinion of
his own, on any subject of importance, it must be left to the judgment
and candour of others to determine, what weight it may be entitled
to.—In the various quotations which appear in his Memoirs, the writer
has endeavoured to observe the utmost fidelity, with respect to the
originals; and all his translations into the English, from other
languages, have been made with a like scrupulous attention to
correctness.—Some errors and inaccuracies have nevertheless, it may be
readily supposed, found their way into the following work; though the
writer trusts they are neither numerous nor very important: and, as they
are wholly unintentional, of whatever description they may be, he hopes
it will not be deemed presumptuous in him, to claim for them the
indulgence of a candid, liberal, and discerning public.
LANCASTER, in Pennsylvania,
April 11, 1813.