Sir: You are hereby invited to join the other members of the
American Philosophical Society, in giving a testimony of respect,
to their venerable associate Dr. Joseph Priestley, who dines with
them on Saturday next at Francis' Hotel--Dinner on table at 3
o'clock.
C. Wistar
J. Williams
J. R. Smith
T. T. Hewson
J. Vaughan
Committee
An answer will be called for tomorrow morning.
DR. RUSH
It was a very dignified and brilliant company. Law, medicine, theology,
science, commerce represented by very worthy and excellent gentlemen.
And, among them sat the modest, unassuming, versatile Priestley. That he
was happy in his surroundings there is ample reason to believe. He loved
to be among men. He, too, was appreciated and eagerly sought because of
his winning ways, his tolerance and liberality. He was moderately
convivial though
He said that one glass of wine at dinner was enough for an old
man, but he did not prescribe his own practice as an universal
rule.
About eight weeks were spent in the City. On return to the dear country
home the doctor took up his various duties and burdens, but the
infirmities of age were often alluded to by him, and they no doubt
delayed all of his work, which was further aggravated by a dangerous
fall on his left hip and strain of the muscles of the thigh. He was
extremely lame and for some time went about on crutches, which held him
out of his laboratory. To him this was very trying. But he persisted. He
was truly a splendid example for the younger aspirants for scientific
honors. During the year he entered on a controversial article with his
old friend Erasmus Darwin upon the subject of _spontaneous combustion_,
and subsequently communicated to the _Medical Repository_ an account of
the conversion of salt into nitre. He had positive knowledge of this
fact for quite a little while, and upon the occasion of a visit by Dr.
Wistar, told the latter concerning this with the request that no mention
be made of it, evidently that he might have opportunity for additional
confirmation. However, very unexpectedly, Dr. Mitchill published
something of a similar character, therefore Priestley believing that he
ought "to acquaint experimentalists in general with all that I know of
the matter," announced that in 1799 when experimenting on the formation
of air from water,
having made use of the same salt, mixed with snow, in every
experiment, always evaporating the mixture the salt was recovered
dry. I collected the salt when I had done with it, and put it into
a glass bottle, with a label expressing what it was, and what use
had been made of it.
Subsequently he treated this salt, after many applications of it, with
sulphuric acid, when he remarked--