that when it was thrown upon hot coals ... it burned exactly like
nitre.
So it was a conversion of sodium chloride into sodium nitrate. That this
change must have come from the _snow_ with which it had been dissolved,
could not be doubted, and he further observed--
Now in the upper regions of the atmosphere ... there may be a
redundancy of inflammable air ... and a proportion of
dephlogisticated air. In that region there are many electrical
appearances, as the _aurora borealis_, falling stars &c; in the
lower parts of it thunder and lightening, and by these means the
two kinds of air may be decomposed, and a highly dephlogisticated
nitrous acid, as mine always was, produced. This being formed,
will of course, attach itself to any _snow_ or _hail_ that may be
forming ... confirming in this unexpected manner, the vulgar
opinion of nitre being contained in snow.
This seems to be the last communication of this character which came
from the Doctor's pen.
He was in despair relative to the academy which had ever been his hope
for the College which in his early years in Northumberland he prayed
might arise and in which he would be at liberty to particularly impart
his Unitarian doctrines.
An interesting item relative to the Academy appeared in the _Aurora_ for
April 1st, 1803. It shows that State aid for education was sought in
those early days. It is a report, and reads--
A REPORT of the Committee to whom was referred the Petition of
Thomas Cooper, on behalf of the Northumberland Academy, praying
legislative aid. The report states that Thomas Cooper appeared
before the Committee and stated that upward of $4000 had been
expended on the building appropriated to that institution. That
the debts due thereon amounted in the whole to near $2000. That
Dr. Joseph Priestley had the power of disposing of a very valuable
library consisting of near 4000 volumes of scarce and well chosen
books in various branches of literature and science, to any public
seminary of learning in the United States, which library, the said
Dr. Priestley was desirous of procuring as a gift to the
Northumberland Academy, provided that institution was likely to
receive substantial assistance from the legislature, so as to be
enabled to fulfil the purposes of its establishment,
That the Trustees would have no occasion to ask of the legislature
on behalf of that Academy, a subscription greater than a few
individuals had expended, and were still ready and desirous of
contributing thereto; and suggest it to your Committee, that if
out of the monies due from the County of Northumberland to the
State a sufficient sum was granted to exonerate the Academy from
debt, no more would be wanted in the future to effect the purposes
of that institution, than a sum equal in amount to the value of
the library proposed to be furnished by Dr. Priestley; such value
to be fixed by a person appointed for the purpose by the
legislature.
The Committee was of the opinion that it would be expedient for
the legislature to coincide with the suggestion of Thomas Cooper
and so recommended to the Legislature. Their report was adopted,
39 to 31. It was strongly advocated by Jesse Moore, Esq., General
Mitchell and N. Ferguson from the city. It was opposed by Jacob
Alter from Cumberland, who declared that although there were a
great many public schools and colleges and places of that kind
scattered over the State, he never knew any good they did, except
to breed up a set of idle and odious lawyers to plague the people!
At this particular time there still existed confiscated land from the
sale of which revenue was derived, and this income it had been agreed
upon should be devoted to the erection and support of academies
throughout the State. Later this scheme was discontinued. But, Dr.
Priestley was not so enthusiastic as formerly. He was occupied with the
Church History, three volumes of which were in print, and it was
expected that the fourth volume would follow shortly thereafter.
However, his health was precarious. He could not eat meats, and lived
chiefly on broths and soups, saying,--
The defect is in the stomach and liver, and of no common kind. If
I hold out till I have finished what I have now on hand, I shall
retire from the scene, satisfied and thankful.
This was written in August, and the Doctor stuck bravely to his literary
labors. A few months later he wrote Lindsey,--