Part 39

Fifteen years elapsed between the publication of the first and second volumes of the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society; and there is an interval of about ten years between the latest of Mr. Rittenhouse’s communications, contained in the first volume, and the earliest in the second. These facts, alone, are sufficient to demonstrate to what a state of depression all philosophical pursuits had sunk, not only during the war of the revolution, but for some years preceding it. It is true, that long before the close of that war, an attempt was made by a few individuals to revive the long interrupted meetings of the Society, at the stated times of their convening; and that, for this purpose, a Charter of Incorporation was granted to the members of that Institution, by an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature, passed the 15th of March 1780: but that act itself contains an acknowledgment of the truth, that, “The Society, after having been long interrupted in their laudable pursuits by the calamities of war and the distresses of our country,” had “found means to revive their design,”—“in hopes of being able to prosecute the same with their former success.”

But, at the date of Mr. Rittenhouse’s letter to Mr. Barton, of the 3d of February, 1772, he appears to have been chiefly engaged in his domestic concerns and professional employment. He remained, even then, very sensible of the loss he had sustained in the death of his wife: and his reflections on that circumstance, together with the serious aspect of the times and his frequent indisposition, depressed his mind, occasionally, much below its natural state of cheerfulness. It must have been in one of these hours of mental gloom, that he penned the succeeding passage, in the letter last referred to.

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Footnote 164:

See Note 167.

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“I do not doubt, my dear Brother, but that you condemn me, as usual, for not writing: but much writing ill suits a Mechanic. After the comfortless toil of the day, when evening comes, I am glad to sooth my mind with a favourite poet, or some other book of amusement. That you may not be disappointed, I would have you to expect nothing of me, in future. I no longer feel any inducement to exert myself: every thing—even life itself—is insipid. Yet you will be told, I suppose, that I am paying my addresses to some one:—I sincerely wish sad experience may never teach you to reconcile these contradictions.”

“It is still my intention to go to England, as soon as my business will permit. I have had my health as well as usual, until the last fortnight; but have now a violent cold.”

The tenor of this quotation manifests, that our Philosopher did not, at that time, enjoy his accustomed serenity of mind. Some of the causes of his depression of spirits appeared to his friend and correspondent to be of such a nature, as might, perhaps, be removed by a little pleasantry. Under this impression, Mr. Barton, in his answer, thus rallied him:

“I am extremely sorry,”—said this gentleman, after replying to some other parts of Mr. Rittenhouse’s letter—“to find your Ambition so low, as to render you indifferent to that Fame to which you might justly aspire; and your Spirits so sunk, as to put you out of humour with the world. My dear Brother, what can this be owing to? You have, indeed, received a severe blow: but I am sure that your Philosophy has taught you, with the Poet,—that,

“To be from all things that disquiet, free, Is not consistent with Humanity.”

“Your case is not singular;—nay, it is favourable in comparison with that of thousands. Though you have been deprived of one comfort, yet many have been continued to you; such as, a tolerable share of health—-your children—the means of subsistence—the esteem of your friends—the applause of your countrymen, &c. &c. Banish therefore, I beseech you, this serious sadness—these melancholy reflections; which, if Dr. Cadogan is to be credited, must be more injurious to your health than any other cause can be.”

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Footnote 165:

Dr. William Cadogan’s “Dissertation on the Gout and all Chronic Diseases,” &c. made its appearance in America about that time; and the Rev. Mr. Barton, who had long experienced an hereditary gouty affection, then thought favourably of the Doctor’s general theory, although he could not adopt that ingenious theorist’s doctrine, denying the existence of any hereditary diseases.

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“I know not, indeed, what kind of Melancholy yours can be. To use the words of the immortal Shakespeare,—

“You have neither the Scholar’s Melancholy, Which is Emulation; nor the Musician’s, Which is fantastical; nor the Courtier’s, Which is Pride; nor the Lawyer’s, which is politic; Nor the Lady’s, which is nice; nor the Lover’s, Which is all these: but it is a Melancholy Of your own,—compounded of many simples, Extracted from many objects,—and, indeed, The sundry Contemplation of the”——STARS.

“If you will promise to pardon your saucy niece, I will tell you what she attributes it to. She says you are in Love; and, really, you seem to insinuate as much, yourself: If it be so, I sincerely wish you success in your “Addresses;” or a happy deliverance from the effects of Love.”

“It would give me great pleasure to hear, that you had fairly resolved upon going to England; because it would be the means not only of cheering your spirits, but of establishing your interest as well as reputation. You give me some hopes of seeing you soon: your Sister and I would be extremely glad, indeed, to see you at Lancaster.

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Footnote 166:

Mr. Barton and some others of Mr. Rittenhouse’s friends had repeatedly recommended to him to visit England: the former, particularly, often urged him to it, and for the reasons assigned in the text. That he had, himself, long contemplated that voyage, is apparent from the extract of his letter to Mr. Barton, of the 15th of March 1771, already quoted; and his last mentioned letter to the same gentleman shews, that, nearly a year afterwards, he still had that object steadily in view.

Footnote 167:

In a preceding letter, Mr. Barton had sent him some Mathematical Problems, for solution. These had been furnished by a schoolmaster, in Mr. Barton’s neighbourhood; who, although reputed a pretty good mathematician, possessed but a small share of genius or invention, while he had a large portion of confidence in his own abilities. In noticing these problems, Mr. Rittenhouse could not refrain from shewing some little irritation: he thought the communications too trifling, too destitute of originality, or too useless, to merit his attention; and, accordingly, he thus expressed himself on the occasion, in a letter dated Feb. 3, 1772:

“I entreat you not to insist on my measuring heads with any pragmatical schoolmaster, who is heartily welcome, for me, to divert himself with his x. y. z’s, at which he may be very expert, and yet be, as you say, both ignorant and conceited. His first question, however, may be answered by any young algebraist: the second and third are more difficult, and will admit of various answers. The fourth contains four observations, picked out, (and carelessly enough, several of the figures being wrong,) of a set made on the comet of 1682, which I shewed your son William in about half a dozen different books; you will find them in Dr. Halley’s Astronomical Tables. Every thing relating to this comet has long ago been settled by Dr. Halley; so that, to give a complete answer to the question, I need only transcribe from him: but you cannot conceive how much I despise this kind of juggle, where no use is proposed. If your schoolmaster will give me but three good observations (I do not want four) of the comet of 1769, I will accept them with thanks, and soon undertake the laborious task of determining its orbit, which we yet know nothing about.”

To this Mr. Barton replied, in a vein of good-humoured pleasantry:

“I imagine you have mistaken me, with regard to the mathematical questions. They were not sent as trials of your abilities: but, for reasons with which W. B. is acquainted, and which I have desired him to give you, in order to afford you a laugh. I shalt never “insist” on your “measuring heads” with a “schoolmaster,” of any kind; because I know full well, already, that your head is longer than all the heads of the whole tribe. Had you known what diversion your solutions would have afforded me, you would have sent them.”