Part 73

A considerable portion of this letter, in the beginning, is occupied with matters of business.

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At this time, Dr. Rittenhouse still held the Directorship of the Mint, though he resigned it a few months after; and from that period, his health being then much on the decline, he seemed to be desirous of passing the remainder of his days in tranquillity, and an abstraction from all business and severe studies, in the society of his family and a few particular friends. He now received numerous proofs of the affectionate respect and high consideration, in which his person and character were held; both among his own countrymen and in foreign nations. Many of his fellow-citizens were assiduous in their attentions to him: they frequently visited him; and, when he was suffering in his health, he experienced repeated acts of friendship and kindness:—President Washington often made calls upon him, and enquiries concerning his health; and among his other friends, the late Mr. Henry Hill and Mr. Robert Morris manifested towards him the kindest attentions.

In the spring of the year 1795, our amiable Philosopher was admitted a member of the Royal Society of London. He was apprized of this new mark of distinction conferred on him, by the following note, addressed to him by Phineas Bond, Esq. late the British Consul, resident in Philadelphia.

“Chesnut Street, 15th June, 1795.

“Mr. Bond has the honour to inform Mr. Rittenhouse, that he has received a letter from his friend Mr. George Chalmers, of the office of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Trade, &c. at White-hall, in which he requests him to apprize Mr. R. of his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, which took place on the 23d of April.

“Mr. B. begs leave to congratulate Mr. R. on this new honour, to which his merits, as a Philosopher, so eminently entitle him.

“DAVID RITTENHOUSE, ESQ.”

It was not until towards the close of the summer, that Dr. Rittenhouse received the certificate of his Fellowship, in the Royal Society. His Diploma, for this honour, bears date the 16th of April, 1795; and was accompanied by the following letter:

“Sir,

“Having the honour to transmit to you the Diploma of your election into the Royal Society, as a foreign Member, I beg leave to congratulate you on this proof of the high esteem in which you are held by that illustrious body. I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, Sir, your most obedient and very humble servant.

“CHARLES PETER LAYARD.

“R. Society’s Apartments, Somerset Place, “London, July 3d, 1795.”

The Royal Society of London has dealt out the honour of Fellowship with a sparing hand, to foreigners; and very few Americans have been admitted into that body, at any time: the Writer does not recollect any others than Dr. Franklin, Dr. Johnson, formerly of Connecticut, and the late Dr. Morgan and Mr. John Bartram, of Philadelphia, who were Fellows of the Royal Society before the American revolution; and since that period, he believes Dr. Rittenhouse to have been one of but two or three native Americans who have borne that mark of distinction.

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Footnote 291:

Mr. Bond must have been mistaken, in the date he has assigned to the election of Dr. Rittenhouse; or, perhaps, the date of the diploma has reference to the time of nomination: the variance in these dates is, however, unimportant.

The diploma, which is in Latin, being done on copper-plate, is in the usual form. It has the signatures of eight of the Fellows of the Society, besides those of the President and one of the Vice-Presidents.

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Soon after Dr. Rittenhouse became associated with that illustrious band of scientific men, a letter was written to him by Mr. Lalande, the celebrated Astronomer of France; of which the following translation is given in this place, as it will be perused with interest by the reader versed in astronomy.

“Paris, at the College of France, May 14th, 1795.

“It is a long time, my dear Associate, since I have heard from you: but Mr. Adet, our worthy ambassador, will probably procure for me that satisfaction. You will see by the little history which I send you, that the troubles of the revolution have not impaired my labours; and that I have, now, twenty-seven thousand stars, observed.

“I have seen with great pleasure, in the transactions of your Philosophical Society, the annular eclipse of 1791: I have calculated the conjunction 7^h 42′ 19″; but I have been obliged to take one minute from the phases of the ring, and to suppose {6^h 49′ 30″} / {6^h 53′ 47″}, in order to agree, either with your end of the eclipse, or the difference of meridians, already known with sufficient accuracy by the transit of Venus, which gives 9^h 10′ 6″; and your eclipse gives, 9^h 10′ 3″, or 5^h 0′ 43″ in relation to Greenwich.

“What has given me still greater pleasure, is, that the duration of the ring, as you observed it, agrees very well with the diameters of the Sun and of the Moon, which T have adopted in the third edition of my Astronomy (1792), and the diminutions that I there propose for eclipses; viz. 3″½ to be taken from the diameter of the Sun, and 2″ from that of the Moon.

“I pray you to make many compliments for me, to the astronomers whom I know, in your country, Mr. Willard at Beverley and Mr. Williams at Cambridge: Is there any other astronomer, now, who applies himself seriously to astronomy? I greet you with health and brotherhood.

“LALANDE. “Professor of Astronomy, and Inspector of the College of France, Cambray Place.“

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Footnote 292: