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his visit to America ,, was to make a pilgrimage to the grave of his ancestor , on the banks of the Susquehanna . The manner in which he accomplished this purpose , is told with much simplicity and truthfulness , and will be read with interest by all who venerate the memory of the ' patriot , saint , and sage . ' That the pilgrim was influenced by no very feeble motive in this act , may be
inferred from his-eagerly undertaking in its accomplishment a walk of 250 miles , in the middle of winter , from the banks of the Delaware to those of the Susquehanna , through a country of which the pithy expression that there was * no distinct road , ' conveys a tolerably distinct notion to the mind . The walk was indeed am adventure ; and deserved the record which the author has given of it , as introductory to that gratification of his pious and honourable feelings to which it led him : —
1 went to view his mansion , where the last few years of his life were passed . On the peaceful shore of the gentle Susquehanna he might congratulate himself , fi Di avere finalmente trovato un porto alia sua agitata fortuna . " The garden , orchard , and lawn , extend to the side of the river . A sun-dial , which still retains its station , was presented to Dr . Priestley by an eminent mathematician in London . Two large willow trees grow near the mansion ; under their shade he often enjoyed the summer evening breeze . 4 His laboratory is now converted into a house for garden tools ! the furnaces pulled down ! the shelves unoccupied ! the floor covered with Indian corn ! a stranger might be inclined to say ,
" Sic transit glona philosophise . But , when the chemist , or the historian , or the philosopher , or the divine , examine the records of the various branches of learning in which they are skilled , then will his name be honoured . To this laboratory the children from the school were accustomed to come , once a week , and he would amuse them with experiments . 4
The tomb of my grandfather , Dr . Priestley , is in the environs of the town , surrounded by a low wall . I knelt by my ancestor ' s tomb , and the perils and toils of my pilgrimage were remembered with pleasure . '—pp . 316 , 317 . mi , T-i T » l l i ¦ ¦ l , TXy l ^ Boundaries to the is
* The ' Essay on , ' appended ' Travels / an ingenious and original disquisition . We regret that we cannot go into the subject , but must content ourselves with commending it to the attention of the philosophical politician and student of history .
It may be added to our mention of the author ' s peculiarities , that his style has a singular and quaint brevity , which , though not meant for humour , often looks like it , and which occasionally produces the appearance of hints and memoranda , rather than of finished composition . The latter remark particularly applies to the Essay . We refer to such writing as this : — 4 The example of the Portuguese may be noticed . They visited
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848 Finch ' s Travels in America .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1833, page 848, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2628/page/44/
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