- Lunt William P. Rev
d. - Ellis
- Gregory
- His two Sons—
- Catlin.
- Duggan.
My Granddaughter, Mary-Louisa, was
seized before midnight with violent cramps, and sickness at the Stomach,
which kept her mother up with her,
nearly the whole Night, and my
wife a considerable part of it— She was convalescent, but
confined to the chamber all this day.— I saw this morning the two
planets and Arcturus and the Sun at rising—but all much intercepted by
Clouds. Thermometer before Sunrise at 36. I read in Pearson §. 21. Micrometrical scale
with a constant magnifying power—and §. 22. On the different methods of
illuminating the Lines, in the eye-piece of a Telescope—such as Dr Usher’s
lamp; Dollond’s lantern—Fraunhofer’s Lamp—Tulley’s Illuminator &c— The
theory of the Universe has been discovered by observation of the
Stars—and the glass-grinder, has accomplished nearly as much in the
cultivation of this Science as the observertor of the skies.— Optics,
Catoptrics, Dioptrics, Algebra, trigonometry, the Construction of
Logarithims, Mensuration of heights and distances, and keen eyed,
learned instrument-makers, are all essential to the Science of
Astronomy— Morning visit from Mr Lunt, who was going to
preach to-morrow at Plymouth. Also from Mr Catlin, the collector
and owner of the Indian Gallery, last Spring at Washington and now at
Boston; with Mr Gregory the Mayor of Jersey City and his two sons, boys of 10 and 12 years of age;
and of Mr Ellis,
also of Jersey City, who brought with him, two copies of the Memoirs of
General La Fayette published by
his family; one of them bound, to be presented by me to the Congress of
the United States; and one, unbound—for myself, with a kind and
affectionate Letter from George
Washington La Fayette—the General’s Son— Mrs
Smith, Mary and Charles’s
wife went into Boston, and returned to dine, in a heavy
thunder storm, and floods of rain— Charles went also to Boston, and returned home to dinner.
Dr
Duggan was here and called me out from dinner, with a
petition to Congress from several inhabitants of Quincy that a Pension
may be granted to Mrsth. of Jany 1794—only 14 days after the time limited by the act of
Congress of the last Session— The Doctor was very courteous— I told him
there must be a petition from the widow herself; which he said he would
take care to procure— Charles spent the Evening here; but his wife
fatigued with her trip to Boston could not come