VOL. 4, NO. 2
ONEOP PRIESTLEY'S FIRSTLETTERS
173
ONE OF PRIESTLEY'S FIRST LETTERS WRITTEN FROM NORTHUMBERLAND, PA.*
Priestley sailed to America on April 8, 1794, and landed in New York on June 4th. After a fortnight's visit he went to Philadelphia, remained there until the middle of July when he started for Northumberland where his son, Joseph Priestley, Jr., had preceded him and established a home on a piece of land which had once belonged to James Woodhouse and had been conveyed by Benjamin Rush on February 18, 1794, to the younger Priestley. Here the son received his father. Priestley was contented in Northumberland from the beginning of his life there, and well he might be after the turmoil of the preceding years. Priestley's immediate tasks upon his arrival in Northumberland were twwclearing land and conducting correspondence. The land was needed for a home for himself, his wife, and the unmarried members of his family, while the letters were necessary to retain the loyalty of his old friends in England and to maintain the friendship of his new ones in America. Letters written by Priestley during these early days in Northumberland illustrate the two absorbing tasks. One of these letters, which came into my possession a few years ago, was written to Mr. George Humphries at Mr. John Vaughan's, Philadelphia. I t is dated October 15, 1794, and reads as follows: "Dear Sir:
I received your letter of 6 October & have paid Mr. Jenkins the 20 dollars you inclosed. I wrote to you last week that I had agreed to take the house. I am moving into it, & wait the receipt of your agreement with Jenkins to enter into a fresh one with him. Davy has been with Scott about the island & offered him £3000 & it is not certain he will sell it for that. Every one asks so much for their property that Davy is discouraged. Jenkins says the lot on which the distillery is placed is not included in the purchase, & he will not sell it tho' only 40 feet in front under £50 & the intermediate lot of only 40 feet cannot be had under 100 dollars. Bonum, Montgomery & Mackay are going to be taken up & taken to headquarters. Dr. Young says Bonum will be hanged, however I think that is all a farce as they have only to charge him with having
* Read before the joint session of the Division of Chemical Education and Section of History of Chemistry at the Seventy-Second Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Philadelphia, Pa., September 9, 1926.
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made use of some foolish expressions which a t most would only amount to sedition. I remain with best respects to John & Henry, Yours, J. Priestley." The significant feature of this letter is the portion devoted to land. Priestley was English at heart, though an exile from his native country, and like most Englishmen he loved the open country and craved ownership of broad lands. Scarcely had he set foot in Northumberland when he began to negotiate for land. The Davy referred to in this letter was a resident of Sunbury who kept a diary of his experiences. An entry made toward the end of 1794 says, "He (Priestley) has bought a lot of eleven acres (exclusively of that which he is building on), which commands a delightful view of all the rivers, and both towns, i. e., Sunbury and Northumberland and the country. It cost him £100 currency." About the same time his favorite son, Harry, bought 300 acres of land and began to clear it. Not only was Priestley interested in this work, but he actually helped in the labor of removing the timber. Letters, documents, and notes show that Priestley loved his home and his lands in Northumberlaud, and in this letter written so soon after his arrival there is a bit of historical evidence of this fact.
' T o thc mrmnr). nl i1.e R : v l I>.Jd,:~lll 1'rk,Ll+y wllo ~ I , i < a r t c flti: d Itlc c m t l i r flll F c l l Y.. 1894. . \ n r . ~I.:t..I#\ I.XXI. Return 8uuro thy re., 0 my soul for the Lord l m l h tlcslt 1,ountil~rllya l f h thce. I w.1 1.y me cluwil ,n peace 8 rlecp rx!l I .nvrkc in t h e morning ui thc rciurrrctron."
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