The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-03-24
From The Boston Patriot
THE HON NATHANIEL BoWDITCH, Ii. D

The death OF this eminent man will be felt in Ame-
RIGA national loss. His name was identified with
the science Of his native country and national cha
racter with Of science abroad indebted no one
indlydual-wlth the exception perhaps Of Dr. Frank
lln--so much as to him.
i Or. Bowdtch was horn on the Goth Of March, l773
at Salem, IN the State Of Massachusetts Ia his educa
ton, he had no other advantages than those afforded by
the common town schools, which at that period, were
comparatively mesgre, and inadequate to the great
purposes Of discplining and storing the mind with
knowledge
At the usual age he placed clerk, or appren-
tlce, 10 the store Of merchant, Salem and while
in that institution it is said, he used employ his lei
sure time IN his avonte science Of Mathematics and
various practical subjects connected with it.
Ills attention was directed, at early age, to the
Priaeip,a Of his great master, Newton. Bur, this
work published in the Latin language, which he
had not then learned he obliged to begin his read
ing OF it, by asking Of the Cambridge students
during their vacations at Salem, to explain it to him in
| English. He soon discovered, however that his own
knowledge of the subject with the aid Of the mathema
teal processes and diagrams the pages OF the Prn
cpla, enabled him to comprehend the reasoning con-
tanned in the modern and technical Latin Of the work.
more readily than he could do with the help Of the SUI
penor knowledge which the University students possess
ed Of the Latin Of Cicero and Virgil and he was soon
convinced that his shortest would be acquire
knowledge of the language for himself; which by great
perseverance he accomplished and enabled to read
any work Of science in it. And thus he another
/
lates Of himself that during his residence Rome he
obtained knowledge Of the language Of the Romans
by his knowledge Of the subjects which they discussed
in it, He aerward learned French, for the purpose of
having access to the treasures Of French mathematical
scence and, at late period of his life, he acquired
some knowledge Of the German language.
| little circumstance connected with his study OF
Newtons Principal, will not be uninterestng to the
learned and unlearned. The Latin copy Of it, which
Dr. Bowdltch used, was presented to him by mercan-
fta No
and would have thought Of opening the work but
he had preserved it, his little library of popular works.
as book that possibly might day be Of use to some
person. BY remarkable coincidence OF circumstances
the volume came to the knowledge Of DR. Bowditch
and his friend upon being requested to lend it, with
great lberalty presented it to him-he who, above
all others in the country the best able make the
most advantageous use OF it, So far great effects
may be Justly said to flow from small causes what i'm
portan consequences may have followed from the pre-
servaton Of this single aud apparently worthless volume,
| by an individual who could make Of it DR..
Bowdltch sometimes alluded to this occurrence; and
the occasion of presenting copy Of his La Place, to
friend, who declined taking it because he was no bet
ter able 10 read it, than his mercantile friend could the
Principal delicatey insisted upon its acceptance; and
the last resort, reminded his friend that if useful
to him personally, it might perhaps be placed in the
hands OF some one, to whom II might be valuable, as
| the copy of the Principal had been TO himself,
Dr. Bowdlich did not remain long III the situation OF
merchants clerk. His mathematical talent, IN town
eminently distinguished for nautical enterprise, could
not fail of being called into exercise In connection with
the art Of navigation and large portion of the well
known skill Of the navigatos of Salem may Justly be
considered the fruits OF the instruction which may be
traced, directly indirectly, to his scientific acquire
ments. He was, besides, practical navigator himself
for few years; principally, if not exclusively IN East
India voyages which gave him the most favorable OPP
portunties OF rendering his mathematical studies prac-
tcaly useful to the nautical interest of his country
| At that period, the common treatise on navigation
| the well known work OF Hamilton Moore; which
has occasoncd many shpwreck, but which DIR Bow
ditch, like many other navigators, obliged to use
But upon examining il, in his daily operations, he
| found it Astounding with bunders aud over-run with
typographical errors, particularly in the Nautical Ia
bles, in which, above all parts Of the work. great &C
curacy indispensable; of these last errors, many
thousands, of or less importance, were corrected
his early revisions of the work He published several
editions of Moore's work under that authors name but
the whole fabric at length underwent many changes
and radical Improvements by the addition OF new, and
the rejection Of old and worthless matter, as to warrant
his publishing it under his and the work OF
Moore's rs only remembered from its having been
superseded by Bowditch's Navigator"
1t may be added, that he enabled to give the
greater accuracy to his work BY of collection of
manuscript Journals of his seaaring townsmen, pre-
served in the valuable East India Societys Museum,
in Salem BY rule of that assoclatlon-which is be-
lleved to have been proposed by DR. Bowdltch-each
member required TO carry with HIM on every voy-
/
pose of keeping journal of observations and remark
able occurrences these journals (now amounting to
many voumes) at tho end Of the voyage were returned
to the Museum and they form repository Of immune
rabc observations in nautical and geographical science
! not to be found in any other sources.
In connection with this part Of the subject, 1t should
be further observed, that DR. Bowdtch also employed
himself during several seasons (lS05, g. ~ IN making
elaborate photographed survey OF the harbour OF Sa-
lem with the dacent harbours OF Marhehead, Beverly
| nd Of ha NH aha m num
chart of surprising beauty and accuracy. With such
extraordinary exactness this aborlous work per-
formed, that the pilots Of the port discovered and were
the first to observe the author, that many oil their
! andmarks-wbch however, DIR Is did not know to be
such-were in fact laid down with such perfect aecnra-
CIV in the survey that the various ranges the chart
coesponded with the possible precision to those
| OF the natural objects themselves.
+ The ardour and perseverance which distinguished Dr.
through life very early conspicuous III the prose-
! cu,ion Of his mathematical and philosophical studies
! While his pccuniary means very limited, he used
to make copous abstracts Of the scientific papers IN
that immense repository, the Philosophical Transactions
! of the ROYAL Society of London this labor was con-
j tlnued through many years and the numerous large
volumes Of these manuscript abstracts III his library
embracing great portion OF that whole work, still re.
main the testimonials of his uutirng industry and zeal
| III the of science,
During large part Of his life he principal con-
lributor 10 the Memoirs Of the American Academy
aud il is unnecessary to add that his communications
arc among the most important in that work lie Is
also tho author Of few reviews in the leading journals
| Of the tines
In the year 1906, the particular instance as II was
said Of the late Chief Justice Parsons-whose cxtraor-
binary at,ainrnens included knowledge o. the nsher
! branches of ma,hcmatics--Dr. Bowdtcb was elected
Professor Of Mathematics aud Natural Philosophy IN
| the University Of Cambridge He could not, however,
be persuaded to accept the office principally, is be-
! leved il not wholly from apprehension, that the