Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1840-05-02

To the Editor of the Jeflersaiian Republican.

4 To the Editor of the JefIersoiian Republican.
| had always believed that newspapers
: would be rendered more permanently useful by
devoting portion of their columns to ilustra
tions of the history of our country, and partic
ularly of our own State, and to brief notices ol
the lives Of its distinguished characters. 1t is
well known that many pesons have not the
leisure or inclination to extend their reading
beyond the contents Of a newspaper. aud were
the above plan adopted, all would be able tc
acquire an extensive fund # knowledge rela-
tive to our early history, Oui progress from in
fancy to maturity, and the fruggles of ourfath-
ers during the Revolutionary War, of which
they would otherwise be ishorant. With this
view, | have employed sohe leisure moments
in compiling from various purces principally
| from "Lives Of the SignersY and the 'Encyclo-
pGdia Americana') short biographical sketches
of the Signers of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence from Pennsylvania which may at least
lend to cherish the memoriss Of those patriots
as among the most useful able and viriuous
fathers of mighty republic.
If the plan meets with the appreciation Of
your readers these sketches will be followed
by others. a SUBSCRIBER.
Elves Of fzso SfgEEers OF the Deciar;e-
tioEa OF Ea2deEseEdeEace from PENN
sylvGAisa.
lst. George Ross, was born in 1890, at New
Castle, Delaware, where his father was the
pastor Of the Episcopal church. He commen-
ced the study of law, in Philadelphia, at the
age OF is, and when admitted to the bar, estab-
hShed himself in Lancaster, Pa. In l76S, MIR.
Ross was chosen a Representative IN the As
sembly of Pennsylvania, and retained his seat
in that body until I774, when he was elected
one of the delegates to the first general Con-
gress at Philadelphia. Atthe time of his elec-
lion, he was also appointed to report to the as
sembIy of the province, set of instructions, 20
raG,1lata tho ooa1,,ot ~ bi,,1s1.e
10 resign bis place in Congress on which oc-
casion the inhabitants of Lancaster voted him :.
piece of plate, to be paid for out of the county
stock, Mr., Ross, however thought it his duty'
to decline the present.
On the dissolution OF the proprietary government
in Pa, general convention was assembled, IN
which Mr.. r. was appointed to assist in prepar-
inc declaration Of rights Oh behalf OF the State,
in forming rules of order for the convention,
and in defining and settling what should be
high treason, and misprlsiOn OF treason against
the State, and what punishment should be IN
ficted for those olfences-in april, l779, Dir,
Ross was appointed Judge Of the Court of
Admiralty for the State of Pennsylvania but,
in the ensuing July, sudden and violent at
tack of the gout terminated his HE IN the 50th
year OF MS age.
I'd. Benjqulin Rash, NJ. d. was born on the
24th of December, 1745 (oid style) near Phlia-
delphia, and in 1859 entered the College OF
Princeton, where he graduated in l760, before
he had completed his 18TH year, the next SIX
wears of his life was devoted to the study oil
medicine During his noYltlate he translated
the aphorisms of Hippocrates into English, and
also begun to keep note book oil remarkable
occurrences which he continued through life.
From a part of this record written in the 18th
wear Of the authors age, we derive the only ac-
count of the yellow fever Of 1866, in Ph'ladel-
phia
In I776 he went to Edinburgh to study at
the University in that city, and took his degree
of II. D. there in l7G3 The next winter he
spent in London; in the spring he went to
France in the autumn he returned to Phlla-
dephia, and commenced the practice Of his
profession. In 1863 he was elected Professor
of Chemistry in the College of Philadelphia,
and when in 1871, the college was merged In
the University of Pennsylvania, he was appoin-
ed Professor of the Institutes and practice OF
Medicine and Of Clerical practice.
In the previous year he had begun to pub
lsh his new principles of medicine, depending
chiefly for the cure Of diseases upon bleeding
and ca,harlcs and these were more or less
developed by him in his successive annual cour-
ses OF lectures, for the subsequent % years OF
his life. In the year 1893 when Philadelphia
was desolated by the yellow fever to an extent
almost equal to that of the ravages Of the plague
in the old world, the theories and the native ge-
MUS Of Dr.. Rash's genius were put to the test