The daily gazette., 1875-02-03

Secretary of State, during the admis
istration of President Taylor.
On retiring from the position of
Purser, Mr.. Douglass purchased from
Mr.. Clayton the estate of Buena Vista,
a beautiful tract of land on the State
road about nine miles from Whining
ton, and commanding Il splendid view
of the Delaware river and surrounding
country, and removing his family
there, from that time made it his per
abode. Here for the last
twenty years he lived the useful, con
tented and uneventful career of
farmer and landed proprietor, passing
much time among his books and en-
gagged in keeping the. fields and or
chards of Buena Vista in high con
dition of fertility and pr0ductiveness,
in dispensing liberal but quiet hos
pitality and in the enjoyment of the
social amenities of life as far as his
feeble health would permit him TO do
so.
While in the Navy he did not fail
to improve the valuable advantages to
be derived from foreign travel, in
visiting places of classic and historic
interest from frequent intercourse
WIN dNtOIIl lpliSHtAt olllCtIS Ill OuI ON IL
and in the service of other countries,
aud subsequently from the society and
conversation of the brilliant and
learned men who surrounded his dis
tinguished Uncle in the public and
private circles at Washington. An in
telligent observer of passing events
and an unpretending scholar, his views
and opinions were the result of reflec-
tive habits of thought and ripe and
Independent judgment.
OF this society he was much esteem
ed and honored member and Director
always expressing a deep and lively in
terest in it's success. He was an enthu-
siastic student of The history of his nn-
tive State, and for many years had been
zealously persistent in collecting all the
books, pamphlets and manuscripts that
he could procure which related to the
| affairs of Delaware and to the lives and
| services of its public men from the time
of its earliest settlement. More than
| this, we are informed that he made a
record of many facts and incidents i'll
| the colonial and revolutionary history Of
our State which have heretofore escaped
| the search of general hist orians, and had
i designed that his collection Of manu-
/ scripts and historical works referring to
his State should Je left to this society,
which he hoped would never grow care
less or Indifferent in gathering and pre-
serving the memorials of former times
"rich," to use his own language, ''as our
little State is in the memories of the
past"
At the conclusion of the memoir,
Judge Wales, from the Standing Com
mittee on Biography, submitted the fol-
lowing resolutions, which were adopted
and the proceedings ordered to be pub
lished:
| RESOLUTIONS.
! That this society has received with
feelings of sincere regret the announce
ment of the death OF its late member,
James Il. Douglass, Esq
That apart from the sentiment OF per-
sonal sorrow which this sad event has
occasioned, in depriving us OF the com,
panionship of an atfable, intelligent and
cultivated gentleman, we deplore the
! loss to this society of one OF its most
useful and earnest Hbers, who cher
. ished an ardent sympathy with its OBJ
iect and purposes, uniformly manifest
ing IL warm interest in its proceedings,
land whose counsel and contributions
during the entire period of his member
ship have been of the highest value and
5 Importance.
That these resolutions be entered on
our minutes and II copy of the same,
4 duly attested hy the officers OF the ssocie-
6 ty, he forwarded to the family Of MIR.
!. Douglass.
The Standing Committee on Finance
> reported that they had examined the
y financial statement of the Treasurer,
l. and found the same TO he correct.
a The Secretary repoI ted the acceptance
s by the following of their elections;
Sir !. Bernard Burke as an honorary
!, member; George Smith, NJ. D., Of Della
ware county, Pa, as corresponding mem.
n ber, and Henry Il. dupont, Esq, and
:, Mr.. Albert Commons as active members
II Henry Pepper, ESD, was elected an
:, active member:
d donations of money to the society
e were reported from Anthony Nj. Higgins
h and Rt Rev. Alfred Lee.
v DR.. Bush announced that he had pre-
Il pared the paper which he had been inv
d ted to read before the society. Que an
a nouncement Of the time and subject vii
. be given.)
:, The Secretary informed the society
:, that Hon. VIM. q. Whiteley had con
" sented to prepare and read before IN
lie society n paper on "The Soldiers OF Del
v aware in the Revolution" and accord
n, ingly the Secretary was, appointed
- committee to arrange with Mr. Nhlle
81 lev for the reception of the paper.
Al. A letter was reported from General }
of Meredith Read, Jr., dated Paris, Dec. l.
w 1874, accompanied by copy of "0allg
y nani's Messenger" containing an o'ht,
~ ary notice of the late Hon. John NJ
az Read, of Philadelphia.
"a Rev. T. J; Littell presented, % on pen eehp !
til an interesting handbill containing like
M nesses of the first locomotive and car
ed used on the Delaware Railroad.
nd Adjourned.
IL TiItOn's Wife.
NV WI. 4: AZ, T;1top trOttp1 int