near the Old Dutch Church on Smith Street" who advertised in 

 the May 27, 1754, issue of The New York Mercury that he made 

 and sold 



mathematical instruments in wood, brass, or ivory, theodolites, circum- 

 ferentors, sectors, parallel rules, protractors, plain scales, and dividers, the 

 late instrument called an Octant, Davis' quadrants, gauging rods, sliding and 

 gunter's scales, amplitude wood box and hanging and pocket compasses, sur- 

 veying chains, japanned telescopes, dice and dice boxes, mariners compasses 

 and kalenders, etc." 



Ham subsequently moved his business to Philadelphia where he 

 first advertised in 1764, stating that he worked at the sign of 

 "Hadley's Quadrant" at Front and Water Streets in Philadelphia 

 and sold all forms of instruments in silver, brass, and ivory as well 

 as "large brass pocket dials, fitted to the latitude of Philadelphia." 

 In 1780 his son James Ham, Jr., advertised from the same address 

 as a maker of mathematical instruments, specializing in "Hadley 

 and Davis Quadrants." ^^ 



The second exception is William Hinton, who advertised in The 

 New York Gazette and the Weekly Mercury of May 4, 1772, as 

 follows : 



WILLIAM HINTON, Mathematical Instrument Maker, at Hadley's 

 Quadrant, facing the East Side of the New Coffee House, Makes and sells 

 all sorts of Mathematical Instruments, in Silver, Brass, Ivory or Wood, 

 viz. Hadley's Quadrants, Davis's do. Crostaf's Nocturnals, Gunters Scales, 

 Plotting do. Cases of Instruments, Surveyors Chains, Dividers with and 

 without Points, Protractors, paralelled Rulers, Rods for Guaging, Amplitude, 

 hanging and common Wood Compasses, Pocket do. three Foot Telescopes, 

 Pocket do. Backgammon Tables, Dice and Dice Boxes, Billiard Balls and 

 Tacks, Violin Bows and Bridges; with a Variety of other Articles too tedious 

 to mention: And as he is a young Beginner, he flatters himself, he shall meet 

 with Encouragement; and all those who please to favour him with their 

 Custom, may depend upon having their Work done in the neatest and best 

 Manner, and at reasonable Rates. 



It is mentioned that both Ham and Hinton worked in wood in 

 addition to other materials, but it appears very likely that the 

 use of wood referred specifically to those instruments normally 

 made of wood, such as quadrants and octants, and not to other 

 instruments. 



Any attempt to relate the making of wooden scientific instru- 

 ments with the production of wooden clocks in New England has 

 no conclusive result, yet there appears to be some relationship 



^^ Rita Gottesman, The Arts and Crafts in New York, 1726-1776 (New York: 

 New York Historical Society, 1938), p. 307. 

 ^^ GiLLiNGHAM, op. cit. (footnote 35); p. 295. 



66 



