2 Biographical Notice of [July, 



British army, and died in that station of the yellow fever, in the 

 island of Barbadoes ; and Archibald received a commission of 

 surgeon in the British navy, in which he continued until disqua- 

 lified by old age, when he retired from business, and died a few 

 years since in London. For many years he acted as surgeon to 

 the several ships commanded by Sir Peter Parker, Captain, and 

 afterward Admiral. 



Dr. William Bruce, before his final separation from his family, 

 on the occasion of his being ordered to the West India station, 

 had always declared that his son Archibald should never be 

 educated for the medical profession ; and finally enjoined such 

 instruction upon his wife and friends, to whom the charge of the 

 boy was committed. After his decease, the same injunction 

 was repeated by the uncle, then in Europe, who was ever averse 

 to his nephew's making choice of this profession : much pains 

 were, therefore, early exerted to divert him from such inclination. 



The momentous state of political affairs induced his mother to 

 send him to Halifax, under the care of William Almon, M.D. a 



E articular friend of her husband, with whom, however, remaining 

 ut a short time, he returned to New York ; and was placed at a 

 boarding-school at Flatbush, Long Island, under the direction of 

 Peter Wilson, LL.D. who was in high standing as a teacher of 

 the languages. 



In 1791 he was admitted a student of the arts in Columbia 

 College. Nicholas Romayne, M.D. was at this time among the 

 physicians of highest consideration in New York, and was 

 engaged in delivering lectures on different subjects of medical 

 sciences in Columbia College. Having pursued the early part 

 of his medical studies with Dr. William Bruce, he felt a gene- 

 rous gratitude for the instruction and attention which he had 

 received from him, and endeavoured to requite them by advising 

 with his son, and promoting his views, as far as lay in his power. 

 Here commenced a friendship which increased with advancing 

 years, and terminated but with life. At this period, young 

 Bruce began to evince a desire to oppose the inclination of his 

 father and friends by studying medicine; this study, without 

 their knowledge, and while a student of the arts in the senior 

 class, he commenced by attending Dr. Romayne's lectures. 

 Such was the strong bent of his mind towards the study of medi- 

 cine and its collateral physical pursuits, that the persuasion and 

 remonstrances of his friends proved alike ineffectual, and he 

 soon gave free scope to the prevailing inclination. 



The collection and examination of minerals, a pursuit not then 

 at all attended to in this country, was his particular relief from 

 other studies ; for even during his recreation, he was ever on the 

 look-out for something new or instructing in mineralogy. 



Dr. Romayne being about visiting Europe, young Bruce pur- 

 sued his studies with Samuel Bard, M.D. ; and having attended 

 the usual courses in Columbia College, he left the United States 



