Miscellanies. 185 
time when the art began to attain high excellence among us. Still 
his work was very respectable, considering the circumstances of his 
self managed training; and-his maps and machinery, particularly, 
have done him credit. But it is superfluous to comment upon what 
may be seen in every volume of this Journal; a work which was not 
sufficiently patronized to afford, in every instance, the luxury of the 
most finished engraving; Mr. Doolittle was the American patriarch of 
the art; an amiable and worthy man-and a neighbor of the editor, who 
felt some satisfaction in cheering his old age, by even so small a mark 
of confidence, respect and kindness: for, the way of the world, too 
often, is, to desert an old and faithful servant, in the day when he most 
needs and merits protection. It is worthy of remark, that Mr. Doo- 
little’s last work for this Journal (as if it were ominous) was the tomb 
of Whitney, which he had not quite finished when he was called to 
Jay down his graver.* The rotascope of Prof. Johnson was execu- 
ted a few weeks before, and the map of Orange Co. was finished 
after he was arrested by the influenza which terminated his life. Mr. 
Doolittle was cheerful in his temper, and assured me, on his death 
bed, that he had long ago made up his views on the great subjects of 
a future world and felt his mind in peace in the prospect of death. 
19. Injury sustained by Dr. Hare from an accidental explosion 
of fulminating silver; with remarks on the dangers attending the 
use of that substance.—Many persons have sustained injuries, more 
or less severe, from fulminating silver, and much anxiety was felt for 
the safety of Dr. Hare, who met with a dangerous accident, of this 
kind, early in February. 
We learn from him that the quantity which exploded was such, 
as in its light feathery state, nearly filled an ounce bottle. It had 
been dried on a filter but, in three trials, failed to explode by 
percussion. By a subsequent exposure in the evaporating oven, it 
was rendered unusually explosive. Hence as Dr. Hare was in the 
act of pouring out a small portion, upon the face of a hammer, the 
whole exploded, without any obvious cause, unless as he suggests, 
it was a slight pressure, which might possibly have been created up- 
on a particle of the powder, between the neck of the bottle and the 
hammer. By the explosion, the bones of all the fingers of the right 
hand, except the little finger, were more or less broken; part of the 
* The last hand was put to Whitney’s tomb by Mr. J. W. Barber. 
Vol. XI.—No. I. 24 
