Price.] '^i^ [Dec. 1?, 



science without whose protection no otlier science could be ciiltivated ; 

 nor civilization, or happiness, be maintained among mankind. 



John Meredith Read, LL. D., a member of this Society, died on the 

 29th of Kovember, 1874. He was son of John Read, a former Senator of 

 this State, a member of the Bar, and a long time President of the Bank 

 of Philadelphia ; and a grandson of George Read, a signer of the Dec- 

 laration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States ; and 

 Chief Justice of the State of Delaware. Our fellow member was born 

 in this city July 21, 1797, graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, 

 A. B., in 1812 ; was called to the Bar in 1818. He was elected to the 

 House of Representatives of this State in 1822 and in 1823. He was 

 afterwards City Solicitor and member of Select Council, and in the latter 

 capacity drew up a full and connected account of the finances of the city. 

 Yet later he was successively District Attorney of the United States, and 

 Attorney-General of the State of Pennsylvania. An enumeration of 

 numerous pamphlets containing his reports and arguments may be found 

 in the second volume of AUibone's Dictionary of Authors, under his 

 name. 



Long before his elevation to the Bench Mr. Read stood among the 

 leaders of the Bar of Philadelphia, at a period when it was greatly dis- 

 tinguished; when his cotemporaries were the Sergeants, Binney, Chauncey, 

 the Rawles, the Ingersolls, Williams, Meredith, and other eminent coun- 

 sellors and advocates. His arguments can be here described but by their 

 general characteristics. These evinced the most careful and thorough 

 preparations, both as to facts and law, with an ample brief written by 

 his own hand. From this he spoke with great earnestness and power, 

 with a strong voice. His own strong conviction jsreceded and was potent 

 for the convincement of court and jury. You never perceived that he 

 spoke because he was employed to speak, but because he felt it his duty 

 to speak ; and he no doubt did generally speak according to his actual 

 conviction. 



In the celebrated trial of Hanway, in 1851, for treason, Mr. Read was 

 engaged with Thadeus Stevens and J. J. Lewis for the defendant. His 

 preparations for that trial were thorough, and the defence was masterly 

 and successful. In preparation he studied the slave laws of the South, 

 and the law of treason as held in England and the United States. Mr. 

 Stevens afterwards said of that argument. "This speech was never fully 

 reported ; if it had been it would have settled the law of treason in the 

 United States for a century. ' ' The alleged treason consisted in defending 

 fugitive slaves from capture. Hanway violated the law, but did not levy 

 war against the United States ; therefore, did not commit treason. 



Though Mr. Read belonged to the Democratic party, he always had a 

 repugnance to slavery ; and when the Missouri Compromise was annulled, 

 and that party sought to extend slavery over the territories, it was of 

 necessity that he should soon leave it for the "Free Soil" movement. In 

 a Democratic Convention held in Pittsburgh, in 1849, be offered a resolu- 



