THE OOLOGIST. 



271 



tered their names as subscribers, yet he 

 received expressions of the highest ad- 

 miration and esteem from all. He ex- 

 hibited his book with some success at 

 Princeton college, Newark and Eliza- 

 bethtown in New Jersey. In New 

 York he found a few subscribers and 

 many admirers. The professors of Col- 

 umbia college particularly expressed 

 their esteem for his performance. The. 

 professor of languages being a Scotch- 

 man, and also a Wilson, gave him great 

 encouragement aud would have done 

 him any favor in his power. Tom 

 Paine, the author of the "Rights of 

 Man" was then residing at Greenwich, 

 ash >rt distance from New York. Wil- 

 son desired to visit the man about whom 

 so much had been said, and who was 

 now in the yellow leaf of life, being 

 something over seventy. Wils'n said 

 he found him sitting in his nightgown, 

 at a table covered with newspapers and 

 material for writing. Paine examined 

 his book with great attention aud was 

 so well pleased with it that he entered 

 his name among the list of subscribers. 

 He spent a whole week traversing the 

 streets of New York, from one house 

 to another. He said "he became as 

 well known as the public crier, or the 

 clerk of the market, for I could fre- 

 quently perceive gentlemen point me 

 out to others as I passed with my book 

 under my arm." 



On the 2nd of October he left New 

 York for New Haven, Middletown and 

 Hartford where he received a few sub- 

 scribers and much encouragement. At 

 Hartford an editor of a newspaper ex- 

 pressed the highest admiration of the 

 work, and paid miuy handsome com- 

 pliments to it in his paper. Wilson 

 writing to a friend said "that compli- 

 ments is a species of currency that will 

 neither purchase plates or pay the 

 printer; but, ueA'ertheless it is gratify- 

 ing to the vanity of an author, when 

 nothing better can be gut." 



The morning following the evening 

 he arrived in Boston, «he sought out 



Beacou Hill, an eminence overlooking 

 the city. His eyes were directed to see 

 that spot so justly celebrated in Ameri- 

 can history, Bunker Hill. A gentle- 

 man pointed out the spot to him and he 

 immediately explored the way thither. 

 He inquired if there was any one still 

 living in the vicinity who was engaged 

 in the battle, aud he was directed to a 

 Mi\ Miller, who was a lieutenant in 

 that memorable affair. Wilsou intro- 

 duced himself without ceremony, shook 

 hands with him. and told him that he 

 was proud of the honor of meeHug with 

 one of the heroes of Bunker Hill. They 

 proceeded together to the place, taking 

 with them another veteran who had 

 been in the same conflict. With these 

 veterans he spent three hours upon' the 

 field; the most interesting, he says, 

 which he ever passed in his life. As 

 they pointed out to him the route 

 of the British — the American line 

 of defence — the spot where Warren fell, 

 and where he-was thrown amid heaps 

 of dead, he felt as if he himself could 

 have encountered an army in the same 

 glorious cause. The old soldiers were 

 delighted with his enthusiasm, and, 

 after drinking a glass of wine together, 

 they parted with regret. He said, "no 

 pilgrim ever approached the tomb of 

 his pi'ophet, with more awful enthus- 

 iasm, than he felt as he drew near to 

 that sacred ground; and great was his 

 wrath, to find that a wretched pillar of 

 bricks, was the only memorial of those 

 who had shed their blood for their 

 country." 



He proceeded eastward through Mass 

 achusetts and New Hampshire to Port- 

 land. From Portland he travelled 

 through New Hampshire, stopping at 

 Dartmouth college, where he said the 

 professors were extremely obliging aud 

 attentive, particularly the president 

 who subscribed; thence through Ver- 

 mont to Albany and home by the way 

 of New York. The whole number of 

 subscribers procured during this tour 

 was only forty-one. 



