3 SIS.] 



Dr. Joseph Priestley, 



He settled finally in Northumberland, about ISO miles from 

 Philadelphia ; where he built a house, and re-established his 

 library and laboratory. He published a considerable number of 

 chemical papers, some of them in the form of pamphlets, and 

 the rest in the American Transactions^ the New York Medical 

 Repository, and Nicholson's Journal. Here, also, he continued 

 keenly engaged in theological pursuits ; and published, or re- 

 published, a great variety of books on religious subjects. Here 

 he lost his wife^ and his youngest and favourite son, who, he had 

 flattered himself, was to succeed him in his literary career ; and 

 here he died, in 1804, after being only two days confined to 

 bed, a few hours after he had arranged all his literary concerns, 

 inspected some proof-sheets of his last theological work, and 

 given instructions to his son how it should be printed. 



During the latter end of the presidency of Mr. Adam, the 

 same kind of odium which had banished I)r. Priestley from 

 England began to prevail in America : he was threatened to be 

 sent out of the country as an alien. Notwithstanding this, he 

 declined being naturalized ; resolving, as he said, to die, as he 

 had lived, an Englishman. When his friend Mr. Jefferson^ 

 whose political opinions coincided with his own, became Presi- 

 dent, the odium against him wore oif, and he became as much 

 respected as ever. 



As to the character of Dr. Priestley, it is so well marked by 

 his life and wiitings, that it is difficult to conceive how it could 

 be mistaken by many eminent literary men in this kingdom. 

 Industry was his great characteristic ; and this, together with an 

 extreme facility of composition, acquired, as he tells us, by a 

 constant habit, while young, of drawing out an abstract of the 

 sermons whicti he had preached, and by writing a good deal 

 in verse — these two qualities it was that enabled him to do so 

 much : yet he informs us that he never was an intense student, 

 and that his evenings were usually passed in amusement or 

 company. He was an early riser; and always lighted his own. 

 fire before any one else was stirring : it w^as then that he com- 

 posed almost all his works. It is obvious, from merely glancing 

 into his books, that he was precipitate ; and indeed, from the 

 way he went on, thinking as he wrote, and writing only one 

 cop3^, it was impossible he could be otherwise. But as he was 

 perfectly sincere, and anxious to obtain the truth, he freely 

 acknowledged his mistakes as soon as he became sensible of 

 them. This is very visible in his philosophical investigations; 

 but in his tlieological writings it was not so much to be expected. 

 He was generally engaged in controversy in theology ; and his 

 antagonists were often insolent, and almost always angry. ^ We 

 all know the effect of such an opposition ; and need not be sur- 

 prised that it operated upon Dr, Priestley^ as it would do upon 



