88 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
March 
/ 
Elkanah Watson, always a private citizen, occu¬ 
pied for many years a prominent position in soeiey. A 
life, protracted far beyond the ordinary term allotted to 
man, embracing the thrilling period of the Revolution, 
and intimately associated with many prominent actors 
in its scenes, in both hemispheres ; occupied in the agi¬ 
tation of varied subjects of public improvement and 
popular interest, and in the discussion and controver¬ 
sies incident to them, must necessarily be fraught with 
incident and topics which cannot adequately be exhib¬ 
ited in our limited columns. We can scarcely present 
more than a naked synopsis of some of the prominent 
events of a peculiarly active and variegated career, 
with a little detail of the eminent services of Mr. Wat¬ 
son in the promotion of agricultural improvements. 
Mr. Watson was born in Plymouth, Mass. He traced 
his lineage to the pilgrims of the-Mayflower, being de¬ 
scended from the first marriage, as is supposed, solemn¬ 
ized in New England. The qualities of his puritan 
ancestors, enterprize, an active and inquiring mind, and 
an ardent love of liberty, were strongly impressed upon 
his character. In accordance with the usages of those 
days, he was withdrawn at an early age from school, and 
placed with John Brown, of Providence, then among the 
wealthiest and most eminent merchants of the Colonies. 
The agitating scenes of the revolution aroused all the 
sympathies of Mr. Watson, who was repeatedly under 
arms during the contest. His memoirs contain a glow¬ 
ing and graphic account of probably the first cruise of 
a colonial vessel, in avowed opposition to the flag of Eng¬ 
land, in which he was engaged with a design to intercept 
and rescue Mr. Brown, a prisoner under arrest by the 
government, in his passage from Providence to Boston. 
In the service of Mr. Brown, and intrusted with a large 
amount of funds, he travelled in 1777, on horseback, from 
Boston to Georgia. Passing almost along the line of the 
military operations of the war, his journals exhibit a most 
exciting picture of the spirit and incidents of the times. 
On his return from the south, Mr. Watson sailed for 
France in a packet,bearing despatches to Dr. Franklin 
at Paris. With much difficulty and hazard they evaded 
the British cruisers, and safely reached La Rochelle. 
He remained several years in France, residing princi¬ 
pally in the city of Nantes and at Paris. In the inter¬ 
vals of his business avocations, he travelled extensively 
in France, Flanders, and Germany, and always, as his 
journals evince, with an eye of careful and attentive 
observation. He ever afterwards cherished the most 
kind recollections of France, and the warmest sympa¬ 
thy in all her interests. While in Paris he enjoyed a 
familiar intercourse with Dr. Franklin, and in common 
with all who approached the illustrious patriot- and 
philosopher, was fascinated and delighted by the wis¬ 
dom of his tongue, and the benignity of his heart. 
During his residence in France, Mr. Watson became 
acquainted with John Adams. A close and uninter¬ 
rupted intimacy of more than half a century subsisted 
between them, cemented by a frequent intercourse of a 
confidential correspondence. The letters of Mr. Adams 
are of a highly interesting character, and portray the 
sagacity of his mind, and the lofty devotion and fervor 
of his patriotism. Mr. Watson proceeded in 1782, to 
London, as bearer of despatches from Dr. Franklin. 
In that capacity, and by the influence of letters from 
Franklin, he was brought into personal association, not 
only with Burke and others of that galaxy, which then 
shone in the British Parliament, but also with Priestley, 
Price, and other distinguished philosophers of England. 
