首页 >出版文学> LETTERS>第69章

第69章

  wouldratherleavethetransfertotheslowhandofaccident,thanhastenitbyguiltyexperimentsonthosewhoputtheirlivesintomyhands。Theonlysurefoundationsofmedicineare,anintimateknolegeofthehumanbody,andobservationontheeffectsofmedicinalsubstancesonthat。Theanatomical&clinicalschools,therefore,arethoseinwhichtheyoungphysicianshouldbeformed。
  Ifheenterswithinnocencethatofthetheoryofmedicine,itisscarcelypossibleheshouldcomeoutuntaintedwitherror。Hismindmustbestrongindeed,if,risingabovejuvenilecredulity,itcanmaintainawiseinfidelityagainsttheauthorityofhisinstructors,&thebewitchingdelusionsoftheirtheories。YouseethatI
  estimatejustlythatportionofinstructionwhichourmedicalstudentsderivefromyourlabors;&,associatingwithitoneofthechairswhichmyold&ablefriend,DoctorRush,sohonorablyfills,I
  considerthemasthetwofundamentalpillarsoftheedifice。Indeed,Ihavesuchanopinionofthetalentsoftheprofessorsintheotherbrancheswhichconstitutetheschoolofmedicinewithyou,astohope&believe,thatitisfromthissideoftheAtlantic,thatEurope,whichhastaughtussomanyotherthings,willatlengthbeledintosoundprinciplesinthisbranchofscience,themostimportantofallothers,beingthattowhichwecommitthecareofhealth&life。
  Idaresay,thatbythistime,youaresufficientlysensiblethatoldheadsaswellasyoung,maysometimesbechargedwithignoranceandpresumption。Thenaturalcourseofthehumanmindiscertainlyfromcredulitytoscepticism;andthisisperhapsthemostfavorableapologyIcanmakeforventuringsofaroutofmydepth,&
  toonetoo,towhomthestrongaswellastheweakpointsofthissciencearesofamiliar。Buthavingstumbledonthesubjectinmyway,Iwishedtogiveaconfessionofmyfaithtoafriend;&therather,asIhadperhaps,attime,tohimaswellasothers,expressedmyscepticisminmedicine,withoutdefiningit’sextentorfoundation。Atanyrate,ithaspermittedme,foramoment,toabstractmyselffromthedry&drearywasteofpolitics,intowhichI
  havebeenimpressedbythetimesonwhichIhappened,andtoindulgeintherichfieldsofnature,wherealoneIshouldhaveservedasavolunteer,iflefttomynaturalinclinations&partialities。
  Isaluteyouatalltimeswithaffection&respect。
  TORPEDOESANDSUBMARINES
  _ToRobertFulton_
  _Monticello,August16,1807_
  SIR,——YourletterofJuly28,cametohandjustasIwasaboutleavingWashington,&ithasnotbeensoonerinmypowertoacknolegeit。Iconsideryourtorpedoesasveryvaluablemeansofdefenceofharbors,&havenodoubtthatweshouldadoptthemtoaconsiderabledegree。NotthatIgothewholelengthasIbelieveyoudoofconsideringthemassolelytobereliedon。Neitheranationnorthoseentrustedwithit’saffairs,couldbejustifiable,howeversanguinetheirexpectations,intrustingsolelytoanenginenotyetsufficientlytried,underallthecircumstanceswhichmayoccur,&againstwhichweknownotasyetwhatmeansofparryingmaybedevised。If,indeed,themodeofattachingthemtothecableofashipbetheonlyoneproposed,modesofpreventioncannotbedifficult。ButIhaveeverlookedtothesubmarineboatasmosttobedependedonforattachingthem,&tho’Iseenomentionofitinyourletter,oryourpublications,Iaminhopesitisnotabandonedasimpracticable。Ishouldwishtoseeacorpsofyoungmentrainedtothisservice。Itwouldbelongtotheengineersifatland,butbeingnautical,Isupposewemusthaveacorpsofnavalengineers,topractise&usethem。Idonotknowwhetherwehaveauthoritytoputanypartofourexistingnavalestablishmentinacourseoftraining,butitshallbethesubjectofaconsultationwiththeSecretaryoftheNavy。GenlDearbornehasinformedyouoftheurgencyofourwantofyouatNOrleansforthelocksthere。
  Isaluteyouwithgreatrespect&esteem。
  RELIGIOUSFREEDOM
  _ToRev。SamuelMiller_
  _Washington,Jan。23,1808_
  SIR,——Ihavedulyreceivedyourfavorofthe18thandamthankfultoyouforhavingwrittenit,becauseitismoreagreeabletopreventthantorefusewhatIdonotthinkmyselfauthorizedtocomplywith。IconsiderthegovernmentoftheUS。asinterdictedbytheConstitutionfromintermeddlingwithreligiousinstitutions,theirdoctrines,discipline,orexercises。Thisresultsnotonlyfromtheprovisionthatnolawshallbemaderespectingtheestablishment,orfreeexercise,ofreligion,butfromthatalsowhichreservestothestatesthepowersnotdelegatedtotheU。S。
  Certainlynopowertoprescribeanyreligiousexercise,ortoassumeauthorityinreligiousdiscipline,hasbeendelegatedtothegeneralgovernment。Itmustthenrestwiththestates,asfarasitcanbeinanyhumanauthority。ButitisonlyproposedthatIshould_recommend_,notprescribeadayoffasting&prayer。Thatis,thatIshould_indirectly_assumetotheU。S。anauthorityoverreligiousexerciseswhichtheConstitutionhasdirectlyprecludedthemfrom。
  Itmustbemeanttoothatthisrecommendationistocarrysomeauthority,andtobesanctionedbysomepenaltyonthosewhodisregardit;notindeedoffineandimprisonment,butofsomedegreeofproscriptionperhapsinpublicopinion。Anddoesthechangeinthenatureofthepenaltymaketherecommendationtheless_alaw_ofconductforthosetowhomitisdirected?Idonotbelieveitisfortheinterestofreligiontoinvitethecivilmagistratetodirectit’sexercises,it’sdiscipline,orit’sdoctrines;norofthereligioussocietiesthatthegeneralgovernmentshouldbeinvestedwiththepowerofeffectinganyuniformityoftimeormatteramongthem。Fasting&prayerarereligiousexercises。Theenjoiningthemanactofdiscipline。Everyreligioussocietyhasarighttodetermineforitselfthetimesfortheseexercises,&theobjectsproperforthem,accordingtotheirownparticulartenets;andthisrightcanneverbesaferthanintheirownhands,wheretheconstitutionhasdepositedit。
  Iamawarethatthepracticeofmypredecessorsmaybequoted。
  ButIhaveeverbelievedthattheexampleofstateexecutivesledtotheassumptionofthatauthoritybythegeneralgovernment,withoutdueexamination,whichwouldhavediscoveredthatwhatmightbearightinastategovernment,wasaviolationofthatrightwhenassumedbyanother。Bethisasitmay,everyonemustactaccordingtothedictatesofhisownreason,&minetellsmethatcivilpowersalonehavebeengiventothePresidentoftheUS。andnoauthoritytodirectthereligiousexercisesofhisconstituents。
  Iagainexpressmysatisfactionthatyouhavebeensogoodastogivemeanopportunityofexplainingmyselfinaprivateletter,inwhichIcouldgivemyreasonsmoreindetailthanmighthavebeendoneinapublicanswer:andIprayyoutoaccepttheassurancesofmyhighesteem&respect。”SUBJECTSFORAMAD-HOUSE”
  _ToDr。ThomasLeib_
  _Washington,June23,1808_
  SIR,——IhavedulyreceivedyourfavorcoveringacopyofthetalktotheTammanysociety,forwhichIthankyou,andparticularlyforthefavorablesentimentsexpressedtowardsmyself。Certainly,nothingwillsomuchsweetenthetranquillityandcomfortofretirement,astheknoledgethatIcarrywithmethegoodwill&
  approbationofmyrepublicanfellowcitizens,andespeciallyoftheindividualsinunisonwithwhomIhavesolongacted。Withrespecttothefederalists,Ibelievewethinkalike;forwhenspeakingofthem,wenevermeantoincludeaworthyportionofourfellowcitizens,whoconsiderthemselvesasindutyboundtosupporttheconstitutedauthoritiesofeverybranch,andtoreservetheiroppositiontotheperiodofelection。Thesehavingacquiredtheappellationoffederalists,whileafederaladministrationwasinplace,havenotcaredaboutthrowingofftheirname,butadheringtotheirprinciple,arethesupportersofthepresentorderofthings。
  Theotherbranchofthefederalists,thosewhoaresoinprincipleaswellasinname,disapproveoftherepublicanprinciples&featuresofourConstitution,andwould,Ibelieve,welcomeanypubliccalamitywarwithEnglandexceptedwhichmightlessentheconfidenceofourcountryinthoseprinciples&forms。Ihavegenerallyconsideredthemratherassubjectsforamad-house。Buttheyarenowplayingagameofthemostmischevioustendency,withoutperhapsbeingthemselvesawareofit。TheyareendeavoringtoconvinceEnglandthatwesuffermorebytheembargothantheydo,&
  thatiftheywillbutholdoutawhile,wemustabandonit。Itistrue,thetimewillcomewhenwemustabandonit。Butifthisisbeforetherepealoftheordersofcouncil,wemustabandonitonlyforastateofwar。Thedayisnotdistant,whenthatwillbepreferabletoalongercontinuanceoftheembargo。Butwecanneverremovethat,&letourvesselsgoout&betakenundertheseorders,withoutmakingreprisal。Yetthisistheverystateofthingswhichthesefederalmonarchistsareendeavoringtobringabout;andinthisitisbuttoopossibletheymaysucceed。Butthefactis,thatifwehavewarwithEngland,itwillbesolelyproducedbytheirmanoeuvres。Ithinkthatintwoorthreemonthsweshallknowwhatwillbetheissue。
  Isaluteyouwithesteem&respect。
  BONESFORTHENATIONALINSTITUTE
  _ToLacepede,withaCatalogue_
  _Washington,July14,1808_
  SIR,——Ifmyrecollectiondoesnotdeceiveme,thecollectionoftheremainsoftheanimalincognitumoftheOhiosometimescalledmammoth,possessedbytheCabinetofNaturalHistoryatParis,isnotverycopious。Underthisimpression,andpresumingthatthisCabinetisalliedtotheNationalInstitute,towhichIamdesirousofrenderingsomeservice,Ihavelatelyavailedmyselfofanopportunityofcollectingsomeofthoseremains。GeneralClarkethecompanionofGovernorLewisinhisexpeditiontothePacificOcean
  being,onalatejourney,topassbytheBig-boneLickoftheOhio,waskindenoughtoundertaketoemployformeanumberoflaborers,andtodirecttheiroperationsindiggingforthesebonesatthisimportantdepositofthem。TheresultoftheseresearcheswillappearintheenclosedcatalogueofspecimenswhichIamnowabletoplaceatthedisposaloftheNationalInstitute。AnavisobeingtoleavethisplaceforsomeportofFranceonpublicservice,IdeliverthepackagestoCaptainHaley,tobedepositedwiththeConsuloftheUnitedStates,atwhateverporthemayland。TheyareaddressedtoMr。WardenofourlegationatParis,fortheNationalInstitute,andhewillhavethehonorofdeliveringthem。TotheseIhaveaddedthehornsofananimalcalledbythenativestheMountainRam,resemblingthesheepbyhishead,butmorenearlythedeerinhisotherparts;
  asalsotheskinofanotheranimal,resemblingthesheepbyhisfleecebutthegoatinhisotherparts。ThisiscalledbythenativestheFleecyGoat,orinthestyleofthenaturalhistorian,thePokotragos。IsuspectittobenearlyrelatedtothePacos,andwerewetogroupthefleecyanimalstogether,itwouldstandperhapswiththeVigogne,Pacos,andSheep。TheMountainRamwasfoundinabundancebyMessrs。LewisandClarkeontheirwesterntour,andwasfrequentlyanarticleoffoodfortheirparty,andesteemedmoredelicatethanthedeer。TheFleecyGoattheydidnotsee,butprocuredtwoskinsfromtheIndians,ofwhichthisisone。TheirdescriptionwillbegivenintheworkofGovernorLewis,thejournalandgeographicalpartofwhichmaybesoonexpectedfromthepress;
  butthepartsrelatingtotheplantsandanimalsobservedinhistour,willbedelayedbytheengravings。Inthemeantime,theplantsofwhichhebroughtseeds,havebeenverysuccessfullyraisedinthebotanicalgardenofMr。HamiltonoftheWoodlands,andbyMr。
  McMahon,agardenerofPhiladelphia;andonthewhole,itiswithpleasureIcanassureyouthattheadditiontoourknowledgeineverydepartment,resultingfromthistourofMessrs。LewisandClarke,hasentirelyfulfilledmyexpectationsinsettingitonfoot,andthattheworldwillfindthatthosetravellershavewellearneditsfavor。
  IwilltakecarethattheInstituteaswellasyourselfshallreceiveGovernorLewis’sworkasitappears。
  ItiswithpleasureIembracethisoccasionofreturningyoumythanksforthefavorofyourveryvaluableworks,_surlespoissonsetlescetacees_,whichyouweresokindastosendmethroughMr。
  LivingstonandGeneralTurreau,andwhichIfindentirelyworthyofyourhighreputationintheliteraryworld。ThatIhavenotsoonermadethisacknowledgmenthasnotproceededfromanywantofrespectandattachmenttoyourself,orajustvalueofyourestimablepresent,butfromthestrongandincessantcallsofdutytootherobjects。Thecandorofyourcharactergivesmeconfidenceofyourindulgenceonthishead,andIassureyouwithtruththatnocircumstancesaremorewelcometomethanthosewhichgivemetheoccasionofrecallingmyselftoyourrecollection,andofrenewingtoyoutheassurancesofsincerepersonalattachment,andofgreatrespectandconsideration。
  _ContentsofthelargesquareBox。_
  AFibia。
  ARadius。
  Tworibsbelongingtotheupperpartofthethorax。
  Tworibsfromalowerpartofthethorax。
  Oneentirevertebra。
  Twospinousprocessesofthevertebrabrokenfromthebodies。
  Dentesmolares,whichappeartohavebelongedtothefull-grownanimal。
  Aportionoftheunder-jawofayounganimalwithtwomolarteethinit。
  Theseteethappeartohavebelongedtoafirstset,astheyaresmall,andtheposteriorhasbutthreegrindingridges,insteadoffive,thecommonnumberinadultteethofthelowerjaw。
  Anotherportionoftheunder-jaw,includingthesymphisis,orchin。Inthisportiontheteethofonesideareeverywaycomplete;
  towit,theposteriorhasfivetransverseridges,andtheanteriorthree。
  Afragmentoftheupper-jawwithonemolartoothmuchworn。
  MolarteethwhichwesupposetobelikethoseofthemammothorelephantofSiberia。Theyareessentiallydifferentfromthoseofthemammothorelephantofthiscountry,andalthoughsimilarinsomerespectstotheteethoftheAsiaticelephant,theyagreemorecompletelywiththedescriptionoftheteethfoundinSiberiainthearrangementandsizeofthetransverselaminaofenamel。Thisidea,however,isnotderivedfromactualcomparisonofthedifferentteethwitheachother,forwehavenospecimensofSiberianteethinthiscountry;butfrominferencesdeducedfromthevariousaccountsanddrawingsoftheseteethtobefoundinbooks。AfewoftheseteethhavebeenfoundinseveralplaceswherethebonesoftheAmericananimalhaveexisted。
  AnAstragalus。
  AnOscalcis。
  Osnaviculare。