,,james ,,cutbush     ,,james ,,cutbush 
,,an ,,american ,,chemist  #aghh-ahbc   
,,by ,,edgar ,f4 ,,smith ,,provost ,,of 
,,the ,,university ,,of ,,pennsylvania  
,let us preserve the memory of the      
deserving2 perhaps it may prompt others 
likewise to deserve--   ,,philadelphia1 
,,pa4 #aiai  ,,printed ,,by ,j4 ,b4     
,,lippincott ,,company     ,,to ,,my    
,,fellow-,,chemists     ,,preface       
,there is nothing thrilling in the      
following pages4 ,they contain the story
 of the life-work of a very modest man  
deeply interested in and enamoured with 
the science of chemistry1 who sought    
also to inspire others and to           
familiarize the general public of his   
time with the intimate connection of    
chemistry with manufactures and things  
which enter so largely into every-day   
occupations4 ,he was an active member of
 a small group of chemists who1 in the  
early years of eighteen hundred1 caused 
thousands of the laity to give thought  
to the possibilities of ,chemistry1 and 

in addition was a pioneer in            
pyrotechnics1 on which account he is    
deservedly entitled to every            
recognition4 ,more than a century has   
passed since his most serious efforts   
were put forth4 ,however1 it will not be
 long until that early galaxy of        
chemical enthusiasts of which he was a  
member will be accorded a high place in 
the history of the development of the   
science in ,america4     ,,james        
,,cutbush  ,,an ,,american ,,chemist    
#aghh-ahbc   ,it is scarcely conceivable
 that anything pertaining to the        
development of chemical science in      
,america would fail to interest its     
chemists4 ,the response to the needs of 
the ,nation in the last few years has   
shown how marvelously they wrought and  
the wonderful things which they brought 
to light4 ,yet in the long ago--in the  
days of which we only know by hearsay1  
and through desultory reading1 there    
lived chemists with enthusiasm1         
knowledge and initiative1 whose aim it  

was to have their chosen science        
contribute to the welfare of humanity4  
,in the labors of such men as ,james    
,woodhouse1 ,robert ,hare1 ,adam        
,seybert1 ,henry ,seybert1 ,john ,redman
 ,coxe1 ,joseph ,cloud1 ,gerard ,troost1
 and many others1 the scientific spirit 
predominated1 although with it went the 
purpose1 more or less sharply defined1  
of making their acquirements useful4    
,particularly noticeable was this in the
 instance of ,woodhouse4  ,the general  
consensus of opinion among present-day  
chemists is that chemistry should be    
helpful to all4 ,it may and should be   
scientific1 but its principles ought to 
be scientifically applied in every      
useful manner4  ,the reader1 desirous of
 learning the aims and ambitions of the 
fathers of the science in our country1  
will profit by turning to the files of  
the ,aurora1 an old daily paper of      
,philadelphia1 for the year #ahjh1 and  
beginning about the middle of ,july will
 there encounter a most interesting     

series of articles on the applications  
of chemistry under the general heading  
,,application ,,of ,,chemistry ,,to     
,,arts ,,and ,,manufactures  ,there are 
fifteen separate papers4 ,in considering
 the period--#ahjh1--the age of the     
young ,republic1 and that the times were
 far from quiet2 that unrest and        
uncertainty prevailed as to the fate of 
the ,republic1 it does not surprise that
 thought should have been given to means
 of protection2 hence gunpowder was the 
very first product to engage the author 
of the series of articles4 ,the proving 
and analysis of the powder are discussed
 at length4 ,the methods appear very    
primitive in the light of present-day   
knowledge1 but one must not forget the  
period4 ,one hundred years hence the    
masterpieces of present-day chemists    
will perhaps provoke smiles upon the    
countenances of those who perchance read
 them4 ,in this pioneer contribution on 
gunpowder analysis the charcoal of the  
powder is often called oxid of carbon4  

,in referring to the separation of      
potassium and sodium it is recommended  
to precipitate out the first in the form
 of tartrate4 ,naturally1 nitre itself  
comes in for serious thought and the    
explosibility of the mixture of         
charcoal1 nitre and sulphur arrests the 
author's attention1 for he emphasizes   
the fact--      that1 independent of the
 formation of gases or airs1 the        
agency of caloric1 or matter of heat1   
generated in the     process of         
combustion1 considerably facilitates the
 strength     of the powder1 in         
consequence of producing the expansion  
of     these airs4  ,recently1 under the
 pressure of a national necessity1 which
 will not soon be forgotten1 the problem
 of getting nitre--nitrates and kindred 
bodies--had the earnest attention of    
chemists4 ,so1 in the period before and 
after #ahjh1 methods of forming nitre   
had grave consideration4 ,for instance1 
this question1 now amusing1 was         
propounded--      ,how much nitre could 

be manufactured from the refuse animal  
and vegetable matter of the ,city of    
,philadelphia in case of     emergency8 
,what quantity could be prepared by     
elixating or     washing the rubbish of 
old buildings1 the earth of stables1    
cellars1 etc41 and the soil of certain  
tracts of the ,united     ,states8  ,it 
is quite proper that mention should have
 also been made of the natural nitre    
beds1 as well as of the artificial beds 
built up from slow experience4          
,reference is made that in ,france nitre
 was won from the lime and rubbish of   
old1 ruinous buildings1 and from the    
floors of stables and pigeon houses1    
while it is also recorded that during   
the ,american ,revolution1 the      same
 means1 by the hand of economy and      
industry1 afforded     quantities of    
this article in certain of the then     
,colonies1     and  that in the         
,southern portions it was obtained from 
the earthen floors of tobacco houses4   
,the presentation of the earliest       

methods of getting nitre is extremely   
interesting1 extended and elaborate1    
giving the reader a full view of pioneer
 conditions and endeavor4 ,the scheme of
 purification of nitre for gunpowder use
 is illuminating and attractive4        
,attention is directed to the saltpetre 
rock and caves of the western portion of
 our country4  ,the preparation of      
charcoal is discussed4 ,the adaptability
 of charcoal from various sources       
receives careful thought in connection  
with its use in gunpowder2 so1 too1 the 
sulphur used for this particular        
purpose1 and there is recommended as a  
source of this ingredient1 the common   
pyrites so abundant throughout the      
,states4 ,among other topics1 of vital  
interest in these days1 discussed in the
 continuing articles1 is the manufacture
 of spirit from potatoes4 ,the method   
employed in ,germany is presented in    
detail after which it is said--         
,potato spirit of excellent quality has 
been made in this     city              

7,philadelphia74 ,it is found1 not only 
to be much cheaper     than grain used  
entirely1 but to afford better flavoured
     liquor and other qualities which   
give it a decided     preference4       
,fermentation1 yeast and baking receive 
mention4 ,brewing and the different     
kinds of beer are fully examined4 ,in   
those days adulteration was practiced1  
for wormwood and quassia were found as  
substitutes4 ,the preparation of beer   
and ale for home consumption would very 
likely find little favor in the dry-bone
 spirit of the present1 much less would 
the refining of wines and other         
spirituous liquors of high alcohol      
content meet with approbation4 ,however1
 such prohibitory questions as are now  
discussed did not vitally concern our   
forefathers1 so that it was most proper 
and praiseworthy to advise the public   
how1 through the instrumentality of     
chemistry1 many of the needed articles  
of life might be made in the highest    
degree of purity4 ,in many homes there  

existed miniature brewing plants4  ,at  
the other extreme1 among useful         
commodities1 were the manufacture of    
fish glue1 common glue1 gelatine1       
albumen1 magnesia alba1 etc4  ,the      
several articles thus published in one  
of the most respected and influential   
papers of that early day--#ahjh--;had   
for their purpose the education of the  
general public in the application of a  
science to their use1 but there was also
 a desire to arouse a deep and steady   
interest in science in general1 which   
seems quite plain from a quotation from 
that remarkable address of ,dr4 ,john   
,morgan--at one time                    
,physician-in-,chief of the ,american   
,army4 ,the passage was--      ,oh6 let 
it never be said in this ,city or in    
this ,province1     so happy in its     
climate and in its soil1 where ,commerce
 has     long flourished and plenty     
smiled1 that science1 the amiable       
daughter of liberty and sister of       
opulence1 droops her     languid head1  

or follows behind with a slow1 unequal  
pace4  ,doubtless deeply moved himself  
by this impassioned appeal1 the author  
of the ,aurora papers exclaimed--       
,i pronounce with confidence this shall 
never be the case4     ,every useful    
kind of learning shall here fix a       
favorite seat     and shine forth in    
meredian splendour1 to accomplish which 
may every heart and every hand be       
united4  ,and then1 probably overpowered
 by an inner1 compelling force and      
conscious of the possibilities of his   
science in the cause of man and the     
undeveloped resources of our country1   
quietly awaiting the oncoming           
alterations to be performed by applying 
chemistry1 he continues with like       
spirit--      ,if ever there was a time 
to bring the ,arts and ,manufactures    
to perfection in this ,country1 it is   
the present2 for the     season is      
approaching1 when1 of necessity1 which  
is the     mother of invention1 our     
internal resources1 and the             

application of them to our wants1 will  
advance a brilliant     and glorious    
epoch in the annals of our              
,country--second to     none but the    
declaration of independence4 ,who is to 
establish     the chain of              
manufactures--to convert the crude      
productions     of ,nature into useful  
articles2 but you enlightened citizens1 
men of science and improvement1 artists 
and     manufacturers4 ,the laboratory  
of ,nature will be thrown open     to   
you1 and to use the scriptural phrase1  
',ye shall know     even as ye are      
known4'  ,throughout the whole series of
 these papers there is manifest that    
noble patriotic spirit which shows      
itself in the last paragraph4 ,there    
exists also an intelligent and unselfish
 spirit1 so that as one finishes his    
reading there comes to mind a query as  
to the author who wrote thus in         
#ahjh--who was this early advocate of   
applied chemistry--this enthusiast in   
chemistry8 ,each article bears at its   

conclusion the initials ,j4,c41 which in
 several of the earlier articles are    
erroneously given as ,i4,c4 ,they throw 
no light on our curiosity and probably  
no one would ever have known whom ,j4,c4
 represented had not the man himself in 
later life confessed that as a lad of   
twenty years he penned these papers4    
,they are exceedingly well composed4    
,they show a wide1 general knowledge and
 also great familiarity with the science
 of chemistry4 ,their young author was  
,james ,cutbush4  ,when ,robert ,hare   
was twenty years of age he gave to the  
world one of the finest discoveries made
 by a chemist4 ,cutbush presented known 
chemical facts for the use and          
improvement of natural conditions4      
,might not the young men of these days1 
surrounded by every sort of help1 make  
similar earnest and worthwhile          
contributions8 ,they surely can do this 
if they are imbued with the spirit of   
the forefathers--the ,american spirit in
 chemistry4  ,additional evidence of    

,cutbush's chemical activity at this    
early age may be seen in a contribution 
to the ,philadelphia ,medical ,museum   
7#ahjh7 upon mercury fulminate4 ,this   
interesting body he declared to be      
mercury oxalate and cited as his        
authority ,aikin's ,chemical and        
,mineralogical ,dictionary4 ,he believed
 that its oxalic acid content was due to
 the action of nitric acid upon alcohol4
 ,such being the case1 he argued that he
 saw no reason why the salt could not be
 prepared in a way by which no alcohol  
is employed4 ,accordingly1 he mixed     
intimately two parts of salt of sorrel  
and one part of red precipitate4 ,upon  
this mixture he poured sixteen parts of 
water1 and rubbed the solid mass        
intimately together4 ,in time the       
red-colored mass assumed an ash color1  
when it was collected on a filter and   
dried4 ,in his own words--      ,on     
trying a part of this powder on an anvil
 with a hammer1     it exploded very    
violently1 the comparison of which to   

that     prepared by ,howard's process  
was nearly equal4  ,while ,cutbush was  
in error1 relative to the true          
composition of the fulminate1 he at     
least gave to the scientific world a    
characteristic property of mercuric     
oxalate1 which does explode with        
considerable violence1 while at #ahj ,c4
 it quickly breaks down with a mild     
explosive effect4 ,singularly enough1 he
 seems not to have abandoned the view   
that the interaction of alcohol and     
nitric acid give rise to oxalic acid4   
,while doing experimental work1 ,cutbush
 was active in the dissemination of     
science facts through the medium of his 
pen4 ,thus it was in this year 7#ahjh7  
that he published the ,useful ,cabinet4 
,the surroundings of ,cutbush were      
congenial4 ,woodhouse was at the zenith 
of his career4 ,john ,redman ,coxe      
figured largely in ,philadelphia science
 circles4 ,the delightful and widely    
trained ,benjamin ,smith ,barton was a  
prime favorite with the younger men of  

science2 ,adam ,seybert was laying the  
foundations of mineralogical chemistry  
and ,gerard ,troost was soon to appear  
and give additional zest and impetus to 
chemical research4 ,to all these men    
,cutbush was known and favorably known1 
judging from his own allusions to them  
in his scattered writings4 ,of them all 
he seems to have entertained the        
strongest attachment to the celebrated  
,barton and the talented ,coxe1 although
 he wrote of ,dr4 ,woodhouse as an      
experimenter unequalled4 ,it is strange1
 however1 that his references to ,robert
 ,hare are few and meagre4 ,it is not   
easy to understand why this should be   
the case4 ,true1 there existed local    
prejudices and cliques in the closing   
decades of the #ahth ,century and the   
opening decades of the #aith ,century4  
,they are to be deplored1 but humanity  
is frail and perhaps it is wisest to    
pass them by1 yet so many things could  
be better understood if all the facts   
were laid bare4 ,frequent favorable     

mention was made by ,cutbush of ,john   
,redman ,coxe1 hence probably the       
appearance of several of his            
contributions in the pages of the       
,philadelphia ,medical ,museum1 edited  
at this particular time by ,coxe4 ,for  
example1 in #ahji1 ,cutbush published an
 article on the formation of ether in   
this journal1 and suggested that the    
product of the interaction of sulphuric 
acid and alcohol could be best purified 
by distilling it over manganese or lead 
dioxide and not over caustic potash as  
was customary4 ,he also dwelt on the    
production of ethylene in this process1 
attributing its presence to the         
dehydrating action of sulphuric acid    
upon the alcohol4 ,momentarily1 he      
rejoiced over this observation1         
believing it was new1 but promptly      
subsided when he discovered that        
,fourcroy and ,vauquelin had long before
 made the same observations and given   
the same explanation4 ,two years later  
7#ahaa71 in the same journal1 ,cutbush  

reported results gathered from          
experiments to determine the value of   
the hop to brewers4 ,he said much in    
regard to its essential oil in the      
preparation of malt liquor and repeated 
earlier personal observations upon the  
importance of chemistry in the brewing  
operations--      ,an art in which1 to  
the principles of chemistry1 many       
improvements have been made4 ,to our    
worthy and ingenious     countryman1    
,mr4 ,hare1 much praise is due for      
various     improvements in this art1   
which1 we may add1 were in              
consequence of his correct principles in
 chemistry and     natural philosophy4  
,here is one of the few references to   
,robert ,hare made by ,cutbush4 ,it was 
when ,hare was devoting most of his time
 and mental energies to the development 
and improvement of his father's         
business4 ,he applied his scientific    
knowledge to it1 only in the end to have
 it fail through the conditions which   
came upon the country during the period 

of the ,war of #ahab4 ,one cannot easily
 forget the filial devotion of ,robert  
,hare to his father in this particular  
business4 ,gladly would he have pursued 
pure science1 but he knew his duty and  
assumed it1 although unable to devote   
much time to science until #ahah4 ,but  
that story has been told4 ,another      
appreciation from ,cutbush which appears
 years later reads as follows3      ,the
 deflagrator of ,professor ,hare of     
,philadelphia is an     apparatus well  
calculated for many interesting         
experiments     on galvanism4 ,to that  
gentleman we are indebted for the       
compound blowpipe1 which produces a very
 intense heat by the     combustion of  
hydrogen in contact with oxygen gas4    
,notwithstanding ,professor ,clark of   
,england has laid claim to     the      
apparatus1 and the use of hydrogen gas  
in this way1 the     merit of the       
discovery is due to our learned and     
ingenious     countryman4  ,the next few
 years in the life of ,cutbush were most

 interesting4 ,he enjoyed mingling with 
his fellows1 and it is recorded that in 
#ahaj he became a member of ,lodge ,no4 
#b1 ,free and ,accepted ,masons1        
comprising in its membership ,general   
,peter ,muhlenberg and many other       
distinguished ,philadelphians in various
 walks of life4 ,upon them he made an   
exceedingly favorable impression1       
because in ,june of #ahaa1 ,cutbush was 
made presiding officer of his ,lodge and
 frequently thereafter he was invited to
 address his brethren upon some of the  
topics of the moment4 ,it is quite      
certain that he also availed himself in 
his dignified position to inculcate a   
knowledge of science1 and his favorite  
science chemistry in particular1 for on 
the pages of the ,freemason's ,magazine 
for #ahaa may be seen ,subjects and     
,importance of ,chemistry--an article   
for laymen in which is plainly set forth
 how the science enters every walk of   
life4 ,in many respects it recalls the  
introductory chapter of ,parke's        

,chemical ,catechism1 for it advises how
 chemistry      removes the veil from   
the fabric of ,nature1 and makes us     
acquainted with all the phenomena which 
happen around us4  ,the offerings of    
,cutbush were fitting and most timely4  
,they aroused the interest of his       
audience and induced many to enter upon 
scientific pursuits4 ,at one place he   
enlarged upon the wonderful medicinal   
properties of a chalybeate water near   
,colestown1 ,n4 ,j41 giving its analysis
 and the healthful effect it seemed to  
produce on those who used it4  ,again1  
in the ,december issue of the           
,freemason's ,magazine 7#ahha71 he      
presented a most interesting1 readable  
and succinct historical sketch of our   
science which concludes as follows3     
,thus chemistry is become an entirely   
new science4 ,it is no     longer       
confined to the laboratory of the arts3 
it has     extended its flights to the  
sublimest heights of philosophy1     and
 pursues paths formerly regarded as     

impenetrable     mysteries4 ,placed     
forever in the elevated rank it now     
holds1     rich with all its new        
conquests1 it is become the science     
most adapted to the sublime speculations
 of philosophy1 the     most useful in  
advancing all the operations of the     
arts1 and     the most rational for     
scientific amusement4 ,exact in its     
process1 sure in its results1 varied in 
its operations1     without limits in   
its applications and its views1 severe  
and     geometrical in its reasoning1   
there is scarcely any human             
occupation which it does not enlighten1 
and upon the     perfection of which it 
may not have great influence4 ,it       
bestows great enjoyment to every class  
of individuals3 and     who would not be
 ambitious of becoming acquainted with a
     science which enlightens almost    
every species of human     knowledge8   
,imagine for a moment the effect of such
 an enthusiastic proclamation of the    
powers of chemistry on the readers of   

the ,magazine6 ,it would be and no doubt
 was contagious1 with the consequence   
that our science was called upon to aid 
infant industries4 ,cutbush was         
far-visioned and dreamed of the         
development of our ,country's national  
resources4 ,he had the spirit of        
,woodhouse1 ,seybert and others1 who1   
too1 were actuated for our ,country's   
welfare1 for its development physically 
and spiritually1 and how better could   
this be accomplished than through the   
medium of science1 and in large measure 
by chemical science8  ,in his historical
 resume ,cutbush mentions some      of  
the philosophers who have 444 cultivated
 and enriched the     new theory of     
chemistry with discoveries which will   
forever     give immortality to their   
names1 we have to notice ,aikin1        
,babington1 ,bancroft1 ,beddoes1        
,blagdon1 ,cavendish1 ,chenevix1        
,crichton1 ,cruickshank1 ,davy1 ,lord   
,dundonald1 ,lord ,dundas1     ,fordyce1
 ,garnett1 ,hatchett1 ,henry1 ,higgins1 

,hope1 ,howard1     ,kirvan1 ,bishop of 
,llandaff1 ,murray1 ,nicholson1         
,pearson1     ,tennant1 ,tilloch1       
,thompson1 ,wedgwood1 and ,wollaston2   
and     ,achard1 ,crell1 ,gilbert1      
,gren1 ,goetling1 ,humboldt1            
,hermbstadt1     ,klaproth1 ,lowitz1    
,richter1 ,scherer1 ,tromsdorff1        
,westrumb1     ,wiegleb1 ,bertholet1    
,chaptal1 ,fourcroy1 ,lagrange1 ,guiton1
 ,van     ,mons1 ,proust1 ,sequin1      
,vauquelin1 etc41 etc4  ,to the modern  
chemist these names probably represent  
little4 ,perhaps a few sound familiar1  
but the majority are unknown to him4    
,for instance1 who would be apt to say  
much about the ,bishop of ,llandaff1 who
 wrote to ,henry1 author of one of the  
earliest and most delightful texts3     
,,cambridge1 ,oct4 #bh1 #aghg4          
,sir--      ,allow me to return you my  
thanks of the obliging manner in        
which you conveyed to me the kind       
notice1 which the ,literary     and     
,philosophical ,society were pleased to 

take of my essay2     and to assure you 
at the same time that it will give me   
great     pleasure to be acquainted with
 a gentleman who is so     eminently    
distinguished for his skill in          
chemistry1 as you     have shewn        
yourself to be4 ,i have been told by    
good     authority1 of an odd fact      
relative to calcined mercury1 the       
fact is this3 ,a bottle which contained 
some calcined mercury     which had been
 purchased in ,london was left standing 
without     its cork for near thirty    
years without being looked at4 ,when    
it was examined1 the greater part of it 
was revivified4      ,i have the honour 
to be1 ,sir1               ,yr obliged  
servt                       ,,bp4       
,,llandaff4  ,and this celebrated       
,bishop was no less a personage than    
,dr4 ,watson1 whose ,chemical ,essays   
are most charming1 instructive reading  
at the present moment4 ,students of the 
history of our science will find them to
 be so4  ,but all these early           

chemists--ancient1 if you please--are   
gone4 ,they cultivated chemistry with   
pleasure and ardor4 ,some left visible  
imprints1 while scarce a vestige remains
 of others4 ,their labours have made our
 path easier4 ,a century hence1 many    
honoured to-day and respected for their 
achievements1 will receive scant        
consideration1 though the work of the   
present looms up large in our judgment4 
,the founding of the ,columbian         
,chemical ,society in #ahaa was an event
 in the chemical circles of             
,philadelphia4 ,the old ,chemical       
,society of ,philadelphia went out of   
existence in #ahji1 with the death of   
,woodhouse4 ,the new organization was   
founded by a number of persons desirous 
of cultivating chemical science4 ,it    
comprised many young men zealous in     
research4 ,the names of eminent         
foreigners and distinguished ,americans 
are upon its rolls4 ,its meetings were  
monthly4 ,each year1 at the fall        
opening1 an oration on some chemical    

subject was delivered4 ,every month some
 member was appointed to read an        
original chemical essay4 ,it was        
recorded that      any person desirous  
of membership 444 previous to his       
election 444 shall read an original     
essay on some chemical     subject on   
which any member may speak not more than
 ten     minutes4  ,this feature was    
held to be important2 at least the daily
 papers made note of it1 as is evident  
from the subjoined excerpt3      ,the   
following gentlemen have been elected   
,junior members of     the ,columbian   
,chemical ,society1 during the last     
year1 after     having read original    
dissertations1 the subjects of which are
     attached to their respective names3
      ,mr4 ,t4 ,w4 ,robertson1          
',objections to the ,existence of a     
,principle of ,repulsion4'      ,mr4    
,francis ,brognard1 ',on ,chemical      
,affinity4'      ,mr4 ,lewis ,gerhardt1 
',on ,light4'      ,mr4 ,dudley         
,burwell1 ',on the ,chemical ,properties

 and ,medical     ,uses of ,arsenic4'   
,mr4 ,jeremiah ,j4 ,foster1 ',on the    
,history1 ,nature and     ,properties of
 ,oxygen ,gas4'      ,mr4 ,j4 ,c4       
,foster1 ',objections to the            
,antiphlogistic ,theory     of          
,combustion4'      ,mr4 ,charles        
,gignilliat1 ',on ,hydrogen ,gas4'      
,mr4 ,john ,bent1 ',on ,oxygen ,gas4'   
,the monthly meetings were announced in 
the city papers4 ,the announcements     
appeared at intervals through a period  
of years1 hence it may be assumed the   
,society was an active organization and 
that its members regarded it as of      
consequence4 ,the personnel of its      
official family is not devoid of        
interest at present4 ,a single volume of
 memoirs1 printed in #ahac1 is still    
extant and may occasionally be seen2    
from it will be learned that the ,hon4  
,thomas ,jefferson1 ,esq41 was the      
,patron of the ,society and its         
,president was ,james ,cutbush1 ,esq41  
,professor of ,natural ,philosophy1     

,chemistry and ,mineralogy in ,st4      
,john's ,college4  ,turning to the table
 of contents two contributions from the 
,president are observed4 ,the first     
relates to the ,prognostic ,signs of the
 ,weather and the second is ,on the     
,oxyacetite of ,iron as a ,test or      
,reagent for the ,discovery of ,arsenic4
 ,there is little chemistry in the first
 contribution1 and the second possesses 
value chiefly in the qualitative way4   
,they were evidently dashed off with the
 idea of arousing discussion1 in the    
hope that serious efforts might be set  
in operation in certain directions4     
,the thought which intrudes itself in   
looking through the ,memoirs1 noting the
 character of the individuals in the    
membership1 and upon recalling the      
chemical activities of ,cutbush1 is as  
to the man himself4 ,why should he1     
barely twenty-three years of age1 be    
chosen to such an important and         
prominent station as that of ,president 
of the ,columbian ,chemical ,society8   

,what manner of man was he8 ,what his   
qualifications1 his fitness and his     
position in the science world of        
,philadelphia8 ,a search through ancient
 volumes in many libraries failed to    
bring to light any facts bearing on     
these points4 ,the only fact discovered 
that had any value came from a newspaper
 advertisement bearing the date         
,october1 #ahai4 ,it read3              
,bleaching ,liquor1 ,artificial ,musk1  
,phosphate of ,mercury     and other    
chemical ,preparations1 prepared and    
sold by  ,,james ,,cutbush ,chemist and 
,apothecary ,no4 #be ,south ,fourth     
,street1 ,phila4      where complete    
collections of chemical reagents are    
kept as     usual4  ,here is a hint as  
to the occupation of ,cutbush4 ,he was a
 chemist--presumably a manufacturing    
chemist1 supplying the necessary        
reagents to persons desiring them for   
their chemical studies2 and further he  
was a pharmacist serving the various    
requirements of the medical men of the  

,city4  ,thorough search through        
newspaper files disclosed that from the 
year #ahaa and perhaps two years        
earlier1 and extending up to the year   
#ahac--various announcements were made  
by ,cutbush as to lectures of a public  
nature4 ,these help us realize the      
character of the individual and his     
work4 ,for example--      ,dr4          
,cutbush's course of ,evening ,lectures 
on ,chemistry will     commence early in
 the second week in ,november1 at the   
,laboratory in ,videl's ,court1 in      
,second1 near the ,corner of            
,chestnut ,st4  and several months later
 the following notice was found--       
,,lectures     on     ,,theoretical     
,,and ,,practical ,,pharmacy      ,the  
subscriber1 at the solicitation of      
several medical     gentlemen1 proposes 
to give a series of ,lectures on the    
,theory and ,practice of ,pharmacy1     
accompanied with the     necessary      
chemical elucidations4      ,tickets may
 be had at #be ,south ,fourth ,st4      

,price #bj dollars4                     
,,james ,,cutbush4  ,this was in the    
year #ahab4 ,early in #ahac1 a year     
after the preceding announcement1 there 
appeared--      ,j4 ,cutbush has the    
pleasure to announce to the ladies and  
gentlemen composing his class that the  
lectures on ,chemistry1     as well as  
those which are to follow on ,mineralogy
 and     ,natural ,philosophy1 will be  
given in ,st4 ,john's ,lyceum in a      
building lately erected at the ,corner  
of ,chester and ,race1     between      
,eighth and ,ninth ,sts4      ,n4,b4    
,the next lecture will be delivered this
 evening     7,saturday7 when1 at the   
request of several ladies1 the          
nitrous oxide or the exhilarating gas   
will be exhibited4  ,these announcements
 exhibit a phase in the development of  
chemical science which is worthy of     
pause and reflection4 ,science subjects 
had taken hold of many persons in the   
early years of the ,nineteenth ,century4
 ,some of them became ardent enthusiasts

 and missioners in the extension of     
those subjects4 ,as early as #ahjh ,m4  
,godon gave lectures on ,mineralogy1 and
 in #ahaj announced a work of two       
volumes with a quarto supplement of     
charts4 ,the science of chemistry also  
had its advocates4 ,cutbush was         
evidently one of them1 although not the 
first4 ,this honor belongs to ,dr4      
,patrick ,kerr ,rogers1 father of       
,william ,b4 ,rogers1 founder and first 
president of ,massachusetts ,institute  
of ,technology and ,president of the    
,national ,academy of ,science1 of ,dr4 
,henry ,d4 ,rogers1 the eminent         
geologist1 and of ,james ,b4 and ,robert
 ,e4--both distinguished in the chemical
 field4  ,it was in #ahjb that ,patrick 
,k4 ,rogers received his medical degree 
and embarked upon practice4 ,having     
spare time1 he began public lectures on 
the sciences1 confining himself from    
#ahjg to chemistry4 ,he was very        
successful4 ,one of his advertisements  
as it appeared in the ,aurora1 in #ahji1

 read3      ,,evening ,,lectures        
,,medical ,,and ,,chemical     ,for     
,gentlemen      ,,dr4 ,p4 ,k4 ,,rogers  
,having commenced a course of           
experimental lectures on     ,chemistry 
to ladies1 proposes to give a similar   
course to     gentlemen at a different  
hour4 ,twelve o'clock is the hour       
fixed for the former1 but as the        
gentlemen of the city are     variously 
engaged in business during the day1 an  
evening hour     will be more convenient
 for them4 ,the evening course is       
particularly intended to accommodate men
 who have a taste for     scientific    
information and who cannot1 on account  
of their     respective engagements     
during the day1 attend the lectures     
in the ,university4      ,a course for  
gentlemen will commence on ,tuesday and 
will     terminate in the last week of  
,february4 ,the hour will be     seven  
o'clock in the evening4 ,two lectures at
 least1     sometimes three1 will be    
delivered every week4 ,about #aejj      

interesting experiments will be         
exhibited and submitted to     the      
familiar inspection of the class4       
,several important     experiments not  
hitherto introduced in any series of    
chemical     demonstrations in this     
place will be displayed in the          
illustrations of different subjects4    
,the laboratory is in the lecturer's    
house in ,south ,ninth     ,street1     
opposite the ,university and is         
furnished with an     excellent chemical
 apparatus4      ,the tickets for this  
course will be ten dollars4 ,the persons
     to take tickets will be entitled to
 the use of the     lecturer's excellent
 medical and chemical library during the
     season4      ,persons wishing to   
attend this course will please call at  
the lecturer's home at any time before  
next ,tuesday in order     to enter the 
names on the list4      ,ladies are     
informed that the list of subscribers to
 their     course will not be closed    
until next ,monday at twelve o'clock    

at the hour the next lecture1 properly  
the first of the     regular series1    
will be delivered4 ,gentlemen are not   
admitted     to these lectures4  ,in    
#ahaj ,dr4 ,rogers gave out a ,syllabus 
of #ab octavo pages ,on ,experimental   
,lectures on ,natural ,philosophy and   
,chemistry1 in which great emphasis was 
laid on the practical application of    
these sciences4 ,it also stated that it 
is even esteemed1 in some measure1 a    
cause of shame1 for persons of          
respectable education1 to be ignorant of
 their general principles4 ,in one      
newspaper announcement ,rogers said that
 in order to get sufficient space for   
his audience he had procured the use of 
the elegant and spacious ball room of   
,m4 ,guillou4 ,in this special work he  
was repeating the labors of ,sir        
,humphrey ,davy in ,london4 ,in reality1
 ,rogers and his contemporaries and     
coadjutors were pioneer ,university     
,extension ,lecturers4 ,they sought to  
popularize the natural and physical     

sciences and also broaden the vision or 
outlook of their hearers4 ,in the case  
of ,cutbush there was a strong desire to
 utilize chemistry in manufacture4 ,this
 he emphasized more strongly than any   
other lecturer4  ,another participant in
 the science propaganda was ,dr4 ,thomas
 ,p4 ,jones1 who devoted himself to     
,chemistry4 ,the following notice of his
 lecture course is not devoid of        
interest3      ,on ,saturday1 the #acth 
inst41 at seven o'clock in the          
evening1 at ,dr4 ,jones' ,chemical      
,lecture ,room1 ,s4,w4 ,corner of       
,fourth and ,chestnut ,streets1 a       
lecture will be delivered on     the    
properties of nitrous oxide1 or the     
exhilarating gas1     accompanied with a
 number of experiments4 ,a large        
quantity     will be prepared to exhibit
 its effects when inhaled4      ,tickets
 at fifty cents each may be had at ,a4  
,finley's     ,bookstore1 ,s4,e4 ,cor4  
of ,chestnut and ,fourth ,streets1 or at
     the lecture room on the stated     

evening4  ,on perusing early chemical   
texts and advertisements1 such as those 
just given1 attention is pointedly      
called to nitrous oxide1 especially to  
its exhilarating properties1 for then it
 was laughing gas6 ,one ,philip ,h4     
,nicklin published a brochure entitled  
,,the ,,only ,,genteel ,,way ,,of       
,,getting ,,drunk      ,a character     
representation of the effects produced  
by     inhaling nitrous oxide gas4 ,the 
accuracy of which no man     breathing  
can deny4 ,price #be cts4  ,to-day1     
nitrous oxide means a benign ansthetic1 
so helpful and merciful when one is     
brought under the knife of the skillful 
surgeon4  ,the honor accorded ,cutbush  
by his election to the ,presidency of   
the ,columbian ,chemical ,society was   
merited4 ,he was not only an active1    
intelligent chemist1 devoted to the     
advancement of his science in all       
directions1 but he seems to have been an
 ardent enthusiast in the cause of      
education1 for on the #gth of ,november1

 #ahaa1 he delivered an ,oration on     
,education before the ,society for the  
,promotion of a ,rational ,system of    
,education4 ,his audience was large and 
consisted of the very best people of the
 city4 ,the printed oration shows that  
in addition to his chemical knowledge he
 was versed in the humanities1 in       
mathematics1 in philosophy and ancient  
history4 ,to-day the intelligent reader 
would pronounce the oration scholarly in
 every particular4 ,his chief purpose   
seems to have been to introduce into    
what was then the customary curriculum  
in schools a definite amount of         
science--natural and physical4 ,this is 
marked in the title of the organization 
before which he appeared on the occasion
 referred to1 in ,old ,st4 ,john's      
,church4 ,the whole community was       
interested in education4 ,a society of  
educators had existed for a number of   
years4 ,neef had for a long time been   
advocating a system which was in reality
 a modification of the ,pestallozian    

,system1 and men in every walk of life  
were seriously considering the          
innovations and advancements in this    
all-important subject4  ,little can be  
found in regard to the ,society for the 
,promotion of a ,rational ,system of    
,education1 but it may be inferred that 
the society had branches throughout the 
city and perhaps far beyond1 because    
elsewhere ,cutbush spoke of the society 
as under the ,presidency of ,john       
,goodman1 ,esq41 and that its purpose   
was to bring about a reformation in     
education4 ,further1 ,goodman was a     
prominent layman in the ,church of ,old 
,st4 ,john1 who with his associates1    
,messrs4 ,greiner and ,braeutigam1      
fellow churchmen1 deeply impressed with 
the new thought1 seem to have           
established a school formed out of the  
,lutheran congregation of the ,church of
 ,st4 ,john 444 instituted several      
professorships 444 one of which1 that of
 ,chemistry1 ,mineralogy and ,natural   
,philosophy was conferred upon ,cutbush1

 who proceeded to deliver courses on    
these subjects4  ,desirous of learning  
something in regard to ,st4 ,john's     
,college1 the authorities of ,st4       
,john's ,lutheran ,church were          
consulted4 ,it must be remembered that  
this is the oldest ,english-speaking    
,lutheran ,church in ,america4 ,it was  
founded by ,general ,peter ,gabriel     
,muhlenberg1 and a unique distinction of
 this church is that in a period of #aac
 years it has had but three pastors4    
,nothing in the minutes of the church   
showed that a movement toward the       
establishment of a college had ever been
 made4 ,moreover1 search in the archives
 of the ,state ,department failed to    
bring to light the granting of a charter
 for an institution bearing the name of 
,st4 ,john's ,college1 although in an   
old directory of ,philadelphia1         
reference is made to ,st4 ,john's       
,college1 and to the fact that ,cutbush 
was ,professor of ,chemistry1           
,mineralogy and ,natural ,philosophy in 

it4 ,the same source of information     
declared that the lectures were held    
back of ,st4 ,john's ,church in ,race   
,street4 ,it may be questioned whether  
,messrs4 ,goodman1 ,greiner and         
,braeutigam1 who were the leaders of the
 congregation in the early years of     
#ahjj1 and enthusiasts in regard to the 
reformation in education1 did not1      
perhaps1 carry out their thought without
 consulting the rest of their church    
associates4 ,in the history of the      
church there is a singular reference to 
the purchase of houses and lots which   
were known as the fourteen chimneys and 
the statement is made that the object of
 the purchase is not given4 ,these      
fourteen chimneys may have been the     
buildings back of ,st4 ,john's ,church  
on ,race ,street4  ,benjamin ,smith     
,barton was another professor in ,st4   
,john's ,college1 who devoted himself to
 ,natural ,history and ,botany4 ,mr4    
,greiner1 who was associated with       
,messrs4 ,goodman and ,braeutigam also  

taught in the institution1 and the head 
of the college or school was a ,mr4     
,bachman1 who later became a ,lutheran  
clergyman and naturalist of high repute 
in ,south ,carolina4  ,it is interesting
 at this far-away day to note the       
purposes of the ,society for the        
promotion of education as set forth in  
its constitution4 ,among other things1  
it is said the education of youth in    
useful knowledge ought to be a primary  
object with parents and friends1 that   
more especially ought every endeavour to
 be made in a religious community to lay
 a sure and solid foundation for every  
moral and social virtue4 ,impressed with
 a conviction of this important truth1 a
 number of the members of ,st4 ,john's  
congregation1 willing to give every aid 
within their power toward the           
establishment and support of a ,rational
 ,system of ,education1 have formed     
themselves into a ,society for that     
purpose4  ,the copy of ,oration on      
,education1 printed by ,cutbush1 which  

it was the privilege of the writer to   
peruse1 was the copy handed by ,cutbush 
,to ,dr4 ,seybert with the compliments  
of the author4 ,in spite of age1 these  
words are very clear and legible1 and if
 the only relic by which to judge of the
 character of ,cutbush1 would indicate  
him to be a man of intelligence4  ,there
 were many other societies extant at    
this period and through subsequent years
 which had for their object the         
promotion of scientific education4      
,among these was the ,linnean ,society1 
of which ,james ,cutbush was            
,vice-,president4  ,cutbush had the     
honor of being one of the few of the    
original ,society of ,philadelphia for  
the ,promotion of ,national ,industry1  
whose essays excited the attention of   
the citizens of the ,united ,states4    
,samuel ,jackson1 ,m4,d41 ,professor in 
the ,college of ,apothecaries1 was one  
of the most active members4  ,amidst all
 the activities of ,cutbush as a        
manufacturing chemist1 as a teacher of  

the science1 as a promoter of           
educational reforms1 as a member of many
 organizations1 he was very busy in a   
literary direction4 ,for example1 in    
#ahab he published a brochure on        
,hydrostatics1 in which were described  
various hydrometers and their           
application4 ,numerous tables appear in 
it as well as many interesting and      
serviceable problems4 ,it was designed  
for and was helpful to artisans and to  
beginners in the science of physics and 
chemistry4 ,it is appropriately         
dedicated to the ,columbian ,chemical   
,society4  ,in the year #ahac1 ,cutbush 
placed before the public his ,philosophy
 of ,experimental ,chemistry in two     
volumes4 ,it was dedicated to the       
,professors and ,students of the        
,university of ,pennsylvania and to the 
,trustees of ,st4 ,john's ,college4 ,one
 cannot fail to wonder why ,cutbush     
should have so honoured the ,university 
when there is no record anywhere that he
 ever pursued studies under the gis of  

the ,university4 ,indeed1 it will       
probably remain a query as to where he  
was educated4 ,he is often spoken of as 
,doctor ,cutbush and in at least two    
instances the title ,m4,d4 is placed    
after his name1 yet it is a fact that in
 no place where he personally was       
responsible for the printing of his name
 is there any title affixed to it4      
,every source of information from which 
it was hoped to ascertain where ,cutbush
 might have obtained the ,doctorate in  
the first decade of the #aith ,century  
failed to produce the fact4 ,libraries  
were searched and volumes that          
ordinarily convey such information were 
studied without positive result4  ,the  
little contribution on the ,philosophy  
of ,chemistry was favorably known1 for  
,silliman1 in his reference to ,gorham's
 ,chemistry as the first book upon this 
subject by a native ,american1 credits  
,cutbush with having written a similar  
work1 but speaks of the effort of       
,cutbush as more elementary and not as  

exhaustive as that of ,gorham4 ,the     
introduction in the first volume of     
,cutbush's work will always be          
interesting to ,american students of the
 science4 ,for example1 this quotation3 
,several original works have1           
accordingly1 appeared1 and some         
editions of ,european treatises have    
been published with     revisions1      
corrections and additions by our        
countrymen4 ,the     ,chemical and      
,economical ,essays of ,pennington1 the 
edition of     ,chaptal enlarged by the 
late ,james ,woodhouse 444 that of      
,henry's ,chemistry by ,professor       
,silliman of ,yale ,college1 with       
some others1 evince not only the        
learning and talents of our             
countrymen1 but a growing taste for the 
encouragement of     learning and the   
acquisition of chemical knowledge4      
,besides     these1 in the ,transactions
 of our ,societies and in the           
journals1 or periodical works1 several  
valuable papers have     appeared4 ,the 

genius of the medical students of the   
,university of ,pennsylvania1 in        
particular1 has been shown in     a     
number of excellent inaugural           
dissertations1 some of which     have   
added to the improvement of chemical    
science4      ,the first teacher of     
chemistry was ,dr4 ,benjamin ,rush 444  
who     may justly be styled the father 
of chemistry in ,america4 ,he           
commenced a course of lectures on this  
science in the then     ,college of     
,philadelphia2 and although chemistry at
 that day     7#agfh7 may be said to    
have been in its infancy1 yet the       
,doctor did honour to the chair1 the    
school1 and his country4     ,we now    
speak of him only as a chemist4444 ,the 
advancement of     chemistry in our city
 444 is also indebted to other          
institutions4 ,the ,american            
,philosophical ,society1 the ,college   
of ,physicians1 instituted in #aghg1 the
 ,medical ,society1     formed in #agga2
 the ,chemical ,society under the       

patronage of     ,doctors ,woodhouse and
 ,seybert1 which has since been         
dissolved2 the ,linnean ,society1       
instituted under the     presidency of  
the learned ,dr4 ,benjamin ,smith       
,barton2 the     ,columbian ,chemical   
,society1 founded in #ahaa2 the ,academy
 of     ,natural ,science--all show the 
zeal for useful knowledge and           
philosophical inquiry4444 ,for the      
introduction of popular     chemistry1  
the citizens of ,philadelphia are also  
indebted to     ,doctors ,rogers and    
,jones1 and to ,benjamin ,tucker1 who   
have     taught ,chemistry with much    
zeal and talents4  ,many attractions are
 found in the ,philosophy of            
,experimental ,chemistry4 ,the first    
discussion is that on ,chemical         
,affinity4 ,two experiments are         
introduced4 ,in the first it is stated  
,if equal parts1 by weight1 of sulphur  
and mercury be     introduced into a    
crucible1 and in this situation exposed 
to     a sufficient heat2 a compound    

will be formed1 called     sulphuret of 
mercury4  ,in the second experiment the 
student is advised to      ,mix together
 sulphur and potash1 and throw them into
 water2     the sulphur will separate4  
,if the same articles be put into a     
crucible and melted1 and then thrown    
into water1 the sulphur     as well as  
the potash will be dissolved4  ,and next
 comes the      ,rationale4 ,in the     
first experiment there is an instance of
     chemical action1 as well as of     
single affinity1 for the     sulphur and
 mercury would remain separate if heat  
was not     applied4 ,in consequence of 
this agent1 they unite into an          
uniform whole1 totally inseparable by   
mechanical means1 and     possessing    
characters distinct from either of its  
constituent     parts4      ,in the     
second experiment1 the union of sulphur 
with potash     is effected by heat2 for
 if a sulphuret was not formed1 no      
solution of the sulphur would take      
place4 ,hence it is that     chemical   

action is the consequence of a power1   
without which     it could never ensue1 
and with which it always acts in        
unison4 ,this power is affinity4  ,then 
it is remarked3      ,chemistry is a    
science1 which has for its object to    
discover     the constituent properties 
of bodies1 the result of the     various
 combinations1 and the laws by which    
those     combinations are effected4    
,its operations being either            
analytical or synthetical1 consist of   
composition1 or     decomposition4 ,the 
laws which govern chemical changes have 
been resolved into those of attraction  
or affinity4 ,affinity     of           
composition of chemical affinity differs
 from that of     aggregation or        
cohesion or corpuscular attraction1 by  
acting     upon matter of a different   
kind2 or by taking place between     the
 ultimate constituent parts of bodies1  
producing by its     action1 substances 
possessing properties frequently very   
different1 and sometimes contrary to    

those of the constituent     parts4     
,throughout the book the order of       
presentation is the experiment1         
rationale1 and remarks4 ,a study of the 
,philosophy shows clearly that ,cutbush 
presented his material in a rather      
original fashion4 ,his method is not    
observable in any of the text-books of  
that date4  ,in discussing potash1      
,cutbush wrote3      ,it has been       
supposed ever since our countryman1 ,dr4
     ,woodhouse1 made an experiment with
 potash that this alkali     had an     
inflammable base4 ,i am disposed to     
believe that the     ,doctor was the    
first one who hazarded this conjecture  
as to     the inflammable nature of     
potash when treated in certain     ways4
 ,the ,doctor found that a mixture of   
pearl ash with     soot1 calcined by a  
very intense heat in a covered crucible1
     when cold caught fire on the       
affusion of water4 ,the     experiment  
was repeated with charcoal with the same
 result     and the inflammation        

probably arose from the action of the   
base of the alkali on the water4  ,he   
says3      ,that ,thomas ,cooper 444    
repeated this experiment1 and           
succeeded1 ,i think1 after several      
attempts1 in procuring the     metal4   
,dr4 ,john ,redman ,coxe and myself also
 performed it1 but     in our attempt we
 failed4 ,the professor1 however1       
persevered1     and finally procured    
it4444 ,my brother1 ,dr4 ,edward        
,cutbush1     succeeded in procuring it 
by using the heat of a     black-smith's
 forge4 ,i have not heard of any other  
attempts     in this country except by a
 gentleman in ,new ,york1 who was       
also successful4  ,these statements     
substantiate the idea that ,woodhouse   
isolated the metal potassium quite      
independently from any ,european        
chemist2 it even looks as if he may have
 isolated it in the manner referred to  
before ,sir ,humphrey ,davy had         
separated it with the aid of the        
electric current4  ,in the first volume 

of the ,philosophy there is a           
frontispiece1 a lamp furnace1 consisting
 of a brass rod1 fastened to a piece of 
metal1 furnished with rings of different
 diameters1 and thumb screws to raise or
 lower the lamp and rings when in use4  
,by this furnace evaporation1 digestion1
 solution1 sublimation1 distillation and
 other processes1 which require a low   
temperature1 may be performed4  ,and in 
the second volume there is a            
frontispiece representing a portable    
universal furnace1 made of strong       
wrought iron plates and lined with      
bricks bedded in fire-proof loam4 ,the  
height of the furnace is two feet4 ,the 
body of the furnace is elliptical4      
,there are three openings in front of   
the furnace1 one above the other1       
furnished with sliding doors1 and fitted
 with stoppers made of crucible ware4   
,both pieces of apparatus represent a   
marked advancement4 ,they were evidently
 exceedingly useful4 ,by their means it 
was possible to execute excellent work4 

,it would repay one to examine with care
 the various ,american text-books on    
chemistry1 beginning about #aggj and    
continuing down to #ahcj4 ,there would  
arise a picture before one's mind of the
 successive steps in the development of 
chemical apparatus1 and again1 the      
knowledge derived from the presentation 
of chemical theory and data would be    
refreshing and inspirational4 ,it is to 
be hoped that the time is not far       
distant when some library1 public or    
university library1 will go to the      
trouble of gathering the ,american texts
 on ,chemistry for the period just      
alluded to4 ,it is not likely that an   
alcove filled with this literature would
 be largely patronized1 yet it would be 
possible for the enthusiast on the      
development of chemistry in this country
 to collect from such a source a great  
deal of valuable material which might be
 presented with profit to the rising    
generation of ,american chemists4       
,cutbush had little leisure during the  

year #ahac1 as he was engaged with the  
duties of the ,college and was          
conducting popular lectures on an       
extended scale4 ,it was necessary for   
him to invite his friend1 ,dr4 ,george  
,f4 ,lehman1 to assist in the various   
demonstrations4 ,they emphasized not    
only the theory but the practice of     
chemistry with its application to the   
useful arts4 ,their experiments were    
numerous and were of such a character as
 to appeal to the general public4 ,the  
course offered by ,professor ,cutbush   
and ,dr4 ,lehman was remunerative4 ,it  
is said the cost of tickets for ladies  
was #e4jj and those for gentlemen #h4jj4
  ,in addition to the devotion of       
,cutbush to these didactic courses in   
chemistry1 he spent much time in a      
literary way4 ,one of the best-known    
publishers of the city announced the    
purpose of printing the ,american       
,artist's ,manual under the editorship  
of ,cutbush4 ,the advertisement stated--
      ,to manufacturers1 however1 who   

are presumed to be interested     in    
practical knowledge the value of such   
works is greatly     diminished by the  
multiplicity of theories1 technical     
terms     and complicated processes     
which they in general contain4 ,it      
is1 therefore1 unnecessary to expatiate 
on the advantages to     be derived from
 such a publication as is now proposed  
in the     present work4 ,while it is   
intended to embrace most of the         
,arts and ,manufactures1 particular     
attention will be paid to     those of  
agriculture1 brewing1 bleaching1 dyeing 
in its     various branches1 the        
manufacture of glass1 pottery and all   
others which the situation of our       
country renders obviously     of primary
 concern and importance4  ,this         
extensive and helpful publication       
appeared in #ahad in two octavo volumes 
of more than #fjj pages each4 ,the      
reader should note that      ,the price 
to subscribers will be #g4jj in boards  
or #h4jj     substantially bound1       

payable on delivery4 ,those who procure 
subscriptions of nine copies and become 
accountable for their     payment shall 
be entitled to one copy for their       
trouble4  ,the book was dedicated to    
,benjamin ,smith ,barton4 ,no title of  
any kind appears after the author's     
name1 indicating that he had probably by
 the year #ahad severed his connection  
with all his educational projects in    
,philadelphia4 ,in the preface the      
author speaks of      ,having devoted   
the greater part of his life to chemical
     pursuits4  ,glancing through these 
volumes the impression made upon the    
reader was that the author had read     
widely in the sciences1 but particularly
 in his favorite science1 chemistry4    
,the book is really a popular dictionary
 of chemical technology4 ,while it is   
sparsely illustrated1 early forms of    
chemical glassware are pictured4 ,from  
these may be gathered the story of the  
gradual development of very useful      
apparatus1 for example1 such as is used 

in various kinds of distillation4  ,that
 ,cutbush had probably ceased his       
professional duties by the year #ahad1  
as has just been hinted1 is further     
emphasized on noting that he was        
appointed ,assistant ,apothecary        
,general in the ,u4 ,s4 ,army on the    
twelfth day of ,august in the year      
#ahad4 ,what his duties as such may have
 been has not been discovered4 ,it would
 not be fair to call it a radical change
 in position1 but it was a change which 
necessitated ,cutbush giving more       
thought and attention to pharmacy1 which
 in his earlier career was a secondary  
subject1 but in which he was so         
proficient that he attracted to himself 
the attention of leading men in medical 
circles4 ,he was in ,philadelphia1      
prosecuting his duties as late as the   
year #ahai4 ,it is known that during    
this period he was attached to the      
,northern ,division of the ,army4  ,in  
#ahbj ,dr4 ,james ,lovell1 ,surgeon     
,general of the ,army1 suggested to     

,general ,thayer1 ,superintendent of the
 ,military ,academy at ,west ,point1    
that ,cutbush be appointed ,chief       
,medical ,officer at the ,academy and   
,post of ,west ,point4 ,in this capacity
 he served for seventeen months1 when he
 became ,acting ,professor of ,chemistry
 and ,mineralogy in the ,academy4 ,the  
first lecture in his new position was   
delivered ,october #i1 #ahbj4 ,in a     
sense1 it marked the beginning of a new 
career for ,cutbush4 ,he resumed        
teaching duties1 but gave himself more  
particularly to the study1 not only of  
gunpowder1 which never ceased to be     
interesting to him1 but to explosives of
 higher character1 and in this latter   
field he reached his greatest eminence  
and may confidently be regarded as a    
pioneer in it4  ,just before leaving    
,philadelphia1 in the year #ahbj1       
,cutbush wrote ,benjamin ,silliman at   
some length on an improvement of the    
,voltaic electrical lamp4 ,it was an    
ingenious modification and constituted  

the first contribution made by ,cutbush 
to the ,american ,journal of ,science4  
,but1 returning to his life at ,west    
,point1 it may be observed that in #ahbb
 he contributed his second article to   
the ,journal of ,science1 which did not 
appear in print1 however1 until #ahbd4  
,this article related to the composition
 and properties of the ,chinese fire and
 the so-called brilliant fires4 ,it was 
very interesting4 ,it displayed a       
thorough and wide knowledge of          
pyrotechnics with which ,cutbush1 in    
previous years1 had been gradually      
familiarizing himself4 ,at one point he 
said3      ,most if not all the         
compositions used in fireworks1         
including military fireworks1 were more 
the result of the     labours of the    
artisan who was neither controlled by   
fixed     principles nor by a knowledge 
of the effects and properties     of    
bodies and of the systematic experiments
 of the chemist1     and yet in         
consequence of some fortuitous and      

repeated trials     we find that he has 
been successful1 and moreover has       
amassed     a body of facts which we may
 reasonably infer may either be         
rendered more perfect by knowledge or   
improved upon by the     exact aid of   
chemical science4  ,here is every proof 
of his purpose to apply his             
understanding of chemical principles and
 his own experience to the solution of  
pyrotechnic problems1 for he continues3 
,pyrotechnics is at present considered  
under two heads1     namely1 fireworks  
for exhibition and military fireworks4  
,the     latter is undoubtedly the most 
useful1 as it embraces a     variety of 
propositions calculated for attack and  
defence     both for naval and land     
service4  ,almost simultaneously there  
appeared in the same ,journal of ,arts  
and ,science another contribution by    
,cutbush1 entitled      ,,remarks       
,,concerning ,,the ,,composition ,,and  
,,properties ,,of ,,the     ,,greek     
,,fire  ,in the light of recent events  

and the use of all sorts of chemical    
bodies for warfare and destruction it   
will not be uninteresting to introduce  
here a few paragraphs from this         
remarkable contribution4 ,he says3      
,the ,greek fire was invented by        
,callinicus of ,heliopolis1 a     town  
in ,syria1 who used it with so much     
skill and effect     during a naval     
engagement that he destroyed a whole    
fleet of     the enemy1 in which were   
embarked #cj1jjj men4      ,it appears  
that in the reign of ,louis ,,xv1 a     
chemist of     ,grenoble1 ,dupre de     
,mayen1 discovered a composition similar
 in     effect to the ,greek fire of    
,callinicus1 which was exhibited     at 
,brest1 and proved successful1 but the  
preparation was kept     secret4 ,the   
original ,greek fire was used in #abia1 
and also in     #afgi4444 ,writers have 
defined it to be a sort of artificial   
fire1 which burns with increased        
violence when it mixes with             
water4444 ,that it was a liquid         

composition1 we may infer from     the  
modes of using it1 which were several4  
,it was employed     chiefly on board of
 ships1 and thrown on the vessels of the
     enemy by large engines4 ,it was    
sometimes kindled in     particular     
vessels1 which might be called fire     
ships1 and     which were introduced    
among a hostile fleet4 ,sometimes it    
was put into jars and other vessels1 and
 thrown at the enemy     by means of    
projectile machines1 and sometimes it   
was     squirted by soldiers from hand  
engines1 or blown through     pipes4    
,this fire was also discharged from the 
foreparts of     ships by a machine     
constructed of copper and iron1 the     
extremity of which is said to have      
resembled the open mouth     and jaws of
 a lion or other animal4 ,they were     
painted1 and     even gilded1 and were  
capable of projecting the liquid fire   
to a great distance4      444 ,john     
,cameniata1 speaking of his native city1
     ,thessalonica1 which was taken by  

the ,saracens in the year     #ijd1 says
 that the enemy threw fire into the     
wooden works of     the besieged1 which 
was blown into them by means of tubes1  
and thrown from other vessels4444 ,this 
proves that the     ,greeks1 in the     
beginning of the ,tenth ,century1 were  
no     longer the only people acquainted
 with the art of preparing     this     
fire1 the precursor of our gunpowder4   
,the ,emperor ,leo1     who about the   
same period wrote his ,art of ,war1     
recommends     such engines1 with a     
metal covering1 to be constructed in the
     foreparts of ships1 and he twice   
afterwards mentions engines     for     
throwing out ,greek fire4444 ,for many  
centuries the method     of making this 
dreadful article of destruction was     
lost2 but     it has just been          
discovered by the librarian of the      
elector     of ,bavaria1 who has found a
 very old ,latin manuscript which       
contains directions for preparing it4   
444 ,on the subject of incendiary and   

other military     fireworks1 the       
,french have certainly laid the         
foundation for     the very preparations
 now used by the ,british1 for the      
formul for such preparations may be     
traced to the ,french     service4444   
,the ,moors were in possession of the   
secret for preparing the     ,greek fire
 in #adcb1 according to the testimony of
 ,brocquire4     ,bertrandon de la      
,brocquire was in ,palestine in #adcb as
     counsellor to the ,duke of         
,burgundy4 ,he was present at ,barrat   
during one of the ,moorish celebrations4
 ',it began1' he     remarks1 'in the   
evening at sunset4 ,numerous companies  
scattered here and there were singing1  
and uttering loud     cries4 ,while this
 was passing1 the cannon of the castle  
was     fired1 and the people of the    
town launched into the air     bein haut
 et bein loin1 une maniere de fue plus  
gros fellot     que je veisse oncques   
allume4 ,they told me they made use of  
such at sea1 to set fire to the sails of

 an enemy's vessel4     ,it seems to me 
that it is a thing easy to be made1 and 
at a     little expense it may be       
equally well employed to burn a     camp
 or a thatched village1 or in an        
engagement with cavalry     to frighten 
their horses4 ,curious to know its      
composition1 ,i     sent the servant of 
my host to the person who made this     
fire1     and requested him to teach me 
his method4 ,he returned for     answer1
 that he dare not1 for that he should   
run great danger     were it known2 but 
there is nothing a man will not do for  
money4 ,i offered him a ducat1 which    
quieted his fears1 and he     taught me 
all he knew1 and even gave me the moulds
 in wood1     with the other            
ingredients1 which ,i have brought to   
,france4'     444 ,when ,constantinople 
was attacked1 the ,emperor ,leo burnt   
the vessels or boats1 to the number of  
one thousand eight     hundred1 by means
 of the ,greek fire4444 ,its composition
 was     kept secret at ,constantinople1

 pretending that the knowledge     of it
 came from an angel to the first and    
greatest of the     ,constantines1 with 
a sacred injunction not to divulge it   
under any pretext1 etc4 ,it 444 was kept
 secret above #djj     years 444 was    
stolen by the ,mahometans1 who employed 
it     against the ,crusaders4 ,a       
knight1 it appears1 who despised the    
swords and lances of the ,saracens1     
relates1 with heartfelt     sincerity1  
his own fears at the sight and sound of 
the     mischievous engine that         
discharged a torrent of fire4 ',it      
came flying through the air1 like a     
winged1 long-tailed     dragon1 about   
the thickness of a hogshead1 with a     
report of     thunder1 and the velocity 
of lightning2 and the darkness of       
the night was dispelled by this deadly  
illumination4 ,the use     of the       
,greek1 or as it might now be called the
 ,saracen fire1     was continued to the
 middle of the ,fourteenth ,century1    
when     the scientific or casual       

compound of nitre1 sulphur and          
charcoal effected a new revolution in   
the art of war1 and the     history of  
mankind4' 444 ,we do not know of any    
imitation of     the original ,greek    
fire having been used in modern warfare1
     but have no hesitation in believing
 that naphtha prepared as     already   
stated would in many cases prove        
advantageous4 ,it     seems to be well  
calculated for close naval combat1 if   
the     object be to destroy the sails  
and rigging of an enemy's     ship4 ,the
 rapidity and extent of its combustion1 
added to the     circumstances of its   
peculiar properties1 that of resisting  
the action of water in particular1      
contribute altogether to     this       
opinion4  ,the entire article from which
 these excerpts have been made is worthy
 of study1 even at this late date4 ,it  
is suggestive and carries with it many  
historical references of value4 ,the    
enthusiasm of ,cutbush for pyrotechnic  
bodies is manifest in every line of this

 publication4  ,about a year later      
7#ahbc7 ,cutbush discussed the formation
 of cyanogen in processes not previously
 noticed4 ,he spoke of the appearance of
 this gas in the putrefaction of animal 
and vegetable matter1 making the        
following remarkable and in some        
respects startling statement3      ,i   
believe it would be found that the      
compound 7carburet of     azote7 is the 
basis of the miasmata which produces    
malignant1     bilious diseases4444     
,marsh miasmata are generally the cause 
of intermittent fevers4 ,now under      
particular circumstances of     action  
may we not admit the generation of      
carburet of azote     or cyanogen1 and  
if so1 as it readily unites with        
hydrogen1     may it not be the miasma  
which produces malignant bilious        
fevers1 since it is known that          
hydrocyanic acid is     destructive to  
animal life and a most virulent         
poison8444     ,miasmata of some kind   
are the cause of yellow fever4 ,for our 

part we believe it to be carburet of    
azote1 or of some of its                
combinations1 and of these that with    
hydrogen1 from its     deleterious      
character1 seems to be the one4         
,another observation made in this       
connection was that cyanogen is produced
 when charcoal is heated with nitric    
acid4 ,cutbush stated that he placed    
charcoal and nitric acid together in a  
retort and subjected them to            
distillation1 collecting the product in 
,woulfe's bottles1 after which the      
resulting solutions were impregnated    
with potash1 and      common sulphate   
and persulphate of iron introduced4 ,the
     colour instantly changed and became
 more or less blue1     proving the     
existence of the perferrocyanite of iron
 and1     consequently1 of cyanogen4    
,having never met this method of        
preparing cyanogen1 experiments were    
made in the writer's laboratory to      
verify the statement4 ,a blue1 or what  
had the semblance of a blue color1 could

 be obtained at the point given by      
,cutbush1 but just as soon as the       
solution was acidulated1 as is always   
done1 the precipitate disappeared and   
there was not the slightest indication  
that ,prussian blue had been formed4    
,even after hours of rest there was not 
a sign of it4  ,association on the part 
of ,cutbush with the men of science in  
,philadelphia during the first decade of
 the ,nineteenth ,century led to an     
extension of his interest in science    
circles1 so that during leisure moments 
at ,west ,point 7#ahbd7 he wrote of the 
following minerals observed by him in   
and near that place3      ,molybdenite1 
kaolin1 tremolite1 schorl1 adularia1    
garnet1     actinolite1 precious        
serpentine 7remarkably elegant71 epidote
     and diallage4  ,recently1 attention
 has been called to a volume by ,cutbush
 entitled ,lectures on the ,adulteration
 of ,food and ,culinary ,poisons4444    
,with a ,means of ,discovering ,them and
 ,rules for ,determining the ,purity of 

,substances4 ,it was published at       
,newburgh1 ,n4 ,y41 in #ahbc4 ,the      
writer has never seen this volume4 ,his 
search for it has been unsuccessful4    
,another publication was ,a ,synopsis of
 ,chemistry1 ,arranged ,alphabetically1 
,comprehending the ,names1 ,synonyms1   
and ,definitions in that ,science4 ,new 
,york3 ,e4 ,lewis1 #ahba4 ,this book is 
also exceedingly rare4  ,the real magnum
 opus of ,cutbush resulted in ,a ,system
 of ,pyrotechny 7#ahbe71 which          
voluminous publication did not appear   
until after his decease1 and then       
largely through the efforts of his wife 
and former students in the ,cadet       
,corps1 for1 in ,silliman's ,journal1   
this note appeared3      ,mrs4 ,cutbush1
 widow of the late ,dr4 ,cutbush1 of    
,west ,point1     proposes to publish by
 subscription a ,treatise on ,pyrotechny
     by her husband1 ,dr4 ,james        
,cutbush4444 ,by the reputation which   
,dr4 ,cutbush sustained1 as well as by  
the ability which his     elaborate     

treatises on these subjects already     
published in     this journal display1  
there can be no doubt that this         
posthumous work will be worthy of the   
public patronage1 which     we hope will
 be liberally bestowed4  ,even to-day   
this publication stands out preminently 
and for years has been referred to by   
artisans and by scientists4 ,chapters   
dealing with military fireworks have    
been seriously studied4 ,in the light of
 the violent fires1 grenades1 etc41 used
 in the late war the writings of        
,cutbush become very fascinating4 ,they 
show that he truly blazed the way in    
this field4 ,in the introduction to this
 splendid volume he wrote3      ,on this
 head1 that of the application of       
chemistry to     pyrotechny1 we claim so
 much originality1 as1 so far as we     
know1 to have been the first1 who       
applied the principles of               
chemistry4444 ,as this subject1 however 
interesting to the     theoretical      
pyrotechnist1 cannot be understood      

without a     knowledge of chemistry1 it
 is obvious that that science is a      
powerful aid to pyrotechny4444 ,viewing 
pyrotechny either as a     science or an
 art1 there is undoubtedly required in  
its     prosecution much skill and      
practice4 ,the mere artificer or        
fireworker by constant habit may        
understand1 it is true1 how     to mix  
minerals1 prepare composition1 charge   
cases1 etc41 444     but without a      
knowledge of chemistry he cannot        
understand the     theory4444 ,indeed1  
chemistry is indispensable to           
pyrotechny4  ,much time and thought were
 given by ,cutbush in the experimental  
development of this particular subject  
in his own laboratory4 ,in reading upon 
the subject he had collected a vast     
material which was then put to crucial  
experimental tests4 ,these1 outside of  
his teaching hours1 occupied his whole  
attention4  ,an outline of how the work 
in the chemical department of the       
,united ,states ,military ,academy was  

conducted will not be devoid of         
interest4      ,first ,year             
,theory and ,experimental ,chemistry4   
,second ,year          ,application of  
,chemistry to the ,arts1 ,manufactures  
and         ,domestic ,economy1         
constituting along with ,mineralogy the 
second course4  ,pyrotechny naturally   
was developed quite extensively4        
,teachers of chemistry will note with   
pleasure the questions which ,cutbush   
arranged for his student corps1         
particularly those questions which had  
to do with pyrotechny3      ,what is    
saltpetre8 ,what is nitric acid8 ,what  
are the sources     of saltpetre1 and   
how it is obtained8 ,how is it formed in
     nitre beds1 extracted1 and refined8
 ,what circumstances are     necessary  
to produce nitre1 and how does animal   
matter act in     its production8 ,what 
is the difference between the old and   
new process for refining saltpetre8     
,what reagents are used to     discover 
the presence of foreign substances in   

nitre8 ,what     are nitre caves8 ,where
 do they exist8 ,what are the nitre     
caves of the western country1 and how is
 nitre extracted from     the earth8    
,what proportion of nitre does the      
saltpetre of the     nitrate caves      
afford8 ,what is the theory of the      
process for     extracting saltpetre    
from nitrous earth1 or nitrate of lime8 
,what is sulphur8 ,how is it obtained1  
and how is it purified     for the      
manufacture of gunpowder8 ,of what use  
is sulphur in     the composition of    
gunpowder8 ,does it add to the effective
     force of gunpowder8 ,what is       
charcoal8 ,what is the best mode     of 
carbonizing wood for the purpose of     
gunpowder8 ,what woods     are preferred
 for this purpose8 ,in the charring of  
wood1 what     part is converted into   
coal1 and what gas and acid are         
disengaged8 ,what is the use of charcoal
 in gunpowder8 ,what is     gunpowder8  
,what are considered the best           
proportions for     forming it1 and what

 constitutes the difference between     
powder for war1 for gunning1 and for    
mining8 ,how does the     combustion of 
gunpowder take place8 ,can you explain  
why     combustion takes place without  
the presence of a gaseous     supporter 
of combustion1 as gunpowder will inflame
 in vacuo8     ,what are the products of
 the combustion of gunpowder8 ,what     
gases are generated8 ,to what is the    
force of fired gunpowder     owing8     
,what are the experiments of ,mr4       
,robins on the force of     gunpowder8  
,how would you separate the component   
parts of     gunpowder so as to         
determine their proportions8 ,what are  
gunpowder proofs8 ,what is understood by
 the comparative force     of gunpowder8
 ,what are eprouvettes1 etc48 ,in       
noticing in the     same manner the     
preparations used for fireworks1 and for
 war1     as the rocket1 for instance1  
the following questions were            
propounded2 viz41 ,what is a rocket8    
,how is it formed8 ,is the     case     

always made of paper8 ,what is the war  
rocket8 ,what is     the composition for
 rockets1 and how does it act8 ,what    
particular care is required in charging 
a rocket8 ,what is the     cause of the 
ascension of rockets8 ,what is the use  
of the     conical cavity1 made in a    
rocket at the time it is charged1     or
 bored out after it is charged8 ,how do 
cases charged with     composition      
impart motion to wheels1 and other      
pieces of     fireworks8 ,what is       
understood by the rocket principle8     
,what     is the rocket stick and its   
use8 ,is the centre of gravity          
fixed1 or is it shifting in the flight  
of rockets8 ,how are     rockets        
discharged8 ,what is the head of a      
rocket8 ,what is     usually put in the 
head8 ,are all rockets furnished with a 
head8 ,what is understood by the        
furniture of a rocket8 ,how     are the 
serpents1 stars1 fire-rain1 etc41       
forming the     furniture of a rocket1  
discharged into the air1 when the       

rocket has terminated its flight1 or    
arrived at its maximum     of ascension8
 ,what forms the difference between a   
balloon1 in     fireworks1 and a rocket8
 ,as the balloon contains also          
furniture1 and is projected vertically  
from a mortar1 how is     fire          
communicated to it1 so as to burst it in
 the air8 ,is     the fuse used1 in this
 case1 the same as that for bombs1      
howitzers1 and grenades8 ,what is the   
,asiatic rocket8 ,the     fougette of   
the ,french8 ,in what siege were they   
employed with     success by the native 
troops of ,india8 ,what was the nature  
of     their war-rocket8 ,what is the   
murdering rocket of the ,french8     ,is
 the conical head hollow1 solid1 blunt1 
or pointed8 ,why is     it called the   
murdering rocket8 ,what is the ,congreve
 rocket8     ,is ,congreve the inventor 
or improver of this rocket8 ,what are   
,congreve rockets loaded or armed with8 
,in what part is the     load placed8   
,is the case made up of paper or        

sheet-iron8 ,what     are the sizes of  
,congreve rockets8  ,in the introduction
 to ,pyrotechnics ,cutbush remarked that
 he had consulted many authorities      
without much advantage1 finding the     
,french the most helpful4 ,of the       
,english he said3      ,as respects the 
turtle torpedo and catamarin submarine  
machines1 it appears that ,bushnel      
claims the originality of     the       
discovery from the date of his          
invention1 although     similar         
contrivances had long ago been          
suggested4 ,fulton's     improvements1  
in the torpedo1 are deserving of        
particular     attention1 but it is     
plain that the ,catamarin of the        
,english     is the same in principle   
and application as ,fulton's torpedo    
and that ,fulton deserves the merit of  
it4  ,the ,system of ,pyrotechny bears  
the ear-marks of much careful           
experimental study4 ,it is a most worthy
 contribution1 and is strong proof of   
the dominating force in the mind of     

,cutbush1 namely1 to make his science as
 widely useful as possible4 ,chemists   
may justly take pride in this early     
contribution in the application of      
chemical principles4  ,the life story of
 ,cutbush has now been told4 ,it is     
really the story of his life activities1
 for regrettable as it is1 there does   
lack a picture of the man's personality4
 ,the parents of ,james ,cutbush were   
,edward ,cutbush and ,anne ,marriat4    
,the father was a stone-cutter or       
carver4 ,to these good people were given
 four children3 ,edward1 born in #aggb2 
,ann1 in #aghb 7who died in #agih72     
,william1 born in #aghe1 and ,james in  
#aghh4 ,edward became prominent as a    
naval surgeon1 while ,william graduated 
from ,west ,point in #ahab1 and attained
 eminence as an engineer4  ,indeed1 at  
an early age1 ,william was a midshipman 
in the ,united ,states ,navy1 and was   
taken prisoner by the ,algerines at the 
time the frigate ,philadelphia ran      
aground in the harbor of ,tripoli1 from 

which he was released after two years'  
confinement in prison1 and returned to  
the ,united ,states1 when he became a   
cadet in the ,military ,academy4  ,james
 ,cutbush must have been a man of mark  
among his neighbors--as indicated by    
sundry positions of trust which he held4
 ,further1 he must have been a favorite 
with the ,cadet ,corps at ,west ,point1 
where he was buried4 ,his tomb there    
bears this inscription3      ,sacred to 
the memory of ,dr4 ,james ,cutbush1     
,member of the     ,american            
,philosophical ,society1 ,late ,surgeon1
 ,u4 ,s4 ,army and     ,professor of    
,chemistry at the ,u4 ,s4 ,military     
,academy1 ,west     ,point1 ,n4 ,y41 who
 departed this life ,december #ae1      
#ahbc1 aged     #ce years4 ,an          
honourable tribute of respect from his  
grateful     pupils4  ,the work of      
,cutbush was of the genuine pioneer     
character1 and enriched the annals of   
,american chemistry4 ,while it would be 
delightful to know more of the man1     

cruel fate compels us to be content with
 the estimate1 brief though it is1 given
 in ,poulsen's ,american ,daily         
,advertiser1 ,december #bc1 #ahbc3      
,a man not only known for his extensive 
knowledge of     chemistry1 but         
distinguished for his philosophy and    
patriotism4           99       99       
99       99       99  ,transcriber's    
,notes  ,the following typos have been  
corrected3  ,page #bh3 ,socity changed  
to ,society4  ,page #dd3 ,braeutigram   
changed to ,braeutigam4  ,page #ea3     
responsibile changed to responsible4    
,page #fg3 beginnig changed to          
beginning4