Part 9

The last letter that has been preserved from the interesting correspondence between Dunbar and Jefferson, bears the date of Dec. 17, 1805. With it was enclosed Dunbar's "Method of finding the Longitude by a single observer without any knowledge of the precise time," a problem that had been solved by him at Jefferson's request. This formed an eleventh contribution to the publication referred to above.

There is no reason for doubting that this correspondence was continued throughout the remaining four years of Dunbar's life, though the letters have not been found by the writer.

Dunbar's last contribution to the Transactions was entitled: "Observations on the Comet of 1807-'8." It was read before the Society Nov. 18, 1808. In this article appears at least one entry which indicated that the scientific services of its author were drawing to a close. "Indisposition," says he at one point in the narrative, "prevented observation for some time past." A few months from this date the scientific investigation of this remarkable man were brought to a close.

Writers have frequently noted the fact that many great men have lived in advance of their times. To substantiate this assertion they cite us to the careers of Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and a host of others. That Dunbar is entitled to the same distinction might be amply proved by a study of his life.

The most conclusive evidence of this fact is furnished by his idea of the relation the government should sustain to scientific explorations. In a letter to John Vaughan, bearing the date of March 21, 1802, he writes as follows:

"There is no example of any encouragement being held out by [our] Government; no spirit of inquiry set on foot at the public expense. What is the reason, we have no State observatory to which individuals might send their contributions & from which they might receive astronomical intelligence.... No naturalist travels at the public expense to explore our immense country & make us acquainted with the infinite resources it Contains upon its surface, in its waters & within its bowels, from whence great national advantages would result; the public & individuals would be instructed where to direct their researches after such objects as might become subjects of curiosity, Public the exercise of genius & agrandizem't of fortune; but it would seem that the speculations ... of our politicians are confined within the narrow circle of the Customs & Excise, while literature of our present illustrious President will correct & enlarge the views of our public men, & that under his auspices & protection, Arts, Science, & Literature may take a flight, which will at length carry them beyond those European brethren, as wel[l] to[o] as above them in the enjoyment of national liberty."

In transmitting this letter to Jefferson, Vaughan says of Dunbar, "he is like yourself a warm friend to the encouragement of Science and letters, it would be fortunate for the country, if these ideas became more prevalent."

Remarkable to relate, two years had not elapsed after Dunbar had written this despondent letter before he saw evidences of a partial fulfillment of his desire and three months later still, he was appointed a member of one of the first expeditions sent out for scientific purposes at the expense of the government of the United States. In a letter to President Jefferson, written May 13, 1804, Dunbar says: "The surveying and exploring expeditions to be undertaken at public expense must be most gratifying to all lovers of science and natural research.... It will give me the highest satisfaction to contribute everything in my power to promote the proposed expedition on the Red and Arcansa Rivers."

Owing to the dissentions among the Osage Indians, the main part of this expedition was postponed, however, until the spring of 1805. In a letter bearing the date of July 14, 1804, Jefferson wrote to Dunbar:--"It is very desirable that you make use of any part of the men or matters provided for the expedition and go to what distance, and in what direction you please, return when you please, but in time to report to us the result of your researches, which report will probably induce Congress to enlarge the appropriation."[58]

August 18, 1804 he wrote Jefferson that, "in consequence of the permission you are pleased to grant, I have determined to make an excursion up the Washita river and to the hot springs." Two months later, he wrote that he had about completed the necessary preparations for the expedition and that he would carry "several instruments [of his own] in addition to those provided for the party" by the government. Three weeks after writing the above letter, he again wrote to the President from the Post of Washita giving him the latitude of the most important points on the river.

After his return to Natchez, he wrote Jefferson the first scientific account of the water at Hot Springs. Subsequent analyses of this water have shown some inaccuracies in this account, but it must be remembered that Dunbar was only a pioneer in this important field. His account reads as follows:

"I have examined the water at 130° Fahrenheit under a powerful microscope and found vegetable and animal life, the former a species of moss, the latter a testaceous bivalve of the size of the minutest grain of sand. I do not despair of being able to reanimate these as soon as I can procure a little leisure....[59] From our analysis of the water ... it appears to contain lime with a minute portion of iron dissolved by a small excess of Carbonic acid. This is ... visible upon the first view of the Springs; an immense body of calcareous matter is accumulated upon the side of the hill, by perpetual deposits from the hot waters, and the bed of the run is coloured red oxide of iron or rather Carbonated iron. Every little spring which rises up in a favorable situation forms its own calcareous cup considerably elevated in form of a crater."

The following year (1805) Dunbar was given the general supervision of the Red River Expedition. May 24 of that year Mr. Dearborn, the Secretary of War, wrote requesting him to make all arrangements for this expedition, limiting the expenses to $5,000. In a letter bearing the date of March 30, 1807, Mr.

Dearborn expressed his appreciation of Mr. Dunbar's services in the following words:--"The frequent drafts on account of the United States upon your time and patience demand an apology, while your disinterestedness and highly useful services entitle you to the most grateful acknowledgements."

Dunbar's idea of the relation the government should sustain to scientific research is still further set forth in his last letter that has been preserved in the Jefferson manuscripts. From this letter, which bears the date of December 17, 1805, the following extract is taken:

"I have just received from London a six feet Gregorian reflecting Telescope with six magnifying powers from 110 to 550 times; hitherto from a liberal construction of the act of Congress, by the Collectors of the Mississippi Territory residing at Fort Adams, I have been in the habit of receiving books and instruments free of duty, but Mr. Browne at New Orleans is so rigidly faithful as a public servant that he admits of no exemptions neither in favor of the Mississippi Society, for which I have lately imported a chest of books; nor in favor of this valuable instrument, the cost of which in London was about 150 guineas, [about $750]. I suppose Mr. Browne is quite correct as to the letter of the law.... I have just sent off an order for Mr. Briggs, Mr. Dinsmore and myself, for astronomical instruments & chronometers to the amount of 300 guineas [about $1,500], all of which as well as that just received, will in some shape be applied to public use and benefit & might therefore be entitled to a claim upon public indulgence."[60]

The significance of this extract is twofold. It shows that Dunbar devoted his time to scientific investigation not only to gratify himself but to serve the public. His love of science for its own sake made "favorite amusements" of labors that would otherwise have been very onerous. His desire to benefit others through these investigations led him to fulfill that true test of all greatness,--service to one's fellow-man. This extract shows further the contagion of an enthusiastic devotion to a great cause. Dunbar and his friends, remote from the intellectual centers of the world, constituted themselves into a society, which spent a larger sum of money for scientific purposes than perhaps any other private scientific organization in the history of the State. He sought the co-operation of all thinking men with whom he came in contact. He was active in his efforts to collect all facts of scientific interest throughout his part of the country. That he was often disappointed in these efforts, is shown by more than one passage in his writings. In his "Description of the Mississippi and its Delta" he expresses his regret over "the extreme inattention of persons, even of some education, to the most curious phenomena passing daily under their review."

Philip Nolan, the dauntless hero of one of Edward Everett Hale's most interesting stories,[61] was a warm personal friend of Dunbar and was often mentioned in the Jefferson correspondence in the most complimentary terms. This relationship was probably due to the fact that Nolan had a remarkably wide range of information gathered from the remote western wilds and he took pleasure in imparting the results of his observations to Dunbar.

He was a warm friend to all students of nature. Only a few months before his death, he had the pleasure of entertaining in his own home, "the Father of American Ornithology," Alexander Wilson. Upon hearing that Wilson was in Natchez, Dunbar wrote him the following letter:

FOREST, 20th May, 1810.

"SIR:--It is very unfortunate that I should be so much indisposed as to be confined to my bedroom; nevertheless I cannot give up the idea of having the pleasure of seeing you as soon as you find it convenient; the perusal of your first volume of Ornithology, lent me by General Wilkinson, has produced in me a very great desire of making your acquaintance.

"I understand, from my boy, that you propose going in a few days to New Orleans, where you will see some small cabinets of natural history that may interest you. But as I presume it is your intention to prosecute your inquiries into the interior of our country, this cannot be done better than from my house, as your headquarters; where everything will be made convenient to your wishes. My house stands literally in the forest, and your beautiful orioles with other elegant birds, are our courtyard companions.

"The bearer attends you, with a couple of horses, on the supposition that it may be convenient for you to visit us today; otherwise he shall wait upon you any other day that you shall appoint.

"I am respectfully, &c.,

"WILLIAM DUNBAR."[62]

In writing of this visit, Wilson says in his Journal:--"I was received with great hospitality and kindness, had a neat bedroom assigned me; and was requested to consider myself as at home during the time I should find it convenient to stay in exploring this part of the country." In his great work on Ornithology he acknowledges the assistance of Dunbar in securing two or three new species of birds. He also refers to Dunbar as a man "whose life has been devoted to science," and he says "the few happy days I spent there [at 'The Forest'] I shall never forget."[63] In writing to Dr. Bartram from Philadelphia, Sept. 2, 1810, Wilson says, "Mr. Dunbar of Natchez, remembered you very well, and desired me to carry his good wishes to you."[64]

The most prominent trait of Dunbar's character was his love of nature. He admired her in all of her manifestations. She was attractive to him not only because of her beauty but because of her mysteries. With the spirit of a true philosopher, he ever inquired into the laws which regulated her actions. To paraphrase slightly his own language, he never observed any phenomena without endeavoring to ascertain the cause of them. He did not read at random, pages from the great book of nature, but read as continuously as circumstances would permit. He read it in the howling wind, the turbid current, the trembling needle, the growing plant, the blazing comet, the silent stone, the lifeless fossil. He read it critically; he read it appreciatively. That he often raised his eyes from the well-conned pages of this great book to fix them on the omniscient Author himself is shown in more than one passage from his writings.

The career of this great pioneer scientist of Mississippi ended in the month of October, 1810. Although he was then in his sixty-first year, his work was incomplete and his plans but partially executed. In the words of Pliny, "The hand of death is ... too severe, and too sudden, when it falls upon such as are employed in some immortal work. The sons of sensuality, who have no other views beyond the present hour, terminate with each day the whole purpose of their lives; but those who look forward to posterity, and endeavor to extend their memories to future generations by useful labors:--to such death is always immature, as it still snatches them from amidst some unfinished design."

The permanent results of Dunbar's life-work may be summarized as follows:

1. He helped to locate and to survey part of the present boundary line between Mississippi and Louisiana.

2. He first directed the attention of the world to the manufacture of cotton-seed oil.

3. He invented the screw press for packing cotton, and helped to perfect the process of packing it in square bales.

4. He made the first accurate meteorological observations in the valley of the Mississippi.

5. He made a critical scientific study of the Mississippi River and its Delta.

6. He made important contributions to geographical knowledge, by determining the latitude and the longitude of many places.

7. He was the first to give a scientific account of the Hot Springs and an analysis of its water.

FOOTNOTES:

[21] The writer acknowledges, with pleasure, the valuable assistance rendered him by Major William Dunbar Jenkins, of Natchez, Miss., great-grandson of Sir William Dunbar.

[22] In the ruins of the old Elgin Cathedral, which, on the authority of Billings, was once "the most stately and beautifully decorated of all the ecclesiastical edifices" of Scotland, may still be seen many evidences of the greatness of this family. Over the great Western, or Alpha window of this building have existed for upward of 450 years the arms of the Stewarts and Dunbars, "two families whose names are closely associated with the civil and ecclesiastical history" of Morayshire. "The north end of the transept was called Dunbar Aisle, probably from its having been the burial place of the Dunbars who have been landowners in Moray for upwards of five hundred years." The following are a few of the names of members of this illustrious family, whose remains are deposited here:--Columbo Dunbar, Bishop of Moray; Sir Alexander Dunbar of Westfield, Knight (M. P.); Mr. Patrick Dunbar, Chancellor of Aberdeen; Sir James Dunbar, heritable Sheriff of Moray; Gavin Dunbar, Preceptor of King James V., Archbishop of Glasgow, and Lord High Chancellor of Scotland.

The tomb of Gavin Dunbar, Bishop of Aberdeen, may be seen in 'Bishop Gavin Dunbar's Aisle,' in the transept of the Cathedral at Aberdeen. (Notes from the "Guide to the Ruins of Elgin Cathedral," 10th ed. Published for James S. Pozzi, Keeper of the Ruins of the Elgin Cathedral, 1892.)

[23] Natchez Democrat of Sept. 10, 1873; ibid., Centennial Edition. (1876.)

[24] Claiborne's (J. F. H.) Miss. as a Province, Territory and State, 200; supplement to Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography.

[25] "Interesting Centennial Reminiscences" by J. F. H. Claiborne in the Natchez Democrat for 1876.

[26] Peter Force Collection of Historical Manuscripts in the Manuscript Department of the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.

[27] Manuscript volume in the Manuscript Department of the Library of Congress, entitled "W. Florida. Respond: Answer A. Chrystie, V. Chester."

[28] He had been an unsuccessful merchant at Natchez and was well known to the people of that community. (Claiborne's Miss., 117).

[29] Ibid. 119-120.

[30] Claiborne's Miss., 143.

[31] Claiborne's "Interesting Centennial Reminiscences" in Natchez Democrat, Centennial number (1876.)

[32] Ib.

[33] Claiborne's Miss., 144.

[34] Natchez Democrat, Centennial Number (1876.)

[35] Manuscript correspondence of Jefferson in the archives of the State Department, Washington, D. C.

[36] Ibid.

[37] Ibid. This sentence is doubly interesting in the light of the fact that Mr. Jefferson himself had predicted "that it would be a thousand years before the country would be thickly settled as far west as the Mississippi." (See Hart's Formation of the Union, 139.)

[38] Manuscript Correspondence of Jefferson, in the State Department, Washington, D. C.

[39] Ibid. On Dunbar's Memorial to Congress, in behalf of Jefferson College, see Gales and Seaton's Annals of Congress, 8th Cong. 2d. Ses., pp. 685, 1184.

[40] Natchez Democrat, Centennial Number (1876.)

[41] He retained his English citizenship until Natchez passed into the possession of the United States, when he took the oath of allegiance to this government.

[42] Sixteen letters from Gayoso to Dunbar are now in the possession of Mrs. George T. Green, of Natchez, Miss.

[43] March 9, 1787.

[44] Letter written at New Orleans, Dec. 20, 1797.

[45] Letter written at New Orleans, May 12, 1798.

[46] This was the limit of the cultivated lands at that time.

[47] Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. V., 216, Footnote.

[48] They separated ten miles east of the point of starting.

[49] Manuscript copy of Dunbar's Report, presented to the writer by Major William Dunbar Jenkins, of Natchez, Miss.

[50] Transactions of the Amer. Phil. Soc. V., 203.

[51] Ellicott's Journal, (1803) 56.

[52] See Publication of the Amer. Hist. Association for 1897, 181, Footnote; Publication, Miss. Hist. Soc. for 1898, 55, Footnote.

[53] This letter was written at New Orleans, Feb. 12, 1799. It is found in the Manuscript Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson in the archives of the State Department, Washington, D. C.

[54] The exact title of this report is: "Account of the Commencement and Progress of the First 18 Miles of the Line of Demarcation, beginning at the River Mississippi and proceeding East along the most northerly part of the 31st degree of North lat. between the Territories of Spain and the United States of America, concluding with Observations and Remarks on the Country, its Climate, Production, &c., by William Dunbar."

[55] Natchez Democrat of September 10, 1873.

[56] He here refers to a conflict between the theories of Bernardin de St. Pierre and Sir Isaac Newton respecting the nature of the rainbow and claims that this phenomenon demonstrates the correctness of the latter.

[57] Pages 421-434.

[58] Letter in the possession of Mrs. George F. Green of Natchez, Miss.

[59] A fortnight later, he wrote that he had failed to reanimate what he had supposed to be bivalves in this water. In fact, he was mistaken in his supposition, as has been shown by subsequent analyses.

[60] "The following is a list of articles ordered by Dunbar from John Swift, London:

1 Pocket Chronometer, 30 guineas.

1 Telescope, £150.

1 Astronomical Circle, £100.

1 Parallel Ruler.

1 Brass Sextant and Stand, 20 guineas.

1 Improved Astronomical Telescope.

1 Hair Compass.

1 Bow Compass.

1 Pneumatic Apparatus.

1 Electrical Machine with apparatus for philosophical and medical uses.

1 Double-barrel rifle gun, to be made after my own plan, as follows: Barrels 27 inches; weight 12 pounds; astronomical telescope magnifying ten times, 1-3/8 to 1-3/4 inches in diameter, 12 to 14 inches in length. With this rifle carrying a 4 oz. ball, you may shoot a mile into a ten inch circle. By one vertical hair and several horizontal ones, the sights in the focus of the telescope may be regulated for optical distances. By this instrument we may compute the velocity of the ball and its general decrease; the fall of the ball by the power of gravitation; the comparative velocity with and against the wind; the lateral action of the wind, &c."--Natchez Democrat, Centennial Number (1876.)

[61] See "Philip Nolan's Friends; or 'Show Your Passport's'" in Scribner's Monthly, Vols. XI, XII, and XIII. Dunbar recognizes the value of Nolan's assistance, particularly in the study of the language of signs of the Indians.

[62] Wilson and Bonaparte's Amer. Ornithologist, Phila. Introduction pages C.-CI.

[63] Ib. 70.

[64] Ib. CI.

HISTORY OF TAXATION IN MISSISSIPPI.

CHARLES HILLMAN BROUGH, PH. D. (JOHNS HOPKINS)

The history of fiscal legislation and development in Mississippi has five distinct phases and is therefore comprised within the compass of five distinct periods. These periods, with rough chronological indices for each, are: (1) Territorial (1798-1817); (2) Transitional (1817-1861); (3) Confederate and Post-Confederate Governments (1861-1867); (4) Reconstruction (1867-1876); (5) Modern (1876-1898).