Rittenhouse, David (1732-1796) to John Page
High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.
Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05974 Author/Creator: Rittenhouse, David (1732-1796) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 18 August 1777 Pagination: 3 p. : address ; 32.6 x 20.2 cm. Order a Copy
Written by Rittenhouse, a well-known astronomer and instrument maker, as Pennsylvania state treasurer to Page as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. References Page's letter of 25 March 1777. Thanks him sending his observations on the eclipse of the sun and the transit of Mercury. Says he is going to do a write up of the eclipse and needs Williamsburg, Virginia's (where Page wrote from) true longitude. Says next eclipse of the sun in June will be total. Discusses in detail the angle of observation for an eclipse and the path of Venus. Says he will send something to Page for publication since "our Society" - the American Philosophical Society - has discontinued meetings because of disputes between Tories and Whigs.
Rittenhouse, a clockmaker by trade, developed great skill in the making of mathematical instruments. He was called upon to determine, with his own instruments, the boundary lines of several states and also part of the boundary known as the Mason-Dixon Line. In 1769 he was asked by the American Philosophical Society to observe the transit of Venus. His contributions include the use of measured grating intervals and spider threads on the focus of the telescope. Active in public affairs, he was a member of the convention that framed Pennsylvania's constitution and was state treasurer (1777–89) and director of the U.S. mint (1792–95). After the Revolution he was an Anti-Federalist. He succeeded Benjamin Franklin as president (1791–96) of the American Philosophical Society
Citation Guidelines for Online Resources
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.