Download or read book The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America, 1873, Vol. 2 (Classic Reprint) written by and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-09 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America, 1873, Vol. 2 The author of the following Lectures, Major David B. Douglass, was a native of Pompton, New Jersey, where he was born on the twenty-first of March, 1790. He was graduated at Yale-college, in 1813; entered the Army, as Second-lieutenant of Engineers; and was stationed at West Point. In the Summer of 1814, he was ordered to the Niagara frontier, and arrived just in time to take part, as a volunteer, in the Battle of Niagara. In the subsequent defence of Fort Erie, in August and September, he distinguished himself, and was, at once, promoted to a First-lieutenancy, with the brevet rank of Captain. He was ordered to West Point, on the first of January, 1815, and made Assistant-professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy. In 1819, he acted, during the Summer recess, as Astronomical Surveyor of the Boundary Commission, from Niagara to Detroit; and, in the Summer of 1820, he accompanied Governor Cass, in a similar capacity, to the Northwest. In August, of the same year, while on this duty, he was promoted to the professorship of Mathematics, in the Military Academy, at West Point, vacant by the death of his father-in-law, Professor Andrew Ellicott, with the rank of Major in the Army. In 1823, he was transferred, at his own desire, to the Professorship of Civil and Military Engineering. The science of Engineering was then new, in this country; and few great works had been executed. He devoted himself to it, with unsparing energy, and soon acquired a wide reputation. Many advantageous offers were made him; but he chose to remain at West Point. He was, however, employed by the State of Pennsylvania, during the Summer recesses, from 1826 to 1830, as a Consulting Engineer, and charged with the surveys of several of the more difficult parts, in its system of public works. In 1831, he resigned his professorship, and became Chief Engineer of the Morris Canal, residing in Brooklyn. In 1832, he was appointed Professor of Civil Architecture, in the new University of the City of New York, and prepared the designs for its building, opposite Washington-square. In June, 1833, he commenced his surveys for the great work of supplying the city of New York with water; and, in November, he submitted his first Report, demonstrating the feasibility of such a supply, and showing how to obtain it, from the Croton-river. He reviewed his surveys, in 1834, and prepared plans and estimates for the city authorities; and, the next Spring, it was determined, by a vote of the citizens, that the aqnednet should be built. Water Commissioners were appointed; and Major Douglass was, at once, elected Chief Engineer, and proceeded to lay out, minutely, the line of the Acqueduct, and to complete his plans. He had accomplished bis preliminary work when he was superseded. In 1839, be planned and laid out Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn. In 1840, he was elected President of Kenyon-college, Ohio, and removed to Gambier, in the Spring of 1841. He withdrew from this office, in 1844, and returned to the vicinity of New York. In 1845-6, he laid out the Cemetery, at Albany; and in 1847, he was employed in developing the landscape features of Staten Island. In 1848, he laid out the Protestant Cemetery, at Quebec; and, in the same year, he was elected Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, in Hobart-college, at Geneva, New York. He accepted the office, and entered upon its duties, in October; and, on the nineteenth of October, 1849, he died. These Lectures were prepared with great care and first delivered, in 1840, before the Mercantile Library Association of New York. In the Winter of 1845, after a rigid revision, they were repeated before the Young Men's Association, at Albany; and, afterwards, at the request of "numerous members of both branches of the L