Dr. Rush of Philadelphia, in “The American Museum” for January, 1789, gave an interesting account of this distinguished “Negro physician.”  Says Dr. Rush,—­

“I have conversed with him upon most of the acute and epidemic diseases of the country where he lives.  I expected to have suggested some new medicines to him, but he suggested many more to me.  He is very modest and engaging in his manners.  He speaks French fluently, and has some knowledge of the Spanish."[621]

Phillis Wheatley has been mentioned already.  So, in the midst of darkness and oppression, the Negro race in America, without the use of the Christian church, schoolhouse, or printing-press, produced a poetess, an astronomer, a mathematician, and a physician, who, had they been white, would have received monuments and grateful memorials at the hands of their countrymen.  But even their color cannot rob them of the immortality their genius earned.

FOOTNOTES: 

[611] William Wells Brown, William C Nell, and all the Colored men whose efforts I have seen, have made a number of very serious mistakes respecting Banneker’s parentage, age, accomplishments, etc. He was of mixed blood.  His mother’s name was not Molly Morton, but one of his sisters bore that name.

I have used the Memoirs of Banneker, prepared by J.H.B.  Latrobe and J. Saurin Norris, and other valuable material from the Maryland Historical Society.

[612] In the most remote records the name was written Banneky.

[613] J. Saurin Norris’s sketch.

[614] Jefferson’s Works, vol. iii. p. 291.

[615] See Norris, paper on Banneker.

[616] All of Banneker’s literary remains were published by J.H.B.  Latrobe in the Maryland Historical Society, and in the Maryland Colonization Journal in 1845.  The Memoir of Banneker was somewhat marred by a too precipitous and zealous attempt to preach the doctrine of colonization.

[617] Needles’s Hist.  Memoir of the Penn.  Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, p 32.

[618] J.P.  Brissot de Warville’s Travels in the U.S., vol. i p. 243.

[619] Columbian Centinal of Boston, Dec. 29, 1790.

[620] Brissot de Warville’s New Travels in the U.S., ed. 1794, vol. i. p. 242.

[621] For an account of Fuller and Derham, see De la Litterature des Negres, ou Recherches sur leurs Facultes intellectuelles, leurs Qualites morales et leur Litterature; suivies de Notices sur la Vie et les Ouvrages des Negres qui se sont distingues dans les Sciences, les Lettres et les Arts.  Par H. GREGOIRE, ancien Eveque de Blois, membre du Senat conservateur, de l’Institut national, de la Societe royale des Sciences de Goettingue, etc.  Paris:  MDCCCVIII.

CHAPTER XXX.

SLAVERY DURING THE REVOLUTION.