Benjamin H. Latrobe, the architect and engineer, had some taste for landscape drawing. He exhibited, in 1812, a "View of the River Schuylkill" and a "View of the Seat of Miers Fisher."
John Thomas Scharf and Thompson Westcott, History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884 (1884), p. 1052.
The sketch is presently within the Print and Photograph Division of the Library of Congress, where it is [mis]labeled as "Probably Long Branch, the Robert Carter Burnwell house, Clarke County, Va." But when you compare this watercolor to a 1824 sketch of "Miers Fisher's Place" by Charles Wilson Peale (who also painted a portrait of Latrobe) the similarity of the two drawings is virtually exact. Plus, the ground contour of Latrobe's sketch matches Ury's.
3 September 1812 Thursday
Morning clear, light air from N westerly drawing round at 10 NE, temperature about 70°. About 1/2 part 9 this morning walking in front of the bees in the garden, one of them attacked me, I ran but he fixed in my hair under my hat, back of my left ear and stung me. With my hat I flapped at him but he pursued me till I entered the piazza. I applied some vinegar to the wound which was not severe, but the effect began to show itself by a burning itch first in the vicinity of the spot and gradually spreading over my whole surface, with greatly increased action of the arteries and a stricture of mu esophagus. In fact, all my sensations recorded under date April 16th last were repeated exactly excepting only the evacuation of my stomach which not being so full as usual after dinner was not necessary. The duration was about the same and now about 12 I am free of all the symptoms, except a quickness of pulse which I hope will soon pass away. Temperature rose to 80°. The papers for two or 3 days past have been filled with accounts from almost every quarter of the capture of fort Detroit wither the whole American army under the command of General Hull, said to be 2500 men, but a few days before he was said to be carrying everything before him was supposed to be in possession of the British Fort Malden sudden reverse? But there is yet no straight account of the causes leading to it. By Relph's[?] Gazette brought me this evening, it appears that on the 19th ....[?] Capt. Hull of the US frigate Constitution had an engagement with the British frigate Guerriere[?] Capt. Davis[?] in which after about one hour the latter lost all his M....[?] and submitted during the following night. The prisoners being first removed to the Constitution, the Guerriere in a sinking state was set fire to and blew up. Thus if the account from Sackets Harbor on St. Lawrence or Lake Ontario be true, the Navy of the US have in the two first collisions with the British, been more than victorious.
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