Jeremiah N. Reynolds
Encyclopedia
Jeremiah N. Reynolds also known as J.N. Reynolds, was an American newspaper editor, lecturer, explorer and author who became an influential advocate for scientific expeditions. His lectures on the possibility of a hollow earth
appear to have influenced Edgar Allan Poe
's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
(1838) and his 1839 account of the whale Mocha Dick
, "Mocha Dick: Or the White Whale of the Pacific", influenced Herman Melville
's Moby-Dick
(1851).
for three years. He then edited the Spectator newspaper in Wilmington, Ohio
, but sold his interest in it in about 1823.
The next year, Reynolds began a lecture tour with John Cleves Symmes, Jr.
. Reynolds had become a convert to Symmes' theory that the earth is hollow. Symmes' idea was accepted as possible by some respected scientists of the time. The two presented talks on the subject. When Symmes died, Reynolds continued his lectures, which were given to full houses in Eastern U.S. cities (with a charge of 50 cents for admission).
Over time, Reynolds became willing to accept the possibility that the theory was wrong. In Philadelphia, Reynolds and Symmes parted.
cabinet, and speaking before Congress
, Reynolds succeeded in fitting out a national expedition to the South Pole
. But Andrew Jackson
opposed the project, and after he became president it was squelched.
Reynolds garnered support from private sources and the expedition sailed from New York City in 1829. With much danger, the expedition reached the Antarctic shore and returned north, but at Valparaíso, Chile, the crew mutinied and set Reynolds and another man on shore.
In 1832, the United States frigate "Potomac" under Commodore John Downes
arrived. The ship had been ordered to the coast of Sumatra to avenge an attack on an American ship, "Friendship", of Salem, Massachusetts
and was returning home in what became a circumnavigation of the globe. Reynolds joined Downes as his private secretary for the trip and wrote a book about the experience.
mining operation.
Reynolds missed joining the Great U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842, even though that venture was a result of his agitation. He did not participate because he had offended too many in his call for such a trip.
His health broke down and in 1858 he died in New York at age 59.
reviewed Reynold's "Address, on the Subject of a Surveying and Exploring Expedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas (New York, 1836) first given to the House of Representatives on April 2, 1836." In his review, Poe said of Reynolds:
"Perhaps as a further tribute to Reynolds (or perhaps as a desperate effort to provide copy to the publisher), Poe used some seven hundred words of Reynolds' Address in the fifteen hundred words of Chapter XVI of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym," wrote Daniel Tynan of The Colorado College in an article about the Poe text.
, a white sperm whale off Chile who bedeviled a generation of whalers for thirty years before succumbing to one. (see "Mocha Dick" section in "External links" below)
includes scenes of Reynolds as a character, making his way in scientific circles and delivering a lecture in New York.
"On the Expediency of Fitting Out Vessels of the Navy for an Exploration of the Pacific Ocean and South Seas" (Washington: Gale's & Seaton, 1860):
From the same volume of the same title, but published in 1861:
Other, similar published collections of federal documents:
(Washington: Gale's & Seaton, 1860)
Hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
appear to have influenced Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the Grampus...
(1838) and his 1839 account of the whale Mocha Dick
Mocha Dick
Mocha Dick was a notorious male sperm whale that lived in the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century, usually encountered in the waters near the island of Mocha, off southern Chile. American explorer and author Jeremiah N. Reynolds published his account, "Mocha Dick: Or The White Whale of the...
, "Mocha Dick: Or the White Whale of the Pacific", influenced Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
's Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
(1851).
Early life
Born into poverty in Pennsylvania, he moved to Ohio as a child. In his teenage years and early 20s, he taught school, saved his money and attended Ohio University in Athens, OhioAthens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
for three years. He then edited the Spectator newspaper in Wilmington, Ohio
Wilmington, Ohio
Wilmington is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,520 at the 2010 census. At city entrances from state routes, county roads, and U.S. highways, the city slogan of "We Honor Our Champions" is seen, accompanied by signs that highlight various...
, but sold his interest in it in about 1823.
The next year, Reynolds began a lecture tour with John Cleves Symmes, Jr.
John Cleves Symmes, Jr.
John Cleves Symmes, Jr. was an American army officer whose 1818 Hollow Earth theory, expounded on the lecture circuit, gained him considerable notoriety.-Biography:...
. Reynolds had become a convert to Symmes' theory that the earth is hollow. Symmes' idea was accepted as possible by some respected scientists of the time. The two presented talks on the subject. When Symmes died, Reynolds continued his lectures, which were given to full houses in Eastern U.S. cities (with a charge of 50 cents for admission).
Over time, Reynolds became willing to accept the possibility that the theory was wrong. In Philadelphia, Reynolds and Symmes parted.
Adventures
Gaining the support of members of President John Quincy Adams'John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
cabinet, and speaking before Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, Reynolds succeeded in fitting out a national expedition to the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. But Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
opposed the project, and after he became president it was squelched.
Reynolds garnered support from private sources and the expedition sailed from New York City in 1829. With much danger, the expedition reached the Antarctic shore and returned north, but at Valparaíso, Chile, the crew mutinied and set Reynolds and another man on shore.
In 1832, the United States frigate "Potomac" under Commodore John Downes
John Downes (naval officer)
Commodore John Downes was an officer in the United States Navy, whose service covered the first half of the 19th century.-Early life and career:...
arrived. The ship had been ordered to the coast of Sumatra to avenge an attack on an American ship, "Friendship", of Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
and was returning home in what became a circumnavigation of the globe. Reynolds joined Downes as his private secretary for the trip and wrote a book about the experience.
Later life
Back in New York City, Reynolds studied law and became a success as an advocate. In 1848 he organized a stock company in New York City for a New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
mining operation.
Reynolds missed joining the Great U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842, even though that venture was a result of his agitation. He did not participate because he had offended too many in his call for such a trip.
His health broke down and in 1858 he died in New York at age 59.
Influence on Poe's "Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym"
In the January 1837 issue of the Southern Literary Messenger, Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
reviewed Reynold's "Address, on the Subject of a Surveying and Exploring Expedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas (New York, 1836) first given to the House of Representatives on April 2, 1836." In his review, Poe said of Reynolds:
- To the prime mover in this important undertaking--to the active, the intelligent, the indomitable advocate of the enterprise --to him who gave it birth, and who brought it through maturity, to its triumphant result, this result can afford nothing but unmitigated pleasure. He has seen his measures adopted in the teeth of opposition, and his comprehensive views thoroughly confirmed in spite of cant, prejudice, ignorance and unbelief. … With mental powers of the highest order, his indomitable energy is precisely of that character which will not admit of defeat. (SLM, p. 65)
"Perhaps as a further tribute to Reynolds (or perhaps as a desperate effort to provide copy to the publisher), Poe used some seven hundred words of Reynolds' Address in the fifteen hundred words of Chapter XVI of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym," wrote Daniel Tynan of The Colorado College in an article about the Poe text.
Influence on Melville's Moby-Dick
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine of May 1839 published "Mocha Dick: Or the White Whale of the Pacific", Reynolds' account of Mocha DickMocha Dick
Mocha Dick was a notorious male sperm whale that lived in the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century, usually encountered in the waters near the island of Mocha, off southern Chile. American explorer and author Jeremiah N. Reynolds published his account, "Mocha Dick: Or The White Whale of the...
, a white sperm whale off Chile who bedeviled a generation of whalers for thirty years before succumbing to one. (see "Mocha Dick" section in "External links" below)
Other literary influences
The novel Our Plague, A Film From New York (1993) by James ChapmanJames Chapman (author)
James Chapman is an American novelist and publisher. He was raised in Bakersfield, California, has lived in New York City since 1978, and is the author of nine novels to date....
includes scenes of Reynolds as a character, making his way in scientific circles and delivering a lecture in New York.
For further information
- Reynolds, Jeremiah N., Voyage of the United States Frigate Potomac, New York: Harper and Brothers, 1835.
- Reynolds, Jeremiah N. Mocha Dick: Or The White Whale of the Pacific. London and Glasgow: Cameron and Ferguson, 1870.
- Reynolds, Jeremiah N. Mocha Dick, The White Whale of the Pacific. Illustrations by Lowell LeRoy Balcom. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932.
- Philbrick, Nathaniel, Heart of the Sea
- Almy, Robert F. "J. N. Reynolds: A Brief Biography with Particular Reference to Poe and Symmes." The ColophonThe Colophon, A Book Collectors' QuarterlyThe publication titled The Colophon, subtitled A Book Collectors' Quarterly or A quarterly for booklovers, was a limited edition quarterly periodical begun late in 1929 and continuing in various guises until 1950. It was the brainchild of Elmer Adler , founder of Pynson Printers of New York City...
2 (1937): 227–245 - Howe, Henry. "The Romantic History of Jeremiah N. Reynolds." Historical Collections of Ohio, vol 2. Cincinnati, 1889.
- Sachs, Aaron, The Humboldt Current: Nineteenth Century Exploration and the Roots of American Environmentalism, (Viking, 2006), Reynolds is one of four Americans the author focuses on who were influenced by Alexander von HumboldtAlexander von HumboldtFriedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
.
Official papers on funding an expedition
Reynolds was mentioned in numerous documents related to the federal government's decisions to fund exploratory missions:"On the Expediency of Fitting Out Vessels of the Navy for an Exploration of the Pacific Ocean and South Seas" (Washington: Gale's & Seaton, 1860):
- http://www.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex363.htm1828: March 25, 1828,. American State Papers: Naval Affairs, Vol. 3, pp. 189–197
- http://www.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex391.htm1829: February 23, 1829. American State Papers: Naval Affairs, Vol. 3, pp. 336–343.
From the same volume of the same title, but published in 1861:
- http://www.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex578.htm 1835: February 7, 1835. American State Papers: Naval Affairs, Vol. 4, pp. 707–715.
- http://www.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex620.htm 1836: March 21, 1836. American State Papers: Naval Affairs, Vol. 4, pp. 867–873.
Other, similar published collections of federal documents:
- http://www.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex387.htm 1829: "Exploring Expedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas", February 16, 1829.. American State Papers: Naval Affairs, Vol. 3, pp. 308–317.
- http://www.du.edu/~ttyler/ploughboy/usexex415.htm 1830: "Authorization of the Naval Exploring Expedition in the South Seas and Pacific Ocean, and of the Purchase of and Payment for Astronomical and Other Instruments for the Same", March 17, 1830.. American State Papers: Naval Affairs, Vol. 3, pp. 546–560.
(Washington: Gale's & Seaton, 1860)
External links
- http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA98/silverman/poe/rey_hist.html"The Romantic History of Jeremiah N. Reynolds" at the "American Studies at the University of Virginia" Web site. This appears to be a reprint of Henry Howe's article of the same title, which appeared in Historical Collections of Ohio, Volume 2, Cincinnati (1889).
- Reynold's 1828 Report on the Pacific to House of Representatives