Doctor Archibald Bruce, (the subject of this Memoir) was a native of the city of New-York, in North America. He was born in the month of February, in the year seventeen hundred and seventy-seven. His father was, at that time, at the head of the medical department of the British army, (then stationed at New-York) to which he had been attached from his youth, having been many years previously resident at New-York, as surgeon to the artillery department; where he was married, in or about the year seventeen hundred and sixty-seven, to Judith, a daughter of Nicholas Bayard, formerly of the same city, at that time the widow of Jeremiah Van Rensselaer of Greenbush; by whom he had another son, (who died an officer in the British army in Ireland) and a daughter, who died while a child. William Bruce, (the father above-mentioned,) and his brother Archibald, together with a sister, were natives of the town of Dumfries in Scotland, where their father was many years resident as the parochial clergyman; and so continued until his decease, much respected. Both sons applied themselves to the science of medicine and surgery. William, as above stated, became a physician in the British army, and died, in that station, of the yellow fever, in the island of Barbadoes. And Archibald received a commission of surgeon in the British navy, in which he continued until disqualified by old age, when he retired from business, and died a few years since in London. For many years he acted as surgeon to the several ships commanded by Sir Peter Parker, captain, and afterward admiral. Doctor William Bruce, before his final separation from his family, on the occasion of his being ordered to the West-India station, had always declared that his son Archibald should never be educated for the medical profession; and finally enjoined such instruction upon his wife and friends, to whom the charge of the boy was committed. After his decease, the same injunction was repeated by the uncle, then in Europe, who was ever averse to his nephew's making choice of this profession: much pains were therefore early exerted to divert him from such inclination. The momentous state of political affairs, induced his mother to send him to Halifax, under the care of William Almon, M. D. a particular friend of her husband, with whom, however, remaining but a short time, he returned to New-York; and was placed at a boarding-school at Flatbush, Long Island, under the direction of Peter Wilson, LL.D. who was in high standing as a teacher of the languages. [Illustration: ARCHIBALD BRUCE M. D.]