Chapter 31

Worthington, Edward D., A.M., M.D., F.R.C.S. (Edin.), Sherbrooke, P.Q. The subject of our sketch is one of the oldest physicians and surgeons in the District of St. Francis, having been in practice nearly fifty years, and gained for himself the reputation of being the leading surgeon in that part of Canada. He was born in Queen’s county, Ireland, on the 1st December, 1820. His parents, John Worthington and Mary Dagge, left Queen’s county on the 11th April, 1822, and after a short stay in Dublin, sailed from that port for America on the 2nd May, and reached Quebec on the 23rd June. Here they remained until 1828, when Mr. Worthington was induced to remove to Upper Canada. Taking his family with him, he started from Quebec on the 28th April of that year, and reached Queenston on the 12th May. This journey proved a most disastrous one, for the whole family suffered from fever and ague, and other misfortunes, and within a few days of one year they returned to Quebec. Here Mr. Worthington remained until his death, he and his wife having resided over fifty years in the city where they first landed after having left their native country. Their bodies now repose in Mount Hermon cemetery, on the banks of the St. Lawrence, surrounded by the graves of seven of their children. The subject of this sketch and his brother John, a druggist in Brooklyn, New York, being all who are left of a large family. In 1834 Dr. Worthington was indentured for seven years to the late Dr. James Douglas, of Quebec, who at that time occupied the foremost rank in his profession in Canada, he and the late Dr. Valentine Mott, of New York, being considered the most accomplished surgeons in America. After serving over five years, Dr. Douglas relieved him from the balance of his indenture, to enable him to accept an appointment as staff-assistant-surgeon in the British army. An assistant-surgeoncy in the army, however, in those piping times of peace, with its “7s. 6d. sterling per diem, and rations,” presented few attractions, so, after serving two years, he left the army, and went to Edinburgh, where he spent two years in attending lectures and “walking” the hospitals. While in Edinburgh he was awarded the medal of the Royal College of Surgeons, and also won the friendship of many of her eminent men, with some of whom he still keeps up a friendly correspondence. Among the students at that time from this side of the Atlantic, were the present Sir Charles Tupper, M.D., C.B.; the Hon. Dr. D. McNeil Parker, of Halifax; and the late Dr. R. H. Russell, of Quebec. On his return to Canada he received, on the 1st August, 1843, the license of the Montreal Medical Board, and immediately settled in Sherbrooke, Eastern townships, where he soon built up an extensive practice, and where he has since continued to reside. He has the fullest confidence of the community in his skill as a physician, and for over thirty years has had nearly all the surgical practice in his district of country. He has the full confidence of hisconfrères, who frequently send for him from long distances for consultations. Dr. Worthington, it will not be out of place to say here, was the first surgeon in Canada who performed a capital operation under ether as an anæsthetic, and was also among the first to use chloroform. On the 10th March, 1847, he amputated below the knee, under ether; and in January, 1848, three cases under chloroform, one being excision of bone. In 1854 the University of Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, conferred upon him the degree of M.A.,honoris causa; and in 1868, McGill College, Montreal, that of M.D.C.M.,ad eundem. He is also a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; corresponding member of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal, and of the Gynæcological Society of Boston, Massachusetts; member of the Canada Medical Association, having been, in 1877, vice-president for the province of Quebec; and for many years one of the governors of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Quebec, for the District of St. Francis. The doctor has received several substantial marks of public favor, among others, a solid silver tea-service, for his gratuitous attendance on the poor; and a gold watch and chain for his energetic and successful efforts to prevent the spread of that most loathsome of all diseases in Sherbrooke, the small pox. In the years 1837-8, Dr. Worthington served as a private in Captain Le Mesurier’s company of the Quebec regiment of Volunteer Light Infantry, the adjutant being the late Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Wily. The doctor is a warm supporter of the volunteer movement in Canada, and has served in the 53rd Battalion since its formation. He was on active service in both Fenian raids, and retired in 1887, retaining his rank as surgeon-major. He has written a good deal for medical periodicals, and especially for theCanada Medical Journal, published in Montreal, and some of his papers have been copied into the medical journals of Great Britain and the United States. Among the many papers he has contributed to the Canadian press are: “A new method of bed-making in fractures” (1871); “Glue bandage in fractures” (1872); “Case of gun-shot wound in abdomen, with perforation of stomach” (1876); and “Acute fibrinous bronchitis, with expectoration of tube casts” (1876). Dr. Worthington is a member of the Church of England, and has been a delegate to the Provincial Synod. In politics he is a Conservative. On the 16th October, 1845, he married Fanny Louisa Smith, eldest daughter of the late Hon. Hollis Smith, the first member elected to the Legislative Council for the Division of Wellington. Mrs. Worthington died on the 17th April, 1887, aged fifty-nine years. Of her eight children, five are now living, two daughters and three sons. The younger daughter is married to Major Antrobus, superintendent of the North-West Mounted Police. Of the sons, Edward Bruen, aged twenty-seven, is senior captain in the 53rd battalion; an LL.B. of Bishop’s College University, and in successful practice in Sherbrooke, as a notary public. Arthur Norreys, aged twenty-five, graduated in medicine at McGill College University in 1886, and after spending some time in Europe, settled in Sherbrooke. He was recently gazetted surgeon to the 53rd battalion, on his father’s retirement from the volunteer service. In September, 1887, he married, at Toronto, Emma May, daughter of H. H. Cook, M.P. for Simcoe East. The youngest son, Hugh Standish, is now at Bishop’s College Grammar School, Lennoxville. Arthur Norreys served through the North-West rebellion in the Field Hospital Corps, and so greatly distinguished himself for his humanity and bravery as to receive the following notice in the official report of Dr. Bergin, surgeon-general:

Many of these young men did noble work, regardless of danger. Where the bullets fell thickest, with a heroism that has never been exceeded, they were to be found, removing the wounded and the dying to places of shelter and of safety in the rear. Some cases of individual heroism are reported to me, which I feel call for more than a passing remark; and embolden me to say that amongst these non-combatant lads, and the staff to which they belonged, are to be found some of the greatest heroes of the war. At Batoche I am told that during the fight a flag was thrust from the window of the church, and was observed by a surgeon and a student who were under shelter from the fire at a couple of hundred yards distance. The student, immediately he perceived it, proposed that a party should at once go to the relief of the one demanding succor. No one appeared willing to second his proposal. To go to the church through the open under such a terrible fire as was being poured from the Half-breed pits, seemed to be like proceeding to certain death; but persisting, the surgeon said: “if you are determined to go, and we can find two volunteers to assist us in carrying a stretcher, I am with you.” Two men from the Grenadiers of Toronto at once stepped forward; and the four started upon their perilous journey—crawling upon their bellies—taking advantage of any little inequality of ground to cover them, and to shield them from the bullets of the Half-breeds. They reached the church—the bullets tearing up the earth all around them—without a scratch, and, breathing a short prayer for their deliverance thus far from death and danger, they looked around for him whom they had risked, and were still risking, their lives, to succor and to save. They found him in the person of a venerable priest, who had been wounded in the thigh, and they at once proceeded to remove him, after administering temporary aid. To remain in the church was to court certain death. To return to their corps seemed to be no less perilous; but they chose the latter. When they sortied from the church, so astonished were the Half-breeds at their daring that they ceased their fire for a moment. This time, returning, they had no cover, and were obliged to march erect. Bullets flew thick and fast; but the condition of the wounded man precluded anything like hurry, and they hastened slowly. God watched over them and protected them, and they reached their comrades in safety, their wounded charge also escaping without further harm. Such conduct deserves recognition, and I beg respectfully to call attention to it in this official way. I have not yet been able to obtain the names of the two noble fellows belonging to the Grenadiers, but I hope this notice of it will bring the information I desire. The other two are Surgeon Gravely, of No. 1 Field Hospital, and Mr. Norreys Worthington, from the same hospital. The manner in which Captain Mason was rescued and brought in by, I believe, Dr. Codd, of the 90th, and one of the young dressers (Mr. Norreys Worthington), was an exhibition of marked courage by members of the medical staff. Other instances well deserving of commendation have been reported to me, and I would respectfully suggest inquiry into all such cases, and if they be found as reported to me, that honorable recognition of them be made.

Mr. Worthington claimed descent through Bruen Worthington, of Ashton Hayes, in the county of Chester, and of Philpotstown, in the county of Meath, clerk in the Irish House of Commons, in 1734; from Hugh Worthington, of Worthington, in the county of Lancaster, and of the Manor of Adlington, in Standish parish. He held the lordship of Worthington in the 13th year of Edward IV., A.D. 1474.

Vaughan, William, St. Martins, N.B., was born in 1843, in Liverpool, England, and is consequently in his forty-fifth year. He is the son of the late Captain William Vaughan, of St. Martins, and it is by a mere accident that he claims Liverpool as his birthplace. He received his earlier education in a private school, and afterwards attended the Model school of St. John, N.B., and the Horton Academy at Wolfville, N.S. At the age of seventeen Mr. Vaughan was placed in the office of Farnworth & Jardine, a large shipping firm, of Liverpool, staying there for two years, getting his initial knowledge of business life therein. Returning home, he, in 1866, commenced business on his own account in St. Stephen, N.B. This he continued successfully until 1873, when, in partnership with another gentleman, he established the West India produce house of Vaughan, Clerke & Co. of St. Stephen. On the incorporation of the town, Mr. Vaughan was elected a member of the first town council, and was re-elected as such for the two succeeding years. In 1876 he commenced operations in St. Martins as shipbuilder, building vessels of the larger class. In 1878 the subject of our sketch sold out his interest in the St. Stephen firm, and again made his residence in his boyhood’s home—St. Martins. In 1882, in consequence of the failure of a Liverpool house which were large clients of his, and also in consequence of the depreciation which took place in wooden ships, Mr. Vaughan was compelled to relinquish business. Soon afterwards he was appointed manager of the Government Savings Bank at St. Martins, which position he still holds. In religious belief Mr. Vaughan is a prominent member of the Baptist church, being admitted to fellowship therein in 1857. He has held many positions of honour in this connection, all of which he has filled with credit to himself and with satisfaction to the denomination. Mr. Vaughan is also prominent in Masonic circles, being a past master of Sussex Lodge, St. Stephen; past principal of St. Stephen R. A. Chapter; and past eminent commander of St. Stephen Encampment K.T. In 1867 the subject of our sketch married a daughter of John Marks, of St. Stephen, and has a family of three boys and two girls. Mr. Vaughan has been a life-long total abstainer, not even knowing the taste of alcoholic liquors. At the present writing (1887) he is the grand chief templar of the Independent Order of Good Templars in New Brunswick, and has held the position for two years. Politically, Mr. Vaughan is a Conservative, although, as between the question of prohibition and party, if necessary, the latter would have to bow to the former. A man of good physique and energetic character, Mr. Vaughan is one of the many of her sons of whom his province, and, in fact, his country, may be proud.

Fraser, Hon. Duncan C., B.A., Barrister, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, was born at New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, on the 1st of October, 1845. His parents were Alexander Fraser and Annie Chisholm. He received his primary education at the Normal School, and graduated B.A. at Dalhousie College in 1872. He also took a course of instruction in the Military School. He chose law as a profession, and has succeeded in building up a large and lucrative business. Mr. Fraser has taken an active interest in municipal affairs, and for some time was town clerk, and a school trustee. He was then elevated to the mayoralty of his native town, and occupied the office for two terms. In provincial politics, he has also participated, and during the administration of the Hon. P. C. Hill, which held the reigns of power from 1875 to 1878, he was a member of the Legislative Council, and held a position in the government without a portfolio, but he resigned his seat in the council and returned to private life. In politics he is a Liberal, and a pronounced free trader. He has been long connected with the temperance reform, and takes a deep interest in all societies having for their object the extermination of the traffic in intoxicating drinks. At present he is the chief of the Independent Order of Good Templars in Nova Scotia. He is connected with Masonic and Oddfellows orders; and has been a deputy-grand master of the Masonic body. Mr. Fraser is familiar with the Maritime provinces, and has twice taken a trip to the Pacific coast. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church, and occupies the position of elder. On the 24th of October, 1878, he was married to Bessie G. Graham, daughter of William and Annie Graham, of New Glasgow.

Matheson, ColonelRoderick.—The Honorable Roderick Matheson, Senator, was born in the parish of Loch Carron, Ross-shire, Scotland, in December, 1793. He was descended from the last recognized Chief of Clan Mathan, Dugald Matheson, of Balmacara, Loch Alsh, Ross-shire, who joined Earl Seaforth in the Jacobite rebellion, and was killed in the action of Glen Shiel, Glenelg, on 10th June, 1719. Dugald Matheson left four sons. The three younger brothers went out to India, and did not return; the eldest, Roderick, remained at home and married Christina, daughter of Kenneth Mackenzie, with issue John, Dugald, and a daughter. John married Flora, daughter of Donald Macrae, of Strath Conan, who also fought in the Jacobite cause at Culloden, and was obliged to leave Scotland for some years after the rebellion. John Matheson had issue two sons, one of them the subject of our sketch, and three daughters. Col. Matheson’s father died while he was a boy, and while attending school at Inverness; he was brought out to Canada at the age of twelve, by his elder brother, and completed his education at a school in Lower Canada. When the war of 1812 broke out, a regiment was raised by the Imperial Government, called the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, and on the 6th Feb., 1812, Roderick Matheson was gazetted senior ensign, and in 1813, he was appointed lieutenant and paymaster. During the war he saw a great deal of active service, being present at the actions of York, Sackett’s Harbor, Cross Roads, Fort George, Lundy’s Lane, and Fort Erie, and in nearly all the engagements on the Niagara frontier. He was twice wounded, once very severely at Sackett’s Harbor, where he was in command of his company. After the war, he was allowed a year’s leave on full pay on account of his wound, and in December, 1816, on the reduction of the army, he was retired on half-pay. In 1817, with a large number of his comrades in arms, he settled at the town of Perth, Ont., then founded, and continued to reside there up to the time of his death, on 13th January, 1873. During the rebellion of 1837, he volunteered with five hundred men for service in Lower Canada, and, as Colonel commanding the First Military District of Upper Canada, he took an active interest in the organization of many of the present volunteer companies in the Ottawa Valley from 1855 to 1863. In 1847, Col. Matheson was appointed a life member of the Legislative Council of Canada, and, on the confederation of the provinces in 1867, he was appointed a Senator of the Dominion. Previous to the appointment of county judges, he was also Chairman of the Quarter Sessions. He married first, Mary, daughter of Captain Robertson, of Inverness, Scotland, who died in 1825; second, in 1830, Anna, daughter of the Rev. James Russell, minister of Gairloch, Ross-shire, Scotland, by whom he had a large family. In politics Col. Matheson was a staunch Conservative.

Peters, Simon, J.P., Builder and Architect, Quebec, was born in Youghal, county Cork, Ireland, on the 18th September, 1815. His father, who died in 1837, had been color-sergeant in H. M. 1st Battalion 60th Regiment, and had seen active service in the memorable battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and Pampalona. The family had come to Canada some years before the father’s death, and settled in Quebec. The subject of this sketch had but slight educational advantages, being entirely self-taught until over twenty years of age. He was apprenticed to the building trade at the age of sixteen, developing marked talent as a mechanic. In 1836 he left Quebec for New York, where he remained for four years. In 1838 he married Eliza Jane Lamoreux, daughter of the late Abraham Lamoreux, high constable of New York. In the same year he secured his first schooling in the form of a six months’ course of drawing lessons, during which he proved himself an apt and interested scholar. In 1840 he returned to Quebec, where winter was just setting in. Though possessed of little of this world’s goods, Mr. Peters was not dismayed, but by dint of natural ability and hard work, soon made a place for himself. In the winter of 1841-42 he finished his scholastic education with a season’s course in the night classes of the British-Canadian school, under the late Mr. Geggie. He also employed his evenings, for seven years, learning vocal music, and attained a good reputation as a tenor singer at St. Patrick’s Church, and also at concerts for charitable objects. He found good friends in the late Alexander Simpson, cashier of the Bank of Montreal, and Rev. Mr. McMahon. His worldly affairs prospering, he was able to take charge of his widowed mother, sister and four brothers. The brothers became in turn apprenticed to him at the building trade. In 1853 he built a steam sash, door, and blind factory, the first ever built in Quebec. This factory worked continuously until 1864, when it was destroyed, together with a large quantity of lumber. The proprietor’s loss was very heavy, as there was little insurance. Two years later he built the present works on the corner of Grant and Prince Edward streets, known as the St. Charles Steam Saw and Planing Mills, blind, door, sash, box, and car factory, a large and important industry. He constructed the joiner work of the first steamerQuebec, and the steamerUnion, plying on the river St. Lawrence. Mr. Peters has reached the topmost round of success in his profession, having been engaged in the construction of a great variety of works, many of them most important. A mere catalogue of some of the chief ones will serve to indicate the wide range of contracts he has undertaken:—Upper Town market-house, gas works, St. Paul street market-house, Wesleyan church, St. Peter’s church, St. Sauveur church, Sisters of Charity church and buildings, Masonic hall, Lévis Episcopal church, music hall, jail and court house at St. Hyacinthe, and also at St. Thomas, Montmagny; Wellington barracks, at Halifax, Nova Scotia; hotel at Tadousac, and the Earl of Dufferin’s house, at the same place. He restored Quebec custom house after the fire; built the wharf and light-house at Point St. Laurent Island of Orleans; also the outer ballast wharf, and the Louise embankment connected with the same, at the mouth of the St. Charles river; the Allan wharf; also a large number of dwellings; notably, Hamwood, Cataraqui, Elmsgrove, Bandon Lodge, Bijou, Sans Bruit, and Sir George Stephens’ elegant house, at Grand Metis, lined and finished inside with British Columbia cedar, brought over by the Canadian Pacific Railway for the purpose. Of fourteen children born, four sons and four daughters remain, all the daughters and two of the sons being married. In religion, Mr. Peters is a Roman Catholic. He has been for years vice-president of the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway Company, as well as a member of the council of the Quebec Board of Trade. He has been a member of St. Patrick’s Society for over twenty-five years, and was its president for the year 1878-1879. He has won his success not by adventitious aids, but is emphatically a self-made man, an honor to Canada, and to the race from which he sprung.

Lawson, John A., Manager Post Office Money Order Department, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was born July 23rd, 1842, at Covehead, in that province, and belongs to one of its oldest families. His great-great-grandfather, David Lawson, settled there, coming from Scotland about 1770, his business being the management of the Montgomery estate. David left two sons, and from these spring the Lawsons of Prince Edward Island. The subject of this sketch is the son of William David Lawson, and who lived on the original homestead of the family, where also our subject was born. William David married Isabella, daughter of John Auld, of Covehead, also of Scotch extraction, and the issue of this union was six boys and three girls. Four of the former are now living, the eldest being Rev. S. G. Lawson, a minister of the Presbyterian church and also well known in newspaper circles; Charles Lawson, a merchant of Charlottetown; James D. Lawson, in the civil service, and our subject. John A. received a good English education in the Common and Normal schools of his native province, and upon reaching the age of twenty-one years commenced the arduous life of a teacher, which profession he followed till about twenty-four years of age. The next five years he was engaged in mercantile pursuits, at Mountstewart, relinquishing them only to accept the position which he still holds under the Dominion Government, and which he has filled for fifteen years. In 1864 Mr. Lawson joined the Independent Order of Good Templars, and has always been an energetic and consistent member of that organization. He has held the highest positions in the gift of that body, being Grand Secretary from 1872 to 1884 inclusive. In 1885 he was elected Grand Chief Templar and re-elected to that position in 1886. He is a member of the Masonic craft, being initiated in Victoria Lodge, Charlottetown, in 1876, and for six or seven successive years being its secretary. Politically, Mr. Lawson is a Prohibitionist, although originally belonging to the Conservative party. In religious matters Mr. Lawson has for many years taken an active interest, being identified with the church of his fathers, viz., the Presbyterian, and is an elder in the church he attends. Our subject married in 1865 Sophia, daughter of Charles Coffin, of Savage Harbour, of United Empire Loyalist stock, the family settling in Prince Edward Island about 1780. His family consists of nine children, two boys and seven girls, none of whom have yet arrived at man’s or woman’s estate. Mr. Lawson is a man of kindly disposition, quiet habits, and generous hospitality, consequently he is a general favourite with all who know him.

Tyrwhitt, Lieut.-Col. Richard, Bradford, Ontario, M.P. for South Simcoe, was born in Simcoe county, Ontario, on the 29th of November, 1844. He is of an old English family, his grandfather, whose name he bears, last of Nantyr Hall, Denbighshire, barrister of the Inner Temple, and recorder of Chester. The subject of this sketch was educated at home, under private tutors, until well advanced in the rudimentary branches, and at Barrie Grammar School. He was sent to France to complete his education in the best college there. He spent some years as a collegian at Dinan and Rouen, returning to Canada at the age of eighteen. He engaged in farming, and having the advantage of health, education, and capital, besides an enthusiastic liking for the profession, he has been successful. At the age of twenty-six Mr. Tyrwhitt married Emma Whitaker, second daughter of the former provost of Trinity College. At an early age Mr. Tyrwhitt took an interest in military affairs, and joined the Simcoe (35th) Battalion. In 1864 he took a first-class certificate at the military school, Toronto; in January, 1865, attended the cadet camp at Laprairie, and in 1866 served on the Niagara frontier, during the Fenian raid, as lieutenant. He also took a first-class certificate at the cavalry school, under Colonel Jenyns, in 1870. He soon attained the rank of major, with the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel; is now lieutenant-colonel of the 36th Peel battalion, and commanded the Wimbledon team in 1886. On the death of W. C. Little, who had represented South Simcoe for years, Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt was nominated by the Liberal-Conservatives as a candidate for the House of Commons, and was returned by a majority of 900. The Redistribution Act of 1882 so changed the boundaries of South Simcoe that, instead of being, as it had formerly been, a Conservative stronghold, it became a most evenly balanced constituency. Nevertheless, Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt’s personal popularity, and his clean record, won for him a second time the confidence of the electors. In parliament he proved himself a most painstaking and conscientious representative. When the second North-West rebellion broke out, Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt was among the first to offer his services to the government to assist in suppressing the outbreak. Though doubtless, had he so desired, he might have been named to the command of a battalion, he proved that his sole desire was to serve his country and not to gain applause, by acting as second in command of the York-Simcoe battalion, of which his parliamentary colleague, Lieutenant-Colonel O’Brien, was in command. His soldier-like conduct during the campaign won for Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt the praise of his superiors in rank, and the enthusiastic regard of his men. In the general election of 1887, so great was the popularity of Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt that not only was he nominated to contest his own riding of South Simcoe, but he was deemed the strongest man to contest North York against Mr. Mulock, one of the ablest and most popular men on the Liberal side. Though he was unsuccessful in North York, Lieutenant-Colonel Tyrwhitt carried his own riding by a majority of 1050. There is no man in the House of Commons who is regarded by both friends and foes as more fair-minded, independent and patriotic than Mr. Tyrwhitt. Though a strong partisan, all believe that his course is dictated by conscientious conviction, and an earnest desire to serve the best interests of the country.

Smith, Robert Herbert, of the city of Quebec, is the eldest son of the Rev. Robert Hopton Smith and Jane his wife, who was a daughter of Robert Chapman, of London, England. Mr. Smith was born in the year 1825, at Little Berkhampstead, England, and had the advantages of a private education. In 1851 he came to Canada, and six years afterwards was admitted as a partner into the lumber shipping firm of Benson & Co. Three years later the name of the firm was changed to Roberts, Smith & Co., and again, in 1880, to Smith, Wade & Co. Six years later, Mr. Smith retired from business. In 1869 Mr. Smith was appointed by the Dominion Government a member of the Board of Protestant School Commissioners for the city of Quebec, and in 1870 he received the appointment of warden of the Trinity House in the same city. Mr. Smith has taken an active interest in many benevolent enterprises. Chief among these is St. George’s Society, of which he is a life member, and of which society he was president during the years 1883 and 1884. In 1857 he was married to Amelia Jane, fourth daughter of Henry LeMesurier, of Quebec. He is a member of the Church of England, and at present fills several important public and other offices. He is a member of the Quebec Harbour Commission, a director of the Quebec Bank, and is also chairman of the Quebec Gas Company.

Jennings, Rev. John, D.D., was born at Glasgow, Scotland, in October, 1814. He was the only son of John Jennings, manufacturer, of that city. His parents having died when he was two years of age, his earlier education was received under his uncle, the Rev. John Tindal, of Rathillet, Fifeshire. In early life he showed a great liking for the study of medicine and theology, and entered upon a theological course at St. Andrew’s University, and completed it at the University of Edinburgh. As he determined upon laboring in a foreign field, he further equipped himself by taking a complete course in medicine. In 1838 he was appointed missionary to Canada by the United Presbyterian Church of Cupar. Before setting out for his field of labor he was married, in the same year, to Margaret Cumming, daughter of Robert Cumming, of St. Boswell’s. Arriving in Toronto, the young clergyman was not long in looking about for a congregation. The city of Toronto at that time consisted of about eleven thousand inhabitants. His congregation was at first naturally small, consisting of seven members and twenty-one adherents, and their first place of worship was in a carpenter’s workshop on Newgate (now Adelaide) street. Over this congregation he was inducted as the pastor of the First United Presbyterian church of Toronto, the congregation residing principally to the east of Yonge street and south of Queen street. The growth of the congregation was rapid, and soon they purchased the old Baptist church on Stanley street, but required shortly to find larger premises, and obtained possession of a church built on Richmond street west (close to Yonge street). In a few years still larger premises were required, and the brick church on Bay street was erected, and continued for thirty-six years to be occupied by the same congregation, under his uninterrupted pastorate. In addition to the pastorate of Bay Street Church, Mr. Jennings had arduous labors to perform throughout the western and northern portions of the province as missionary, especially in establishing new stations and preaching to the scattered settlers. In these itinerant labors he had to encounter many difficulties and hardships, but his strong physical frame greatly strengthened him to bear these toils in the cause he held so dear. His knowledge of medicine was an invaluable assistant to him, and many of the scattered settlers were benefited bodily as well as spiritually. One year’s record shows that he travelled in these missionary tours upwards of three thousand miles, almost entirely in the saddle. In acknowledgment of his labors, and several works that he wrote on theological and university subjects, the degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him by the University of New York—the first degree given to a Canadian minister. He was at last obliged, through failing health, to resign his charge as pastor of Bay Street Church, which he had held for thirty-six consecutive years. The congregation reluctantly consented, and manifested its appreciation of the long services he had rendered their church by settling a liberal life-long allowance upon him. Notwithstanding the many and continuous calls upon his time during his long pastorate, Doctor Jennings found time to devote himself to assisting in building up many of the public institutions of the city, more especially in connection with the educational system, and for many years he was a member of the senate of the University and Upper Canada College, Council of Public Instruction and High School Board. He was one of the foremost on the platform and in the press in the discussion which led to the secularization, in 1854, of the clergy reserves, and was also a principal mover in the schemes for the union of the different branches of the Presbyterian church. He was gifted with a winning, cordial disposition; was a clear, forcible preacher, liberal in church and sectarian matters, which made him universally popular with his fellow-citizens of all creeds. His visits to the sick-bed and family circle were especially acceptable. He was fond of all healthy amusements, especially outdoor sports, his own early athletic training having assisted in building up a strong constitution, which in after years stood him in good stead. After the resignation of his charge his health failed rapidly, and in February, 1876, he succumbed to an attack of paralysis, maintaining to the last all his senses. His wife, three sons and four daughters survive him.

Slack, Edward, Waterloo, Quebec, was born at Eaton, Quebec, on the 17th August, 1841, and is a son of the Rev. George Slack, of London, England. Unlike most clergymen, Mr. Slack’s father has passed a very adventurous career. Before he was ordained he was an officer in the British Navy, and was in the service of the Queen of Portugal during the insurrection of 1830. He was in the battle of Cape St. Vincent on the 5th July, 1833, and for his gallantry on that occasion received the Order of the Tower and Sword of Portugal. He afterwards returned to England, and in 1837 retired from the navy. He then put into operation a project he had formed of coming to Canada. Shortly afterwards, however, he returned again to England to be married to Emma Colston, of Epsom, a niece of General Sir Edward Howarth, baronet, K.C.B. The newly married couple then left England to take up their permanent residence in Canada. Arriving, they remained for some time at Eaton, Quebec, where Mr. Slack was ordained by the late Bishop Mountain, of Quebec, and after removing to different places they finally settled down at Bedford, of which district the Rev. Mr. Slack became Rural Dean. His son, the subject of our sketch, received his education at Bishop’s College, Lennoxville, where he took a classical course. A true chip of the old block, he joined one of the Volunteer forces and served as lieutenant at Niagara in theTrentaffair. He again saw active service during the Fenian raid, and also took part in the battle of Pigeon Hill, on the Missisquoi frontier. He has occupied at different times as many as seventeen municipal and public offices. He has been mayor of Waterloo for eight years, and a member of the council for over twenty. He is at present warden of Shefford county, a position which he has held for a number of years, and is also a director of the Waterloo and Magog, and the Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly Railroads. He is a member of the Church of England, and is thoroughly independent in politics. His wife is Marion A. Ellis, daughter of the late R. A. Ellis, of Waterloo, Quebec. They were married on the 20th September, 1864, and have seven children.

Hudspeth, Adam, Q.C., M.P., Lindsay, Ontario, was born in Cobourg, Ont., on the 8th of December, 1836. He received his education in the Grammar School of his native town, under the tuition of his father, who was head-master. He studied law, and was called to the bar in 1867. A year later he married Harriette Miles, daughter of R. S. Miles, of Brockville, a retired chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Mr. Hudspeth soon made his mark as a lawyer and acquired a large practice. He was also, from early manhood, a keen politician and did yeoman service for his party (the Conservative) in all the political contests of his district for many years. In 1875 he received the nomination of his party for the local legislature and fought a hard fight against heavy odds, and though not successful, he won the respect of opponents as well as the admiration of friends by the manly earnestness of his campaign. Though giving much attention to politics, Mr. Hudspeth advanced rapidly in his profession and some years ago became a bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. Mr. Hudspeth was deputy judge for the county of Victoria for many years, being entrusted also with the duties of revising officer under the Franchise Act of 1885 to prepare the lists for North Victoria. Although complaints were made by the Liberals of the action of revising officers in different parts of the country, those complaints being all the more bitter because of the fierce opposition which had been offered to the Franchise Bill in parliament, no such complaints were made of the manner in which the lists for North Victoria were prepared, both sides acknowledging that a strict even-handed justice was meted out in every case. When the election came on Mr. Hudspeth ran as the Conservative candidate in South Victoria. He was elected by a handsome majority; but it was supposed that he was disqualified under the Independence of Parliament Act. Thereupon he resigned his office as revising officer and again entered the contest. The fight was one of the fiercest that has ever been known, even in Victoria, where party spirit is strong, but the result was another victory for Mr. Hudspeth. The victor was able to take his seat during the first session of the new parliament, being received with enthusiastic plaudits on being introduced to Mr. Speaker. His friends regard his entry into parliamentary life as the fitting result of a long political education gained in the field of active contests and as the real opening of a brilliant career. Undoubtedly Mr. Hudspeth’s talents were far above the average, and his remarkable energy and force of character are certain to bring those talents into prominence that the possessor of them will be called upon to take a high place among the representatives of the people.

Morrison, Alfred Gidney, Barrister, Halifax, was born on 31st May, 1854, at Folly village, Londonderry, in the county of Colchester, Nova Scotia. His parents were Thomas Fletcher Morrison and Margaret Brown Fletcher. On his father’s side he is descended from the ancient family of Morrisons of the West coast of Scotland, who were present in Ireland and took part in the defence of Derry. From thence they came to New Hampshire, and from there to Londonderry and Truro, in the county of Colchester, in the year 1760. On the mother’s side he is descended from the Rev. John Brown, who was a native of Scotland, and one of the pioneers of the Presbyterian church of Nova Scotia. Rev. Mr. Brown was the associate of the late Dr. McGregor, the founder of Pictou academy, one of the leading educational institutions in eastern Nova Scotia. Mr. Morrison received his primary education at the common school in his native village; and when a mere lad happened one day to go into the court house at Truro, and hearing two distinguished members of the bar wrangling over a disputed point, he, on returning to his home, announced his determination to be a lawyer. Although years elapsed before he could carry out this cherished idea, he at length succeeded in getting a chance to study this profession. He removed to Halifax in 1878, and after taking a course at Pictou academy, he studied law for a short time in the Halifax Law School, which was then newly established, and afterwards read law with Weatherby & Graham, barristers, and Thompson & Graham, barristers, Halifax, and was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia in December, 1882. He immediately afterwards entered into a partnership with W. F. MacCoy, Q.C., but three years afterwards he joined the firm of MacCoy, Pearson, Morrison & Forbes, which firm now does a large business in Halifax. From 1870 until 1879 he held the position of deputy surveyor of shipping at Londonderry. In 1884 he acted as secretary to a provincial delegation to Ottawa; and was solicitor for the Board of Public Charities at Halifax until the board was abolished by the legislature in 1886. He helped in the establishment of a system of printing cases for argument before the court in banc; and also in the establishment of a law school at Halifax. He was connected with the press for two years, and in this connection assisted in promoting several important public enterprises. Mr. Morrison believes in open and free discussion, and always likes to see the best man win. He has been, since 1878, a leading member of the Young Men’s Liberal Club at Halifax, and takes an active part in politics. He is considered a good campaign platform speaker, and has taken an interest in all election contests since 1878. He is familiar with the maritime provinces; but has only been able, so far, to visit Ottawa and the New England states. He was brought up a Presbyterian, and his mind has undergone no important theological change from youth up. Mr. Morrison’s progress has been upward in his profession. He is a man of sound judgment, excellent address, diligent in business, and possessed of an untarnished reputation for integrity. He is very fond of literature, but unfortunately his legal business gives him little time to indulge this taste, to any great extent, in this direction. He was married on the 7th February, 1884, to Rubie F. Douglas, of Maitland, in the county of Halifax, who is a lady of good education and refined taste. She was for some years, previous to her marriage, engaged in educational work, of which she is particularly fond. She was educated at the Truro Normal School. One son has been born of this union.

Matheson, Lieut.-Colonel Arthur James, fifth son of the late Col. the Hon. Roderick Matheson, Senator, was born at Perth, Ontario, and educated at Upper Canada College, and Trinity College, Toronto. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in February, 1870. In March, 1866, he was gazetted lieutenant of the Perth Infantry company, with which he served in the provisional battalion at Brockville and Prescott on the St. Lawrence frontier during the first Fenian raid. In November, 1866, on the formation of the 42nd battalion, he was gazetted captain. Having resigned his commission while studying his profession in Toronto, he was afterwards re-appointed captain, and in 1885, major, and on 18th June, 1886, lieut.-col. of the 42nd battalion V. M. The services of the battalion were volunteered for the North-West during the rebellion but were not required. Lieut.-Col. Matheson was, for a number of years, a member of the town council, and for two years, 1883 and 1884, mayor of Perth. In politics he is a Conservative.

Angus, Richard Bladworth, Montreal, Director of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, is a Scotchman by birth, having been born at Bathgate, in the neighbourhood of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the 28th day of May, 1830. He is one of four brothers, all remarkable for the early developed brilliancy of their talents. Mr. Angus received his scholastic education in the academy at Bathgate, and at an early age left Scotland and went to England, where, in a bank in Manchester, he received his business training. Bound to push his fortune, he came to Canada in 1857, and found a situation in the Bank of Montreal. In the first series of this work in connection with the life of the late Mr. C. F. Smithers, a brief concise sketch is given of the early history of banking in Canada, with especial reference to the great Bank of Montreal, of which that regretted financier had for several years the direction. It was with the progress of the same important institution that the subject of this memoir was destined to be identified during some of the most active years of his busy life, like not a few of the Scotchmen who have made their mark on this side of the Atlantic, Mr. Angus had his business training in one of the great commercial centres of England. The qualities which were ultimately to win him the confidence of his colleagues in some of the grandest enterprises of the time were soon recognized in the young Manchester clerk, and he rapidly mounted the ladder of promotion. In three years he had risen to the post of accountant, and in 1861 was sent to Chicago to assume charge of the branch office in that city. After some years residence in Chicago, he was entrusted with a still larger responsibility, being appointed to the associate management of the New York agency; a year later we find him once more in Montreal, as manager of the local business, and having discharged the critical business of that position for five years, he succeeded Mr. King, in 1869, as general manager. His tenure of that high position was marked by tact, foresight, and the fullest appreciation of opportunities for extending the influence of the institution. In 1876 he resigned, in order to accept the vice-presidency of the St. Paul’s, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway, a step which in due time was to have important results. It will be remembered that, as in the east, the entrance of the Maritime provinces into the Canadian Confederation necessitated the construction of the Intercolonial Railway. So in the extreme west, the admission of British Columbia was effected solely on the condition that communication should be established between the Pacific region and the rest of the Dominion. It was one of the grandest enterprises that had ever been conceived in an age fertile in great undertakings. In 1871 the survey was begun, but the scheme was to undergo many modifications before the actual initiation of the work of construction. It was finally deemed most advisable on various grounds that the responsibility should be assumed, not by the Government, but by a private company. At last a syndicate was formed, with Mr. (now Sir) George Stephen as its leading spirit. Mr. Angus was one of the original body, and has remained in connection with the incorporate company ever since as one of its directors. He shares, therefore, in the glory, as he has shared in the responsibilities and risks, of a public work, which has revolutionised the relations of the distant parts of the British empire, and enhanced a hundredfold the prospects of Canada as to immigration, industry and commerce. Not, indeed, till the present generation has passed away will the world sufficiently appreciate the services of the men by whom the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, an all-through route from ocean to ocean on British territory and a band of union between the metropolis and the farthest east, without which Imperial unity would be little more than a name. Mr. Angus is regarded as a shrewd business man, and very strict in his dealings. He is, however, none the less popular, as he has many amiable qualities, being a typical instance of that dual nature which is not uncommon, especially among Scotchmen, combining rigid adherence to the letter of a bargain, and close calculation of expenditure in business matters, with open-handed generosity in social intercourse. He is a member of the St. Andrew’s Society, and holds the position of vice-president. He is also a member of St. Paul’s lodge of Free Masons.

Jones, Robert Vonclure, A.M., Ph.D., Professor of Classics, Acadia College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, was born on June 25, 1835, at Pownal, lot 49, Prince Edward Island. His father was William Jones, who was born in London, Great Britain, and emigrated with his parents to Prince Edward Island about the beginning of the present century. His mother was Mary Gay, who came with her parents from the state of Maine, United States, and settled in Prince Edward Island, about 1802. After leaving the common schools, Mr. Jones pursued a course of study in the Central Academy, Charlottetown, P.E.I. This school has since received the more ambitious title of Prince of Wales College. It was then, as now, a place of thorough drill, and in it faithful pupils could lay the foundation of a broad and sound scholarship. He went, at the beginning of 1855, to Horton Collegiate Academy to continue his studies; and was matriculated into Acadia College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in 1856. He graduated in 1860, and was a member of the class that included the names of Professors Hartt and Wells, and Drs. Rand and Alward. He continued his studies at Oxford University, England, after his appointment to Acadia College; and was for four years second master of Horton Collegiate Academy. He was appointed to the chair of classics in Acadia College in 1865, and this position he still holds. For some years he was one of the classical examiners to the University of Halifax. Mr. Jones has travelled quite extensively in England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Italy, and in some of the New England States. In religion he is a Baptist, and at the Baptist convention, held in the Baptist church, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, August 20th, 1887, he was unanimously elected president. He was married on June 8, 1865, to Emma R. Pineo, daughter of John O. Pineo, a well-known resident of Wolfville, Kings county.

Macdonald, Hon. Andrew Archibald, Lieutenant-Governor of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, was born at Three Rivers, in that province, on the 14th February, 1829. He is the eldest son of Hugh Macdonald, and Catherine Macdonald, his wife, and grandson of Andrew Macdonald, who purchased an estate of ten thousand acres in Prince Edward Island, in the early part of the century, and with his family and some fifty of his countrymen, whom he brought with him to settle on the property, emigrated from Inverness-shire, Scotland, to Prince Edward Island where his kinsman, Macdonald of Glenaladale and other relations had already taken up their abode. Shortly after his arrival in the province he likewise purchased the beautiful island of Panmure, seven hundred acres in extent, at the entrance of Cardigan bay. There he erected a dwelling-house and store and took up his residence. He set apart a suitable piece of land for a church, which was soon built with the assistance of a few settlers of the same faith, and there all would assemble on the Sundays for united prayer, or to join in offering the holy sacrifice of the mass at such rare intervals as a priest visited the district. The interior of the island was then covered with the primeval forest, unbroken by roads. The first settlers located along the borders of the seashore or by the river margin. The water was the great highway at all seasons. Snowshoes were as indispensable in winter as canoes were in summer, for the snowfall was much greater then than in later years, since the forest has been cleared. The firm of Andrew Macdonald & Sons at once established an extensive business in exporting the pine timber of the province to Great Britain, and importing such goods as the settlers required. They also extended a branch of the house to Miramichi, in New Brunswick. They experienced all the usual difficulties of early settlers in a new country, but we will only note a few somewhat different from the ordinary kind. In 1807, while the first ship they had chartered was loading, a sloop of war arrived from Halifax, and pressed the crew for the King’s service. No seamen could be had to replace them, and the ship and cargo were detained for a long time. Other ship-owners, fearing the same fate, would not accept colonial charters, and provincial trade was at a standstill, but Mr. Macdonald represented the matter so well to the government that the practice was soon discontinued, and business went on. At another time, as the old man and one of his younger sons were taking passage home to Britain, in the autumn, by a timber-laden ship, she was captured by an American privateer, and taken as a prize to Philadelphia, where he and his son were confined in jail for some months as prisoners. As they were unable to communicate with their friends and were without funds, they suffered great hardship, and endured such privation that the old gentleman’s health gave way, he was then allowed a limited liberty on parole. In the following spring he managed to acquaint his friends with his situation, and the attention of the Provincial government being called to the case, they obtained his liberation and he returned home. In 1817 the house at Panmure with every thing it contained, including valuable family papers, was destroyed by fire, the inmates barely escaping with their lives; but undaunted still, he imported brick and material from Britain and erected the first brick dwelling-house and stables ever seen in that part of the province. His original purchase of township lands had proved a very unfortunate one, as it involved him in a Chancery suit, which continued up to the time of his death, in 1833. His son, Hugh, succeeded to the property, and continued the suit for almost another generation, with the usual result in the Chancery suits of that period, the litigants were ruined and the whole estate swallowed up in costs. Hugh Macdonald, of Panmure, was one of the first Roman Catholics appointed to any office of importance after the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act. He was high sheriff of the province in 1834. A commissioner of the Small Debt Court and justice of the peace for Kings county; represented Georgetown for some time in the House of Assembly; held the imperial appointment of Controller of Customs and Navigation Laws, and was Collector of Customs at Three Rivers, P.E.I., from 1832 until his death, in 1857. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Andrew Archibald Macdonald, the subject of our sketch, who was educated at the public schools of the county and by private tutors. He first entered as a clerk in a general store, opened at Georgetown, P.E.I., by a relative, in 1844, and soon became a partner in the business. On the death of the senior member of the firm in 1851, he purchased the estate, continued the business, embarked largely in the fisheries, and took his two brothers into partnership. The firm became large buyers and exporters of the products of the province, and engaged extensively in shipbuilding. In 1871 he removed with his family to Charlottetown, and shortly afterwards disposed of his interest in the business to his partners. He had been Consular agent for the United States of America at Georgetown for twenty-five years, before his removal to the capital. He had entered political life at an early age, and was returned to the House of Assembly in 1854, as one of the representatives for Georgetown. At the next general election, although he polled a majority of the votes, he was unseated on a change of parties by scrutiny in the house in 1859. When the Legislative Council first became elective in 1863, he was elected thereto by the second district of Kings county, and again returned by the same constituency in 1868. Whilst, a member of the opposition, the government appointed him one of the delegates to confer with those from the governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick at the Charlottetown conference of first September, 1864, on the expediency of the union of the three provinces, when the deputation from Canada was received and the subject of a general confederation of the British American provinces informally discussed. He was also in the same year a member of the delegation to Quebec, which arranged the first terms of Confederation for the Dominion. On submitting these to his Island constituents at public meetings they were not approved, and he did not afterwards advocate this measure, until terms more favorable to the province and acceptable to the people had been obtained, when they received his strenuous support both on the platform and in the legislature. He was first called to the Executive Council in Mr. Coles’ administration, formed 14th March, 1867, and continued in that of Mr. Hensley, and also of Mr. Haythorne, until the defeat of the party in September, 1870. They were succeeded by Mr. Pope’s government, of which he became a member, and was leader in the upper house until the defeat of the party and their resignation on the 22nd April, 1872. They were recalled to power within the year, and he continued a member of the government from that time until the better terms of Confederation were secured and the measure finally accomplished, when he resigned his seat and accepted the position of provincial postmaster general, 1st July, 1873. After Confederation this office was merged in that of postmaster at Charlottetown, although still directing the Provincial mail service, in which many improvements were effected and the efficiency of the service greatly increased. In 1881 he was also appointed post-office inspector for the colony, and held these offices until his appointment as Lieutenant-Governor, on 1st August, 1884. He was a delegate to the International Convention held at Portland, U.S., in 1868, and has been a governor of the Prince of Wales College, a trustee for the Provincial Hospital for the Insane, a member of the Board of Education, a member of the Board of Works, and a member of the City School Board. In 1875 he was appointed by the government, arbitrator to settle difference between them and the contractors who built the Prince Edward Island Railway. He was also public trustee under the Land Purchase Act of 1875, and when the value had been awarded to the proprietors by the Court of Commissioners, but they had refused to divest themselves of their titles, he executed conveyances of upwards of four hundred thousand acres of their property to the government as provided in the Land Purchase Act. While in the legislature he assisted in passing many of the most important acts on the provincial statute book, and was one of the earliest advocates of the construction of the Prince Edward Island Railway as a provincial work, although it involved an expenditure of three millions of dollars, by a province whose ordinary revenue was then only three hundred thousand dollars, and whose population was but one hundred thousand, but it was successfully accomplished, and the cost borne by the province now enjoying its benefits. Lieut.-Governor Macdonald has for many years taken an active part in the promotion of temperance; is a member of the Dominion Temperance Alliance, and no wines or spirituous liquors are used or offered at government house. Mr. Macdonald, like his forefathers from time immemorial, professes the Roman Catholic faith. He is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the relief of the poor, and has been chief of the Prince Edward Island Caledonian Club for several years past. He is also president of the Arbor Society. He married, in 1863, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Owen, formerly postmaster-general, with issue four sons, the eldest, Æneas Adolphe, is his private secretary and a law student in the office of Peters & Peters; the second son, Percy, has gone into a mercantile establishment to learn the business, and the two younger sons are still at college.

Smart, William Lynn, Barrister, Hamilton, Ontario, was born at St. Albans, Middlesex, England, on 16th September, 1824. He is the eldest son of the late John Newton Smart, of Trewhitt House, Rothbury, Northumberland, who married, in 1823, Mary Ann, co-heiress of the Rev. Thomas Gregory, vicar of Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. He succeeded his father to the Trewhitt and Netherton properties, in 1875. Mr. Smart graduated at King’s College, London. He left college in 1842, and was articled to Smart & Buller, attorneys-at-law and solicitors in Chancery, and was admitted as attorney in 1847, and was then taken in as a partner of the firm of Smart, Buller & Smart. He remained in this firm until 1853, when he came, to Canada on a visit to the late Colonel Light, of Woodstock. He subsequently accepted the appointment of secretary of the Woodstock and Lake Erie Railway Company. This company afterwards amalgamated with the Amherstburg and St. Thomas Railway Company, under the name Canada Southern Railroad. Mr. Smart remained as its secretary until the year 1862. Having been admitted as an attorney-at-law by the Law Society of Upper Canada, in 1864 he left the Canada Southern and entered into partnership with Hector Cameron, Q.C., the new firm taking the name of Cameron & Smart. During the time of the partnership, 1866, he was called to the bar of Upper Canada. In 1868 the partnership was dissolved, and he commenced business in Toronto on his own account. In 1873, he removed to Hamilton, where he received the appointment of deputy judge, under the late Judge Logie and also the late Judge Ambrose. The duties of this office he discharged with ability and care, giving much satisfaction, an address having been presented to him, signed by the bar of Wentworth county, until the appointment of the present Judge Sinclair. In 1876 he retired from his judicial position, and began business again as barrister, opening an office in the Court House, Hamilton. Judge Smart has devoted himself more or less to civic politics, and was during 1870 and 1871 a councillor for Yorkville, now part of Toronto. He belongs to the order of Freemasons, and has held the office of secretary of the Ionic lodge, No. 25, Toronto. He is likewise a member of the Orange order. He is an Episcopalian; and in politics a Liberal-Conservative. He was a candidate for South Oxford in 1882, but did not succeed. He married, in 1863, Catherine McGill Crooks, daughter of the late John Crooks, of Niagara. By this lady, who died in 1871, he has three children. He is a man of broad views, and though not a prohibitionist, is a sturdy advocate of temperance.

Van Horne, William C., Vice-President and General Manager Canadian Pacific Railway, Montreal.—Of the links that bind the old world to the new, there is one which, whatever may betide in a future, near or far, is not likely to give way. That link is the bond of race, and in itself that bond is manifold. In Mexico, Central and South America, a group of successive states perpetuates the memories of Spain’s dominion in the continent that she helped Columbus to discover. Brazil is allied by blood and crown to the enterprise of Portugal. North of the Gulf of Mexico, the empire has, in the course of events, become the heritage of men of Anglo-Saxon breed, whether the flag be the union-jack or the stars and stripes, the men who raised it aloft were mainly from the British Isles. Not all, however. Both in the United States and Canada there are elements in the population—important elements—which it would be stupidity to ignore. The foundations of the dominion were laid by the valiant and pious sons of La Belle France, and notwithstanding the change of rulership, the country is still, and must long continue to be, to a large extent, administered by their descendants. In the United States, among the first to sow the seeds of civilization in the wilderness, were the hardy children of the land of dykes and fogs. Hudson, though English born, was by adoption and service a Hollander, and the commercial metropolis of the western hemisphere was founded by Dutch pioneers. It is no wonder that in the great American republic should have arisen the most sympathetic and popular historian of the growth and independence of the United Netherlands. For if in that land of constant warfare with the ocean—the well-known patronymic—which to Platt Deutsch ears is as “Mac” to the Highlander, and “O” to the Munsterman, has been borne by patriots like Van den Berg, Van der Does, Van Tromp, and Van Hove, not less distinguished a place, in proportion to their numbers, have the founders of Manhattan and their descendants won for themselves in their new home. It is also worthy of remembrance that, though the English, displaced the Dutch by the law of the stronger, the Dutch won back their lost estates, and that in fact they only submitted to the English crown, when that crown pressed the brow of a compatriot of their own—William, Prince of Orange. Of the persons of known Dutch origin who have since those days of struggle risen to proud preeminence in the United States, the list is a long and honorable one. There is no rank of life, indeed, in which they have not been and may still be found, and as a rule, wherever the syllable “Van” is prefixed to a name, it denotes the ancient fatherland of its possessor. It may be almost taken for granted that he is above the average in those qualities that win success and esteem. That this assertion is not made at random, will be evident to any one who consults the “Biographical Directory of the Railway Officials of America,” where the number of office bearers bearing names beginning with “Van” is remarkable. In this list one name is conspicuous as that of a gentleman who holds the supreme position among the railway men of Canada—that of William C. Van Horne, vice-president and general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The name is one, moreover, of high renown in both continents, and has been borne by soldiers, sailors, divines, and scholars, as well as by men who made their mark in the ranks of commerce and industry. It was, it will be remembered, a Garratt Van Horne, a valorous and gigantic Dutchman, who led that resolute band of New Netherlanders who refused to bend their necks to the English invader. One of the race did, indeed, afterwards suffer discomfiture, being taken by surprise, and the students of our history will recall the repulse of Major Thomas B. Van Horne, near Detroit, in 1812. But a namesake of that gallant officer has amply avenged him in the spirit of returning good for evil. The rivalries of peace are more noble than those of war, and the benefit that the subject of this memoir has conferred on the Dominion and its people rebounds to the honor of the benefactor, as no conquest of his military namesake, even had he advanced unchecked, could ever have done. Mr. W. C. Van Horne is in career a type, not only as we have tried to show, of the stamp of character with which Holland—trained there, too, by long and fruitful conflict with nature—has endowed the new world, but also of a class of men who have made North America what it is to day. What the railway movement has done for civilization in the western, even more than in the eastern, hemisphere, we need not pause to inquire. Enough to suggest the inquiring; the answer lies all around us in the network of lines which has brought the most remote and out-of-the-way corners of the continent into communication with the great centres of business, skilled labor, and varied culture. In effecting these splendid results, Mr. Van Horne has had a share which, though a few dates may indicate its general features, might be made the theme of an instructive volume. Though he springs, as we have seen, from the old patron stock of the Manhattan colony, he is a westerner by birth, having first seen the light in Will county, Illinois, in February, 1843. He is therefore in the very prime of life. His railway experience began some thirty-two years ago, when he entered the service of the Illinois Central, as telegraph operator, at Chicago. He afterwards served for six years more, in various capacities, on the Joliet division of the Michigan Central. From 1864 to 1872, he was connected with the Chicago and Alton Railway, filling successively the positions of train-despatcher, superintendent of telegraphs, and assistant superintendent of the railway; and in 1872, he became general superintendent of the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Northern Railway. From October, 1874, till October, 1878, he was general manager of the Southern Minnesota line, being president of the company from December, 1877, till December, 1879. From October, 1878, till December, 1879, he was general superintendent of the Chicago and Alton Railway. In January, 1880, he became general superintendent of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul’s Railway, a position which he held for two years. In January, 1882, he became connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway, as general manager, and in 1884, he assumed the high and responsible position, which he still holds, as vice-president of that great company. This brief outline indicates a career of faithful service and gradual promotion. From that time forward Mr. Van Horne’s name has become a household one in Canada. His perseverance, pluck, and skill in connection with that railway soon placed him in the fore rank as one of the great railway managers of the present century, and the work he performed, and the skill manifested in the construction of that great national work, will ever link his name with the history of Canada. The work was completed within six years of the period allowed by contract, the last spike was driven by the Hon. (now Sir) Donald A. Smith, at Eagle Pass, 340 miles from Port Moodie, on the 7th of November, 1885, and the through train from Montreal passed on to the Pacific terminus. The operation of the line since that date has transcended the expectations even of the most sanguine.

Bryson, Hon. George, sen., Fort Coulonge, ex-Member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Quebec, was born in Paisley, Scotland, on the 16th December, 1813. His parents were James Bryson and Jane Cochrane, and both were born in Scotland. They came to Canada in 1821, and settled in the township of Ramsay, Lanark county, Ontario. Hon. Mr. Bryson received his education in the public schools of Ramsay. For about fifty years he has been in the lumber business, and has seen the development of this national industry from nearly its commencement. He was mayor of the township of Mansfield, county of Pontiac, province of Quebec, for a number of years, and for several terms served as warden of the county. In the fall of 1857 he entered political life, and was returned to represent Pontiac in the parliament of Canada; but parliament having been dissolved a short time thereafter, he never took his seat in the house. At the general election, which took place in 1858, he again presented himself for election, but was defeated. In 1867, however, he was called to the Legislative Council of the province of Quebec, and occupied a seat in this branch of the legislature until the 17th of August, 1887, when he resigned in favor of his son, George. Hon. Mr. Bryson takes an interest in Masonry, and is a member of the Dalhousie lodge, city of Ottawa. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church, and for a number of years has filled the office of elder in the same. In politics he is a moderate Reformer. He is one of the directors of the Bank of Ottawa. On the 4th March, 1845, he was married to Robina Cobb, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 20th September, 1815, and the fruit of this marriage has been seven children, four of whom are still living.

Richey, Rev. Matthew, D.D., an eminent minister of the Wesleyan Methodist connection, was born at Ramelton, in the north of Ireland, in 1803 or 1804, and came to America early in life. In 1820 he gave himself to the work of the ministry among the Methodists, and labored in New Brunswick. In 1821 his name appeared upon the minutes of conference as that of a probationer, and his first circuit was Newport, N.S. He was ordained and married in 1825, and was then sent to Parrsboro’, N.S., and subsequently he was appointed to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. In 1830, on account of the impaired state of Mrs. Richey’s health, he removed to Charleston, S.C., where the winter was spent. His popularity there was so great that, owing to the crowded state of the church in which he officiated, it was no uncommon thing for persons to go in the afternoon to the church in which he was to preach at night, and to remain supperless, for the evening service. He returned to Nova Scotia in 1831 and spent three years in Halifax. In 1835 he was appointed to Montreal, and here, as in his former spheres of labor, he speedily won, and permanently held, the love and admiration of the people to whom he ministered. In 1836, the “Upper Canada Academy,” since changed to Victoria College, was to be opened, and Mr. Richey was proffered the position of principal. He consequently removed to Cobourg, where he remained until 1839; the academy, under his charge, acquiring a high and influential character in the public estimation. While at Cobourg he received from the Middleton (Conn.), Wesleyan University, the degree of M.A., and it was here that he wrote “A Memoir of the late Rev. William Black,” including an account of the rise and progress of Methodism in Nova Scotia, etc. From Cobourg he was transferred to Toronto, remaining there from 1839 to 1843, at which time circumstances led to the severance of the connection between the British and Canadian sections of Methodism, which had existed from 1834. In 1840 Mr. Richey accompanied the Rev. Joseph Stinson, president of the Conference, to England, on a visit rendered necessary by the new order of affairs; and in 1841 he was again delegated to attend the British Conference, accompanied by the Rev. E. Evans. The results of those visits were eminently satisfactory to Wesleyans in connection with the British Conference. From 1843 to 1845, Mr. Richey was stationed at Kingston, then the seat of government. In 1842 he was appointed chairman of the Canada West District and general superintendent of Missions. In 1845 he was placed in Montreal as minister of great St. James street church, and chairman of the Canada East District. During this incumbency he received the honorary degree of D.D. from the Middleton Wesleyan University. To the official responsibilities of the Montreal district were added the superintendency of Missions in the Hudson’s Bay territory. In 1846 Dr. Richey was a Canadian delegate to the London Evangelical Alliance, and the following year he again crossed the Atlantic to attend the British Conference. A better understanding between the sections of British and Canadian Methodists was being arrived at, and as the result, articles of union were agreed upon in 1847. In 1848 he again removed to Toronto, attended the General Conference of the M. E. Church at Pittsburg, and was appointed president of the Canada Conference. In the autumn of 1849 he was thrown from his carriage, and never entirely recovered from the effects of the fall. Early in 1850 he removed to Windsor, N.S., and enjoyed the repose of a country life until the following year, when, after a visit to England and France, he again took up his residence at Halifax, was appointed chairman of the Nova Scotia West District, and so continued until 1855, when the Conference of Eastern British America, comprising Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, the Bermudas, and Newfoundland, was formed, with the Rev. Dr. Beechman as president, and Dr. Richey as codelegate. That year he visited Newfoundland on official duty, and at a later period spent a short time in Bermuda. In 1856 he was appointed president, and held that office until 1860, when, as the result of an aggravation of his malady, it became necessary for him to occupy a supernumerary relation. He again visited England, and on his return in 1861, he was appointed to St. John, N.B. From 1864 to 1867 was spent in Charlottetown, as chairman of the Prince Edward Island District, and in the last named year he was again president of the Conference of E. B. America. In 1868 he attended the General Conference of the M. E. Church in Chicago, and in July of the same year he again visited the British Conference. But his condition now rendered it necessary for him to retire from active labor, and he spent the remaining years of his life under the guardianship and affectionate solicitude of family and friends. On the 17th October, 1883, he was seized by paralysis and lingered until the following Tuesday, Oct. 24th. Thus passed away one of the foremost divines in the great Methodist denomination, to whose ripe scholarship, rare theological attainments, and commanding eloquence, as well as to his abundant and useful labors, frequent reference is found in Methodistic records.

Desjardins, Lieutenant-Colonel Louis George, M.P.P. for Montmorency, Levis, Quebec, was born at St. Jean Port Joli, County of L’Islet, on 12th May, 1849. He is the son of the late François Desjardins. He received his education at Levis college, where the training was of the very best kind to fit a young man for the active duties of life. He became a journalist, and in that profession has held a number of positions of influence in relation to the newspaper press. He was for several years editor-in-chief ofLe Canadien(Quebec), one of the most influential of French-Canadian papers. On the 3rd February, 1873, he married Aurélie, daughter of the late C. Lachance, of Levis. His interest in militia affairs was always keen. He has his title of lieutenant-colonel as commanding officer of the 17th battalion volunteer militia. Lieutenant-Colonel Desjardins first entered active political life in 1881, when he was elected to represent his present constituency in the House of Assembly of the province. He gave a strong and able support to the Chapleau ministry, which was then in power, and subsequently to the different administrations following, until the defeat of the Conservatives at the last general election. In that election Lieutenant-Colonel Desjardins was again returned. As a journalist and public speaker, Mr. Desjardins is possessed of remarkable power. His knowledge of political affairs is both wide and accurate, and his writing, especially, shows that conscious power which comes of full knowledge of the subject with which he deals.

Back to Index Next