Chapter IX: Preface (9)

=Gray, James=, Manager of the Merchants Bank of Canada, Perth, Lanark county, Ontario, was born on the 3rd of September, 1820, at Black Hills, parish of Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland. Arthur Gray, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a native of Morayshire, Scotland, and joined the active militia in 1809, and in 1811 was gazetted ensign in the 2nd battalion of the 24th Regiment of the line. In November of the same year he proceeded with his regiment to the Peninsula, where he joined the army under the command of the late Duke of Wellington, and served till the end of the war, during which he was present at the following battles and sieges: In the covering division at the siege and capture of Badejoz; the battle of Salamanca (where he carried the colours); the capture of the Retiro and the siege of Burgos, where he was engaged in the storming of the outer line, on which occasion the battalion suffered so severely that it became necessary to incorporate it in a provisional battalion with the 58th Regiment; on the raising of the siege of Burgos he was the last officer to quit the trenches, having been left with a piquet to see the works blown up at all hazards, and at the imminent risk of being taken prisoner, being fortunate enough, however, to regain his regiment after executing the orders he had received; he commanded a company during the rest of the retreat into Portugal, and suffered great hardships consequent upon such retreat. He was also engaged in the battle of Vittoria, and the actions in the Pyrenees for four successive days, including the attack on the heights of Echellar, where the battalion in which he was serving received on the grounds the thanks of Lord Dalhousie for their gallant conduct. He was also at the battles of Nevelle and Orthes, the investment of Bayonne, besides a great number of affairs of outposts and skirmishes, and was not absent from his battalion for one day during the whole period of these memorable events. On the return of the battalion he was removed to the 1st Battalion of the 24th Regiment, and proceeded to join it in the East Indies in February, 1815. He served with this corps in the Nepaul war, the campaigns of 1815 and 1816, including the battle of Harriagrove; and in the Mahratta campaigns of 1817 and 1818. During the Indian campaign he fell a victim to severe liver disease, and was compelled to return to England in 1819, and on the expiration of his leave in 1820, still being disabled from active duty from this cause, he was retired on half-pay. His health having been restored, in 1839 he was appointed to the first battalion Royal regiment, with which he served at Gibraltar to August, 1841, when Lord Hill removed him to the Royal Canadian rifle regiment. In 1847 he was appointed by His Grace the Duke of Wellington captain in the Ceylon rifle regiment, and proceeded to Ceylon. An insurrection breaking out there he was placed second in command, and shortly after the commander of a corps to scour the jungle and disperse the rebels. In consequence of exposure while on this mission he was attacked with dysentery, and being carried along with his column to Kandy he there died. James Gray received an English and classical education in the St. Andrew’s school of his native shire, and came to Canada in 1844, and settled in Montreal. The same year he entered the service of the Bank of Montreal, in that city. He was over a quarter of a century in the employ of this great monetary institution, and during this time resided in Kingston, Picton, and Perth. In 1868 he resigned his position in the Bank of Montreal, and was appointed manager of the branch of the Merchants Bank in Perth, which position he still occupies with credit to himself and satisfaction to his employers. Mr. Gray is connected with the Presbyterian church; but in politics he takes little interest. He is married to Mary Robinson, a daughter of the late Dr. Moore, of Picton, who, during his lifetime, was a staunch supporter of the late lamented Hon. George Brown, and in sympathy with the political reforms advocated by that great man.

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=La Mothe, Guillaume Jean Baptiste=, Postmaster, Montreal, was born in Montreal on September 24th, 1824. He is the son of Capt. Joseph Maurice La Mothe, who married Marie J. Laframboise, in Montreal, on the 1st February, 1813. Captain Joseph Maurice La Mothe was superintendent of the Indian Department from 1816 until his decease in 1827. He was also captain and in command of the Indian allies at the battle of Chateauguay, and was favourably reported in the orders of the day for gallant conduct. His grandfather was Captain Joseph La Mothe, who was born 26th January, 1742, and married 24th November, 1777, to Catherine Blondeau. In March, 1776, the military commandant in Montreal entrusted Captain J. La Mothe with most important despatches for General Guy Carleton, then besieged in Quebec by the American army. Accompanied by Mr. Papineau (father of the Hon. L. J. Papineau), he started from Montreal on foot, and after a long and dangerous tramp, managing to cross the American lines at night, safely delivered the despatches in proper time, which contributed to the salvation of Quebec. His great-grandfather was Pierre La Mothe, married first to Marie Anne St. Ives, and in January, 1740 (being then a widower), he married Angélique Caron, in Montreal. His father and mother were Bruno La Mothe and Jeanne Le Valois, who came originally from the diocese of Bordeaux, France. The family, whose correct name is de La Mothe (as mentioned in old family documents), was residing in Montreal as early as 1673, and in 1689 Pierre de Saint Paul de La Mothe had the command of the town and island of Montreal. The subject of our sketch received his education at St. Hyacinthe College and at Montreal College. In September, 1852, he received a commission as lieutenant in the Montreal Sedentary Cavalry, but this position he resigned in March, 1854. On the 17th of January, 1856, he was appointed lieutenant in No. 2 troop Militia Cavalry, Montreal, and on the 23rd of April, 1857, was retransferred to and promoted captain in the Sedentary Cavalry of Montreal. On the 7th of November, 1862, he was transferred to and promoted major commanding the Rifle Companies (Police) Active force in Montreal. On the 26th of November, 1861, Captain La Mothe was appointed chief of police for Montreal. This office he held until the 30th January, 1865, when he resigned. He effected the capture of the famous St. Albans raiders a few months previous. And on the 15th of July, 1874, he was appointed to the postmastership of his native city, and this important position he fills to-day. Mr. La Mothe has been actively connected with the development of gold mines in Nova Scotia; copper mines in the Eastern Townships, and iron mines in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where he discovered the magnetic iron ore deposit at Moisie. Upon report made to friends respecting the value of the ore and extent of the deposit, the Moisie Iron Company was formed. This company has manufactured malleable iron pronounced in England and France equal to the best. During the years from 1846 to 1851 inclusive, Mr. La Mothe travelled extensively through England, France, Switzerland, and Italy; and while in England he joined the expedition against Ecuador (South America), which, after putting to sea, was overtaken by a British man-of-war, and brought back to London. He also took part in the French Revolution of 1848, and at the storming of the Tuileries he was one of the first to enter the place. After this event he travelled through Switzerland on foot, then on to Italy, where he married, and then returned to Canada. For fifteen years of his life, Mr. La Mothe was actively engaged in politics on the Liberal side. In religion he is a respected member of the Roman Catholic church. He was married in Florence, Italy, in 1850, to Marguerite de Savoye, and his family consists of one son and four daughters, all living. The son, Henri, is married to Marie, youngest daughter of the late Hon. Judge Bossé, of Quebec. The eldest daughter, Marguerite, is married to Hon. J. R. Thibaudeau, senator for division of Rigaud. His second daughter is married to Henri Hamel, of the firm of J. Hamel & Frère, Quebec. The two youngest daughters, Juliette and Marie, are unmarried.

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=MacColl, Evan=, Kingston, Ontario, was born at Kenmore, Lochfyne-side, Scotland, on the 21st of September, 1808, where he is well-known as the “Mountain Minstrel.” He early developed a taste for poetry, and in 1837 contributed to the Glasgow _Gaelic Magazine_. The poet gives a very striking account of his first attempt at Gaelic verse. He took into his confidence a young friend, a capital singer, taught him a song without mentioning that he was the author of it, and got him to sing it the same evening at a neighbour’s house at Kenmore. It was received with great applause. From that hour Evan MacColl felt himself a bard and became supremely happy. Some time after he published a small volume of poems in Gaelic, and another in English, which were reviewed by Dr. McLeod, Hugh Miller, the celebrated geologist, and other British critics, in the highest terms of admiration. In 1831 Mr. MacColl’s father, with the rest of his family, emigrated to Canada, but Evan remained behind, and eight years afterwards he accepted a position in the Customs at Liverpool. In 1846 he published a second volume of poems which was even more highly appreciated than the first. Of this work, Dr. Norman McLeod wrote: “Evan MacColl’s poetry is the product of a mind impressed with the beauty and grandeur of the lovely scenes in which his infancy has been nursed. We have no hesitation in saying that this work is that of a man possessed of much poetic genius. Wild, indeed, and sometimes rough are his rhymes and epithets; yet there are thoughts so new and striking—images and comparisons so beautiful and original—feelings so warm and fresh—that stamp this Highland peasant as no ordinary man.” In 1850, in consequence of ill-health, he visited Canada, and while here received an appointment to the Customs at Kingston. He never solicited any favour from the Conservatives, and the overthrow of the Mackenzie government in 1878 effectually quenched his hopes of preferment, and two years afterwards he was superannuated. No man ought to know Mr. MacColl better than his friend, Charles Sangster, a poet of considerable repute, who speaks thus of him in his article in Wilson’s work on Scottish, bards:—

“In private life he is, both by precept and example, all that
could be desired. He has an intense love for all that is really
good and beautiful, and a true and manly scorn for all that is
false, time-serving, or hypocritical; there is no
narrow-mindedness, no bigotry in his soul. In the domestic
circle, all the warmth in the man’s heart—the full flow of
genuine feeling and affection—is ever uppermost. He is a
thoroughly earnest man, in whose daily walks and conversation as
well as in his actions, Longfellow’s ‘Psalm of Life’ is acted
out in verity. In his friendship he is sincere; in his dislikes
equally so. He is thoroughly Scottish in his leanings. His
national love burns with intensity. In poetry, he is not merely
zealous, but enthusiastic, and he carries his natural force of
character into all he says and does.”

All his virtues he inherited from his parents. Among Evan MacColl’s old country friends have been John Mackenzie, of “The Beauties;” the late R. Carruthers, LL.D., Hugh Miller, the brothers Sobeiskie Stewart, at Eilean-Aigais, and drank with them out of a _cuach_, once the property of Prince Charlie; Dugald Moore, author of “Scenes before the Flood,” and “The Bard of the North;” Alexander Rogers, the author of “Behave yourself before Folk,” Rev. Dr. Norman McLeod, Dr. Chambers, Bailey, the author of “Festus;” Leighton, author of “The Christening of the Bairn;” J. Stuart Blackie, the great Edinburgh professor; James Logan, author of “The Scottish Gael;” Fraser, of _Fraser’s Magazine_, and Hugh Fraser, the publisher of “Leabhar nan Cnoc.” He is a member of the Royal Canadian Literary and Scientific Society, founded by the Marquis of Lorne, and was the guest several times of his lordship and the Princess Louise at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. MacColl has been twice married. Of a family of nine sons and daughters, Evan, the poet’s eldest son, has been educated for the ministry, and is now pastor of the Congregational Church at Middleville, Ontario. His eldest daughter’s productions have merited a very high admiration, and the more youthful members of his family give promise of proving worthy of the stock from whence they sprang. John Massie, of Keene, a brother poet, not having heard from the “Bard of Lock Fyne” for over six weeks after having written him a letter, thus addressed the Limestone City:—

Say, Kingston, tell us where is Evan?
Thy bard o’ pure poetic leaven!
And is he still amang the livin’?
Or plumed supernal,
Has taen a jink and aff to heaven,
There sing eternal!

Or if within your bounds you find him,
A’ bruised and broken, skilfu’ bind him;
Or sick, or sair, O! carefu’ mind him,
Thy darling chiel!
And dinna lat him look behind him
Until he’s weel.

But if he’s gane, ah, wae’s to me!
His like we never mair shall see,—
Nae servile, whinging coof was he,
Led by a string,
But noble, gen’rous, fearless, free,
His sang he’d sing.

Hech, sirs! we badly could bide loss him,
For should this world vindictive toss him.
Or ony hizzie dare to boss him.
Clean gyte he’d set her;
The deil himsel’, he daur’dna cross him,
Faith, he ken’d better!

Let any man, o’ any station,
But wink at fraud, or wrong the nation,
E’en gowd, nor place, ’twas nae temptation
To sic a chiel,—
He’d shortly settle their oration,
And drub them weel.

Or let them say’t, be’t high or low,
Auld Scotia ever met the foe,
That laid her in the dust fu’ low,
Right at them see him!
Professor George still rues the blow
MacColl did gie him.

Is history in Fiction’s grip,
Does Falsehood let her bloodhounds slip,
Crack goes his castigating whip,
With patriot scorn!
Macaulay laid upon his hip.
Amidst the corn.

Does English critic meanly itch,
To cast old Ossian in the ditch,
And trail his laurels through the pitch
Of mind benighted;
Our bardie gies his lugs a twitch
And sees it righted.

In a’ this warld, there’s no a skellum,
Nor silly self-conceited blellum,
But Evan, lad, wad bravely tell ’em
The honest truth;
E’en if he kend that they should fell ’im
Withouten ruth.

Ye feathered things in mournfu’ tune,
Come join my waesome, doleful croon;
Ye dogs that bay the silver moon,
Your sorrow show it;
And a’ ye tearfu’ starns aboon,
Bewail our poet.

What though this grasping world, and hard,
May barely grant him just reward,
Still shall his genius blissful starred,
Effulgent shine,
And endless ages praise the bard
Of fair Loch Fyne.

Mr. MacColl has many admirers in Canada, in proof of which he has lately issued the third edition of his poems here, and they are having a good sale. His Gaelic Lyrics, lately issued in Edinburgh, is also attracting attention among his countrymen on this side of the Atlantic.

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=Lake, John Neilson=, Stock Broker, Toronto, was born on the fourth concession of the township of Ernesttown, county of Addington, Ontario, on the 19th August, 1834. His great-grandfather and grandfather owned part of Staten Island, New York state, and when the war of independence broke out they took sides with the British, and with sons and sons-in-law fought for their king and country. The family removed to Upper Canada about 1782, and as U. E. loyalists received a grant of 15,000 acres of land, and settled near the village of Bath, west of Kingston. James Lake, the father of the subject of our sketch, was born near Bath in 1791, and with the exception of a short period, he resided, until his death, in the township of Ernesttown. His mother was Margaret Bell, daughter of John Bell, of Ernesttown, who, though a U. E. loyalist, did not remove to Canada until 1810. John, until his sixteenth year, attended school, when he joined his brothers in the carriage business, and at the same time he learned drafting and architecture. At twenty-one he gave up this profession and entered the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist church as a probationer, and spent the years 1855-6 in the town of Picton; 1857 in Aylmer; 1858 in Ingersoll; 1859 in Hullsville; 1862 in Markham; 1865 in Pickering, followed as stations in succession; but in 1866, in consequence of a peculiar affection of the eye producing double vision, and preventing all study, he was compelled to relinquish the ministry for awhile. In 1869, his health being somewhat improved, he again attempted the ministerial work, and was stationed at the town of Niagara; but in less than twelve months thereafter it became evident that this mode of usefulness could not be continued, and he was reluctantly compelled to abandon the ministry. He moved to Toronto, and in 1870 opened a real estate and loan office, just at the time when the value of property was beginning to improve, and when there were only two real estate brokers in the city. In 1875 he was joined by J. P. Clark, of the town of Brampton, and soon the firm of Lake & Clark became widely known and highly trusted. In 1882 Mr. Lake retired from the firm, and four years later Mr. Clark gave up business, when the firm of Lake & Clark ceased to be longer known as dealers in real estate. During all these years Mr. Lake was very intimately associated with church work, and the Sherbourne Street Methodist Church owes not a little of its success to his labours and generous contributions. In 1881 he was induced by his numerous friends to permit himself to be put in nomination as alderman for St. Thomas ward, and having surrendered his standing as a minister, he consented, and was elected a member of the city council. One year in the council seems to have satisfied Mr. Lake, for although next year he was strongly urged by his St. Thomas ward constituency to again act as their representative, he refused to concede to this request, and retired from municipal politics. Politically Mr. Lake has always been a Reformer, but he is not a person who would support a party without a good and sufficient reason. He has been a member of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and of the Toronto Board of Trade, for many years, and is president of the American Watch Case Company; secretary of the Ontario Folding Steel Gate Company; director of the North American Life Assurance Company, and chairman of the agency committee. He is also treasurer of the Union Relief Fund, and of the Church and Parsonage Aid Fund of the Methodist church; has been treasurer from the beginning of the Sherbourne Street Methodist Church, and was organizer and superintendent of its Sunday school for the first eleven years. Mr. Lake was lately elected chairman of the committee on plans for the new Victoria College buildings to be erected in the Queen’s Park, Toronto, for the Methodist Church, at a cost of about $200,000. We may add that Mr. Lake has done a good deal to improve Toronto during the past fifteen years, having built residences worth about $200,000, in the most improved style of architecture, and his own residence,—286 Sherbourne street—is a model of completeness and convenience. In June, 1859, he was married to Emily Jane, youngest daughter of S. V. R. Douglas, of Burford, Brant county, and granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas Whitehead, a gentleman who occupied a prominent position in the Methodist church from 1790 to 1840.

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=De Sola, Abraham=, LL.D.—The late Dr. de Sola was one of the most distinguished scholars who ever graced an American-Jewish pulpit. His reputation as an Orientalist, theologian and linguist, was not confined to his own people; the profundity and extraordinary intellectual acumen which characterized his numerous writings and researches having won for him wide renown among the _savants_ both of this continent and of Europe. He was descended from a very ancient and celebrated Jewish family, his ancestors having, in their migration from Judea, gradually moved across Northern Africa, until, crossing the Straits of Gibraltar, we find them settled in Spain as early as the close of the sixth century. Here the de Solas became very distinguished in the higher walks of life. They assisted the Saracens, when the mighty sons of the desert overran the Iberian Peninsula, and in return were received in high favour at the court of the Caliphs. The Gothic princes also treated them with distinction; and in Navarre, where a branch of the family settled, Don Bartolomé de Sola attained to such influence as to be ennobled and created a minister of state, and at one time exercised the functions of Viceroy. Another de Sola won renown by his prowess in battle, when fighting under the Infante of Aragon, in the fourteenth century. For several centuries they continued to flourish in Spain, the family being famed for the large number of illustrious men it produced, eminent as authors, rabbis, physicians, and courtiers. In 1492, in consequence of their adherence to Judaism, they suffered the fate of all Spanish Jews, being condemned to exile by the edict of the bigoted Ferdinand and Isabella. They fled to Holland, where they soon again rose to distinction in the world of letters. One member of the family, however, lingered behind in Portugal, eluding the vigilance of his persecutors by professing to become a New Christian (as Jewish converts to Christianity were styled), while he secretly continued to follow Judaism. During several generations some of his descendants continued to reside in Lisbon, where they possessed much wealth, remaining ever true to their ancestral faith, and all resorting to the same hazardous expedient to escape the notice of the Inquisition. But the fact that they often sent their children to Holland, that they might be the better able to follow Judaism, at length aroused the suspicions of the Holy Office; and towards the close of the seventeenth century David de Sola was suddenly pounced upon and incarcerated in the cells of the Inquisition-House. He bore the most frightful tortures heroically, and, as no confession could be forced from his lips, nor aught proved against him, he was released; but his shattered frame never recovered from the terrible agonies he had suffered. Years afterwards the suspicions of the Inquisition were again aroused, and two members of the family were seized, tortured, and having been found guilty of secret adherence to Judaism, suffered death at an _Auto-da-Fé_. Aaron de Sola (son of the above-mentioned David) was then the head of the Lisbon branch of the family, and, alarmed at the frightful fate of his two relatives, took refuge with his wife and children on an English man-of-war, which then lay at the mouth of the Tagus, only just in time to escape the officers of the Holy Office, who were in pursuit of him. Landed safely in London, by the friendly English captain, Aaron de Sola had no sooner put foot upon free soil, than he openly proclaimed his adherence to the faith which he and his fathers had so long followed in secret. This was in 1749. He proceeded shortly after with his family to Amsterdam, where he took up his abode. His eldest son, David, was the ancestor of the Abraham de Sola who forms the subject of this sketch; while his youngest son, Benjamin, became one of the most eminent practitioners in Holland, and was Court Physician to William V., and the author of numerous medical works. Another son of Aaron de Sola settled in Curaçao, and was the progenitor of that General Juan de Sola who won such high military distinction fighting under Bolivar and Paez in the revolt of the South American Colonies from Spain. In 1690 another member of the family, Isaac de Sola, became famed in London as a preacher and author. Some volumes of his writings are still to be seen among the rare collections of European libraries. Abraham de Sola was born on the 18th September, 1825. His father, David Aaron de Sola, was a very prominent rabbi, celebrated for his theological writings, and had removed from Amsterdam to London, England, early in the present century, where the subject of this sketch was born. His mother was of the illustrious Meldola family, who had furnished leading rabbis to the Jews of Europe for twelve consecutive generations. From childhood Abraham de Sola betrayed a strong inclination for study, and having received a thorough training in those branches which form the usual curriculum of higher education, he turned his attention to theological and linguistic studies, and early laid the foundation of that deep acquaintance with oriental languages and literature which afterwards won him such renown. In 1846 he was offered the position of minister of the Congregation of Portuguese Jews of Montreal, and, having accepted this call, arrived in Canada early in 1847. Here began the great work of his life. Shortly after his advent to Montreal his eloquent sermons in the Synagogue attracted the attention of the Mercantile Library Association, and upon invitation he delivered before this body a series of lectures upon the history of the Jews of England. The interest evoked by these efforts led to his delivering a further course of lectures upon Jewish history before this association the following year, and also before the Mechanics’ Institute. In 1848 he published his “Notes on the Jews of Persia, under Mohammed Shah.” This was followed by “A History of the Jews of Persia,” and within the same year he published his “Lectures on Scripture Zoology” which was succeeded by his “Lectures on the Mosaic Cosmogony.” Shortly afterwards he gave to the world “The Cosmography of Peritsol,” a work which at once attracted great attention and brought its author prominently to the front. It received such favourable notice from leading reviews as to be republished in part by the _Occident_ and other magazines, and translations in various languages were brought out by publishers in foreign countries. As late as 1881 we find it attracting the attention of the learned Chevalier Pesaro, of Italy, in the columns of an Italian review. His next important work “A Commentary on Samuel Hannagid’s Introduction to the Talmud,” displayed a deep and broad acquaintance with rabbinical literature, and was received with marked approbation by the _literati_ of this continent and Europe. His literary labours had now made him a prominent figure among the learned bodies of Montreal, and in 1853 he was appointed Professor of Hebrew and Oriental literature at McGill University, Montreal, a position which he continued to fill with marked ability during the rest of his life, and for which his deep knowledge of Semitic tongues particularly adapted him. He was also a co-labourer of Sir William Dawson in the Natural History Society, as well as at McGill, and did much towards vitalizing and extending the usefulness of that body. In 1853, in conjunction with the Rev. J. J. Lyons, of New York, he published his work on “The Jewish Calendar System,” containing a very exhaustive and abstruse treatise upon the Jewish mode of calculating time by the lunar system. Some years after this he completed one of his greatest and most learned productions, “The Sanitory Institutions of the Hebrews;” a work containing a most elaborate and critical consideration of the rabbinical dietary and hygienic laws, as based upon the Jewish traditional exposition of the hygienic statutes of the Bible, viewed in the light of modern scientific discoveries. The work excited alike the applause of scientists and of rabbinical scholars, and the eminence to which its author had now attained resulted in his having the degree of LL.D. conferred upon him in 1858. Shortly after the publication of “The Sanitory Institutions of the Hebrews,” Dr. de Sola published a supplemental work to it, entitled, “Behemoth Hatemeoth;” and in 1860, when Dr. Hall founded the _British American Journal_, devoted to the advancement of medical and physical sciences, Dr. de Sola accepted an invitation to assist the publication, and among many others of his writings that appeared in this journal his articles “Upon the Employment of Anæsthetics in cases of Labour, in connection with Jewish Law,” is specially worthy of notice. During the succeeding decade he was particularly active with his pen, bringing out in rapid succession numerous works and treatises, besides constantly lecturing before various literary and scientific associations. Of his writings and lectures at this period the principal ones were: “Scripture Botany,” “Sinaitic Inscriptions,” “Hebrew Numismatics,” “Philological Studies in Hebrew and the Aramaic Languages,” “The Ancient Hebrews as Promoters of the Arts and Sciences,” and “The Rise and Progress of the Great Hebrew Colleges.” For several years he occupied the position of President of the Natural History Society, and in that capacity he received Prince Arthur (now Duke of Connaught) when His Royal Highness visited the society in 1870. His address upon “The Study of Natural Science,” delivered before the Prince upon this occasion, called forth a letter of approbation from Queen Victoria. In 1869 Dr. de Sola completed his valuable historical work entitled, “The Life of Shabethai Tsevi, the Jewish False Messiah.” This was followed by two other important historical works: “The History of the Jews of Poland,” published in 1870, and “The History of the Jews of France,” published one year later. Ever since his arrival in Canada Dr. de Sola had been labouring zealously in every movement that tended to the advancement of the Jewish people. His eloquence as a preacher, added to his intimate knowledge of rabbinical learning, placed him among the very foremost exponents of Jewish thought of the day, and he was recognized as one of the chief leaders of the orthodox Jews of America. Broad-minded and tolerant in all things, he was at the same time strictly orthodox in his Judaism. His deep studies in the paths of science, literature and philology all tended the more to confirm him in his abiding faith in the Book of Books; hence we find that throughout his career he was constantly engaged, both in the pulpit and press, in giving battle to those who would assail the Hebrew Scriptures. Scarcely a work ever left his hands that did not contain many a well directed shaft at the infidel teachings of certain modern sceptics. In the columns of the Jewish press he was particularly active in this respect, and for many years he was a very regular contributor to various Jewish journals, particularly to the _Occident_ of Philadelphia (edited by the gifted Isaac Leeser), with which he was closely identified. He also frequently visited the United States, where his lectures invariably attracted large audiences and brought him into great prominence. In 1872 Dr. de Sola was invited by General Grant’s administration to open the United States Congress with prayer, and for the first time in history the extraordinary spectacle was witnessed of one who was not a subject of the United States nor of the dominant faith—one who was a British subject and a Jew—performing the opening ceremonies at the assembling of Congress at Washington. This high example of liberality upon the part of the government of the United States was generally looked upon as one of the earliest indications of the birth of a more friendly feeling between the United States and Britain, whose relations had then been but recently strained by the _Alabama_ Claims; and Sir Edward Thornton, the British Minister at Washington, as well as Mr. Gladstone—who was then premier,—extended to Dr. de Sola the special approbation and thanks of the British Government. Having purchased the stereotype plates and copyright of Isaac Leeser’s works, Dr. de Sola published about this time a new and carefully revised edition of that author’s English translation of the Bible, according to Jewish authorities. He also brought out a new translation of the Jewish Forms of Prayer, based upon the editions of his father (D. A. de Sola) and of Leeser. These were heavy undertakings, and their completion entailed several years of severe work. In addition to his other arduous duties, Dr. de Sola had now been appointed Hebrew Lecturer at the Presbyterian College, Montreal, and also Lecturer in Spanish Literature at McGill—a literature with which he was particularly familiar. But the heavy strain of such intense application to work at length undermined his naturally strong constitution, and in 1876 his health suddenly gave way. After a year’s rest in Europe he was so far recuperated as to be enabled to partly resume his duties, and in 1878 and 1879 he was again an active contributor to the Hebrew press. Among other of his writings at this time one of the most noteworthy was, “Yehuda Alcharizi, and the Book Tachkemoni.”—In 1880 he produced his last great work, “Saadia Gaon”—a book which gives a vivid picture of the political struggles and literary labours of one who played so important a part at the court of a Prince of the Captivity. But Dr. de Sola’s health was now rapidly failing, and, while in New York, on a visit to his sister, he was prostrated by an attack of illness which finally culminated in his death on June 5th, 1882. The remains were removed to Montreal, and there interred. In his decease the _literati_ of Canada felt that they had been bereft of one of their brightest luminaries, while the Israelites throughout the Dominion mourned the loss of one who had literally _built up_ Judaism in Canada. As his remains were being consigned to their earthly tenement with truth indeed did the officiating rabbi exclaim, “If respect be attached to the name of Jew throughout these Canadas, to Abraham de Sola belongs the chief glory of having gained it.” For thirty-five years he had ruled his co-religionists in his adopted country with a sway that was almost absolute—for his influence extended far beyond his own immediate flock. He had bent every energy to improve and advance his people, and in his death it was felt that there had passed away one who above all others had energized and elevated the Jewish community in Canada. Dr. de Sola was married to Esther Joseph, in 1852, and had several children. His eldest son succeeded him as minister to the Portuguese Jewish congregation at Montreal. His wife’s father—Henry Joseph—was one of the earliest Jewish settlers in Canada, while her brothers stand among the most prominent and most respected citizens of Montreal and Quebec; one of them, Jesse Joseph, being president of the Montreal City Gas Company, president of the Montreal Street Railway Company, and director of the Montreal Telegraph Company; while another brother, Abraham Joseph, of Quebec, was president of the Dominion Board of Trade, first president of the Stadacona Bank, and a director of the St. Lawrence River Navigation Company and of the Gulf Ports Steamship Company. He was nominated for mayor of Quebec some years ago and generally claimed to have been elected. Another brother, J. H. Joseph, has long been director of the Montreal Elevating Company.

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=Carleton, John Louis=, Barrister, St. John, New Brunswick, was born at St. John on 1st October, 1861. His father was William Carleton, and mother, Bridget O’Connor. Mr. Carleton received his education in the schools of the Christian Brothers in his native city, and studied law in the offices of Weldon & McLean, and Allen & Chandler, St. John. He was admitted an attorney in October, 1882, and called to the bar the following year. Mr. Carleton having made the study of criminal law a specialty, he has in consequence been engaged on all the principal criminal cases tried in the province since he began practice, besides many important civil cases. In November, 1886, he was appointed Official Referee in Equity by the Provincial government. For several years he has been an active member and held office in the Father Matthew Association, and in the Irish Literary and Benevolent Association. He is also a member of the Young Men’s Liberal Club. Mr. Carleton is a respected member of the Roman Catholic church, and was married on the 22nd of September, 1886, to Teresa G. Sharkey, of St. John. He is a rising man in his profession, and has a promising future before him.

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=Finnie, John Thom=, M.D., L.R.C.S., Edin., Montreal, was born on the 14th September, 1847, at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His father, Robert Finnie, carried on business for many years in Peterhead as tailor and clothier. Dr. Finnie was educated partly in the parish school of his native town, and after coming to Canada continued his studies at the High School and McGill University, Montreal, and graduated from the latter institution as doctor of medicine early in 1869. He then went over to Britain and prosecuted the study of his profession in the hospitals of Edinburgh, London and Paris, and in October, 1869, passed the necessary examination at the Royal College of Surgeons, of Edinburgh, and received from that college the degree in surgery and midwifery. In 1870 he returned to Montreal, and since that time he has successfully practised his profession. The doctor has for many years taken an active part in various societies, national and other kinds, and has on two occasions been elected president of the Montreal Caledonia Society. He has been for several years and now is the president of the Montreal Swimming Club. His large and increasing practice has prevented him from taking any active part in either municipal or provincial politics; yet he is a man of large and liberal ideas, and we have no doubt, if time permitted him, he could be of great practical use to any party with whom he might choose to connect himself. He is an adherent of the Episcopal church. He was married on the 9th of April, 1874, to Amelia, daughter of the late Christopher Healy, and has a family of four children.

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=Alward, Silas=, A.M., D.C.L., M.P.P., Barrister-at-Law, St. John, New Brunswick, was born at New Canaan, Queens county, N.B., on 14th April, 1841. His father, John Alward, a successful agriculturist, was the son of Benjamin Alward, a U. E. loyalist, who emigrated with his family from the state of New Jersey, at the close of the American revolution, and made his home in Queens county, New Brunswick, and there he died at the age of ninety years. The mother of Silas Alward was Mary A. Corey, whose family also settled in New Brunswick, at an early date. Silas received his education at Acadia College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and graduated B.A. in 1860, standing at the head of his class. The following remarks may be seen on the records of Acadia College, with regard to Mr. Alward:

“I now come to probably the most brilliant class that ever took
the prescribed course at Acadia, the class of 1860. * * * There
is Silas Alward, one of the most persevering, indefatigable,
attentive students who ever attended college. Of strong physical
frame, with great aptitude for study, a good linguist, an
ambitious young man, it is not improbable that in his daily and
terminal reckoning he stood in his class where the alphabet has
placed him dux.”

In 1871, he received the degree of A.M., from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. After getting through with his college course, he began the study of law in the office of the Hon. Charles N. Skinner, Q.C., now Judge of Probate in St. John; was admitted to practice in 1865, and called to the bar in 1866, since which time he has steadily applied himself to his professional duties, and is now noted for his high legal attainments, and is without doubt an ornament to the bar of New Brunswick. He has been on two occasions president of the St. John Mechanics’ Institute, and is a trustee of the St. John School Board. In 1867, Mr. Alward took a tour through Europe, and spent some time in the cities of Rome and Naples. He afterwards wrote for a St. John newspaper some very interesting articles, descriptive of the various places of note he visited on this occasion. He has since then twice visited the old world. He is well versed in general literature, and occasionally takes the platform as a lecturer. Amongst his favourite lectures we may mention: “Our Western Heritage,” “A Day in the Heart of England,” “The Permanency of British Civilization,” and “The Great Administration.” In February, 1887, Dr. Alward was elected by acclamation to the legislature of New Brunswick, for the city of St. John. In politics, Mr. Alward is a Liberal, and in religious matters, he belongs to the Baptist denomination. On October 12th, 1869, he was married to Emilie, daughter of Peter Wickwire, of Nova Scotia, and sister of Dr. Wickwire, of Halifax. Mrs. Alward died in 1879, leaving no children.

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=Kellond, Robert Arthur=, Solicitor and Attorney for Inventors, Toronto, Ontario, was born in Montreal, Quebec province, on 6th November, 1856. His father belonged to an old Devonshire (England) family, and was the only son of the name who emigrated to Canada about 1850. His grandfather had the honour of fighting under Lord Nelson on board the _Victory_ at the battle of Trafalgar. Robert Arthur received his education at McGill Normal School, and under private tutors in Montreal, and also in England. He was also a pupil of the late Charles Legge, C. E., and was engaged with him in the preliminary surveys and work upon the lines of railway between Montreal and Ottawa, now known as the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canada Atlantic Railway, of which Mr. Legge was chief engineer. Mr. Kellond studied law while in the office of Charles Legge & Co., and paid particular attention to the patent soliciting branch of that firm, and on the death of Mr. Legge, he and his partner, F. H. Reynolds, succeeded to the business of the firm. Mr. Kellond has now in successful operation offices in Montreal, Toronto, and Washington, D.C., United States, and has representatives in nearly all the capitals of Europe. By this means he does a large business as a solicitor and attorney for inventors, and as counsel and expert in patent and trade mark causes, his _clientèle_ including many of the largest manufacturing firms and corporations throughout Canada. He served eleven years in the 3rd battalion Victoria Rifles, of Montreal, and retired in 1886 with the rank of captain. As a Mason he stands high in the order, being past master of Hochelaga lodge, No. 57, Q.R., Montreal; past grand orator of Sovereign Sanctuary of Canada and Newfoundland, 33°, 96°, 90°; is a member of Carnarvon Chapter Royal Arch Masons; Delta Rose Croix Chapter, and Richard Cœur-de-Lion and Odo de St. Amand perceptories of Knights Templar; and is a member of the Rosicrucian Society, and Baltimore Unity of Oddfellows. Politically Mr. Kellond is a Liberal, but since 1878 he has been a supporter of the National Policy and protection to home industries. He has declined several public offices on account of professional duties. In religious matters he is a supporter of the Episcopal church, but nevertheless is an admirer of many of the methods, and social efforts of the Methodist and other independent bodies. He has travelled through most of the southern and western states of the neighbouring Union, and also in England, having a large number of clients and professional associates in both countries. He has two brothers, the eldest of whom was an officer under Lord Wolseley when he went to Fort Garry, and is now a resident of Kentucky, U.S. The other brother is a prominent railroad official in Louisville, Kentucky state. Mr. Kellond was married in 1880 to a daughter of the late Henry Ryan Hurlburt, barrister, Prescott, Ontario.

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=Maunsell, Lieut.-Col. George J.=, Deputy-Adjutant General district No. 8, New Brunswick, Commandant of Royal School of Infantry, Infantry School corps, Fredericton, was born at Bally-William House, Rathkeale, county of Limerick, Ireland, on the 25th of August, 1836. His father was George Meanes Maunsell, J.P., of Bally-William House, Limerick county, _vide_ “Burke’s Irish Landed Gentry.” His mother was M. Maunsell, daughter of Rev. J. Stopford, son of the Bishop of Cloyne and Ross, Cork county, and was a descendant of the Lord Courtown family, “Burke’s Peerage.” Lieut.-Col. Maunsell, was educated at home and afterwards studied for the profession of arms, and passed his final examination at Sandhurst Royal Military College in May, 1855, and was gazetted ensign in her Majesty’s fifteenth regiment on the 15th of the same month. He attended a course of instruction in military engineering (branch of senior department of the Royal Military College) at Aldershot in 1857, and was subsequently employed, temporarily, on the staff at Aldershot in connection with this course of instruction. On November 27th, 1857, he was gazetted lieutenant in his regiment, and in 1858-9 attended the course of instruction at the School of Musketry, Hythe, receiving a certificate of the first class, on January 26th, 1859; and on February 10th following was gazetted as instructor of musketry. He was promoted to a captaincy of the Fifteenth regiment on March 12th, 1861, and in 1861-2 was acting adjutant and instructor of musketry at the Eighth Depot Battalion. He sailed for Halifax _en route_ to New Brunswick in January, 1864, and soon embraced an opportunity that offered to see active service in the field, for he was with the army of the Potomac during the whole of the spring campaign of 1865, ending with the capture of Richmond, and was at that time temporarily attached to General Grant’s staff. On Nov. 22, 1865, he was gazetted adjutant-general of militia of New Brunswick, and besides the organizing work was speedily called upon to more arduous duties, for in 1866 came the Fenian invasion, and Colonel Maunsell was engaged in the defence of the western frontier of New Brunswick. In 1868, after confederation, the Militia Act was passed and under it, on Jan. 1st, 1869, Colonel Maunsell was gazetted adjutant-general of the military district No. 8, province of New Brunswick. Between 1871 and 1880 he commanded tactical brigade corps at Fredericton, Woodstock, and Chatham, and attended course of studies at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich (certificate granted). On the 1st April, 1881, Colonel Maunsell was transferred from the command of military district No. 8 to No. 4, with headquarters at Ottawa, and commanded the brigade camps at Ottawa and Brockville, and the School of Instruction (infantry) at Ottawa. On the 21st July, 1883, the Colonel sailed for England, to be attached to her Majesty’s forces at Aldershot for instructional purposes, and while in Europe he visited various towns in Belgium, Germany and France, and also examined several of the battle fields connected with the Franco-German war, in search of information. He returned to Canada in November of the same year, and on 31st December was gazetted commandant of the School of Infantry, Infantry School corps. On the 16th May, 1884, he was re-appointed deputy adjutant general district No. 8, New Brunswick, holding at the same time command of the school and corps which he had successfully organized. In May, 1885, Colonel Maunsell formed a temporary battalion, composed of the School corps and companies (6) active militia of New Brunswick, and (2) of Prince Edward Island for immediate active service in the North-West Territory, and proceeded with this battalion _en route_ to the North-West, but on the 18th of that month was ordered into camp at Sussex, to await further orders. On the 25th May he received the thanks of the authorities, and the different companies were sent to their local headquarters, their services not being further required. In addition to the above Colonel Maunsell served with the fifteenth regiment in several Mediterranean stations, when his regiment was sent to reinforce troops during the Crimean war; and in the years 1855-6 he travelled on foot and on horseback throughout Spain. He has been from youth up an adherent of the Episcopal church. On the 9th August, 1862, Colonel Maunsell married Miss Moony, elder daughter of the late F. E. Moony, J.P., D.L., of “The Doon,” King’s county, Ireland, and has a family of seven children, four sons and three daughters. His eldest son is captain in the 8th regiment P.L. cavalry, New Brunswick, and his eldest daughter is married to J. W. de Courcy O’Grady, of the Bank of Montreal, Ottawa.

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=Baxter, Robert Gordon=, M.D., Moncton, New Brunswick, was born on 28th April, 1847, at Truro, Nova Scotia. His father was John Irving Baxter, born in Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in 1803; educated in Pictou, Nova Scotia, and for years was the Presbyterian minister at Onslow, N.S. His mother, Jessie Gordon, was a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Gordon, of Prince Edward Island, whose mother afterwards married the Rev. Dr. McGregor, Presbyterian minister of Pictou, N.S. Dr. Baxter received his early education in Truro, and pursued his medical studies in New York and Philadelphia, and in London, England. In 1868 he began the practice of his profession in Philadelphia, and in the following year removed to Tatamagouche, N.S., and in the summer of 1870 to Moncton, where he has resided since. He has held a lieutenant’s command in the third regiment Colchester County Militia since June 21st, 1865; and was the first chairman of the Board of Health of Moncton. He takes a great interest in public enterprises, especially in agriculture, and was the first to introduce into New Brunswick and bring to public notice the system of ensilage, now so popular in Great Britain, and of so much advantage to stock raisers. He has travelled over the greater part of Canada and the United States, and has visited England, Scotland and several of the continental cities. The doctor is in religion a Presbyterian. On the 29th January, 1872, he was married to Jean McAlister, of Moncton, and has two children, a son and a daughter.

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=Branchaud, Moise=, Q.C., Beauharnois, Quebec province, was born at Beauharnois, on the 6th March, 1827. His father, Jean Baptiste Branchaud, _bourgeois_, of Beauharnois, and his mother, Louise Primeau, were both descendants of two of the earliest colonists of the Seigniory of Beauharnois. His father died in 1883, at the advanced age of eighty-three, enjoying the esteem and respect of his fellow citizens. Mr. Branchaud was sent, at an early age, to the College of Sainte Thérèse de Blainville, where he made a brilliant course of classical studies. On leaving college he entered the office of the Hon. Lewis T. Drummond, to study law, and he was admitted to the bar on the 27th February, 1849. Immediately after his admission he took up his residence in Beauharnois, where he has practised his profession to this day. At that time there was only a circuit court sitting in the district of Beauharnois, with a jurisdiction of $80.00; this was increased, in 1851, to the sum of $200.00. In consequence of this limited jurisdiction, his professional advancement was but slow. However, when the “Act relative to the division of Lower Canada into districts for the administration of justice” came into force, there was a decided change. By virtue of said act, a Superior Court was established in the district of Beauharnois, with an unlimited jurisdiction in all civil and commercial cases; as well as a criminal court and a circuit court. His practice then took such an extension that, after a few years of assiduous toil, he possessed a competency which enabled him to look tranquilly to the future of his young family. His zeal and honesty in the exercise of his profession was never challenged, either by his numerous clients or his _confrères_. In 1858 he formed a partnership with Sir John Rose, for the administration of the legal business of the seigniory of Beauharnois, which was then very important and extensive. This partnership existed until the departure of Sir John for London, England. The following letter, written by Sir John before his departure, shows the high esteem in which the baronet held his young partner:

“MONTREAL, 30th September, 1869.

“MY DEAR BRANCHAUD,—A thousand thanks for your kind note, the
contents of which affect me very deeply. Every recollection
associated with our intercourse is, I can assure you, of the
most pleasant character, and I look with great regret at having
to say good-bye to so many attached friends. I would have been
deeply gratified to have seen you at the dinner, but the
expression of your kind wishes will long be remembered by me.
That every good thing may attend you is the earnest wish of your
sincere friend—=John Rose=.”