PERRY. 163 



carried on a voluminous correspondence, had a liking for the classics, reread the 

 Bible on every long voyage, often read the service on shipboard. He was a fair 

 player on the flute. His hatred of debt bordered on the morbid. He was active, 

 energetic, alert, systematic, expectant, eager, and earnest. He had a tense set of 

 mind. He was stern and austere in appearance, but gentle underneath. He was 

 never afraid of responsibility, had a manly independence, and was very courageous, 

 positive, and self-reliant. He was liked by children, to whom he brought pets 

 from foreign shores and collections of shells. He had a magnetic personality, and 

 though blunt in his manner he was genial socially and a sincere friend. 



OLIVER HAZARD PERRY (brother of Matthew) was born at South Kingston, 

 Rhode Island, 1785. He was educated principally in Newport, Rhode Island, 

 and in 1799 received his commission as midshipman. When the navy was reduced 

 in 1801 he was assigned to the frigate A dams, and that vessel with two others was 

 sent to the Mediterranean to clear the sea of pirates. When the embargo was 

 laid by Congress in 1807 he was placed in command of a flotilla of gunboats on the 

 Newport, Rhode Island, station until 1810. In 1812 he sought and obtained per- 

 mission to join the forces on the lakes. There he cleverly defeated the English 

 at the battle of Lake Erie by abandoning his riddled ship for a fresh one. The 

 United States Congress voted him thanks, presented him with a sword, and gave 

 him the rank of captain. He took an important part in the military operations 

 around Detroit during the rest of the war and attained the rank of commodore. 

 He married Elizabeth Mason. While in command of a vessel in the West Indies 

 he died of yellow fever in 1819. 



He was tall and graceful. His brow was massive, full, and lofty; his features 

 regular and elegant; his eyes full, dark, and lustrous; his mouth uncommonly 

 handsome; his teeth large, regular, and white. His countenance was cheerful 

 and mild, and he seemed to have an uncommon share of beauty. He had a strong, 

 well-poised mind and good common sense. He was fond of horses and was an 

 excellent rider; he was also an excellent fencer. For the pen he had an extreme 

 aversion, though he was well versed in history and biography. He had a fine 

 taste for music and was a skilled performer on the flute. He wrote a rapid, easy, 

 elegant hand. He was industrious, energetic, prompt to decide, decisive, and 

 discriminating. As a naval officer he was sensitively alive to the appearance of 

 his ship. He had a sweet and gentle disposition, though he was easily aroused by 

 injustice. His temper was violent when aroused, but he was not disturbed by petty 

 irritability. He was enterprising, firm, daringly courageous, and immovable in his 

 decisions. He had the faculty of arousing strong affection for himself in others; he 

 was affectionate, courteous, unsuspicious, generous, strict, and domestic in taste. 



Let us now analyze further the Perry traits, especially as seen in Oliver H. 

 and Matthew C. Perry. 



Love of adventure and absence of fear. Of Oliver it is said that, as a child, 

 one of his chief characteristics was "an utter disregard of danger. He knew no 

 fear, a quality which was nobly exemplified throughout life." An incident reveal- 

 ing Oliver's confiding and thoroughly courageous disposition is still preserved in 

 the family. When scarcely more than 2 years of age, he was playing one day with 

 an older child in the road in front of his grandfather's house. A horseman was 

 rapidly approaching, when the older boy, seeing the danger, ran out of the way, 

 calling to Oliver to do the same. But the little fellow sat still until the horse was 

 almost upon him, when, as the man drew rein, he looked up and lisped to him, 



