ORTON OSHKOSH. 



115 



Federal government for the surrender of the U. S. 

 torts in Charleston harbor. Although not officially 

 received by Pres. Buchanan, their mission was not 

 without effect. After the Confederate government 

 was formed, Orr was elected to the Senate and there 

 remained till the end of the war. Acquiescing in the 

 result he was made governor of South Carolina in 

 1866, and held that position till 1869. He was ap- 

 pointed U. S. circuit judge in 1870, and was sent as 

 U. S. minister to Russia in 1873. He died at St. 

 Petersburg, May 5, 1873. 



OHTON, JAMES (1830-1877), an American natur- 

 alist, was born at Seneca Falls, N. Y., April 21, 1830. 

 He graduated at Williams College in 1855 and at 

 Andover Theological Seminary in 1858. After a 

 year's travel in Europe and Asia Minor he became a 

 Congregationalist minister. In 1866 he was made an 

 instructor in natural science in Rochester University, 

 and in 1867 he led the Williams College Expedition 

 which explored the Upper Amazon. He was made 

 professor of natural history in Vassar College in 

 1869. He made a second visit to the Amazon in 1873, 

 and in a third visit to South America he died while 

 eroding Lake Titicaca, Sept. 24, 1877. He published 

 T/ie Amlts aiul the Amazon (1870) ; Underground 

 Treasures ; How ami where to find them (1872); L/ilteral 

 Eiliiaition of Women (1873) ; Comparative Zoology 

 (1875). 



OS AGE ORANGE. This is the common title of 

 Madura anrantiaca, known also by the French title 

 of Bois d'Arc, a tree native to the contiguous portions 

 of Arkansas, Texas, and the Indian Territory, but 

 which is coming largely into use as a hedge material 

 in other States. It is extensively planted for hedges 

 in the West, and to some extent in the East, and when 

 kept properly clipped serves this purpose excellently. 

 As a tree it attains a height of 50 feet and a diameter 

 of 2 feet, being most common and prolific in the Red 

 River Valley of the Indian Territory. Its wood is 

 heavy, exceedingly hard, close-grained, strong, and 

 flexible, of a satiny surface, and susceptible of a beau- 

 tiful polish. Its color is a bright orange, which turns 

 brown on exposure. It is very durable in contact with 

 the ground, and is used largely for fence-posts, paving- 

 blocks, railway-ties, and wheel-stock. 



OSAGES, a tribe of American Indians of the Da- 

 kota family, were known in the seventeenth century as 

 living on the Missouri and being allied with the Illinois. 

 They are reported to have assisted the French against 

 their hereditary enemies, the Foxes, in 1712, and some 

 of their chiefs were taken to France in 1726. They 

 continued to aid the French until the power of this 

 nation was overthrown in America. Early in the 

 pfesent century they numbered about 6000, of whom 

 the Great Usages resided on the Arkansas River and 

 the Little Osages on the Osage River. By a treaty 

 made Nov. 10, 1808, the chiefs ceded some of their 

 lands, and the tribes afterwards repudiated the treaty. 

 But as they were driven out by the whites, they en- 

 gaged in warfare with the Cherokees and other tribes. 

 Other treaties followed, and were no better kept than 

 tin; first. They lived by plundering, and resisted all 

 efforts to civilize or Christianize them. The border 

 war in Kansas and the civil war had a disastrous effect 

 upon them, since they sided with the Confederacy. 

 After the war efforts were made to induce them to 

 remove to Indian Territory. Finally this was effected 

 in 1872, but they were deprived of their cattle and 

 other property. When they were settled in their 

 reservation, north of the Cherokee country and west 

 of 96 N. lat., Pres. Grant, in carrying out his "Peace 

 policy," assigned this tribe to the Society of Friends. 

 Schools have been established and agriculture en- 

 couraged, with good effect. Capt. C. H. Potter 

 reported them in 1887 as rich and indolent. They 

 receive over $35 quarterly per capita from the interest 

 on the Osage fund. The number on the reservation was 

 stated as 403 men, 399 women, 391 children; total,1193. 



OSCAR II., FREDERIC, king of Sweden and Nor- 

 way, was born at Stockholm, Jan. 21, 1829. In his 

 youth he served in the navy. He was educated at the 

 University of Upsal, under the historian Carlson, and 

 travelled on the Continent. He succeeded to the 

 throne on the death of his brother Charles, Sept. 18, 

 1872. He reorganized the army and the railroads. In 

 1873 he visited Norwegian Lapland, and in 1875 the 

 emperors of Germany and Russia. He sent his son to 

 travel _ through Europe and to visit the Centennial 

 Exhibition at Philadelphia. King Oscar has fine lit- 

 erary taste, and has pubjished translations of Goethe's 

 Faust and Tasso. He is also the author of a sketch 

 of Charles XII. and of a volume of poems. 



OSCEOLA (1804-1838), Indian warrior, was born 

 on the Chattahoochee River, Ga., in 1804. His name 

 means "Black drink," and was given to denote his 

 courage, as shown by his drinking that nauseous mix- 

 ture. He was the son of William Powell, an English- 

 man, by an Indian mother. Early distinguished in 

 the dances, games, and athletic exercises of the Semi- 

 noles, he gained great influence in the tribe, and 

 opposed the cession of its lands in Florida. His wife 

 was the daughter of a fugitive slave, and in 1835 was 

 herself seized as a slave. Osceola then demanded her 

 return from Col. Thompson, the U. S. agent at Fort 

 King, but the latter, resenting his language, ordered 

 him to be confined in irons for six days. In JDecember, 

 six months later, Osceola avenged this injury by killing 

 Thompson and others. He then entered upon a vigor- 

 ous warfare against the whites, massacred Mai. Dade 

 and his command, and fought Gen. Clinch at Withla- 

 coochie. He also had several encounters with Gen. 

 Gaines, and made attacks on Forts Micanopy and 

 Drane. At last, while holding a conference with Gen. 

 Jesup under a flag of truce, near St. Augustine, Oct. 

 22, 1837, he was treacherously seized, and was there- 

 after imprisoned at Fort Moultrie, S. C., where he 

 died Jan. 30, 1838. 



OSGOOD, FRANCES SARGENT (1811-1850), poet, 

 was born at Boston, June 18, 1811, being the daughter 

 of Joseph Lock, a merchant. She attracted the notice 

 of Mrs. L. M. Child, and contributed to her Juvenile 

 Miscellany. In 1835 she was married to Samuel Still- 

 man Osgood, a portrait-painter, with whom she visited 

 London. There she contributed to periodicals, and 

 published A Wreath of Wild Flowers from New 

 (1839) and Elfrida, a drama (1839). After 



her return to Boston she published The Poetry of 

 Flowers (1840) and The Floral 0/ering. A complete 

 collection of her poems appeared in 1849. She died 

 at Hingham, Mass., May 12, 1850. A Memorial by 

 R. W. Griswold was published in 1851. 



OSHKOSH, a city of Wisconsin, the county-seat 

 of Winnebago co., is 85 miles N. W. of Milwaukee, on 

 both banks of the Fox River, which here expands into. 

 Lake Winnebago. The lake is 30 miles long and from 

 12 to 15 miles wide, and with the Fox and Wisconsin, 

 which are connected by a short canal, forms a water- 

 route between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi. 

 Oshkosh has a lake frontage of nearly 4 miles, towards 

 which its surface slopes gradually, giving excellent 

 drainage. The Fox River is spanned by 3 wagon-draw- 

 bridges and 3 railroad-bridges. Four railroads pass 

 through the city. Oshkosh has a U. S. government 

 building, a fine city-hall, county court-house, Masonic 

 temple, exposition building, 2 opera-houses, and other 

 buildings of attractive architecture : 24 church edifices, 

 a State normal school, a high-school, a business college, 

 8 public schools, and 8 private and parochial schools. 

 There are 5 hotels, 2 national banks, 1 State bank, 2 

 daily and 4 weekly newspapers. The chief industry; is 

 in lumber, logs being floated from the northern pineries 

 down Wolf and Fox Rivers. There are about 1 5 large 

 saw-mills at Oshkosh, and factories which produce 

 one-tenth of all the doors and sashes made in the 

 United States. There are also several large furniture- 

 factories, 4 extensive carriage-factories, the largest 



