82 



BURGESS, GEORGE. 



IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NOVA SCOTIA, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, AND NEWFOUNDLAND, FOB 



THE YEAR 1866. 



The following is the official statement of prod- 

 ucts of the fisheries entered at Quebec during 

 the year 1866. The number of vessels employed 

 was 253, with a total tonnage of 15,925 tons : 



BURGESS, GEORGE, D. D., bishop of the 

 Protestant Episcopal Church for the Diocese 

 of Maine, an American clergyman, scholar, and 

 poet, born in Providence, R. I., October 31, 

 1809 ; died at sea on the deck of the brig Jane, a 

 few miles from the harbor of Miragoane, Hayti, 

 April 23, 1866. Bishop Burgess was a son of 

 the Hon. Thomas Burgess, a judge of the Court 

 of Common Pleas of Rhode Island, and a jurist 

 of great learning and distinction. The early 

 education of the future bishop was acquired in 

 the Grammar School of Brown University in 

 his native city, and he entered the university 

 in 1822, when not quite thirteen years of age, 

 graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1826, 

 the youngest member of the class, which con- 

 tained an unusual number of eminent men. He 

 entered his father's office as a law student soon 

 after his graduation, and continued the study 

 of the law for three years, being, however, tutor 

 in the university for two years of the time. 

 Having attained the age of twenty years, he 

 was dissatisfied with the legal profession, and 

 his tastes as well as his religious views inclining 

 him to the ministry, he sailed for Europe, and 

 during the next three years studied theology at 

 Gottingen, Bonn, Halle, Heidelberg, and Berlin. 

 Returning to this country in the spring of 1833, 

 he was ordained deacon by Bishop Griswold in 

 Jane of that year, and the following autumn, 

 took charge of Christ Church parish, Hartford, 

 Conn. He was ordained priest by Bishop 

 Brownell early in 1834, and was rector of Christ 

 Church till 1847, when, on his birthday, Octo- 

 ber 31st, he was consecrated bishop of the dio- 

 cese of Maine, accepting at the same time the 

 rectorship of Christ Church, Gardiner, Me., 



which office he held up to the time of his de- 

 cease. As an author he was favorably known. 

 Among his published poems are two academical 

 pieces, "The Strife of Brothers," and "The 

 Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul," the cen- 

 tennial hymn for the hundredth anniversary 

 of the founding of Brown University, and a 

 metrical version of a portion of the Psalms. 

 He had within the last three or four years pre- 

 pared a new poetical translation of the Psalms, 

 which has not been published. His principal 

 prose works were " Pages from the Ecclesiasti- 

 cal History of New England," " The Last Ene- 

 my Conquering and Conquered," and a volume 

 of sermons on " The Christian Life." He re- 

 ceived the honorary degree of D. D. from Union 

 College in 1847, and the same year also from 

 his alma mater. 



Bishop Burgess was a man of fine culture, 

 and in some directions of elegant and profound 

 scholarship. He was an excellent Hebrew 

 scholar, was thoroughly versed in the classics, 

 and surpassed by few in his familiarity with 

 English literature. He was also well versed in 

 history, and in ecclesiastical history was an au- 

 thority. His prose writings were marked by 

 clearness, terseness, and elegance of style. His 

 poems were melodious, polished, and gave evi- 

 dence of poetic feeling, but lack somewhat in 

 poetic fire and inspiration. As a preacher he 

 was not so popular as he deserved to be. This 

 was perhaps, in part, due to the fact that, 

 while the style and thought of his discourse 

 were always admirable, and his delivery at 

 times impressive, there was a lack of that kin- 

 dling life and enthusiasm which powerfully en- 

 gages the mind, stirs the heart, and, finally, 

 sweeps every thing before it. As a bishop, 

 he had charge of a great extent of territory, 

 with but about twenty parishes widely scattered 

 over it, and while to the severe diocesan labors 

 thus thrown upon him were added the pastoral 

 cares of a large parish, he performed all his 

 duties faithfully and conscientiously, shrinking 

 from no burden or toil, if only he might pro- 

 mote the cause he had at heart. In the House 

 of Bishops he occupied a prominent position, 

 one due more to his intellectual superiority than 

 to any other circumstances. Of late he had 

 been regarded as decidedly the leader of the 

 moderate church party in that house, though 

 considerably younger than some of the bish- 

 ops of that party. His mind was so care- 

 fully disciplined, and his habits of thought so 

 accurate and thoroughly trained, that he could 

 be relied upon at any time for the preparation 



