OBITUARIES, UNITED STATES. 



495 



o 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. Jan. 1. BATES, 

 MARTIN W., formerly United States Senator 

 from Delaware; died at Dover, Del., aged 

 82 years. He was born in Salisbury, Litch- 

 field County, Conn., February 24, 1787, was 

 educated for the medical profession, but 

 subsequently devoted his attention to the study 

 of law, and removed to Delaware, where he 

 served several terms in the State Legislature, 

 and in 1850 was a member of the State Con- 

 stitutional Convention. After the death of 

 John M. Clayton, he served in the United 

 States Senate from 1857 to 1859. 



Jan. 1. WEBSTER, WILLIAM GREENLEAF, 

 only son of the late Noah Webster, a resident 

 of New Haven, and compiler of several of the 

 dictionaries, spelling-books, etc., published in 

 his father's name ; died in New York City. 



Jan. 5. KIRKPATRICK, Rev. DAVID, a Pres- 

 byterian clergyman ; died at Poke Run, Pa. 

 He was born in Ireland in 1795 ; graduated at 

 the University of Glasgow, studied theology in 

 Belfast, and came to this country in 1819. In 

 1822 he became principal of Milton Academy, 

 in Northumberland County, Pa., retaining that 

 position for a period of twelve years, and 

 preaching regularly during the whole time. 

 Subsequently he was for thirty-two years 

 pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Poke 

 Run, and resigned his charge, on account of 

 his health, a few months previous to his de- 

 cease. 



Jan. 6. BRITTIN, Colonel WILLIAM, a promi- 

 nent Whig politician ; died in Madison, N. J., 

 aged 91 years. He was for many years a leader 

 of the old Whig party, filling various important 

 offices under its auspices, as magistrate, mem- 

 ber of both Houses of the Legislature, and for 

 many years judge in the Court of Common 

 Pleas. 



Jan. 10. CASSIN, JOHN-, a distinguished nat- 

 uralist; died in Philadelphia. He was born 

 near that city, September 6, 1813. In 1834 he 

 became a resident of Philadelphia, where for 

 some years he was engaged in mercantile pur- 

 suits, but, having in his youth formed a de- 

 cided taste for the study of ornithology, his 

 later years were devoted mostly to that science. 

 He contributed descriptions of new species of 

 birds and synoptical reviews of various families 

 to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ence. His more elaborate publications are 

 " Birds of California and Texas," a handsome 

 octavo volume, containing descriptions and 

 colored engravings of fifty species not given 

 by Audubon; a "Synopsis of the Birds of 

 North America; " " Ornithology of the United 

 States Exploring Expedition; " "Ornithology 

 of the Japan Expedition ; " " Ornithology of 

 Gillis's Astronomical Expedition to Chili ; " 

 and the chapters on rapacious and wading 



birds in the " Ornithology of the Pacific Rail- 

 road Explorations and Surveys." His works 

 are the result of careful research, and are espe- 

 cially valuable for their descriptions and classi- 

 fication of many birds not given in the previous 

 works of Wilson and Audubon. Mr. Cassin 

 served many years in the city government, and 

 was once the Democratic candidate for Con- 

 gress from the first Pennsylvania district. 



Jan. 11. DUNNING, Rev. HALSEY, D. D., a 

 Presbyterian clergyman; died in Baltimore, 

 Md., aged 50 years. He was born in Wantage, 

 Sussex County, N. J., and graduated at the 

 University of the City of New York, and also 

 at the Union Theological Seminary. Upon 

 leaving the latter institution he was appointed 

 chaplain to the State Prison at Sing Sing, and 

 subsequently removed to Richmond, Va. For 

 the fourteen years preceding his death he was 

 pastor of the First Congregational Church in 

 Baltimore, where he was highly esteemed for 

 his ability, and for his genial and kindly nature. 



Jan. 11. LAW, Commander RICHARD LY- 

 MAN, U. S. N., a gallant naval officer ; died in 

 Philadelphia, aged about 46 years. He was 

 appointed to the Navy from Indiana, February 

 17, 1841, and was in the service twenty-eight 

 years, seventeen of which he spent at sea. At 

 various times he was attached to the different 

 American squadrons, and for two years and a 

 half was employed upon the coast survey. 

 During the late war he served upon several 

 war-vessels, and participated in numerous en- 

 gagements with credit to himself, and to the 

 satisfaction of his superior officers. At the 

 close of the war he was assigned to the com- 

 mand of the steam-sloop Suwanee, which "was 

 lost during a cruise between San Francisco 

 and Alaska. In 1866 he was retired from ac- 

 tive service, but was soon after restored to the 

 list, and in September of that year received his 

 commission as commander. His last cruise 

 was completed in September, 1867. 



Jan. 15. KEY, THOMAS MARSHALL, an emi- 

 nent lawyer and politician of Ohio ; died at 

 Lebanon, Ky., aged 50 years. He was a native 

 of Kentucky, graduated at Yale College in 1838, 

 studied law, and, having made his home in Cin- 

 cinnati, rose to a high position as a member of 

 that bar. He was repeatedly elected to the Ohio 

 State Senate, where he wielded a powerful in- 

 fluence. Though at first strongly opposed to 

 the late war, he became convinced that the 

 Government should be supported, and from 

 that time devoted himself to the interests of 

 his country, being sent by Governor Denison 

 as a commissioner to Governor Beriah Magoffin, 

 of Kentucky, to persuade him not to render aid 

 and comfort to the Confederates. After the 

 appointment of McClellan as major-general, 

 he accepted a position upon his staff. He was 



