FREINSHKIM, JOHN'. 



KHEMOKT, JOHN CHARLES. 



1030 



and Tubingen. The preface it dated Zurich, in the spring of 1840. 

 IB this jfr he lo pulili>ht-d Dig firot of nix political poems, to 

 which In gave tlie Frruch revolutionary title of '(,' Int.' In lin- 

 early part of 1848, on the invitation of Mr. Ixmgfellow, ho had 

 arranged to go to the United States; lut the revolutionary Mm ! 

 of that year, which his political poemi had doubtless contributed to 

 pcodaee, induotd him to rt- turn to Germany. He stationed hltnwlf 

 at Dvuseklorf, became an active member of a political club there, and 

 in consequence of the reactionary measures of the government after 

 the revolution bad terminated, published a poem entitled ' Die Todtcn 

 an dio Liebeudeo' ('The Dead to the Liring'), the dead being the 

 hmnreotionary leaden rlain at the barricades In Berlin in Mai"! 

 1848. For the publication of this poem an action wai brought 

 agaiot him by the government: he was tried at the assize-court 

 in Diiawldorf, by a jury of twelve sworn men, aud was acquitted 

 October 3, 1848. 



After hi acquittal Frciligralh removed to Cologne, and assisted in 

 the editonhip of the ' Neuc Rheinisoho Zeitung,' contributing also to 

 the literary department of the paj>er. While thus engaged he pub- 

 lulled a small collection of poems under the title of ' lietwccn the 

 Sheaves (' Zwiscben den Garten '), a Gleaning of Poema of a former 

 Date,' 1849, and a translation of Shokgperc's 'Venus and Adonis,' 

 1850. The periodical on which he was engaged wns discontinued 

 about this time, and ho then returned to DUiwoldorf. Ho had issued 

 in 1848 tho Brut number of Mew Political and Social Poems,' and in 

 1851 produced a second number, but bad no Booner done so than he 

 was threatened with another government prosecution. Tho liberal 

 party in Germany had now become weak, and under tho circum- 

 stances he deemed it prudent to withdraw from the continent. He 

 gain came to London, where, we believe, he still resides with his wife 

 aud children, plying the pen of a banker's clerk as his chief means of 

 subsistence, but not entirely relinquishing his literary occupations. 



Frxiligrath's 'Gtdichte,' first published in 1838, had reached the 

 10th edition in 1855. These poems are strikingly original, bearing 

 little or no resemblance to those of vay previous German poet. They 

 are founded sometimes on scenes and objects which had fallen under 

 his own observation, sometimes on the descriptions of travellers, and 

 sometimes they are pictures furnished by his imagination ; they 

 have no reference to himself, his own circumstances, or his own 

 feelings, but present animated image* of the scenes, objects, and 

 beings, not only of Germany and Holland, bat of Africa and America. 

 His coroeptions are always distinct, and his expression glows with 

 the warmth naturally produced by a vivid imagination. There is 

 occasionally something of wildness, but no weakness, and now and 

 then the images are coarse and even unpleasing, but they are always 

 founded on the realities of actual existence. When Freiligrath 

 assumed the character of a political poet he appears to have done so 

 from an earnest sense of duty; and bis poems of this class are tho 

 outpourings of a generous and enthusiastic spirit, vigorous and often 

 vehement, but even when satirical, without spleen, or bitterness, or 

 unfair exaggeration. His translations from the English are numerous, 

 and not only give the at-nse correctly, but exhibit the spirit, and 

 imitate the rhythm. 



(Dntcht LileraturgachicUc dcr Kciurn Ztit, in SiograpKien, Kritiken, 

 tmd Probm, lOmo.) 



FKKINSIIKIM, JOHN, was born at Ulm in 1603, and studied at 

 Strasbourg, where he became librarian to Matthias Berneggor, a 

 wealthy philologist, who gave him his daughter in marriage. He was 

 afterwards appointed professor of eloquence in the University of 

 Upsal, where be remained five years, after which he was made libra- 

 rian to Queen Christina, with a handsome salary. But his health and 

 the rigour of the climate of Sweden obliged him to return to 

 Germany in 1656, when the elector palatine appointed him honorary 

 professor in the University of Heidelberg, and his councillor at the 

 same time. He died at Heidelberg In 1660. Freinsheim wrote a 

 supplement to Ltvy, with the intention of replacing the lost books of 

 that historian. The first part of tills work was published at Stras- 

 bourg in 1654, and the remainder appeared in Doujas's edition of 

 ' Uvy ad usum Delphini.' Freinsheim endeavours to Imitate Livy's 

 style, and be regularly quotes the authors from which he derived tho 

 materials for his narrative. He also wrote a 'Supplement to Quintus 

 Curtlus,' besides a ' Commentary ' on the same writer, as well at on 

 Floras and Tacitus Freinsheim wrote also : ' De oalido potu 

 DiseerUUo,' ' De Pnccedontia Eleotorum et Cardinalium,' and other 

 learned works. 



FREMONT, JOHN CHARLES, was born on the 21st of January 

 1813, in tho city of Savannah, in tho state of Georgia, North America. 

 His father was a Frenchman, his mother a native of the state of 

 Virginia. His father died while Fremont was very young, but hU 

 mother, though poor, managed to procure him a good education in 

 the city of Charleston, South Carolina, where she had taken up her 

 reetdenee. He entered the junior class of Charleston College in 1828. 

 For some yean after he left the college he supported himself and 

 assisted his mother by teaching mathematics, and was so occupied 

 In 188S on board the Ratchet sloop of war. He was afterwards 

 employed as a surveyor and railroad engineer, under Captain Williams 

 of the Topographical Engineers. From 1833 to 1838 M. Nicolet, a 

 scientific tourist, had occupied himself in exploring an extensive 



portion of country west of the upper branches of tho MisMsvip; 

 ut the termination of his amateur travels the government of thu I 

 Slutce engaged him to extend his journeys into a more distant part 

 of tho territory. Fremont was then associated with him to assist 

 him in his surveys, and he was thus employed during the years 1833 

 and 18811. After his return Fremont became acquainted in the city 

 of Washington with Mr. T. H. Routoii, who was for many years < 

 tho two senators sent to Congress from the state of Missouri, .. 

 1S41 married one of Mr. Denton's daughters. 



Fremont while absent with M. Nloolet was a]. pointed a second licu- 

 li-naut in the corps of Topographical Engineers, aud was soon after- 

 wards directed by Colonel Abort, the chief of that corns, to exploro 

 and report upon the country between the frontier of the n 

 Missouri and tho South Pasa in the Rocky Mountains. Theexp 

 left the city of St Louis on the Mississippi at the end of May 

 aud proceeded by steamboat up the Missouri to the mouth 

 Kansas, which they left on the 10th of June. Passing up the Kansas 

 about 100 miles, and then by its tributaries, they arrived at the Great 

 Platte 200 miles from its junction with the Missouri Tl> 

 followed the north fork of tho Platte, and reached tho mouth of the 

 Sweet- Water River, ono of the head waters of the Platte. The Sweet- 

 Water runs along a sandy plain, generally about five miles wide 

 and bounded by granitic mountains. This plain, 120 miles long, con- 

 ducts by a very gradual ascent to the summit of the South Pass, 

 7490 feet above the sea, whence the waters flow westward 

 Pacific Ocean, and eastward to the Atlantic, and through v. hicli tin- 

 great currents of emigration flow between the eastern and v, 

 States. Lieutenant Fremont and his party encamped on the summit 

 on the fith of August, and on the 8th entered among the \\ H" 

 Mountains, on the western side of the Pass, where they 

 days, and Fremont, with four of his men, ascended to the summit 

 of the loftiest peak, now named Fremont's Peak, which he found l>y 

 barometer to be 13,750 feet above the sea. The South Pa*s is about 

 OCO miles, travelling distance, from the junction of the Kansas with 

 the Missouri. The expedition left thu Wind-River Mountains on 

 the 13th of August, and recrossing the Pass returned by nearly the 

 the same route as that by which they came. They reached tho mouth 

 of the Kansas on the 10th of October 1812, having been absent four 

 months. 



Lieutenant Fremont was uotv raised to the rank of brevet-captain of 

 the corps of Topographical Engineers, aud was directed by Colonel 

 Abert to connect his survey of 1842 with tha surveys of Commander 

 Wilkes on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, so as to give an unintcn 

 view of the route from the frontiers of Missouri to the we-' 

 of the American continent Having engaged 39 men, and made the 

 necessary preparations, Captain Fremont's party reached the littlo 

 town of Kansas, near the junction of the Kansas with the Missouri, 

 May 17, 1843, whence they started on the 29th of .May. The first 

 expedition had been mostly up the Great Platte and the valley of tho 

 Sweet- Water. The route of the second expedition was more southern, 

 up the valley of the Kansas to the head waters of tho Arkansas, and 

 thence to the South Pass, which was crossed some miles farther south 

 than where it was crossed iu 1842. Fremont aud his party then pro- 

 ceeded in a south-western direction down the valley of the Green River, 

 on the bank of which they encamped August 15th, 69 miles from the 

 South Pass, They then entered the valley of the Hear River, tho prin- 

 cipal tributary of tho Great S.dt Lake, which, on tho 6th of September, 

 Captain Fremont beheld from a lofty hill, with feelings of intense 

 delight, it having been for some time the principal object of his search. 

 Having examined the northern end of the lake, he passed through an 

 exceedingly barren region, where the natives exist with great difficulty 

 on roots, insects, anl worms. He then entered among tho up|-cr 

 tributaries of the Snake River, which is the chief southern branch 

 of the Columbia, or Oregon River, along the valleys of which ho 

 descended till he reached Fort Vancouver, not far from the mouth of 

 tho Oregon. He left that place in November, and in March 1844 

 reached tho valley of tho Rio Sacramento near tho junction of tin 

 Rio de los Americanos. Travelling thence through Upper California 

 ho returned by the Utah Lake, which is the southern end of the 

 Great Salt Lake. From the time when he left the northern end of 

 the lake in September 1843, till he reached tha southern end in May 

 1044 he hod completed a circuit of 12 degrees in diameter, north and 

 south, and 10 degrees east and west, aud had been occupied eight 

 months in travelling 3500 miles. The expedition afterwards ret 

 by the South Pass, and reached the town of Kansas on tho 31st of 

 July 1844, having been travelling fourteen months. From, the Groat 

 South Pass to the mouth of tho Oregon, by the common travelling 

 route, is about 1400 miles. 



Captain Fremont's Report of his second expedition had not been 

 published when in tho spring of 1845 he started on a third expedition, 

 which was carried out with nn energy and perseverance not sun 

 by anything on record, and its results well entitled him to the gold 

 Victoria medal of the Royal Geographical .Society of Great Hritiun, 

 which was awarded to him. In this third survey Captain Fremont, 

 having advanced westward to the Pass of tho Cascades, where the 

 Columbia traverses the mountains which form tho northern extremity 

 of the Sierra Nevada, bo boldly explored that chain southward in th- 

 depth of winter. With extreme difficulty and after extraordinary 



