iv PREFACE. 



Beecher, the greatest of pulpit orators ; Alvan Clark, the most successful tele- 

 scope-maker ; Spencer F. Baird, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution ; James 

 B. Eads, the eminent civil engineer; Gen. William B. Hazen, head of the 

 Weather Bureau ; Roswell D. Hitchcock and Mark Hopkins, the eminent 

 scholars ; Jenny Lind, the greatest singer of her time ; Lord Lyons, the British 

 diplomatist ; Ulysses Mercur and William B. Woods, jurists ; John Roach, the 

 greatest of American ship-builders ; James Speed, of President Lincoln's Cabi- 

 net ; Emma Lazarus, John G. Saxe, and Benjamin F. Taylor, poets ; William A. 

 Wheeler, ex-Yice-President ; Bishops Lee and Potter, Catherine L. Wolfe, Elihu 

 B. Washburne, and Edward L. Youmans. Portraits of all these and others will 

 be found in the volume, and an unusually large number of brief sketches of those 

 who passed away during the year. The three portraits on copper of Henry 

 Ward Beecher, President Sadi-Carnot, and the new Emperor of Germany were 

 etched by Yalerian GribayedofL The portraits in the text were drawn by 

 Jacques Reich, whose fine work has been so noticeable in the new " Cyclopaedia 

 of American Biography." 



The article on Recent Growth of American Cities is continued from last year, 

 and the numerous regular topics that are treated every year have been carefully 

 and fully discussed by competent writers, most of whom are regular contributors, 

 and keep track of the subjects from year to year. An Index for this volume 

 will be found at the end, and a combined Index for the twelve volumes of the 

 series is issued separately. 



NEW YORK, April 2, 188S. 



