MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY. 



473 



During the last four years of his life he worked at a meteoro- 

 logical survey of Virginia. He engaged actively again in the 

 advocacy of his old scheme for a Telegraphic Meteorological 

 Bureau, in furtherance of which he repeated an address in 

 Boston and Missouri and several places in the South. A paper 

 on this subject, presented to the International Congress, at St. 

 Petersburg, for the Advancement of Geographic Knowledge, 

 etc., was unanimously approved by that body. The exposure 

 incident to travel in fulfilling his lecturing appointments 

 brought on the illness which ended with his death ; but he con- 

 tinued, to within a few days of that event, dictating and revis- 

 ing the last edition of his Physical Geography. 



Commander Maury is described by his daughter as having 

 been a stout man, about five feet six inches in height, with 

 fresh, ruddy complexion, curling brown hair, and with every 

 feature of his bright countenance bespeaking intellect, kindli- 

 ness, and force of character. " His fine blue eyes beamed from 

 under his broad forehead with thought and emotion, while his 

 flexible mouth smiled with the pleasure of imparting to others 

 the ideas which were ever welling up in his active brain. . . . His 

 conversation was enjoyed by all who ever met him ; he listened 

 and learned while he conversed, and adapted himself to every 

 capacity. He especially delighted in the company of young 

 people, to whom his playful humour and gentle consideration 

 made him very winning." N. P. Willis, speaking of him to a 

 friend, said that he made him subject to his personal magnet- 

 ism, and, during a trip while they were together, " unconsciously 

 furnished an exquisitely interesting study of character." He 

 was a firm believer in the Christian religion, but did not join 

 the Church till 1867, when he was confirmed with his-children 

 in the Episcopal Church. 



Maury had eight children, five daughters and three sons. 

 His biographer was his second child, Diana Fontaine, who mar- 

 ried Mr. S. W. Corbin, of Farleyvale, Va. He had pet nick- 

 names for all except the eldest, and the children knew that 

 something was wrong if he called them by anything else. He 

 never found it necessary to shut himself up away from their 

 noise to work, and as they grew old enough they gave him in 

 turn much valuable aid as amanuenses. 



Maury's published works, books, pamphlets, and official 

 papers were numerous, and bore reference to the researches 



