OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



591 



butions to medical journals ; and a most esti- 

 mable man. 



Knox, Samuel R., an American naval officer, 

 born in Charlestown, Mass., Aug. 28, 1811 ; 

 died in Boston, Nov. 22, 1883. He entered 

 the navy as midshipman in 1828 ; served in 

 the Mediterranean and Pacific, under different 

 commanders ; and was in the United States Ex- 

 ploring Expedition, under Commodore Wilkes, 

 from 1838 to 1842. While in command of the 

 schooner Flying- Fish, he approached nearer to 

 the south pole than any other vessel in the 

 squadron. "Knox's High Land," in that lo- 

 cality, was named in honor of the young offi- 

 cer. In the Mexican War he assisted in the 

 capture of the castle of San Juan de Ulloa ; 

 and in the civil war he was attached to the 

 blockading squadron in the Gulf of Mexico. 

 He had been for several years on. the retired list. 



Le onte, John Lawrence; an American scien- 

 tist, born in New York, May 13, 1825; died in 

 Philadelphia, Nov. 15, 1883. He was gradu- 

 ated in 1846 at the New York College of Phy- 

 sicians and Surgeon's. While a student he made 

 scientific excursions into the Western States, 

 and afterward extended his travels into Cen- 

 tral America. Of these excursions and travels 

 he furnished interesting accounts for various 

 scientific societies and journals. Dr. Le Conte's 

 special study was the North American Coleopte- 

 ra, in which department he was regarded as a 

 high authority. The Smithsonian Institution at 

 Washington published his classification of the 

 Coleoptera of our country, in 1861-'62, and 

 in 1863-'66 his " List of Coleoptera of North 

 America." Dr. Le Conte entered the army as 

 surgeon of volunteers in 1862, and subsequently 

 became medical inspector in the regular army. 

 He was a member of numerous learned socie- 

 ties, and in 1873 was elected President of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science. He contributed largely to scientific 

 periodicals, and was chief clerk in the United 

 States Mint, Philadelphia, at the time of his 

 death. 



Macfarlane, Robert, an American editor, born 

 in Rutherglen, near Glasgow, Scotland, April 23, 

 1815 ; died in Brooklyn, N. Y., Dec. 21, 1883. 

 His earty education was limited, but having a 

 taste for reading he made respectable acquire- 

 ments in subsequent years. Having learned 

 his father's trade, that of a dyer, at Paisley, 

 he emigrated, in 1836, to the United States. 

 He took up his residence in Albany, N. Y., in 

 1840, and made his mark there as editor of a 

 paper published in the interests of the working 

 classes. This led to his appointment, in 1848, 

 as editor of the " Scientific American," which 

 post he held for seventeen years with decided 

 ability. Being threatened with failure of eye- 

 sight, he gave up literary work in 1865, and 

 returning to Albany engaged in the business of 

 dyeing. In 1874 he retired from the busi- 

 ness, in favor of his two sons, and thencefor- 

 ward resided mostly in Brooklyn. He revis- 

 ited his native land twice, and wrote pleasant 



sketches of his travels and experiences. He 

 was author of a " History of the Screw-Pro- 

 peller," and edited a "Treatise on the Art of 

 Dyeing." He was also devoted to Scottish 

 antiquities, and to the history of Scottish emi- 

 gration to America. 



McKi'on, John, an American lawyer, born in 

 Albany, N. Y., in 1808 ; died in the'city of New- 

 York, Nov. 22, 1883. His father was a naval 

 officer of distinction in the War of 1812. He 

 was graduated at Columbia College, and stud- 

 ied law in the office of John L. Mason. He was 

 elected to the Assembly, on the Democratic 

 ticket, and served in that position during 

 1832-'34. He was next elected to Congress, 

 where he served from 1835 to 1837, and again 

 from 1841 to 1843. He was appointed' Dis- 

 trict Attorney of the County of New York 

 early in 1846, and the following year (the office 

 having become elective) he was elected for the 

 full term of three years. He was resolute in 

 the discharge of his duties, as was proved by 

 his prosecution of a notorious malpractitioner, 

 Madame Restell, and securing a conviction, 

 and by his determined hostility to criminals 

 of all sorts. He was appointed by President 

 Pierce as successor for the unexpired term of 

 Charles O'Conor as United States District At- 

 torney for the Southern District of New York. 

 After this he resumed the practice of law, and 

 associated with himself Frederick Smyth as 

 partner in 1858. While United States District 

 Attorney he was engaged in prosecuting a num- 

 ber of well-known and important cases, such 

 as the attempt to enlist men to serve in the 

 British army in the Crimean War, the seizure 

 of the "filibustering" ship Northern Light, the 

 trial of officer Westervelt, taken on board the 

 ship Nightingale by Government cruisers, the 

 ship having in her hold 960 slaves. Mr. Mc- 

 Keon was a Democrat always and everywhere, 

 sometimes in the majority with the Tammany- 

 Hall wing, quite as often in the minority with its 

 opponents. Although well advanced in years, 

 he was nominated for District Attorney in the 

 autumn of 1881, and was elected to the same 

 office he had held more than thirty years be- 

 fore. Mr. McKeon married a daughter of Capt. 

 Sloat, of the United States Navy. His wife 

 and one daughter survive him. 



AlcMnllen, John, an American clergyman, died 

 in Davenport, Iowa, July 3, 1883. He was 

 graduated in Chicago in 1854, and the same 

 year went to Rome, where he studied for the 

 priesthood, and was ordained in 1858. He re- 

 turned to Chicago in the same year, and was 

 appointed pastor of a St. Louis church. In 1861 

 he became President and Rector of the Roman 

 Catholic University of St. Mary's of the Lake, 

 and in 1863 began the erection of the new uni- 

 versity building, which was afterward de- 

 stroyed in the great fire. Dr. McMullen was 

 for a time at Wilmington, 111., but was sum- 

 moned back to Chicago in 1870, to take charge 

 of the Cathedral of the Holy Name. In 1877 

 he was appointed vicar- general of the diocese, 



