The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-10-23
The l" Men of Our Time"

of our time according to this publication, num-
ber four hundred and fifty, OF whom short bio
graphical sketches are given. The women of
our time have no mention in this work, nor the
children of our time not even such remarka-
BILE child as Paul Julien, the Batcman's and
Tom Thumb Several gentlemen, also, who
consider themselves men OF our time, and a few
who are so considered by others, have been ac-
cidentally omitted With these drawbacks, the
compilation is useful one, and future revised
editions will, doubtless be more so. We have
few facts from the four hundred and fifty biog-
raphies for our readers illumination.
Running our finger down the A column of
contents, we light upon Professor Agassiz, who
we find is the son of Swiss clergyman, and is
now forty FIVE years old. The historian, Alli-
son is in his sixtieth year; his father was also
clergyman Allison holds the lucrative place of
Sheriff of Glasgow Bailey the author of Fes-
tus," now in his thirty-sxth year, is the son of
Nottingham editor. Bancroft whose father
was a doctor of divinity, is as old as the nine
teeth century--fifty-two years. VI Bryant
aged fifty-eight. the father, grandfather and
great at-grand-father were physicians. Ole Bull
was originally destined for the church, but ,coud
be a musician he is forty-two years old. Bull
wer. the son of General Bulwer, has written
about thirty-five novels and plays: age not far
from fifty. Boxer, the poet, is only twenty
eight years of age. Benton, the politician, is
siXty-nine. Carlyle, the son of small farmer
in Scotland, is fifty y-eight years old his first
passion was mathematics literature. Cass
is seventy years of age. ChOate is fifty-three.
Cruikshank, aged fiftyeight, is the son of an
engraver and caricaturist he was converted to
teetotalsm by The Bottle' Dana, the poet
is sixty five years ofage his father was the dis
tinguished Francis Dana. who was minister to
Russia, ETC.; his son is the celebrated author of
20 Two Years Before the Mast" Charles Dick
ems is in his fOrtieth year; "Pickwick," says
our book, "made the authors reputation and
the publishers FoRrrNEu' DIsracli, the Right
Hon., is forty he wrote Vivian Grey"
while yet minor. Dumas, aged forty-nine.
was first drawn to literature by hearing an En-
giish company perform Hamlet" DR.. Dewey,
aged titty-ciSht. is the son of a Berkshire far
mer; he took the first honor at graduating
Ralph Waldo Emerson is described as an A
merican Metaphysician y he is forty nine years
old his father is Unitarian clergyman and
be was himself for short time. of the same pro-
fesson and denomination. Edward Everett is
fifty-eiSht his father was a clergyman of Bos-
ton. President Fillmore's father was and is a
farmer in Erie county, New York, where "he
cultivates small farm with his own hands =
the President and the century are of the same
age. Greenough is torty-seven while in col
lege he furnished the design of the Bunker Hill
Monument. Guizot, son of an advocate who
lost his head in the French Revolution, is sixty
five years of age Horace Greeley is forty -one :;
he was lover of newspapers and politics from
childhood. Peter Farley Goodrich is only fifty
two, after all. Hawthorn is about forty
years of age he was educated at Bowdoin
College; Salem, Mass, is his birthplace. IIalam
is seventy-fOur; to him was given one of the
fifty guinea gold medals struck by George W.,
to reward merit in historical composition 4; the
other was assigned to Washington Irving. O..
al fbo hat, Il 10
write as funny as he can" is forty-three. Will
liam Hewitt, is fifty-seven he published verses
at the age of thirteen. Humboldt is eighty
three. Leigh Hunt is siXty-eight. Fitz Greene
Halleck is fifty-scven. Washington Irving, son
of an eminent New York Merchant, is sixty nine
years of age in his nineteenth year he began
to contribute to his brothers paper, the Morn
ing Chronicle. Douglass Jerold, forty yseven
years OF age, is a son of the manager of the
Sherness theatre; the sea was his first love. and
for short time he served as a midshipman on
board of a man-of-war. G. p. r. Jamesis about
fifty years old; it was Washington Irving that
first recommended him to a career of author
ship. Sheridan Knowles, sXty-eight years of
age, is the son of famous Irish schoolmaster.
who was cousin of Richard Brinsley Sheridan ;
Mr. Knowles wrote his first play in his twenty
first year his plays are thirteen in number; he
now enjoys a government pension of two hum
1
his father was Major in the French cavalry,
under Louis XVI. Abbot Lawrence is in his
siXtieth year. Longfellow, forty-five years of
age, is the son of Hon. Stephen Longfellow ;
Portland, Maine is the birth place of the poet
he was appointed professor at Cambridge, in
his twenty-eighth year. Macauley, the son of a
wealthy African merchant. is fifty-two years OF
age his essay on Milton was written in his
twenty sixth year for the Edinburgh Review.
| lu ic bic f,fb a fbaafri-
cal manager. Herman Melville is the son of an
importing merchant of this city; he is thirty
three years of age his Grandfather was one of
. the Boston tea party he began his wanderings
in his eighteenth year, as Il sailor before the
mast he is the author of seven popular works.
Metternich is seventy-nne. TX Marvel. is thir-
ty years of age is q native ofNorwich, Connec-
| ticut, a graduate of Yale and resident of New
York. j. X. Paulding, whose collected works
fill twenty-five volumes, is scventy-three years
| of age he is a native of Dutchcss county, in
this State. Prentice is a Yankee, born at Pres
ton. Connecticut, forty-eight years old. He has
been editor of the Louisville Journal since 1881
may he live to joke ten more Presidents into the
white house. Prescott, the historian, is in his
tfifty-seventh year. Powers, the sculptor, is fif
ty-scvcn-hs parents "werc plain country
people, who cultivated small farm in Yer
mont. Seward is fifty years old. Talford fifty
seven. Tennyson son of a Clergyman is forty
two. Thackeray, born at Calcutta, is forty one.
Ticknor, sixty-One. H. T. Tuckerman, thirty
nine. Victoria is thirty-three years Of age
= she has" says our author, IS large and rap
idly increasing family, which seems the distin-
gushing mark of the Hanoverian dynasty
| Home Journal.
| CANADIAN AFFAIRs.-The indications are that
the new commercial policy of the Government
will be pretty generally sustained in Upper
Canada. So far, a majority of the Upper Cana
da newspapers that have taken decided view
on the question, sustain the Government policy.
The Finance Minister has refused to lay before
reciprocity, or of the navigation of the St.
Lawrence. The address of the House prayinc
the Home Government not to concede ANYTHING
on the Fishery question, or to conclude any ne
gotiations that do not embrace the Fisheries.
shows that the Canadian authorities are deter
mined to leave no stone unturned to bring
about the desired reciprocity.
| Mr.. ChabOt has been appointed Commissioner
| of Public Works in tho placp of Mr. Youn,