Bedford inquirer and chronicle. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1854-1857, 1856-02-08
DR.. Kane.
A SKETCH BY DR.. WILLIAM ELDER.

know him personally, intimately. The
'sgraye and reverend chronicler,'' passing
/ over bis beginnings, presents him abruptly
in his full-grown greatness; men render the
admiration earued, but the sympathetic
emulation awakened is concerned to know
how he grew into bis maturity Of excellenee.
This curiosity is not an idleness of the fancy
but personal interest in the facts that
springs out Of those aspirations which put
every nan upon the fulilment of his own
destiny. How came this man to excel
Shat was II hiln--what happened to develop
! lts .ssSome men are born, great; some
/ achieve greatness some haye greatness
thrust upon them" How came this man by
lit1 Is it within my reach aisol and, by
what means' History proyokes US with
such queries as these; Biography answers
/ them.
Doctor Elisha Kent Kane is not quite
tlirty-four years old, yet he has done more
! than circumnavigate the globe; be has vis-
ted and traversed India, Africa. Europe,
South America, the islands of the Pacific
/ and twice penetrated the Arctic region to
the highest latitude attained by civilized
man. he has encountered the EXTREMIST
pelils OF sea and lald, in every climate OF
of the globe; be has discharged in turn the
seyerest duties of the soldier and the sea-
man, attached totho United States Navy as
a surgeon, he is nevertheless, engaged at
one time in the coast survey Of the tropical
hexploring the frigid zone and all the while
that bis personal experiences had the charac-
ter of fronantic adventure, he was pushing
them in the spirit OF scientific and philan-
tbropic enterprise.
/ AS boy, bis instructive bent inlpelled
him to indulgence and enjoyment of sue b
adventures ar we're best fitted TO train him
! for the work before hiui His collegiate
studies suffered some postpoueinent while
hisphysieal qualities pressed for their neees-
sary training and dieipline. 1t was almost
in the spirit of truaucy that be explored the
Blue aiouu,airis of Virginia, as student
of geology, under the guidance of Professor
Rodgers, and cultivated, at once, bis harei
hood OF vital energy and those elements Of
natural srence which we're 70 qualify bin
for his after services il the feld of physical
geography. But, in due time be returned
usual honcrs, as well as though his college
studies bad suffered no diversi0n--his muscles
and nerves were educated, and his brain
lost nothing by the indireclness of It's
Edeveiopnient, but was rather corroborated
! for all the uses which it has served since
He graduated at the University of Pennsyl-
vaaia.--frst, in its ollegiate, and after
werds, in its medical, department. His
special reishes in study indicated his natural
drift chemistry and surgery; natural science
in It's most intimate converse with substance
aud the remedial art III its most heroic func-
I.tion. He went out from his .din1a Mater q
good classical scholar, and surgeon. But be
lacked, ort5ought he lacked robustness of
frame and soundness of health. He soliei-
ted an appointment in the navy, and upon
his admission, demanded active service.
He was appointed upon the diplomatic staff
as. surgeon to the first American Embassy
to China. This position gave him opportu-
nifty to explore the Philippine Islands, which
be effected mainly on foot. lie was the 6rst
man who descended into the crater of Tael;
lowered mora than hundred feet by q
bamboo rope from the overhan ging cliff, and
clambering down some seven hundred more
through the scora, he made a Topographic
cal sketch of the interior of this great vol
cana, collected bottle of sulphurous acid
from the very mouth Of the crater aud,
although he was dawn up almost seHseiess,
| he brought with him his portrait Of this
/ hideous cavern, and the specimens which it
I afforded. & sia
Before he returned from this trip, he had
ascendedthe Himalayas, and triangnlated
Greece, on foot; he had visited Ceylon; the
Upper Nile, aud all the mythologic region
of Egypt traversing the route, and making
the acquaintance of the learned Lepsius,
who was then prosecuting his archaeological
researches. a
At home again, when the Mexican waa
broke out, he asked to be removed from the
Philadelphia Navy Yard to the field Of a
more congenial service but the government
sen. him to the Coast Of Africa. Here he
visited the slave factories, from Cape Mount
to the river Bonny, and through the Infamous
Da Souza, got access to the baracoons of
Dahomcy, and contracted besides the Coast
Fever, from the effects Of which he has never
entirely recovered.