The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1856-02-06
Biographical.
DR.. KANE.

Vas passed INTO histery, the world wants 10 c
sslsow him personally, iuti@ssely. The
~ Ns and reverend chronieler," passing {
" / his beginnings. presents him abruptly i
"a hiss fall grosR greatness men render 1
,l,, admiration earned, but the sympathetic
sanalation awakened is concerned to krow /
,,w lie grew into bis maturity OF excel
Ruce. Tbs curiosity is not an idleness o'
ti.e f.ncy, but personal interest IN the 4
facts ilsai spring out Of those aspirations
ysiic, pa ssery man upon the taldlmen1 o'
30 ova destiny. How came this man to
& slz-what was IN him what h1PPeaed
fsksierelop Is? Some men are born great;
50 Ne achieve greatness; some have great
II S fhristup1n them" How came this
~ snhyail2 Is it within my reach also! and
L vBgs MEANS History provokes Us with +
sesii queries as these; Biography answers
,asm.
pse,6r Elisha Kent Kane is not quite
iltrtv four years Oil yet he has done more
taan citcumnavi eating the globr; he has
visited and tytversed. India. Africa, Europe
S5ath America, the i,lands of the Pacific,
ea4 4ai:e penetrated the Arctic region to
tile highest I.titude attained by civilized
inan He has c1u1terei the extremest
pefils II sea and lanl, in every climate Of
ss.,. s,lebe; he has discharged in turn the Sc
xerpst duties of the soldier and the seaman;
attached TO The United Ctates Navy AS
trsyeeq, he is, nevertheless, engaged at one
ilns in lie coast survey Of the tropical
c an, in month or two, We Gud him exp'o-
sias the frgid zone; and all tie while that
his 'tsersonsl experiences had the character
oi romantic adventure, he was pushing
Item in the spiiit of scientific and Phi'an
t1roric enterprise.
As a boy, his ms motive bent mPellea
i,isa 10 tie indulgence and enj 'yment OF
sach adventures as were bsst fitted to train
Asaa for the work before hin. His coe5i-
ale stadies suffered some posteponement
while bis physical qualities pressed for
taeir necessary training AMI discipline. 1t
WIS aim 81 in the spirit Of lfuancy that he
cxpiurcd the Blue Mountains Of Virginia,
Il. student OF geelo5 ~, unier the guidance
ii Professor Rodgers, and cultivated, at
once, his hardihood Of vital energy and
tLose elements Of natural science which
were to qualify lin for his after services
.in the field Of physical geography. Bat, in
due lime lie returned 10 the pursuit OF liter
ature, and achieved the usual hoaors, as
well as though his college stulies had sui
f.red no diversion muscles and nerves
were educated, and BIS brain lost no3hne
by The indir1ctness Of its development, bu
was rather corroberated for all the use
which il has served since. He graduated
At the University Of Pcnnsy fist II
It'll cJegia!c, AMI afterwards in its medIca
department His special relishes iii stu ~
5sdicattd his natural drift. chemistry anC
snf tery; natural science IN is most init
mate converse with sulstanco, and the rem
etlial att il its moot heroic function Ii
wentoat from his Alma Mater gool clas
sieal seholar, a good chemist, mtneralogist
astyo6on.cr and surgeon, Bat he lacked
ur thought he lacked, robustness OF lram
4na soandness Of health. Iig solicited a
apj5intR1ent in tho navy, and upon his al
,aission, demanded active service. lie WI
3poiiate& upon tie dipIom tle staff as su
icon 10 the first American Embassy TO Oh
"a. This position gave him opportnn ty
explore the Philippine Islands, which
ffseyel mainly On foot. lie was the fiji
,aan Who descended into the crater OF Tae
lowered more than hundrt feet BY ~bar
hao rope from the ogerhanging cliff az
gtam3trinz down some seven hundred mo
through the scoli,e, he made topograp
aa sketca Of the interior of this great yc
aao, collected bottle Of sulphurlous ac
from the very mouth Of the crater; and :
though be was drawn up almost ssrsees
lie brought with him his portrait Of th
hilsous cavern, aud the specimens which
Afforded.
Bsfore he returned from Ais "Trip, he b
.f.scenled the IIimalayas, and triangulat
tsreese, on foot, he had visited Ceylon,
Upper Nile. and all tie mytholsgic regio
of Egypt; trayersing the route, and maxi
Tie acquaintance Of the learned Lepsi'
Who was then prosecuting his alchaeolo
cal researches.
AT home again when the Mexican y
Tbfoke out, he asked 70 be removed fr'
the Philadelphia Navy Yard to the field
i more congenial service; but the govel
ment sent him to the Coast Of Africa. III
Id visited the slave factories from Ca
Mount toJhe river Bonny, and through
Da souza, got access 70 the 5aracoons
Dahomey, and contracted, besides
Coast Fe, ef, from The effects Of which
has never entirely recovered.
From Africa he returned before he 81
ol the Mexican war, and believing that
constitution was broken, and bis hea
rapidly going, be called upon Presid
polk, and demanded an opportunity
service that might crowd the little renn
of Ills life with achievements IN keep
Hs +.