The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-01-29
ma. KANE
A SKETCH BY DIR. WIN. ELDER.

q
: has passed into history, the world wants to
know HIM personally, intimately. The grave
and reverend chroniclers2 passing over. his be-
Iginnlngs, presents HIM abruptly in his full
grown greatness; men render the admiration
Ie rned, but the sympathetic emulation awak-
iened is concS Sr1ed to know how he grew into
HIS maturity of excellence. This curiosity is
not an idlenesS OF the. fancy but a personal
interest in the facts that spring out OF those
aspirations which put every man upon the
fuitlment of his own destiny How came
this man to excel-what was in him--wla at
happened to develop it?. t'Some men are born
igreat; some achieve greatness; some have
lgTeatuesS thrust upon them.' How came
this man by it? History proTokes us with
lsuch queries as these. Biography answers
EGhern.sGd 1,.sself ella & fsssf f,,l; .--,.. s,t
4 Doctor Elisha Kent Kane is not quite thirty.
four years old, yet he has done more than CIR
IcumnaYigate the globe; he has visited and
Itrayersed India, Africa, Europe, South Ame9i-
Ica; the islands of the Pacific, and twice pene-
ltrated the Arctic region to the highest latitude
ATTAINED by civilized men, He has encounter
led the EXTREMIST perifs OF sea and land in
leyery climate of the gIooe; he has discharged
lin turn the seyerest duties OF the soldier and
1.-THE seaman; attached to the United States
Navy as a surgeon, he is nevertheless, engaged
lat one time in the coast survey of the tropical
ocean, and in month or two we find him ex-
Iplorng the figIl zone; and all the while that
his personal experiences had the character of
romantic adyentue he was pushing them inl
the spirit OF scientific and philanthrophic en-.
lterpEise.e..,f e., .-,f.- 4 a.-..-
+ As boy, his instructive bent imi,elIed him
ito the Indulgence and enjoyment OF such adj /
yentures as were best lifted to train him for
the work before him. Ills collegiate studies
suffered some pestponement while his physi-t
ical qualities pressed for their necessary tram
ing and disipline 1t was almost in the spirit
OF truancy that he explored the Blue Noun
tainS of Virginia, as astudent of Geology, un-
der the guidance Of Professor Rogers, and cul-
tivated at once his hardihood of vital energy |
and those elements of natural science which /
We're to qualify hin for his after services inthe
field of physical geography. But in due time,
he returned to the pursuit of literature and /
laehieyed the usual hepors,s as well as though /
his college studies had suffered no diversion I
his muscles and nerves Were. educated, and his I
brain lost nothing by the indirectness OF its de-
IYelopment, but was rather corroborated for all /
the uses which it has served since.z Hegradu- /
ated at the University of Pennsy ylyania---tirst |
in it's collegiate, and afterwards in its medical
department. !. His special relishes IN study in-
Idicated his natural drift; chemistry and SURGE /
Fry, natural science in its most intimate con-
verse with substance and the remedial art in
it's mostsheroic function. He went out from
his Alma Master good classical scholar, q good /
chemist, mineraloglst, astronomer, and sur
geon. But he lacked, or thought he lacked ro-
business of frame and soundness of health.-t
lie solicited an appointment in the navy, and,
upon his admission, demanded active service.
lie was appointed upon the diplomatic staff as
10 tha IN Chi
ma. This position gave him opportunity to
Eexplore the PHILIPPINE Islands, which he eff
Eected mainly on foot He was the first man T. !
who descended into the crater of Tael; lower T
'ered more than a hundred feet By a bamboo 7
rope from the oYerhaRging cliff, and Chamber
ing down some. seven hundred more through
the seorie; he made typographical sketch of
the interior of this great volcano, collected a
bottle Of sulphurous acid from the very mouth
of the crater; and although he was drawn L
up almost senseless, he brought with him his
portrait Of this hideous cavern and the speci4{
mems which it afforded.
3 Before he returned from his trip, he had as b
cended the aimaIayas, and tTaangilated Greece
on foot; /; he had yisitedu.G .Geylon,z the p Upper
Nile, and all the mytholegic region Of Egypt;
traYersing the route and making the c4uaiEs
tance of the learned Lepsius, who was then =
prosecuting his archaeological researches. l.
At home again, when the Ae&.can war
broke out, he asked to be removed from the
Philadelphia Navy Yard to the field of a more
eongenial service; but the Government sent ?.
him to the Coast of Africa. Here he visited J
the slave factories, from Cape Mount to the ]
river Bonny, and through the infamous Da
Souza got access to the baracoons of Dahomey,
and contracted, besides, the Coast Fever. from
the effects Of which he has never entirely re-
covered. e...-a - ID
From Africa he returned before the close of !
the Mexican war, and believing that his con
stitution was broken, and his health rapidly goe
ing, he called upon President ok and demand r
led an opportunityf6 for service that might CROWN
the little remnant of his life acknowledgements
in keeping with his ambition; the Presidents,
Just then embarrassed by temporary non-in-
tercourse with General Scott, CHARGED the Doc
tor with dispatches to the General Of great
moment and urgency. which must be carried Il
through aregion occupied by the enemy. This
embassy was marked by an ad3enture 50 ro-
mantle and so Illustrative of the character of
the man, that We are tc1npted toadetailit. 81 Il
On his way toithes G1lffie secured horse Z
IN Kentucky y; such as a knight GRANT would !
have chosehfor the companion. and sharer of
his adventures Landed at Vera Cruz, he II
asked for an escort to convey him to the capl
tai but the officer in command had no troop r
ters to spare4he must wait Or he must accept
Instead, a band ofruffiana BIexicans, called the
fSpy Company who had taken.to Is the business
lof treason and trickery for LIVELIHOOD, Hell
accepted them, and went forward. Near Pu-s
| ebla his troop'encountered a body of Mexicans
lescortiflg a niimbersof distinguished oficers to
t0rizaba9 Iamonga whom were Major, General
Gaona, Governor of Puebla; his son, Maximili-
Ian, and General Torejon, who commanded the