The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1856-02-28
DR.. KANE.
A SKETCH, By DIR. WILLIAM e. DER.

w hen mans life is heroic. and his name
has' passei into history, the world wants to
know HIM personally intimately. The grave
and reverend chronicler passing over his be-
! glnnings, presents him abruptly in his full.
grown greatness; men render the admiration
earned, but the sympathetic emulation ava.
kened is concerned to know how he grew into
his maturity of excellence. This curiosity is
not an idleness OF the fancy. but personal
interest in the facts that spring out OF those
aspirations which put every man upon the
fuhlment of his own destiny. How came
this man TO excel-what was in him-what
happened to develop ii? Some men are
born great some achieve greatness; some have
greatness thrust upon them How came this
man By il? Is it within my reach also9 and
/ by what meanse History provokes us with
such queries as these. Biography answers
them.
! Doctor Elisha Kent Kane is not quite shir
" four years old. yet he has dcne more than
circumnavigate the globe: be has visited and
traversed India. Africa Euorpe South Amer,
lea, the islands of the Pacific, and twice pene-
trafed the Arctic region 70 the highest lafitud,
attained by civilized man He has encounter.
ed the extremes perils of sea and land, in ev-
cry climate of the globe he has discharged in
turn the ssverest duties of the soldier and the
seaman; attached to the United Safes Navy as
a Surgeon, he. is. nevertheless, engaged at one
in the coast survey of the tropical ocean. and
in month or two we find him exploring the
trigid zone ana all the while tina. his person
al expe riences has had the charact n of roman
tic adventure. he was pushing them in the
spirit Of scientific and philan,hropic euter-
I: prise.
As boy his instructive bent impelled him
20 the indulgence aud enjoyment OF such ad
ventures as were best fitted 70 train him for
the work before him. His cole late studies
suffered some postponement while his physi-
cal qualities pressed for their necessary train
ing and discipline / was almost in the spir-
I it Of truancy hat he explored the Blue Noun.
tsins OF Virginia. as a student OF geology
under the guidance of Professor Rodgers.
and cultivated at once. his hardihood OF al
energy aud those elements Of natural science
which We're to qualify him for his after servi-
ces in the held Of physical geography. But.
IN due time, he returned to the pursuit of lite
/ rature, and achieved the ususl honors. as well
as though his college studies had suffered no
diversion-his muscles and nerves were edu
Gated, and his brain lost nothing by the ind
rec,ness OF its development. but was rather
corroborated for all the uses which it has serv-
! ed since. He graduated at the University OF
Pennsylvania-frst. in It's collegiate. and af-
forwards, in its medical. department. His
special relishes in study indicated his natural
drift; chemistry and surgery; natural science
| in its most intimate converse with substance
and the remedial art in its most heroic tune
ton. He went out from his Alma Mater, a
good classical scholar, good chemist, mine
ralogist, astronomer and surgeon. But he
lacked, or thought he lacked, robustness Of
frame, and soundness of health. He solicited
appointment in the navy. and upon his ad-
mission demanded active service. He was
appointed upon the diplomatic stafas surgeon
TO the FIRST American Embassy to China. This
position gave him opportunity to explore the
Philli pine Islands, which he effected main y
on foot. He was tile first man who descend
ed into the crater of Tael; lowered more than
a hundred feet by bamboo rope from the
overhanging cliff and clambering down some
seven hundred more through the scorie. he
made typographical sketch of the interior o
this grea. volcano, collected bottle of sal
phurious acid from the very mouth of the
crater, and although he was drawn up near
ly senseless, he brought with him his portrai
of the hideous cavern, and the specimen.
which il afforded.
Before ne returned from this trip. he has
assembled the Himalayas. and trianguiatec
Greece on foot; he had visited Ceylon. the Up
per Nile, and all the mythologic region o
Egypt: traversing the route and making the
!acouaintance Of the learned Lep,iu>, whe
was then prosecuting his arch aoiogicai re
! searches.
AZ home again, when the Mexican wa
broke out he asked to be removed from III.
Philadelphia Navy Yard to the field OF NOR.
conrenial service; but the government sen
him to the coast of Africa. Here he visited
l.,
-iver Bonuy, and through the Infamous D.
Souza 90, access to the baracools of Daho
new and contracted. be@ideS. the Coast Fc
yer. from the effects of which he has neve
entirely recovered.
From Africa he returned before the close o
the Mexican war, aud believing tha. his con
s:ituiion was broken, and his health rapid J.
going, he called upon Presiden, Polk. and de
manded an opportunity for service that nigh
crowd the little remnant of his lie will
achievements in keeping with his ambition
the President, just then embarrassed by
temporary non-intercourse with General Scott
charged the Doctor with dispatches TO TIA
General, Of great moment ard urgency. wheel
must be carried through a region occupies
by the enemy. This embassy was marked b,
an adventure so romantic, and ilustraiiv
of the character ofthe man that we are tempt
ed TO detail it.
On his wav to the Gulf he secured hors
in Kentucky, such as a knight errant woul'
have chosen for the companion and shaEer o
his adventures. Landed at Vera Cruz. h
asked for an escort to convey him 10 the cap
ital, but the officer IN command had no troop
ers to spare-be must wait, or he must ac
cept, instead. band of rutfian Mexica rs
called the Spy Company. who had taken 4
the business Of treason and triekery for live
libood- He accepted them. and went forward
Near Puebla his troop encountered a body o