St. Mary's beacon., 1858-08-12
SELECTED MISCELLANY.
Stephen Girard.


Aisyut the year seventeen hundred and fifty,
In tie enviruals If bordeaux, In --FraLce, there
livci en- Oil sea captain. named Pierre Girard,
win Malans Larlargue, his wife. They had
already four chilireu---nU matter whether male
ar r.,iAIe, for they livel and died in the obscu-
vity ia which they were b0rn. But III the year
ssv.nieen hu.ldrei and nifty, on the twenty
tirst OF May, auiIthsT child came into the world
IA boy uAlned Stephen GirArG.
Eio 20 the age Ut ten or twelve there Is no re-
cord Of thu life AID progress Uf this boy. At
t.as time he Tas found, with one eye, embark
,%i as . cabin bny, with no other acquirmen:s
t.lall All imperfect knowledge of the clements
Ui reading AMI writing, ON bdArd Vessel
bound for the West Indies. His one eye was
,aads she subSect Of ridicule anl'nS his COM
psnions. aud his temper WAS thus early sonred
inr life. With ;his physical deforrlity, with
out friends, patronase, oT m1l'ey he was thrown
uED<R the wUr!d.
He did not remain long ID .the West Indies
hut bound himself an appEeatieewto o ship
master. in whcsc scrvice hciipss s6t foot IN port
Of New York, sbJut tho yeas ssysatesn bun
tlrci ana Sixty-folr. Morose aaS Stephen -
rard was. lie gained tie cOn6dcnce 0f his ans
ploys., he WAS made mate Of che .vcsssl IA
wl6;h he Sailei, AMI afterwards ssFtltisR Aea
h;A master left the seA. He .vuyaged HUgaEas
times successfully % aud fronl New 0BiqaiaEAA
In this penla1ll &C. t. sCan "a. scEss
I1el1', Tscamc part owner " llig srE - -.
lac so'a '..s,;cn ne commanded. 4 arge gip in
cstso'; 80 progress of his history now occurs,
IVY sevesleen hundred aud sixty-uinc we
~ him an obscure plOdding. quiet, thrifty
trader in Water Street Philadelphia.
~ this period he tIOk u liking 70 one Mary,
or Polly LurD, the daughter Of an old ship
cACIher, who lived in q water.Side house down
an,ug the vessels that traded 10 that city
The girl was plain. but comely, and employed
NJ t.o.nestic servant in q neighbOr;ng family
Stephen Girard dueS rot appear 10 have been
ioke.i npon with favor by the parents Uf ths
glrl, for they forbade him the house fol
some time. They were eventually married
but tie union was not happy one She was
ncgl4ctfu OF bcE duty: hs was moruse and
atl.tsre. cn6 child was bora. which died.
AT length he applied to the Legislature for 4
dTvorce, and obtained it.
He still continued to rent the small house in
Water Street, 70 which he had taken his wife
when they were married, and he inClustriously y
pursued his combined occupations Of sea-cap.
tain saip-owna and merchant. About tllic
tune he entered into partnership with one Isaac
haxlehurst, OF Philadelphia, and purchased two
vessels i'll which 10 trade TO the island of Saip'
D5Ining,. Inc brigsowere captured bv orit-
ish mcn-Of-war aud ssnt 10 Jamacia. = misfor-
tnre which dissolved the short Fartnershlp.-
There j. another gap in the stoFy OF Stephen
Girard extending iFms seventeen hundred and
ssventr-vix. ~ probable that during this
tme h coDt;.aed his old bushes, trading a.
aiipmass.r ard meI liant 10 New Orleans and
Sains Domingo.
=. The war put an end 70 the sea enterprises
Of Stephen Girard and he was compelled TO
turn his attention to the land.
lie opened q small grocery store IN Water
Street pinned with Q botaling establishment.
where he worked hard with his own hads at the
occupation of bottlinu claFst and cider. About
che year seventeen hundred and sevcnty-sevun
upen she alleged approach Of the British 20
Philadelphia, re purchoscd small tact of
lan.l from, - f,rme, rsrtrer ~ H.sI.hn,'.
On arhich there wa 4 6ouss To- which he =,
MOVED bis hur;nes.. emnlov;ns his time s.rlv
and laae In preparing cIarst and cider Tor .be
vn..a.. "a .olf:-... - - 80 '~