Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-10-27

Correspondence of the New York Elk press
BY the death of William Sturgis at the age
of eighty years, Boston loses one of her most
eminent merchants and sagaciouS Icitizens
He was a native of Barnstable, and the son
OF poor parents. At the age of sixteen he
went TO sea, and in a few years rose to the
command Of ship In the year 1909, at the
age OF thirty-siX, he sailed from Boston as
captain OF the Atdhualpa, owned by the late
Theodore Lyman, Sem; with Dan. c. Ba con
as first mate and John Bromfield as supercar-
go. Mr.. Bacon and Mr. Bromtield, both
young men at that time, afterwards obtained
great eminence, as Canton merchants The
Atahualpa had $4,000 in silver on board,
and was attacked in the China seas by a most
formidable force of Malays. Captain Sturgis
made all practicable preparations for defence,
calm that prevailed making it impossible to
escape; and being ably seconded ny Bacon
and BrOnlfield, and his hardy crew, succeed
ed, after fight OF two or three days, in max
ing their escape from the pirates. In the
Boston papers OF that date will be found an
interesting account Of The contest, written and
prepared by Sturgis himself. A shorter ac-
count is contained in Quincys sketch of JOHN
Bromfield, In his history OF the Boston Ath-
en@um, also contributed by MIR. Surgis.
The affair of the Atahualpa gained for Stur-
gs the confidence of the mercantile cGmmu-
nifty of Boston. lie soon embarked in the
Canton trade on his own account, and as a
member OF the house OF Bryant Il SturgiS, ac-
CURED Il large fortune He married the eldest
daughter OF the late John Davis, the upright
and able judge, for SO many years, OF the IT,
). District court for Massachusetts, aud left
several daughters, his only son, VIM. w.
Sturgs, a gentlemen of rare talents, having
been sppiIpntailV killau otF lilo ,,,j,iI,
member of Harvard University. Although
deprived Of the advantages of liberal eouca-
tOn, Mr.. Sturgis was man of mark in any
society in which he happened to be thrown
His taste III literature was unimpeachable.
In finance he was of high authority In pol
illcS he was a federalist, but by no means an
uncompromislng one, but he seldom took an
active part in the political contests of the
hour. About thirty years ago, he was in
duced to stand as Il free trade candidate Tor
congress, i'll opposition to Mr.. Webster. his
next door neighbOr, but he made no effort in
the canvass, and gracefully acquiesced in the
verde Of defeat, which was rendered against
him at the polls. He subsequently became
as ardent an advocate for protection as he had
previously been for free trade. Like MANY
OF the old school Of American merchants,
whose early life was passed on the quarter
deck. Mr.. Sturgis had more Of the foltite1 IN
re than the SuaUite1 an 11odo. Consequently
he was not IA popular man, in the ordinary
acceptation of the term. But he was stall
wart specimen of the old race Of New Eng
land 'Bersekins, with talent enough, and
taste enough, and wealth enough, for any 20
stion however exalted, yet pretering the en-
Joyments OF hosptable but transformations
home to the more splendid yet uneasy hours
of public life. Mr.. Webster Mr. Adams