The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-09-01


a London millisaalre.
The London papers Of the Goth ultimo
contain q sketch Of Mr.. RlcaARD THORN
TON, the millionaire of that metropolis,
| who died q few weeks ago, leaving the
enormous wealth of $1s,50O, 900 The
Star says: 9-.1 3D. s5 IL.
Mr.. Thornton's career az merchant in
| the city was most extraordinary. He was
the son of north country gentleman, and
was born in 1776, at Burton, 3 village in
Lonsdale, Westmoreland. he was edu-
Gated at Ohrists Hospital, and on leaving
school he entered into business in South
wark. But very few of the Oldest city
men can remember Mr.. Thorntonis first
start in his commercial career. The cir
cumstances Of that time was very different
to our conditions in later days. s. ''
1t was during oar great war with the
French Empire, when England was ex-
Guided from the markets Of Europe, and
when the continental trade was Of i'm
menseiy great Importance to Us, that Mr..
Thornton, who was then carrying on busi-
ness in connection with his brother az
general merchant and ship broker, threw
himself with fearless resolution, to break
the prohibition of English trade with the
continent. Napoleon had made the most
desperate efforts to destroy the whole Of
our foreign commerce. To enforce his de-
crees an entire division Of the French
army, under the command Of Gen. Rappe,
was stationed at Dmtzic, and every port
m Northern Germany was very jjiealoasly
guarded oo-s 9-s" E'.l' e. $3.50 1850 :,
On one occasion Richard Thornton was
on board q vessel Of his own, entering the
Baltic, when she was encountered BY q
Danish gunboat, and the story goes that
the Englishmen, carrying q gun Or two Of
his own, as was not unusual In those days,
refused the summons to surrender and
showed fight, vietoriously beating of the
Rade, after q vigorous cannonade. In
that year ls10t he got commission
from the Admiralty to purchase as much
hemp as could be procured from Russia
for the rigging Of our feet. This errand
was Of course attended with some personal
danger, since all the English had Fed or
been expelled from Riga and st. Peters
burg. But Richard Thornton was not
likely to be deferred by such fisks. He
landed at Mcneil and succeeded in obtain-
ing and conveying to England several
thousand tons Of hemp for the use of our
government, in spite of difficulties which
would have bafaed any ordinary man, r.
l.. ,Asplendid recompense awaited him two
years afterwards. An express. communi-
cation reached him from q brother who
was In the country ct the time of the
French invasion Of 1912. He was apprised
Of the, fact of Napoleons retreat from
Moscow three days before it was known
either to our ministeTs OF to any other per-
sons in London, and be pro6ted by II to
the extent OF something over 81, 900, 600.
The civil war which broke, out, with a
short interval, in, the kingdoms Of Portu-
gal and Spain, excited Mr.. Thornton 3 SYM
patty. BE saw the utter rottenness of the
Miguelite pretensions in Portugal, as well
as Of the Carlist party in Spain, and he
judged that BY subscribing towards their
overthrow he might do good act and
make . good thing Of it. Military NUM-
tons were laid up. in the Azores, to be
ready for the use of Don Pedres adhe-
rents, either to replace him or his daughter
on the Portuguese throne. a~.v-I D.
1t was Mr.. Thefnton who advanced q
great deal of the money for these prepara-
tons, and who, when Don Ped.os army
took the field, contracted for it's equip
ment, finding everything the soldiers re-
quired. That enterprise vas successfully
concluded in 1884 by the friendly inter-
vention of the English government. Yet
scarcely had our young protege got safely
seated on the throne at Lisbon than we
had to assist another infant queen against
another pretender. Mr. Thornton did not
hesitate to take the odds in favor of the
| Spanish heiress, as before of the Portu-
| guese. He contributed msch to the rails
ing OF the first loan on her behalf, and
what with his claims as q bondholder,
| heavy debts which they owed him, &C., be
was q creditor of the young Peninsular
| government of not less than two millions
sterling. With this immense stake be
never failed among the Peninsular bond
holders to avow his own opinion that those
governments would ultimately redeem
their credit. a. sssaa
| Mr.. Thornton WAS a member and an
derwriter at Lloyd's since 1898. Scoring
the precautions Of ordinary underwriters,
who are in the habit of dividing their re-
probabilities with one another, so that the
loss Of single vessel and her cargo woald
AA perhaps, on twenty or thirty persons,
Mr.. Thornton has taken leonine share OF
| the most tempting and lucrative hazards.
! No other man weuld be disposed, even FOL
q premium Of seventy per Cont, to upder.
take the insurance Of five hundred thou
sand dollars on one bottom. Mr.. Thorn.
4 ton, until his retirement from that scene
1 OF action, was beyond comparison the
! greatest man at Uoydis, aud, although
/ singie-handed, his operations. tivalled
I those OF the great Marine insurance com.
! panies which have hourished so largely in
these days. Previously to the great war
1 with Rassia, he would sometimes insure
L for The lrnrsorial Goszoxrxaork ar<hga fhixu