New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-05-14
cfatts and cFittions.

SaEl5 anu cylCl1uIS.
NoTEs LITERARY AND TYPoGRAPH1cAL.-Among |
the notes given by the Messrs Chambers in their
Book of Days under the date of the 14th of May, |
is one designating this as the anniversary of the
death Of the famous Henry Grattan. In both the
old and the new edition of the Encyclopedia |
Americana, the same statement is made bat in |
Chambers's Cyclopedia, now in course of publica-
ton, the date Of his death is given as June 4,
1920. Nor is this the only discrepancy in reference
to this pure and able patriot. The old edition of
the Encyclopedia Americana places the date of his
birth no more definitely than "about 1850" In |
the Book Of Days is given under the date Of July
Sd in that year. In Chambers Cyclopedia, again,
he is said to have been born on the Sd of July, |
l746. The new edition Of the Encyclopedia
Americana does not give the date of his death, at
all. We have no doubt that the dates given in |
Chambers's Cyclopeda are in both cases correct.
All collateral circumstances 60 to support them.
1t stated for instance that in 1867 he closed with
distinction his university studies at Trinity College,
Dublin, and entered as student Of the Middle
Temple, London. If born in 1850, he would be
only seventeen years old, which is not at all pro-
bable Born in l746 he would be only twenty one,
quite young enough for his advancement Further
notice of him, therefore, may properly be re!e-
gated to another occasion. His status as in the
first rank Of orators, his unimpeachable public
and private character his lofty spirit of religious
liberation, and his incorruptible patriotism are
known to all. Byron declares him to be an
orator
" With all that Demosthenes wanted, endowed,
And his rival or master in all he possessed
And now Facts and Fictions can the better afford
to note that in the last column published the date
of the proclamation of Charles H. was given as
l7SO instead of 1880, and of the passage of the
habeas corpus act l779, instead of 1879. These,
however, the intelligent reader doubtless cer-
reCted for himself.
On the l4th of May, 1863, was born one of the
oldest men ever connected with literature and
| Typography, John Dunton. He died in 1888. In
March, 1856, (by which is meant March of that
year which commenced March IS, 1885, the year
having commonly commenced on that day Of the
month before the change to new style) he arrived
| in Boston, for the double purpose as has been
supposed of avoiding the consequence of having
beenmixed up in Monmouth rebellion and ofrecov-
ering money due to him and doing some further
business. He was very successful in this, but fell
into pecunary embarrassments after his return to
England He printed some six hundred books,
and said he regretted but seven of them. He was
Of very speculative turn of mind, as many auto
| biographical and other anecdotes of his doings
show. We give one. His greatest project was
intended, says Temperley, for the extirpation of
lewdness from London; a scheme highly credita-
BILE to the schemer, had it been practicable.
Armed with a constabe's staff, and accompanied
by o clerical companion he sailed forth in the
| evening, and followed the wretched prostitutes
home, or to tavern where every endeayor was
used to win the erring fair to the paths of virtue
but these, he observes, were "perilous over
lures, as the Cyprians exerted every art to lead
him astray, in the height of his spiritual exhorta-
tions. There is much more told of this remarka-
BILE man; but this, we apprehend will suffice for
our readers.
The 14th of May is the anniversary of the day on
which the immortal Jenner announced the conclu-
sive establishment of the principle of vaccination
which met with the most violent, vulgar, absurd
| opposition from medical men, parsons, and serb
| blers of all sorts. Murder and fasehood were
charged against him. "Who knows" asks Dr.
Mosely, among thousand such vagaries, " but that
the human character may undergo strange muta,
tons from quadrupedan sympathy" And he des.
crbed boy who had become covered with cows
hair A Doctor Rowley published a pamphlet
adorned with two coOred engravings, representing
the ox-faced boy and cow-manged girl and detail
ing no less than five hundred cases of beastly new
diseasesn produced by vaccination. A Doctor
Smyth describes one who had become so brutal.
lied that II ran upon all tours, believing like a
COW, and butting with its head like bull.n And
these are by no means the most extravagant of the
outbursts against one Of the most benefcent dis,
coveries ever accorded to the human race. 1t may
not be inappropriate to close this paragraph with
note that in the index to the Book of DAYS,
DR.. Erasmus Darwin's Signs of Foul Weather"
are attributed to DR.. Jenner, and have been pub
l;shed by a contemporary as by the latter; and
with the further note that in the same work, both
April 10th and April 18th are given as anniver-
saries of his death. In Chambers's Cyclopeda the
latter is given as the date of his death, in 1902