New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-03-29

From the Washingtonl
Late arrivalsfrom China brinonfrmation of
the death of this romantic and d Young man.
A prisoner in the hands Of his Sand treacher-
Gus enemies, heavily ironed anbiected to in
conceivable hardships, death lrownlng, muir.
der, any means must have been tleonie relief.
But what sad termination to it'd and favored I
dreams of his boyhood, whereHoved to- pic
ture himself as the arbiter of NAT the architect
of empires.
The career Of Henry Burgervis more than
romantic, g stranger than fictlornd deserves
better record than the meagre atften incorrect
paragraphs which have from to time ap.
peared in the columns of Europand American
papers. Hewas born in Newb North Caro-
lima, in the year 1886. His fatheas French
man-an officer in the grand alof Napoleon;
came to America in the capaeitSurveyor Gen:
eral Of Florida, married an Anan lady, and
died in 1s43 leaving a family Assisting of his |
widow, two sons and a daughter be eldest son
was If we mistake not, a hrigafeeneral in the
Confederate service, and is at pes q citizen Of
Arkansas, where the daughter asasdes, being
the wife Of Mr.. Thomas P. Watsonete. Of Wash
Henry lndua Burgevine, thu Agest Of the
family, came to Washington with mother and
sister in 1916. Mrs. B. having 4 left in very
straitened circumstances, had in ylthe proseen.
ton Of certain claims against t9overnment,
growing ont OF the purchase olorida from
Spain. Being unsuccessful in thihe, through
the aid Of the Hon. Willie P. Mana obtained a
situation as page in the United IS Senate for
Henry, and on this pittance, increl by the pro:
ducts of teaching small school, widow and
her two children lived for many 70 in quiet OBJ
security, on the west side of 18th st, near G.
From his earliest years Henry dyed great
love for books, and left no orunity unin.
proved to store his mind with III knowledge.
At seventeen he understood the Ok, Latin and
E'rnDrI laryunpas nh IN @ lsf
branches OF mathematics, accomplish d
draughtsman, and studying civilgineering and
naval architecture. During theerim between
the sessions of Congress he waSong the stu
dents az the Washington Semir, (Cathoic,)
but he accomplished more by it study and
systemic course of reading, havfaccess to the
Congress library.
this sketch has often heard him SIX of his plans
for the future, in such terms would lead
stranger 70 suspect his sanity.Sow it was to
build up an empire in Egypt; toite the nations
of the Orient; to regenerate O. and found an
enlightened nation Of 400,000,GDf people to
found new Assyris, with a Mich for its CAPT.
tai, and SO on through a long trasf schemes, all
OF which were sublime. II not plicable.
In the spring, of 1853, Rurgeviiwhose settled
4, purpose 1t had been to seek his tune in foreign
lands, bade farewell to mother, er and friends,
and arrived in New York with aw dollars in his
pocket. No one knew eXactwhere he was
going, or for what purpose, and . likely his own
plans were somewhat disarrang by the fact of
his being without penny ina days, AMI com
PEELED either to return to Washiton or take pas
sage in some ship and work hisly. He did the
latter, and six months after wro from San Fran
cisco, then from the Sandwich ands, next from
China, then from Australia, VIE he worked in
the gold mines few weeks wituccess,
The next we hear from he had been
wrecked on the coast, forty mi, from Bombay"
After this he was SIX months in alcutta, learning
the Hindostanee language, and egretting he did
not understand Arabic, that he ght take "com
mand OF q small vessel trading) Judea, on the
Red sea. Next he was on B,sh man-ofwar
as sailor. Then, for few mont, weary enough
TO be sure. with his head shaved the hospital a
Naples. And next, Temporal mtdntu,, leading
the lite of quiet gentleman London. Ant
finally. after more than four yea of wandering
be appears, like an apparition, his friends q
Washington, bronzed and beardl like q bard
Remaining few months at thdapital, he re
moves to Detroit, Michigan, accep position a
clerk in the postoffice, and edits te yindcator,
Democratic paper of that city. nd here it ma
be as well to state that, in MATES of Literature
Burgevine possessed a most exceint taste. Ha
he adopted that as a pursuit, his success wou
have been certain. He wrote much and publshe
enough in prose and verse 10 exhibit his talent
that line. But he preferred a life of action, ar
was frequently, heard to say he would rath
+'make history than write it,
VI lIit 1t Detroit was I
tame for him. He groaned Under the co.nmo
places Of everyday life, and longed to be J
again chasing the phantom of ambition, which h
already led him so far out of the beaten paths
life. AS yet he had accomplished nothing.
must be up and doing if name were to
achieved for himself. - ".# "f .''
In 1859 Henry Burgevine again left the shores
America, alas! never to return. This time
schemes were not tangible. History could gi
him notable examples of men who had risen abo
their kind as if by magic in the great political CT
vulsions of the world. China should be the fl
of his glory, for here gigantic war had wag
for years, and here, if anywhere, was the place
win distinction, power, empire To China
went and the rest of the story is the history
China for the last five years. Whether Burgevi
went with Ward from this country, or met him fl
in China, the writer cannot say. At all eve
they were frends-Ward being first in comma
and Bprgeyine second. In great and success
battle Ward was killed. and Henry Burgevine
came commanderin chief of an army of 900
disciplined men, mostly Europeans and America
In the eyes Of OUT, hero it was the first step to
throne. After setting forth these facts in let
addressed to Thomas Young Esq, of this city,
says: After years of patient labor, watch
waiting and suffering, my day has at last con
In two years shall rule China
The dream was never realzed-the life VIII
was all action, all hope, and all ambition, has g
out in wretchedness almest unparalleled. The n
Their to whom, in his palnliest days, Burgey
transmitted sufficient sum to make her comic
able in her last hours, was spared the misery
OUTLYING him, and of knowing how he died.
expired peacefully in this city about one y
since, and lies in Greenwood Cemetery.
It is almost impossible to estimate the adv
tages to the world which have been lost by 3
gevine's failure in China. Had he achieved all
ambition hoped tor, civilization and the higlt
enlightenment would have followed him, ana
empire, such as Napoleon might have dreamel
you'd have dazzed the world, and the nane
Burgevine, which, in few days, will be lost y
save few that knew and loved him, would ha
appeared among the few immortal name Il
were not born to die"
Burgevine was scholar, man Of Rir
tastes and literary habits modest, simple and
affected In his manners inclined to be silelt
gloomy at times, but generally affable ant pl
SAINT, seldom speaking of himself indeed, 1t '
with difficulty his most intimate friends could
at his history. No foreigner, who has, upto
time, been identified with the Chinese var.
had 1.-THE OF the ability of Burgevine. Nor
the world known the real scope and extent of
plans of that sleepless soul which persisted in
pride" .r'.. 1--P@77I 77.II. 7
Burgevine succeeeed Ward, assuming comm
Of the Imperial army, which he filled With g
credit and distinction for over year, when,
fortunately, he had trouble with the Impe
authorities in relation to the payment Of his for
and finding his career hampered, his restless
bition led him to take service with the rebels.
large reward was offered by the Imperialists
his head, and after several months he was
tured; but owing to the protest of our consul
life was not taken, but the Imperialists resorte
an old and barbarous mode of punishment
kicking open the wounds he had received in ba
and then turned him over to the American col
Burgevine then went to Japan, wherethe rema
until he had recovered from the brutal treatr
he had received. Some eight or ten months
he again returned to China to. try and retriev
fortune, but he was very soon taken prisoner
the Imperial government, and, as we are infor
by late adyices from China, was drowned viii