The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-03-07
The Late Commodore Maury.

Matthew Fontaine Maury was born in
SpottsylS ania county, Virginia, in 1906.
His ancestors were the French Hugue-
not families of Fontaine and Maury,
who had fled to Virginia on the revoca-
ton of the edict of Nantes by Louis
XIV, and the family of Minor, who
came over from England to Virginia
with grants of land from Charles IL.
In 1910 his father moved with his FAM
lily and slaves to Williamson county,
Tennessee, where NJ. F. Maury remain
ed until 1925, when he was appointed
midshipman in the United States navy.
He had enjoyed good opportunities of
education, having been under the in
struction of the late Bishop Otey. His
oldest brother, John Minor Maury, had
been a distinguished young officer of
the navy, who died in 1923, while serv-
ing as flag officer of Commodore Por-
ters feet, and the appointment of NJ.
T. Maury, was an appropriate recog-
nition of the merits of his elder brother.
The first cruise of NJ. F. Maury was in
the frigate Brandywine, when she was
sent to convey Gen. LaFa ayette to
France. On his return from this cruise
he was at once transferred to the sloop-
of-war Vincennes and made in her q
long cruise of near five years. Soon
after his return in the Y ncennes he was
ordered to go before the Board of Ex-
aminers for promotion to the grade of
Lieutenant. 1t is worthy, of note that
Maury, who had always been an earnest
student of his profession, and whose
capacities were of the highest order,
was placed far below the head of his
date" Who were the examiners ? and
who were the midshipmen who were
ranked above him? History will never
record. After several years of active
sea service, and after his marriage Ito
Miss Anne Herndon,) he established his
home in Fredericksburg in 1885, and
resumed his citizenship as Virginian.
1t was during the period of his resi-
dence there that he published his work
on navigation and The able and fearless
articles on naval reform, which brought
about some radical changes in the adj
ministration of that branch of our pub
lie service. In 1912 he was ordered to
take charge of the National Observa-
tory in Washington, where he remained
until Virginia passed her ordinance of
secession in 1861, when he resigned his
high position aud cast his lot with his
own people and his own State. At this
time he had attained the very foremost
place amongst living savans. Every
government in Christendom had paid
him extraordinary honor. Medals, de-
corations, orders of knighthood, such
as no American had ever before recely-
ed, had been bestowed upon him. His
wind and current charts had been
translated by all the maratime powers
into their own languages, and every
vessel that ventured upon the high
seas steered her course by his advice.
His Physical Geography of the Sea had
been published and reached its eleventh
edition. Humboldt had declared him
to be the discoverer of new and grand
science; had treated him with marked
personal attention, and had presented
him with his great Cosmos medal.
When it was known in Europe that
Maury had retired from the head OF the
Observatory, the Grand Duke Constan-
tine, by order of the Emperor OF Rus
sia, hastened to invite him to make his
home there. A few weeks later Napo-
leon Ill, thro Igh his Minister'S, sent
to invite him to make his home in Paris,
and there pursue the grand objects of
his genius But he replied to their
muniicent invitations that his plain
duty now lay with his own people IN
Virginia. That until his native State
was once more free he would not desert
her. At the close of the war he was in
England, where he had been sent on
duty for the Confederacy. The En-
perors of Russia and France renewed
to him their invitations, and at the
same time the Emperor Macmillan
urged him to come to Mexico, and aid
him to colonize that country from the
Confedera States. Believing he could
there create homes for his people,
whom he thought the expressions of
their conuuerors would drive into ex-
lie, Maury accepted the invitation OF
Maximilian, became member of the
Council of the Empire, and Clief of
the Bureau of immigration. When the
Emperor of France withdrew from
Mexico his support, and Macmillan
was unable to carry out the scheme of
immigration, Maury returned to Eng
land. New honors were bestowed upon
him here by the first gentlemen of the
Realm, and by the learned dignitaries
| of the universities. He resided In
England several years. During this
period he was employed by the En-.
| perors of France and Russia, and by
the Kings of Pelgium and Prussia, to
educate certain officers of their navies
in the construction and management o1
submarine torpedoes. The last year o.
his residence in England was employed
by him in the preparations of schoo
Biographies and astronomy. The geo
graphies are now widely known anG
greatly commended. The astronom,
has not yet been published. After tn
completion of this great work, h,
yearned to return to his people in Vir
einia. the country of his heart, nov
more dear to him than ever. On tn
eve of his return, the French Ministe
in London, by order Of Napoleon, re
quested him to say whether he woul
accept the position of chief astronome