The times., 1899-05-19
THE PATHFINDER OF THE SEAS.
Colonel Stewards Lecture on the Life
of Matthew Maury

Colonel Stewards Lecture on the Life
of Matthew Mnury.
A large aad enthusiastic gathering of
Confederate veterans and their friends
were present last night in their nall, al
the corner of Tenth and E Streets north
west e listen to q lecture on Matthew
Fontaine Maury, given by Col. William H.
Stewart former Confederate soldier and
an admirer of the man who has been called
the Pathfinder of the Seas and the
"Wisest Sailor of the World" Colonel
Stewart said that the value of Matthew
Maury had never been appreciated and his
interesting eulogy on the great American
scientist and navigator was in the nature
of revelation to the greater part of the
audience.
Matthew Foutaine Maury, whose ances-
tors had been obliged to leave France be-
cause of their Protestant religion. was
born" said the speaker, Sin Virginia, on
the 14th day OF January, 1906. He was
brought up on farm with few advantages.
but showed an ambition for learning and
was given an education by his parents.
He was especially interested in the study
of mathematics, which taste was the
as midshipman in the United States Navy
by Sam Houston. then a member of Con-
gress from Tennessee. On the young
sailors third cruise he wrote his first
work On naval matters, which attracted a
great deal of attention. When he re-
turned to the United States he married
Miss Anne Herndon. sister Of Commander
Louis Herndon, of the United States cru ser
Central America. 1t is to him that is due
~. II .,-sn
ing the currents and trade winds OF both
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Before
the publication Of his work on the subject
there was absolutely nothing known Of
the theories he advanced. He made the
first sailing chart from data gathered from
old log books, which had been considered
useless which work excited the interest
of the entire world and made him known
as the Pathfinder His discoveries are
denied by the Navy Department today. but
the books published every month under the
name of the United States Pilot Charts
are merely the observations made BY Mat
thew Maury years ago.
He was without doubt the greatest man
America has yet produced. His Physical
Geography which is recognized as stand
ard work, was pronounced by Humbo DIT
the greatest authority on the subject writ
ten. By this time he had become holorei
and wealthy, and was presented with more
decorations of honor than any other Amer
lean has since received. Ee was the orig
inator of the present system of weather
observation. and IS early as lS49 had seen
that from Newfoundland to Ireland lay the
proper ocean bed for a transatlantic ca
ble Cyrus w. Field said that Maury fur
nished the brains for that undertak ng.
When the rebellion broke out he was
engaged in a valuable work in the National
Observatory. which he gave up to link his
fortunes with his State and although Rus
sia and France offered him homes an1 op-
portunities for the continuation OF his
studies in safety he chose the dangers o.
war at the side OF his friends, In sp.ts o.
the fact that the President CT the CJnfed-
eracy was not friendly to him. In 1S62 he
was ordered TO Europe as naval agent. II :
had returned to ST. Thomas, in the West
Indies, when he received the news OF the
fall OF the Southern cause. He imme-iate
" surrendered to the commander OF TIE
Gulf squadron, and having then no home,
went with his family to England, whsre he
opened school in London. An offer from
Napoleon III. to become the head OF the
Imperial Observatory was refused. In 1868
the University OF Cambridge conferred
upon him the degree of LII. D. at the same
| time with Alfred Tennyson. Shortly afte--
ward he returned to Virginia. His last
work was the vindication of the South in
her rebellion against the Federal Govern
ment This work is the best on that sub
! ject in existence. He was a man of homo :.
and the foremost scientist of America, AMI
when he died, in Lexington, Va, on the
1st Of February, 1878. the entire world 10 t
one OF the brightest minds it had ever
known"