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 MEMOIR 
 
 OF 
 
 The Hon. WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 PRKPARED AGREEABLY TO A RESOLUTION 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICx\L SOCIETY. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 HON. WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 PREPARED AGREEABLY TO A RESOLUTION 
 
 "^lASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 
 
 By CHARLES G. LORING. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON. 
 1864. 
 

MEMOIR. 
 
 The formation of character being the chief purpose of 
 human life, considered in reference alike to this world and to 
 the world of whioh this is the threshold, the death of any 
 member of our community, who has exhibited a character of 
 commanding influence, or of peculiar strength or beauty, natu- 
 rally excites the desire to learn by what means the end of 
 living was thus far accomplished. 
 
 Nor is the inquiry of less usefulness than interest. Recur- 
 rence to the road which has led to moral or intellectual pre- 
 eminence or to conspicuous achievement is needed, not only 
 to indicate the means for attaining to the noblest object of 
 human effort, but to correct an often erroneous estimate 
 of circumstances, generally accounted advantages, which, 
 however, are not infrequently hinderances to the best pro- 
 gress in life ; and to better understand others, which we are 
 prone to regard as hardships or privations, but which are, in 
 reality, needful helps in scaling the heights of a worthy 
 ambition. And especially is such recurrence to early influ- 
 ences important in a community like that in which our lot 
 is cast, where the casual relations of birth have no power 
 to raise the possessor to any permanent or widely extended 
 usefulness or power, independently of his individual worth, 
 whatever may have been his lineage or fancied advantages 
 of inherited position. 
 
 1 
 
2 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 It is an instructive fact, that the men, who of late years 
 have been chiefly distinguished among us for elevation of 
 character in public and private life, — who acquired the largest 
 fortunes for themselves, and assisted others in acquiring 
 them, — and who exerted the greatest influence upon the com- 
 mercial and manufacturing interests of this portion of our 
 country, — were men of no early advantages, excepting the 
 absence of the circumstances usually accounted as such ; 
 with no means of providing their daily bread but their 
 own industry ; no better education than our public schools 
 afforded ; and no patrons but such as faithful service in hum- 
 ble stations had acquired for them. Samuel Appleton, Nathan 
 Appleton, Amos Lawrence, Abbott Lawrence, William Apple- 
 ton, and William Sturgis, are names familiar among us as 
 household words, in their suggestion of ability, wealth, in- 
 fluence, and intellectual and moral pre-eminence. And to the 
 same list may be added the names of Francis C. Lowell and 
 Patrick T. Jackson, who, under some few circumstances 
 usually esteemed more advantageous, rose, independently of 
 them, to be the architects of their own fortunes, and the 
 founders of the vast manufacturing interests of the Eastern 
 States. 
 
 The memoirs of such men are also interesting and useful, 
 as exhibiting representative types of the fruit of New- 
 England descent and training. The energy, selfdevotion, 
 personal independence, moral purity, and earnestness of the 
 Pilgrim Fathers have come down in undiminished force, 
 though in modified forms, to their descendants. Their in- 
 tensity of character and of purpose has been as visible in the 
 peaceful enterprises of commerce and manufactures, which 
 have made the United States the second commercial nation 
 in the world, as it was when manifested of old in clearing the 
 forest, subduing the savage, and establishing the foundations 
 of republican government in the wilderness. Nor has it been 
 loss coii^^pifuous in the generous use made of the fruits of 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 6 
 
 toil, as the liberal foundations of unprecedentedlj numerous 
 and wise institutions for promoting religious, moral, and 
 intellectual culture, and for the relief of human suffering, 
 abundantly testify. And now, in this dark hour of our 
 country's agony, the same intensity of character has burst 
 forth with yet increasing lustre in the voluntary sacrifices 
 of life and property, so generally and nobly made for the 
 suppression of treason, the maintenance of the nation's life, 
 and the glory of its flag. When the history of the present 
 Rebellion shall be written, the voluntary contributions of 
 blood and treasure everywhere laid by the people of the Free 
 States upon the altar of their country, in a resolute defence 
 of the great principles of freedom and of law, and in a self- 
 relying determination to sustain the Government and the 
 honor of the national standard at all hazards and at any price, 
 will constitute an era in the annals of patriotism more glori- 
 ous to the United States, and of better augury for their future 
 safety and power, than any warlike achievements, however 
 illustrious. 
 
 Perhaps no one, known by the present generation, has 
 presented a more striking example of the peculiar traits 
 of character of the Pilgrim Fathers, as modified by the 
 advanced civilization of the age, than the subject of this 
 Memoir ; who, entering life upon a little farm on the sands of 
 Cape Cod, began his career of self-reliance when sixteen 
 years old, as a sailor-boy before the mast, on wages of seven 
 dollars a month, and has recently closed his days on earth at 
 the ripe age of eighty-one years, — possessed of a most 
 ample estate, standing with his family in the foremost rank of 
 American society, and distinguished for a highly cultivated in- 
 tellect, and for remarkably extensive knowledge, that embraced 
 not only the commerce of the globe, but a wide field of his- 
 torical and literary information. Nor was he less conspicuous 
 for firm and liberal principles, for a clear perception of jus- 
 tice, for a high sense of honor, for generous sentiments 
 
4 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 and tender affections ; and he died surrounded by numerous 
 and ardent friends of all ages, — from gray-haired contempo- 
 raries, to the charmed boy with whom he conversed as a com- 
 panion upon the philosophy of life or the events of the times, 
 and the little children who loved to gather around him to 
 listen to his tale of marvels and adventures among the Indians 
 of the North-west Coast. 
 
 William Sturgis was born on the twenty-fifth day of 
 February, 1782, in the town of Barnstable, on Cape Cod, in 
 Massachusetts, near to Plymouth, the landing-place of the Pil- 
 grims of the " Mayflower." His father, of the same name, 
 was a highly respectable shipmaster of Barnstable, who for 
 many years sailed in command of various vessels from Boston. 
 He was a lineal descendant of Edward Sturgis, the first of 
 the name in this country, who came over from England in 
 1630, and, having first settled at Charlestown, afterwards 
 removed to Yarmouth, where, in 1638, he is recorded as one 
 of the " first planters " of that town. 
 
 His mother was Hannah Mills, the youngest daughter of 
 the Rev. Jonathan Mills, a graduate of Harvard University, 
 who was settled in the ministry at Harwich, where he died. 
 
 His earliest introduction into life was to a sphere of useful- 
 ness and responsibility. His father's nautical pursuits kept 
 him from home for the greater portion of his time, leaving 
 to his wife the care of the young family (in which William 
 was the eldest child and the only son), and of the few acres of 
 land that constituted what was then called a Cape-Cod farm. 
 She was a capable and energetic woman, with a large share 
 of sound common sense; but she found it indispensable to avail 
 herself of the aid of her son, as sOon as he was old enough 
 to afford any, in the management of their domestic affairs. 
 She was, however, too judicious to suffer her requirements to 
 interfere with his regular attendance at school, whenever one, 
 public or private, was within reach. The schools of that day 
 were none of them of a high order, compared with those of the 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 5 
 
 present time; but such as he attended were probably as good 
 as the average then to be found in country towns at a dis- 
 tance from the metropolis. At the age of thirteen, his mother, 
 being solicitous to procure for him the best education her 
 means would afford, sent him to a private school in Hingham, 
 kept by Mr. James Warren, son of General Warren of Ply- 
 mouth, a prominent patriot of Revolutionary times. Hei'e he 
 passed a year ; ^and in a memd"randum made by him, from 
 which this brief account of his life is chiefly taken, he bears 
 grateful testimony to his teacher's fidelity, by saying, " If I 
 did not make sufficient progress, it was not the fault of the 
 instructor, who was attentive and efficient." His subsequent 
 love of learning, and the ability in composition to which he 
 attained amidst occupations' generally regarded as unfavorable 
 to the cultivation of letters, bear equally satisfactory testimony 
 to the fidelity with which the pupil improved his brief oppor- 
 tunity for gaining the rudiments of an education. In the year 
 1796 he came to Boston, and entered the counting-house of 
 his kinsman, the late Mr. Russell Sturgis, at that time largely 
 engaged in the purchase and exportation of what were de- 
 nominated " shipping furs." • 
 
 And here, too, his aptitude, and his faithful improvement 
 of his time an^ of the means of acquiring knowledge in the 
 service of his employer, prepared him in a peculiar manner 
 for taking advantage of the seemingly marvellous contingen- 
 cies, so soon unexpectedly to present themselves, and to 
 be made the stepping-stones of his rapid career to the ulti- 
 mate objects of his ambition. After remaining in this service 
 about eighteen months, he entered" the counting-room of 
 Messrs. James and Thomas H. Perkins, merchants of great 
 eminence and extensive commercial relations, and at that 
 time much engaged in trade with the North-west Coast and 
 China. He remained there until the death of his father, 
 which took place abroad in the year 1797, after his vessel 
 had been captured and plundered by piratical privateers in 
 
6 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 the West Indies. His family were left in straitened circum- 
 stances ; and William, being now thrown wholly upon his own 
 resources, and compelled to adopt some occupation that might 
 not only secure his present support, but give promise of 
 future success in life, did that " which w^as most natural for 
 a young Cape-Cod boy to do" under such circumstances, — 
 he decided " to follow the sea." 
 
 Having been taught the rudiments of navigation at school, 
 he set earnestly to work, devoting all the time that could be 
 'spared from his duties in the counting-room to the acqui- 
 sition of such further knowledge of the theory and practice 
 of the art as would qualify him for office on board of a ship, 
 and thus prepare the way for early promotion to the com- 
 mand of one. 
 
 After a few months of diligent study under the instruction 
 of Mr. Osgood Carlton, a well-known and highly respected 
 teacher of mathematics and navigation in those days, he was 
 pronounced competent to navigate a ship to any part of the 
 world. And events most unlocked for speedily followed, 
 that manifested the fidelity with which he had studied, and 
 the justice of the eulogium of his instructor. 
 
 In the summer of the year 1798, his employers, the Messrs. 
 Perkins, were fitting out a small vessel, the " Eliza," of one 
 hundred and thirty -six tons (below the average in size of 
 those now employed in the coasting trade), for a voyage to 
 the North-west Coast, San Bias on the western coast of Mex- 
 ico, and China, under the command of Captain James Rowan. 
 This officer was a good practical seaman, without education 
 or much theoretical knowledge of navigation ; but, having 
 been several times on the North-west Coast, he was well qual- 
 ified to carry on a trade with the Indians, which was con- 
 ducted wholly by barter. The large number of the crew for 
 a vessel so small, amounting to one hundred and thirty-six men, 
 but necessary for defence against the Indians, rendered the 
 passage one of great discomfort to those before the mast, and ex- 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 7 
 
 posed the '' green liand " to a somewhat severe experience of 
 the hardships of a sailor's life. They sailed from Boston early 
 in August; and, after touching at the Falkland and the Sand- 
 wich Islands, they reached the North-west Coast in the latter 
 part of the month of December. Captain Rowan soon perceived 
 the peculiar qualifications and efficiency of young Sturgis, 
 and selected him as his assistant in the management of the 
 trade. This was an opportunity which the youthful aspirant 
 well knew how to appreciate and improve. He not only de- 
 voted himself assiduously to the mastery of the business in 
 all its details, but also to a laborjous study of the Indian 
 languages, and to the cultivation of friendly relations with' 
 the natives by kind words and courteous manners, as well as 
 by the most scrupulous truthfulness and honor in his deal- 
 ings with them. By such means he soon succeeded in 
 securing a degree of affection, respect, and influence among 
 them, to which no other white man had ever attained, and 
 of nobler worth than even the kindred elevation which he 
 afterwards enjoyed in the best informed and most polished 
 society of his native State. Indeed, his name has ever 
 since been cherished by these untutored savages with sin- 
 gular affection and reverence, in bright contrast with their 
 recollections of the vices and barbarities of others, whose 
 j superiority in civilization, if such it can be called, served 
 only as the means of brutal excesses, frauds, and cruelties, of 
 which the former experience of the poor Indian afforded 
 no parallel. Among the latest tidings from that decaying 
 race came affectionate inquiries from an aged chief concerning 
 his old friend, " the good Mr. Sturgis," — the dying echo of 
 the influences of a noble character upon the children of the 
 forest, still reverberating, after more than sixty years, from 
 the shore of the Pacific Ocean to his grave on the shore of 
 the Atlantic. 
 
 After visiting numerous tribes, and disposing of the portion 
 of the cargo destined foT that coast in exchange for i^ea-otter 
 
8 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 skins and other furs, they anchored in the port of Caiganee, 
 in latitude 55° north, much frequented by trading vessels. 
 Here, they found two Boston ships, — the "Despatch," com- 
 manded by Captain Breck ; and the " Ulysses," .by Captain 
 Lamb. The crew of the latter ship were in a state of mutiny. 
 They and the officers, having revolted a few days before, had 
 seized the captain, put him in irons, and confined him to a 
 state-room, with an armed sentry at the door. This was alleged 
 to have been done in consequence of the cruel treatment by 
 Lamb of those under his command. Captains Rowan and 
 Breck interfered, obtained his release, and took him on 
 board of the " Eliza." After negotiations with the mutineers, 
 occupying several days, and a promise by Lamb to pardon all 
 that had been done, and to treat them better in future, the 
 crew, with the exception of the officers and two seamen, 
 consented that he should resume the command of his ship. 
 This was done ; the second and third mates, with the two un- 
 willing seamen, being taken on board the other vessels, and 
 the chief mate being confined in irons on board of the " Ulys- 
 ses." This arrangement left that ship with no officer except- 
 ing the boatswain, who was illiterate, and without a knowl- 
 edge of navigation. Captain Lamb made very liberal proposals 
 to induce some officer from the " Eliza " or the " Despatch " 
 to take the situation of chief mate on board of his ship, but 
 unsuccessfully ; for, so bad was his reputation for ill treating 
 his officers as well as his men, that no one was willing to go 
 with him. It was indispensable,, however, that there should 
 be some officer on board capable of navigating the ship, and 
 of managing the trade with the Indians, to take the place of 
 Captain Lamb, in the event of his death, or of his inability 
 to continue in command. 
 
 Young Sturgis being competent for both of those duties, 
 althotigh deficient in practical seamanship, Captain Lamb 
 proposed, that he should take the place of chief iftate of the 
 " Ulysses," with liberal wages ; and should also act as his 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 9 
 
 assistant in trading with the Indians, and for his services 
 should receive a small commission upon all furs collected on 
 the Coast. Such an offer to a lad of seventeen, then a boy in 
 the forecastle, doing duty as a common sailor, but eager for 
 advancement in the profession he had chosen, was too tempt- 
 ing, in regard both to station and emolument, to be rejected ; 
 and, on the thirteenth day of May, he left the " Eliza," and 
 joined the '' Ulysses," though not without serious misgivings. 
 They remained on the Coast, collecting furs, until November ; 
 when they sailed for China, and arrived at Canton near the 
 close of the year. There they found the '^ Eliza," which, after 
 visiting several ports on the western coast of Mexico, reached 
 Canton in October, and was then nearly ready to sail for 
 liome. Young Sturgis had found his situation on board of 
 tlie " Ulysses " less uncomfortable than he had apprehended, 
 but nevertheless far from being a pleasant one ; and he eagerly 
 accepted a proposal from Captain Rowan to rejoin the ''Eliza," 
 and take the position of third mate on her homeward passage. 
 As Captain Lamb could easily procure experienced officers at 
 Canton, he consented to this arrangement; and, professing 
 entire satisfaction with the manner in which Mr. Sturgis had 
 performed his duties, promptly paid him his wages and com- 
 missions. The "Ehza" soon afterwards sailed, and arrived 
 in Boston in the spring of the year 1800. 
 
 The reputation of Mr. Sturgis was now so far established, 
 that he was immediately engaged to serve as first mate and 
 assistant-trader on board of the ship " Caroline," owned by 
 Messrs. James and Thomas Lamb and others, and then fitting 
 out for a three-years' voyage to the Pacific Ocean and China, 
 under the command of Captain Charles Derby of Salem, — a 
 worthy man, but not particularly qualified for the enterprise, 
 as he was in feeble health, had not before visited the Coast, 
 and knew nothing of the Indian trade. He appeared to be 
 in a consumption when they sailed; and his health failed so 
 rapidly, that, before the end of the first year, he virtually 
 
 2 
 
10 MEMOIR OF ^WLLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 gave up the command to Mr. Sturgis ; and, in the course of 
 the second year, he formally resigned it to him, went on 
 shore at the Sandwich Islands, and there died shortly 
 afterwards. 
 
 Thus this young man, at the early age of nineteen, and 
 with less than four years' experience at sea, became master 
 of a large ship in a far distant country; the sole conductor of 
 an enterprise requiring the highest qualifications of seaman- 
 ship, together with the greatest energy and discretion in the 
 management of a large crew, employed in peculiar and 
 miscellaneous services on shore as well as on board; and 
 requiring also unceasing vigilance and courage to prevent 
 surprises and attacks by the savage inhabitants, and great 
 judgment and skill in conducting a barter trade, now com- 
 mitted wholly .to his care and responsibility. He proved 
 himself worthy of the trust. He completed the voyage with 
 entire success. He had obtained a valuable collection of furs 
 on the Coast, which he exchanged at Canton for an assorted 
 China cargo, and with this returned to Boston in the spring of 
 the year 1803, to the great satisfaction and profit of his em- 
 ployers ; and thus entitled himself to stand in the foremost 
 rank in the most difficult and responsible department of his 
 chosen profession. ^ 
 
 It is difficult to imagine a state of more intense satisfac- 
 tion and of more laudable pride, than that with which this 
 youth, just entering upon manhood, and not yet invested with 
 its legal responsibilities, must have greeted the shores of his 
 native State. Only five years before, he had left it as a 
 stripling before the mast, and he was now returning to it as 
 the master of a noble ship, with a valuable cargo on board, 
 the fruit in great measure of his own skill and exertions, and 
 with the consciousness of an established reputation that would 
 thereafter enable him to command opportunities in the road 
 to rank and fortune. 
 
 The combiiaation of circumstances wliich thus led iiim.at this 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 11 
 
 early age so suddenly and unexpectedly to the pinnacle of his 
 ambition, and a position of such grave and honorable respon- 
 sibility, cannot but arrest the attention of the most thought- 
 less reader. To such as may be disposed to account it 
 fortuitous it certainly presents a remarkable problem in the 
 calculation of chances. But to those who believe, that there 
 is " a Divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we 
 will," this wonderful adaptation of the means to the end, 
 and these events, seemingly so accidental and disconnected, 
 working harmoniously to show how capacity and success 
 may be the reward of energy and faithfulness in the spring- 
 time of life, will suggest a more inspiring solution, in 
 the lesson of instruction and encouragement which it was 
 intended to convey. There is not the slightest reason for 
 believing that young Sturgis entered the counting-room of 
 his kinsman with any especial purpose in reference to his 
 subsequent career, the only apparent cause being the willing- 
 ness of a relative to lend to him a helping hand in preparing 
 him for mercantile life ; but the knowledge which he thus 
 acquired of the qualities and relative natures of furs was 
 doubtless the chief external cause of his early and surpris- 
 ing success. It induced his first commander to select him 
 as his assistant in trading with the natives. This opened 
 wide to him the door for the learning of their languages, 
 the cultivation of their confidence and friendship, and the 
 acquisition of tact and skill in dealing with them ; and these 
 attainments, already great, were doubtless of most important 
 influence in causing his appointment as chief mate of the 
 " Ulysses," which, again, was the introduction to his subse- 
 quent precocious and successful career. 
 
 As his early qualification had, while he was gaining it, no 
 direct reference to the great results to which it led, so the 
 opportunities for its almost immediate and successful appli- 
 cation had no probable connection with any such use of it in 
 the ordinary course o£ events. The most extravagant fancy 
 
12 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 could not have pictured a more improbable thing than the 
 sudden elevation to which a mutiny on board of another 
 ship, upon a far-distant and wild coast, was so soon to raise 
 him; or the further advancement which was to follow so 
 immediately, in his next voyage, from the resignation of the 
 master, vesting in him the command of the ship, and consti- 
 tuting him th^ sole conductor of one of the most arduous and 
 resjionsible enterprises of the naval profession. 
 
 Of course the owners of the vessel were solicitous for the 
 continuance of such an agent in their service. She was 
 accordingly at once fitted out, and sailed under his command 
 on another similar voyage, which also proved eminently suc- 
 cessful, terminating in June in the year 1806. 
 
 Mr. Sturgis, or, as he was then uniformly styled, Captain 
 Sturgis, was now first in the foremost rank of all engaged in 
 this department of commercial enterprise ; and his services 
 were of course eagerly sought for. Mr. Theodore Lyman, a 
 merchant of Boston, had become largely interested in the 
 North-west trade. He had, at this time, two ships on the 
 Coast ; and was fitting out another for the same destination, 
 named the " Atahualpa." He offered Captain Sturgis very 
 liberal terms to take command of this ship and proceed to the 
 Coast for one season, and assume the charge and direction of 
 all his business there ; and thence to go on to Canton, taking 
 with him one of the two other vessels, and the'furs collected 
 by all of them, to be exchanged for homeward cargoes. This 
 offer was accepted ; and, in October, he sailed on his fourth 
 voyage round the world. Thus the sailor-boy of 1798 had 
 become in 1806, as it were, an admiral, in command of a 
 fleet upon the Coast, where, eight years before, he had 
 arrived in the humblest station. This expedition also proved 
 very profitable both to Mr. Lyman and to himself, and termi- 
 nated on his arrival in Boston in June, 1808. 
 
 Tho threatening aspect of the foreign relations of the 
 United States, and the embargo which then paralyzed 'com- 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 13 
 
 raercial enterprise, detained Mr. Sturgis at home until April 
 in the year 1809; when he again sailed in command of the 
 " Atahualpa," for Mr. Lyman, iij)on a direct voyage to Canton, 
 with an outfit exceeding three hundred thousand Spanish 
 milled dollars, to be invested there in a return cargo. In this 
 adventure the late Mr. John Bromfield was associated with 
 him, — a gentleman of great intelligence and elevated charac- 
 ter. A warm friendship immediately grew up between them, 
 which constituted much of the happiness of their lives, until 
 the lamented death of Mr. Bromfield in the year 1849. 
 
 The vessel, lightly armed with a few small cannon, came to 
 anchor in Macao Roads (about seventy miles from Canton) 
 on the night of the 21st of August; and, early the next 
 morning, was attacked by a fleet of sixteen Ladrone or pirati- 
 cal vessels, some of them heavily armed, under command of 
 A'ppotesi, a noted rebel-chief. The fight was a very desperate 
 one on the part of the comparatively small crew of the '' Ata- 
 hualpa," and continued for more than an hour ; some of the 
 pirates being so near as to succeed in throwing combustibles 
 on board, which set the vessel on fire in many places. But 
 the coolness and intrepidity of her commander, aided by the 
 presence and assistance of Mr. Bromfield, inspired her gal- 
 lant crew with invincible courage. The pirates were repulsed 
 with great slaughter, and the ship was enabled to escape, and 
 find protection under the guns of the Portuguese fort. She was 
 again attacked by them on her passage up, in company with 
 four other American ships, but finally reached Canton in safety. 
 This voyage, like all the rest in which he had been engaged, 
 terminated very successfully, and he arrived at Boston in 
 April, 1810. 
 
 By twelve years of arduous effort and unremitted toil in 
 the service of others, at sea and in foreign lands, and by pru- 
 dent economy, Mr. Sturgis had at last acquired sufficient means 
 for establishing himself in business on his own account. He 
 concluded, therefore, to abandon the sea; and now entered into 
 
14 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 copartnership with Mr. John Bryant, under the name and firm 
 of " Bryant and Sturgis," as merchants resident in Boston for 
 the prosecution of foreign trade. This copartnership continued 
 for more than half a century, being for many years the oldest 
 in the city of Boston, and was indeed terminated only by the 
 death of Mr. Sturgis. Although these gentlemen were unlike 
 in many respects, and entertained different views on many 
 subjects, their connection was entirely harmonious ; and the 
 writer of this Memoir heard Mr. Sturgis, not long before his 
 decease, remark that no unpleasant word had ever passed 
 between them. Their business was principally with places 
 upon the Coast of the Pacific and with China ; and, from the 
 year 1810 to 1840, more than half of the trade carried on 
 with those countries from the United States was under their 
 direction. They occasional!}', however, had commercial inter- 
 course with nearly every quarter of the world. 
 
 In the year 1810, Mr. Sturgis was united in marriage 
 to Elizabeth M., daughter of John Davis, Judge of the Dis- 
 trict Court of the United States for the District of Massa- 
 chusetts : clarum et venerabile nomen, which, to those who 
 knew him, recalls the image of one of the most scholarly, 
 benignant, and venerable gentlemen, and one of the purest, 
 most enlightened, and humane judges, that ever blessed so- 
 ciety, or ever adorned the bench. His presence was felt as a 
 benediction no less in court than everywhere else. It was he, 
 who, not long before his death, while sitting, in an autumn 
 twilight, at his window in the country, conversing with a 
 friend upon old age, and the falling leaves as illustrative of 
 the decay of life, replied, " Yes ; but then we see the stars 
 more plainly." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sturgis had six children : one son, who died 
 at an early age ; and five daughters, all of whom were mar- 
 ried, and three of whom, with their mother, survive him. 
 
 It could not be otherwise than that a person of the mental 
 strength and activity of Mr. Sturgis should soon become 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 15 
 
 generally known and appreciated, and that any political 
 party should desire to increase its power and influence by 
 sending him as its representative in the public councils. 
 Nor was it less natural, that one whom rapid and unexampled 
 success must have inspired with confidence should be willing 
 to widen the sphere of his reputation and influence. We 
 find Jtccordingly, that, in the year 1814, he was elected a 
 representative of the town of Boston in the Legislature of 
 Massachusetts ; and such was his capacity and fidelity, that, 
 from that period until 1845, he was for the greater portion 
 of the time a member of the House or of the Senate. He was 
 not, however, and from his nature could not be, popular in 
 political life, nor fitted to succeed as an aspirant for political 
 preferment, even if his taste or inclination had pointed in that 
 direction. He was altogether too independent and self-relying, 
 and too single-minded in his conceptions of duty, to enter into 
 the compromises required of the leaders of a political party, 
 however necessary such compromises may be considered, and 
 however justifiable in persons of diff"erent temperament, or of 
 what perhaps may be accounted broader views of policy. 
 No party could rely upon his support of measures, or his 
 acquiescence in them, for its own sake, when, in his private 
 judgment, they conflicted with the general welfare. The 
 too often controlling argument, that the preservation of the 
 existence or power of the party is the one thing essential 
 for the public safety, or that 'i the party is the State," could 
 never weaken his conviction, that he was the servant of 
 the State, and not of any party. His political influence, 
 however, was the greater in general society ; and was perhaps 
 as potent as that of any other individual not in the highest 
 rank of public service. He was nominated for election to 
 the House of Representatives in Congress at the time when 
 Mr. Nathan Appleton was a candidate, as representing the 
 principle of protection in opposition to that of free trade ; but 
 he withdrew from the canvass in order to secure his friend's 
 
16 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 success. He was an active and influential member of the 
 Convention for revising tlie Constitution of the State in 1820. 
 For some years preceding his death, he had been the oldest 
 member of the- Boston Marine Society, of which he was for 
 a time the President. He was an honorary member of 
 the Massachusetts Mechanics' Charitable Association ; and a 
 member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, to whoso 
 archives he made important contributions, and to whose funds 
 he was a liberal benefactor. 
 
 Of the character, intellectual ability, and varied attainments 
 of Mr. Sturgis, there happily remain memorials highly valu- 
 able and interesting, which, for the sake of histor}^, and in 
 justice to his memory, should be put in a permanent form. 
 They consist of his " Diary, or Journal of his First Voyage " ; 
 " Three Lectures upon tHe North-west Coast," originally de- 
 livered before the Mercantile Library Association in 1845-6, 
 and subsequently, by request, before the members of the 
 House of Representatives ; an article in the " North-American 
 Review" in 1822, (vol. xv., art. 18, p. 370,) upon the subject 
 of " The Claims of Russia upon the North-west Coast " ; a 
 pamphlet containing the substance of a Lecture upon the 
 Oregon Question in 1815; and two articles upon the tragedy 
 on board the United States brig-of-war " Somers," printed in 
 the "Semi-weekly Courier" of Aug. 7, 1843, entitled "The 
 Somers Mutiny." 
 
 The most interesting portion of his life, as affording means 
 for contemplating the formation and the peculiarities of his 
 character, was that which began with his first voyage to tlie 
 North-west Coast at sixteen years of age, and ended with 
 his last expedition abroad, from which he returned at the age 
 of twenty-eight, after attaining a measure of success, in knowl- 
 edge, reputation, and wealth, which might satisfy the reason- 
 able hopes of most men, if it were the result of a long life 
 ardently devoted to the pursuit. 
 
 The "Diary" contains not only the records of events of 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 17 
 
 ordinary daily interest (as the courses of the vessel, and barters 
 with the natives and others), which might be made in moments 
 snatched from duty or rest, but full descriptions of the places 
 visited, of the various tribes, of the modes of traffic, of the 
 manners and habits of the Indians, interspersed with occa- 
 sional impressive descriptions of scenery, and with anecdotes 
 characteristic of savage life. And with them are mingled 
 citations from Shakspeare, Milton, and Goldsmith ; indicating, 
 that, amid all the severe and engrossing labors of his daily 
 life, this boy-man was nourishing the germs of a literary taste, 
 which was to ornament, and minister to the happiness and use- 
 fulness of, his maturer years. " Ossian " was one of his favorite 
 books at sea ; and, to the mind of a young man, turning from 
 the exhausting drudgeries of daily toil to seek literary food 
 in pastures of his own choosing, there was a not unaccount- 
 able affinity in the tone and sentiment of that vague and 
 mystical poetry with the wild and often sublime solitudes of 
 the North-west Coast, where so many of his days, and watches 
 of the night, were passed. 
 
 In this " Diary," also, are contained tables of the longitude 
 and latitude of every place visited, and of the number of skins 
 acquired ; also a sort of dictionary or list of the most fa- 
 miliar Indian words, — the English in one column, and those 
 of the several tribes opposite to them in corresponding ones, 
 — evidencing the pains he took for the accurate learning of 
 their languages. Of these he became so thoroughly a 
 master, that, as the writer of this Memoir has been recently 
 informed by one, who, engaged in the like enterprises, saw 
 him upon the Coast, he could not only carry on the trade 
 with the natives, and converse with them easily about matters 
 of ordinary intercourse in their own tongues, but could freely 
 discuss with them any other topics in which they were inter- 
 ested, including themes of religion, philosophy, and morals, 
 as well as of trade ; and could banter and exchange repartees 
 with them as familiarly as any one of their number. The 
 
 3 
 
18 MEMOIR OP WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 same gentleman states further, that his popularity with the 
 Indian chiefs was unbounded ; that he was universally known, 
 welcomed, and trusted ; and that he exercised an influence 
 among them, to which no white man ever before attained, and 
 in which no chief excelled him. 
 
 He not only kept this minute and accurate record of all the 
 transactions relating to his own vessel and his trade, but one 
 also of all the vessels which they met on the Coast, or of which 
 they could obtain any account ; — of their voyages, the places 
 they visited, the number of skins they obtained, and all the 
 other incidents tending to a perfect knowledge of the business. 
 His *' Journal " is replete with criticisms and comments upon 
 the manner of conducting the trade, and the vices, faults, follies, 
 and mistakes of those engaged in it ; evincing a clearness of 
 vision, maturity of judgment, and decision of character, truly 
 wonderful in a lad of seventeen years of age ; and winding 
 up with a detailed statement of the course to be pursued in 
 order to make a successful voyage. 
 
 By the extensive knowledge of details which he was ever 
 careful to obtain, and by a constant study of the various ele- 
 ments and phases of the business in which he was engaged, he 
 afterwards became enabled to foresee the fluctuations and 
 changes which would necessarily follow the precipitate em- 
 barkation in it of numerous adventurers whom its profitable- 
 ness would soon allure, and thus to avoid their mis'calculations 
 and the mischances which befell most of them, and to accumu- 
 late wealth for himself and his employers, while many others 
 at the same time encountered only ruinous losses. 
 
 There are upon record instances of marvellous precocity 
 in poetical invention, and in limited departments of science, 
 which have excited the astonishment and admiration of the 
 woi'ld ; but it may well be doubted whether any such instance 
 can be accounted more surprising, in its kind, than this, of 
 practical ability in a youth, leaping as it were in an instant 
 from the forecastle to the quarter-deck an accomplished navi- 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 19 
 
 gator, endowed with the irresistible power of command, which 
 a strange and mutinous crew could not but obey ; — speedily 
 attaining, as if by intuition, a knowledge of the principles, 
 details, complications, and whole scope of a newly discovered 
 trade on a far-distant, savage coast ; with a knowledge, also, 
 of human nature, and a tact in controlling men, both civilized 
 and savage, which very few in long lives of service among 
 them acquire ; — governing and governed by the principles 
 of an inflexible justice and by a high sense of honor ; — and 
 mingling with the severest of human labors and responsi- 
 bilities the habitual cultivation of literary taste. 
 
 The following are extracts from the " Diary," on his first 
 arrival on the Coast, a few days before entering upon his 
 eighteenth year, with no other opportunities for mental cul- 
 ture than those above stated, and none for this sort of com- 
 position but such as could be snatched at intervals from 
 the laborious drudgery and miscellaneous interruptions of life 
 in the forecastle. 
 
 Here are two descriptions of scenery in Norfolk Sound : — 
 
 "The appearance of the country here is really romantic. On one 
 side of us, within pistol-shot, and which seems in the evening almost 
 as if you could touch it, is a thick spruce wood, extending close to the 
 water's edge, frowning in native horror, and looks to be only fit for 
 wild beasts to prowl in : on the other side appears a mixture of land 
 and water. At short distances are passages which either run inland, 
 or, by joining, cut the country up into small islands. Some of them 
 are not much larger than the ship, and numbers much smaller. They 
 are composed of rocks rising just clear of the surface of the water, 
 on which is sprinkled a little soil ; and from this rises a thick cluster 
 of tall spruce-trees, which, in the tout ensemble, look veiy handsome, 
 and often bring to my mind the romantic little Island of Poplars, in 
 which is Rousseau's tomb. Add to this the melancholy sighing of the 
 wind^among the pines. But a truce to descriptions ; and let me pro- 
 ceed to business 
 
 " The place where we walked was all rocks ; and, on ^he shore- 
 side of us, they rose like a barrier, in some places full an hundred 
 
20 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 feet perpendicular. On the tops of these (which overhung all the 
 beach beyond the Point) again are tall spruce-trees, which seem to 
 grow on the edge of the precipices as plenty and as thick as on the 
 lowland. Some of them, Avhich had advanced their heads too high 
 for the feeble support their roots afforded, had shared the fate of all 
 such foolish pretenders, by being dashed from the pinnacle to the 
 bottom of the precipice ; and, with their roots still clinging to the 
 rocks above, and their heads on the beach below, offered an instruc- 
 tive example to thousands, who, by presuming on as slight founda- 
 tions, have no right to expect aught but the same fate. ... In the 
 afternoon, two large cafioes came round the East Point; and, as they 
 turned it, all joined in a war-song, which they rattled off with spirit 
 quite handsomely. Upon their approach, we found that they each 
 contained a petty chief, and about nine young men. The chiefs, who 
 were both good-looking men, and carried themselves with great 
 dignity, sat upon a high box in the middle of the canoes. They had 
 beards about two inches long, with a considerable pair of whiskers ; 
 and wore very long hair, which, by Avhat we could understand, was 
 taken from the heads of their enemies killed in battle. The tops of 
 their heads were powdered with small geese-down ; and a long red 
 and yellow feather, painted, which rose over all, completed the head- 
 dress. In their ears they Avore a kind of shell of pearl, which is of 
 some value here, and, when the coast was first visited, was esteemed 
 of very great. Over their shoulders they wore a cloth of their own 
 manufacture, about a fathom square, made out of the avooI of their 
 mountain sheep : round the edges they Avork in sea-otter's fur ; and, on 
 the Avhole, it makes a very handsome appearance. What they wore on 
 their legs I could not say, as they did not condescend to rise from their 
 seats, but, after purchasing three or four muskets, left us, and went 
 on shore. All the young men in the canoes had their faces daubed 
 with red and black, and their heads powdered with red ochre and 
 geese-down. This, though no doubt only what is conformable to 
 their ideas of beauty, yet made them look not far unlike Milton's de- 
 cription of Death, — ' Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell.' " 
 
 The following is an account of a visit to an Indian habi- 
 tation : — 
 
 " Alsatree now took me by the hand, and led me towards the 
 house. In entering it, you may well imagine my astonishment, when, 
 instead of six or eight people, as I expected, I beheld about forty 
 
MEMOIR OP WILLIAM STURGIS. 21 
 
 people — men, women, and children — seated around an enormous fire, 
 which was made in the middle of the house. Some were employed 
 in making fish-hooks for halibut ; some, wooden bowls. The women 
 were busy broiling and boiling halibut ; the children, waiting upon 
 the old folks ; and several of the females, who were not slaves, 
 making wooden lips. At my entrance, labor stood suspended ; and 
 they looked at me with about as much astonishment as Hamlet, when 
 he first saw his father's ghost." 
 
 It appears that aflfection and sentiment are not exclusively 
 confined, as seems sometimes to be supposed, to what we call 
 the civilized heart. Speaking of the death of Captain New- 
 bury, who had acquired the confidence and friendship of the 
 Indians by his kindness and justice, a chief said : — 
 
 " Newbury — a good man ! He is now gone to a good country, and 
 I shall not see him again : but I have his chest at my house in which 
 he kept his clothes ; and, when I look at it, I think of him. 
 
 " Mr. Bumstead and myself went on shore on the beach, and took 
 a walk through their huts. There were about fourteen, with eleven 
 or twelve persons around each ; and they did not look unlike what 
 our imagination pictures to us of bands of robbers seated around 
 their fires in some dark forest, where they waylay the unwary 
 traveller. They, however, so far from molesting, treated us with the 
 greatest civility ; and, as Ave passed each tent, Avould insist upon our 
 'sitting down with them. But, after having seen those we knew, and 
 shaken hands with all, we returned immediately on board.* We saw 
 Shanakate, the Great Eater ; and though supperless, yet he appeared 
 happy, surrounded by his children, whose faces, newly varnished Avith 
 train oil and red ochre, shone by the light of the fire like the body 
 of a chaise newly painted, and verified Goldsmith's description of a 
 port of rural felicity, where the fond father 
 
 ' Smiles at his cheerful fire, and round surveys 
 His children's looks, that brighten with the blaze.' " 
 
 T 
 
 There are several notices of cases where chiefs had been 
 entrapped on board of vessels, and confined in irons until 
 
22 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STDRGIS. 
 
 compelled to regain their freedom by heavy ransoms. The 
 following is one of them: — 
 
 " He [one of the chiefs], however, would not venture himself on 
 board of us ; having been several times made prisoner by different 
 vessels, and obliged to ransom himself by giving up the greatest part 
 of his skins. This was the way some people, not worthy of the name 
 of men (and who, I thank Heaven, cannot call themselves Americans), 
 took to make their fortunes. C , C — —., and Alsatree, the prin- 
 cipal chiefs on the coast, they trepanned on board their ships ; and, 
 having seized and laid some of them in irons, forced them, contrary 
 to every principle of honor or humanity, to deliver up their skins 
 before they would give them their liberty." 
 
 From the earlier entries in the " Journal," it appears, 
 that, when he arrived upon the Coast, the author was imbued 
 with all the prejudices against the Indians, which, at that 
 period, prevailed so universally among his countrymen, and the 
 sources of which he attempts in the third Lecture to explain. 
 This circumstance invests his subsequent opinions, formed 
 after long and familiar personal acquaintance with them, and 
 very peculiar opportunities for careful and extensive observa- 
 tion, with a peculiar interest and truthfulness. And so keenly 
 did he always feel and express himself upon the subject, that 
 probably no thought would have cheered his dying hour more 
 gratefully, than that he should be instrumental in leaving on 
 record a testimonial in their behalf. 
 
 The three " Lectures " are particularly valuable for their 
 developmentof the habits of life and the moral and intellectual 
 characters of those Indian tribes by one who lived with them 
 on terms of familiar and confiding friendship, and as constitut- 
 ing the most important and trustworthy record, if not the 
 only one, of their later, soon to become their final, history. 
 Nor are they less strikingly illustrative of the noble *traits of 
 character of their author in the details of his intercourse with 
 the Indians, and of the efibrts which he ever loved to make, in 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 23 
 
 public and in private, to vindicate them from the obloquy and 
 hatred of which they have been too generally and thought- 
 lessly the object^. 
 
 His opportunities were such as particularly qualified him 
 for this undertaking, since his first visit to the Coast was made 
 in 1799, about twenty years after Cook's discovery of Nootka 
 .Sound, and while the generation was still living that "wit- 
 nessed the arrival of the first white man among them ; and 
 many of the very individuals who were prominent at the 
 time of Cook's visit were still in the prime of life, and became 
 personally known to him." He passed a number of years 
 among them at the time when they were first becoming known 
 to the civilized world, and were in a state approximating to that 
 in which the discoverers of the northern portion of our conti- 
 nent found the aboriginal inhabitants ; and he continued to carry 
 on the trade with them, personally or by agents, until it ceased 
 to be valuable, — witnessing its growth, maximum, decrease, 
 and final abandonment by the citizens of the United States. 
 
 The " Lectures " are written in a clear, simple, and ex- 
 pressive style, indicating familiarity with English literature, 
 and at times exhibiting the truest eloquence in sentiment 
 and description. 
 
 Although requested for the press by the appreciative 
 audience to which they were originally addressed, and after- 
 wards by others, the author uniformly declined to publish 
 them, from distrust, as is understood, of their value. They 
 are, however, well worthy of being perpetuated, as interesting 
 and authentic memorials of a very important though temporary 
 department of commercial enterprise, and of the manners and 
 characters of a people now rapidly becoming extinct; and 
 also as a vindication of the natives from the unmerited re- 
 proaches heaped upon them by the -corrupters, oppressors, 
 and murderers of their race. 
 
 His feelings upon this subject are thus emphatically ex- 
 pressed at the commencement of the first Lecture: — 
 
24 MEMOIR OF WILLIA>L STURGIS. 
 
 " These early visits gave me the opportunity, too, of observing 
 changes in the habits and manners of the Indians, effected by inter- 
 course with a more civilized race ; and, I regret to add, brought 
 to my knowledge the injustice, violence, and bloodshed which have 
 marked the progress of this intercourse from first to last. I cannot 
 expect that others will feel the same degree of interest in these 
 reminiscences that I feel ; but I have thought that they might en- 
 gage your attention for a while, and perhaps awaken sympathy for 
 the remnant of a race fast disappearing from the earth, — victims of 
 injustice, cruelty, and oppression, and of a policy that seems to recog- 
 nize ^ower as the sole standard of right." 
 
 Again, near the dose : — 
 
 "The numerous tragical occurrences on the Coast show the per- 
 sonal hazards incurred by those engaged in the trade, and perhaps 
 warrant the remark of Mr. Greenhow, in his valuable memoir upon 
 Oregon, prepared by order of Congress. Speaking of the American 
 trade upon the Coast, he says : ' The persons engaged in this trade 
 were constantly exposed to the most dreadful hardships and dangers, 
 against which notliing but extraordinary courage and skill on their 
 part could have enabled them to struggle successfully. More than 
 one American ship has been seized, and all on board massacred, by 
 the natives of the Pacific coasts ; and seldom, indeed, did a vessel 
 from the United States complete her voyage in that ocean, without 
 losing some part of her crew by the treachery of those with whom 
 they were dealing.' Mr. Greenhow and myself agree, in the main, 
 as to the facts, but are at issue as to the cause. He ascribes it to 
 the treachery and ferocity of the Indians ; I, with better opportunities 
 for investigating and ascertaining the truth, find the cause in the 
 lawless and brutal violence of white men : and it would be easy to 
 show that these fatal disasters might have been averted by a different 
 treatment of the natives, and by prudence and proper precaution on 
 the part of their civilized visitors." 
 
 The second Lecture is more particularly devoted to the 
 character, manners, and domestic habits of the Indians. The 
 following description will probably surprise many who have 
 been accustomed to look upon them as little better than 
 beasts of the field ; and, rightly considered, might do some- 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 25 
 
 thing towards improving and elevating the domestic relations 
 of parent and child, as generally acted upon even in highly 
 civilized Christian communities : — 
 
 " The Indians of whom I speak are piscatory in their pursuits ; 
 reside upon the borders of the sea, from which they draw their prin- 
 cipal subsistence ; and use altogether the canoe, both for this purpose 
 and for transporting themselves and families from place to place. 
 Their migrations are limited to a change of residence from one per- 
 manent village to another at different seasons of the year, following 
 the periodical movements of the several species of fish upon which 
 they mainly depend for food ; and to trading excursions, which are 
 often made, sometimes to distant points, visiting tribes residing several 
 hundred miles from their own village. Upon these occasions they 
 are usually accompanied by their women and children, who are 
 adroit and skilful in the management of canoes, and, in taking and 
 curing fish, are as efficient as the men themselves. These circum- 
 stances, exercising a material influence upon their domestic and social 
 character, have, in a degree, softened the naturally stern nature of 
 these Indians, and rendered them less sanguinary than the tribes in 
 the interior. War, however, is not unfrequent ; and bravery and 
 skill in conducting it are qualities commanding as high admiration 
 and respect as among the most wai-like people : and the Indian upon 
 the borders of the Pacific accords to an accomplished and successful 
 destroyer of his fellow-men the same pre-eminence that is conceded 
 to him by the most civilized nations. In their domestic relations^ they 
 manifest as much tenderness and affection as can he found in any state 
 of society. The constant presence of thSir women gives to them a 
 proper influence ; and their position, though subordinate in some 
 respects, is, upon the whole, as favorable as that occupied by their 
 sex in civilized life, — nominal submission, actual control. Children 
 are uniformly treated with tenderness and indulgence, seldom punished, 
 and never struck. 
 
 " The Indian doctrine is, that it may be necessary to beat dogs, 
 but not to strike a child. The children, on their part, seem intui- 
 tively respectful and submissive to their seniors. I do not recollect 
 to have seen punishment inflicted upon a child but in a single instance, 
 and then not very severely. A woman, with a family of children, 
 was alongside of the ship in her canoe, making some purchases ; and, 
 among other articles, she obtained a quantity of molasses, which was 
 
 4 
 
26 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 put into a large tub ia her canoe. A little naked urchin, two or three 
 years old, half covered with oil and dirt, made repeated attempts to 
 get at the molasses, much to the mother's annoyance. At length, in 
 a great pet, she caught the child by the arms, and plunged it into the 
 tub, leaving it seated in the viscid substance up to its chin. The 
 child bore the punishment with as much stoicism, and employed him- 
 self in the same manner, as a young Yankee would have done. 
 
 " The only occasion upon which blows are inflicted is in the prac- 
 tice of a singular custom among them. At times during the Avinter, 
 in a cold, frosty morning, all the boys of a village, from five to ten 
 years old, assemble upon a sandy beach in a state of nudity; and, 
 each having furnished himself with a bunch of rods, they wade into 
 the water up to their armpits : and then commences an uproarious 
 scene ; each one using his rods with his whole strength in thrashing 
 every one Avho comes within his reach, always giving a preference to 
 those of his own size. This continues for some time ; when, at a 
 given signal, a general plunge and a short swim finishes the frolic, 
 and they resume their garments and their gravity. The Indians 
 say that this practice hardens the bodies of the little fellows, and the 
 flagellation they get loosens their skins, and thus promotes their 
 gi'owth." 
 
 These untaught savages do not appear to have attained to 
 the scientific discovery in favor of the flagellation of children, 
 — that it is sahitary as a counter-irritant, in order to relieve 
 irritation within ; but they seem to have found out what may be 
 more valuable, namely, the means of preventing it. It proba- 
 bly Jljiad never occurred to them as a convenient safety-valve 
 for letting off the impatience, spleen, or ill-temper of the 
 parent. 
 
 A conversation with a chief concerning the ornaments with 
 which the Indians are accustomed to adorn themselves is alike 
 amusing and suggestive : — 
 
 " Their fancy for many articles could be traced to a desire to imi- 
 tate their somewhat more polished visitors ; and the absurdity, if 
 any there was, lay in the manner in which they used them. When 
 attacked upon this point, they would dryly refer to some of our 
 usages as equally absurd with their own. Talking one day upon such 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 27 
 
 matters with Altadsee, a sarcastic old chief of the Hanslong tribe, 
 I ridiculed the practice of covering their own and their children's 
 garments with rows of brass and gilt buttons, and loading them with 
 old keys, to be kept bright at a great expense of labor. ' Why,' said 
 he, ' the white men wear buttons.' — ' True,' I replied ; ' but they are 
 useful to us : the fashion of our garments requires buttons to secure 
 them.' — ' Ah ! ' said he, ' perhaps it is so ; but I could never discover 
 the usefulness of half a dozen buttons upon your coat-tails : and, as for 
 the waste of labor in scouring old keys, you are right ; it is very fool- 
 ish, and almost as ridiculous as the fashion, which I am told prevails 
 in your country, of placing brass balls upon iron fences in ft-ont of your 
 houses, to be polished every day, and tarnished every night. Truly,' 
 he added, ' Eijets hardi and Hanslong hardi cootnanous coonnug ' 
 ('White people and Hanslong people are equally foolish ')." 
 
 Their dwellings, furniture, and household ornaments are 
 thus described : — 
 
 " Their dwellings are of a more permanent character than those 
 of the Indians in the interior. In the winter villages, some of the 
 houses are quite large, covered with boards, and probably as com- 
 fortable as the houses in London and Paris are represented to have 
 been five centuries ago. I have seen houses upon the southern part 
 of the Coast more than one hundred feet in length, and forty in 
 breadth ; and Jewett, who was tAvo years a prisoner among them, 
 describes Maquinna's house at Nootka as a hundred and fifty feet 
 long. In articles of furniture, either for use or ornament, they are 
 quite deficient ; and their mode of living is so simple, that little is 
 required. The only ornamental articles I recollect to have seen in 
 their houses were copper tea-kettles. These we imported from Hol- 
 land, and carried to the Coast in large quantities. It would have been 
 almost sacrilege among the Indians to have degraded this beautiful 
 piece of furniture, as they esteemed it, to culinary uses. It was 
 placed in an elevated and conspicious position in the house, kept per- 
 fectly bright, and regarded with as much solicitude and care as I 
 have elsewhere seen bestowed upon a tawdry French vase, filled with 
 showy artificial flowers, and carefully covered with a glass case." 
 
 Of their usual demeanor, he says : — 
 
 " The Indians are not a joyous race, and have few amusements. 
 The only public ones are singing and dancing, and these not in a style 
 
28 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 calculated to inspire or indulge mirth. The women take no active 
 part in the dance ; but their pleasant voices are often heard in song, 
 sometimes with great sweetness and pathos. Their musical instru- 
 ments are a hollow cylinder, used as a drum, and rattles of various 
 sorts ; but they are only used to mark time, and stimulate the dancers, 
 who take great pains to prepare themselves for the occasion, and only 
 appear in full dress. When engaged in the war-dance, they cover 
 the head with scalps taken from their enemies, the hair filled with the 
 down of sea-fowl or the eagle. Their mode of scalping adapts it to 
 this purpose ; for they take off the whole skin of the head, preserving 
 it entire, with the hair attached. I cannot commend their grace in 
 the dance ; but their spirit is worthy of imitation. They engage in 
 it with some life and animation : at least it was easy to discover 
 whether the dancers were awake or asleep, — a fact not readily ascer- 
 tained in modern days in more polished communities." 
 
 After commenting upon the imperfect, prejudiced, and par- 
 tial descriptions of Indian character generally to be found in 
 books and in the stories of travellers, Mr. Sturgis thus an- 
 nounces the result of his own observation and study of it: — 
 
 " My own opportunities were favorable for observing and estimat- 
 ing Indian character ; but, even with a close and long-continued 
 intimacy under circumstances that tended to dispel the reserve that 
 an Indian maintains in his intercourse with strangers, I found it 
 scarcely possible to comprehend, much less to describe him, or to 
 understand his motive for much that he does. His character is made 
 up of incongruous and seemingly conflicting elements. The noblesf 
 impulses and best feelings of man's nature are in him closely allied 
 to brutal propensities ; and the bright and dark hues are so mixed 
 and blended, that at times they are scarcely distinguishable, and seem 
 lost in one another. He is, even to those who have most carefully 
 studied him, a mysterious being, and must remain so ; for we cannot 
 fully comprehend his impulses and motives: and doubtless Mr. 
 Schoolcraft is correct in remarking, as he does, that ' the civilized 
 man is no less a mysterious and unaccountable being to an Indian, 
 because his springs of action are alike unintelligible to him.' But, 
 while it may not be possible to comprehend all the anomalies of In- 
 dian character, enough may be discovered and imderstood to entitle 
 him to much higher consideration than he usually enjoys. Few have 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 29 
 
 the opportunity to make a just estimate of this race. Those who 
 form an opinion of them from the wretched, degraded remnants of 
 the tribes who formerly occupied New England, such as the Penobscots 
 and others, or from delegations from more distant tribes that are 
 occasionally paraded about and exhibited, like wild animals, as a 
 show, will do the Indian great injustice, and have a very erroneous 
 impression. To judge the Indian faii'ly, he must be seen, as I have 
 seen him, in his native forest, before he becomes contaminated by 
 intercourse with civilized men ; for, to our reproach be it spoken, 
 contamination and degradation invariably and speedily follow such 
 intercourse. 
 
 " In this original state, while he retains his independence, and pre- 
 serves self-respect, he is proud even of existence ; and it is not a 
 mere poetical fiction in the writer who says, that ' the Indian in his 
 primitive state stands erect, his foot firmly planted upon his mother 
 earth, surveys the wide expanse of Nature, and, with conscious superi- 
 ority, strikes his breast, and exclaims exultingly, " I am a man " ! ' I 
 have at times perceived the workings of strong and lofty feelings in 
 the Indian's bosom, that could not be more truly or happily expressed. 
 Mr. Catlin, with all his frippery, has given many interesting facts 
 respecting remote Indians, who, at the time of his visit, were little 
 changed by the intrusion of civilization ; and I doubt not his state- 
 ments may be relied on, with some little allowance for his evident 
 partiality for the red man. His conclusion, after a long residence 
 among them, is, in his own words, that ' the North- American Indian, 
 in his primitive state, is a high-minded, honorable, hospitable being ' ; 
 and in another passage he asserts, that ' the North- American Indian, 
 *in his native state, is an honest, hospitable, faithful, brave, warlike, 
 cruel, revengeful, relentless, yet honorable, contemplative, and re- 
 ligious being.' My own experience does not lead me to dissent from 
 this opinion. It may sound strangely to hear the Indian spoken of 
 as a religious being ; but, if a constant reference in all that he does 
 to the supposed will of his Creator constitutes a religious being, the 
 North- American Indian is eminently one. Mr. Schoolcraft, speaking 
 of the great tribes of the Far West, says, ' It would surprise any per- 
 son to become acquainted with the variety and extent to which an In- 
 dian is influenced by his religious views and superstitions : he takes 
 no important step witliout reference to them ; they are his guiding 
 motives in peace and in war ; he follows the chase under their influ- 
 ence, and his very amusements take their tincture from them.' 
 
30 MEMOm OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 " To the Indian, much that Ave do seems ridiculous and absurd ; 
 and some of the practices of civilized life are as revolting to his feel- 
 ings as their most barbarous usages are to ours. I have often been 
 struck with the comments of sensible Indians upon what they had 
 noticed or learned respecting our customs, particularly by those of 
 Keow, the principal chief of Caiganee, a place much frequented by 
 trading- vessels. Keow was, upon the whole, the most intelligent 
 Indian I met with. He was a shrewd observer, of quiet perception, 
 with a comprehensive and discriminating mind, and insatiable curi- 
 osity. He would occasionally pass several days at a time on board 
 my ship ; and I have often sat up half the night with him, ansAvei'ing 
 questions, and listening to his remarks. I have no doubt that our 
 conversation, first and last, would fill several folio volumes, even in 
 the sight-destroying type of modern pamphlet -printing. His com- 
 ments on some features of our social system, and upon the discrepan- 
 cies and inconsistencies in our professions and practice as Christians, 
 particularly in relation to war, duelling, capital punishment for depre- 
 dations upon property, and other less important matters, were perti- 
 nent and forcible, and by no means flattering to us, or calculated to 
 nourish our self-conceit." 
 
 This Lecture closes with a thrilling description of an Indian 
 execution ; which, but for its length, should be inserted here, 
 as a specimen of the rare powers of Mr. Sturgis as a writer ; 
 and is omitted only in the confident belief that the whole 
 course of Lectures will soon be given to the public, as here- 
 after suggested. 
 
 The third Lecture is devoted to the consideration of the 
 treatment of the Indians of the North-west Coast at the hands 
 of the white man, " showing that he was the aggressor ; and 
 vindicating the red men from the charge that has often been 
 brought against tliem, of wanton cruelty and unprq^voked 
 barbarity." Although evidently written under the influence 
 of strong feelings of commiseration for the wrongs inflicted 
 upon this unhappy race, such as a generous and lofty nature 
 could not but entertain in contemplating such a subject, the 
 statements made from his personal knowledge, and the his- 
 torical evidence adduced, seem fully to sustain his conclusion. 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 31 
 
 It closes with the following beautiful and touching declara- 
 tion, in which his descendants may hold his name embalmed 
 in precious remembrance, as that of a truly great and noble 
 man. No one ever possessed a larger power for evil or for 
 good, with perfect impunity in its exercise, than William 
 Sturgis* possessed on the North-west Coast; and nO man ever 
 exercised it with profounder humanity, more inflexible justice, 
 a more conscientious sense of responsibility, and greater kind- 
 ness, than he displayed towards these uncivilized, helpless, 
 and outraged inhabitants of the wilderness. 
 
 " "When I call up the past, and look back upon the trials and 
 dangers of my early pursuits, it is with feelings that I should vainly 
 attempt to describe. I have cause for gratitude to a higher Power, 
 not only for escape from danger, but for being spared all participation 
 in the deadly conflicts and murderous scenes which at times sur- 
 rounded me. I may well be grateful that no blood of the red man 
 ever stained my hands ; that no shades of murdered or slaughtered 
 Indians disturb my repose ; and the reflection, that neither myself nor 
 any one under my command ever did or suffered violence or out- 
 rage during years of intercourse with those reputed the most savage 
 tribes, gives me a satisfaction, iu exchange for which wealth and 
 honors would be as dust in the balance." 
 
 These Lectures were received with great favor by the 
 audiences before which they were deliverec^, and they add- 
 ed to the general respect previously entertained for-the 
 elevated character of the author, as well as to his literary 
 reputation. 
 
 The first effort of Mr. Sturgis as an author, in print, was in 
 the pamphlet upon the Oregon Question, before alluded to. 
 
 In the year 1821-22, the people of the United States were 
 startled by claims suddenly and unexpectedly made by the 
 Russian Government to the exclusive possession of the most 
 valuable portions of the North-west Coast, amounting virtu- 
 ally to the right of exclusive possession of the whole Ameri- 
 can continent north of the 51° of latitude, and of holding the 
 
32 MEMOIR OP WILLIAM STDRGIS. 
 
 Pacific Ocean as a close sea to that extent, although about 
 four thousand miles across. 
 
 The Emperor had issued a ukase to this effect, which had 
 been communicated by the Russian minister, the Chevalier de 
 Poletica, to our Government. By it, all foreign vessels coming 
 within one hundred miles of the shores of the territories so 
 claimed were declared subject to confiscation and forfeiture, 
 with the cargoes on board. 
 
 To Mr. Adams's inquiry for an explanation " of the grounds 
 of right, upon principles generally recognized by the laws 
 and usages of nations, which 'could warrant the claims and 
 regulations contained in the edict," M. de Poletica declared 
 himself happy to fulfil the task ; and he undertook in an official 
 communication to maintain them upon three bases, — the titles 
 of first discovery, of first occupation, and of peaceable and 
 uncontested possession for more than half a century. These 
 propositions he undertook to establish by a variety of histori- 
 cal references and statements, which certainly, to one not 
 otherwise informed, made out a very plausible, if not a very 
 strong case. 
 
 Such an event could not fail to excite the deepest interest 
 among those who were engaged in the trade on the Coast, 
 then at its height, and particularly in the mind of Mr. Sturgis, 
 who was thoroughly master of the subject by means of his 
 personal exploration of the most important portions of the ter- 
 ritory included in the ukase, and of the study he had made of 
 its history, both by inquiry of the natives, and in the published 
 Voyages of the discoverers and adventurers in those regions. 
 The importance of the trade at that time was so great, and 
 the indignity to the United States which would be involved in 
 a summary enforcement of the threat was so manifest, that war 
 between the two countries seemed inevitable, unless the jus- 
 tice of these claims could be demonstrated, or the assertion 
 of them should be abandoned. 
 
 Mr. Sturgis immediately prepared, and published in the 
 
MEMOIR OP WILLIAM STURGIS. 33 
 
 " North-American Review," a reply to them and to the seve- 
 ral arguments adduced by the Russian minister, w^hich, it is 
 believed, constitutes a refutation as annihilating as any to be 
 found in the records of political discussion. His familiarity 
 with all the essential facts and elements of the case from the 
 earliest known period, his admirable array of the argument, 
 and the clear and vigorous style in which it was presented, 
 leave nothing to be desired. It gave the coup de grace to 
 the most material portions of the claim, and secured for the 
 author an^ extensive reputation for being among the ablest 
 public writers, as he had long been among the first of the 
 eminent merchants, of his country. 
 
 In the subsequent negotiation with Russia upon the sub- 
 ject, she abandoned the chief of these vast pretensions ; the 
 United States conceding to her the exclusive right of settle- 
 ment within ten leagues of the sea north of latitude 54^ 40', 
 — that being the southern limit of the Russian possessions in 
 America thus extended. 
 
 The estimation in which this contribution to the " Review " 
 was held may be seen in the following remark concerning it, 
 in a note from the Hon. Edward Everett, dated 11th Octo- 
 ber, 1827: "This consideration naturally leads me to turn 
 my thoughts to those gentlemen whose assistance I formerly 
 enjoyed ; and, after the tributes which have been publicly paid 
 to your article on the North-west Coast, you cannot call it flat- 
 tery, if I say, that to no one piece was the ' North-American 
 Review ' (under my editorship) so much indebted as to that 
 with which you favored me." 
 
 The next subject upon wdiich Mr. Sturgis came before 
 the public, with his name, was the sad tragedy on board 
 of the United-States brig-of-war " Somers," under Command- 
 er Mackenzie, in the sudden execution of one of her offi- 
 cers and two seamen, without previous trial, on the charge 
 of an attempt to excite a mutiny. It took place in the sum- 
 mer of 1843 ; and no event short of the immediate danger of 
 
 5 
 
34 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 a foreign war probably ever excited the people of the United 
 States more profoundly. 
 
 It became the subject of universal animated discussion in 
 conversation, and of numerous heated articles in the gazettes 
 and periodicals of the day. A great majority of them were 
 in favor of Commander Mackenzie ; not only fully sustaining 
 him, but attributing to him extravagant praise for heroic con- 
 duct in the execution of those unhappy men. Among such 
 articles, the most conspicuous was one in the " North-Ameri- 
 can Review," which was written by a gentleman of= the legal 
 profession, and of eminent literary reputation ; and which, as 
 was remarked in the leading paper of the day, would " pass 
 down to future inquirers as the contemporary expression 
 of opinion of the ablest and most esteemed of the critical 
 journals of the country." 
 
 Indeed, so general at first was the belief of the justifiable 
 nature of the execution as a matter of irresistible necessity 
 (from the impulsive conviction that such an awful transaction 
 could not by possibility have otherwise taken place), that com- 
 paratively very few were found who thought otherwise, or 
 ventured to express such thoughts if they entertained them. 
 Mr. Sturgis, however, was one of the few who did entertain 
 them; and it is needless to add, that he therefore fearlessly 
 expressed them. 
 
 After the termination of the trial of the commander, for 
 the alleged murder of these men, by a naval court-martial, in 
 which, by a majority of three fourths of the members, the 
 charges were " found not to be proven," and after the publica- 
 tion of the evidence and the finding of the Court, and of the 
 article alluded to in the " North- American Review," Mr. 
 Sturgis published, as we have before stated, under his 
 signature, two articles, headed "The Somers Mutiny," and 
 " The Somers Mutiny, No. 2 " ; which may be found in the 
 " Semi weekly Courier" of August 7, 1843. 
 
 Great as was the confidence which his nautical experience. 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 35 
 
 cool judgment, and known honesty and independence of 
 thought, could not but extensively inspire, still no one could 
 have been prepared for the critical ability, literary skill, legal 
 acumen, and eloquence, exhibited in these papers. 
 
 The first was occupied, in part, by a consideration of the 
 existence and probable causes of the wide-spread popular 
 opinion in favor of Commander Mackenzie, but was mainly 
 devoted to a masterly, vigorous, and comprehensive reply to 
 the article in the "North-American Review." The second con- 
 tained a careful analysis and most able discussion of the evi- 
 dence, in which he maintained, " that the occurrences on 
 board the ' Somers,' after the arrest of Spencer, ought not to 
 have induced any cool, judicious commander, exercising an or- 
 dinary degree of judgment and discretion, to have thought it 
 necessary to put Spencer, C^'omwell, and Small to death for the 
 safety of the ' Somers ' and the security of the officers and 
 crew ;" and it closed in terms of unequivocal and very strong 
 condemnation of Commander Mackenzie, " not only for what 
 took place on board the ' Somers,' but likewise for his per- 
 severing efforts, in his official narrative, on his trial, and in his 
 published defence, to blast the reputation of the living, and 
 render odious the memory of the dead." 
 
 The following pathetic appeal may take rank with the best 
 specimens of modern eloquence : — 
 
 " It might have been thought necessaiy, for the vindication of 
 Commander Mackenzie upon his trial, that all the offences alleged to 
 have been committed by young Spencer on board the ' Somers ' 
 should be fully set forth. But what possible good can now result from 
 gathering and recording every doubtful anecdote of his boyish life ? 
 The reviewer does not give his authority for the stories he relates. 
 They may or may not be true. But, whether true or false, they are, 
 in my opinion, out of place upon the pages of the ' North- American 
 Review.' Let the dead rest. No deed of violence had been done by 
 the accused. The only charge against him is the intention to commit 
 a crime. And, were the charge true, surely a horrid death, under the 
 most aggravating circumstances, suddenly announced to him, with 
 
36 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 notice that ten minutes would be allowed him for preparation, — ten 
 minutes ! — in that fearful hour, for a child to pour forth to his 
 parents the agony of his soul ; to express contrition ; to explain all 
 that might palliate his ofFences ; to entreat their forgiveness, and to 
 invoke, as he did invoke, blessings on their heads ! — ten minutes for 
 life's closing scene, — to make his peace on earth, and prepare to stand 
 before the judgment-seat of God! — surely, surely, such a death 
 might expiate crime actually committed : let it atone for the intention 
 only to commit one, and let the dead rest. Spare the living too. If 
 the political eminence of the father must place him beyond the pale of 
 humanity, and leave him exposed to these attacks, be tender with the 
 mother ; respect her grief. She now finds consolation for her ago- 
 nized feelings in the firm belief that her son died innocent. Is it 
 generous, is it just, needlessly to shake her belief, take from her this 
 consolation, and add a keener pang to the anguish of a mother's 
 heart ? Sure I am, that only the want of due consideration could 
 have led the amiable and high-minded writer of the Review to follow 
 in the track of thoughtless newspaper-scribblers or venomous party 
 politicians, and by giving currency to idle gossip, or something worse, 
 heap obloquy upon the memory of the defenceless dead, and wound 
 afresh the lacerated and quivering feelings of the living." 
 
 These papers produced a great change in public sentiment 
 throughout this part of the country, the minds of many hav- 
 ing been previously uninformed of the precise facts, and of 
 the course of reasoning relied upon in justification of Com- 
 mander Mackenzie, most of which, indeed, could be fully 
 known only after the publication of the trial. 
 
 They should be preserved in some permanent form, not 
 merely as specimens of the masterly ability and independence 
 of the writer, but as the proper counterpart of the celebrated 
 article referred to, that it may not " pass down to future 
 inquirers as the [oiily] contemporary expression " of the 
 public opinion of the day ; the subject being, as Mr. Sturgis 
 in his introduction says, one which " affects in no slight 
 degree the reputation of the navy, the character of the 
 country, the sacred cause of justice, and the holy rights of 
 humanity." 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 37 
 
 But a still more important and signal service was rendered 
 to his country by Mr. Sturgis, upon the breaking-out of the 
 controversy between England and the United States, in 
 the year 1844, concerning the Oregon Territory; which con- 
 troversy the political partisans on both sides of the water, 
 in equal utter ignorance of the position and extent of the 
 country and of its history, and of the various rights of other 
 nations upon its coasts, were ready to inflame into open 
 war. 
 
 Here, again, his personal familiarity with the topography of 
 the Coast, with the course of trade on its various rivers, and 
 with the extent to which it had been resorted to and occupied 
 by foreign nations, and particularly by Spain, England, and the 
 United States, qualified him in a very peculiar degree, if not 
 exclusively, as far as an individual could be qualified, for the 
 formation of an impartial judgment, and for enlightening 
 others upon the subject ; and he proved himself as well 
 adapted to the task intellectually and morally, as he was by 
 this peculiar knowledge. 
 
 He prepared an elaborate treatise upon the subject, which 
 he afterwards delivered as a Lecture before the Association 
 above mentioned, in January, 1845, the substance of which 
 was soon afterwards printed as a pamphlet. 
 
 The matter w^as one of great perplexity and seeming con- 
 fusion, owing to the miscellaneous claims, made by Russia, 
 England, Spain, and the United States, of prior discoveries, 
 and of the use and occupation of various portions of this vast 
 wilderness, — bounded on the east by the Rocky Mountains, on 
 the west by the Pacific Ocean, with its numerous indentations, 
 bays, sounds, inlets, capes, and islands, and extending from the 
 forty-second degree of north latitude to that of 54' 40'; — and 
 constituting an area of seven hundred and sixty miles in length 
 from north to south, and of about five hundred from east to 
 west, with large rivers extending far into and draining the 
 interior. 
 
38 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 No one, remembering the agitation of this question at that 
 time, can be forgetful of the insensate cry of " Fifty-four 
 forty, or fight ! " which was so flippantly and recklessly ut- 
 tered by the party politicians of the day, in equal ignorance and 
 disregard of the truth and the right of the case ; or can for- 
 get the deep apprehension of a closely impending war, felt 
 by the friends of peace on both sides of the Atlantic. 
 
 In this treatise, Mr. Sturgis, after an exhausting exhibition 
 of the material facts of the case, and a setting-forth of the re- 
 spective claims and pretensions of the parties interested with 
 great clearness and judicial impartiality, arrived at the follow- 
 ing result : — 
 
 " Some of the objections made by the British commissioners to our 
 claims to the exclusive possession of the Avhole territory cannot be 
 easily and satisfactorily answered ; and some of their objections are 
 unfounded or frivolous, — the mere skirmishing of diplomacy, and un- 
 worthy of high-minded diplomatists : but it must, I think, be evident, 
 to any one who looks carefully into the whole matter, that sojne of the 
 pretensions of each party are, to say the least, plausible ; and that, 
 according to the rules established among civilized nations in similar 
 cases, each has some rights, which should be adjusted and settled by 
 compromise and mutual concession." 
 
 * He then entered upon a discussion of the various interests 
 which each party might be supposed to have in the possession 
 of these territories, and concluded by recommending the 
 adoption of the line substantially established by the subse- 
 quent treaty, but defined it in much more precise and clear 
 terms, which, if they had been copied, would have prevented 
 the possibility of misapprehension, and have saved the two 
 countries from the unhappy San-Juan controversy, which 
 still rankles as a thorn to disturb their friendly relations. 
 
 The line, as described in the treaty, is in these words : " From 
 the point on the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, where 
 the boundary laid down in existing treaties and conventions 
 between the United States and Great Britain terminates, the 
 
.MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 39 
 
 line of boundary between the territory of the United States 
 and those of her Britannic Majesty shall be continued west- 
 ward along the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude to the 
 middle of the channel which separates the continent from 
 Vancouver's Island, and thence southerly through the middle 
 of said channel and Fuca's Straits to the Pacific Ocean." 
 
 The line proposed by Mr. Sturgis was as follows : " A con- 
 tinuation of the parallel of forty-nine degrees across the Rocky 
 Mountains to tide-water, say to the middle of the Gulf of 
 Georgia ; thence by the northernmost navigable passage (not 
 north of forty-nine degrees) to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, 
 and down the middle of these straits to the Pacific Ocean ; the 
 navigation of the Gulf of Georgia and the Straits of Juan 
 de Fuca to be for ever free to both parties ; all the islands and 
 other territory lying south and east of this line to belong to the 
 United States, and all nortli and west to Great Britain." 
 
 It will be perceived that the insertion of the words here 
 Italicized would have rendered the definition of the navi- 
 gable pasg&ge intended, and of the territories intended to be 
 separated by it, too plain to admit of controversy. 
 
 This pamphlet was not only widely circulated among the 
 ministers and statesmen at Washington, but also among those 
 in England, where it met with almost universal approbation 
 for its intelligence and candor. 
 
 The writer of this Memoir feels perfectly justified, by the 
 evidence in his possession, in asserting that the settlement of 
 this dangerous controversy, by the line adopted, was mainly, 
 if not entirely, owing to this efibrt of Mr. Sturgis, and the 
 use made of it by the friends of peace in both countries. 
 
 It must be a rare fortune for any private individual, hold- 
 ing no official station, and in no immediate connection with 
 the statesmen conducting the foreign relations of his country, 
 to be thus instrumental in the final solution of two great 
 national controversies, which, but for his efforts, might have 
 terminated in disastrous wars. 
 
40 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 Both of these adjustments are monuments of his intellec- 
 tual ability and literary accomplishments, and call for a grate- 
 ful national remembrance ; but that of the Oregon Question 
 evinces the breadth of view also, and the rare magnanimity, 
 which enabled him justly to appreciate and honestly to vindi- 
 cate the claims of the adversary of his country, while firmly 
 maintaining hers. 
 
 To these qualities, signally manifested in this pamphlet, 
 may probably be attributed, in a great measure, its success in 
 moderating the views of his own countrymen, and winning the 
 confidence of the English rulers and people. 
 
 The three " Lectures " upon the trade of the North-west 
 Coast and the characters and manners of the Indian tribes, the 
 article in the '' North- American Review" upon the claims of 
 the Russian Government to that region of the American con- 
 tinent, and this discussion of the question in controversy be- 
 tween Great Britain and the United States concerning the Ore- 
 gon Territory, are the most extensive, authentic, and valuable 
 contributions to the earlier history of that part of the world 
 which have hitherto been made, and probably leave very little 
 for future gleaners. It is to be hoped that they will be em- 
 bodied in a volume for permanent preservation, as they would 
 constitute one without which no collection of books upon the 
 subject of America, and no historical library, could be account- 
 ed complete ; and to them, for the reasons above suggested, 
 should be added the papers on the " Somers Mutiny." 
 
 Such is the brief, simple narrative of the principal events 
 in the life of this extraordinary man. They sufficiently, per- 
 haps, proclaim the intellectual strength and moral elevation 
 which were the most conspicuous features of his char- 
 acter. His whole nurture, indeed, seemed fitted for the 
 cultivation of the sterner virtues almost exclusively. His 
 childhood and early boyhood passed upon a little sterile farm, 
 the labors of which devolved principally upon him, with no 
 room for mental expansion beyond the occasional privileges 
 
MEMOIR OF wrLLIAM STURGIS. 41 
 
 of a village school ; his youth and early manhood spent on 
 shipboard, in the rough companionship of the forecastle and 
 the steerage, or in the lonely watches of despotic authority 
 upon the quarter-deck, — breasting the tempests of the open 
 sea, or the more harassing perils of coastwise navigation upon 
 wild and inhospitable shores; his introduction to business 
 life in traffic with the savage inhabitants of the Coast ; 
 and his almost total seclusion, in most of the forming period 
 of life, from the opportunities of mental and spiritual culture, 
 and the influences of a refined civilization, — might well have 
 seemed calculated for the growth only of the heroic courage, 
 indomitable energy, self-reliance, and ability to command, by 
 which he was among all men pre-eminently distinguished. 
 To the general observer, his quickness of perception, clear- 
 ness of judgment, stern love of justice, fearless independence, 
 promptitude of decision, and dauntless resolution, — constitut- 
 ing a character of rare strength, — might often overshadow 
 its gentler traits, and sometimes might obscure these even 
 from his own consciousness. But there was a native urbani- 
 ty, a depth of affection, a readiness of sympathy, a generosity, 
 a refined nobleness of nature, manifest to those whom he 
 loved, or to whom friendship or any just claim gave op- 
 portunity for the exercise of them ; and these were exhi- 
 bited no less in his intercourse with the wild Indians upon 
 tlie far-off savage coast, than at the domestic hearth or in the 
 social circles of civilized life. And to these were added a love 
 of letters, a ready wit, a sense of honor, and an appreciation 
 of the courtesies and amenities of cultivated life, which might 
 seem hard to be accounted for under such rough training, 
 except in the natural structure of his mind and heart, — as I 
 
 steel of the hardest temper takes the finest polish. No one, 
 who knew him, ever doubted, that at all times and under any 
 circumstances, he would " dare do all that may become a 
 man " ; and no one probably ever lived more uniformly faithful 
 than he to the conviction, that " who dares do more is none." 
 
 6 
 
42 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 In turning to contemplate the character of Mr. Sturgis in 
 private life, we might naturally anticipate some diversity of 
 opinion ; as it is not possible for a man of faculties so various 
 and acute, and of such abounding energy, to produce on all 
 minds similar and harmonious impressions. His rapidity of 
 decision, strength of will, and entire independence in the 
 expression of his convictions, would, of necessity, at times 
 awaken a spirit of opposition, and sometimes, perhaps, excite 
 irritation ; although in his later days certainly, and throughout 
 his life so far as opportunity for observation on the part of 
 the writer of this Memoir extended, his convictions were al- 
 ways uttered with an urbanity, and a graceful disclaimer of any 
 want of deference to those of others who might diifer from him, 
 that entirely disarmed the hearers of any suspicion of arro- 
 gance or overweening confidence on his part. His early life 
 passed in necessarily entire reliance upon his own resources 
 and judgment in the most exciting, perilous, and responsible 
 duties, could not but have imbued him with some corre- 
 sponding degree of self-confidence, and may occasionally have 
 rendered him less accessible to conviction in matters of pre- 
 conceived opinion, than persons of inferior force of character. 
 But it would be a great injustice to his memory, for one fami- 
 liarly versed in his habits of conversation and discussion, 
 whether upon matters of business, or of speculation only, 
 not to bear witness to the courtesy and candor with which 
 his side of the question was uniformly maintained, and to 
 his readiness to yield to the stronger reason ; while instances 
 will recur to the minds of his friends, in which, although 
 not at first convinced, he would afterwards seek to make 
 known a change of opinion consequent upon further reflec- ■ 
 tion. 
 
 It may be, that many accounted him stern, who saw him only 
 occasionally, or when he was called upon to express opinions 
 concerning the management of public or private affairs, or the 
 policy that had been or should be pursued concerning them. 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 43 
 
 He certainly was stern in his hatred and denunciation of all 
 falsehood, equivocation, and pretence, under any and all cir- 
 cumstances ; and he had, perhaps, less indulgence or con- 
 sideration than most men for the weakness by which so many 
 are led into conduct and situations wanting in nothing of fraud 
 and criminality but the originating will. Perhaps, too, he 
 had less consideration for the imbecility of purpose, by rea- 
 son of which multitudes so often, more or less voluntarily, 
 become dependent upon charity or pecuniary aid. These 
 were natural consequences of his own peculiar habit of self- 
 reliance, and the hard discipline of self-denying economy, 
 severe labor, and unremitting effort, by which he had sur- 
 mounted the diflSculties of early life while dependent solely 
 upon his own exertions, and had without help attained to the 
 highest objects of his aspiration. Further : his own reflection 
 and observation had satisfied him, that the promiscuous giving 
 of alms was productive of far more evil than good ; and to 
 yield to importunity in begging would have been in him a 
 weakness instead of a virtue. 
 
 He rarely, therefore, gave to street mendicants, or in re- 
 sponse to the numerous calls made by individuals for pecu- 
 niary aid. And this has led to the belief, more or less 
 extensive, that he was wanting in liberality. But, without 
 claiming for him a pre-eminent spirit of philanthropy, or any 
 unusual degree of impulsive generosity, justice now demands 
 a reference to munificent gifts made by him, which, in his 
 lifetime, he took studious pains to conceal. 
 
 A short time before his death, he gave to the Observatory 
 in Cambridge the sum of ten thousand dollars, having before 
 made to it several valuable donations. Upon application to 
 become one of several to contribute for the payment of the 
 balance of the debt of this Society, incurred in the purchase 
 of its Hall, he promptly gave the whole sum required. Many 
 instances might be adduced in which he gave large amounts 
 for public charities and for private relief; usually, how- 
 
44 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 ever, accompanied with strict injunctions of secrecy. A 
 singular illustration of the misconception that may prevail 
 upon such a subject occurred soon after his decease. A gen- 
 tleman, who supposed himself well acquainted with Mr. 
 Sturgis, in speaking of him to another friend, remarked, that 
 it was to be regretted that " he was so close, and always 
 so unwilling to give." To which the person addressed replied: 
 " I do not know how that may be in comparing him with 
 others ; but I do know, that, within a short space of time, he 
 has, given ten thousand dollars to one institution and two sums 
 of one thousand dollars each to two other charitable purposes ; 
 and that he recently contributed five hundred dollars for 
 raising one of our regiments." The gentleman felt reproved, 
 but made no reply. He soon afterwards returned to apologize 
 to the living and the dead for his remark; saying, " Since I left 
 you, I have heard of two other recent instances of like liberal, 
 but secret, donations." It is known to a few only, that he 
 appropriated an ample fund of twenty thousand dollars for a 
 public benefaction, to which an allusion only can now be made. 
 This is held by trustees selected by himself to effect his 
 object ; which will be an enduring monument not only of 
 generosity, but of the most considerate wisdom and human- 
 ity. Few men probably, of equally extensive munificence, 
 take equal pains that the left hand shall not know what the 
 right hand is doing. 
 
 Nor was this liberality confined to the relief of suffering, 
 and the promotion of science and art. Mr. Sturgis was equally 
 ready to lay portions of his wealth upon the altar of sentiment, 
 and of reverence for the honored dead. 
 
 When, in the year 1834, the philosopher and philanthro- 
 pist, Spurzheim, died in this city, where his lectures ex- 
 cited a deep and extensive interest, and gave an impulse to 
 thought upon mental, moral, and physical development, — 
 the fruits of which have been ever since abundantly apparent 
 in our pulpits, lecture-room?, and schools, — his remains were 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 45 
 
 deposited with public honors at Mount Auburn ; and Mr. 
 Sturgis, who had listened to his teachings, soon afterwards 
 erected, at the cost of a thousand dollars from his own purse, 
 the beautiful monument which marks the place where rest 
 the remains of the beloved and honored stranger ; in testi- 
 mony, to use his own words, of " respect for the memory of 
 one, whose clear, comprehensive, and elevated view of the 
 nature of man marked him as the sound philosopher ; and 
 whose unwearied efforts to promote human happiness, by 
 physical, intellectual, and moral culture, placed him in the 
 foremost rank of the philanthropist of the age." 
 
 Instances might be adduced of his peculiar promptitude of 
 decision and action in emergencies of peril; but the enumer- 
 ation would be superfluous, as his character has been already 
 sufficiently shown to leave no question of it under any cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 With his abounding energy was mingled a magnanimity 
 and kindliness of feeling, which made him ever ready to 
 strengthen or aid others to whom his interposition might be 
 useful. The following note from Theodore Parker will show 
 to what extent an impromptu act of kindness may be service- 
 able, and in what manner it must have been rendered, to be 
 so long and so gratefully remembered : — 
 
 " Boston, Nov. 30, 1855. 
 " William Sturgis, Esq. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — Fourteen years ago this month, I delivered a course 
 
 of lectures on matters pertaining to religion in Boston. A few minutes 
 
 before I began to speak, while I felt such agonies of embarrassment 
 
 and fear as I hope never to knoAv again, you came and sat down 
 
 beside me, and- strengthened me. I have been thankful ever since ; 
 
 and now beg you to accept the volume which accompanies this note, 
 
 with the grateful regards of 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " Theodore Parker." 
 
 The act and the acknowledgment are equally honorable 
 to both parties. When will the woild learn that kindness and 
 
46 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 sympathy are, beyond all others, the most powerful levers 
 with which to move the human heart? 
 
 On another occasion, at an assemblage to listen to an ad- 
 dress from Mr. Wendell Phillips, some disturbance arose from 
 efforts made to prevent his being permitted to speak. Mr. 
 Sturgis, who was present, although he was probably as deci- 
 dedly opposed to the orator's peculiar sentiments as any 
 person in the room, immediately stepped forward upon the 
 platform, and, appealing to the sense of propriety and the 
 self-respect of the audience, and at the same time vindicating 
 the right of free speech, secured the meeting from further 
 interruption. 
 
 As an instance of the firmness of resolution which was so 
 marked a feature of his character, it is worth relating, that, 
 during his voyages at sea, he became greatly addicted to 
 smoking, insomuch that he was scarcely ever without a cigar 
 in his mouth in his waking hours. One evening, while pacing 
 the quarter-deck with this solace of his lonely watches in 
 his lips, the strength which this habit had acquired, as mani- 
 fested in the extent to which it had reached, suddenly 
 occurred to him; and, after pausing a few moments, he de- 
 posited the cigar upon the taffrail, saying to himself, '' I will 
 not take another until I change my mind " : and he never 
 smoked another in his life, except during the battle with 
 the Chinese pirates above described ; at the commencement 
 of which he called for his cigars, to the enjoyment of which 
 the circumstances doubtless gave a peculiar zest. 
 
 A similar instance is found in his total abstinence from wine ; 
 in the moderate use of which, in company with his friends, he 
 took great pleasure ; but, being satisfied that it had a ten- 
 dency to cause or aggravate a disease to which he was liable, 
 he abstained entirely from it. Of spirituous liquors he never 
 drank a glass in his life, being, as he said, so deeply im- 
 pressed with the evils of intoxication, that he early resolved 
 never to drink one ; and he never did. 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 47 
 
 No man was more faithful to the dictates of disinterested 
 friendship. Nor did his affectionate service terminate with 
 the lives of his friends; but it became the inheritance of 
 their families, in deeds of kind attention and assistance ren- 
 dered wherever acceptable. Nor did it cease even with his 
 own life, but was renewed and prolonged in testamentary be- 
 quests. Allusions to particular instances would be an offence 
 to him, whose affectionate consideration of others was ex- 
 celled only by his sensitive and scrupulous delicacy. One 
 instance, however, may not inappropriately be alluded to, as 
 illustrating this fidelity in the rendering of service, and test- 
 ing its genuineness far more than the bestowment of money 
 could have done. It is this, that, for a period of about thirty 
 years, he took entire charge of the very large estate of a 
 personal friend, absorbing equal time and labor with the care 
 of his own, upon the condition of never being asked to 
 receive compensation. 
 
 As to his personal habits, Mr. Sturgis lived in almost Spar- 
 tan simplicity, although liberal to his family in bestowments 
 upon his children, and in supplying generously all that con- 
 stitutes the comfort and substantial luxury of a well-ordered 
 household. His dress was always simple and unpretending ; 
 his furniture and equipage entirely without ostentation or 
 superfluity; nothing being expended upon works of art and 
 the elaborate adornments in which so many find great and 
 reasonable pleasure. These he held in very light esteem. 
 Although endowed with a keen sensibility to the beauties of 
 nature, as his writings abundantly testify, he appeared to be 
 singularly deficient in taste for art, always disclaiming the 
 capacity to derive pleasure from it. 
 
 No pictures adorned his walls, and no sculpture found 
 niches in his house. It seems difficult to account for this 
 inaptitude to enjoy that which by many is justly accounted 
 one of the choicest privileges of cultivated life. The only 
 solution which suggests itself is to be found in the habits ac- 
 
48 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 quired in the sevei'e simplicity of bis early days, and in the 
 self-denying economy which he was compelled to practise ; 
 limiting his expenditures to the absolute necessaries of life, 
 and discarding every indulgence in what seemed a super- 
 fluity, or might interrupt bis progress to the stations to 
 which he aspired. Perhaps tbis misfortune, as many may 
 deem it, was in part owing to the entire want of any oppor- 
 tunity for acquiring the rudiments of taste in art at the 
 period of life when the faculties and feelings are most sus- 
 ceptible to its influence. 
 
 One of the peculiar traits of his social character was a 
 ready wit, a faculty of repartee and badinage very rarely 
 excelled, and indeed not often equalled. But it was always 
 entirely under his control, and was never suffered to transcend 
 the bounds of a courteous urbanity, or of innocent amusement. 
 Indeed, it was not unfrequently the happiest means of con- 
 veying an expression of his affection and regard for his 
 friends ; and occasionally it found vent in versification, indi- 
 cating great readiness and felicity in such use of his pen. 
 Nor did he shrink from the practical consequences of his 
 merriment, if turned to account against him. 
 
 An amusing instance of his humor and readiness occurred 
 while be was in the legislature. In an animated debate, a 
 friend, whom he highly esteemed, ornamented an able argu- 
 ment, on the side to which Mr. Sturgis was opposed, with 
 somewhat numerous quotations in Latin and Greek. As soon 
 as he sat down, Mr. Sturgis arose, and remarked, " that he had 
 been much impressed with the very able argument to which 
 he had listened, and especially with the learned citations with 
 which it had been adorned, and which, he did not doubt, were 
 most apposite and illustrative, but which he, and, as he be- 
 lieved, a large majority of those to whom they were addressed, 
 did not comprehend, not having been taught the languages in 
 which they were uttered ; that he was not willing, however, 
 that his friend should carry off all the literary honors of the 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 49 
 
 occasion, nor alone have the benefit of producing conviction 
 by speaking in an unknown tongue ; " and, in conclusion, he 
 repeated several sentences in the Indian language of the 
 North-west Coast, affirming '' that they were as much to the 
 point, and doubtless as intelligible and convincing to most of 
 those present, as had been the quotations in Latin and Greek 
 with which the gentleman had favored them." 
 
 In commercial transactions and all matters of contract, 
 Mr. Sturgis ever acted upon the highest principles of mercan- 
 tile integrity. His extensive knowledge, quick perception, 
 and understanding of human nature, gave him decided advan- 
 tages over most men ; but such was the legitimate and honor- 
 able use he made of them in negotiation, that no suspicion of 
 his want of entire good faith was ever excited. Probably no 
 man ever lived in our community in Avhose integrity, or in 
 whose bare word, more implicit faith was reposed. 
 
 He had very large sums always invested in loans and 
 personal securities; but he never took more than the legal 
 rate of interest. In conversation, not long before his decease, 
 he said to a friend : '' I have never taken more than six per 
 cent, for the money I have lent ; and you may think this a 
 little inconsistent, when I tell you, that, if it were a question 
 of merchandise or stocks, I might make the very best bargain 
 I could, and use in a proper way any knowledge I might 
 have, which I had a right to, to give me the advantage. 
 It is not my habit, my taste, if you please ; and," he added, 
 " I always remember a remark which old Mr. Astor once made 
 to me, that the practice of taking usurious interest ' narrered 
 the mind and 'ardened the 'art.' " 
 
 His judgment upon all matters of investment was greatly 
 prized and sought for, and always freely and cheerfully given, 
 whatever might be his personal interests, — with the frank dis- 
 closure, however, of any that might be supposed to influence 
 his opinion. 
 
 His extensive and familiar knowledge of all branches of 
 
 7 
 
50 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 trade and manufactures, and of the intrinsic values of estates 
 Teal and personal, caused him to be much sought for as pre- 
 sident or director in many of the larger and more important 
 incorporated institutions ; the duties of which offices he 
 performed with exemplary disinterestedness, punctuality, and 
 fidelity. 
 
 The strength of the domestic affections in Mr. Sturgis was 
 in correspondence with the other elements of his character. 
 His love for his children and grandchildren was tender and 
 intense, and was his chief source of daily interest and 
 happiness, particularly in the later period of his life. He 
 imparted -to them liberally of his large fortune, and culti- 
 vated with them the habit of constant and cheerful inter- 
 course ; making his departure to be felt by them as the loss 
 not only of a natural protector, but also of a familiar compan- 
 ion and confiding friend. 
 
 The depth of his parental attachment was manifested on 
 the death of his son, — a youth of remarkable promise, both 
 intellectual and moral, standing at the head of his class in 
 the University, and equally conspicuous for every manly 
 grace and virtue. He was suddenly killed, at the age of 
 sixteen years, by a blow from the boom of a vessel, w^hile 
 he was on a sailing excursion. His father never recovered 
 from this grief. He had naturally placed the fondest hopes 
 in this only son, who had already become a proud ornament 
 of his advancing age ; who seemed possessed of every faculty 
 and virtue which the fondest and most judicious parent could 
 desire ; and to whom he looked for the transmission of his 
 name and reputation with increasing honor. 
 
 It was his first great grief; and its shadow darkened the 
 whole remainder of his life. At first, the intensity of his 
 agony was such, that no mention of the young man's name, or 
 allusion to the event, was ever made ; every one feeling, 
 that, though not prohibited, the allusion w^ould be but a fresh 
 excitement of an uncontrollable sorrow with whicli the father 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 51 
 
 was struggling. In his strong nature, he sought no sympa- 
 thy, preferring to suffer in the solitude of his own soul ; or 
 he dared not trust himself to converse on the subject, lest it 
 might betray him into a weakness to Avhich he would not 
 yield ; or he felt, perhaps, that his loss was so profound and 
 unutterable as to be beyond relief. This was indeed a sad 
 mistake, in which, however, he continued for many years ; and 
 it was not until he was far advanced in life, that he could bear 
 any allusion to this sorrow. But the " sable cloud " gradually 
 "turned forth her silver lining on the night," — in the sub- 
 dued intensity of his character ; the increasing tenderness of 
 his affections ; the touching sensibilit}^ which he manifested 
 when a parental grief befell any one, however unknown, or 
 otherwise a stranger to his heart; and in his manifestations 
 of interest in the friends of his beloved boy. He became 
 conscious of his error ; and, in a letter of condolence to a 
 friend in affliction, long after his son's death, he expressed his 
 regret that he had thus yielded to his first impulses; and coun- 
 selled free interchange of thought and feeling, as the natural, 
 and among the most effectual, means of relief. 
 
 About twenty years before his death, his love of his family 
 and his taste for the simplicity and surroundings of rural life, 
 led him to establish a home in the country during the summer 
 and autumn, where he could gather around him all his chil- 
 dren and their families. For this purpose, he selected a 
 spacious and commodious house, originally constructed for a 
 summer hotel, on the border of Horn Pond, — one of the most 
 beautiful and romantic of the many beautiful lakes with which 
 New England abounds ; and here they passed together many 
 delightful seasons in the most unrestrained enjoyment of 
 affectionate and confiding family intercourse, of a generous 
 hospitalit}^, and of all the simple luxuries Avhich country life 
 affords and country life alone can supply. 
 
 One side of the lake was bordered by very steep hills, 
 rising abruptly, and covered with deep Avoods. He was 
 
52 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STUEGIS. 
 
 wont in the evening to take liis boat alone^^under the deep 
 shadows of this shore, and remain there until quite late ; 
 where the solitude, evening grandeur, and utter stillness of 
 the scene, brought back to him, as he said, his early years 
 on the North-Avest Coast. 
 
 He indulged his grandchildren in the most unrestrained 
 liberty of familiar affection ; and many hours, of the deepest 
 interest to their parents and any visitors in the circle, as well 
 as to the little ones, they passed in his company ; when, 
 after frolicking with them in their childish games, he would 
 yield to their solicitations for some stories about the Indians 
 and the North-west Coast. Such narratives, beginning in the 
 twilight on the piazza, were sometimes protracted into late 
 evening, being enlivened with illustrations of the opinions or 
 religious character of some Indian like Kilchart, until the 
 listeners came to feel towards him as warm a personal friend- 
 ship as did the narrator. To use the words of one who was 
 familiar with his daily life there, " Those who then visited 
 Horn Pond will not easily forget, either the natural beauty of 
 the lake, with the densely wooded mountain rising beyond it, 
 or the images of those who dwelt there, and who have since 
 passed from this earth ; who were so full of life and joy and 
 radiance, and who entered so largely into the daily happiness 
 of him who has just gone to meet them. There was in their 
 character a loyalty, a straightforward truthfulness, a depth of 
 affection, and a nobleness of nature, that were evidently he- 
 reditary." 
 
 The death, thus alluded to, of two of his beloved daughters, 
 so changed the scene of such hitherto undisturbed and unal- 
 loyed happiness, and the effects of it Avere so great upon his 
 heart, that the associations and the contrast became too pain- 
 ful ; and this patriarchal summer home w^as, not long after- 
 wards, relinquished. 
 
 Mr. Sturgis would probably not be accounted a religious 
 man by those whose faitli demands the nurture of a prescribed 
 
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 53 
 
 ritual or of stated observances ; or by those whose piety 
 leads to a self-denying asceticism, as a means of propitiating 
 an offended God ; or by those who base their trust upon the 
 intellectual belief of a particular scheme of salvation ; or by 
 those whose idea of the whole duty and destination of man 
 is his exclusive culture and exercise of the devotional senti- 
 ments, regardless of the development of the other elements 
 of his nature. But, if an entire conviction of the existence 
 and attributes of God — as the Author and Supreme Gover- 
 nor of the universe ; as a Ruler of infinite power, justice, 
 and love ; and as having designed his children for ultimate 
 happiness hereafter, to be attained by means of the discipline 
 of life, and by conscientious obedience to his will as revealed 
 in his works, in the nature of the human soul, and in the inspi- 
 rations of the teachers whom he has sent in all ages to en- 
 lighten them — if this entitle any man to the appellation of 
 religious, it may be justly claimed for him. It is certain, how- 
 ever, that he made no especial pretensions to that character ; 
 and he would have infinitely preferred to be classed among the 
 unbelieving, rather than to be guilty of the hypocrisy, or the 
 blasphemy, of professing a faith that he did not sincerely en- 
 tertain. His views of God were, that he is a beneficent Parent, 
 who makes all things work together for good; and of death, 
 that it is but an exchange of worlds, alike for the departing and 
 for those soon to follow ; and these views were beautifully 
 illustrated in the following bequest in his will to one who was, 
 ^otherwise than by the incident referred to, almost unknown to 
 him : '' I give and bequeath to the Rev. John H. Morison, of 
 Milton, the sum of five hundred dollars, as a mark of my esteem 
 and respect, and approval of the manner in which he led the' 
 services at the funeral of my late friend, W, W. Swain, at 
 New Bedford. The cheerful and bright views of the change 
 which we call death, that ho expressed on that occasion, 
 are altogether in accordance with my own long-cherished 
 sentiments." 
 
54 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 The personal appearance of Mr. Sturgis was very im- 
 pressive. Although of rather low stature, his square frame, 
 upright posture, and whole movement, indicated great 
 muscular strength and energy. His head, rather closely set 
 upon the shoulders, was large ; his forehead, broad and 
 high ; his eyes were of dark blue, overhung by peculiarly 
 heavy brows ; his nose was aquiline ; and his mouth, when 
 closed, strongly indicative of firmness and resolution. His 
 countenance, when composed, was grave and full of expres- 
 sion, — a clear index of the dignity and energy by which 
 he was ever distinguished ; but, when lighted up by the 
 tenderness of affection or the joyousness of spirit in which 
 he abounded, or by the animation of conversation, it became 
 singularly beaming with his emotions ; giving to their utter- 
 ance a gentleness, strength, or vivacity, never to be forgotten 
 by those who enjoyed the privilege of familiar converse with 
 him. It is greatly to be lamented by his friends and descend- 
 ants, that an extreme aversion to having his portrait taken, or 
 any representation made of him by which his personal ap- 
 pearance could be perpetuated, has deprived them of the 
 treasure which a suitable likeness would have been. 
 
 The writer of this Memoir lays down his pen with regret. 
 It has been to him a grateful occupation to dwell upon the 
 character and remembered traits of one whose friendship, 
 although acquired in the "sear and yellow leaf" of old age, 
 had shed many refreshing influences, which he had hoped 
 still longer to enjoy. No one can be so sensible as himself 
 of the imperfect manner in which his pleasing duty has been 
 performed ; nor could any one have been more gratified, had 
 he been enabled to lay a more fitting tribute upon the grave 
 of one so much respected and beloved. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 I. 
 
 At a special meeting of the President and Directors of the 
 Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company, consist- 
 ing of the following members, George W. Lyman, President, 
 and William Amory, Edward Austin, Francis Bacon, J. Inger- 
 soll Bowditch, James M. Beebe, J. Wiley Edmands, George 
 H. Kuhn, Amos A. Lawrence, Charles G. Loring, Francis C. 
 Lowell, John A. Lowell, George R. Minot, and Ignatius Sar- 
 gent, on the twenty-third day of October, 1863, the following- 
 resolutions were unanimously adopted : — 
 
 Besolved, That, in the death of the Hon. William Sturgis, we 
 mourn the departure of one of the honored founders of this Institu- 
 tion ; of an officer, who, in continuous service from its original 
 establishment, has been devotedly faithful and zealous in the man- 
 agement of its affairs ; and to whose sagacity, knowledge, elevated 
 principles, and financial skill, it is in a great measure indebted for its 
 extensive usefulness, and the wide-spread confidence which it enjoys. 
 
 Resolved, That we shall ever hold in precious remembrance the 
 inspiring vivacity and urbanity, the acute sense of justice, the lofty 
 honor, and eminent ability, by which he was ever characterized in the 
 discussions and social intercourse of the Board, — causing his depart- 
 ure to be profoundly lamented, as that alike of the honored officer 
 and adviser, and of the respected and beloved associate and friend. 
 
 Resolved, That, in the death of this honored and eminent man, we 
 are mindful of his claims upon the respect and gratitude of his fellow- 
 
 8 
 
58 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 citizens foi' the great share which he has contribvited to the mercantile 
 prosperity and glory of the Commonwealth, by a long life of faithful 
 and successful service in the promotion of her mercantile and manu- 
 facturing interests, pre-eminently characterized by vigorous enter- 
 prise at sea and on shore ; by far-reaching sagacity and extensive 
 knowledge ; and by a high sense of honor and unswerving fidelity, 
 united with untiring energy and perseverance, — entitling him to stand 
 in the foremost rank of those who have established and maintained 
 her commercial reputation at home and abi'oad. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of these Proceedings be transmitted to the 
 family of the deceased, with au assurance of the sympathy of this 
 Board in their bereavement. 
 
 II. 
 
 The Standing Committee of the Cape-Cod Association held 
 a special meeting on Saturday, the twenty- fourth da}^ of 
 October, 1863, at eleven o'clock, a.m. The President of the 
 Association, on taking the chair, said, — 
 
 This special meeting is called for the melancholy purpose of 
 announcing to you the death of our venerable and highly esteemed 
 Vice-President, the Hon. AVilliam Sturgis. 
 
 In my official duty, gentlemen, I can hardly do more than commu- 
 nicate to you this sad event, and leave it to your sympathy and judg- 
 ment to propose the form of tribute most suitable to the occasion. 
 
 A record of Mr. Sturgis is, I am sure, broadly written in the heart 
 of each member of this meeting, and each page is eulogy. Known 
 to many of us for nearly half a century, his high qualities are deeply 
 engraved on our minds, and cannot be easily erased. His honorable 
 bearing, his cool judgment, and his considerate action under ditlicul- 
 ties, stamped him as an uncommon man ; and his extensive knowledge, 
 and his judicious inferences from it, made him a useful one. He was 
 consulted and prized by his associates, respected by the community, 
 and honored by all. 
 
 Mr. Sturgis, as you well know, was a native of the I'ilgrim Cape ; 
 and the right arm of the Commonwealth, our good old Cape Cod, 
 must ever venerate and lament him. He was true to them in all 
 
APPENDIX. 69 
 
 things. He made their interests his OAvn, and his head and his purse 
 were responsive to their wishes. 
 
 To this Association his loss is great. Mr. Sturgis was one of its 
 founders, and its largest pecuniary benefactor. The doings of the 
 Society had his sanction and support ; and under his encouragement 
 it has prospered. He has now gone to add to the galaxy of our 
 departed and distinguished officers and friends, — himself a bright 
 star among them, — and leaves a void in our organization not easy to 
 be filled. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Lothrop, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Thacher 
 were appointed a Committee to draft a series of resolutions, 
 expressive of the feelings of the Association on the death 
 of Mr. Sturgis, and reported the following, which were 
 unanimously adopted: — 
 
 It having pleased Almighty God, our heavenly Father, to remove 
 by death the Hon. William Sturgis, one of the Vice-Presidents 
 of this Association, we desire to put upon our Records an expres- 
 sion of our feelings and of our judgment of his character, by the adop- 
 tion of the following resolutions : — 
 
 Resolved, That, as members of the Cape-Cod Association, we receive with deep 
 regret the intelligence of the death of our distinguished associate, the Hon. 
 William Sturgis ; and, while we bow in devout submission to the divine will, — 
 grateful that a life so useful and honorable was so prolonged, — we lament that 
 another endeared name has been stricken from the roll of our oflBcers and mem- 
 bers ; and that we are deprived of the sj'mpathy and fellowship of one, who, 
 from the organization of our Society, — his signature being the Jirst attached to 
 its Constitution, — cherished a hearty interest in its objects, and exhibited a 
 ready zeal to promote its prosperity, extend its influence, and uphold its honor. 
 
 Resolved, That we sympathize with this community in the emotions awakened 
 by the death of another of its " merchant princes," whose name has been so long 
 associated with all that is manly and sagacious in commercial enterprise, lofty and 
 venerable in unspotted integrity, large and generous in Christian charity. 
 
 His warm heart made him a tender and steadfast friend. His strong intellect 
 and clear judgment made him a wise and safe counsellor. Singularly independ- 
 ent and honest in the formation of his opinions ; unswerving in lidelity to his 
 convictions ; of an impulsive temperament, guided by principle, and made amen- 
 able to conscience, — his character and career, honorable to himself and beneficial 
 to others, leave his name to be held in remembrance as that of a wise, just, 
 faithful, and benevolent man. 
 
 Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing resolutions, with the expression of our 
 sincere sympathy, be sent by the Secretary to the family of the deceased. 
 
60 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 III. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the Boston Marine Society, held 
 on the third day of November, 1863, the following Preamble 
 and Resolution were offered by Captain John S. Sleeper: — 
 
 Whereas Captain William Sturgis, who has been an active and 
 honored member of the Boston Marine Society for more than sixty 
 years, has been called away by the Almighty Power at a ripe old age, 
 to rest from his earthly labors. 
 
 Therefore Besolved, That the members of this Society will long 
 treasure the memory, and endeavor to emulate the example, of one 
 who justly deserved the character of a skilful sailor, an enterprising 
 merchant, a useful citizen, and an honest man. 
 
 The above was unanimously adopted, and ordered to be 
 placed on the records of the Society ; and a copy of the same 
 to be presented to the family of the deceased. 
 
 IV- 
 
 At the stated monthly meeting, held Thursday, Nov. 12, 
 1864, the President announced the death of Lord Lyndhurst, an 
 Honorary Member of this Society, and the death of the Hon. 
 William Sturgis, a Resident Member, in the following 
 terms : — 
 
 We may not forget, gentlemen, that, since our last monthly meet- 
 ing, two names of more than common significance have been stricken 
 from our rolls, — one of them the name of an Honorary, and the 
 other of a Resident Member. You would hardly pardon me for 
 omitting some brief notice of them before passing to the regular 
 business of the day. 
 
 The President then proceeded as follows : — 
 
 The Hon. William Sturgis died in this city on the evening of the 
 21st of October, at the age of eighty-one years. Born on Cape Cod, 
 
APPENDIX. 61 
 
 and taking naturally to the sea as the field of his early enterprise, he 
 soon rose to the highest rank as a navigator. His voyages to the 
 North-west Coast, and to China and the East Indies, at a time when 
 our commerce with those regions Avas in its infancy, were frequently 
 attended with adventures and perils of an almost romantic character. 
 They served at once to display and to develop the extraordinary 
 energy and bravery of his nature. Quitting the sea with a large 
 fund of commercial experience, and establishing himself in a mercan- 
 tile house in Boston, he became one of our most successful, enterpris- 
 ing, and eminent merchants, as well as one of our most esteemed and 
 valuable citizens. Wherever he was, on sea or on shore, he exhibited 
 a sagacity and an intellectual vigor of the highest order. Few men 
 of any profession have surpassed him in clearness of comprehension, 
 in quickness of perception, or in practical common sense. And no 
 man surpassed him in the courage to declare and defend his OAvn 
 opinions, whatever they were. Frequently a member of both 
 branches of our State Legislature, he was distinguished for his readi- 
 ness and ability as a debater. It was a rare thing for any one to get 
 the advantage of him in offhand, or even in more deliberate, dis- 
 cussion. Nor was his pen less ready than his tongue. His frequent 
 contributions to the public journals in former years, and his written 
 reports in the Legislature and elsewhere, would compare well with 
 those of most of our trained scholars. 
 
 During the controversy between Great Britain and the United 
 States on the subject of the Oregon boundary, his personal acquaint- 
 ance with that territory, and his familiarity with the whole history of 
 its discovery, were of the highest importance to our Government. 
 The lecture which he delivered on this subject before the Mercantile- 
 Library Association of our city, and which was printed at the time, 
 was one of the most interesting and valuable public discussions of the 
 question ; Avhile his private correspondence with distinguished states- 
 men, both at home and abroad, was well understood to have had no 
 small influence in bringing the controversy to an amicable and satis- 
 factory issue. 
 
 It was ouly a few months since that our departed associate and 
 friend promised me that he would put this correspondence into a shape 
 to be preserved in the archives of our Society ; and I trust that it 
 may still find its appropriate place here. I need not say that he had 
 given other evidences of his interest in our welfare. You have not 
 forgotten the announcement at our last annual meeting, that he had 
 
62 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 made a donation to our treasury of the whole amount needed to 
 complete the discharge of the mortgage on this building. Finding, as 
 one of the Committee to examine our accounts, that about twelve 
 hundred dollars would accomplish that result, he volunteered to send 
 me his check for the sum, on the simple condition that his name 
 should not be published in the newspapers. Mr. Sturgis has thus 
 entitled himself to be gratefully remembered among our benefactors, 
 as well as among our most respected and distinguished associates ; 
 and I am sure you will all concur in the adoption of the customary 
 resolution, which I am instructed by the Standing Committee to 
 report as follows : — 
 
 Resolved, That this Society has heard with deep regret of the death of their 
 valued associate, the Hon. William Sturgis ; and that the President be directed to 
 name one of our number to prepare a Memoir of him for our Transactions. 
 
 This resolution was seconded by the Hon. Charles G. 
 LoRiNG, who spoke as follows : — 
 
 Mr. President, — I ask indulgence for a few minutes to express 
 my concurrence in the proposed resolution. 
 
 My acquaintance with ]Mi\ Sturgis, although of long-distant date 
 as a general one, had ripened in the course of the past six or seven 
 years into a very cordial, and, I think I may say, somewhat intimate 
 friendship. Our intercourse, though at the first chiefly official, soon 
 became frequent, and far exceeding the necessities or ordinary routine 
 of business. I can therefore, I think, speak with somewhat of 
 authority concerning his claims upon our remembrance, and bear 
 testimony to the fitness of the record of it Avhich it is noAv proposed to 
 make. 
 
 In the course of a long and busy life, presenting many opportuni- 
 ties for observation and study of the characters of prominent men in 
 our community, I remember no one of more striking peculiarities and 
 harmonized strength than that of our deceased friend in his later, 
 and, as I am disposed to believe, his best days. For surely we may 
 reasonably account tliose the best, when effort and aspiration have 
 terminated in possession of the prizes of life, and opportunity and 
 disposition are given for the right enjoyment and use of them ; — 
 AvliL'u the vigorous faculties exerted in their attainment still find. 
 " ample room and verge enough " for gently exciting play in the 
 duties and incidents of family relationship and social life, in the 
 guardianship of the interests of others, and in the needed authority of 
 
APPENDIX. 63 
 
 ripened judgment in the general affairs of men ; — when the mellowing 
 influence of a long experience in self-examination, and in varied ob- 
 servation of the mingled and often undistinguishable strength and 
 weakness, virtue and frailty, truth and error, which compose so much 
 of the motley web of human life, has begotten that spirit of liberal 
 interpretation of motive and conduct which such experience alone 
 seems able to beget ; — when the standard of truthfulness, honor, and 
 fidelity to duty, has become the ever-ready and controlling test of 
 worth, and of claims for consideration and respect ; — and when a 
 subdued consciousness of the affection and respect of descendants, 
 relatives, associates, and friends, throws its mellow sunshine upon the 
 descending path of earthly life. And such Avere the peculiar blessings 
 of old age, in the midst of which our friend has left us. 
 
 The prominent elements of the character of Mr. Sturgis are too 
 generally and too well knoAvn to require minute description and 
 analysis on this occasion ; and the history of its formation would 
 demand more time and space than the occasion permits. Th<ey may 
 well become the subject of a Memoir for the archives of this Society, 
 of which he Avas a liberal benefactor and an honored member ; one 
 who has made material contributions to the history of a portion of 
 the country. It is enough for the present purpose, and in view of a 
 more eularge(i memorial, that we now recognize the marvellous 
 strength of that character, in the vigor of his intellect, his almost 
 unequalled quickness and accuracy of perception, his far-reaching 
 sagacity, his profound and comprehensive judgment, his keen insight 
 into human nature, his vmtiring energy, indomitable resolution, and 
 unflinching courage ; — that we recall to mind his varied and accurate 
 knowledge, extending far beyond the confines of his especial pursuits 
 and occupation ; his cultivated literary taste, his brilliant conversa- 
 tional powers, his genial disposition and inspiring vivacity, his 
 aptness in lively repartee, and happy social influences upon all around 
 him; — and that to these we can add the remembrance of his high 
 sense of honor, his unswerving loyalty to truth, and fidelity to every 
 trust. 
 
 These were traits of character obvious to all who came within the 
 circle of his acquaintance. But to these elements of strength and 
 power were united others, which, though less conspicuous, are yet not 
 less worthy of recorded remembrance. To them he added a tender 
 love and generous devotion to his children and ifelatives ; the most 
 considerate and enduring affection for his friends, extending after 
 
64 MEMOIR OF WILLIAM STURGIS. 
 
 their death to those dear to them, in continued deeds of substantial 
 kindness ; and an enlightened and extensive liberality, founded on a 
 mingled sense of duty and generous feeling, of which liberality many 
 institutions and individuals have been the recipients, but which, 
 during his life, remained mostly unknown, because of the uniform 
 injunction of secrecy, upon the pledge of Avhich the gifts were made ; 
 it being his constant effort in these ministrations, that his left hand 
 should not know what his right hand was doing. 
 
 With this hasty and very imperfect tribute to the memory of our 
 friend, I beg leave to second the adoption of the resolution. 
 
 The resolution, after a few remarks by Mr. Quincy, was 
 unanimously adopted. 
 
 The President nominated Mr. Loring to prepare the 
 customary Memoir of Mr. Sturgis. 
 
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