Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/684

648 deacon and priest, he returned home in September, 1747, bringing a letter from the Society for propa- gating the gospel in foreign parts, signifying that the society approved of Mr. Learning for a school- master, catechist. and assistant minister. He en- tered upon his duties at once in Trinity church, Newport, R. I., where he did good service for eight years. Thence he removed to Norwalk, Conn., in 1755, where he continued for twenty-one years. Mr. Learning, sympathizing with the British gov- ernment at the beginning of the Revolution in 1776, suffered severely in consequence. He lost his furniture, books, and papers during Tryon's raid on Norwalk in July, 1779, and for a time was imprisoned as a Tory. After the war he was for several years minister of the church in Stratford, Conn. In 1783 he was chosen by the convention of Connecticut to be their first bishop, but declined the appointment on account of age and infirmities. In 1780 he received the degree of S. T. D. from Co- lumbia. The last years of his life were spent in New Haven, Conn. Dr. Learning published a " Defence of the Episcopal Government of the Church" (1766); a "Second Defence, in Answer to Noah Welles " (1770) ; " Evidences of the Truths of Christianitv " (1785); and "Dissertations on Va- rious Subjects " (1789).

LEAMING, Thomas, patriot, b. 20 Aug., 1748; d. in Philadelphia in 1797. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, studied law with John Dickinson, and practised his profession until 1776. He possessed a large landed estate in New Jersey, and was chosen a member of the conven- tion that met 10 June, 1776, to frame a constitu- tion for that state and declare its independence. This was done on 2 July, two days before the pas- sage of the Declaration of Independence by con- gress. Throughout the whole exciting session of this convention, Mr. Learning's votes and influ- ence were invariably given to the patriot cause. He declined to accept the protection offered by the British to those who would not bear arms against them, although such refusal rendered his property liable to confiscation. He returned to Philadel- phia, and, as soon as war was decided upon, joined the patriot army and, after obtaining a knowledge of military tactics, returned to New Jersey to arouse the people in the neighborhood of his estates. He first obtained the signatures of every able- bodied man in the county to a paper pledging them to support their country, and afterward en- rolled them in a battalion which he drilled, officered, and equipped. Going back to Philadelphia he joined the 1st city troop of light horse, which acted as a body-guard to Gen. Washington in 1776-'7, un- til the formation of the regular Continental cav- alry. He afterward took part in the battle of Ger- man town, 4 Oct., 1777, and remained a member of the troop until his death. The war having closed the courts, he began business as a merchant, be- coming the moneyed partner in the house of A. Banner and Co. Notwithstanding the fact that the firm lost largely by the dishonoring by congress of, the Continental currency, they persisted in im- porting large quantities of ammunition and other necessaries of war, and, at a time when the new government had neither money nor credit, fur- nished from their stock a large quantity of such equipments as were needed. At the time when the army, dispirited by defeat and in want of the common necessaries of life, turned for succor to a bankrupt government, the sum of £260,000 was subscribed for their relief by the merchants of Philadelphia. The list was headed by Robert. Morris and Blair McClennaghan with £10,000 each. The next largest subscription was that of Mr. Learning's firm, which gave £6,000. The latter was also largely engaged in privateering, and Mr. Learning said, in 1785, that their vessels had cap- tured fifty prizes and over 1,000 prisoners.

LEANDRO DO SACRAMENTO (lay-an'-dro), Brazilian naturalist, b. in Rio Janeiro, 16 Oct., 1762; d. there, 7 April, 1809. He received his early education in his native city, but finished his studies in Coimbra, Portugal, and became a Car- melite friar in 1784. He returned afterward to Rio Janeiro, and until his death was president of the botanical garden, which he greatly improved. He specially directed his attention to the studies of the Balanophorei, and gave valuable assistance in preparing the "Flora Brasilica" (1799-1828), He was a corresponding member of the Academies of sciences in Paris, Berlin, and Vienna, and pub- lished many papers in the proceedings of those so- cieties. He wrote most of his works in French. They include " Memoires sur les Archimedees ou Balanophorees, plantes particulieres a l'Amerique meridionale" (3 vols., Rio de Janeiro and Paris, 1798); the botanical part of Geoff roy St. Hilaire's " Voyage dans le district des diamants et sur le littoral du Bresil " (6 vols., Paris, 1805) ; " Me- moires sur les legumineuses arborescentes de l'Ame- rique du Sud " (5 vols., Rio de Janeiro and Paris, 1806) ; " Etudes sur les champignons propres a l'Amerique du Sud" (2 Vols., 1807); and "Me- moires sur la famille des pommes de terre, iguames, couscous, et autres varietes propres a, l'Amerique du Sud" (6 vols., 1808). Many of these are ac- companied by colored plates.

LEAR, Tobias, diplomatist, b. in Portsmouth, N. H.. 19 Sept., 1762; d. in Washington, D. C. 11 Oct., 1816. He was graduated at Harvard in 1783, and in 1785 became private secretary to Gen. Washington. For several years he attended to the details of Washington's domestic affairs, and was liberally remembered by him in his will. In 1802 Mr. Lear was consul-general at Santo Domingo, and in 1804 was made consul-general at Algiers. In 1805 he was appointed commissioner to conclude a peace with Tripoli, but discharged this duty in a manner that gave umbrage to Gen. William Eaton (q. v.), who, in concert with Isaac Hull and Hamet Caramelli, the deposed bey, had gained im- portant advantages over the reigning bey. It was thought that to accept terms of peace at this junc- ture was to throw away the fruits of hard-earned success, but Mr. Lear's conduct was approved by his government, though much censured by a part of the public. He returned shortly afterward to the United States, and was employed in Washing- ton as accountant for the war department until the time of his death by his own hand.

LEARNED, William Law, jurist, b. in New London, Conn., 24 July, 1821. He was graduated at Yale in 1841, studied law in New London and in Troy, N. Y., was admitted to the bar in 1844, and practised in Albany, N. Y., until 1870, when he was appointed by Gov. John T. Hoffman a justice of the supreme court to fill a vacancy. In the same year he was the Democratic nominee for the office, and was retained in it by the popular vote. In 1875 Gov. Samuel J. Tilden appointed him presiding justice of the third division. At the close of his term he was continued on the bench in the election of 1884, and reappointed presiding justice by Gov. Grover Cleveland. He has been a pro- fessor in the Albany law-school since 1874. lecturing on equity, Roman law, and trials of cases, and is president of that institution. Judge Learned edited " Madame Knight's Journal " (Albany, 1865)