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2 ABASCAL (ab-as-cal'), José Fernando, Spanish soldier, b. in Oviedo, Asturias, in 1743; d. in Madrid in 1821. He entered the army in 1762, and after serving for twenty years was promoted to the rank of colonel, and during the war against the French to that of brigadier-general. In 1796 he went to Cuba, assumed the command as viceroy, and took an active part in the defence of Havana when that city was attacked by an English fleet. Afterward he was commander in New Galicia, and still later viceroy of Peru, his great ability and tact being especially beneficial to those countries. He also defended Buenos Ayres from the English, and at the same time repressed revolts in Lima and in Cuzco; but being unsuccessful in some operations, he was recalled in 1816. Four years before he had been created Marqués de la Concordia, in allusion to his conciliatory policy in Peru, which prevented trouble between the natives and the Spanish residents. See Stevenson's "Twenty Years' Residence in South America" (London, 1825).

ABASOLO, Mariano, Mexican patriot, b. near Dolores, Guanajuato, about 1780; executed at Chihuahua, 1 Aug., 1811. He became conspicuous during the Mexican war for independence, and was a colonel in the patriot army of Hidalgo, distinguishing himself during the campaigns that opened the war, and was exceptionally humane in his treatment of prisoners. He took part in the engagement at Las Cruces, and fled with Hidalgo after the disastrous fight at Arce de Calderon; was captured by the government troops, and shot in company with his chief. Their bodies were exposed on poles and left unburied until 1822.

ABBADIE de St. Germain (ab-bah-dee'), governor, b. about 1710; d. in New Orleans, 4 Feb., 1765. He was sent to America by Louis XV. of France, to take charge of certain royal business interests in New Orleans, and was granted military authority over the affairs of the province. His administration was marked by great wisdom. Restraining the tendency to brutality on the part of masters toward their slaves, he secured the good will of the best people in the community. In his dealings with the Indians he was equally successful, and his memory is piously cherished in the French parishes. As the result of the sale of Louisiana to Spain in 1762, Gov. Abbadie was ordered in 1764 to resign his command to a Spanish representative, and he died of grief, caused by the necessity of surrendering his charge to those whom he regarded as enemies. There appears to be no record of his Christian name.

ABBADIE, Antoine Thomson d', explorer, b. in Dublin, Ireland, in 1810; d. in 1896. With his younger brother, Arnaud Michel, he was early taken to France by his father, a Frenchman. In 1835 he was sent by the academy of sciences on an exploring expedition to Brazil, where he remained nearly two years. In 1873 he published "Observations relatives à la physique du globe, faites au Brésil et en Ethiopie" in four volumes. His other works do not relate to South America.

ABBE, Cleveland, meteorologist, b. in New York city, 3 Dec., 1838. He was graduated at the New York free academy in 1857, taught mathematics in Trinity Latin school for a year, and then went to Michigan university, where he studied astronomy under Prof. Brünnow, and taught the higher mathematics in the scientific school. From 1860 to 1864 he lived at Cambridge, Mass., where Dr. B. A. Gould, the astronomer, assigned him the telegraphic longitude work of the U. S. coast survey. The years 1865–'66 he spent mainly at the Imperial observatory at Pulkova, near St. Petersburg, Russia, as the guest of the resident staff of observers. After a short sojourn at Washington, he was chosen director of the Cincinnati observatory. This was in 1868, and he soon proposed an enlargement of the scope of the institution to include terrestrial physics so far as they relate to astronomy. Investigation of the subject led him to suggest that Cincinnati should be made the headquarters of meteorological observation for the United States, for the purpose of collecting and comparing telegraphic weather-reports from all parts of the land, and making deductions therefrom. The Cincinnati chamber of commerce saw the value of the suggestion, and accepted his proposition. Sept. 1, 1869, he began the publication of the "Weather Bulletin of the Cincinnati Observatory." Prior to this time (1856) the Smithsonian Institution had used the telegraph for weather-forecasts, but these were not sent out for the benefit of the public at large. The favor with which the Cincinnati project was received was brought to the attention of congress through the efforts of H. E. Paine, M.C. (Wis.), and H. L. Dawes (Mass.) [see House Bill 602, Dec. 19, 1869], and, by a joint resolution of 9 Feb., 1870, the secretary of war was directed to provide for taking meteorological observations at military posts in the interior of the continent, and on the lakes and sea-coasts, with the design of giving warning of the approach and probable force of storms. In January, 1871, Gen. Albert J. Myer, chief of the army signal service, was directed to take charge of the new weather bureau, and he appointed Prof. Abbe his meteorologist, whose duty it was to prepare "probabilities" or storm warnings. Prof. Abbe became popularly known as "Old Probabilities," and under his direction the service soon reached the high degree of efficiency that it has since maintained. For about one year, or until competent assistants could be trained, Prof. Abbe in person did the work of collating and tabulating, which had to be done three times a day. The publication of the "Monthly Weather Review" and the "Bulletin of International Simultaneous Observations" was begun under his supervision. His publications, astronomical and meteorological, are very numerous, and his contributions to current periodicals, cyclopædias, and books of reference are well known to astronomers.

ABBEVILLE, Claude d' (dab'-veel), French missionary, d. in Paris in 1632. He was connected with the mission of the Capucin Fathers on the island of Maragnan, near the coast of Brazil, which was established in 1612. In his "History" of the mission he describes the customs of the natives of the island and of the neighboring parts of the American continent.

ABBEY, Edwin Austin, artist, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1852. He was a pupil of the Pennsylvania academy, Philadelphia, and has devoted himself chiefly to drawing illustrations for books and magazines, but since 1875 has done excellent work in water-colors. He removed in 1883 from New York to London, where