Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/342

320 make use of the troops, sayinj?, " I am prepared to bear any amount of obloquy that may be cast upon me, but, if I can possibly prevent it, no stain of blood shall rest upon my name.'" He thought it right, however, to offer his resignation to the home government, but it was not accepted. The minor- ity in Canada then made an unsuccessful appeal to the British parliament to have the obnoxious bill rescinded. Toward the end of September of the same year the arrest of some persons charged with being implicated in burning the parliament build- ing produced a second outbreak, during which a young man was killed, and his funeral was made the pretext for a riotous demonstration. The mag- istrates of Montreal requested Lord Elgin to pro- claim martial law, but he still refused, and the mal- contents were finally quieted by a proclamation from the mayor. During the autumn, to disprove the statement that he required protection. Lord Elgin visited western Canada, without military escort, and was received with enthusiasm, except in a few of the large cities, where his opponents were able to cause disturbances. Lord Elgin's policy of conciliation was regarded by some of his warmest friends in Great Britain as weak and nerve- less, but, after the passion consequent upon these events had subsided, it was clearly perceived that it required greater courage to submit patiently to unjust reproaches than to crush opposition by a display of force. But a new ti'ouble soon followed the commotion over the losses bill. In 1849, dur- ing a period of commercial depression, a manifesto appeared urging annexation with the United States, which was signed by many prominent men through- out Canada. This remedy had often been offered for the same evil, and to put a stop to such sug- gestions the governor proposed free navigation and a reciprocity treaty with the United States, at the same time assenting to the dismissal of all officials who had signed the annexation manifesto. In June, 1849, the abolishing of the imperial naviga- tion laws resulted in greatly stimulating Canadian trade, and, after several years of fruitless diplo- macy. Lord Elgin went, in 1854, to Washington, where he negotiated a treaty with Sec. Marcy, which was ratified by the senate, and continued in force till it was terminated in 1864 by President Lincoln. Other important measures of Lord El- gin's administration were the repeal of the impe- rial act relating to the clergy reserves in 1853, the devotion of those reserves to education and oth- er public purposes in 1854, and the abolition of seignorial tenure in Lower Canada in the same year. Lord Elgin never opposed the popular voice, as expressed by the majority in parliament. His principle was " to let the colony have its own way in everything that was not contrary to public mo- rality or to some imperial interest." The constitu- tion of the legislative council early attracted his attention, and, in a letter to Earl Grey in 1850, he expressed himself as favoring its being made elec- tive, but the proposition met, strangely enough, with a most determined opposition from such re- formers as Robert Baldwin, George Brown, and others. He deserves the credit of setting before himself the noblest ideal of free colonial govern- ment, and of having largely realized it in practice. He surrendered the government to his successor in December, 1854, and on his return to England de- clined the chancellorship of the duchy of Lancas- ter. In 1857 he was appointed high commissioner to China during the trouble with that country, and, after penetrating with British troops to Pekin in June, 1858, concluded the treaty of Tientsin with the Chinese government. He became postmaster-general, and in 1861 accepted the governor-generalship of India. He left England, to assume his new duties, in January, 1862, and during the period that elapsed before his death was successful in his administration of the government.

ELIAS, Domingo (ay-lee'-as), Peruvian states- man, b. in lea, Peru, in 1805 ; d. in Lima in 1867. He was educated in Spain and France, returned to Peru in 1825, and from the beginning took great interest in the new republic. He was the first in Peru to turn his attention to the planting of cot- ton on a large scale, and to the elaboration of wines, and the first that introduced there Chinese la- borers. He founded in Lima the College of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. When Gen. Vivanco head- ed the revolution of Arequipa, i]lias was the first to lend him a helping hand. Elias was then tem- porarily in charge of the government at Lima, and he was asked to exert his influence with the oppos- ing armies, in order to avoid war, and to appeal to the country for a decision. But Vivanco and Cas- tilla preferred to settle the matter by arms, and Vivanco was defeated at the battle of Carmen Alto in 1844. Elias surrendered the command to the one designated by law, elections were held, and Castilla was chosen 1 April, 1845. Elias was then appointed councillor of state and elected to con- gress. At the expiration of his term of office, he was a popular candidate for the presidency, and it was the first time that serious eiforts were made to elect a candidate from civil life ; but the mili- tary candidate, Gen. Echenique, was proclaimed constitutional president in 1851. In 1854 Elias proclaimed a revolution at lea, and at his own ex- pense organized a division, with which he offered battle to the government forces at Saraja, and was defeated. He then marched southward, to confer with Gen. Castilla, who had proclaimed a revolu- tion at Arequipa. Castilla advanced upon Cuzco to organize his army, and Elias remained in the department of Moquegua, as chief commander of the south. Elias suddenly attacked the city of Arequipa, 1 Dec, 1854, and the government forces were defeated. A few days afterward the liberat- ing army approached the capital, and Gen. Castilla won the victory of Palma, 5 Jan., 1855. This revolution was of great benefit to Peru, as it freed the slaves, and abolished the Indian taxes. Gen. Castilla, as provisional president, org;iiiized his cabi- net, and appointed Elias secretary of the treasury, who soon afterward was sent to France as minister. In 1858 he was nominated for president of the re- pulilic, but was not elected.

ELIOT, Andrew, clergyman, b. in Boston, Mass., 28 Dec, 1718 ; d. there 18 Sept., 1778. His great-grandfather, Andrew Elliott, of Somerset- shire, settled in Beverly, Mass., about 1683. He was graduated at Harvard in 1737, and in 1742 was ordained as colleague pastor with Mr. W^ebb, of the New north church in Boston, where he re- mained until his death, being sole pastor after 1750. The University of Edinburgh gave him the degree of D. D. in 1767, and in 1765 he was chosen to the corporation of Harvard, afterward declining an election to the presidency in 1773. During the British occupation of Boston. Dr. Eliot did much to alleviate the sufferings of the people, but, not- withstanding his devotion to the patriot cause, his moderation won him the respect of the royalists. When Gov. Hutchinson's house was plundered by a mob. Dr. Eliot saved a large number of valuable manuscripts, including the second volume of the " History of Massachusetts Bay." He was much interested in the conversion of the Indians, and labored for the passage of an act, which was after-