Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/420

396 and in 1862 he was chosen to administer the gov- ernment of Jamaica and its dependencies during the absence of Gov. Darling. He found this a matter of difficulty, as the inhabitants were dis- affected and on the point of rebellion. The col- ored population, constituting 97 per cent, of the inliabitants of the island, suffered from agricul- tural depression and loss of trade, and atti'ibuted their destitution to the misgovernment of their wliite legislators, who had recently increased the taxes and voted money for public works of a specu- lative character. They were further incensed by new laws prescribing flogging for petty offences, and introducing cruel punishments in the prisons. In 1864 Mr. Eyre was appointed captain-general, governor, and vice-admiral of the island of Ja- maica, and in OctolxM-, lS(i5, suppressed an insur- rection. The means tliat he adopted in accom- plishing this were censured by many in Great Britain, especially his condemnation to death of a rich mulatto, George William Gordon. A com- mission of inquiry was despatched to Jamaica, and Gov. Eyre was superseded temporarily by Sir Henry Storks. Though the report of the commission, published in June, 1866, disproved the charges l)rought against Eyre, he was nevertheless recalled, and on his arrival in England was prosecuted by the " Jamaica Committee " for his action in suppress- ing the revolt ; but this and other prosecutions, extending over four years, costing him £10,000, failed to substantiate the charges against him.

EYRE, Sir William, British soldier, b. in Hat- field, England, in 1805; d. in Warwickshire, Eng- land, 8 Sept., 1859. He was a son of Sir George Eyre. He entered the army in 1823, accompanied the 73d regiment to Canada, and was aide-de-camp to the lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. Sub- sequently he served in the Caffre war and attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He had command of a brigade in the Crimean war, and for his ser- vices was created a knight of the bath, a com- mander of the legion of honor, and a knight of the Turkish order of Medjidie. In June. 1856, he was appointed to the command of all the troops in Canada, and he also administered the govern- ment during the absence of Sir Edmund W. Head, the governor-general.

EYSTER, Nellie, author, b. in Frederick, Md., in 1831. She is the daughter of Abraham Bless- ing, and at the age of sixteen married David A. T. Eyster, of Ilarrisburg, Pa., where she resided till her removal to San Jose, Cal., in 1875. She has contributed frequently to "Harper's Magazine," " Saint Nicholas," and "Wide Awake," and has published in book-form "Sunny Hours " (1865) ; " Chincapin Chaiiie " (Philadelphia, 1866) ; " Gn the Wing " ; " Tom Harding and his Friends " (1869) ; " Robert Brent's Three Christmas Days " ; and " Lionel Wintour's Diary " (1882).

EYTINGE, Rose, actress, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., in September, 1835. She first appeared in Brooklyn as an amateur in 1852, and during the following year went west, ]:)laying with Hough's dramatic company. Later she was connected with the Green street theatre in Albany, and acted there for some time. Her first appearance in New York was in 1862 at the Olympic theatre, under the management of Laura Keene. where she filled an engagement of two weeks. Sid^sequently she was connected with Edwin Booth, and afterward was engaged at the Winter Garden theatre. In 1868-'9 she was leading lady in Wallack's company, play- ing Nancy Sykes. Lady Gay Spanker, Beatrice, and other characters. She then starred through the country in various roles, succeeded best in Rose Michel, and afterward played Gervaise in " Drink " at the Standard theatre. New York, making a great success. Subsequently she appeared in the titular role of " Felicia " at the Union square in New York. In 1880 she visited England, where she was well received, and in 1884 made a starring tour through the United States, playing in legitimate drama. While in Albany she married David Barnes, from whom* she was afterward divorced, and married George H. Butler, for a time U. S. consul-general to Egypt. Later she married Cyril Searle, who was her leading support while travelling.

EYZAGUIRRE (ay-thah-ghee'-ray), the name of five brothers, Chilians, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. — Agustin, statesman, b. in Santiago de Chili in 1766; d. there. 17 July, 1837. During the first days of the revolt of Chili against Spanish domination in 1810 he was a member of the mu- nicipal corporation of Santiago, and joined the revolutionary cause with enthusiasm, and in 1812 was elected deputy to the first congress. When, in 1813, Gen. Carrera marched to meet the invasion of Pareja, the senate appointed a temporary gov- ernment, and Eyzaguirre was elected a member. He took an active part in founding the national academy and many schools, and in promulgating the liberty of the press ; and during this adminis- tration the first republican paper was printed at Santiago. After the unfortunate battle of Ranca- guas, in October, 1814, he, with other patriots, was imprisoned on the island of Juan Fernandez, until the battle of Chacabuco, 12 Feb., 1817, restored the exiles to their families. During the presidency of O'Higgins, Eyzaguirre retired to private life and devoted himself to his commercial interests. Dur- ing this time he organized the famous Calcutta company, for direct trade between the East Indies and Valparaiso, and thus was the first that caused the Chilian flag to float in Asiatic seas. After the downfall of the O'Higgins government, 28 Jan.. 1823, Eyzaguirre was twice called to the executive chair of the republic, first as a member of the pro- visional government, and again after the resigna- tion of President Freire, whom he succeeded as vice-president, 10 Sept., 1826, to 36 Jan., 1827, when he resigned in consequence of a military mutiny, and returned to private life. — Miguel, jurist, b. in Santiago about 1770; d. in Lambayeque, Peru, in 1821. In 1805 he was appointed prosecutor of the royal supreme court of Lima, and afterward was made judge of the same court; but, on account of the participation of his brothers in the liberation of Chili, he fell under suspicion, was arrested and sent fis prisoner to Spain, but died on the way. — Domingo, philanthropist, b. in Santiago, 17 July, 1775; d. there in April, 1854. He studied in the seminary of his native city, and showed remarkable aptitude for mathematics and chemistry. When scarcely nineteen years old he was appointed assayer of the royal mint of Santiago, but resigned the next year, and devoted himself entirely to the cultivation of a farm near Santiago, inherited from his father. There his labors tended more to the improvement of the condition of the laboring classes than to his own pecuniary interest. He improved the yield of some of the poorest lands by his knowledge of chemistry, introduced modern agricultural implements, and, by giving his laborers better than the accustomed wages and caring for their moral and material welfare, soon assembled a colony of well-to-do and contented people. He also introduced looms, which, although imperfect, served to weave from native wool the coarse cloth worn by the peasantry. From the first years of his country life he agitated the project of a canal