Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 4).djvu/285

Rh MASON, William Powell, lawyer, b. in Bos- ton, Mass., 9 Dec, 1791 : d. in 18G7. ' He was gradu- ated at Harvard in 1811, studied law, and was ad- mitted to the bar. Subsequently he succeeded John Gallison as reporter of the first circuit of the United States. He published " Reports of Cases in the Circuit Court of the United States for the First Circuit, from 1816 to 1830 " (5 vols., Boston, 1819-31), and a second series (5 vols., 1836). The decisions in these reports, comprising those of Mr. Justice Story, relate to a great variety of subjects, constitutional, admiralty, personal, and real law and chancery, and are characterized by " the pro- found learning, acuteness, and thoroughness of research " that are distinguishing traits of their author. See an article by Henry Wheaton in the "North American Review" (vol. viii., p. 253).

MASSASOIT, Indian chief, b. in what is now Massachusetts about 1580; d. there in the autumn of 1660. His dominions extended over nearly all the southern part of Massachusetts, from Cape Cod to Narragansett bay, but his tribe, the Wampanoags, once supposed to have numbered several thousand, had been, shortly before the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, reduced to about 300 warriors by a disease supposed to have been yellow fever. In March, 1621, three months after the founding of Plymouth, an Indian named Samoset entered the town and exclaimed in English, which he had learned from the Penobscot fishermen, &ldquo;Welcome, Englishmen!&rdquo; He announced himself as the envoy of Massasoit, &ldquo;the greatest commander of the country.&rdquo; After some negotiation the latter came in person and was received with due ceremony. A treaty of friendship was then completed in few and unequivocal terms. Both parties promised to abstain from mutual injuries, and to deliver offenders; the colonists were to receive assistance if attacked, to render it if Massasoit should be unjustly assailed. The treaty included the confederates of the sachem, and is the oldest act of diplomacy recorded in New England. It was sacredly kept for fifty-four years, the friendly disposition of Massasoit toward the colonists never relaxing. His residence was within the limits of what is now the town of Warren, R. I., near an abundant spring of water which still bears his name. Roger Williams, when banished from the Massachusetts colony and on his way to Providence, was entertained by him for several weeks at this place. Massasoit was humane and honest, never violated his word, and constantly endeavored to imbue his people with a love of peace. He kept the Pilgrims advised of any warlike designs toward them by other tribes. In person, says Nathaniel Morton in his &ldquo;New England's Memorial,&rdquo; he was &ldquo;a very lusty man in his best years, an able body, grave of countenance, and spare of speech.&rdquo; Two of his sons were named Wamsutta and Pometacom. Soon after the death of Massasoit these sons went to Plymouth and requested the Pilgrims to give them English names. The court named them Alexander and Philip. The former became chief sachem, but died within a year, and was succeeded by his brother Philip (q. v.).

MASSE, Enemond, clergyman, b. in France in 1574 ; d. in Canada, 12 May, 1646. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1596, and was sent by his su- periors to Port Royal (now Annapolis), in Acadia, where he landed, 12 June, 1611. Every obstacle was thrown in their way by Biencourt, the governor of the settlement, a boy of eighteen, and at last, in despair, he resolved to return to Europe. But after embarking he was forced by Biencourt to re-land and treated with great indignity. At last the Marchioness de Guercheville, who had supplied the funds for the enterprise, resolved to found a mission colony in some other place. A vessel was fitted out which sailed for Port Royal, took Masse on board, and landed him on Mount Desert island. Here he established a mission settlement under the name of the Holy Saviour. A fort was built, but it was soon after attacked by Samuel Argal {q. v.), who took the missionaries and most of the colonists to Virginia. Masse appears to have been allowed to return to France in 1614. According to one account he was turned adrift in a small boat and picked up by a French vessel. He endeavored to persuade the younger members of his order to follow him to Canada, whither he returned in 1625. He labored among the Algonquins and Montagnais till Quebec was taken in 1629, when he was a sec- ond time made prisoner. In 1633 he was again sent to Canada, and remained there till his death.

MASSEY, Eyre, Lord Clarina, British soldier, b. in County Limerick, Ireland, 24 May, 1719 ; d. in Bath, England, 17 May, 1804. He entered the British army at an early age, was wounded at Cul- loden in 1745, and again at Morro castle, Havana, where he led the grenadiers that stormed and cap- tured it, and also served at the taking of Marti- nique. He was one of Wolfe's companions at Quebec, captured Fort Oswegatchie in August, 1760, and during the Revolution was a brigadier-general, commanding at Halifax. He was made an Irish peer, under the title of Lord Clarina, 27 Dec, 1800.

MASSEY, Hart Almerrin, Canadian manufacturer, b. in Haldimand, Ont., 29 April, 1823. His grandfather, a native of Vermont, settled in Canada in 1807. The grandson was educated in Watertown, N. Y., and at Victoria college, Cobourg, and became interested in the management of his father's farms. In 1852 he became partner and business manager of his father's foundry and machine-shop at Newcastle, and in 1855 sole proprietor, his father having retired from the business. From this time until 1864, when the Newcastle establishment was burned, Mr. Massey's reapers and mowers and other agricultural implements came into general use throughout Canada. New and larger buildings soon replaced those which had been destroyed. In 1870 the Massey manufactur- ing company was organized, of which he has since been president. In 1879 the comppny's establish- ment was removed to Toronto. The company is now (1888) the largest manufacturer of agricul- tural implements in the Dominion, and has invent- ed and introduced new features and improvements in connection with many farm implements. Mr. Massey was the first manufacturer in Canada to make a mowing-machine and self-raking reaper.

MASSIE, James William, Irish clergyman, b. in Ireland in 1799 ; d. in Kingstown, Ireland, 8 May, 1869. He began his ministry as a missionary of the English Independent church to India, and after laboring there several years returned to Great Britain and was pastor in Perth, Scotland, Dublin, Ireland, and Salford, England, subsequently removing to London, where he was secretary to the Home missionary society. He was an advocate of free-trade, the anti-slavery movement, and the Union and anti- slavery societies that were formed during the civil war in this country. He visited the United States several times, and is the author of numerous works, including " The Evan- gelical Alliance" (London, 1847); "Slavery the Crime and Curse of America " (1852) ; " The American Crisis in Relation to the Anti-Slavery Cause" (1862); and " America, the Origin of her Present Conflict, illustrated by Incidents of Travel during a Tour of the United States " (1864).