Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/436

410 r. II, rtinar pyrometer, and in 1851 was awarded a gold medal at the World's fair in London for a large balance of extreme precision. In 183? he was elected a member of the American philosophi- cal society, and in 1863 became a charter mem- ber of the National academy of sciences. A sketch of his life was contributed by Joseph Henry to the first volume of the " Biographical Memoirs " of the latter body (Washington, 1877).

'''SAXTON. Luther Calvin''', impostor, b. in Mas- sachusetts in 1806: d. after 1SI16. He was gradu- ated at Hamilton college in 1825. In 1850 he pub- lished the " Fall of Poland " (New York). He went to Rochester. N. Y., about I860, and there interested Aristarchus Champion, an aged, wealthy, and some- what eccentric man, in three schemes the Union book company, with a capital of $3,000,000 ; an International bank, with a capital of many mill- ions ; and a vast manufacturing corporation. Only the book company was put into operation. Half the stock was to be in books, manuscripts, and copyrights, and of these Saxton professed to have a great supply. Champion furnished capital in the form of notes and mortgages to the amount of $51.475. Saxton established a magazine and visited Europe as the general agent of the company ; but a flir a time Champion grew suspicious, and had him arrested and indicted for false pretences. He was brought to trial, 8 Dec., 1863, convicted, sen- tenced to Auburn prison, 31 Dec., for three years, and served out his full term.

SAXTON, Rufus, soldier, b. in Greenfield. Mass., 19 Oct., 1824. He attended Deerfield acad- emy, worked on a farm until his twentieth year. and afterward entering the U. S. military acad- emy, was graduated in 1849. lie entered the 3d artillery, became 1st lieutenant in 1855, and in 1853-'4 led a surveying party across the Rocky mountains. In 1855-'9 he was employed in the coast survey, and made improvements in the in- struments for deep-sea soundings, one of which, a self-registering thermometer, bears his name. In 1859 he became an instructor at the U. S. mili- tary academy, and at the opening of the civil war he was at St. Louis acting as quartermaster with the rank of captain, and was engaged in break- ing up Camp Jackson. (See LTON, NATHANIEL.) He joined Gen. George B. McClellan in western Virginia, afterward accompanied Gen. Thomas W. Sherman to Port Royal as quartermaster, and on 15 April, 1862, was made brigadier-general of volunteers. For a short time after the retreat of Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks from the Shenandoah, (n n. Saxton commanded at Harper's Ferry, and successfully resisted an attack on his position by < 'oiifederate troops under Gen. Ewell. He was military governor of the Department of the South in 1862-'5, and was appointed quartermaster with tin' rank of major in July, 1866. He was brevetted brigadier-general, U. S. army. 13 March, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services during the war. and promoted lieutenant-colonel and deputy quartermaster-general, 6 June, 1872, and colonel and :i--i~tant quartermaster-general, 10 March, iss-j. From 1883 till 1888 he was in charge of the Jeffersonville department at Louisville, Ky. SAY, Thomas, merchant, b. in Philadelphia. Pa.. 16 Dec., 1709; d. there in 1796. His father, William Say, was an early Quaker colonist. The son was educated in the Friends' school, and learned the saddler's trade, but afterward beca an apothecary. When a young man lie supposed that he visited heaven in a trance. William Mentz published " The Visions of a Certain Thomas Say., .!' the City of Philadelphia, which he saw in a Trance " (Philadelphia, 1774), on the appearance of which Say printed in the " Pennsylvania Journal " of 2 March, 1774, the following notice: "Wheiv;i- a certain William Mentz has printed for sale, with- out my knowledge or consent. 'The Vision of Thomas Say,' which is but an incorrect and imper- fect part of what I propose to make public. And as I never intended what I had wrote on that head to be published during my life, all persons are de- sired not to encourage the said Mentz in such wrong proceeding." After his death his son. Dr. Benjamin Say, published an account of the vision in " A Short Compilation of the Extraordinary Life and Writings of Thomas Say, copied from his Manuscripts" (Philadelphia, 1796). He was a man of noted benevolence, a zealous promoter of educa- tion, and for many years was the treasurer of the Society for the instruction of blacks. He helped to found the Pennsylvania hospital, and was one of the founders of the House of employment. His son. Benjamin, physician, b. in Philadelphia in 1756; d. there. 23 April. 1813, was educated in Quaker schools, and in 1780 received the degree of M. D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He sympathized with the colonies during the Revolu- tion, and in 1781 he was among those known as the " fighting Quakers," who initiated the forma- tion of the society entitled "The Monthly Meet- ing of Friends, called by some Free Quakers, dis- tinguishing us from the brethren who have dis- owned us." Dr. Say was well known in his pro- fession, and in 1787 was a founder of the College of physicians of Philadelphia, whose treasurer he was from 1791 till 1809. He was a contributor to the Pennsylvania hospital, a founder of the Penn- sylvania prison society (1790), and for many years the president of the Humane society. From 1808 till 1811 he served in congress. He published "Spasmodic Affections of the Eye" (Philadelphia, 1792), and the work mentioned above (1796). Ben- jamin's son. Thomas, naturalist, b. in Philadel- phia. Pa. ,27 July, 1787; d. in New Harmony, Ind., in Oct., 1N34. aban- doned commercial pursuits and devot- ed himself to the study of natural his- tory. In 1S12 he was a founder of the Academy of natural sciences at Philadel- phia, and he became a chief contributor to its journal. In 1818 Mr. Say took part in a scientific exploration of the islands and coasts of (ieorgia, visiting eastern Florida for the same purpose, but progress of the party to the interior was stopped by hostile Indians. In 1819-'20 he accompanied the ex- pedition under Maj. Stephen H. Long to the Rocky mountains as chief geologist, and in 1823 took part in that to the sources of St. Peter's river. He removed to the New Harmony settlement with Robert Owen in 1*25. and after their separation remained there as agent of the property. His principal work is "American Entomology" (3 vol-., Philadelphia. ls-J4-'8). His American Conchology," seven numbers of which were published at New Harmony, was incomplete at the- time' of his