Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 7).djvu/101

 CORTÉS, Madariaga José (cor-tays), South American patriot, b. near Santiago, Chili, in 1784; d. in Rio Hacha, Colombia, in 1826. He studied theology in his native city, was graduated as doctor of divinity and ordained to the priesthood, but in 1805 had a controversy with the prosecutor of the audiencia, and went to Spain to obtain justice. On his return in 1806 he went to Caracas, where he obtained a canonry in the cathedral. He took part in the patriotic movement, and when on 19 April, 1810, in the meeting of the municipality, the captain-general, Empáran, was about to be victorious, Cortés was sent for and took a seat in the assembly as deputy of the clergy. By his speeches he influenced the assembly, and the populace outside, to demand the deposition of Empáran, thus declaring independence. He was sent in 1811 as a commissioner to the patriots of New Granada, but in 1812 was included in the capitulation of Miranda, and sent by Monteverde as a prisoner to Spain, where he was confined in the penitentiary of Ceuta. He fled to Gibraltar in February, 1814, and was delivered up by the governor to the Spanish authorities, but released in the following year on the reclamation of the British cabinet, which disavowed the conduct of the governor. In 1816 he set out for Jamaica, where he heard of Bolivar's expedition from Hayti to Venezuela, and early in 1817 sailed for Margarita. There he published a manifesto protesting against the country being controlled by military chiefs, and recommending the formation of a representative government. In April he went to Carúpano, and in Cariaco met Gen. Montilla, Zea, and others, who were carried away by Cortés's eloquence, and on 8 May assembled the so-called congress of Cariaco, which decreed the deposition of Bolivar from the executive and appointed a governing junta of three members. But the other chiefs of the eastern provinces did not recognize the authority of this congress or the governing junta, and before the approach of the enemy Cortés fled to Jamaica. In 1820 he joined the expedition of Gen. Montilla against Rio Hacha and Santa Marta, and fixed his residence there, while Caracas, which had become his second home, was occupied by the Spaniards. When they evacuated the city in June, 1821, Cortés, offended at not being summoned, remained in Rio Hacha till his death.

COSBY, George Blake, soldier, b. at Louisville, Ky., lit Jan., IHitO. He was edueateil at private schools until fifteen years old. when he became clerk in a commission house, lie entered the military aciulemv, 1 St'pt.. 184S. wiis lirevet lieutenant mounted rifles. 1 July. lN.'i2. 3d lieutenant, 10 Sept.. IKW. 2d lieuteniint cavalrv. 3 March. 1855, 1st lieutenant, 1 Mav, IWO. captain. 9 .May. 1861. He joined the Confederate army its captain of cavalry the latter part of May. 1861, was promoted brigadier-general. 20 Jan., ISOJl. and commanded a brigade of cavalry under (ien. Stephen I), l^ee in the south. Later he served us chief of staff to Gens. Magruder and Buckner. .After the close of the war he was adjutant-general of California four years, and is at present receiver of public moneys of California at Sacramento.

COTTER, Joseph B., U.C. bishop. b. in Liver- pool, Ktigland. in 1H44. His parents came to this country in 1847. and he received his early educa- tion at St. Paul, Minn., in the local schools, and his theological studies for the priesthood at .St. Paul's the<dogical seminary, in Grovcland Park. He was ordained a priest in 1871 by Archbishoj) Grace, then bishop of St. Paul. He wius apftointed pastor of St. Thomas's church, in Winona, Wis., and there he labored with true missionary zeal until 1889, when the diocese of St. Paul was erect- ed into an archdiocese and Winona was made one of the suffragan sees. He was appointetl first bishop of Winona, and was consecrated in 1889. Bishop Cotter has acquired a wide reputation as a temperance worker and organizer, and was for three successive terms elected president of the Na- tional union of the St. Matthew tem|)erance so;, cieties. His championship of the cause has ex- tended throughout the Union. It is a fact worthy of record that the ecclesiastical province of St. Paul is cornfiosed of the archdiocese of St. Paul, presided over by Archbishop Ireland, and of the dioceses of Duluth. Jamestown, St. Cloud. Sioux Falls, and Winona, and that all the dioceses of the province are administered by prelates all of whom are advo- cates of the temperance cause and total abstinence.

COURTNEY, Frederick, Canadian Anglican bishop, b. in Plymouth, Kngland, 5 Jan., 1837. He was educated in the Bluecoat school and was grad- uated at King's college, London, in 1863. In the following year he was ordaine«I deacon and in 1865 a priest by Dr. Langley. archbishop of Canterbury. After holding [lastorates in Kent, Plymouth, and Glasgow, he was assistant at St. Thoiiias's church in New York from 1876 till 1880. Dr. Courtney was rector in 1880-'2 of St. James church, Chicago, an<l then of St. Paul's. Boston. On 1 Feb., 1888, he was elected fifth bishop of Nova Scotia, and on 25 April was consecratecl as successor to Bishop Binney. His jurisdiction comprises Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and Prince Kdward island, and his residence is in the city of Halifax.

COUSIN, Jean (coo-zang), French navigator, b. in Dieppe, lived in the latter part of the 15th century. His <lis«"overies are related by Ixiuis K.stancelin in his " Kecherches sur les voyages et decouvertesdes navigatenrs Norinands en Afrique, dans les Indcs Orientale.s, et en Ameriquc" (Pari.s, 1832), Leon Guerin in his "Les navigatenrs Franvais" (Paris, 1846), and Amans Alexis Mon- teil in his "Traill des materiaux manuscrits des divers genres d'histoire" (2 vols., Pari.s. 1835), and confirmed by the anonymous publication " Mi?- moires pour servir k I'histoirede Dietijie" (Dieppe, 1740). and by Francis Parkman in tus "Pioneers of France in the New World " (Ifostoii, 1860). Ac- centing to these authorities, in 14t*8. four years be- fore Columbus's voyage. Cousin, being at sea off the African coast, was forciKl westward by winds and currents to within sight of an unknown shore, where he presently described the mouth of a great river (probably the Orinoco). On board his ship was one Pinzmi, who, being dismissed for mutinous conduct, went to Spain, became known to Colum- bu.s, and accompanied him in his voyage of 1492. Cousin's discovery is al.so mentioned in the "Jour- nal de I'Amérique" (Troyes, 1709) and in "De- scription des cotes de la iiicr Oceane." It is also said that a French pilot discovered America. Un- fortunately the archives of the city of Dieppe were destroyed during the boml)ardnient of 1694. and no informktion is now to be obtained there about Cousin's voyage to America, a narrative of which was iindonbtedlv ileposited in the city archives.

COVILLE, Frederick Vernon. botanist, b. in Preston, New York. 23 March, 1S<>7. He was educated at Oxford academy and at Cornell, where he was graduated in 1H87. For a year he was instructor in lM>tany in Cornell, but in 1888 was appointed assistant botanist in the U.S. department of agriculture, which place he held until 1893, when he was made chief botanist; also since 1893 he has been curator of the U. S. national herbarium in the