Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 21.djvu/577

Rh S C O S C R 551 off this enormous debt, declining all offers of assistance and asking no consideration from his creditors except time, and how nearly he succeeded, is one of the most familiar chapters in literary history, and would be one of the saddest were it not for the heroism of the enterprise. His wife died soon after the struggle began, and he suffered other painful bereavements ; but, though sick at heart, he toiled on indomitably, and, writing for honour, exceeded even his happiest days in industrious speed. If he could have maintained the rate of the first three years, during which he completed Woodstock, three Chronicles of the Canongate, The Fair Maid of Perth, Anne of Geier stein, the Life of Napoleon (involving much research, and equal in amount to thirteen novel volumes), part of his History of Scotland, the Scottish series of Tales of a Grandfather, besides several magazine articles, some of them among the most brilliant of his miscellaneous writings, and prefaces and notes to a collected edition of his novels, if he could have continued at this rate he might soon have freed him- self from all his encumbrances. The result of his exertions from January 1826 to January 1828 was nearly 40,000 for his creditors. But the terrific labour proved too much even for his endurance. Ugly symptoms began to alarm his family in 1829, and in February of 1830 he had his first stroke of paralysis. Still he was undaunted, and not all the persuasions of friends and physicians could induce him to take rest. "During 1830," Mr Lockhart says, " he covered almost as many sheets with his MS. as in 1829," the new introductions to a collected edition of his poetry and the Letters on Demonology and WitcJicraft being amongst the labours of the year. He had a slight touch of apoplexy in November and a distinct stroke of paralysis in the following April; but, in spite of these warnings and of other bodily ailments, he had two more novels, Count Robert of Paris and Castle Dangerous, ready for the press by the autumn of 1831. He would not yield to the solicitations of his friends and consent to try rest and a change of scene, till fortunately, as his mental powers failed, he became possessed of the idea that all his debts were at last paid and that he was once more a free man. In this belief he happily remained till his death. When it was known that his physicians recommended a sea voyage for his health, a Government vessel was put at his disposal, and he cruised about in the Mediterranean and visited places of interest for the greater part of a year before his death. But, when he felt that the end was near, he insisted on being carried across Europe that he might die on his beloved Tweedside at Abbotsford, where he expired on 21st September 1832. He was buried at Dryburgh Abbey on 26th September following. A complete list of Scott's works is given in the Catalogue of Scott Exhibition, 1871, Edinburgh, 1872. The standard biography of Scott is that by Lockhart referred to above ; see also Allan, Life of Scott, Edinburgh, 1834. SCOTT, WILLIAM. See STOWELL, LORD. SCOTT, WINFIELD (1786-1866), American general, was born near Petersburg, Virginia, 13th June 1786, the grandson of a Scottish refugee from the field of Culloden. He was a student at William and Mary College in 1805, and was admitted to the bar at Rich- mond, Virginia, in 1807. One of the sudden war excite- ments of the time changed the course of his life, and he obtained a captain's commission in the United States army in 1808. He served on the Niagara frontier throughout the war of 1812-15, and became one of its leading figures, rising rapidly through all the grades of the service to that of major-general, which was then the highest. Among other curious testimonials to his valour and conduct, he received from Princeton College in 1814 the honorary degree of doctor of laws, a distinction on which he never ceased to look with peculiar satisfaction. In 1841 he became the senior major-general of the army, and in 1855, after he had passed out of political life, the exceptional grade of lieutenant-general was created for him. His most noteworthy military achievement was his conduct of the main campaign against Mexico in 1847. Landing (9th March) at Vera Cruz with but 5500 men, he fought his way through a hostile country to the capital city of Mexico, which he captured 14th September, thereby practically ending the war. His service, however, was not confined to the army ; from 1815 until 1861 he was the most continuously prominent public man of the country, receiving and justifying every mark of public confidence in his integrity, tact, and reasonableness. At a time (1823) when duelling was almost an imperative duty of an officer, he resisted successfully the persistent efforts of a brother officer (Andrew Jackson) to force him into a combat ; and the simple rectitude of his intentions was so evident that he lost no ground in public estimation. In 1832, when ordered to Charleston by President Jackson during the "nullification" troubles, he secured every advan- tage for the Government, while his skilful and judicious conduct gave no occasion to South Carolina for an out- break. In like manner, in the Black Hawk Indian troubles of 1832-33, in the Canadian "Patriot War "of 1837-38, in the boundary dispute of 1838 between Maine and New Brunswick, in the San Juan difficulty in 1859, wherever there was imminent danger of war and a strong desire to keep the peace, all thoughts turned instinctively to Scott as a fit instrument of an amicable settlement, and his success always justified the choice. Such a career seemed a gateway to political preferment, and his position was strengthened by the notorious fact that, as he was a Whig, the Democratic administration had persistently tried to subordinate his claims to those of officers of its own party. In 1852 his party nominated him for the presi- dency; but, though his services had been so great and his capacity and integrity were beyond question, he had other qualities which counted heavily against him. He was easily betrayed into the most egregious blunders of speech and action, which drew additional zest from his portly and massive form and a somewhat pompous cere- moniousness of manner. He destroyed his chances of election in the North. The Southern Whigs, believing him to be under the influence of the Seward or anti-slavery wing of the party, cast no strong vote for him, and he was overwhelmingly defeated in both sections, completing the final overthrow of his party. In 1861 he remained at the head of the United States armies, in spite of the secession of his State, until November, when he retired on account of old age and infirmities. After travelling for a time in Europe, he published in 1864 his autobiography, a work which reveals the strong and weak points of his character, his integrity and complete honesty of purpose, his inclina- tion to personal vanity, his rigid precision in every point of military precedent and etiquette, and his laborious affecta- tion of an intimate acquaintance with belles lettres. He died at West Point, New York, 29th May 1866. The Autobiography of Lieutenant-General Winficld Scott, LL.D., in two volumes, gives the facts of his career at length. For his defeat in 1852, see Von Hoist's Constitutional History, vol. iv. p. 171 of the original, p. 206 of the English translation. SCOTUS. See DUNS SCOTUS and SCHOLASTICISM. SCRANTON, a city of the United States, capital of Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, on a plateau at the junction of the Roaring Brook and the Lackawanna river, 162 miles north of Philadelphia. It is the centre of the great coal-mining district in the country and the seat of a large number of iron and steel works, rolling-mills, blast- furnaces, &c., and extensive factories for the production of