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 MOORE 803 was advancing to surround him. His retreat, which began Dec. 11, was through a moun- tainous and dreary region. The British rear guard quitted Astorga Dec. 31, and, having three times checked their pursuers, joined the main army at Lugo, where for two days battle was offered to Soult by Moore, but not accept- ed. The retreat commenced afresh, and they reached Corunna Jan. 11, 1809, and five days afterward repulsed the enemy in the battle in which their commander fell by a cannon shot. (See COEUNNA.) Soult caused a monument to be erected to his memory, which is also pre- served in the well known lines written upon his burial by Charles Wolfe. The British par- liament had a monument erected to him in St. Paul's cathedral ; and his native city raised a bronze statue to his memory at a cost of 3,000. MOORE, Nathaniel F., an American scholar, born in Newtown, L. I., Dec. 25, 1782, died near New York, April 27, 1872. He was a nephew of Bishop Benjamin Moore, graduated at Co- lumbia college, New York, in 1802, and was admitted to the bar in 1805. He was appointed in 1817 adjunct professor and in 1820 professor of the Greek and Latin languages in Columbia college, retaining his chair till 1835, when he visited Europe. In 1837 he was appointed librarian of the college, and in 1842 he suc- ceeded Judge Duer in the presidency, from which he retired in 1849. He published "An- cient Mineralogy " (New York, 1834 ; new ed., 1859) ; " Remarks on the Pronunciation of the Greek Language," in reply to a pamphlet by Ir. Pickering ; " Lectures on the Greek Lan- guage and Literature ;" and a " Historical Sketch of Columbia College." MOORE, Richard Channing, an American bishop, born in New York, Aug. 21, 1762, died in Lynchburg, Va., Nov. 11, 1841. He was edu- cated in Columbia college, and studied medi- cine, but in July, 1787, was ordained a deacon of the Protestant Episcopal church by Bishop Provoost of New York, being the first Episco- pal minister who received orders in that state. He was rector of a parish embracing the whole of Staten Island from 1789 to 1809, and after- ward of St. Stephen's church, New York. In 1814 he was elected to succeed Bishop Madison as bishop of Virginia, and was till his death also rector of the Monumental church in Rich- mond. The prosperity of the church in the diocese was greatly increased by his unremit- ting efforts. He was a prominent leader of the evangelical branch of the church. In 1829 Bishop Meade was appointed his assistant. MOORE, Thomas, an Irish poet, born in Dub- lin, May 28, 1779, died at Sloperton cottage, Devizes, Wiltshire, Feb. 25, 1852. By his father, John Moore, a grocer, he was brought up in the Roman Catholic faith ; and at school he acquired a taste for music, recitation, and dramatic performances. As early as 1793 he became a contributor of short poems to the "Anthologia Hibernica," a Dublin magazine. He graduated at Trinity college, Dublin, in 1798, and in 1799 went to London to study law in the Middle Temple, carrying with him a translation of the odes of Anacreon commenced in his school days, which he published by sub- scription (1800). It proved successful; and gaining the acquaintance of the earl of Moira, he was introduced to some of the fashionable circles of the metropolis. In 1801 he published " The Poetical Works of the late Thomas Lit- tle, Esq.," a pseudonyme suggested by his diminutive stature. With much that was pol- ished, tender, and natural, the volume contained many pieces of questionable morality, which were afterward excluded from the collected edition of his poems. In 1803 he was appoint- ed registrar to the admiralty in Bermuda, where he arrived in January, 1804. The office was neither lucrative nor adapted to his tastes ; and intrusting his business to a deputy, he re- turned to England, having first made a rapid tour through a portion of the United States and Canada. His " Odes and Epistles " (1806) presented a series of poetical notes of his pro- gress and comments upon American institutions and literature. This volume was severely han- dled by Jeffrey in an article in the " Edinburgh Review." Moore challenged the reviewer, and a meeting took place, which was interrupted by the police before a shot had been fired. It was subsequently discovered that one of the pistols had no bullet, and Byron, in his "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers," made a ludicrous allu- sion to " Little's leadless pistol," for which he was called to account by Moore. A second duel was however avoided, and thenceforth Moore was on terms of warm friendship with both Jeffrey and Byron. In 1811 he married Miss Bessie Dyke, a young actress, and adopted liter- ature as a profession. Having tried his hand at serious satire in his " Corruption," " Intol- erance," and the "Sceptic" (1808-'9), he at- tempted jeux (V esprit and political squibs, wri- ting among others the " Twopenny Post-Bag " (1812), which like most of his similar pieces was in the interest of the whig party. In July, 1813, he was established at May field cot- tage, near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Here were written many of the songs adapted to the ancient music of his native country, known as " Irish Melodies " (1807-'34). They were commenced at the suggestion of Mr. Power, a music publisher, and were extended to ten series. For the arrangement of the melodies he was indebted to Sir John Stevenson. These songs have enjoyed a popularity beyond that of any similar poems in the English language. He also published two series of " Sacred Melo- dies" (1816), six series of "National Airs" (1819-'28), "Legendary Ballads" (1830), and many miscellaneous pieces, the airs and ar- rangements for which were prepared by Sir John Stevenson or himself. In the latter part of 1814 Moore agreed to furnish the Messrs. Longman with a poem of the same length as Scott's "Rokeby," for which he was paid 3,000. The idea of writing an oriental ro-