Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/746

 726 POKIER PORT HURON congress, and a sword from the state. Gen. Porter was one of the earliest projectors of the Erie canal, and was named, with Morris and Clinton, on the lirst board of commissioners to explore a route for it. In 1816 he was appointed commissioner for determining the N. W. boundary. In May, 1828, he was ap- pointed secretary of war by President Adams. PORTER, Sir Robert Ker, an English artist, brother of Jane and Anna Maria Porter, born in Durham about 1775, died in St. Petersburg, May 4, 1842. He entered the royal academy when he was about 15 years old, and after two years was commissioned to paint pictures of Moses and Aaron for Shoreditch church. His best productions were battle pieces. His " Storming of Seringapatam," which was ex- hibited in 1800, was 120 ft. long, and is said to have cost him only six weeks' labor. It was destroyed by fire. He also painted " The Siege of Acre," "Agincourt," "The Battle of Alex- andria," and "The Death of Sir Ralph Aber- cromby." In 1804 he went to Russia, where he was appointed historical painter to the czar, and painted on the walls of the admiralty " Peter the Great planning the Port of Cron- stadt and St. Petersburg." Returning to Eng- land, he published "Travelling Sketches in Russia and Sweden" (2 vols. 4to, 1808); ac- companied Sir John Moore's expedition to the Peninsula in 1808; wrote anonymous "Letters from Portugal and Spain " (1809) ; and made a second visit to Russia, where in 1811 he married the daughter of Prince Shtcherbatoff. In 1813 he published "An Account of the Russian Campaign." From 1817 to 1820 he travelled in Asia, engaged in antiquarian stu- dies, which are detailed in his "Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, ancient Babylonia," &c. (2 vols. 4to, 1821-'2). In 1826 he was appointed British consul at Caracas, where he painted three of his best pictures, " Christ at the Last Supper blessing the Cup," " Our Saviour blsssing the Little Child," and an Ecce Homo. He went with his sister Jane to St. Petersburg, and died of apoplexy as he was about returning home. He was knighted in 1813. PORTEIJS, Beilby, an English prelate, born in York, May 8, 1731, died in London, May 14, 1808. He was a sizar of Christ's college, Cam- bridge, where he obtained a fellowship. He first became known as a writer by his prize poem on death. In 1762 he became chaplain to Dr. Seeker, archbishop of Canterbury, by whom he was presented to several benefices, and in 1769 chaplain to George III. and master of the hospital of St. Cross, near Winchester. In 1776 tte was made bishop of Chester, and in 1787 was promoted to the diocese of Lon- don, over which he presided till his death. He established a fund for the relief of the poorer clergy of his diocese, and founded three prizes in Christ's college, Cambridge. His collected works, including sermons, tracts, a " Summary of Christian Evidences," a " Life of Archbish- op Seeker," &c., with a life by his nephew the Rev. Robert Hodgson, were published in 1811 (6 vols. 8vo, London). PORT GLASGOW, a town of Renfrewshire, Scotland, on the left bank of the Clyde, 4 m. S. E. of Greenock ; pop. in 1871, 10,823. It was made a free port in 1668, but greatly de- clined after the rise of Greenock and the im- provements on the Clyde. The shipping is now almost entirely devoted to the American timber trade. The imports in 1872 amount- ed to 275,226, and the exports to 108,806. Ship building is carried on extensively ; rope, canvas, and other articles are manufactured ; and there are several large sugar refineries. PORT HOPE, a town, port of entry, and the capital of Durham co., Ontario, Canada, on the K shore of Lake Ontario, at the S. ter- minus of the Midland railway, and on the Grand Trunk line, 60 m. E. by K of Toronto ; pop. in 1871, 5,114. It is built in a valley and on the side of a hill commanding fine views of the lake. The streets are lighted with gas. Good water power is furnished by Smith's creek, which flows through the town. The harbor is one of the best on the lake, and the trade in lumber and grain is considerable. The value of imports for the year ending June 30, 1874, was $251,004; of exports, $1,474,853. Port Hope contains five flouring mills, a plas- ter mill, a planing mill, a distillery, two brew- eries, manufactories of woollens, buttons, leath- er, wooden ware, steam engines, machinery, iron 'castings, &c., three branch banks, two weekly newspapers, and five or six churches. PORT HURON, a city and the county seat of St. Clair co., Michigan, port of entry of the customs district of Huron, on the St. Clair riv- er and at the mouth of Black river, which is here crossed by two bridges, 1^ m. from the foot of Lake Huron, 53 rn. N. N. E. of De- troit, and 110 m. E. by N". of Lansing ; pop. in 1860, 4,371 ; in 1870, 5,973 ; in 1874, 8,240. It is the terminus of the Chicago and Lake Michigan railroad, and by ferry to Port Sarnia, Canada, on the opposite side of the St. Clair river, it connects with the Great Western line. The Grand Trunk railway crosses the St, Clair at Fort Gratiot, 1^ m. N., to which point two horse railroads have been constructed. The Black river brings down immense quantities of logs, which give employment to a large num- ber of lumber and shingle mills. There are also three ship yards and two dry docks. The trade in fish is important. The customs dis- trict embraces all the coast of the state border- ing on Lake Huron, and has a large domestic and foreign commerce. The traffic by rail with Canada is extensive. The city has a fire department, gas works, water works, a fine court house, two national and two private banks, a savings bank, several hotels, four large public school houses, two daily and three weekly newspapers, and nine churches. The first frame house on the site of Port Huron was erected in 1819. It was incorporated as a village in 1835, and as a city in 1857.