Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/345

 COLLINS

COLLINS

appointed in 1888 cliief of the division of fisheries of the U.S. fish commission and the same year he liad charge of the commission's exhibit at Cincinnati, Ohio. He organized a section of naval architecture in the U.S. national museum and was honorary curator from 1884, and was also made curator of the section of fisheries in 1891. President Harrison appointed him in 1890 representative of the U.S. fish commission on the government board of management and con- trol at the World's Columbian exposition, Chicago, and after completing the exhibit for the commission he resigned this position and his connection with the Fish commission in Decem- ber, 1892. He was cliief of the department of fisheries of the World's Columbian exposition from February, 1891, to the close. In 1898 he was U.S. commissioner to the International fisheries exhibition at Bergen, Norway. He was elected an honorary member of various scientific and fisheries societies of Europe and the United States. He came to be recognized as the histo- rian of the American fisheries, and as a fisheries statistician. He edited the Fishing Gazette, and in addition to reviews in Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, he wrote History of the Tile Fish; The Introduction of Gill Nets in the American Cod Fishei'y; The Beam Trawl Fishery of Great Britain; Beportsonthe Fishing Grounds of the Gulf of Mexico; Suggestions for Improvements in Fishing Vessels; The Construction and Eqzdponent of the Schooner Gramptis; Beport on the Cruise of the Grampus to Neufoundland, Labrador and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in 1889; The Fisheries of the Pacific Coast; Statistical Beview of the Coast Fisher- ies of the United States for 1887 and 1888; Beport tipon the Fishing Vessels and Boats of the Pacific Coast; Notes on the Oyster Fishei'y of Connecticut; Fisheries of the United States; Decadence of the New England Deep-sea Fisheries; Evolution of the Ameri- can Fishing Schooner; and many other papers.

COLLINS, Napoleon, naval officer, was born in Pennsylvania, May 4, 1814. He entered the U.S. navy from Iowa as midshipman in 1834, studied at the naval school, Philadelphia, in 1840, and became passed midshipman, July 16, 1840. He was promoted master, Aug. 15, 1846, and lieu- tenant Nov. 6, 1846, and during the Mexican war took part in the siege of Tuxpan and Tabasco on board the sloop of war Decatur. In the civil war he commanded the Anacosta of the Potomac fleet in 1861, was transferred to the gunboat Unadilla, and joined the Soutli Atlantic squadron in the operations of 1861-63. On July 16, 1863, lie was made commander of the Octorora of the West In- dian squadron, was transferred to the Wachitsett in 1863, and directed his attention to the Con- federate cruisers then operating against United

States commerce. He captured the Florida in the harbor of Bahia, Brazil, Oct. 7, 1864, under the guns of the Brazilian fleet, towed his prize out of the harbor and delivered her to the United States authorities at Hampton Roads, Va. While at anchor there she was run into by a transport and sunk. Brazil demanded her rendition, and Secretary Seward disavowed the act of Com- mander Collins who was tried by court-martial. He was promoted captain, July 25, 1866 and com- modore, Jan. 19, 1871. On Aug. 9, 1874, he was made rear-admiral in command of the South Paci- fic squadron. He died at Callao, Peru, Aug. 9,1875. COLLINS, Patrick Andrew, diplomatist, was born near Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland, March 13, 1844; son of Bartholomew and Mary (Leahy) Collins. His mother, with a large family of fatherless children, emigrated to America in 1848 and settled in Chel- sea, Mass., where Pat- rick, the youngest, at- tended the common schools. He was subse- quently an errand boy in a Boston law office, clerk in a store, a coal miner in Ohio, and an upholsterer in Boston. He became identified with the Irish move- ment in 1863, and was elected by the Suffolk county organization a delegate to the Fenian conventions of 1865 at Cincinnati, Ohio, and at Philadelphia, Pa., of which latter he was secretary. He was a member of the Massachusetts house of representatives in 1868 and 1869, and of the state senate in 1870 and 1871. Meanwhile he studied law, was graduated at the law school of Harvard university, and was ad- mitted to the Suffolk county bar in 1871. In 1875 Governor Gaston appointed him judge advo- cate-general. He was a delegate-at-large from Massachusetts to the Democratic national con- ventions of 1876, 1880, 1888 and 1892 and was per- manent chairman of the national convention at St. Louis, 1888. In the national convention of 1892 he seconded the nomination of Grover Cleve- land for President. He represented the 4th Mas.sachusetts district in the 48tli, 49tli and 50th congresses, where he served on the committees on the judiciar}"^ and on Pacific railroads. When in 1880 representatives of the Irish societies of the United States and Canada assembled at Buffalo, N.Y., in support of Mr. Parnell's policy in aid of Ireland and home rule, Mr. Collins, though not present, was elected president of the Irish national land league then permanently