Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/263

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DU CHAILLU
DUCHESNE
241

1855, from New York for Africa, with the inten- tion of making a thorough exploration of the re- gion on the west coast, lying between latitude 2° N. and 2° S. He spent nearly four years in this task, penetrating to about longitude 14° 15' E., travelling on foot, unaccompanied by any white man, upward of 8,000 miles. Dur- ing this time he shot and stuffed over 2,000 birds, of which 60 were pre- viously unknown, andkiiledoverl,000 quadrupeds, among wtiich were several gorillas, never be- fore shot and prob- ably never before seenbyawhiteman, and 20 other species of animals previously unclassified.

He returned to New

York in 1859. bringing a large collection of native arms and im- plements, and numerous specimens in natural history, which were publicly exhibited, and many of which were afterward purchased by the Brit- ish museum. The history of this expedition was published under the title of "Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa " (New York and London, 1861 ; new ed., enlarged, 1871). This vol- ume is a valuable contribution to the geography, ethnology, and zoology of western Africa, but many of its statements were received with dis- trust, because they were inconsistent with the maps of Henrich Barth and August Petermann. A bit- ter controversy arose concerning the accuracy of Du Chaillu's statements, Prof. John E. Gray, of the British museum, attacking his veracity with much asperity, while Prof. Richard Owen and Sir Eoderick "Murchison defended him. As Du Chaillu had made his observations from compass bearings only, their correctness could not be defi- nitely proved, and he resolved to vindicate his repu- tation by a second expedition. For this he pre- pared himself by a course of scientific study, learned the use of astronomical and other instru- ments, and acquired the art of practical photog- raphy. Meanwhile his accuracy was established by the French travellers Serval and Griffon du Bellay, who, in charge of a government expedition, explored the Ogobai river and the neighboring country. His statements concerning the canni- balistic habits of the Fan tribe were verified by the English traveller, Capt. Richard F. Burton. Du Chaillu, notwithstanding his vindication, deter- mined to prosecute his expedition, for which he had made thorough preparation. He freighted a schooner with goods for presents to the natives, and sailed from England in August, 1863. Early in October he reached" the mouth of the Ogobai, and there met with a severe loss by the swamping of the canoe containing his scientific and photographic apparatus. He was obliged to send to England for a new supply, and he occupied his time in hunting excursions, during which he again had an oppor- tunity of studying the habits of the gorilla. In September, 1864, "his instruments having arrived, he set out for the interior, accompanied by ten Com mi negroes. He revisited some of the scenes of his former explorations, took many accurate observations, and penetrated among tribes and through portions of country previously unknown. In September of the following year he was forced to return to the coast in consequence of an unfortunate conflict with the natives, in which he lost everything but his journals. These con- tained all of his astronomical observations which verified his previous statements, and added much to the geographical knowledge of western Africa. He ijublislicd an account of this expedition under the title of " A Journey to Ashang-o Land " (Lon- don and New York, 1867). After spending some years in the United States, where he appeared as a public lecturer, he visited Sweden, Norway, Lap- land, and Finland, in 1872-'3, returning to New York late in 1873. Du Chaillu has published the following : " Stories of the Gorilla Country " (New York, 1868); "Wild Life under the Equator" (1869) ; " Lost in the Jungle " (1869) ; " Mv Apingi Kingdom " (1870) ; " The Country of the Dwarfs"" (1871) ; " The Land of the Midnight Sun " (1881) ; and " The.Viking Age " (1887).


DUCHE, Jacob, clergyman, b. in Philadelphia in 1737 ; d. there, 3 Jan., 1798. He was the son of a Huguenot who came to America with William Penn. He was graduated from the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania) in 1757, afterward studied in England at the Uni- versity of Cambridge, and was licensed in 1759 by the bishop of London to officiate as an assist- ant in the churches of Philadelphia. In 1775 he succeeded to the rectorship of Christ church, in that city, on the resignation of Dr. Peters. At the beginning of the Revolution he espoused the cause of the colonies, and was invited to make the open- ing prayer on the assembling of the 1st congress, 7 Sept., 1774. After reading a Psalm and several petitions from the Book of Common Prayer, he concluded with an impromptu invocation so patri- otic in spirit and so reverent in tone that he was given a vote of thanks. On 9 July, 1776, he was chosen chaplain, and served three months, when he resigned. He devoted his stipend of $150 to the relief of the families of Pennsylvanians who had fallen in battle. When the British took possession of Philadelphia. Dr. Duche seemed to despair of the success of the patriot cause, and wrote a letter to Washington, in October, 1777, urging him to abandon what he considered a forlorn hope, and to " represent to congress the indispensable necessity of rescinding the hasty and ill-advised Declaration of Independence." Washington transmitted the letter to congress, and it soon found its way into the newspapers. In consequence. Dr. Duclie left this country and went to England, where he was appointed chaplain to the Lambeth orphan asy- lum, and soon made a reputation as an eloquent preacher. In the mean time his estate had been confiscated, and he himself declared a traitor. He returned to Philadelphia in 1790 in feeble health. Dr. Duche married a sister of Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Indepen- dence. He was the master of a polished style, and wrote, among other works, " Caspipina's Letters " (Philadelphia, 1774; Bath, England, 1777), and " Discourses on Various Subjects " (London, 1779). Of the latter it has been said : " His discourses have great warmth and spirit, and at times are in the strain of our old divines." The prayer which he wrote and used during his term as chaplain in congress is a model of that stvle of composition.


DUCHESNE, Philippa Rose, foundress of the first houses of the Society of the Sacred Heart in America, b. in France in 1769 ; d. in St. Charles, La., in 1852. She received a better education than most French ladies of her time, having been taught the classics and higher mathematics with her