characters, sufficiently like the Roman letters to be read easily, to which he added twenty-two prefixes and suffixes. This system of writing never was in- troduced generally, but he simplified mathematical characters, and his printed maps, from raised de- signs, in which he used wave-lines for water, are still in use. He went abroad for his health, but on his return he engaged in numerous philan- thropic schemes. He was one of the founders of the New York prison association, its corresponding secretary in 1846-'54, and subsequently a vice- president, was superintendent of the New York juvenile asylum in 1851-'8. and a member of the board of education in 1848-'51. He also established in 1850 a house of employment for women, which institution was under the care of his wife and daughter. During his old age he made further im- provements in printing for the blind.
RUSSELL. Lord Alexander George, British
soldier, b. in England in 1821. He is a son of the
sixth Duke of Bedford, entered the army in 183S),
and was promoted captain in 1846, major in 1853,
lieutenant-colonel in 1856, colonel in 1861, major-
general in 1874, and lieutenant-general in 1877.
He was aide-de-camp to the governor-general of
Canada in 1847. served in the Caffir war in 1853-'3
as deputy assistant quartermaster-general to the 1st
division, and was present at the battle of Berea,
for which he obtained a medal. He took part in
the Crimean war. was at the siege of Sebastopol.
and for gallant conduct presented with the Crimea
medal and clasp, and with Sardinian and Turkish
medals and the order of the Medjidie. He com-
manded at Shorncliffe in 1873-'4, and in southeast-
ern England in 1877-'8, served in Canada In mi
1883 till 1888, and at the latter date was succeeded
by Gen. Sir John Ross. His headquarters were
at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
RUSSELL, Alexander Jamieson, Canadian
engineer, b. in Glasgow. Scotland. 29 April, 1807.
He settled with hi> ptiivnts in 1822 in Megantic
county, Can., where his father was crown-lands
agent. The son became deputy provincial surveyor
in 1829, entered the commissariat department' in
1830, served for two years on the construction of
the Rideau canal, and afterward was engaged dur-
ing eight years in the work of the department at
Quebec. He resigned in 1841, and became civil
engineer in charge of public works in the mari-
time counties of Lower Canada, where for five years
he projected and constructed roads and bridges.
In 1846 he was transferred to the crown timber
office at Ottawa to settle differences between lum-
bermen, and to grant licenses to cut timber on Ot-
tawa river and its tributaries. Afterward the col-
lection of the timber revenues and the inspection of
the other crown timber agencies in Lower and
Upper Canada were added to his duties. He has
published a geographical work (Ottawa, 1869).
RUSSELL, Archibald, philanthropist, b. in Ed-
inburgh, Scotland, in 1811 ; d. in New York city, 12
April, 1871. His father, James, was for many years
president of the Royal society of Edinburgh. The
son was graduated at the University of Edinburgh
in philosophy, law. and medicine, and subsequently
studied at the University of Bonn, Germany. He
settled in New York city in 1836, where he devoted
his time and fortune to benevolent and educational
enterprises, founding the Five Points mission, of
which he was president for eighteen years, and aid-
ing in establishing the Half-Orphan asylum, of
which he was a vice-president. He was an actie
member of the Christian commission during the
civil war, gave largely to its support, and was chair-
man of the famine relief committee. He nun If his
summer home in Ulster county, opposite Hyde Park,
N. Y., from 1844 until his death, and was connected
with the most important internal improvements in
that region. He established its present system of
common schools, founded the Ulster county sav-
ings bank, and was its president from its establish-
ment until his death, and built a Presbyterian
church at his own cost near his country-seat, Gleu-
Albyn. Mr. Russell married Helen Rutherford, a
daughter of Dr. John Watts. He published " Prin-
ciples of Statistical Inquiry " (New York, 1839), and
Account of 11,000 Schools in New York" (1847).
RUSSELL. Benjamin, journalist, b. in Boston,
Mass., 13 Sept., 1761 ; d. there, 4 Jan., 1845. He
was apprenticed to Isaiah Thomas, at Worcester,
Mass., but before completing his term enlisted in
the Revolutionary army, and contributed war news
to the " Spy," Thomas's paper. He began the pub-
lication of the " Columbian Centinel " about 1784,
a semi-weekly journal, which had no equal in its
control of public sentiment. He was aided by
Stephen Higginson, John Lowell. Fisher Ames,
Timothy Pickering, and George Cabot. In 1788
Russell attended the Massachusetts convention for
ratifying the constitution of the United States, and
made the first attempt at reporting for any I!os-
ton newspaper. His enterprise was conspicuous in
collecting foreign intelligence, and, in order to ob-
tain the latest news, he visjted all the foreign ves-
sels that came into Boston harbor. The " Centi-
nel " kept regular files of the " Moniteur," which
brought Louis Philippe and Talleyrand frequently
to its office during their stay in Boston. An atlas,
which was the gift of the former, was of constant
service to Russell in preparing his summaries of
military news from the continent. When congress
was holding its first session, Russell wrote to the
department of state, and offered to publish gratu-
itously all the laws and other official documents
the treasury then being almost bankrupt which
offer was accepted. At the end of several years
he was called upon for his bill. It was made out,
and receipted. On being informed of this fact.
Gen. Washington said: " This must not be. When
Mr. Russell offered to publish the laws without
pay, we were poor. It was a generous offer. We
are now able to pay our debts. This is a debt of
honor, and must be discharged." A few days after-
ward Mr. Russell received a check of $7,000, the
full amount of his bill. In 1795-1830 he published
a Federalist paper, called the " Gazette," which was
a violent enemy of France, Jefferson, and the Re-
publican newspapers, and held its influence under
the same management until 1830. Russell retired
from the " Centinel " in 1828. He originated the
phrase the " era of good feeling " on the occasion
of President Monroe's visit to Boston in 1817, when
the chiefs of both parties, the Republicans and
Federalists, united in the support of tin- executive.
He represented Boston in the general court for
twenty-four years, served several terms in the state
senate, and was a member of the executive council
and of the Constitutional convention of 1820.
RUSSELL, Henry, vocalist, b. in Sheerness,
Kent, 24 Dec., 1813. He was the son of a Hebrew
merchant, and in infancy appeared in Christmas
pantomimes. Later he studied music, and
subsequently taught. He settled in Rochester. N. Y., in
1843, as teacher of the piano-forte, and became widely
known as a composer and vocalist. For years he
travelled in this country, giving monologue
entertainments of his own composition. He was also
engaged for the concerts of oratorio and philharmonic
societies, and recited the soliloquies in “Hamlet,”
“Richard III.,” and “Macbeth” to his own
