118 SMITH meeting, or rather " Committee for the Prov- ct of Pennsylvania," which convened at Phihulolphia July 15. At this meeting ho was one of those who were appointed to " prepare and bring in a draught of instructions to the representatives in assembly met." In 17,6 he was chosen a member of the continental con- gress, in which he continued till 1778; and when congress held its sessions m York, the board of war occupied his law office. SMITH, James and Horace, English authors, associated together in literary history. Ihe former was born in London, Feb. 10, 1775, and died there, Dec. 24, 1839; and the latter was born in London, Dec. 31, 1779, and died at Tnnbridge Wells, July 12, 1849. They were the sons of Robert Smith, a legal practitioner of London, and were early trained to an active business life, James in the professional busi- ness of his father, and Horace as a member of the stock exchange, in which business he ac- quired a fortune. The poetical imitations en- titled " Horace in London," originally contrib- uted to the "Monthly Mirror," and afterward republished in England and America, were written principally by James. In 1812 the rebuilding of Drury Lane theatre led to the offer of a prize for an opening address ; the brothers, in six weeks, completed a series of parodies on the popular authors of the day, in the form of addresses for the prize, and thus arose the well known volume of "Rejected Addresses." The publisher Murray originally declined giving 20 for the copyright, but after it had run through 16 editions (1819) he purchased it for 131. James Smith during the 'remainder of his life wrote anonymously for amusement or relief from physical suffer- ing, contributing tern de societe and epigrams to the magazines or annuals, or assisting Charles Mathews the actor in the preparation of his " Country Cousins," his " Trip to France," and other "entertainments." A collection of his miscellaneous pieces in prose and verse was published after his death by his brother (2 vols., 1840). Horace, subsequent to 1820, when ired from business, was for 25 years one of the most industrious authors of England In 1826 appeared "Brambletye House," one of his earliest novels, and his most successful one. It was succeeded by "Tor Hill," "Reu- ben Apsley," "Jane Lomax," "The New For- est," and other novels, few of which are now known outside of the circulating libraries. In 1845 the author took a formal leave of the public in the preface to "Love and Mesmer ism." A selection from the poetical works of Horace and James Smith, including the " Re iected Addresses," with a memoir by Epes Jit, was published in New York in 1857 Hi.- Tin Trumpet" (2 vols. 8vo), published anonymously in 1836, was republished in 1869 as the work of Horace Smith. SMITH, Sir James Edward, an English botan rn in Norwich, Dec. 2, 1759, died there March 17, 1828. He studied medicine at Ed nburgh, purchased the books, manuscripts, and lerbarium of Linna3us, commenced the prac- ,ice of his profession in London, received the degree of M.D. at Leyden, and in 1788 founded ,he Linnsean society of London, of which he was the first president. In 1796 he returned o Norwich, though he lectured on botany for wo months each year at the royal institution. He wrote "English Botany" (36 vols., with 2,592 colored figures by Sowerby, London, L792-1807); Flora Britannica (3 vols., 1800- 4) ; " Exotic Botany " (2 vols., 1804-'5) ; "In- troduction to Systematical Botany" (1807); and "The English Flora" (3 vols., 1828-'6); and he edited Sibthorp's Flora Graca (1808). SMITH, John, the founder of Virginia, born at Willoughby, Lincolnshire, England, in Jan- uary, 1579, died in London, June 21, 1631. "When young he took part in the wars in the Netherlands, and after four years' service re- iurned home, but went abroad again to fight against the Turks. He distinguished himself by daring exploits in Hungary and Transylva- nia, and received from Sigismund Bathori a patent of nobility and a pension, but finally was taken prisoner, and sent as a slave to Con- stantinople. Here he gained the affection of his young mistress, who to secure his safety sent him to her brother, a pasha on the sea of Azov, with a letter in which she confessed her feelings. The proud prince, indignant at the attachment of his sister to a Christian, mal- treated Smith, who at length, maddened by an insult, beat out his master's brains with a flail, put on the dead man's clothes, mounted his horse, and finally reached a Russian garrison on the Don. He was here kindly treated and helped on his journey to Transylvania, where he was furnished with money to repair his losses. Smith now returned to England, reach- ing it after a long journey and an attempt to take part in a war in Barbary, and was per- suaded by Capt. Gosnold, who had already vis- ited the coasts of America, to engage in the founding of a colony. The expedition, con- sisting of three vessels and 105 men, under the command of Newport, set sail Dec. 19, 1606. By the charter, the government of the colony was placed in the hands of a council appointed and removable by the crown ; their names were in a sealed box, not to be opened until their arrival at Virginia. On the voyage dissensions sprang up among the leaders, and much enmity was shown to Smith. At the Canaries he was charged with a conspiracy to make himself king of Virginia, and was kept prisoner for the rest of the voyage. After landing the box was opened, and although Smith was named one of the council, he was excluded. "With Newport he headed a party of 20 men to discover the source of the James. About six weeks after, when Newport was returning to England, Smith's enemies urged him to return and be reprimanded by the council in England rather than suffer the disgrace of a public conviction in the colony ; but he demanded a trial, which
