“Microscope” in 1834, published and edited the “New York Mechanic” in 1841-'3, and subsequently published “The Lady's Magazine,” the “Northern Star and Freeman's Advocate,” “The Spectator,” the “Unionist,” the “State Register,” the “Guard,” the “Typographical Miscellany,” “The New York Teacher,” the “Morning Express,” “Webster's Almanac,” “The Daily Statesman,” and for three years the “New England Historical and Genealogical Register.” He made the history and application of the art of printing a special study, and his collection of works on that subject, the largest in the United States, was in part purchased by the New York state library. Among his services to American historical literature is the “Historical Series” that he projected, edited, and annotated. He was a member of many learned societies, a founder of the Albany institute, and for many years published its proceedings. Mr. Munsell is the author of “Outlines of the History of Printing” (Albany, N. Y., 1839); “Annals of Albany,” a contribution to the history of that city (10 vols., 1849-'59); “Every-Day Book of History and Chronology” (New York, 1856); “Chronology of Paper and Paper-Making” (Albany, 1857; enlarged ed., 1864 and 1870); and “A Manual of the 1st Lutheran Church of Albany, from 1670 till 1870” (1871). His printing and publishing business is continued by his sons.
MUNSON, Æneas, physician, b. in New Haven,
Conn., 24 June, 1734; d. there, 16 June, 1826. He
was graduated at Yale in 1753, and, after being a
tutor there and studying divinity under President
Ezra Stiles, was chaplain in the army on Long
Island in 1755. He studied medicine under Dr.
John Darby, and began practice at Bedford, N. Y.,
in 1756, and in 1760 removed to New Haven, where
for more than fifty years he enjoyed a high reputation.
He was president of the Medical society of
Connecticut, and was a professor in the medical
school of Yale from its organization till his death.
During the Revolutionary war he was often a
member of the legislature.
MUNSON, James Eugene, phonographer, b. in
Paris, Oneida co., N. Y., 12 May, 1835. He studied
for a time at Amherst, but was not graduated.
His attention was early directed to the study of
short-hand, and he soon became an expert. Coming
to New York city early in 1857, he was called
upon, ten days after his arrival, to take his first
verbatim report on the occasion of the Harvey
Burdell murder trial. Soon afterward, in connection
with other reporters, he set to work to simplify
the existing systems of short-hand, and the fruits
of their labor, as finally shaped and put into practice
by Mr. Munson, were presented in his
“Complete Phonographer” (New York, 1866), to the
preparation of which he had devoted three years
of labor, and tested it by seven years of practice.
This was followed in 1874 by a “Dictionary of
Practical Phonography,” and in 1877 a revised
edition of the “Complete Phonographer” appeared.
In 1879 Mr. Munson issued “The Phrase-Book of
Practical Phonography,” the “phrases” being taken
almost entirely from illustrations gathered from
the author's notes made in his court practice, he
having been court stenographer in New York city
for more than twenty years. He also reported the
Henry Ward Beecher trial for the New York “Sun,”
without assistance, during the six months of its
continuance. On two days of the trial the report
reached seven and a half columns of agate type
each day. He is now (1888) perfecting a type-setting
machine that he has invented, which, being
operated by means of a prepared ribbon of paper,
automatically sets a column of corrected, justified,
and leaded type. He has also invented machines
by which the ribbon is prepared, and a telegraph,
also operated by the same paper ribbon, which
causes an exact fac-simile of the ribbon to be
automatically produced at a distant point, ready for
use in operating a similar type-setting machine.
These inventions are based on his “Selecting
Device,” which has also been patented by him.
MURAT, Napoléon Achille, author, b. in
Paris, 21 Jan., 1801; d. in Wasceissa, Jefferson co.,
Fla., 15 April, 1847. He was the son of Joachim
Murat, king of Naples, and bore in his youth the
title of Prince of Two Sicilies. When King
Joachim lost his throne in 1815, young Murat sought
a refuge with his mother, a sister of Napoleon I.,
in the castle of Frohsdorf, in Lower Austria. He
received there a fine education, but in 1821 left
Europe for the United States, where he afterward
resided. On his arrival in New York he made
immediate application for naturalization, and, after
a few months' sojourn in that city, made an extensive
tour through the United States. On reaching
Florida, he was so much impressed with the
climate of the country that he bought a large estate
near Tallahassee, built there a magnificent home,
and divided his time between farming,
cattle-breeding, hunting, and fishing. He was elected
alderman of the city in 1824, mayor in the
following year, and in 1826 appointed postmaster,
which office he held till 1838. When Lafayette
revisited the United States, Murat joined him in
Baltimore, and accompanied him to Washington,
and during most of his journey through the country.
Lafayette introduced him to Catharina Dudley,
a grandniece of Washington, and Murat,
conceiving an attachment for her, asked for her hand.
Although her family at first objected to the union,
they were persuaded through the personal entreaties
of Lafayette, and the ceremony took place at
Washington on 30 July, 1826. Murat and his
bride went immediately to Wasceissa, notwithstanding
the entreaties of their friends, who promised
him a political career if he would settle in
Virginia. He also declined in 1832 a nomination
for congress that was tendered him by the
Democrats of Richmond. He continued to live quietly
in Florida, devoting his large fortune to aid
benevolent institutions, and for the welfare of the
people. As early as 1828 he published in the
“Revue trimestrielle” of Paris letters on America,
in which he gave curious and interesting details
concerning political parties in the United States,
and the new states of the Union, that were the
means of giving Europeans more accurate information
of this country. These letters were afterward
published under the following title: “Lettres d'un
citoyen des États-Unis a ses amis d'Europe” (Paris,
1830). Murat also published “Esquisses morales
et politiques sur les États-Unis d'Amérique” (2
vols., Paris, 1838), and “Exposition des principes
du gouvernement républicain tel qu'il a été perfectionné
en Amérique” (1838). This last work
enjoyed a great reputation, passed through more
than fifty editions, and is still the manual of the
Democrats in western Europe. It was translated
into English, German, Dutch, and other languages,
and its publication in Italy was forbidden by the
Austrian government, as many believed that, in
spite of the republican principles that were
advocated by the author, he was a pretender, and that
his book was an elaborate and able manifesto.
Murat died childless, leaving large sums of money
to charitable institutions. His wife resided on
her plantation till her death on 6 Aug., 1867.
