Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/588

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SMALLWOOD
SMILIE

in the U. S. navy, he was promoted captain for gallant and meritorious conduct. 1 Dec., 1863, and placed in command of " The Planter," serving until she was put out of commission in 1866. He re- turned to Beaufort after the war, was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1868. was elected a member of the state house of representa- tives the same year, and of the state senate in 1S70. and was re-elected in 1872. He was elected to the 44th congress from South Carolina, has been re- elected to every succeeding congress except the 46th. for which he was defeated, and served, with this exception, from 6 Dec.. 1875, till 1888. He has been major-general of state troops.


SMALLWOOD, Charles, Canadian meteorolo- gist, b. in Birmingham, England, in 1812 ; d. in Montreal, 22 Dec., 1873. He became a physician, and, emigrating to Canada in 1853, settled at St. Martin's, Isle Jesus, Canada East, and acquired a large practice. He soon afterward established his meteorological and electrical observatory, a descrip- tion of which was given in the " Smithsonian Re- ports." He discovered the effects of atmospheric electricity on the formation of snow crystals, and investigated the action of ozone in connection with light, and that of electricity in the germination of seeds. In 1858 Dr. Smallwood -received the honor- ary degree of LL. D. from McGill college, and was appointed professor of meteorology in that institu- tion, to which was subsequently added the chair of astronomy. In 1860 the Canadian government made him a grant for the purchase of magnetic instruments, and in August, 1861, he began mak- ing observations. When the U. S. signal-service system was established, Dr. Smallwood arranged for stations in connection with it in Montreal and other Canadian cities. He was one of the govern- ors of the College of physicians and surgeons of Lower Canada, and was a member of many scien- tific and literary societies in America and Europe. He was the author of numerous articles in scientific periodicals and the "Smithsonian Reports," and of contributions to Canadian meteorology furnished to various magazines for more than twenty years.


SMALLWOOD, William, soldier, b. in Kent county, Mil., in 1732; d. in Prince George county. M.I., 14 Feb., 1792. On 2 Jan., 1776. he was elected colonel of the Maryland battalion, and on 10 July, with nine com- panies, he joined Washington in New York. On 20 Aug. his troops took an active part in the battle of Brooklyn Heights, being hotly en- gaged from sun- rise until the last gun was fired, and losing nearly half their number. At White Plains, on 18 Oct., the Mary- land line again bore the brunt of the fight, and Smallwood was

wounded. For his

gallantry on this occasion congress appointed him a brigad'ier-general, 23 Oct.. 1776. In the battle of Fort Washington, 16 Nov., 1776, his command again suffered severely, and at Germantown, 4 Oct., 1777, the Maryland line retrieved the day and captured part of the enemy's camp. In the winter of 1777-'8 hi' was stationed at Wilmington, and captured a British brig in the Delaware laden with stores and provisions. He won new laurels in the battlr nf Camden, and received the thanks of congress for his gallant conduct. In September, 1780. he was appointed major-general, but after the removal of Gates he refused to serve under Baron Steuben, who was his senior officer, declaring his intention to leave the army unless congress should antedate his commission two years. This claim was not al- lowrd, being regarded as absurd, but Gen. Small- wood remained in the army until 15 Nov., 1783. In 1785 he was elected to congress, and in the same year he was chosen governor of Maryland, which wii.- I he last public post that he held.


SMARIUS, Cornelius Francis, clergyman, b. in Telburg, North Brabant, Holland, 3 March, 1823 ; d. in Detroit. Mich., 2 March, 1870. After completing his studies at the University of North Brabant, he came to the United States and joined the Society of Jesus at Florissant, Mo., 13 Nov.. 1841. In 1843 he went to Cincinnati, where he pursued theological studies, and was assistant pro- fessor of poetry and rhetoric in a school there un- til 1848. During this period he published anony- mously many poems of much beauty. He was ordained priest in 1849, afterward studied in Ford- ham, N. Y., and was pastor of the church of St. Francis Xavier in St. Louis in 1859-'60. Here he displayed such powers as a pulpit orator that he became very popular. In 1801 he was detailed for missionary work, with a large field of operations, and in 1865 he visited Europe for his health. He was vice-president of the University of St. Louis in 1850-'2, and again in 1857-'8. He published "Points of Controversy" (New York, 1865).


SMEAD, Wesley, philanthropist, b. in West- chester county, N. Y., 23 Dec., 1800; d. in Pough- keepsie, N. Y., 6 Jan., 1871. He first was a news- boy, then became a printer, afterward studied medicine, and was graduated at the Ohio medical college, Cincinnati. He practised in that city, and was president of the Citizens' bank there from 1843 till 1857. He became possessed of great wealth, founded in 1850 the Widows' home in Cincinnati, to which he gave $37.000, and gave liberally to every public charity that came to his notice. Besides essays on banking, he published "Guide to Wealth, or Pathway to Health, Peace, and Competence " (Cincinnati, 1856).


SMEDES, Susan Dabney, author, b. in Ray- mond, Miss., 10 Aug., 1840. She is the daughter of Thomas S. Dabney. a rich planter, and was edu- cated at home, at New Orleans, and at Jackson. Miss. When twenty years of age she married Lyell Smedes, but was left a widow about three months afterward. With her sisters she originated and supported the Bishop Green training-school at Dry Grove, Miss. In 1887 she was appointed a teacher in the Government Indian school in Rose- bud agency, Dakota territory. She has published " Memorials of a Southern Planter," which conveys a graphic picture of southern plantation life at its best, and of slavery in its least repulsive aspect (Baltimore. 1887).


SMILIE, John, member of congress, b. in Ireland in 1741 : d. in Washington, D. C., 30 iHv.. 1812. He came to Pennsylvania in 1700, settled in Lancaster county, and served during the war of the Revolution in both military and civil capacities. He was a member of the legislature of Pennsylvania, served in congress, as a Democrat, in 1793-'5 and in 1799-1813, and was chairman of the committee on foreign relations. He was a presidential elector in 179(i.