Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/644

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LANG
LANGDON

this country, left Lane with 107 men on Roanoke island, and on 25 Aug. returned to England. Lane at once erected a fort, and began to explore the coast and rivers of the country within a radius of about 100 miles. He soon became convinced that a mistake had been made in settling on Roanoke island on account of the dangerous coast and bad harbor, and resolved to move the colony to Chesa- peake bay as soon as supplies should arrive from England. Provisions soon ran short, there was trouble with the Indians, and Lane and his men finally abandoned the colony on 19 June, 1586, returning to England in the fleet of Sir Francis Drake. Lane served as a colonel under Drake in the Portuguese expedition of 1589, was muster-master- general in Ireland in 1591, where he was danger- ously wounded, and was knighted by the lord deputy in 1593. Several letters of Sir Ralph are E reserved in Hakluyt's " Voyages " and Francis i. Hawks's " History of North Carolina " (1857), and have been edited by Edward E. Hale in "Ar- chaeologia Americana," vol. iv. (1860). These let- ters show that enmity between Lane and Sir Rich- ard Grenville, which began on the voyage to Vir- ginia, probably had much to do with the former's abandonment of his enterprise.


LANG, Gavin, Canadian clergyman, b. in Glas- ford, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in July, 1835. He was graduated at the University of Glasgow, licensed to preach in 1864, and served as assistant minister at the parish church in that city. In 1865 he became pastor at Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, where he remained five years, and then was for a short time pastor of his father's church at Glas- ford. In 1870 he succeeded Rev. Alexander Ma- thieson as pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian church, Montreal. When the union between the adherents of the Free church and the Established church in Canada was proposed, the scheme was strongly opposed by Mr. Lang, and when the union was consummated in 1875 he was one of the three ministers that stood aloof, claiming to re- main still the Presbyterian church of Canada, in connection with the Church of Scotland. When the United church applied for confirmatory legis- lation from the Dominion parliament, Mr. Lang appeared before the private bills committee and strenuously opposed the measure, which was, how- ever, passed. He is now (1887) a professor in Dal- housic college, N. B. He is an impressive preacher, and has for years taken an active part in the pro- ceedings of the Evangelical alliance.


LANG, Louis, artist, b. in Waldsee, Würtemberg, 29 Feb., 1812. His father, a historical painter, wished him to become a musician, but his taste was for art. At the age of sixteen he executed pastels with success. He studied at Stuttgart and Paris, and settled in the United States in 1838, his studio being for several years in Philadelphia. He spent the years 1841-'5 in Italy, and came to New York in the latter year, where he now (1887) resides, with frequent visits to Europe. He was elected a National academician in 1852, and is a member of the Artists' fund society. Lang's style is characterized by brilliant but well-balanced coloring; his choice of subjects is sentimental and popular. Among his best-known works are “Maid of Saragossa,” “Mary Stuart distributing Gifts,” “Blind Nydia,” “Jephtha's Daughter,” “Neapolitan Fisher Family,” “Little Graziosa among the Butterflies” (1871); “Landing of the Market-Boat at Capri” (1876); and “Romeo and Juliet,” which is in the Century club, New York. His most recent work at the National academy is “Portrait of a Little Child” (1885).


LANGDON, Oliver Monroe, physician, b. near Columbus. Ohio, 2 Feb., 1817; d. there, 15 June, 1878. He studied at St. Xavier's college, Cin- cinnati, was graduated at the Medical college of Ohio in 1838, and after two years in Madison, Ind., settled in Cincinnati. He was soon after- ward appointed physician to one of the four town- ships into which the city was then divided, prac- tised till 1846. then joined the 4th regiment of Ohio volunteers, and served as its surgeon till the close of the Mexican war. Dr. Langdon was one of the founders of Miami medical college, and an instigator of the movement that removed lu- natics from the Cincinnati commercial hospital to the lunatic asylum at Lick Run, of which he was superintendent in 1850-'6. At that date he organized, and was made superintendent of, the insane asylum at Longview, continuing in office till 1870, when failure of health compelled his re- tirement from all active duties. Previous to 1866 all the colored insane in the state of Ohio had been confined in prisons ; at that date Dr. Lang- don established a separate department for their ac- commodation at Longview asylum, and, as the trustees of Longview could not, under their charter, own a negro institution, it was purchased in Dr. Langdon's name, and was held in trust for the county by him. He was a member of various medical societies, and a trustee of Miami medical college from its foundation till his death.


LANGDON, Samuel, clergyman, b. in Boston, Mass., 12 Jan., 1723 ; d. in Hampton Falls, N. II., 29 Nov., 1797. He was graduated at Harvard in 1740, and while teaching in Portsmouth, N. II., studied theology, and was licensed to preach. In 1745 he was appointed chaplain of a regiment, and was present at the capture of Louisburg. On his return he was appointed assistant to Rev. James Fitch, of the North church of Portsmouth, was ordained pastor in 1747, and continued in that charge till 1774, when he became president of Harvard. His ardent patriotism led him to adopt measures that were obnoxious to the Tory students, and although he endeavored to administer the government of the college with justice, his resignation was virtually compelled in 1780. The next year he became pastor of the Congregational church at Hampton Falls, N. H. In 1788 he was a delegate to the New Hampshire convention that adopted the constitution of the United States, often led its debates, and did much to remove prejudice against the constitution. He was distinguished as a scholar and theologian, and exerted a wide influence in his community. The University of Aberdeen gave him the degree of D. D. in 1762, and he was a member of the American academy of arts and sciences from its foundation. He published " Summary of Christian Faith and Practice" (1768); "Observations on the Revelations " (1791) ; " Remarks on the Leading Sentiments of Dr. Hopkins's System of