Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/798

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COUES
COURSOL

tutions.— His son, Robert Jackson, b. in Boston, 21 May, 1839 ; d. in 1864, entered the army as a private in his father's regiment. He rose by bravery on the battle-field to be captain in the 56th Massachusetts regiment, and was probably killed in the battle of Cold Harbor, 3 June, 1864, as he was never heard fi-om after that day.


COUES, Elliott (cows), naturalist, b. in Portsmouth, N. H., 9 Sept., 1843 ; d. in Baltimore, 25 Dec, 1899. He was graduated at Columbian uni- versity in 1861, and later received from that institu- tion the degrees of A. M., M, D., and Ph. D. In 1862 he entered the U. S. army as medical cadet, and in 1864 was made assistant surgeon, which rank he retained until his resignation on 17 Nov., 1881. Meanwhile he had received the brevet of captain for services during the war, and in 1866 was post surgeon at Columbia, S. C. In 1869 he was elected professor of zoology and comparative an- atomy at Norwich university, Vt., and from 1873 till 1876 was surgeon and naturalist to the U. S. northern boundary commission, and in 1875 col- laborator at the Smithsonian institution. From 1876 till 1880 he was secretary and naturalist to the U. S. geological and geographical survey of the territories, and in 1877 became professor of anatomy in the National medical college. Subse- quent to his resignation in 1883 he was appointed professor of biology in the Virginia agricultural and mechanical college. Dr. Coues is a member of many scientific societies both in thfe United States and Europe, and in 1877 was elected a member of the National academy of sciences. Within a few years he has become prominently identified with the theosophist movement in the United States, and is a member of the general council and presi- dent of the American board of control of the Theosophical society of India. He has been editor or associate editor, for years, of the " Bulletin of the U. S. Geological Survey," "Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club," " American Natural- ist," '• American Journal of Otology," " Standard Natural History," " The Auk," " Century Diction- ary," and other publications. Prof. Coues is the author of several hundred monographs and minor papers in scientific periodicals. Among his im- portant works are "Key to North American Birds" (Boston, 1872); "Field Oruithology" (Sa- lem, 1874); "Birds of the Northwest" (Boston, 1874) ; " Fur-bearing Animals " (1877) ; " Mono- graphs of North American Rodentia," with J. A. Allen (Washington, 1877); "Birds of the Colorado Valley" (1878); " Ornithalogical Bibliography" (1878-80) ; " New England Bird Life," with R. E. C. Stearns (1881); "Check-List and Dictionary of North American Birds " (Boston, 1882) ; " Air- Fauna Columbiana," with D. W. Prentiss (1883) ; " Biogen, a Speculation on the Origin and Nature of Life" (Boston, 1884); "New Key to North American Birds " (1884) ; and " The Daemon of Darwin " (1884).


COUGHLAN, Lawrence, clergyman, b. in Eng- land about 1760 ; d. in Nova Scotia in 1834. He was a Wesleyan preacher, emigrated from England to Nova Scotia, and by his great labors did much to establish Methodism there and in the neighbor- ing provinces. He has been called the " Apostle of Nova Scotia."


COULDOCK, Charles Walter, actor, b. in London, 26 April, 1815 ; d. in New York city, 27 Nov., 1898. He received an academic education, and chose the stage as a profession. He made his first appearance as Othello in London in 1835, and was successful. After this he acted with Charles Kean, Ellen Tree, Fanny Kemble, Mrs. Fitzwilliam, and W. C. Macready, with whom he became a favorite. He came to the United States in 1849, and, at his farewell performance in Eng- land, played Macduff to Macready's Macbeth. His first appearance in this country was at the Broad- way theatre. He subsequently supported Char- lotte Cushman, and was successful as Jacques in "As You Like It," and as Luke Fielding in "The Willow Copse." After again supporting Macready in England, he returned to this country, and in 1878-'9 played with John E. Owens in " Cricket on the Hearth," and afterward in society dramas. His rendition of Dunstan Kirke in " Hazel Kirke," at the Madison Square theatre, was especially pow- erful. Mr. Couldock has a fine voice, and his style of acting is both forcible and sympathetic.


COULTER, John Merle, botanist, b. in Ningpo, China, 20 Nov., 1851. He was graduated at Hano- ver college, Ind.. in 1870, and during 1872-'3 was botanist to the U. S. geological survey of the terri- tories in the Rocky mountain system. In 1874 he became professor of natural sciences in Hanover college, where he remained until 1879, when he was appointed to the chair of biology at Wabash. Prof. Coulter is editor of the " Botanical Gazette," pub- lished in Crawfordsville, Intl., and is the author, in part, of "Synopsis of the Flora of Colorado" (Washington, 1874) ; " Manual of Rocky Mountain Botany " (New York, 1885) ; and in part of " Hand- Book of Plant Dissection " (New York, 1886).


COURCELLES, Daniel de Remi, Seigneur de, French governor of Canada. He was sent out to succeed Mezy in 1666, and in the same year led an expedition on snow-shoes against the Mohawks, aid- ing Tracy in their reduction. In 1671 he deter- mined to establish a post on Lake Ontario, to act as a barrier between the Ottawas and the Iroquois, and at the same time draw off trade from Hudson river. Having constructed a large plank flat-boat of two or three tons burden, provided with a strong rope to draw it over rajiids and shoals, he left Mon- treal on 3 June, with a party of fifty-six. They reached Lake Ontario on 12 June, and selected a site for a post. The project of Courcelles met with che approval of Louis XIV. ; but he returned to France in 1672 on account of failing health, and it was left for his successor, Frontenac, to carry it out, which he did on 14 July, 1673, by the construc- tion of a fort at Katarakoui (Kingston). See Mar- gry's " Decouvertes et etablissements des FrauQais dans I'Amerique septentrionale," i., 169, and Brod- head's " New York Colonial Documents," ix., 75.


COURSOL, Michel Joseph Charles, Canadian jurist, b. in Amherstburg, Ontario, 3 Oct., 1819 ; d. in Montreal, 4 Aug., 1888. He was educated at Montreal college, and studied law. In the latter part of 1864, while acting as judge of the court of sessions, Montreal, he attained notoriety by dis- charging Lieut. Bennett H. Young and other Con- federate raiders, who on 19 Oct., 1864, entered the town of St. Albans, Vt., fifteen miles from the Cana- da frontier, and, after robbing three banks of over $200,000 and wounding several persons (one fatal- ly), effected their escape into Canada. Though the majority of the Canadian bar approved Judge Coursol's act, and he was not without justifiers among the most eminent British lav^yers, the pro- priety and legality of his conduct was called in question, and Youiig and several of his associates were re-arrested by the Canadian authorities. The controversy, which at one time promised to dis- turb the peaceful relations of Great Britain and the United States, was settled with nothing more serious than a temporary display of irritated feel- ing. The president of the United States revoked