aid of wealthy citizens who had become interested in his works, he was afterward afforded the means to devote himself exclusively to historical re- searches. Obtaining access to the Federal archives and to those of several states, he made copies of important documents, and also explored the prin- cipal libraries of the country in 1808-14. Return- ing to France after the restoration of Louis XVIII., he secured employment in the department of taxes of his native city, which he held to the time of his death. His valuable collections were afterward bought at auction by the National library of Ber- lin, where they still remain. He published, among other works, " Histoire politique et civile des Etats- Unis de I'Amerique du Nord" (3 vols., Calais. 1819), and "Etudes critiques sur la constitution politique des fitats-Unis de I'Amerique du Nord, et des contradictions qui existent entre elle et les lois civiles des divers etats de I'union " (1823).
OVALLE, Alfonso de (o-val'-yeh), Chilian cler-
gyman, b. in Santiago, Chili, in 1601 ; d. in Lima,
Peru, 11 March, 1651. He belonged to a noble fam-
ily and abandoned brilliant prospects to become a
Jesuit. After teaching philosophy for some time,
he was made director of the novitiate of Santiago.
He was next raised, to the rank of procurator of
his order throughout Chili, and was appointed
deputy to the general congregation of Jesuits held
in Rome in 1640. Several priests, attracted by his
gentle manners, followed him to Chili from Eu-
rope. He stationed them at various points in Peru
where pastors were wanted. He then devoted
himself so zealously to his missionary duties that
his health failed rapidly. His principal works are
" Epistola ad Prfepositum Generalem Societatis
Jesu qua statum in Provincia Chilensis exponit "
(Madrid, 1642, in fol.) ; " Historica relacion del
Reyno de Chile, y de las misiones. y ministerios
que ejereita en el la compa nia de Jesus " (Rome,
1646, in fol., with maps and plates). An Italian
translation appeared in 1646 (Rome, in 4to). This
history of Chili is very rare and much sought after.
It was translated into English and was published in
the collection of "Travels" edited by Ownsham
and John Churchill (London, 1704, 4 vol. in fol. ;
also London, 1732, 1744-'6).
OVANDO, Nicolas de (o-van'-do), Spanish sol-
diei', b. in Valladolid in 1460 ; d. in Madrid in
1518. He was of a noble family and knight of the
order of Alcantara. In 1501 he was chosen to
supersede Bobadilla in the government of Hispa-
niola, and on 13 Feb., 1502, he sailed from Spain
with a fleet of thirty sail and 2,500 people, many
of them persons of rank. He arrived at the city
of Santo Domingo on 15 April, and immediately
assumed the government of the island. One of his
first acts was to refuse to let Columbus take shel-
ter with his fleet in Santo Domingo to avoid the
dangers of an approaching hurricane; and when
the admiral, in 1503, was in a most desperate posi-
tion in Jamaica, Ovando, though Columbus sent
a messenger to him asking for relief, let several
months pass without rendering aid. The adminis-
tration of Ovando in Hispaniola was one of great
cruelty toward the Indians. Hearing that Queen
Anacaona {q. v.), who always had been friendly to
the Spaniards, was secretly meditating a massacre
of himself and followers, he announced his intention
to make her a friendly visit, and went to her do-
minions of Xaragua accompanied by 300 foot sol-
diers, heavily armed, and ten horsemen. They
were received with joy and kindly treated, but in
the midst of the festivities that were held in his
honor he ordered Anacaona and all her caciques
to be seized, and after a mock trial caused the
latter, eighty-four in number, to be burned alive
(1503). Anacaona was taken to Santo Domingo
city and hanged some time afterward. During six
months after the massacre at Xaragua the destruc-
tion of the inhabitants continued. When the coun-
try had been pacified in this way. Ovando, in com-
memoration of his atrocities, founded the town of
Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz. In 1504 he
waged war against the natives of the province of
Higuey and caused many of the natives to be
slaughtered and their chieftains to be burned
alive. On one occasion he imprisoned 600 Indians
of Saona in a dwelling and put them to the sword.
The death of their cacique, Cotabanama, was fol-
lowed by the complete subjugation of his people
and ended the last struggle of the natives against
foreign rule. By these persecutions the number
of natives, which at the arrival of the Spaniards
was said to be 500.000, was reduced, according to a
census taken in 1507, to 60,000 ; and to provide la-
bor for the mines, Ovando sent expeditions to the
Bahamas to kidnap Indians into slavery. Apart
from his cruel treatment of the Indians, Ovando's
administration was beneficial to the island. He
founded several cities, fostered the mining indus-
try, introduced the cultivation of sugar-cane with
plants that he brought from the Canary islands,
and sent out expeditions of discovery. Ovando
was recalled in 1509 by King Ferdinand, in per-
formance of a promise that he had made to Queen
Isabella on her death-bed. He was succeeded by
Diego Columbus, but was permitted to retain pos-
session of all his property.
OVERMAN, Frederick, mining engineer, b.
in Cologne, Germany, about 1810 ; d. in Philadel-
phia, Pa., in 1852. He came to the United States
and prepared numerous works on technology, es-
peciallv on metallurgy. These include " The Manu-
facture of Iron '• (Philadelphia 1850) ; " The Manu-
facture of Steel" (1851): "Practical Mineralogy,
Assaying and Mining " (1851) ; " The Moulder's and
Founder's Pocket Ciuide " (1851) ; " Mechanics for
the Millwright, Machinist, Civil Engineer, Archi-
tect, and Student " (1852) ; and " Treatise on Metal-
lurgy ; Embracing the Elements of Mining Opera-
tions and Analyses of Ores " (New York 1852).
Most of these works were published at a time when
it was difficult to obtain scientific information on
such subjects, and they were accepted as authority
and passed through several editions.
OVERTON, John, jurist, b. in Louisa county,
Va., 9 April, 1766; d. near Nashville, Tenn., 12
April, 1833. As his family were in moderate cir--
cumstances, he received only a meagre education,
btit he supplied this deficiency by private study.
He removed to Kentticky before he was of age,
studied law, and, being admitted to the bar in 1787,
began to practise soon afterward in Nashville,
where he had for an associate Andrew Jackson,
then district attornej'. Much confusion existed in
regard to the titles to land in the district, and giv-
ing his attention to this branch, Overton soon had
an extensive practice, and in process of time be-
came the acknowledged authority on the subject.
A body of laws based upon the North Carolina acts
of 1777 and 1783 had to be formed, and he set
himself to mould a system to suit the condition
and necessities of the new community. Being ap-
pointed by Gov. Sevier in 1804 to succeed Andrew
Jackson as judge of the superior court of law and
ecjuity, his decisions on these points soon came to
be established law. and have never since been con-
troverted. He held this post till 1810, and in 1811
was elected a judge of the supreme court of the
state, which office he filled till his resignation in
