THORNTON. 248 THORPE. THORNTON, JIatthew (17141803). A signer of the Declaration of Inilependence. He •was born in Ireland; came to America in 1717, lived first at Wiscasset, Me., and then at Wor- cester, Mass., where he was educated; settled as a )>tiysician at Londonderry, N. H., and served as surgeon under Sir William Pepperell in the Louis- burg expedition of 1745. He was chosen pres- ident of the provincial convention of 1775. and in 1776 was sent as a delegate to the Conti- nental Congress, taking his seat in November, when he was allowed to sign the Declaration of Independence, though he had not been elected until some time after its passage. He was Chief .Justice of tlu' Court of Common Pleas prior to 1770. and from 1770 to 1782 was a judge of the New Hampshire .Supreme Court. THORN'WELL, .Tame.s Henley (1812-62). A Southern Presbyterian theologian. He was liorn in ilarlboroiigh District, South Carolina, and graduated at South Carolina College, Colum- bia. 1831. He held several pastorates; was for a time president of South Carolina College, and held professorships in the theological seminary, Columbia. He published Argnmeiits of Uoman- ists Discussed and Hcfuted (1845): Discourses on Truth (1854) : On the Rights and Duties of Masters (1861): The State of the Country (1861). and was one of the most orthodox and conservative of theologians. Consult his Life and Letters bv B. M. Palmer (Richmond, 1875) and .T. L. Girardeau (1871-73). THORN'YCROFT. A family of English sculptors. Mary (1814-05). born in Thornham, Norfolk, was a pupil of her father. .John Francis, the sculptor, and exhibited her first work at the Royal Academy in 1835. In 1840 she mar- ried Thomas Thornycroft. a fellow-pupil in her father's studio, with whom she went to Italy. At Rome she made the acquaintance of John Gibson, and upon his recommendation she re- ceived a commission from the Queen, after her return to London, to execute various statues and busts. Among these are the nine life-size stat- ues of the royal children in the drawing-room at Osborne, and the royal chihlren in a group, characterized as the "Four Seasons." Her ideal figures include the "Flower Girl." "Sappho," and the "Skipping Girl," which last is her best work. Her husband. Thomas Thornycroft (1815-85), devoted most of his time to mechanical schemes, but occasionally juoduccd good sculpture, often assisted by his son Ha mo. Among these are the statue of' Charles I. (Westminster Hall), the group of "Conuuerce" on the Albert Memorial (Hyde Park), and equestrian statues of the Prince Consort at Liverpool and Wolverliampton. Their son, 'ii.i.tam Hamo Thornycroft (1850 — ), was born in London, and was educated at University College School. In 1869 he en- tered the schools of the Royal Academy, ex- hibiting his first work in 1871. and the same year went to Italy. The careful study of the Elgin marbles and of Italian masters greatly influenced his work, and resulted in his vigorous "Teucer" (South Kensington Museum) ; "Putting the Stone," Artemis (Eaton Hall) : "Medea." and "Lot's Wife." His athletic "Mower" (Liver- pool Gallery) and the "Sower" are suggestive of the Barbizon school, although the spirit that pervades them is English. Other works include the national monument to General Gordon in Trafalgar Square: a statue of Queen Victoria in the Koyal Excluingc; and the Cromwell statue at Westminster. Thornycroft is likewise re- nowned for his portrait busts and bas-relief. A bust of Coleridge (1885) is in Westminster Ab- bey. He was made a Royal Academician in 1888, and received gold medals at the Royal Academy in 1875. and at the Paris E.xposition, 1900. THORNYCROFT, .John Isaac (1843-). An English naval architect. He was born in Rome and was the son of Thomas and Mary Thornycroft. He early showed a decided aptitude for mechanics, and when only eighteen years old built a steam launch, the Xautilus, which was the fastest boat of its kind on the Thames. Some time before tliis he had constructed a little model steamer which contained several important innovations later introduced by him into his torpedo boats. About 1804 he entered the University of Glas- gow, and after completing the engineering course there he opened a shipyard at Chiswick in 1866, and, in particular, achieved a remarkable suc- cess as a builder of torpedo boats. Among the improvements employed by him are the closed -<toke-hold and fan. a special indicator, a water- tube boiler, and the turbine propeller. He con- tributed frequently to the Transactions of the Brilisli Association and to the publications of the Institiition of Naval Architects and the Institu- tion of Civil Engineers. THORODDSEN, thor'od-sfn, .J6n Th6r Thar- SON (1819-68). An Icelandic novelist, born at Reykholar. After studying law at the University of Copenhagen, he took part in the war against the Sehleswig-Holstein insurgents and in 1850 returned to Iceland. He died at Borgarfjarthar- sysla. In point of both time and excellence, fhoroddsen is the first Icelandic novelist. His best known works are Piltur ofi Sttilka (Lad and Lass), his first novel, and Mathur og Kona (Man and Wife), published posthumously. These books are characterized by a faithful delineation of Icelandic life and by a quaint and pleasing humor. Thoroddsen also wrote a number of satirical poems. THOR'OLD, Anthony Wilson (1825-95). An English bishop. He was born at Hougham, in Lincolnshire, and educated at Queen's College, Oxford, taking his degree in 1847 ; he entered the ministry and filled prominent positions in London from 1857 till he became Bishop of Rochester, 1877. In 1890 he was transferred to Winchester. He is best known as the author of the devotional works, of rare spirituality. The Presence of Christ (1869). The Gospel of Christ (1882). The Vol-e of Christ (1884), Questions of Faith and Duty (1892). and The Tenderness of Christ (1894). Con.sult his Life by Simpkinson (London, 1896). THOROUGHBASS. See Figured Bass. THOROUGHWORT. See Eupatobium. THORPE, Benjamin (1782-1870). An Eng- lish philologist who studied at Copenhagen under the famous philologist Rasmus Christian Rask (q.v.). While there he published a trans- lation of Rask's Anglo-Haxon Grammar (1830; rev. 1865). Returning to England in 1830. he continued his extensive studies in Old English and Old Norse. Now most widely known is his
