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BLAINE 56 BLAIB the "Catholic Presbyterian" in 1879- 1883. His writings include "Bible His- tory in Connection with General History" (1859); "Bible Geography" (1860); "Glimpses of the Inner Life of David Livingstone" (1880) ; "Leaders in Mod- ern Philanthropy" (1884) ; etc. He died in North Berwick, Scotland, June 11, 1899. BLAINE, JAMBS GILLESPIE, an American statesman, born in West Brownsville, Pa., Jan. 31, 1830. He graduated at Washington College, Pa., in 1847. In 1854 he removed to Augusta, Me., and engaged in journalism. He was one of the founders of the Republican JAMES G. BLAINE party, and in 1856 was a delegate to the first Republican National Convention, which nominated Fremont for the Presi- dency. In 1858 he was elected to the Legislature of Maine, and in 1862 to the House of Representatives of the National Congress. He became Speaker of the House in 1864, and held that office for six years ; was a member of the Senate from 1876 to 1881; was twice Secretary of State (1881-1882 and 1889-1892). He was defeated for the Presidency in 1884 by Grover Cleveland. Besides his numerous speeches and writings on the public ques- tions of his day, his best known work is his "Twenty Years in Congress" (2 vols., 1884-1886), a historical production of great and permanent value. He died in Washington, D. C Jan. 27, 1893. BLAINVILLE, HENBI MARIE DUCROTAY DE (blan-vel'), a French naturalist, born in 1777. After attending a military school, and also studying art, his interest in Cuvier's lectures led him to the study of medicine and natural his- tory. Cuvier chose him for his assistant in the College of France and the Museum of Natural History, and in 1812 secured for him the chair of Anatomy and Zo- ology in the Faculty of Sciences at Paris. In 1825 he was admitted to the Academy of Sciences; in 1829 he became professor in the Museum of Natural History, lec- turing on the mollusca, zoophytes, and worms; and in 1832 he succeeded Cuvier in the chair of Comparative Anatomy there. His chief works are "Animal Or- ganism, or Principles of Comparative Anatomy," "Manual of Mollusks and Shell Fish," "Manual of Actinology" and "Osteology," a work on the vertebrate skeleton. He died in 1850. BLAIR, HENRY WILLIAM, an American legislator, born in Campton, N. H., Dec. 6, 1834; received an academic education; was admitted to the bar in 1859; served through the Civil War, be- coming Lieutenant-Colonel of the 15th New Hampshire Volunteers, and being twice wounded. After serving in both branches of the State Legislature he was a member of Congress in 1875-1879 and 1893-1895, and a United States Senator in 1879-1889. He is the author of what was kno^vn as the "Blair Common School Bill," designed to distribute a certain amount of Federal money for educational purposes among the various States in proportion to the number of illiterates. He was a strong opponent of Chinese im- migration, and, when he was appointed and confirmed United States Minister to China, that government objected to re- ceiving him. He was an earnest advocate of temperance reform, and wrote much in its behalf. BLAIR, JOHN INSLEY, an Ameri- can philanthropist, born in Belvidere, N. J., Aug. 22, 1802; was in early life a merchant and banker; subsequently be- coming the individual owner of more miles of railroad property than any other man in the world. He acquired a very large fortune; loaned the Federal Gov- ernment more than $1,000,600 in the early part of the Civil War; built and endowed, at a cost of more than $600,000, the Presbyterian Academy in Blairstown, N. J.; rebuilt Grinnell College, Iowa; erected Blair Hall and made other gifts to Princeton University; was equally lib- eral to Lafayette College; and had erected more than 100 churches in differ-