protegee of her aged friend, Rev. Dr. Richard Peters. Her daily record of travels was written in a happy vein, and contained a vivacious series of contrasts between English and colonial society, which, though urgently solicited for publication, she declined to have printed. Soon after her re- turn home she married a Scotchman, Hugh Henry Ferguson, after which she lived at Graeme Park until the beginning of the Revolution in 1775, when her husband took the side of the crown, she remaining true to her country, and a separation followed. Her husband's American estate was con- fiscated, but a small part of it was restored to her by the legislature in 1781. After the British en- tered Philadephia, Mrs. Ferguson was the bearer of an offensive letter from the Rev. Mr. Duche to Gen. Washington. The general sent the letter to con- gress, and hinted to Mrs. Ferguson that he " highly disapproved the correspondence, and expected it would be discontinued." But she soon proposed to Gov. Johnstone to offer Joseph Reed " ten thousand guineas and the best post in the govern- ment " to exert his influence with Gen. Washing- ton, and in other ways " to settle the contest," which brought out the memorable reply of Reed, after- ward published by Mrs. Ferguson in a narrative for her own defence. Her life after the Revolu- tion was passed in pursuits of literature and in offices of benevolence. Several of her letters were printed in the " Port-Folio." Her poetical corre- spondence with the Rev. Nathaniel Evans, under the pen-name of " Laura," was also published. She transcribed the entire Bible, to impress its contents more deeply on her memory. But her most im- portant work was a translation of E'enelon's " Telemaque " into English heroic verse, which oc- cupied her for three years. The manuscript was deposited by her heirs in the Philadelphia Frank- lin library. More than twenty years after its com- pletion she rewrote four volumes. — Her nephew, John Young', who translated D'Argent's " An- cient Geography," died a lieutenant in the British army. The copy of his work in the Philadelphia library contains a memoir by Mrs. Ferguson.
FERGUSON, James, civil engineer and as-
tronomer, b. in Perthshire. Scotland, 31 Aug.,
1797 ; d. in Washington, D. C, 26 Sept., 1867. He
was brought to the United States in 1800, was as-
sistant civil engineer on the Erie canal in 1817-'19,
assistant surveyor on the boundary commission
under the treaty of Ghent in 1819-'22, astronomi-
cal surveyor on the same commission in 1822-'27,
civil engineer for the state of Pennsylvania in
1827-'32, first assistant of the U. S. coast survey in
1838-'47, and assistant astronomer of the U. S.
naval observatory from 1847 till his death. W- hile
holding this last office he discovered three aster-
oids, for which he was awarded the astronomical
prize medal by the Academy of sciences of France
in 1854, and again, by the same institution, in 1860.
Prof. Ferguson was a contributor to Gould's " As-
ti'onomical Journal " and to the " Astronomische
Nachrichten " ; also to the " Episcopal Church Re-
view " and other magazines.
FERGUSON, Patrick, British soldier, b. in
Scotland in 1744; d. at King's Mountain. N. C,
9 Oct., 1780. He was a son of James Ferguson,
an eminent jurist. At the age of eighteen he en-
tered the army in Flanders. He came to this coun-
try in the spring of 1777, and was engaged in the
battle of the Brandywine in September of that
year. In October, 1778. he led a band that de-
stroyed the shipping at Little Egg harbor, burned
houses, and laid waste the lands of the patriots.
They surprised Pulaski's command, and killed all
they could, taking no prisoners. Ferguson was
active on the Hudson in 1779. and so distinguished
himself at the siege of Charleston in 1780 that he
was particularly mentioned by the commander-in-
chief, Sir Henry Clinton, and appointed major of
the 71st regiment. He was deputed to visit each
district in South Carolina, to procure lists of the
militia, and to see that the orders of Cornwallis
were carried into execution. Any Carolinian there-
after taken in arms against the king might be
sentenced to death for desertion and treason. In
September, when Cornwallis began his march, he
relied on the loyalists of North Carolina to recruit
his army. On his left, Maj. Ferguson was sent with
200 of tiie best troops to the uplands of South Caro-
lina, where he enlisted young men, loyalists who
had fled to the mountains for security, and fugi-
tives of the worst character, who sought his standard
for the chances of plundering. After a gallant
defence, he was defeated and slain in the bloody
contest of King's Mountain, the spirit of which
victory to the American soldiers was, says Bancroft,
" like the rising at Concord, in its effects like the
successes at Bennington, and changed the aspect
of the war. It encouraged the fragments of the
defeated and scattered American army to seek
each other and organize themselves anew." Fer-
guson was reputed to be the best marksman in the
army. He invented a musket to be loaded at the
breech, which could be fired seven times in a min-
ute with remarkable precision. Just before the
battle of the Brandywine, Gen. Washington was
taking observations outside the lines, attended by
a French officer in hussar uniform. Ferguson,
who did not recognize the approaching party, or-
dered three shots fired at them, but quickly coun-
termanded the order. The hussar made a circuit
on his return, but Washington passed very near
Ferguson, and was ordered by him to halt, which
order was disregarded. There was ample oppor-
tunity to take his life, but it was not attempted.
On the following day Ferguson learned the name
of his distinguished visitor.
FERGUSON, Samuel David, P. E. bishop, b.
in Charleston, S. C, 1 Jan., 1842. He emigrated
with his parents to Liberia, in Africa, at the age of
six years. He received his education in the mis-
sion schools under Bishop Payne, was appointed a
teacher in 1862, and was ordained deacon by the
bishop, 28 Dec, 1865, and priest, 15 March, 1868.
During his diaconate he served as assistant minis-
ter in St. Mark's parish, Harper, and when made
priest, became rector of the same parish. He was
president of the standing committee for several
years, and also business agent of the mission, and
superintendent of the Cape Palmas female orphan
asylum and girls' school. Having been elected
missionary bishop for West Africa in 1885, he
came to the United States, and was consecrated
in Grace church. New York city, 24 June, 1885.
Soon afterward he returned to Cape Palmas, Libe-
ria, and entered upon the duties of his office.
FERIA, Pedro (fa'-re-a), Mexican bishop, b. in Feria, Estremadura, Spain, in 1524; d. in Chiapas, Mexico, in 1588. He was ordained in the cloister of San Estebande Salamanca on 5 Feb., 1545. received the degree of doctor in theology, and in 1551 was sent to Mexico, entering the missions of the Zapotec Indians, in whose language he preached and published several religious books. He was elected superior of the imperial convent of Mexico, 20 May, 1557, went to Florida as provincial vicar in 1560. and in 1567 was appointed provincial of the province of Santiago in Mexico, returning in 1570 to Spain as ecclesiastical attor-
