Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/108

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PORTILLO
PORTUONDO

from those who differed with him in belief during his stay in St. Augustine. In 1829 he prevailed on Bishop England to station a priest of his diocese in East Florida. He then sailed for Europe, and, after spending several months in Prance, where he obtained money, besides the services of two priests, four sub-deacons, and two ecclesiastical students, he returned the same year. While he was in Eu- rope the bishopric of Mobile had been formed out of his vicariate, and he was installed bishop of the new see after his arrival. He began at once to or- ganize parishes, and built churches at Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Florence, Huntsville, and Moulton. He next founded Spring Hill college, near Mobile. and also built the ecclesiastical seminary that was attached to it. The funds he had obtained from abroad enabled him to employ teachers. He intro- the Nuns of the Visitation order into his dio- cese in 1832, and in the following year built a con- vent and academy for them in Summerville. He began the erection of the cathedral of the Im- maculate Conception in 1835, a fine structure, which he completed in 1850. Nearly all the great charities of the diocese owed their origin to Bishop Portier. A large number of children having been rendered orphans by the cholera epidemic of 1839, he introduced a colony of Sisters of Charity and a I H iily of Brothers of Christian Instruction from France, who took charge of the asylums that he founded. To these institutions he attached labor and free schools. He organized a girls' school in St. Augustine, introduced the Jesuits, and added largely to the number of churches and missions. He paid a second visit to Europe in 1849. After his return he took part in the different councils of his church in this country and was active in their deliberations. His last great work was the erection of Providence infirmary in Mobile, to which he re- tired when he felt his end approaching. Bishop Portier may be said to have created the Roman Catholic church in his vieariate, which, before his death, was divided into three extensive dio- ceses. He left twenty-seven priests, a splendid cathedral, fourteen churches, a college and ecclesias- tical seminary, fourteen schools, three academies for boys and three for girls, two orphan asylums, an infirmary, and many free schools. He was for some time before his death the senior bishop of the American hierarchy.


PORTILLO, Jucinto de (por-tee'-yo), later known as FRAY CINTO, Spanish soldier, b. in Spain about 1490 ; d. in Nombre de Dios, Mexico, 20 Sept., 1566. He went to Cuba as a soldier with Diego de Velazquez, and took part in the explora- tion of the coast of Mexico under Juan de Grijalva in 1519. He also participated in the conquest of Mexico, afterward went with eight of his comrades to explore the northwest coast, and, having suffered great hardships, reached the South sea, taking pos- session of it in the name of the emperor, as he re- lates in a letter to Philip II., dated Mexico, 20 July, 1561. As a reward for his services, the emperor gave him the Indian commanderies of Huitzitlapan and Tlatanquitepec, where he acquired a great for- tune. About 1563 he abandoned his adventurous life for a life of penitence, distributed his riches among the poor, and as a priest devoted himself to the conversion of the natives in the province of Zacatecas. Fray Cinto displayed much zeal in his new vfiraticm ;md met with great success. With Friar Pedro de Kspinadera he founded the town of Nombre de Dios, and many Christian congrega- tions. He died, after a residence in New Spain of nearly half a century, in the convent of the town that he had founded.


PORTLOCK, Nathaniel, English navigator, lived in the 18th century. He served with Capt. Cook in his last voyage to the Pacific ocean, and was given command in 1785 of the " King George," which was sent out from London by the King George's Sound company, a corporation that had been formed for trading in furs from the west coast of North America to China. After various expe- riences in the Pacific, Capt. Portlock brought his vessel back to England in 1788 after making a voyage around the world. Subsequently he wrote " Voyage Around the World ; but More Particu- larly tot he Northwest Coast of America " (London, ITS!) : abridged ed., 1789). His convoy on this ex- pedition was commanded by George Dixon (q. v.).


PORTOCARRERO LASO DE LA YEGA, Melohor de (por-to-car-ray'-ro), Count of Mon- clova, viceroy of Mexico and Peru, b. in Madrid, Spam, 4 June, 1636 : d. in Lima, Peru, 22 Sept., 1705. During his youth he was page of Queen Elizabeth of Bourbon, and he served in the armies of Flanders, Sici- ly, Catalonia, and Portugal, from 1653 till 1662. He lost an arm in the battle of the Downs of Dunkirk, and used a silver one till his death. In 1665 he took part in the siege and battle of villavi- ciosa, where he was taken pris- oner, and on his liberation he was promoted lieu- tenant - general. He was appoint- ed viceroy of Mexico in 1685,

and arrived there

30 Nov., 1686. During his administration there was a destructive eruption of the volcano of Ori- zaba (1687), the Indians of Coahuila were con- quered, the city of Monclora was founded, and the aqueduct from Chapultepec to the Salto de Agua was constructed at his private expense. In 1688 he was appointed viceroy of Peru, and he entered Lima, 15 Aug., 1689. He introduced many re- forms and rebuilt the city of Lima, which he found almost entirely destroyed by the earthquake of 20 Oct.. 1687. He also reconstructed the church of Copacabana and the hospital of the Bethlemi- tas. Another important work was the reconstruc- tion of the dock of Callao, which he began in 1694, and the repairing of the cathedral of Lima, Dur- ing his government several destructive earthquakes occurred ; in 1698 the cities of Tacunga and Ambato were destroyed, and in 1701 a great flood inundated Trujillo. He ordered the construction of three ships, and appointed the admiral, Antonio Beas, to explore the islands of Juan Fernandez. In 1698 a Scottish colony occupied the Isthmus of Darirn (see PATERSON, WILLIAM), and the king ordered the viceroy to attack them: but the Scotch soon abandoned the isthmus, and, although they re- turned next year, before the viceroy could leave Lima with an expedition, he received advice from Gen. Pimienta, the governor of Carthagena, that he had expelled them.


PORTUONDO, Bernardo (por-twon'-do), Cuban soldier, b. in Santiago de Cuba in 1840. He went