and her Descendants through her Marriage with John Rolfe " (Richmond, 1887). He left in manu- script a " Vindication of the Course of Virginia throughout the Slave Controversy."
ROBERTSON. Thomas James, senator, b. in
Fairfleld county, S. C., 3 Aug., 1823 ; d. in Colum-
bia. 13 Oct., 1897. He was graduated at South Caro-
lina college, and became a planter. He was Gov.
Robert P. W. Allston's aide-de-camp in 1858-'9.
During the civil war he was a decided and open
Unionist. He was a member of the State consti-
tutional convention that was held after the passage
of the reconstruction acts of congress, and was
elected as a Republican to one of the vacant seats
in the U. S. senate. He was re-elected for a full
term, serving altogether from 22 July, 1868, till 3
March. 1877, and held the chairmanship of the
committee on manufactures.
ROBERTSON, William, Scottish historian, b.
in Borthwick. Scotland, 19 Sept., 1721 ; d. in Edin-
burgh, Scotland. 11 June, 1793. He studied the-
ology at the University of Edinburgh, where he was
graduated in 1741. He held various livings, be-
came, in 1762, principal of the University of Edin-
burgh, and was appointed royal historiographer of
Scotland in 1763. He devoted many years to writ-
ing a " History of Scotland " (London, 1758-'9),
which brought him fame and advancement, and
encouraged him to apply the same degree of care
and industry to a " History of the Emperor Charles
V." (1769).' He then undertook a "History of
America," and published the first eight books,
dealing with the settlement and history of the
Spanish colonies (1777), but the Revolutionary war
deterred him from carrying out his plan. The
ninth and tenth books, containing the history of
Virginia until 1688 and that of New England up
to 1652, were published from his manuscripts by
his son William (1796). Numerous collective edi-
tions of Robertson's works have appeared. His
biography has been written by Dugald Stewart
(1801) and by Lord Brougham in his " Lives of Men
of Letters " (1857).
ROBERTSON, William H., jurist, b. in Bed-
ford, N. Y., 10 Oct., 1823 ; d. in Katonah, N. Y., 6
Nov., 1898. He received a classical education, and
was admitted to the bar in 1847. He was elected
superintendent of the common schools of Bedford,
and in 1849 and 1850 was a member of the state
assembly. In 1854 he was sent to the state senate,
and he was elected county judge for three succes-
sive terms, holding the office twelve years. In
1860 he was a presidential elector on the Repub-
lican ticket. Judge Robertson was a delegate to
the Baltimore convention of 1864 and again an
elector, and was then elected to congress, and
served from 4 March, 1867, till 3 March, 1869. In
1872 he returned to the state senate, and was one
of the leaders of that body till 1881, when he was
appointed collector of the port of New York. His
nomination to the office by President Garfield
without consultation with the senators from New
York, Roscoe Conkling and Thomas C. Platt, led
to the defection of the so-called Stalwart wing of
the Republican party.
ROBERVAL, Jean Francois de la Roqne, Sieur de, French colonist, b. about 1500; d. at sea in 1547. He was a nobleman of Picardy, and the first person that attempted to colonize New France
after Cartier. He had gained distinction as an
officer in the army, and, having obtained the king's
consent to govern and colonize Canada, he sailed
for that country in 1542. He reached his destina-
tion in safety, wintered at Stadacona (now Quebec),
and sent two vessels to France for provisions, which
he did not receive. He then led an unsuccessful
expedition into the interior of the country, losing
fifty-eight men at Quebec, and one ship. Instead
of sending Roberval aid. the king ordered Cartier
to bring him home, as his services would be valu-
able in the war in Picardy. He performed several
gallant exploits, but in 1547 sailed a second time
for Canada with a large and valuable expedition,
but was wrecked on the passage, and all perished.
ROBESON, Georsre Maxwell, b. in Belvidere,
N. J., in 1827; d. in Trenton, 27 Sept., 1897. HP
was graduated at Princeton in 1847, studied law,
was admitted to the bar in 1850, and began practice
in Newark, N. J., removing afterward to Camden,
where he was appointed prosecuting attorney for
the county in 1859. He took an active part in
organizing the state troops at the beginning of
the civil war, holding a commission as brigadier-
general under the governor. In 1867 he became
attorney-general of New Jersey, but he resigned on
receiving the appointment of secretary of the navy
in the cabinet of President Grant on 25 June,
1869. He held this office till March, 1877, and
was subsequently a member of congress from 18
March, 1879, till'3 March, 1883.
ROBIDAUX, Joseph Emery, Canadian educator, b. in St. Philippe, Laprairie, Quebec, 10 March, 1844. He was educated at the Montreal and Jesuits' colleges, and graduated in law at
McGill university in 1866. He was admitted to
the bar in that year, was appointed queen's coun-
sel, and has been professor of civil law at McGill
university since 1877. In 1879 he was a commis-
sioner to report on the administration of justice in
Montreal, and a member of the commission to .in-
quire into matters connected with the building of
the parliament house in Quebec. Mr. Robidaux
was elected to the Quebec legislative assembly,
20 March, 1884, and re-elected in December, 1886.
ROBIE, Thomas, author, b. in Boston, Mass.,
20 March, 1689; d. there, 28 Aug., 1729. He was
graduated at Harvard in 1708, studied theology,
and afterward took up the study of medicine, and
obtained the degree of M. D. He was librarian of
the college in 1712-'13, and from 1714 till 1723
was a tutor. He published a book entitled " The
Knowledge of Christ " (Boston, 1721), and in the
" Transactions " of the Philosophical society a pa-
per on "Alkaline Salts" (1720) and one on "The
Venom of the Spider " (1724).
ROBIN, Claude C., French clergyman, b. in
France about 1750. He accompanied Count Ro-
chambeau to the American colonies as chaplain.
His experiences and observations in this country,
with remarks on some of the actors and events of
theRevolution, were given in "Nouveau voyage dans
1'Amerique septentrionale en 1781 et campagne de
1'armee de M. le Comte de Rochambeau " (Paris,
1782; English translation, Philadelphia, 1783).
Abbe Robin was the author also of " Voyages
dans l'Interieur de la Louisiane " (Paris, 1807).
ROBINS, Henry Ephraim, clergyman, b. in Hartford, Conn., 27 Sept., 1827. His education was received at the Literary institute, Suffiekl, Conn., and at Newton theological seminary, where he was graduated in 1861. In the same year he was ordained, and in 1862 he became pastor of the Central Baptist church, Newport, R. I. In 1867 he took the pastorate of the 1st Baptist church, Rochester, N. Y., and he remained there until 1873, when he was called to the presidency of Colby university, Waterville, Me. For nearly ten years he administered the affairs of this college with success. In 1882 he was elected to the chair of Christian ethics in Rochester theological seminary,
