he removed to the Red river settlement and was a member of the council of Assineboia. and was sheriff of the Red river settlement for several vears. He was for fifteen years a resident in the territories of the lludsou bay company. and has given the result of his observations in the Works “ Adventures of the First Settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River: being a Narrative of the Expe— dition fittingr out by John Jacob Astor to establish the Pacific Fur Company. with an Account of some Indian Tribes on the Coast of the Pacific" (Lon- don. 114-19): “The Fur—Hunters of the Far West. a Narrative of Adventures in the Oregon and Rocky Mountains” (2 vols.. 1555): and " The Red River Settlement. its Rise. Progress. and Present State" (1S56).—His son. James. b. in Red river settle- ment. Manitoba. 9 May. 1835; d. in \Yinnipen'. Manitoba. ‘20 Sept.. 1871. was educated at St. John's college. Red river. and at Toronto university. where he was graduated with honors in 1H37. In 1853 he taught as assistant classical master in Upper Canada college. Toronto. Iu 18.79. return— ing home. he was appointed postmaster. sheritt. and governor of the jail at Red river. was con- ner-ted as part proprietor and editor with the “Nor'-\\'ester" in IMO—'4. subsequently as asso- ciate editor of the [Iamilton "Spectator." and was also a writer on the Toronto "Globe." He was afterward admitted to the bar of Manitoba. in INTO was appointed chief justice of the provisional government under Louis Riel. and is said to have drawn tip the petition of right. He was opposed to Riel‘s violent and arbitrary acts.
ROSS. Alexander Coffman. merchant. h. in
Zanesville. Ohio. 31 May. “#12: d. there. ‘25 Fel).,
1HN3. He became a merchant in his native place.
sang in a. church choir. and in the presidential can-
vass of 1840 was a member of a Whig glee-club.
A friend having.r suggested that the tune “ Little
Pigs" would be a suitable chorus for a political
song. Ross set himself to compose the song. and
one Sunday during sermon-time produced “ Tippe-
canoe and Tyler too." This was sung by his glee-
cluh at a mass-meeting in Zanesville. and at once
became popular. When he went to New York in
September. to buy goods. he sang it at a great
meeting in Lafayette hall. the audience took up
the chorus. after the meeting it was repeated by
crowds in the streets and about the hotels. and
thenceforth it. was the most successful song of a
canvass in which Gen. Harrison was said to have
been sung into the “'hite House. From a boy
Mr. Ross was iuterested in scientific inventions. and
he is said to have produced the first daguerreotype
ever made in this country. He was one of the
most enterprising business men in Zancsville. and
accumulated a large property. See "()ur Familiar
Songs. and Those who Made T hem." by Helen K.
Johnson (New York. 1881).
ROSS. Alexander Milton. Canadian natural-
ist. h. in Belleville. Ont.. 13 Dec. 1832; d. in Mont-
real. 27 Oct.. 1897. He attended school till eleven,
when the death of his father compelled his re—
moval. He evinced a great love for natural his-
tory at an early age. In his boyhood he came
to New York city. and after struggling with many
adversities became a compositor on the “ Evening
Post." William Cullen Bryant. its editor. was
much interested in him. and remained his friend
ever afterward. During this period he became
acquainted with Garibaldi. who was then a resi-
dent of New York; and in 1874 Ross was in-
strlunental in securing a pension for Garibaldi
from the Italian government. In 1H5] he began
the study of medicine under the direction of Dr
Valentine Mott. in New York. and after four years
of um‘emitting toil. workng as a compositor dur-
ingr the day and studying medicine at night. he
received his degree of M. I). in 1855. Soon after
his graduation he was appointed a surgeon in the
forces in Nicaragua. under William Walker. In
1H3“ he became actively engaged in the anti—slavery
struggle in the United States. becoming a personal
friend of John Brown. During the civil war
he served for a short time as a surgeon in the Na-
tional army. and afterward he was employed by
President Lincoln as confidential correspondent
in Canada. where be rendered important services
to the L'. S. government. receiving the thanks of
the president and Sec. Seward. At the close of
the war Dr. Ross otfered his services to President
Juarez of Mexicn. and received the appointment of
surgeon in the Mexican army. After the over-
throw of the empire he returned to Canada and
began to collect and classify the fauna and flora of
that country. a work that had never before been
attempted by a native. He has collected and clas—
sified hundreds of species of birds. cg s. mammals,
reptiles. and fresh-water fish. 3.41 10 species of insects.
and 2.000 species of Canadian flora. After his re-
turn to Canada he became a member of the Col-
lege of physicians and surgeons of Quebec and
Ontario. and was one of the founders of the So-
ciety for the diffusion of physiological knowledge
in 1881. Dr. Ross had been appointed treasurer
and Commissioner of agriculture for the province
of Ontario. and he had removed from Montreal
to Toronto. He was knighted by the emperor of
Russia. and by the kings of Italy. Greece, and Sax-
ony in 1876. and by the king of Portugal in 1877.
He was appointed consul in Canada by the kings
of Belgium and Denmark. and received the decora-
tion of the " Académie Francaise " from the govern—
ment of France in 1879. He was a member of many
scientific societies. and the author of “Recollec-
tions of an Abolitionist " (Montreal. INST); “ Birds
of Canada " (1872) ; “ Butterflies and Moths of Can-
ada” (1873); “ Flora of Canada " (1873) ; " Forest
Trees of Canada ” (1874): “ Ferns and Wild Flow-
ers of Canada " (1877); " Mammals. Reptiles. and
Fresh-water Fishes of Canada" (1-878); " Vaccina-
tion a Medical Delusion " (INS-'3); and " Medical
Practice of the Future " (1887).
ROSS. David. congressman, b. in Maryland
about 1750. He was a delegate from that state to
the Continental congress in 17-5‘6—‘7. On 11 May.
1787. he voted on the motion to amend the article
passed on 29 Aug.. 1756. making it read " that the
proceedings of congress do not authorize the secre-
tary of the ['nited States for the department of
foreign afiairs to enter into any stipulation with
the minister of his Catholick majesty." He also
voted on ‘27 Sept.. 1787. to otter a resolution of
thanks to John Adams for his service as minister
to England. and on 13 0ct..1787. voted for Mr.
Pierce Butler’s motion that it was the desire of
congress to entertain the friendship existing be-
tween the United States and his " Catholick maj-
esty." There is no record of his death. .
ROSS. Edmund Gibson. senator. b. in Ashland. Ohio. '7 Dec.. 1-826. He was apprenticed at an early age to a printer. received a limited education. and in 1547 removed to Wiscousin. where he
was employed in the office of the Milwaukee " Sentinel “ for four years. He went to Kansas in 1856. was a member of the Kansas constitutional convention in 1859. and served in the legislature until 1861. He was also editor of the Kansas “State Record " and the Kansas "Tribune." which was the only Free-state paper in the territory at that
