called after him. He died at York (Eboracum) on Feb. 4. 211.
Sevier (sē̇-vēr′), John, American politician and celebrated pioneer and Indian-fighter, was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, in 1745; and died in Georgia in 1815. He married at 17; and at 19 founded a village in Shenandoah Valley. This settlement grew into the town of Newmarket. He was a captain in the Virginia Line during Lord Dunmore's colonial war (1774). It was he who requested the annexation to North Carolina of what is now Tennessee. After the War of the Revolution this region became ambitious for an independent government; and one was actually formed. Sevier became governor of this attempted state, which was called Franklin. North Carolina broke up the government and imprisoned Sevier. He escaped, and in 1790 was returned to Congress. He was made Tennessee's first governor when it was formed into a state (1796). This office he held until 1801; and again from 1803 to 1809. From 1811 he served four years in Congress. Sevier's death took place while he was engaged in negotiations with the Creek Indians.
Sévigné (sā̇′vē̇n′yā̇′), Madame de, the queen of letter-writers, was born at Paris, as Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Feb. 6, 1626. At 18 she married a spendthrift marquis, whom she forgave and loved. At the death of her husband in 1651, she was brilliant in beauty and fascination. The prince of Conti, Turenne, Rohan and others courted her in vain. But no woman ever knew, as she did, how to change a lover into a friend, and perhaps no one ever had so many and such friends. But as to love, — that was wholly bound up in her son and daughter. The marriage of the daughter to the Count of Grignan, lieutenant-général of Provence, obliged her to live away from Paris. This separation from her daughter was the grief of Madame de Sévigné's life, but it is mainly to it that we owe those letters, extending over the 25 years till her death. These letters tell the inner history of the time in great detail; but are most valuable as mere letters, charming in their good sense, sparkling wit and inbreathed affection. The writer died on April 18, 1696. Consult Amelia Gere Mason's Women of the French Salons. See Letters.
Seville (sā̇-vēl′yȧ), one of the most famous Spanish cities, is on the Guadalquivir, 62 miles northeast of Cadiz. Up to a short time ago Seville had the appearance of a picturesque Moorish town — narrow shaded streets, houses built around handsome courts and gardens and fountain-studded squares. But now room has been made for wide, straight streets and modern houses and shops. The great ornament of the city is its Gothic cathedral, the second largest in the world, containing paintings by Murillo and others, a great organ, the tombs of Ferdinand III of Castile and Ferdinand the son of Columbus and fine bronze, sculptured and wood-carving work. Close beside stands the beautiful tower called Giralda, 275 feet high. Another of the glories of Seville is the Alcazar or Moorish royal palace, whose halls and gardens are surpassed only by those of the Alhambra. The museum and charity hospital contain masterpieces by Murillo. The bull-ring can accommodate 18,000 spectators. The leading manufactures are cigars, iron, machinery and pottery. Seville also is a large port of entry. The largest imports are chemicals and timber; the chief exports, lead, quicksilver, wine, copper, oranges, olives, olive-oil and corks. This city was the Roman Hispalis, a place of trade in those days. Under the name of Ishbilia from 712 to 1248 it was an important Moorish city. When Ferdinand III of Castile captured it (1248), about 300,000 Moors abandoned the place. Population 155,366. Seville or Sevilla also is a province. Area 5,428 square miles; population 587,186.
Sévres (sā̇′vr’), a small town in France, 2½ miles southwest of Paris, celebrated for its porcelain. Sèvres vases are of great value and are known the world over. Painted glass and mosaic are also made. Porcelain has been manufactured under state control since 1756. Population 8,000. See Garnier's Soft Porcelain of Sèvres.
Seward (sū′ẽrd), William Henry, was
born at Florida, N. Y., May 16, 1801. He
WILLIAM H. SEWARD
graduated at
Union College in
1820, and
became a lawyer.
He joined the
Whigs, being the
party leader in
the state senate
from 1830 to
1834. Defeated
for the governorship
in 1834, he
was elected in
1838 and 1840.
He refused a
nomination for a
third term, and
between 1843
and 1849, when
he entered the
United States senate, he gained an enviable
reputation as a criminal and patent lawyer.
While governor he had refused to
surrender to the governor of Virginia three
negro seamen, demanded on the charge of
inciting a slave to escape. He was against
the admission of Texas as a slave-holding
state, and thus became marked as an
opponent of slavery. His speech in defense
of Freeman, a negro murderer, Gladstone
has called “the greatest forensic effort in
