Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/331

DU PONT DU PONT DE NEMOURS 323 eral opposition in the chamber of deputies. In February, 1848, he was elected president of the provisional government, but old age inter- fered with his activity. He was elected to the constituent assembly, and in 1849 retired to private life. DU PONT, Samnel Francis, an American naval officer, grandson of Du Pont de Nemours, born at Bergen Point, N. J., Sept. 27, 1803, died in Philadelphia, June 23, 1865. He entered the navy as midshipman Dec. 19, 1815, was promoted lieutenant in 1826, and commander in 1843. Ordered in 1845 to the Pacific in command of the frigate Congress, Commodore Stockton's flag ship, he reached Monterey (1846) just as the Mexican war began. Trans- ferred at once to the command of the sloop of war Cyane, he did much active and gal- lant service on the California coast. At the capture of Mazatlan under Commodore Shu- brick, in November, 1847, he headed the line of boats which entered the main harbor, and in February, 1848, landed at San Jose" with a force of sailors and marines, marched three miles under fire, and defeated a large body of Mexicans, relieving Lieut. Heywood's little garrison, closely besieged and about to sur- render. He became captain in 1856, and was sent on special duty to China in 1857, in com- mand of the steam frigate Minnesota, return- ing in 1859, after a cruise to Japan, India, and Arabia. Placed in command of the Philadel- phia navy yard Jan. 1, 1861, he rendered im- portant services at the breaking out of the civil war. He was appointed flag officer in the fol- lowing September, and assigned to the com- mand of the South Atlantic blockading squad- ron. On Nov. 7 he attacked and captured, after a severe battle of four hours, the forts at Hilton Head and Bay Point, defending Port Royal harbor, S. C. His squadron, led by the flag ship Wabash, steamed thrice in an elliptic course between the forts, firing at each in turn ; this skilful disposition saved his wooden ships from material injury. In August, 1862, he became rear admiral upon the creation of this rank in the United States navy. On April 7, 1863, Admiral Du Pont made a very gallant though necessarily unsuccessful attack with ironclads upon Fort Sumter. He was relieved from his command in the following July. He died of disease originated by his cruise in the East Indies. During the intervals of more than 25 years of sea service, Admiral Du Pont was constantly employed on important profes- sional duties. He was the author of a treatise on the use of floating batteries for coast de- fence, which has been republished and highly commended in England. DUPONT DE L'ETANG, Pierre, count, a French general, born at Chabannais, Angoumois, July 14, 1765, died Feb. 16, 1838. Appointed brig- adier general in 1793 and general of division in 1797, he joined Bonaparte on the 18th Bru- maire, contributed to the victory of Marengo, and at the close of 1800 defeated an over- whelming Austrian force at Pozzolo on the banks of the Mincio. He won new laurels in 1805 and 1806 during the campaigns in Aus- tria and Prussia, and in 1807, by a bold movement against the Russian imperial guard, decided the victory of Friedland. Sent to Spain in command of the army which was to conquer Andalusia, he was successful at first, but was surrounded in the Sierra Morena by a Spanish army under Castafios, and surrendered with his whole force, July 22, 1808. For this act, known as the capitulation of Baylen, Du- pont was by imperial decree degraded from his rank and sent to the fort of Joux in the Jura. The fall of the empire restored him to liberty, and his supposed hatred of the emperor led to his appointment as minister of war, and the cancelling of all the proceedings against him ; but he was soon dismissed from that office. After the second restoration he was appointed member of the privy council. His native de- partment elected him several times to the chamber of deputies. He published pamphlets on the recruiting system and the campaign of Austria, and observations on Montgaillard's Histoire de France. DF PONT DE NEMOURS, Pierre Samuel, a French economist and statesman, born in Paris, Dec. 14, 1739, died near Wilmington, Delaware, Aug. 6, 1817. Two pamphlets on the finances, published at the age of 23, gained him the ac- quaintance and regard of the celebrated Ques- nay. Of all the economists, Du Pont did most to give currency to the doctrines of the school. His work, De V exportation et de V importation des grains (1764), caused Turgot to seek his ac- quaintance, and they became intimate friends. During the next eight years Du Pont published among other books Physiocratie, an analysis of Quesnay's system (1768), and Le commerce de la compagnie des Indes (1769) ; he also edited the Journal de V agriculture, du com- merce et des finances, and from 1768 the phe- merides du citoyen, the organ of the school. Upon the suppression of the latter in 1772, Du Pont, who had received various titles and dec- orations from foreign princes, was invited to Poland by King Stanislas Augustus, and made secretary of the council of public education, and governor of his nephew, Prince Adatn Czartoryski. When Turgot became comptrol- ler general (1774), Du Pont was recalled to France, and took part in all the reform mea- sures of that minister, particularly in financial matters, most of the principles upon which the French treasury is now conducted being de- rived from the measures which Du Pont at- tempted to carry out at that time. He also prepared the scheme for provincial administra- tion recommended to the king by Turgot. Upon Turgot's disgrace (1776), Du Pont was banished from Paris, and busied himself with agricultural and literary pursuits, reappearing in print with a translation of a part of Arios- to's Orlando furioso (1781), and after Turgot's death with a memoir of his friend (1782). Re-