BLATCHFORD.
BLAVATSKY.
He was president of the Society of American ar-
tists, and vice-president of the Architectural
league. He received medals at the Paris exposi-
tion univei'selle, World's Columbian exposition,
and the Cotton states exposition, Atlanta, Ga. In
conjunction with his wife he contributed to
Scribner's and the Century. He was elected a
member of the National Academy of Design in
1888.
BLATCHFORD, Samuel, jurist, was born in New York city, March 9, 1820, son of Richard Milford Blatchford, counsel of the United States bank. He was graduated at Columbia college in 1837, and in 1838 became private secretary to Governor Seward, which position he held for three years. He was admitted to the bar in January, 1842, and commenced practice in his native city, removing, in 1845, to Auburn, N. Y. , where he became law partner of William H. Seward and Christopher Morgan. In 1852 he commenced the publication of the decisions of the second circuit of the U. S. court, under the name of " Blatchford's Reports," which were continued until 1888, and two years later returned to New York. In May, 1867, he was appointed by President Johnson judge of the district court for the southern district of New York. (His opinions in the district court are reported in the first nine volumes of Benedict's District Court Reports, and his opinions in the circuit court while district judge are reported in Vols. 5 to 14 of Blatchford's Circuit Court Reports.) On March 4, 1878, he was appointed by President Hayes judge of the second judicial circuit in place of Alexander S. Johnson, deceased (and his opinions from March, 1882, in the circuit court are reported in Vols. 14 to 26 of Blatchford's circuit coui-t reports, and in the Federal Reporter.) On March 22, 1882, President Arthur appointed Judge Blatchford associate justice of the United States supreme court. In 1867 he was made a trustee of Columbia college, receiving at the same time the degree of LL.D. Mr. Justice Blatchford died at Newport, R. I., July 7, 1893.
BLAUVELT, Augustus, clergyman, was born at Covert, N. Y., April 7, 1832. After his gradu- ation from Rutgers college in 1858 he studied theology, and in 1861 became pastor of Bethany chapel, Philadelphia. He remained there but a short time, removing to New York city. In 1862 he was sent to China, where for two years he en- gaged in missionary work. After his return to America he resumed his pastoral work, and for some years was in charge of the Reformed church at Bloomingdale, N. Y., but relinquished this work in order to give his time wholly to writing. He was an advanced thinker, and Avrote papers expressing heretical opinions, w-hich were published in Scrihners Monthly and caused his ex-
^/! ^^=i^-^^^
communication from the Dutch Reformed church.
He contributed to periodicals, and wrote "The
Kingdom of Satan" (1868); and "The Present
Religious Crisis" (1882). He became insane and
died at Binghamton. N.Y.. April 1900.
BLAVATSKY, Helena Petrovna, theosopliist, was born at Ekaterinoslaw, Russia, July 20, 1831, daughter of Colonel Peter and H^ldne (Fadeef) Halm. Through both her parents she was con- nected with some of the oldest famiUes of nobles in Germany and Russia Her education was very incom-
plete. At the
age of seven-
teen she was
married to
Gen. Nice-
phore V. Bla-
vatsky, gov-
ernor of
Erivan, a
province in
the Cauca-
sus. In a
few months
she left her
husband and
started on
a tour of
travel. She was remarkably apt at learning lan-
guages, and mastered about forty European and
Asiatic tongues. She also studied mysticism in
all its phases, visiting for this purpose all
parts of India, Canada, the United States, and
Mexico. In 1875, after some years in Russia and
elsewhere, she started the theosopliical society in
New York city, Col. Henry S. Olcott, U. S. army,
being president, and Madame Blavatsky corres-
ponding secretary. The avowed aims of the
society w^ere: the forming of a nucleus for a uni-
versal brotherhood of mankind; the study of the
Aryan languages, Uterature, religions, and sci-
ence; the exploring of the hidden mysteries of
nature and the latent powers of man, and the
vindicating of the importance of such study and
inquiry. The society rapidly grew in strength
and numbers in America. In December, 1878,
Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott were "sum-
moned " to India, where they founded a theo-
sophical society. In 1891 this society had 279
branches in various parts of the world. While
Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott were in
Bombay, they edited and published, from 1879 to
1885, the T7ieosoj)hist. In the latter year she re-
signed her position as editor, and also her secre-
taryship of the theosopliical society, and removing
to London she established and for some years
edited Lucifer, a monthly. Reported exposures of
her impostures did not prevent the growth of the
