John Ross

“ John Ross had a general order and power to pay the claims arising out of the emigration; he received the money and paid it out. Several years ago he paid over to the Cherokee nation $125,000, which had been saved from the expenses of the emigration ”

“ I submit to your excellency's own judgment if it should not be useful to the common service to have respective officers, who are acquainted with the languages, placed aside of the commanders-in-chief. For my part, I should find it very agreeable if Lieutenant John Ross, who served last year on board the Swedish Admiral's ship, would be permitted to resume the same employment on board of this. He is so well acquainted with the Swedish language and customs, that I flatter myself he would have no objection to this proposition. ”

“ THIS case was brought up, by writ of error, from the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Columbia.
It was an action brought by Parks for services rendered by Samuel Parks to John Ross, in the removal of the Cherokee nation to the western side of the Mississippi, in the years 1838 and 1839. The bills of exception set forth in extenso all the evidence offered by the plaintiff upon the trial. Some of this evidence consisted of long documents, which it is not deemed necessary to insert, although they were made parts of the bills of exceptions. ”

“ The young man was now twenty-one, entirely a marriageable age in that southern country where eighteen was none too young for a man to marry and where girls of fifteen were often wives. At twenty-five John Ross and Neal Jordan were considered quite old bachelors. Blythe had paid court to Alison from the time of his arrival in the neighborhood, but had been treated as a mere comrade by the girl. ”

“ ROS or ROSSE, JOHN de (d. 1332) , bishop of Carlisle, was a member of a Herefordshire family, and is said to have been a son of Robert, first baron Ros of Hamlake or Helmsley [see under Ros, William de] . He held the living of Ross, Herefordshire, before 1307 (Roberts, Calendarium Genealogicum, ii. 742; Bliss, Cal. Pap. Reg. ii. 72) , and on 17 May of that year, when he was canon of Hereford, had leave of absence while prosecuting his studies (ib. ii. 29) . ”

“ With bloom, by nature diversified;
A charming creature I espied convenient,
She sadly playing a melodious tune;
She far transcended the goddess Venus,
And her appellation was the Colleen Fhune.”
The song that all the boys and girls in the house had, was the song of “The Battle of Ross.” It was composed by John Collins, of Myross, a man of some fame as a Gaelic scholar and poet, who wrote the Gaelic poem on Timoleague Abbey. “The Battle of Ross” was fought about the year 1800. ”

“ Twenty minutes later John, Pete and Kitoni gained the place where their friends were awaiting their coming.
"You never had any one so glad to see you in all your life," shouted Fred as he ran to John and tried to throw his arm around his neck. As Fred was the "pigmy" of the party his efforts were ridiculous, but they nevertheless served to remove a part of the tension under which all were laboring. ”

“ Well, what are you going to do?"
"I am not sure," said Iain, with a vague, propitiatory grin.
"You have taken no steps to preserve the peace, then?" she demanded—but, indeed, she was well aware of John's comfortable, easy-going optimism.
"Aw, well," said the round-cheeked representative of the law, "mebbe the lads will no do anything at ahl; and if they go into the forest, mebbe they will no do mich harm." ”

“ If you remember, fellows, he has always slipped out every time we went there and gone around to the kitchen door.”
“I believe he knows more about it than he has told us yet,” declared John.
“All I know,” said George solemnly, “is that some of the Go Ahead boys have reversed their name. Whenever they pluck up courage enough to go to the old house they always go there with fear and trembling. They walk as if they were traveling to their own funeral, but when they leave they make better time than I ever saw any of them make on the cinder path. ”

“ Sir John Warren, to my great satisfaction, joined me this morning with the frigates; the embarkation from Isle Dieu having at last been given up. To-morrow we hope to hear that our friends occupy the post agreed on; and we shall throw them as speedily as possible, by means of the chasse-marées and boats of the squadron, the various articles in our possession which they so much want. ”

“ Both George and Grant laughed when John told them that he and Fred were going for a walk.
“You’ll walk in one direction,” called George, “but you’ll be running when you come back. I think I’ll take the car and in a half an hour I’ll come over after you. You’ll want to see some of your friends by that time and you will want to see them bad.”
“I don’t want to see them ‘bad,’” retorted John as he turned away. “They are ‘bad’ enough as it is. ”

“ My dear Sir James,
It is impossible to express the admiration and enthusiasm which your late despatches have excited in the breasts of all ranks of people. You are now the theme of every conversation, the toast of every table, the hero of every woman, and the boast of every Englishman. When Dumaresq waited on Lord St. Vincent, his lordship squeezed his hand in the greatest rapture, exclaiming, "I knew it,—I knew it,—I knew the man,—I knew what he could do! It is the most daring thing that has been done this war. ”

“ The only part for me to act in the present state of things, is to uphold the honour of the country, and, as far as lies in my power, keep up the friendly intercourse that has hitherto been maintained with our only ally.
In what light the business will be taken up at home it is impossible for me to say. It is certain that a most flagrant outrage has been offered by the King of Sweden in the detention of Sir John Moore ”

“ A quarter of a mile from shore the low rollers broke ceaselessly on a coral reef, while overhead, the gulls swept around and around, their plaintive whistle being very distinct at times.
In silence the boys stood and gazed at the ocean.
“Looks as if we were alone in the world, doesn’t it?” said Fred at last.
“It surely does,” said George. “I somehow feel as if there ought to be some sort of a big black king sitting under one of these palm trees with about twenty slaves standing around fanning him.”
“Speaking of black,” remarked John. “What has happened to Sam?” ”

“ He says that no one shall come to his shores who disbelieves in government. If Jefferson was alive he would no doubt be greatly astonished to learn that accident of birth alone would prevent him from being a criminal under a federal law, because Jefferson did not believe in government. He thought all government an evil, to be endured only because the people were not ready to abolish it altogether. ”

“ We search in vain in the History for any trace of the melancholy that we find in the Annals; and in vain do we look in the Annals for any pictures of virtue and lessons of wisdom which in the History are taught us by bright examples and illustrious actions. ”

“ The people are as supinely indifferent to their liberties as were the thoughtless populace of Rome when Marcus Antonius stole away their reason with his honeyed lying words. The people are not concerned with such insignificant matters as the overthrow of popular liberty. ”

“ It is enforced by an administration that governs by military authority eight millions of people without their consent, without a constitution and without representation. This so-called Anti-Anarchist Law, under which such foreigners of world-wide fame as Leo Tolstoy, Peter Kropotkin, Elesee Reclus, Maxim Gorky, and Ibsen, the dramatist, are excluded from our shores, ought to be a stench in the nostrils of the American people. ”

“ This invaluable instrument, if well understood, invariably announces the approach of a revolving storm; shows whether the vessel is plunging into the vortex, or if she be receding from it; and hence, by carefully noticing its indications, the disastrous consequences of a hurricane may, to a great extent, be avoided,—for the laws of its oscillations are very distinctly marked. The barometer often stands unusually high before the commencement of a cyclone, and frequently (if not always) just around the storm. ”

“ Every admiral, captain, and officer, with whom we have conversed on the subject, has been decidedly of opinion that the name of Saumarez ought to have been honourably mentioned; and that, as second in command, some mark of distinction should have been conferred upon him. We dwell on this subject particularly, because we know, that when a brave and meritorious officer does not obtain the reward due to his merit, it is extremely injurious to the service, as it damps that ardour after fame, and weakens that emulation, which lead to valour and enterprise. ”

“ When the course of a steady wind is obstructed in such a manner as to produce a Hurricane, or Cyclone, the wind has a rotary or whirling motion (as it were, on an axis) , while the storm itself has a progressive motion.
N. B.—The rotation of the wind during a hurricane, in the Northern Hemisphere, is in a direction contrary to that in which the hands of a watch move. In the Southern Hemisphere, the rotation is in the same direction as that of the hands of a watch. ”

“ It is impossible to do justice to the scene which followed. The old Swedish officer's joy at this discovery knew no bounds; they completely "fought the battle o'er again;" and we found it distinctly proved that it was the Russell, commanded by Captain Saumarez, which gallantly engaged several of the enemy's ships for two hours, and at six, P.M. pushed on to the Ville de Paris. ”

“ If the vortex passes to the eastward of the place of observation, the rotation is S.W., N.E., S., against the sun. [6]
On Hurricanes or Cyclones.
Thus, in both Hemispheres, the passage of an equatorial whirlwind storm on the west side of the place of observation produces normal revolutions in accordance with the law of gyration; while, on the other hand, its passage on the east side produces anomalous revolutions contrary to the law of gyration. When the vortex of a whirlwind storm passes over the place of observation, the vane may shift from one direction to that immediately opposite to it. ”

“ On the 6th October, 1831, the bailiff officially announced the joyful news in his Billet d'Etat, in the following words:
Lord de Saumarez.
The elevation of one of our citizens to one of the highest dignities of the kingdom, cannot fail to inspire us with the most lively gratification. His Majesty has rewarded, with the most distinguished honour, the eminent services which he has rendered to the country. Guernsey, which, besides the public man, recognises in him all the virtues which adorn a private station, ought, on this happy occasion, to testify how sincerely she honours his character. ”

“ He received his school education at Forres, whither his parents removed during his youth, and obtained his training as a poet among the wilds of Highland scenery, which he visited with his father, who followed the calling of a pedlar. Acquiring a knowledge of the classics and of general learning, he was found qualified for the situation of parish school-master of Gairloch. He died at Gairloch in 1790, at the early age of twenty-eight. Ross celebrated the praises of whisky (uisg-bea) in several lyrics, which continue popular among the Gael ”

“ Ross was a man far advanced in life, who in the early part of it had been accustomed to genteel society, was an excellent classical scholar, and well grounded in English literature of a superior class, as well as what is properly termed the Belles Lettres. He had greatly ameliorated the condition of his parishioners, by introducing industry and neatness in their habitations, yet he had merely tinctured the minds of Ellen and Joanna with a love of reading, justly conceiving that in their station of life much literary knowledge and refinement of taste would be worse than useless to them. ”

“ It was the second of the two men, however, who was really striking. He was, in fact, an amazing figure. His stature was above the average height, over six feet, and he was thin to emaciation. Ross thought he had never seen so tall and yet so slender a man. He was so thin as to be ludicrous, yet there seemed to be a remarkable whipcord strength about him.
His face was narrow and as lean as his body. A thin, high nose divided a pair of piercing black eyes. It was the eyes that struck instant attention. Their everchanging lights fairly gleamed. They seemed to be alive with a thousand fires. ”

“ Ross dumped his purchases into the car and turned. He desired only to be rid of this parasite, to be rid of him for good and all—and to rid Thady Shea of him.
“He’s where you left him, old-timer—and where you’re not wanted.”
“Is—is he all right?”
“Sure. I fed him whiskey until he got well. He’s there now with a demijohn. I never seen a man able to swallow more red licker than that partner of yours! But you needn’t go showing your nose around there, savvy? He’s workin’ for me and you’re not wanted.”
“You go to hell!” spluttered the wrathful ancient. “You goshly-gorful old ranch hand! ”

“ Besides, the very presence of the noble-looking lawyer, so much more like the Murray eulogized by Pope and Lyttelton, than the Mansfield denounced by Junius, would of itself serve as a sort of guarantee for the honour of his friend.
George Ross was the son of a petty proprietor of Easter-Ross, and succeeded, on the death of his father, to the few barren acres on which, for a century or two before, the family had been ingenious enough to live. But he possessed besides what was more valuable than twenty such patrimonies—an untiring energy of disposition, based on a substratum of sound good sense ”