government to Dr. Benjamin Franklin at Paris, who gave him letters of introduction to eminent English statesmen. He engaged in mercantile pursuits in Nantes, but after three years of pros- {)erity lost his property. He then visited Eng- and, where he contributed to the relief of Com. Silas Talbot, who was confined in the Mills prison, near Plymouth, went to Holland and Flanders in 1784, and returned to Newport in December of that year, bringing with him a present of books from Dr. Sharp, a brother of Granville Sharp, to Gen. Washington, whom he visited at " Mt. Ver- non." Mr. Watson says: "I remained alone in the society of Washington for two days, the rich- est of my life." Much of the conversation of Washington was in regard to his plans for improv- ing the navigation of the Potomac, and Mr. Wat- son thus became interested in schemes of internal improvement. He went to South Carolina, where he engaged in trade between that state and Hayti. In 1789 he removed from Providence, R. I., to Al- bany, N. Y., where for eighteen years he was an active promoter of public enterprises, including the improvement of the navigation of Hudson river, the projection of an interior canal for New York state, the establishment of the Albany bank, the paving of the city, the organization of stage routes to the west, and the advancement of agriculture and education. In 1791, with Jere- miah Van Rensselaer, Gen. Philip Van Cortlandt, and Stephen Bayard, he made a tour through the state to examine into the practicability of the schemes for inland navigation. After travelling several years in Europe, he published in London an account of his pioneer trip in western New York. In 1807 he removed to Pittsfield, Mass., where he engaged in farming, introduced merino sheep into Berkshire county, and founded there the Berkshire agricultural society. In 1816 he re- turned to Albany, and in that year organized the first agricultural society in New York. He visited Michigan, examined the lake region, and explored the route to Montreal with a view to its improve- ment and to connect the lake region with the sea- board. He again visited Europe, and in 1828 set- tled in Port Kent, on Lake Champlain. Besides frequent contributions to periodicals, he published many pamphlets on agriculture and economical topics, and was the author of a " Tour in Holland in MDCCLXXXIV, by an American " (Worcester, 1790) ; " History of the Rise, Progress, and Exist- ing Condition of the Western Canals in the State of New York, 1788-1819," etc. (Albany, 1820); " Rise, Progress, and Existing State of Modern Agricultural Societies" (1820); and "History of Agricultural Societies on the Modern Berkshire System" (1820). A pamphlet was published by Col. Robert Troup entitled " A Vindication of the Claim of Elkanah Watson to the Merit of project- ing the Lake Canal Policy " (Geneva, 1831) ; and his son, Winslow C. Watson, edited a valuable autobiographical work entitled " Men and Times of the Revolution, or Memoirs of Elkanah Wat- son ; including Journals of Travels in Europe and America from 1777 to 1842 ; with his Correspond- ence with Public Men, and Reminiscences and In- cidents of the Revolution " (New York and Lon- don, 1855 ; 2d ed., with illustrations, 185G). — His son, Winslow Cossoul. author, b. in Albany, N. Y., 22 Dec, 1803, published a " Treatise on Practical Husbandry " (2 parts, Albany, 1854-'5) : " Eulogy on Lieut.-Col. G. T. Thomas" (Burlington, N. J., 18G2) ; " Pioneer History of the Champlain Valley, being an Account of the Settlement of the Town of Willsborough, by William Gilliland, together with his Journal and other Papers and a Memoir " (Albany, 1863); "The History of Essex County, New York, and Military Annals of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, etc." (1870) ; and addresses, pam- phlets, and religious, political, and agricultural papers in periodicals.
WATSON, Henry Clay, author, b. in Balti-
more, Md., in 1831 ; d. in Sacramento, Cal., 10 July,
1869. He removed to Philadelphia, Pa., at an early
age, adopted the profession of journalism, and was
editorially connected with the " North American,"
the " Evening Journal," and other papers. He sub-
sequently removed to California, and at the time
of his death edited the Sacramento " Times." He
was the author of several volumes of hunting ad-
venture, besides which his publications include
" Camp-Fires of the Revolution " (Philadelphia,
1851); "Nights in a Block-House" (1852); "Old
Bell of Independence " (1852) ; " The Yankee Tea-
pot" (1853); "Lives of the Presidents of the
United States" (Boston, 1853); "Heroic Women
of History" (Philadelphia, 1853); "The Ladies'
Glee-Book" (New York, 1854); "The Masonic
Musical Manual " (1855) ; and " Camp-Fires of Na-
poleon " (Philadelphia, 1856).
WATSON, Henry Cood, musical critic, b. in
London, England, in 1816; d. in New York city, 2
Dec, 1875. His father was conductor of the or-
chestra at Covent Garden theatre, and his sisters
were well-known oratorio-singers. He had a fine
voice, and made his debut in the first performance
of Weber's opera " Oberon " at Covent Garden, in
November, 1829. Subsequently he achieved suc-
cess in London as a composer and musical critic,
came to this country in 1840, and was art-critic for
the New York " World," in which he published
several poems. He became connected with the
" Musical Chronicle " in 1843, and contributed to
various periodicals. In 1844 he was art and musi-
cal critic for the New York " Albion," and in 1845
was associated with Charles F. Briggs and Edgar
Allan Poe in founding the " Broadway Journal."
He founded the " Musical Guest," a monthly maga-
zine, separate editions of which were devoted to
sacred and operatic music, and published in it
many of his own compositions. For several years
Erevious to 1861 he was editor-in-chief of Frank
ieslie's " Illustrated Newspaper and Ladies' Maga-
zine." In 1862 he founded the " Art Journal," and
in 1863 became musical critic of the New York
" Tribune." He was a founder of the New York
Philharmonic society, of the American Musical
fund association, and of the Vocal society (after-
ward called the Mendelssohn union), and was asso-
ciated with William Vincent Wallace and Carlos
D. Stuart in organizing the famous Mendelssohn
concert at Castle Garden. Mr. Watson wrote the
libretto for Wallace's opera " Lurline " (1854).
WATSON, James Craig, astronomer, b. in Fingal, Ontario, Canada, 28 Jan., 1838; d. in Madison, Wis., 23 Nov., 1880. He was of American ancestry, and was born during a visit of his parents to Canada. He was graduated at the University of Michigan in 1857, and in his junior year performed the phenomenal task of reading Laplace's "Mecanique celeste" from beginning to end. During his final year he was the sole pupil in the observatory, where he spent part of his time in grinding lenses and in the construction of a telescope. On his graduation he became assistant to the chair of astronomy, and in his work he displayed such aptitude as an observer and such rapidity in his computations that in 1859 he was appointed professor of astronomy. In 1860 he was given the department of physics, but in 1863 re-
