the age of twenty, and rendered distinguished serices as an officer of engineers. He was a member of the convention of New Grenada in 1881, and was afterward a representative in congress. In 1834 he explored the valleys of the Socorro and Magdalena rivers, and in 1841 made researches relative to the Chibocas and other Indian tribes. He was for a time New Grenadan minister to Ecuador, and from 20 July to 8 Nov., 1842, was charge d'affaires at Washington. Subsequently he held the office of secretary of state in the New Grenadan government. He published in Paris, in 1848, a history of the discovery and settlement of New Grenada, accompanied by a valuable map made by himself, the first one published since Colombian independence. He also contributed to the publications of the French geographical society.
ACOSTA, Jose de, Spanish missionary, b. in
Medina del Campo in 1589; d. in Salamanca, 15
Feb.. 1599. At the age of fourteen he became a
member of the Society of Jesus. He was a missionary in South America from 1571 until 1576,
then visited Mexico, where he remained two years.
After his return to Spain he published "De natura Novi Orbis et de promulgatione evangelii apud Barbaros " (Salamanca, 1588-'9), which he
translated into Spanish and extended. It was issued under the title "Historia natural y moral de las Indias " (1590), attained great popularity, and
was translated into various languages. He was rector of the university of Salamanca at the time
of ids death.
ACOSTA, Santos, Colombian statesman, b. in
Mirafiores, Colombia, in 1880. He became conspicuous in politics when quite young. He has been general-in-chief of the Colombian army, representative and senator in several legislatures, secretary of state, a foreign minister, and president of the republic from May, 1807, to April, 1868.
ACRELIUS, Israel (ăkrā'-le-oos), Swedish
clergyman, b. in Osteraker, Sweden, 25 Dec., 1714; d. in Fellingsbro, 25 April, 1800. He was educated in Upsala, ordained in 1743, and sent out as provost of the Swedish congregations in New Sweden
(afterward Delaware), in 1749. He reached
Philadelphia in November, and began his work with zeal
and prudence, successfully superintending the
ecclesiastical affairs of the Swedish colonies, which he
found in great disorder. But ill health obliged
him to resign in 1756, after a sojourn of seven
years in America, and on his return to Sweden the
king gave him a pension and the living of
Fellingsbro. He wrote various articles on America,
for Swedish journals and for religious papers, and
published “The Swedish Colonies in America”
(Stockholm, 1759), which was translated into
English in 1874, and is a work of value and interest.
ACUALMETZLI, the Indian name of a Mexican warrior, b. in Coyacan in 1520 : d. in 1542. His christian name was Ignacio Alarcon de Roquetilla. When he was a year old his father and mother died, the former in battle against the Spaniards, and the latter from the effects of punishment received because she insulted one of the captains of Cortes. A Spaniard took care of the orphan, had him christened, and gave him an education. But Acualmetzli, when about twenty years of age, learned the cause of his parents' death and joined the Chichimecas, then in revolt, in order to seek revenge. He fought bravely, and instructed the Indians in civilized warfare, until he fell in battle with the troops sent against them by the viceroy Antonio de Mendoza.
ACUÑA, Cristobal de (ah-koon'-ya), Spanish
Jesuit missionary, b. in Burgos, Spain, in 1597;
d. about 1676. He was attached to Texeira's
Amazon expedition in 1689-41, with the special
object of reporting the incidents of the exploration. On his return to Spain he published his
"Nuevo Descubriiniento del Gran Rio de las Amazons." All the copies of this work, except ten,
were unfortunately destroyed, but from these a translation was made by Gomberville into French
in 1684. Although great interest was excited by
the expedition, the distractions in the mother country prevented the government from taking any
marked interest in the colonization of the region
to which so much energy and talent had been devoted. Acuña afterward went to the West Indies,
thence returned to South America, and died while
on his way from Panama to Lima.
ACUÑA, Juan, marquis of Casaferte, 87th
viceroy of Mexico, b. in Lima, Peru, late in the
17th century; d. in Mexico, 17 March, 1774. He
was an officer of artillery in the Spanish army.
For twelve years, from 15 Oct., 1722. he governed
New Spain with great success in all the departments of the administration. During that period
many public buildings were erected, among them
the custom house, the mint, and the "Newgate" of Vera Cruz, erected 1727, which for many years
was called "Puerta de Acuiia." ]Mining received a
great impulse, while commerce with Spain and the
Philippine islands was increased. Acuiia sent to
Texas a colony from the Canary islands, who founded the town of San Fernando.
ACUÑA, Manuel, Mexican poet, b. in the state
of Coahuila, 27 Aug., 1849; d. by his own hand 6 Dec, 1873. He founded the literary society "Netzahual Coyotl," in which he first showed his poetical talent. He was the author of a play entitled "El Pasado." His best poems are "Gloria" and "A Rosario." Disappointment in love is said to have been the cause of his suicide.
ADAIR, James, Indian trader and author, lived
in the 18th century. He resided among the Indians (principally the Chickasaws and Cherokees) from 1735 to 1775, and in the latter year published his "History of the American Indians." In this he attempted to trace the descent of the Indians from the Jews, basing his assumption upon
supposed resemblances between the customs of the two races. At that time such an hypothesis was regarded as visionary, but the idea has since found
many supporters, among them being Boudinot in his "Star of the West." Unsatisfactory as are his vocabularies of Indian dialects, they are the most
valuable part of his writings.
ADAIR, John, general, b. in Chester co., S. C., in 1759; d. in Harrisburg, Ky., 19 May, 1840. He served in the revolutionary army, and in 1787 removed to Kentucky, where he was appointed major under St. Clair and Wilkinson in their expeditions against the Indians of the northwest in 1791. In an attack by " Little Turtle," the Miami chief, 6 Nov., 1792, while in camp near Fort St. Clair, his command was defeated and forced to retreat. He was a member of the convention that framed the constitution under which Kentucky was admitted into the union, 1 June, 1792. Adair was appointed lieutenant-colonel under Gen. Charles Scott in 1793, was for several years a representative from Mercer co. in the Kentucky legislature, of which body he was "elected speaker, and was also register of the U. S. land office. In 1805-'6 he was U. S. senator. Returning to military life, he became volunteer aid to Gen. Shelby at the battle of the Thames, 5 Oct., 1813, was made brigadier-general of the state militia in November, 1814, and commanded the Kentucky troops with distinction at
