Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/155

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
DE LEON
DE LINIERS-BREMONT
135

DE LEON, David Camden, surgeon, b. in South Carolina in 1822 ; d. in Santa Fe. New Mexico, 3 Sept., 1872. He was educated in his na- tive state, and graduated in medicine at the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania in 1836. He entered the U. S. army as assistant surgeon on 21 Aug., 1838. served in the Seminole war, and was then stationed for several years on the western frontier. At the beginning of the Mexican war he went with Gen. Taylor to the Rio Grande, was present at most of the battles in the campaign toward Mexico, and entered that city when it surrendered. For these services, as well as for gallantry in action, where he several times took the place of command- ing oiBcers who had been killed or wounded. Dr. De Leon twice received the thanks of congress, but was again assigned to frontier duty in Mexico, on the ground of his great energy and hardihood. He was promoted to surgeon, with the rank of major, on 29 Aug., 1856, and on 19 Feb., 1861, re- signed his commission and was placed at the head of the medical department of the Confederate army. At the close of the war he went to Mexico, but after a year's residence in that country he re- turned to New Mexico, where he had been stationed for many years, and owned property, continuing in practice until his death. He was a man of fine literary ^culture, and a vigorous writer.


DELERY, François Charles (duh-lay-ree), au- thor, b. in St. Charles parish. La., 28 Jan., 1815 ; d. in Bay St. Louis, Miss., 12 June, 1880. His parents were French. He was educated in the Medical school of Paris, where he went in 1829, and returned in 1842. Pie became well known in his profession, and contributed frequently to the newspapers of his city on practical subjects. Pie was city phy- sician in 1853-'60, and president of the Board of health in 1857-8. His works, which are written in French, include " Essai sur la liberte " (New Orleans, 1847) ; " Etudes sur les passions " (1849) ; " Quelque mots sur le nativisme," translated into English (1854) ; " P^ievi'e jaune," a treatise on the epidemic of 1848 (1859); " Le roi coton" and "Confederes et federaux" (1864); "Memoire sur I'epid^mie de fievre jaune qui a regne k la Nou- velle Orleans et dans les eampagnes," a work of much learning and careful research (1868) ; " L'ecole du peuple," a one-act comedy in verse ; " Les chroniques Indiennes " (1877) ; and a memoir on "• Quarantine " (1878).


DELGADILLO, Diego (del-gah-deel'-yo), Span- ish judge, b. in Granada, Spain, in the latter part of the 15th century ; d. there in 1533. He was gradu- ated as a lawyer at the university of Alcala, and in 1527 appointed judge of the first audiencia or su- })reme court of New Spain. Pie left Seville in Au- gust, and landed at Vera Cruz on 6 Dec, 1528. Two other judges having died during the voyage, Delga- dillo and Ortiz de Matienzo alone founded the audiencia in the city of Mexico. Pie awarded him- self several repartimientos, and soon managed to send home a large amount of money ; he obtained from the municipal council a grant of land, which was forbidden to the judges by the laws, and had his brother appointed governor of the Zapoteca province. Finally he declared himself in open en- mity with Cortes, and opposed the missionaries and the bishops. To make himself popidar among the Spanish colonists and the natives, he founded An- tequera (now Oajaca), quelled a dangerous revolt of the Indians in that province, imported the mul- berry-tree and the silk-worm in 1530, being the first to begin their culture in the New World, and the olive-tree in the following year. In the mean while his acts of maladministration had reached their utmost, when Cortes returned from Vera Cruz, 15 July. 1531, and resolved to put an end to the whole audiencia. All the judges were in ac- cord, and intended to depose Cortes ; but Bishop Zumarraga succeeded in checking them. The au- diencia was called to answer before other courts ; 125 suits were begun, and Delgadillo, like the other members of the audiencia. was sentenced to lose all his repartimientos, and to pay $40,000 be- sides. He returned to Spain, and retired to his native city, where a severe illness, brought about by his troubles, ended his life.


DELGADO, Pedro (del-gah'-do), Spanish mis- sionary, b. in Burgos, Old Castile, in 1487 ; d. in the city of Mexico in 1552. His parents belonged to the highest Castilian nobility, and had great influ- ence at the coui't of Queen Isabella. Young Del- gado was sent to Valladolid to study, but, being out of health, retui'ned home. Some time after- ward he entered a Dominican convent at Sala- manca, where he studied arts and theology, and. on being ordained priest, went at ouce to Ocafia with Father Juan Hurtado, where they founded a con- vent and college, which is still a school for Spanish missionaries. Father Betanzos took him to New Spain in 1526, and Delgado was soon appointed prior of the Dominican convent in the city of Mexico, and provincial of his order in 1538. Pie was the first master of novices and preacher-gen- eral in that province, and took much interest in the conversion and instruction of the Indians, whose language he learned in order to be able to preach and teach among them. He was the best friend and assistant of Father Bartolome de las Casas, the great protector of the Indians, and gave him much valuable information for his " Historia de Indias " and other writings. Charles V., hav- ing been informed by Las Casas about the learning and virtues of Delgado. appointed him bishop of Charcas, Peru ; but he declined the appointment, preferring to continue his work in Mexico, where he remained for the rest of his life, devoting him- self entirely to literary and scientific teaching and to charity. Plis remains were buried in the chap- ter-hall of Santo Domingo, Mexico.


DE LINIERS-BREMONT, Jacques Antoine Marie, Spanish vicerov, b. in Niort, France, 6 P^eb., 1756 ; d. in Cordoba, 26 Aug., 1810. He en- tered the service of the order of "Malta and after- ward the Spanish navy, where he soon attained the rank of captain, and during the war with Great Britain was sent on a mission to South America. When Buenos Ayres was captured in June, 1806, by the English under Beresford, De Liniers col- lected a force and marched against the conquerors, who capitulated 12 Aug. with a loss of 364 killed, 1,200 prisoners, 700 muskets, 20 guns, and 8 stand- ards. After Montevideo had been recaptured by the British forces under Auchmuty, 3 Feb.. 1807. De Liniers was attacked by them in the vicinity of Buenos Ayres, driven within its walls, and be- sieged by an array of 10,000 men under Gen. Whitelock ; but he defended the city valiantly, caused great losses to the British, took on 5 July 1,000 prisoners, forced them to raise the siege, and soon afterward, in consequence of the capitulation of 7 July, to evacuate Montevideo and abandon the whole country within two months. For these services he was made viceroy of Buenos Ayres. When the first demonstrations for independence appeared toward the end of 1808, De Liniers was driven by the insurgents from Buenos Ayres, and for his temporizing policy was superseded by Bal- tasar de Cisneros, sent out by the Junta de Cadiz early in 1809. De Liniers was given the title of