heavy artillery. He has written a great number of poems and articles for periodicals, and is author of the following works : '• The Supper Ihstitution," " The Sabbath Institution," " The Evangelist, or Life and Labors of liev. Jabez S. Swan " (New Haven, 1873) ; " History of the First Rhode Island Cavalry " ; " Westerly and its Witnesses for Two Hundred and Fifty Years " ; " Picturesque Narra- gansett. Sea and Shore " ; " Illustrated New Bed- ford, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket " ; '• His- tory of the Third Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment "; and "Picturesque Rhode Island." — His brother, John Ledyard, educator, b. in Stoning- ton. Conn., 19 Sept., 1826. His education was re- ceived at the Connecticut literary institution and at Worcester academy, and he established the Mys- tic river academy. Settling in Norwich, Conn., in 1855, he became subsequently secretary and treas- urer of the Henry Bill publishing company, and president of the Connecticut Baptist education society. He received the degree of A. M. from Brown in 1855. He is the author of a " Pictorial History of the Wars of the United States," and has edited an " Illustrated History of the New World," in English and in German.
DENISON, George Taylor, Canadian lawyer,
b. in Toronto, 17 July, 1816; d. 30 May, 1873.
He was educated at Uijper Canada college, Toron-
to, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in
1840. He served as a volunteer in the rebellion of
1837, participated in the siege of Navy Island, and
was one of the officers that obtained the informa-
tion that led to the capture and destruction of the
steamer " Caroline." In 1846 he was appointed to
the command of a cavalry troop (raised by his fa-
ther, Lieut.-Col. G. T. Denison), now known as the
governor-general's body-guard, and in 1855 took
an active part in organizing the militia under the
new law passed that year, which was the founda-
tion of the present military system of Canada. He
organized the Toronto field battery, and in 1860,
at the request of Sir Edmund Head, the governor-
general, organized the queen's own rifles. — His
son, Oeorge Taylor, b. in Toronto, 31 Aug., 1839,
was educated at Upper Canada college, and is an
LL. D. of Toronto university. He was gazetted
to the active militia in 1855 as a cornet, was made
a major in 1862, and promoted to the command of
the governor-general's body-guard in 1866, a com-
mand which he still (1887) holds. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1861, and in 1866 he served
during the Fenian raid, commanding the outposts
on the Niagara river, in the autumn of that year,
under Col. (now Lord) Wolseley. In 1872, and
again in 1873, he was sent to Great Britain to rep-
resent the Ontario government in emigration mat-
ters. In 1872 he contested Algoma for the house
of commons, but was defeated. In 1877 he was
appointed police magistrate of Toronto, and in
1885 served in the Riel rebellion in the northwest.
In 1882 Col. Denison was appointed an original
member of the English literature section of the
Royal society of Canada, and in 1885 was elected its
president. He is the author of " Manual of Out-
post Duties " (Toronto, 1866) ; " History of the Fe-
nian Raid " (1866) ; " Modern Cavalry " (London,
England, 1868) ; and a " History of Cavalry " (Lon-
don, 1877). The two last named have been trans-
lated into Russian, German, and Hungarian. The
" History of Cavalry " was awarded the 5,000 ru-
bles offered by the emperor of Russia as a prize
for the best work on that subject. Col. Denison
visited Russia on the occasion of receiving the
prize, and was presented to the Czar and Czarina.
— Another son, Frederick Charles, soldier, b. in
Toronto, 22 Nov., 1846; d. there, 15 April. 1896,
was educated at Upper Canada college and was
admitted to the bar. He served for some months
in the administrative battalion at Niagara in 1865,
and the same year was gazetted cornet in the gov-
ernor-generars body-guard, serving in this capacity
on the Niagara frontier during the Fenian raid in
1866. He served as an orderly to Col. Wolseley
on the Red River expedition of 1870, and rose to
the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1884. when ho
sailed from Quebec in command of a force of Cana-
dian voyageurs. to aid in the campaign in the Sou-
dan for the relief of Gen. Gordon. Col. Denison
accompanied Gen. Earle's column, and took part
in the battle of Kirbecan. The services rendered
by the Canadian boatmen were thought so valu-
able that they received the thanks of the imperial
parliament, and their officer was made a compan-
ion of the order of St. Michael and St. George.
He was a fellow of the Royal historical society of
England, and is the author of the " Historical
Record of the Governor-General's Body-Guard,"
with its standing orders.
DENNETT, John Richard, journalist, b. in
Chatham, New Brunswick, in 1837; d. in West-
borough, Mass., 26 November, 1874. His family
removed to Woburn, Mass., while he was a child,
and he was fitted for college in the Woburn high-
school, and graduated at Harvard in 1862. While
in college he was editor of the "Harvard Maga-
zine." His class-day poem, far superior to most
such performances, was especially noticed by James
Russell Lowell, for its rare poetic qualities. After
graduation he went to Beaufort, S. C, to superin-
tend a i)huitation, and remained there until after
the ci\il war, when he travelled extensively through
the southern states to study their political position
and prospects. He contributed a series of interest-
ing letters to the New York " Nation " upon this
subject, and on returning from his tour he became
one of its editors. Besides writing frequently for
the " Nation." Mr. Dennett was assistant professor
of rhetoric at Harvard, and discharged the duties
of that office with credit until compelled to resign
on account of failing health.
DENNIE, Joseph, journalist, b. in Boston, 30
Aug., 1768; d. in Philadelphia, 7 Jan., 1812. He
was graduated at Harvard in 1790, and studied law
at Charlestown, N. PL, where he was admitted to
the bar, but ultimately devoted himself to litera-
ture. In 1795 he published a series of essays on
life and literature, called " The Farrago," and
edited in Boston " The Tablet," a weekly journal.
In three months he removed to Walpole, N. H.,
where he edited " The Farmers' Weekly Museum,"
which attained much popularity under his manage-
ment. He gathered around him a number of
writers, each of whom contributed to a special de-
partment. Among his compositions was " The Lay
Preacher," a series of essays, which gave their au-
thor reputation as a graceful and humorous writer,
and were widely copied. In 1798 the publisher be-
came bankrupt, and Dennie was persuaded to be-
come a candidate for congress. He was defeated,
and in 1799 went to Philadelphia to become private
secretary to Thomas Pickering, secretary of state.
He remained here a few months, and, after editing
the " United States Gazette," became editor of the
" Portfolio " in Philadelphia in 1801, in connection
with Asbury Dickens. This was originally a week-
ly quarto, but in the course of five years it became
a monthly octavo. Deimie continued to be its edit-
or until his death, -under the pen-name of "Oliver
Old School." The staff of able writers, among
whom were Charles Broekden Brown and John
