sought to elevate and dignify his profession. On his retirement Tennyson addressed to him these grateful lines:
| “Farewell, Macready, since to-night we part: Full-handed thunders often have contest Thy power well used to move the public breast. We thank thee with one voice, and from the heart. Farewell, Macready, since this night we part. Go take thine honors home; rank with the best; Garrick, and statelier Kemble, and the rest, Who made a nation purer through their art. Thine is it that the drama did not die. Nor nicker down to brainless pantomime. And those gilt gauds men-children swarm to see. Farewell, Macready, moral, grave, sublime, Our Shakespeare's bland and universal eye Dwells pleased, thro' twice a hundred years on thee.” |
McREE, Griffith John, soldier, b. in Bladen
county, N. C, in 1758 ; d. in Smithville. N. C, 30
Oct., 1801. He was the son of Samuel McRee,
who emigrated in 1740 from County Down, Ireland,
to North Carolina, and became a magistrate in
Bladen county. The son became major and brevet
lieutenant-colonel in the Revolutionary army, was
appointed captain of artillery and engineers, 2
June, 1794, and resigned on 24 April, 1798, being
appointed in that year collector of revenue for the
district of Wilmington, N. C. — His son, William,
soldier, b. in Wilmington, N. C, 13 Dec, 1787; d.
in St. Louis, Mo., in May, 1833, was appointed
to the array as a cadet on 14 April, 1803. He
became 2d lieutenant of engineers, 1 July, 1805, 1st
lieutenant in October, 1806, captain in 1808. and
major, 31 July, 1812, and participated in the war
with Great Britain, being engaged on the northern
border. He became chief engineer of the army
under Gen. Jacob Brown in 1814, was brevetted
lieutenant-colonel for gallant conduct in the battle
of Niagara, 25 July, 1814, and colonel for distinguished and meritorious service in defence of
Fort Erie, 15 Aug., 1814, and became lieutenant-
colonel on 12 Nov., 1818. In 1815 he was sent to
Europe by the government to examine military
schools and fortifications, and on his return made
an able report. Indignant that a foreigner. Gen.
Simon Bernard, should be appointed to an office in
the engineer corps, he resigned on 31 March, 1819,
and from 1825 till 1832 he was U. S. surveyor-
general of public lands in Illinois, Missouri and
Arkansas territories. Fort McRee, Pensacola, Fla.,
was named in his honor. — Another son, Samuel, soldier, b. in Wilmington, N. C., 6 Oct.,
1801 ; d. in St. Louis, Mo., 15 July, 1849, was ap-
pointed a cadet in 1815. He became 2d lieutenant
in the 8th infantry, 1 July, 1820, assistant instruc-
tor of infantry tactics in the military academy in
1820, 1st lieutenant, September, 1823, and captain
in December, 1831. He served in the Black Hawk
war, was assistant quartermaster with the rank of
captain in July, 1838, and relinquished rank in line
in November, 1839. Pie was made quartermaster
with the rank of major on 8 Nov., 1839, and bre-
vetted lieutenant-colonel for meritorious conduct
while serving in the enemy's country, 30 May,
1848.— Samuel's nephew, (xi'ifflth John, lawyer,
b. in Wilmington, N. C, 20 Sept., 1820 ; d. there
29 April, 1872, was the son of James Fergus
McRee. He was educated at Princeton, admitted
to the bar of Wilmington in 1841, and practised
there until his death. He was a member of the
New York and Massachusetts and other historical
societies. He married Penelope, daughter of Gov.
James Iredell, and was the author of the " Life of
James Iredell " (2 vols.. New York, 1857).
McROBERTS, Samuel, senator, b. in Illinois
about 1800 ; d. in Cincinnati, Ohio, 27 March,
1843. He was graduated at Transylvania, studied
law, was admitted to the bar, began practice in
Danville, Ky., and afterward removing to Illinois
became judge of one of the higher courts of that
state. He was also a member of the state senate
and became J. S. district attorney for Illinois. At
the time of his death he was a U. S. senator,
having been elected from Illinois as a Democrat,
from 31 Mny. 1841.
McSHERRY, James, author, b. in Frederick
county, Md.,29 July, 1819; d. there, 13 July, 1869.
His father, James) 1776-1849). was member of con-
gress in 1821-'3, having been chosen a Federalist.
The son was graduated at St. Mary's college. Em-
mettsburg. Md., in 1828, studied law, was admitted
to the bar in 1840, and began practice in Gettys-
burg, Pa. In 1841 he removed to Frederick City,
Md., where he practised his profession until his
death. He was an active member of the Roman
Catholic church, a regular contributor to the
" United States Catholic Magazine" and other pe-
riodicals, and was the author of •' History of Mary-
land, 1634-1848" (Baltimore. 1849; smaller ed.,
1852) ; " Pere Jean, or the Jesuit Missionary " (1849) ;
and •• Willitoft, or the Days of James the First, a
Tale "(1851; republished in German, Frankfort-
on-the-Main. 1858).
McSHERRY, Richard, physician, b. in Martinsburg, W. Va., 21 Nov., 1817 ; d. in Baltimore,
Md., 7 Oct., 1885. His father was a physician of
high repute in Martinsburg, Va., where he prac-
tised medicine and surgery for nearly sixty years.
On his mother's side he was descended from the
early colonial settlers of Maryland and from the
first Lord Baltimore. He was educated at George-
town college, D. C, and at the University of Mary-
land, and was graduated in medicine at the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania in 1841. Entering the
medical corps of the army, he served under Gen.
Zachary Taylor in the Seminole war, but resigned
his commission in 1843, became assistant surgeon
in the navy, and made a cruise around the world
in the U. S. frigate " Constitution " in 1844-'6. He
served in Gen. Winfield Scott's campaign in JMexi-
co as surgeon to a battalion of marines, and in
1851 retired fi-om the navv and began practice
in Baltimore. Md. From 1863 till 1865 he was
professor of materia medica and therapeutics in
the University of iIaryland, and then succeeded
Dr. Samuel Chew as professor of the principals
and practice of medicine. In 1883 he became
president of the medical and chirurgieal faculty
of Maryland, and he was a founder and first presi-
dent of the Baltimore academy of medicine. At
the time of his death he was president of the Mary-
land state board of health. In his early life he
wrote much on surgical subjects, and in his later
life contributed largely to sanitary science. He
was the author of " El Puchero, or a Mixed Dish
from Jlexico " (Philadelphia, 1850) ; and a volume
of miscellaneous " Essavs " (Baltimore, 1869) ; and
" Health and How to Promote it " (New York, 1883).
McSPARRAN, James, clergyman, b. in Ireland about 1680 ; d. in South Kingston, R. I., 1 Dec, 1757. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, and received the degree of M. A. in 1709. He was made deacon, 21 Aug., 1720, by the bishop of London, and priest, 25 Sept., 1720, by the arch-
bishop of Canterbury. The next year he was sent by the Society for propagating the gospel as a missionary to Bristol, R. I., and neighboring towns. He received the degree of D. D. from Oxford in 1731. He visited England twice in 1736 and 1754,
