of Toronto, called to the bar in 1861, and opened a law-office in London. He was appointed city solicitor, elected a bencher of the Law society of Ontario in 1871. and queen's counsel in 1876. In 1872 he was chosen to represent London in the Ontario legislature, and he has been returned at every subsequent general election. He was in 1894 appointed chief justice of the common pleas, division of Ontario, and in 1896 he received the honor of knighthood from the queen.
MERIAM, Ebenezer, meteorologist, b. in
Concord, Mass., 20 June, 1794; d. in Brooklyn, N. Y.,
19 March, 1864. He removed in early manhood to
Kentucky, where he engaged in the manufacture
of saltpetre and other mineral products of the
Mammoth cave, and subsequently was a dry-goods
merchant in Zanesville, Ohio. About 1838 he
settled in New York city, where he acquired wealth
in the manufacture of soap and candles. He then
devoted himself to meteorological research, and
was the originator of the theory of cycles of
atmospherical phenomena, upon which he published
articles that attracted the attention of scientists at
home and abroad. He began in 1841, at his own
expense, the publication of “The Municipal Gazette,”
a scientific paper, and was a contributor to the
scientific columns of most of the New York city journals,
and to a statistical almanac (1858), also printing
many pamphlets. He spent all his fortune in
the cause of science and benevolence.
MERIAN, Marie Sibylle (may-ree-ong),
naturalist, b. in Frankfort, Germany, 2 April, 1647; d.
in Amsterdam, 13 Jan., 1717. She was a daughter
of Matthew Merian, the Swiss engraver, and
in 1665 married André Graff, an artist of Nuremberg.
She was early noted for her knowledge
of botany and entomology, and attained great
reputation as a naturalist. She went to Surinam
with her daughter in 1699 and returned in 1701,
bringing with her a very large collection of drawings
of the insects, shells, and plants of that colony.
After her return she published “Metamorphosis
Insectarum Surinamensium” (Amsterdam, 1705),
which was followed after her death by “Dissertatio
de Generatione et Metamorphosibus Insectorum
Surinamensium” (1719). She had previously issued
in Latin other works which were afterward
published together in French under the title “Histoire
des insectes de l'Europe” (1730). Both works
appeared in French under the title “Histoire
generale des insectes de Surinam et de toute l'Europe”
(3 vols., Paris, 1771). Many of the plates in these
works were her own work and possess great merit.
Some of her beautiful designs on vellum are in
the British museum. — Her daughters, Jeanne
Marie Helène and Dorothée Marie Henriette,
assisted their mother. The former was sent to Surinam
on a second expedition in 1702.
MERINO, Ignacio (may-ree'-no), Peruvian art-
ist, b. in Piura in 1819. In early life he showed
great talent for art. and, after being thoroughly in-
structed in drawing, went in 1837 to Paris, where
he finished his studies under the direction of the
Spanish painter, Manuel Silvela. In 1840 he re-
turned to his native country, where he was appoint-
ed by the government director of the National
academy of design and painting in Lima. In 1851
he returned to Paris, where he established his studio
and has since remained, exhibiting frequently in the
salon. He is noted for his rich coloring, especially
in his sunsets. His works include "Columbus before the Council of the Indies," which forms one of the chief ornaments of the National museum of Lima, "The Reading of the Testament," "The Vengeance of Carrazo," and " Hamlet."
MERIWETHER, David, soldier, b. in Virginia
in 1755; d. near Athens, Ga., 16 Nov., 1822. He
entered the Revolutionary army as a lieutenant and
served in New Jersey, and afterward in the siege of
Savannah, where he was taken prisoner. In 1785
he settled in Wilkes county, Ga., which he repre-
sented several times in the legislature, and he was
afterward elected to congress as a Democrat to fill
a vacancy, serving from 6 Dec, 1802, till 8 March,
1807. He was a warm supporter of Jefferson, who
appointed him in 1804 a commissioner to treat with
the Creek Indians. He was also associated with
Andrew Jackson and Gov. Joseph McMin, of Ten-
nessee, in negotiating a treaty with the Cherokees.
MERIWETHER, David, senator, b. in Louisa county, Va., 3(1 Oct., 1800; d. near Louisville. 4 April, 1898. He removed to Kentucky, and in 1818 engaged in the fur-trade. He early entered politics as a Democrat, and between 1832 and 1883 was thirteen times a member of the Kentucky
legislature, becoming speaker of the house in 1859. He was in the Constitutional convention of 1849, sat in the LJ. S. senate by appointment of the governor, on the death of Henry Clay, from 15 July till 20 Dec, 1852, and was governor of New Mexico territorv from 1858 till 1857.
MERIWETHER, Lee, author, b. in Columbus, Miss., 25 Dec. 1862. His mother, Elizabeth Avery Meriwether, is the author of numerous tales, including " The Master of Red Leaf," called " the southern ' Uncle Tom's Cabin.' " The son was educated in the public schools of Memphis, Tenn., and at the age of eighteen established, with an elder brother, the " Free-Trader." The next year he set out on a walking-tour through Europe for the purpose of studying the condition of workingmen and the effect of protective tariffs. He was employed by the U. S. bureau of labor to prepare a report on the " Condition of European Labor,"
which was included in the "Annual Report" for 1886. Since completing that work he has been retained in the service to gather information concerning labor in the United States. He is the author of " A Tramp Trip : How to see Europe on
Fifty Cents a Day " (New York, 1887).
MERKLIN, Leon Charles, linguist, b. in New
Orleans, La., in 1740 ; d. in Paris, France, in 1797.
He was the son of a merchant, and followed the
same profession for several years, and, having made a
fortune, bought a large estate near Saverne, Alsace.
He was elected to the states-general in 1789. and
re-elected to the legislative assembly. He is known
by several treatises on the North American Indian
dialects, which he pretended to have learned in
trading with the Indians. They have been severely
criticised as inaccurate, but possess interest. They
include " Considerations generales sur la formation
des idiomes paries par les Indiens de I'Amerique
du Nord " (Paris, 1780) ; " Expose du systeme gram-
matical des langues Algonquines" (1783); and
'* Considerations sur le systeme phonetique des
Lenni-Lenapes " (1784).
MERRIAM, George, publisher, b. in Worcester, Mass., 20 Jan., 1803; d. in Springfield, Mass., 22 June, 1880. The Merriam family were printers,
book-makers, and booksellers in Worcester county in the latter part of the 18th century. George worked on his father's farm in West Brookfield
until he was fifteen years of age, then entered his uncle's printing-office, and on reaching his majority became a partner. In 1831 he removed to Springfield with his brother Charles, and established in 1832 the publishing house of G. and C. Merriam. Their earliest publications were law-books, editions of the Bible, and school-books. After the death of
