and he prepared in part “Geology of Ohio” (vols. i.-iii., Columbus, Ohio, 1872-'5). (See Newberry, John Strong.) He is also the author of “Economic Geology of Ohio” (2 vols., 1883-'8) and of “Petroleum and Inflammable Gas” (1887).
ORTON, Jason Rockwood, author, b. in Ham-
ilton, Madison co., N. Y., in 1806 ; d. in Brooklyn,
N. Y., 13 Feb., 1867. He was educated as a physi-
cian, and practised for many years, but abandoned
medicme on account of his health, removed to New
York city in 1850, and devoted himself to litera-
ture. He was for several years a contributor to
the '• Musical World," and he subsequently edited
the " Weekly Review " and the Binghamton, jST. Y..
" Courier." He was the author of " Poetical
Sketches, or Leisure Hours of a Student " (1829) ;
'• Arnold, and Other Poems " (New York, 1854) ;
"Camp Fires of the Red Men, or A Hundred
Years Ago " (1855) ; and " Confidential Experiences
of a Spiritualist " (1858).
ORTON, William, Federal official, b. in Cuba,
Alleghany co.. N. Y., 14 June, 1826 ; d. in New York
city, 22 April, 1878. He was graduated at the
State normal school, Albany, N. Y., and became a
teacher. In 1850 he entered the book-store of
George Derby and Co., at Geneva. N. Y., and soon
afterward he became a partner. After the death
of George, James C. Derby entered the firm, and
the business was subsequently removed to New
York city, where, in 1857, the firm became insol-
vent. Orton was then employed in the publishing-
house of J. G. Gregory and Co. About this time
he began to take an active interest in polities as a
Republican, and in 1862 he was appointed collector
of internal revenue for the 6th district of New
York. In 1865 he was promoted to be commis-
sioner of internal revenue. He had discharged his
duties only for a few months when he resigned to
accept the presidency of the United States telegraph
company, which corporation was in the following
April consolidated with its rival, the Western
Union telegraph company. Mr. Orton being made
vice-president of the new organization. He be-
came president in 1867, and retained that office
until his death. In the latter year he established
the "Journal of Telegraphy." Mr. Orton was a
man of great executive ability.
ORVILLIERS, Louis Guillouet, French sailor,
b. in Moulins, France, in 1708 ; d. there in 1792.
His father was governor of Cayenne, and at the
age of fifteen the son entered the military service
of that colony, rising rapidly to the rank of lieu-
tenant of infantry. He passed into the navy in
1728, reached the grade of post-captain in 1754,
and, after taking an active part in various cam-
paigns in Europe, Santo Domingo, and the An-
tilles, was made vice-admiral in 1764. In 1777 he
was named lieutenant-general of the naval armies
in consequence of the approaching intervention of
France in the war between Great Britain and her
American colonies. In 1778 he engaged the Eng-
lish under Admiral Keppel from 23 to 27 July,
and although both fleets suffered equally, the ad-
vantage remained with the French. An attempt
to capture Portsmouth and Plymouth in the fol-
lowing year was a failure, and D'Orvilliers, being
censured for not turning to better account the im-
mense naval forces at his disposal, resigned his
command. On the death of his wife in 1783 he
retired to the Abbey of St. Magloire, Paris, but he
returned to his native town some time afterward.
OSBECK, Peter, Swedish explorer, b. in Got-
tenburg, Sweden, 9 May, 1723 : d. in Hasloef, 23
Dec, 1805. He was a pupil of Linnfeus, and, be-
coming chaplain of a vessel of the Indian company,
visited several of the West Indies, South America,
and China in 1748-'52, and was appointed ecclesias-
tical bailiff of Hasloef in 1760. He published
" Dagbok of min Indisk Resa " (Stockholm, 1757),
which contains interesting observations of the
countries visited by the author, and is terminated
by an accurate description of the island of Fernando
de Noronha. Linnaeus gave the name of Osbeckia
to a tree of the familv of the Melastomacete.
OSBORN, Ethan, clergyman, b. in Litchfield,
Conn., 21 Aug., 1758; d. in Fairton, Cumberland
CO., N. J., 1 May, 1858. At the age of eighteen he
volunteered during the second year of the Revolu-
tionary war, and served under the immediate com-
mand of Gen. Washington in the retreat of the
American army through New Jersey. After being
graduated at Dartmouth in 1784, he studied the-
ology, was licensed to preach in 1786, and ordained,
3 Dec, 1789, as pastor of the " Old Stone Church"
at Fairfield, N. J. His long pastorate of fifty-four
yeaj's was unmarked save by several extensive re-
vivals. His sermons were plain, practical, solemn,
and earnest. His last discourse, as he preached
occasionally after his pastoral connection had been
dissolved, was delivered in 1855, in his ninety-
seventh year, although he was able to speak briefly
on 24 Jan., 1858, being then ninety-nine years and
five months old. During his ministry more than
600 communicants were admitted to his church,
1,000 couples were married, and 1,500 persons
buried. " The singular goodness, beauty, wisdom,
uprightness, fruitfulness, and continuance of his
career," said a speaker at the bi-centennial celebra-
tion of the '* Old Stone Church," " has no parallel,
perhaps, in the annals of the American pulpit."
OSBORN, Henry Stafford, educator, b. in
Philadelphia, Pa., 17 Aug., 1823; d. in New York
city. 2 Feb., 1894. He was graduated at the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania and at Union theological
seminary. He also studied at Bonn, Germany, and
at the Polytechnic institution of London. He was
pastor of the Pres. Davies church at Hanover,
and at Libertv, Va., between 1846 and 1858, and
at Belvidere, N. J., from 1859 till 1866. Before
the civil war he had held the chair of natural
science in Roanoke college, Virginia, and in 1866
he accepted a professorship in Lafayette college.
He left it in 1870, and in 1871 became professor in
Miami university, Ohio, where he remained until
that institution was closed in 1873. While he was
pastor of a church at Millville, Ohio, his health
failed, and he afterward gave his attention to liter-
ary pursuits, especially to the illustration of Bible
history. To this end he had spent much time in
visiting and making surveys of famous localities
in Syria. Palestine, Egypt, and the islands of the
Mediterranean. He had also prepared many of the
maps of Bible lands that are now used in the
United States and at various mission stations and
other places abroad. He received the degree of
LL. D. from Lafayette in 1865. Among his publi-
cations are " Palestine Past and Present " (Phila-
delphia, 1855) ; " Fruits and Flowers of the Holy
Land " (1856) ; " Pilgrims in the Holy Land " (1857) ;
" Scientific Metallurgv of Iron and Steel in the
United States" (1870); "The New Descriptive
Geography of Palestine " (Oxford, Ohio, 1877) ;
" Manual of Bible Geography " and " Ancient
Egypt in the Light of Recent Discoveries " (Cin-
cinnati, 1885) : " Chart of the Books of the Bible "
(2d ed., Oxford, Ohio. 1886) ; '• The Useful Minerals
and Mining Architecture" (Philadelphia. 1887);
and "Biblical History and Geography" (1888).
OSBORN, Laughton, poet, b. in New York city in 1809 ; d. there, 12 Dec, 1878. He was gradu-
