nation in Canada, and he was soon afterward seized and imprisoned at Sandwich until the close of the war, but was allowed to labor among the In- dian allies of the English, and he saved several American prisoners from torture and death. On his return to .Michigan he found the people in des- titution, and collected money with which he pur- chased provisions for all that were in need. In 1817 he began the erection of a church in Detroit, which was consecrated in 1819. In 1823 he was elected delegate to congress from the territory of Michigan, being the first Roman Catholic priest to receive this honor. He soon won the esteem of the members, especially of Henry Clay, who, when the abbe did not make his meaning clear, owing to his defective knowledge of English, frequently repeated his arguments to the house. lie "blamed aid from the Federal government in opening routes, building bridges and quays, and for other works of public utility. He was again a candidate in 1826, but failed of re-election, and then engaged in a great many plans, most of which he was not able to realize for want of resources. He built several churches, and established Indian schools 'at Green ' Vrbre Croche, and St. Joseph's. He studied Sieard's method of teaching the deaf and dumb, and delivered lectures in the normal school of Detroit, luit he was never able to open the asylum that he projected. He was about to lay the founda- tion of a college at the beginning of the epidemic of Asiatic cholera in 1832. During its prevalence for three months he was almost constantly on his feet night and day, until he" was prostrated by the disease on 9 Sept. See a life of him by Louis Guerin, entitled " Le martyr de la charite " (Paris, 1850).
RICHARD. Louis Francois (re-shar). West
Indian physician, b. in the island of St. Martin in
1757; d. in New Orleans, La., in 1806. He studied
in Xew Orleans, and was for many years a marine
surgeon. In 1799 he became president of the
board of health of French Guiana, and performed
remarkable experiments on yellow fever, even
sleeping in beds of persons that were affected with
the disease, and inoculating himself with their
virus. In 1803 he was sent to Louisiana to study
the effects of yellow fever; but he was attacked by
the disease and died in New Orleans. His works,
which were published by the Paris academy of
medicine, include " Recherches generates sur les
blessures causees par les Heches empoisonnees usees
par les Indiens " (Paris, 1803) ; " Traite des simples
et des poisons des Indiens " (1805) ; " Monographie
de la fievre jaune" (1806); and " De la contagion de
la lievre jaune " (1807), in which the author defends
the theory that yellow fever is not contagious.
RICHARDS, Benjamin Wood, mayor of Phila-
ilelnhia. b. in Burlington county, N. J., in Novem-
ber, 1797 ; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 13 July. 1851.
After graduation at Princeton in 1815 he settled in
Philadelphia, which he represented in the lcgi-la-
ture. In that body he offered the first resolutions
to make appropriations for the organization and
support of public schools, and was one of the first
members of the board of control. He was ap-
pointed by President Jackson a director of the U. S.
bank, which office he resigned to become mayor of
Philadelphia in 1830-'!. Subsequently he visited
Europe, and on his return formed an association
with Nathan Dunn, John Jay Smith. Frederick
Brown, and Isaac Collins, to purchase and la ou1
the cemetery that is now known as Laurel Hill.
He was one of the earliest directors of Girard col-
lege, the originator, founder, and president until
his death of the Girard life and trust company, and
a founder with John Vaughan of the Blind a^ him.
RICHARDS, Cyrus Smith, educator, b. in
Hartford. Vt., 11 March. 1SII8 ; d. in Madison,
Wis.. 19 July, 1885. He was graduated at Dart-
mouth in 1835, from that year till 1871 was princi-
pal of Kimball union academy, Meriden. X. II..
and from 1871 until his death had charge of the
preparatory department of Howard university,
Washington, D. C. Dartmouth gave him the de-
gree of LL. D. in 1863. He was the author of
" Latin Lessons and Tables " (Boston, 1859) ; ' Out-
lines of Latin Grammar " (Washington, 1882) : and
an " Introduction to Csesar : First Latin Le>>< 'ii- "
(1883). His first wife. Helen Dorothy Whitnii,
was the author of several juvenile books, including
' Robert Walbar," " Hemlock Ridge,"' and " The
Conquered Heart." Their son. Charles Herbert.
clergyman, b. in Meriden, X. IL, is March, 1839,
was graduated at Yale in 1860. and studied at
Union theological seminary, and at Andover. where
he was graduated in 1865. He was pastor of a
Congregational church in Kokomo, Ind., in 1866-7,
and since that time has had charge of the 1st Con-
gregational church in Madison, Wis. Beloit col-
lege gave him the degree of D. D. in 1882. He is
the author of Will Phillips " (Boston, 1873) ;
"Songs of Christian Praise" and "Scripture Se-
lections for Public Worship" (New York, 1880);
and " Songs of Praise and Prayer " (1883).
RICHARDS, George, author, b. probably in
Rhode Island : d. in Philadelphia about 1 March,
1S14. After the Revolution he was a school-master
in Boston, and occasionally preached. He was pas-
tor of a Universalist church in Portsmouth, N. II.,
from 1793 till 1809, and subsequently in Phila-
delphia, where he established the "Freemason's
Magazine and General Miscellany," and edited it
fur two years. He was the author of odes, ma-
sonic orations, " An Historical Discourse on the
Death of Gen. Washington" (Portsmouth, 1800),
and many patriotic poems descriptive of the Revo-
lution, extracts from which are contained in the
" Massachusetts Magazine" (1789-'92).
RICHARDS, James, clergyman, b. in New Ca-
naan, Conn., 29 Oct., 1767 ; d. in Auburn, N. Y.,
2 Aug., 1843. He was descended from Samuel
Richards, a Welshman, who settled near Stamford,
Conn. After studying at Yale in 1789, he taught
in Farmington, completed his academical and theo-
logical course under Dr. Timothy Dwight in Green-
field, Conn., and was licensed to preach in 1793.
He served in the 1st Presbyterian church of Morris-
town, N. J., from 1794 till 1797, when he became
its pastor, and in 1809 was charged with the Presby-
terian church of Newark, N. J. In 1823 he be-
came professor of theology in Auburn theological
seminary, which chair he held until his death. He
wa< a trustee of Princeton college and seminary,
and received the degree of A. M. from Yale in 1794,
and that of D. D. in 1815. A selection of his
" Lectures " was published, with a memoir, by the
Rev. Samuel H. Gridley (Xew York, 1846). and a
vtilume of his sermons, with an essay on his charac-
ter, by the Rev. William B. Sprague (Albany, 1S4!.
RICHARDS, John William, clergyman, b. at Reading, Pa., 18 April, 1803 ; d. there, 27 Jan., 1854. His father, Matthias Richards, was for many years an associate judge of the courts in Berks county, and his mother was a daughter of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. He received his cla.vical training in the academy in his native place. 1 his theological course under his pastor, Dr. Henry A. Muhlenberg. in is-.'i. and in ls-,'1 wa- licensed by the ministerium of Pennsylvania, with which body he was connected until Ins death, and in which he held many posts of honor and trust. He
