SALMON P. CHASE.

THE town of Cornish, in New Hampshire, is justly proud of the fact, that a future Chief Justice of the United States was born within its borders. Salmon Portland Chase was born there January 13th, 1808. "The family of Chase came originally from Piedmont, and belonged to the persecuted Waldenses, who had to fly their country. Hamilton in his history of the Albigenses, I think it is mentioned one of the name who accompanied a deputation to the Duke of Savoy, to intercede for his persecuted subjects. Two brothers of the name came to England about the year 1654 or '5, took up arms under Cromwell, and for their services obtained estates in Ireland. One of these brothers setled in the county Wicklow, near a place called Limeahealy, where he got a confiscated estate; the other in the county Wexford, near a place called Bally Amerd, where he also got a confiscated estate, and from which latter I am descended, and about the fifth in descent. One of the family from Wicklow emigrated to America, and lived in Boston, where he kept a hotel at the commencement of the war for Independence, and taking the Kings side, had to fly and come back to Ireland, where his wife followed him. They remained in Dublin until the peace, when they went back again and settled in New York, and I believe was the first of the name in America. One of the same family settled in England, a great many years ago, in the

Pottery District, married a rich widow there, and, after a few years, amassed a large fortune. He and his family used to communicate with their friends in Ireland until the rebellion in 1798, when I understand, all communication with them ceased; but I believe he had settled in London before that time. A Robert Chase, an uncle of my father's, kept a merchant tailoring establishment in Collingwood Place, Ratcliffe, London, a great many years ago; and some of the name, who, I have no doubt are branches of those families, are in respectable positions in England at the present time, but it is somewhat difficult to trace them where no regular record is kept. There is a Lieut. Col. Chase living at 3 Nottingham Place, Marylebone, London, W.; John Chase, Esq., 50 Upper Charlotte street, Fitzroy Square, London; and a Miss Chase, Devonshire Place, London, W., who I have no doubt, are of the same family, and I expect to get some information from them about the arms. The family in this county has dwindled down very much. I and my family, and a few of the name who reside in the North of Ireland, being the only ones of the family in Ireland at the present. The old people foolishly let their properties out of their hands, as many old people in this country did fifty or one hundred years ago. Underneath I send a rough sketch of the seal of the Right Rev. Bishop Chase, which, I believe, is the true arms of the family, as some old silver spoons which have been in my family for a great many years have the same crest. The shield is ensanguined, the Saxon I reversed, scroll blue and gold, crest a lion rampant, holding an A in his forepaws; motto, Pro Christo et Patria." The foregoing account of the Chase family, is from a letter written by an Irish gentleman, Newby Chase. The New England Genealogical Register for January 1849, contains the following reference to the Chase family. Among the early settlers in New England, were three persons by the name of Chase, namely, William, Thomas, and Aquila. The first settled in Yarmouth, and there died, in 1659, leaving two sons, Benjamin and Wil

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liam.

The last two were certainly brothers, as appears from a deed given in 1669, by Aquila, to the sons of his brother Thomas. The name is found in various places in English history, from the time of William the conqueror to the present time. Thus, we find, in 1326, a family of that name in Suffolk; a Thomas Chase, who was barbarously murdered in 1506; a Sir Robert Chase, Knight, in the west of England 1628; a Sir John Chase in Exeter, prior to 1637; a John Chase, Esq., Apothecary to Queen Anne, 1690, etc. Thomas and Aquila Chase were among the first settlers of Hampton, N. H., in 1639." Bishop Chase says, referring to Aquila: "By reason of his nautical skill and enterprising character, he received an invitation from the inhabitants of that infant settlement to bring his family from Hampton, not far off, where they had lived a few years on coming to America, and make his home among them; and to ensure his compliance, the selectmen, who acted as (what is called in other places than New England), a town council tendered him the donation of several lots of land and some other immunities. He complied with their wishes and became an inhabitant of that then promising maritime village.' Aquila Chase is said to have been the first captain who, in a regular vessel, ever sailed into the port of the town of Newbury, at the mouth of the Merrimac river; Dudley was the name of the grandfather, and Ithamar the name of the father of the future Chief Justice. In speaking of his father, he says: "My father was an upright christian man; was honored by the confidence of his fellow-citizens in an unusual degree. He was a farmer in Cornish, and is well remembered there. It was from Cornish that he was sent so often by the district to represent it in the State council. My mother was the daughter of Alexander Ralston, of Keene, one of the early settlers, and a considerable proprietor. She inherited from her father, in the division of the estate, the large yellow building, occupied as a tavern, nearly oppo-. site to the old Shantliff tavern. When my father re

moved from Cornish to Keene, late in 1815, or early in 1816, he kept that tavern for a time-perhaps a year or more. He died there in 1819, and his tombstone yet stands in the burying-ground of Keene. The change in the tariff, and other causes connected with the close of the war, had embarrassed his affairs; for he was concerned in mercantile business, and in the manufacture of glass; and my mother was left with a considerable estate, heavily incumbered by debts. When these were paid, she was comparatively poor, and we children had to depend somewhat on ourselves. She sacrificed and stinted herself as a mother only can, to secure to us the best education she could. After my father's death she sold the tavern place and removed to the old yellow house. The yellow house was more famous than the White House for brains. Indeed the neighboring folk used to say that in that yellow house more brains were born than in any other house in New England. The Beecher family was then in the loins' of I know not what proprietor. There were born in that house Simeon Chase, the eldest, who, being eldest, was probably caught early and put on the farm. He lived and died a plain, honest, manly farmer. There was Salmon Chase, who went through Dartmouth, became a lawyer, had a great repute for sagacity and integrity; is much talked of even now by old people at Portland, where he lived and died just before I was born, whence the misfortune of my name. Then there was Barnch Chase, also a graduate of Dartmouth, and also a lawyer well reported of, who flourished at Hopkinton, New Hampshire, many years; and there he died. Heber Chase and Corbett Chase were two other sons, who became physicians, I think, and died comparatively young; one of them, as I seem to remember having heard, at Philadelphia. Dudley Chase, Senator from Vermont, after having been four times Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives, in 1813, resigned in 1817; elected Chief-Justice the same year, and continued by