Return to California-Illness-Candidate for re-election to the United States Senate -Goes to Europe-Projects his Fifth and Last Exploring Tour-His Hardships and Triumph-Letter from Parawan-Prairies on Fire-A careless Sentinel-Huerfano Butte A cheerless Night-Fall of Mules down the Mountains-Threatened by Indians-How they were repelled-Reduced to eat Horse-meat-They swear not to Eat each other-Freezing, Death, and Burial of Fuller-Declines a Public Dinner Col. Fremont comes to reside in New York-Is talked of for the Presidency-Letter to Gov. Robinson of Kansas-Letter to a Public Meeting in New York upon the Subject of Troubles in Kansas-Is nominated for the Presidency by the National Republican Convention-Letter of Acceptance-Letter accepting the Nomination PARENTAGE, BIRTH AND EDUCATION. In the social disruptions of the French Revolution, many broken fortunes were replanted in America, and in the words of Chateaubriand, then himself a wanderer in our country, "the names of settlements in the United States became a touching record of the wrecks of European homes." What seemed then only an adverse stroke of fortune to those upon whom it fell, proved the establishment of many prosperous families-the seed scattered by the storm bearing a hundred fold on the rich soil of the New World. During this time, a passenger ship bound to one of the French West Indian possessions, was taken by an English man-of-war on the eve of reaching her destination. The passengers, with the ship, were carried prisoners into one of the English islands, where they experienced the usual rigid treatment of prisoners of war in that day. Among them was a young French man of the name of Fremont, from the neighborhood of Lyons, who was on his way to join an aunt in St. Domingo. During his protracted captivity, M. Fremont eked out the scanty prison allowance by basket-making-a common resource among the prisoners-in which his supe-. rior taste soon enabled him to excel. Some skill in painting, too, procured him occasional employment in decorating ceilings with the frescoes which are common in the dwellings of the wealthier families of the tropics. After some years' detention, he was finally liberated or escaped (the latter, it is believed), and in his endeavors to find his way homeward, finally arrived at Norfolk, Virginia. Being entirely without resource for the farther prosecution of his homeward voyage, he gave lessons in his native language to the citizens of Norfolk. He was a man of superior accomplishments and high breeding, spoke English fluently, and was a welcome guest in the best society of the city and State. He here became acquainted with, and afterwards married, the future mother of John Charles Fremont, Anne Beverley, one of the daughters of Col. Thomas Whiting, of Gloucester county, an orphan, and one of the most beautiful women of her day in the State of Virginia. This Colonel Whiting's father was the brother of Catharine Whiting, who was a grand aunt of George Washington.* In her commenced the connection by marriage of the Whitings of Virginia with the most illustrious family of this, or perhaps of any country; a connection subsequently drawn still closer by repeated matrimonial alliances.† *Sparks's Washington, vol. i., 548; ib. vol. v., 268; ib. vol. vi., 296. In a brief sketch of his family descent, which General Washington furnished at the request of Sir Isaac Heard, in 1792, he says: Colonel Whiting, Mrs. Fremont's father, was one of the most wealthy and prominent men of his day in Virginia; he was a leading member of the House of Burgesses, and during the Revolution was President of the Naval Board at Williamsburgh (then the seat of government), officially the most exalted position, at that time, in the Colony.* Prior to the revolution he had been king's attorney. "Lawrence Washington, his eldest son (of John Washington, the founder of the family in this country) married Mildred Warner, daughter of Colonel Augustine Warner, of Gloucester county, by whom he had two sons, John and Augustine, and one daughter, named Mildred. He died in 1697, and was interred in the family vault at Bridge's Creek. "John Washington, the eldest son of Lawrence and Mildred, married Catharine Whiting (sister of Colonel Thomas Whiting, the grandfather of Mrs. Fremont the elder) of Gloucester county, where he settled, died, and was buried. He had two sons, Warner and Henry, and three daughters, Mildred, Elizabeth, and Catharine, all of whom are dead. "Warner Washington married first Elizabeth Macon, daughter of Col. William Macon, of New Kent county, by whom he had one son, who is now living, and bears the name of Warner. His second wife was Hannah, youngest daughter of the Honorable William Fairfax, by whom he left two sons and five daughters as follows, namely: Mildred, Hannah, Catharine, Elizabeth, Louisa, Fairfax and Whiting. The three eldest of the daughters are married, Mildred to Throckmorton, Hannah to Nelson. After his second marriage Whiting, and Catharine to he removed from Gloucester, and settled in Frederick county, where he died in 1791. "Warner Washington, his son, married by whom he has many sons and daughters." ington, vol. i., p. 548. Whiting, of Gloucester, *-Sparks's Wash * In Henning's Statutes at Large, vol. ix., we find the following ordinance in relation to this commission: "MAY, 1776.-INTERREGNUM. “An ordinance for establishing a Board of Commissioners, to superintend and direct the Naval affairs of this Colony. "Whereas, the Naval preparations of this Colony will be carried on He was also a man of large wealth. He owned the whole of the land lying between North River and Ware River, in Gloucester county. His prominence as the president of the Naval Board exposed him specially to the depredations of the English on the coast, notwithstanding which, when he died, he left eight separate estates to his eight surviving children, and thirty negroes with each. The principal residence of the family was at Elmington. with greater expedition and success if proper persons are appointed, whose business it shall be particularly to superintend and direct the same, "Be it therefore ordained, by the delegates of Virginia now in General Convention, and it is hereby ordained by the authority of the same, That Thomas Whiting, John Hutchings, Champion Travis, Thomas Newton, Junior, and George Webb, Esquires, be, and are hereby appointed and declared a Board of Commissioners," &c., &c. *The following is a copy of Col. Whiting's will. The estate was largely increased before the division took place : WILL OF THOMAS WHITING, GRANDFATHER OF COL. Fremont. "In the name of God. Amen. I, Thomas Whiting, of the Parish of Abingdon, in the County of Gloucester, do make this my last will and testament, as followethImprimis, I desire all my just debts to be paid. I give to my son, Thomas Whiting, the land purchased of Jos. Devenport and Edward Howe, lying in Abington Parish and County aforesaid, containing about six hundred acres, more or less, to him and his heirs. I do give unto my said son, Thomas, the houses and lots I possess in Glostertown, to him and his heirs. I give unto my two sons, Henry Whiting and Horatio Whiting, and their heirs, my two plantations, lying in the Parish and County aforesaid, called and known by the names, Hackney and Rumford, including the land purchased of Wm. Sawyer, and the land purchased of Robert Coleman's estate, jointly with Col. Warner Lewis-equally to be divided between them. It is my wish and desire, that my wife, Eliza Whiting, take her dower of my lands in those divided to my sons, Henry and Horatio, and not in the land divided to my son Thomas; but if she should, then I give my son Thomas, in ce |