DANIEL MURRAY.

Mr. Daniel Murray was born in Baltimore, Md., March 3, 1852,
and inherited on both sides of his parentage a dominant strain of
Scottish blood. He received a good seminary education, supple-
mented by private instruction in the languages. In January, 1871,
he entered the Library of Congress, at Washington, D. C., under
the late Ainsworth R. Spofford, who took a fatherly interest in him,
and who aided him in every possible manner. Mr. Spofford made
him his personal assistant and taught him methods of research
which had given Mr. Spofford world-wide reputation. This made
it necessary for Mr. Murray to study the modern languages. Being
thus equipped and having learned the sources of information and
the most approved methods of seeking the same, he spent nearly
all of his time in the service of the Library of Congress seeking
answers for Congressional inquirers. In this way he came across
a vast deal of material of transcendant importance to the colored
race, and determined to make the effort to gather it together, con-
fident in the racial patriotism to assist in giving it to the world.
Wendell Phillips justly held "that he who knew the source of in-
formation might truly be said to have the key to the book of knowl-
edge. "

From the very first MT. Murray designed compiling a Cyclopedia
during the years of his life time, and of leaving the same as his
legacy to the colored race, his sons to take up the work of publica-
tion. Hence, for more than fifteen years he has pursued with un-
remitting diligence, his self-imposed task, but, owing to the urgent
importuning of friends, has decided to undertake its publication
now.

Mr. Spofford was a man of strong anti-slavery convictions and
singularly free from the blight of color prejudice, " and he gave cor-
dial encouragement to Mr. Murray's scheme. He helped him by
suggestion and by direct assistance, but never let an opportunity

Eo by to have included in his prospective work everything the vast
Library of Congress contained in his line and thus the work grew.
Mr. Murray's Encyclopedia embraces the civilized world and seeks
to cover the period beginning with Hagar (the mother of Ishmael)
down to the present time. Haiti. San Domingo, Martinique, Guada-
loupe, Mauritius. Antigua, Brazil, Bermuda, Trinidad, Barbadoes,
Jamaica and all the islands of that region, are covered as never
before in a compact form. Biographical sketches of all of the men
and women who have been conspicuous in Liberia's history. Cuba
and South America have been thoroughly treated, and every man
of distinction in every part of the world allied to the colored race
noted and fully investigated. Several thousand names, constantly
met with in ancient and modern history, arid whose identity with
the colored race is known only to those who have traced them, are
now classified; this classification being easy of arrangement in an
Encyclodedia such as this.