Gaines. I. Edmnnd Pendleton, an American general, born in Culpeper co.,Va., March 20, 1777, died in New Orleans, June 0, 1849. He entered the army as ensign in 1799, was for many years actively employed in frontier duty, and was instrumental in procuring the arrest of Aaron Burr. About 1811 he resigned his commission, but at the commencement of the war of 1812 returned to the army, with which he remained connected until his death. At the battle of Chrystler's field, Nov. 11, 1813, he rendered important services by covering the retreat of the American forces with his regiment, the 25th, and he subsequently commanded at Fort Erie when the night assault by the British troops under Gen. Drummond was repulsed. For his conduct during the siege of this place, where he was severely wounded, he was made brevet major general, and received the thanks of congress and a gold medal. He received similar testimonials from the states of Virginia, Tennessee, and New York. He was engaged in the Creek and Seminole wars, after which he had routine duty only.

II. Myra Clark, an American heiress, wife of the preceding, born in New Orleans about 1805. Her father, Daniel Clark, born in Sligo, Ireland, about 1766, emigrated to New-Orleans, where he inherited his uncle's property in 1799. He was United States consul there before the acquisition of Louisiana, and represented the territory in congress in 180G-'8. He died in New Orleans, Aug. 16, 1813, and his estate was disposed of under the provisions of a will dated May 20, 1811, which gave the property to his mother, Mary Clark, who had followed him to America and was living at Germantown, Pa. His business partners, Relf and Chew, were the executors. Clark was reputed a bachelor, but was known to have had a liaison with a young French woman of remarkable beauty, Zulime des Granges, during the absence of her reputed husband in Europe. Two daughters were born of this connection, one at Philadelphia, in April, 1802, the other (Myra) in New Orleans, probably in 1805. The latter was taken to the house of Col. Davis, a friend of Clark's, nursed by a Mrs. Harper, and in 1812 went with Davis's family to reside in Philadelphia, where she passed by the name of Myra Davis. In 1830 Davis, being then in the legislature, sent home for certain papers; and Myra, in searching for them, discovered some letters which partially revealed the circumstances of her birth.

In 1832 she married W.W. Whitney of New York, who in following up the discovery received from Davis an old letter which gave an account of a will made by Clark in 1813, just before his death, giving all his large estate to Myra and acknowledging her as his legitimate daughter.Whitney and his wife went to Matanzas, Cuba, saw the writer of the letter, and, after collecting other evidence, instituted suits to recover the estate, which included some of the most valuable property in New Orleans. On the trial of one of these causes, Mrs. Harper testified that four weeks before his death Clark showed her the will he had just made in favor of Myra, permitting her to read it from beginning to end, and acknowledged the child's legitimacy. Baron Boisfontaine testified that Clark told him the contents of the will and acknowledged the child. On this and other similar evidence the lost or destroyed will was received by the supreme court of Louisiana (Feb. 18, 1850) as the last will of Daniel Clark, though of the document itself no vestige had ever appeared. But by the law of Louisiana a testator cannot make devises to his adulterine bastard.

It was proved by the testimony of two sisters of Myra's mother, one of whom swore she was present at the ceremony, that Clark privately married her in Philadelphia in 1803, a Catholic priest officiating; she having previously learned that Des Granges, her supposed husband, had a prior wife living, and was therefore not legally her husband. Clark's contemplated acknowledgment of the marriage was said to have been frustrated by suspicions of her fidelity; and, deserted by him, she contracted a third marriage. In another suit the United States supreme court decided that the fact of the marriage and legitimacy was established. Mrs. Whitney sur-vived her husband, married Gen. Gaines in 1830, and survived him also. In 1856 she tiled in the supreme court of the United States a bill in equity to recover valuable real estate then in the possession of the city of New Orleans, and a decision in her favor was rendered at the December term of 1867. This substantially concluded one of the most celebrated causes ever tried. The value of the property claimed was estimated in 1861 at $35,000,000, of which Mrs. Gaines had up to 1874 obtained possession of $6,000,000, and numerous actions for ejectment were still in progress.

The testimony, documents, and opinions in these suits cover 8,000 closely printed pages. A good history of the affair is contained in Wallace's "Cases argued and adjudged in the Supreme Court of the United States," vol. vi., p. 642.