Charles Francis Adams, an American statesman, the only child of John Quincy Adams who survived him, born in Boston, Aug. 18, 1807. At the age of two years he was taken by his father to St. Petersburg, where he passed the next six years and learned to speak Russian, German, and French. In February. 1815, he made the journey with his mother in a private carriage from St. Petersburg to Paris, to meet his father there - in the then disturbed state of Europe no slight undertaking, He accompanied his father on his mission to England, and being placed at a boarding school, according to the fisticuff usages then if not still in vogue in English schools, he was obliged to fight his English schoolfellows in defence of the honor of America. In 1817 he returned with his father to America, and was placed in the Boston Latin school, whence he entered Harvard college, where he graduated in 1825. The next two years he passed at Washington with his father, who was then president, but in 1827 returned to Massachusetts and pursued the study of the law in the office of Daniel Webster. In 1828 he was admitted to the Boston bar, but never has engaged actively in practice.

In 1829 he married the youngest daughter of Peter C. Brooks, a Boston merchant - a connection which also made him a brother-in-law of Edward Everett. The next year he was nominated a representative from Boston to the Massachusetts legislature, but declined. This did not please his father, in consequence of which he accepted the nomination the next year, and served in the house for the succeeding three years, when he was transferred to the senate, in which he served two years. By this time Mr. Adams began to differ on several points with the leaders of the whig party, with which he had hitherto acted. In 1848 he was selected by the newly organized free-soil party as their candidate for the vice-presidency, along with ex-president Van Buren as candidate for the presidency. In the autumn of 1858 he was chosen a representative to Congress by the third district of Massachusetts, and took his seat in December, 1859. He was a member of the joint committee on the library, and chairman of the house committee on manufactures, which latter had but little to do, the time and thoughts of members being occupied with more exciting subjects.

Mr. Adams watched with careful attention the course of events, and on the last day of May, 1860, addressed the house in a forcible speech, vindicating the policy of the republican party. In the interval between the two sessions of his congressional service, Mr. Adams, in company with Mr. Seward, made a journey in some of the northwestern states, and made several speeches in support of Mr. Lincoln for the presidency. On the day after the meeting of the second session of the thirty-sixth congress, so much of the president's message as related to the condition of the country was referred to a special committee of one from each state. Mr. Adams was the member for Massachusetts. This committee finally reported a series of resolves disavowing on the part of the free states any right to interfere with slavery in; the slave states; a bill for the admission of" New Mexico, leaving it to the inhabitants to allow or exclude slavery as they might decide; and an amendment to the constitution forbid-ding all interference on the part of congress with slavery in these states. The bill for the admission of New Mexico was rejected, but the other two measures were passed in the house by large majorities.

Mr. Adams sup-ported them all, and gave his reasons for so doing in a speech delivered Jan. 31, 1861. In 1861 he was appointed by President Lincoln minister to England, in place of Mr. Dallas. Mr. Adams arrived in London and assumed his duties about the middle of May. These duties were most arduous. With a few exceptions, the feeling alike of the ruling and the commer-cial classes of England was either unfriendly to us or indifferent. Mr. Adams had to maintain the rights of his country with unbending firmness, and at the same time to keep his spirit under perfect rule, as any explosion of ill temper or any expression of irritation would have been turned to the disadvantage alike of himself and his country. In the many discus-sions he had with the British ministry he showed a complete knowledge alike of inter-national law and of the history of his own country, as well as discretion, tact, and good temper. His influence as a public man was in-creased by his social qualities, his agreeable conversation, and his familiarity with the whole range of English literature. When in 1868, after an absence of seven years, he re-turned home, Mr. Adams left England with the respect of every man who had been brought into official relations with him, and with a large amount of warm personal regard.

In December. 1870, he pronounced before the New York historical society a discourse on American neutrality, which has been printed. Upon the ratification by England and America of the treaty of Washington for the settlement of the claims of each country against the other growing out of the civil war, Mr. Adams was selected by the president as the American arbitrator, and upon that duty sailed for Europe in November, 1871. - Mr. Adams has been a contributor to the "North American Review " and the "Christian Examiner," and between 1845 and 1848 was the editor of a political daily paper at Boston, by which he contributed to prepare the way for the present republican party. He is principally known, however, as the editor of his grandfather's collected writings, published in ten volumes, the first volume containing a life of John Adams written by him. The same duty which Mr. Adams has performed for his grandfather, he intends to perform for his father, for the execution of which he possesses abundant and most val-uable materials. - John Quiney, eldest son of the preceding, a lawyer and politician, born in Boston, Sept. 22, 1833. He was fitted for college at the Latin school, and graduated at Harvard college in 1853. In 1855 he was admitted to the bar, and has ever since had a moderate professional practice, principally in Quincy, his place of residence.

He was an earnest republican during the civil war, and served on Gov. Andrews's staff. In 1866 he was chosen representative to the legislature from the town of Quincy. In 1867, having avowed his adhesion to the policy of President Johnson, he was nominated for reelection by the democrats and defeated. The same year he was also the democratic candidate for governor of Massachusetts, with the same result. In 1869 he was again chosen to the legislature, and for the third time in 1870. In the autumn of 1871 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the offices of governor and representative. In the course of his public career Mr. Adams has had occasion to make many speeches, which were remarkable for manly independence and vigorous statement. In the Massachusetts house of representatives, as leader of a hopeless minority, he secured in a high degree the respect of his political opponents. - Charles Francis, Jr., brother of the preceding, born in Boston, May 27, 1835, graduated at Harvard college in 1856, studied law, and was admitted to practice in 1858. At the breaking out of the war of secession he obtained a commission in the first regiment of Massachusetts cavalry, and served throughout the war.

He was successively promoted to the rank of captain, lieutenant colonel, and colonel, and led his regiment, the fifth Massachusetts cavalry (colored), into Richmond, April 3, 1865, when that city was occupied by the United States troops. In July, 1865, he was mustered out of service with the brevet rank of brigadier general. Upon his return to civil life he became an active contributor to the " North American Review, " writing chiefly on topics connected with the development of the railroad system. In 1869 he was appointed a member of the board of railroad commissioners of Massachusetts. In 1871, in connection with his brother, Prof. Henry Brooks Adams, he published a collected volume of writings under the title of " Chapters of Erie, and other Essays." - Henry Brooks, brother of the preceding, and third son of Charles Francis Adams, born in Boston, Feb. 16, 1838, graduated at Harvard college in 1858. He resided in London as his father's private secretary during the latter's term of service as minister to England. In 1870 he was appointed assistant professor of history in Harvard college and became editor of the "North American Review."