1731 "Old Bruin" Commodore Matthew C. Perry 1794-1858...by Samuel Eliot Morison (read 21 Jul 1982) This is a fairly good book, though Morison is so opinionated. He likes Perry, who was born 10 April 1794 at Newport, R. I., to a naval father--who had a fantastic career in early life--and whose brother Oliver won the Battle of Lake Erie. Matthew helped found Liberia, went to Russia with John Randolph, was in the Mexican War, and opened Japan. He died in New York on 4 Mar 1858. A good biography, even though I was rather distracted as I read it by events in my life--I was a candidate for judge. ( )