Venice
Venice (venezia), A City And Seaport Of Italy, Occupying One Of The Most Remarkable Sites In The World. At The Head Of The Adriatic, Between The Mountains And The Sea, Lies That Part Of The Lombard Plain Known As The Veneto. The Whole Of This Plain Has Been Formed By ...
Venlo
Venlo, A Frontier Town In The Province Of Limburg, Holland, On The Right Bank Of The Maas, And A Junction Station 43 M. N.n.e. Of Maastricht By Rail. Pop. (193o), 24,275. Venlo, With Narrow Streets Irregularly Built, Is Not Of The Ordinary Dutch Type In Architectural Style. The Picturesque Town ...
Venosa
Venosa (anc. Venusia, Q.v.), A Town And Bishop's See Of The Basilicata In The Province Of Potenza, Italy, On The Eastern Side Of Mount Vulture, 52 M. By Rail S.s.e. Of Foggia, 1,345 Ft. Above Sea-level. Pop. (1930 9,985. The Castle, Built In 147o, Contains Four Stables Each For 5o ...
Ventilation
Ventilation, The Process Of Supplying Or Removing Air By Natural Or Mechanical Means Into Or Out Of Any Enclosed Space. Ventilation Generally Is Associated With Control Of Temperature And Odour, And In Removal Of Dust And Industrial By-products. The Problem Of Securing Adequate Ventilation Involves Far More Than Merely The ...
Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia (fr. V Intimate, Anc. Album Intimilium Or Albintimilium), A Frontier Fortress, Seaport And Episcopal See Of Liguria, Italy, In The Province Of Imperia, 94 M. W. By S. Of Genoa By Rail, And 4 M. From The Franco-italian Frontier, 45 Ft. Above Sea-level. Pop. (1931) 12,584 (town), 17,081 (commune). ...
Ventnor
Ventnor, Watering Place, Urban District, Isle Of Wight, England, 121 M. S. Of Ryde. Pop. (193r) 5,112. It Is Finely Situated In The Undercliff District, At The Foot Of St. Boniface Down, Which Reaches A Height Of 787 Ft The Town, Built On A Succession Of Terraces, Is Regarded As ...
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, The Art Of Producing The Voice In Such A Manner That It Shall Appear To Proceed From Some Place Alto Gether Distant From The Speaker (lat. Venter, Belly, And Loqui, To Speak). The Art Of Ventriloquism Was Formerly Supposed To Re Sult From A Peculiar Use Of The Stomach ...
Ventspils
Ventspils, Formerly Windau, A Seaport And Sea-bathing Resort Of Latvia, At The Mouth Of A River Of The Same Name, On The Baltic Sea, In 57° 24' N., 21° 32' E. Its Harbour Is Protected By Two Long Breakwaters, And Has Ample Quay Space With A Depth Of 23 To ...
Ventura
Ventura (officially San Buenaventura), A City Of Southern California, U.s.a., On The Pacific Ocean, 2 M. From The Mouth Of The Santa Clara River; The County Seat Of Ventura County. It Is Served By The Southern Pacific Railway And By Freight Steamers. Pop. (1920) 1930 Federal Census 11,603. It Is ...
Venue
Venue, In Criminal Law, The Proper Area Of Jurisdiction For The Trial Of A Crime By Indictment (from The Lat. Venire). Every Criminal Court Has Its Jurisdiction Limited To Some Part Of Eng Land, And Unless Empowered By Statute, Cannot Try Any Crimes Other Than Those Committed Within Its Jurisdiction. ...
Venus 9
Venus ( 9) Is The Second Of The Planets In Order Of Distance From The Sun. It Revolves In An Orbit Which Has The Smallest Eccen Tricity (0.007) In The Planetary System, And An Inclination To The Ecliptic Of 3° 24'. Its Mean Distance From The Sun Is 67,200,000 Miles; ...
Venus
Venus, Roman And Latin Goddess, Apparently Representing Beauty And Growth In Nature, And Especially In Gardens, Where The Roman Practical Sense Would Most Naturally See These. She Had Two Temples In Rome, One In The Grove Of Libitina, With Whom She Was Wrongly Identified, And The Other Near The Circus ...
Venusia
Venusia (mod. V Enosa, Q.v.), An Ancient City Of Apulia, Italy, On The Via Appia, About 6 M. S. Of The River Aufidus (ofanto), And Near The Boundary Of Lucania. It Was Taken By The Romans After The Samnite War Of 291 B.c., And Became A Colony At Once, No ...
Venuss Fly Trap
Venus's Fly-trap, A Remarkable Insectivorous Plant (dionaea Niuscipula) Of The Family Droseraceae, A Native Of North And South Carolina, First Described In 1768 By The American Botanist Ellis, In A Letter To Linnaeus, In Which He Gave A Sub Stantially Correct Account Of The Structure And Functions Of Its Leaves, ...
Venuss Looking Glass
Venus's Looking Glass, A Popular Garden Name For Specularia Speculum (or Campanula Speculum), From The Old Latin Name For The Plant, Speculum Veneris. It Is A Common Cornfield Plant In The South Of Europe, And Is Grown In Gardens On Account Of Its Brilliant Purple Flowers. In North America Four ...
Veracruz
Veracruz (officially Veracruz Llave), A Gulf Coast State Of Mexico, Bounded North By Tamaulipas, West By San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo, Puebla And Oaxaca, And South-east By Chiapas And Tabasco. Pop. (1900) 981,030; (193o) 1,376,476. It Is About 5om. Wide, Extending Along The Coast North-west To South-east, For A Distance Of ...
Veracruz_2
Veracruz, A City And Seaport Of Mexico, In The State Of Veracruz, On A Slight Indentation Of The Coast Of The Gulf Of Mexico, In 19° Ii' 50" N., 96° 20' W., Slightly Sheltered By Some Small Islands And Reefs. Pop. (193o) 71,883. Veracruz Is The Most Important Port Of ...
Veratrine
Veratrine (cevadine), The Most Important And The Most Toxic Of A Series Of Alkaloids (q.v.) Obtained From Sabadilla Seeds (merck, 1855). The Name Veratrine Has Been Applied So Variously That The Synonym Cevadine Was Introduced By Wrignt And Luff (1878) To Distinguish The Pure Alkaloid (crystallized Veratrine) Which Crystallizes From ...
Veratrum
Veratrum. The Greek Physicians Were Acquainted With A Poisonous Herb Which They Called White Hellebore, And Which Has Been Supposed To Represent The Veratrum Album Of Modern Bot Anists. In Modern Times The Name Has Been Applied To A Genus Of Herbaceous Plants Belonging To The Family Liliaceae. Veratrum Is ...
Verbena
Verbena. The Genus Verbena (vervain) In Botany Gives Its Name To The Family (verbenaceae), Of Which It Is A Member. The Species Are Herbaceous Or Somewhat Shrubby, With Opposite Or Whorled Leaves, Generally Deeply Cut. The Sessile Flowers Are Aggregated Into Close Spikes. Each Flower Has A Tubular, Ribbed Calyx, ...
Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae, A Family Of Dicotyledonous Plants, Com Prising About 7o Genera And Some 75o Species Of Herbs, Shrubs And Trees, Nearly All Tropical And Subtropical. Vervain (q.v.) Is British. Lippia And Cymbopogon Yield Verbena Oil And Several Species, As Teak (tectona Grandis), Supply Useful Timber. Many Are Lianes. Some Species ...
Vercelli Book Codex Vercellensis
Vercelli Book (codex Vercellensis), An O.e. Ms. Con Taining, Besides Homilies, Andreas, Fates Of The Apostles, Address Of The Soul To The Body, Falseness Of Men, Dream Of The Rood, Elene And A Prose Life Of Guthlac, Found In The Cathedral Library Of Vercelli, By Blume In 1822, And Described ...
Vercelli
Vercelli (anc. Vercellae), A Provincial Capital And Archiepiscopal See Of Piedmont, Italy, In The Province Of Vercelli, 13 M. S.w. Of Novara By Rail. Population Of Vercelli In 1931 Was It Is Situated 430 Ft. Above Sea-level On The River. Sesia, At Its Junction With The Canterana. Vercelli Is A ...
Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix (ob. 45 B.c.), Gaulish Chieftain, Waged War With Ability Against Caesar In 52 B.c. For The History Of The Campaign See Caesar. He Fell Into Caesar's Hands At The Capture Of Alesia, Was Exhibited At Caesar's Triumph In 45 And Was Then Put To Death. ...
Verden
Verden, A Town In The Prussian Province Of Hanover, On The Navigable Aller, 3 M. Above Its Confluence With The Weser, 22 M. S.e. Of Bremen By The Railway To Hanover. Pop. (1933) 10,634. Verden Was The Seat Of A Bishopric Founded In The First Quarter Of The 9th Century, ...
Verdigris
Verdigris Is A Basic Copper Acetate Of Varying Composi Tion. Dissolved In Pine Balsam, It Formed One Of The Permanent Greens Of The Middle Ages. Owing To Its Behaviour As An Oil Colour (turning From Dark Green To Black) And As A Water Colour (fading), It Is Replaced As A ...
Verdun
Verdun, A Garrison Town Of North-eastern France, Capital Of An Arrondissement In The Department Of Meuse, On The Main Line Of The Eastern Railway Between Paris And Metz, 42 M. N.n.e. Of Bar-le-duc. Pop. (1931) 13,552. Verdun (v Erodunum), An Important Town At The Time Of The Roman Conquest, Was ...
Vereinigte Glanzstoff Fabriken Ag
Vereinigte Glanzstoff-fabriken A.g., A German Company, Was Established At Elberfeld In The Year 1899. The Object Of The Company Is Activity In The Chemical And Textile Industry Territory, And It Deals Chiefly With The Manufacture Of Artificial Silk. The Company Used, At The Beginning, For The Manufacture Of Its Artificial ...
Vereinigte Industrie Unternehmungen Aktiengesellschaft
Vereinigte Industrie-unternehmungen Aktiengesellschaft (united Industrial Corporation), Or Viag As It Is Commonly Known, Was Formed In 1923 And Is The Holding Company For Various Enterprises, Controlled By The German Government. The Business Of This Group Includes The Wholesale Production Of Electric Power, The Manufacture Of Aluminium, Nitrates, Steel And Miscellaneous ...
Verkhne Udinsk
Verkhne-udinsk (now Re-named Ulan Ude) A Town Of Asiatic Russia, The Capital Of The Buriat-1viongol A.s.s.r. It Is On The Uda River, At Its Confluence With The Selenga, And Has Steamer Communication With Lake Baikal, And Southwards With Mongolia. It Is Also On The Siberian Railway, And Has Grown Markedly ...
Vermilion
Vermilion, A Scarlet Pigment, Which Occurs Naturally As The Crystalline Mineral Cinnabar. It Is The Red Form Of Mercuric Sulphide, Hgs, And Is Prepared Artificially To-day By Sublim Ing An Intimate Mixture Of Mercury And Sulphur, Or By Grinding Such A Mixture For Some Hours, Digesting It In A Solution ...
Vermillion
Vermillion, A City Of South Dakota, U.s.a., And The Seat Of The State University. Pop. 193o Federal Census, 2,85o. A Trading Post Was Established Here Soon After The First Steamboat Came Up The Missouri River In 1832, And Numerous Settlers Came Before The Public Land Was Thrown Open In 1859. ...
Vermont
Vermont, The Green Mountain State, So Named From The Evergreen Forests Of Its Mountains, Is A North Atlantic State Of The United States Of America, And The Most North-westerly Of The So-called New England Group. It Is Situated Between 42° 44' And O' 43" N. Lat. And 71° 28' And ...
Vermouth
Vermouth. An Alcoholic Beverage, The Basis Of Which Consists Of White Wine. The Wine Is Fortified With Spirit Up To A Strength Of About 15% Of Alcohol, And Is Then Stored In Casks Exposed To The Sun's Rays For A Year Or Two. Another Portion Of The Wine Is Fortified ...
Verneuil
Verneuil, A Town Of North-western France. Pop. (1931) 4,737. Verneuil Stands On The Left Bank Of The Avre. The Church Of La Madeleine (nth To 17th Century) Has The Facade Flanked By A Square Tower Of The First Half Of The I6th Century. The Church Contains Old Stained Glass, An ...
Vernier Instrument
Vernier Instrument, A Measuring Device Which Enables Either Linear Or Angular Magnitudes To Be Read With A Degree Of Accuracy Many Times Greater Than Is Possible With A Scale As Ordinarily Divided And Subdivided. The Principle Of The Vernier Is Readily Understood From The Following Figure And Illustration. Let Ab ...
Vernis Martin
Vernis Martin, A Generic Name, Derived From A Distin Guished Family Of French Artist-artificers Of The 18th Century, Given To A Brilliant Translucent Lacquer Extensively Used In The Decoration Of Furniture, Carriages, Sedan Chairs And A Multitude Of Small Articles Such As Snuff-boxes And Fans. There Were Four Brothers Of ...
Vernon
Vernon, A Town Of North-western France. Pop. (1931) 8,408. Vernon In 1196 Was Ceded By Its Count To Philip Augustus, Richard I. Resigning His Suzerainty. The First Estates Of Nor Mandy Were Held At Vernon In 1452. Vernon Stands On The Left Bank Of The Seine. The Church Of Notre-dame ...
Vernon_2
Vernon, A City Of Northern Texas, U.s.a., On The Pease River, The County Seat Of Wilbarger County. The Population Was 5,142 In 1920 (95% Native White) And Was 9,137 In 1930 By The Federal Census. It Is The Shipping Point For A Wide Region (pro Ducing Cotton, Wheat, Alfalfa And ...
Veroli
Veroli, An Episcopal See Of Frosinone Province, Italy, 1,870 Ft. Above Sea-level. Pop. ( I93i) 2,901 (town) ; 17,585 (com Mune). The Town Is Situated On The Site Of The Hernican Town Of Verulae. It Retains Remains Of Its Ancient Polygonal Enceinte, Espe Cially Near The Summit Of The Hill, ...
Veronal
Veronal, A Crystalline Substance Extensively Used In Medicine As A Hypnotic. Chemically, Veronal Is Diethylmalonyl Urea Or Diethyl-barbituric Acid Nhl,co. It Is Pre Pared By Condensing Diethylmalonic Ester With Urea In The Presence Of Sodium Ethylate, Or By Acting With Ethyl Iodide On The Silver Salt Of Malonyl Urea; It ...
Verona
Verona, A City And Episcopal See Of Venetia, Italy, The Capi Tal Of The Province Of Verona, Situated 194 Ft. Above Sea-level In A Loop Of The Adige (anc. Athesis). Pop. (1931.) 97,553 (town), 153,923 (commune). It Is The Point Of Departure To The Brenner. Churches.—the Romanesque Basilica Of S. ...
Versailles
Versailles, A Town Of Northern France, Capital Of The Department Of Seine-et-oise, 12 M. By Road W.s.w. Of Paris, With Which It Is Connected By Rail And Tram. Pop. (1931) 59,712. Ver Sailles Owes Its Existence To The Palace Built By Louis Xiv. It Stands 46o Ft. Above The Sea, ...
Verse
Verse, The Name Given To An Assemblage Of Words So Placed Together As To Produce A Metrical Effect. The Art Of Making, And The Science Of Analysing, Such Verses Is Known As Versification. According To Max Muller, There Is An Analogy Between Versus And The Sanskrit Term, Vritta, Which Is ...
Vertebrata
Vertebrata, One Of The Main Subdivisions Or Phyla Of The Animal Kingdom, Including Such Familiar Animal Types As Mammals (including Man), Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish, Along With Such Less Familiar Types As Lampreys And Hagfish (cyclosto Mata, Q.v.). The Name Is Not Precisely Equivalent To Chordata: The Latter Name Is ...
Vertebrate Embryology
Vertebrate Embryology. The Science Of Embry Ology (q.v.) Had Its First Beginnings In The Study Of The Verte Brata (q.v.), The Group That Includes Those Forms Of Life Whose ' Eggs And Breeding Habits Naturally First Attracted Attention, And Even To-day The Mass Of Known Embryological Detail Relating To Vertebrates ...
Vertical
Vertical, The Direction Of The Line Of Action Of Gravity, As Determined By The Plumb-line. The Angle Of The Vertical Is The Angle Between The Direction Of The Plumb-line And The Direction Towards The Earth's Centre (see Earth, Figure Of The). ...
Vertumnus
Vertumnus, In Roman Cult, The God Of The Changing Year (lat. Vortumnus, Changing) With Its Seasons, Its Flowers And Its Fruits, Probably Of Italian Origin. In Legend, He Has The Power Of Assuming Any Shape He Pleases, Which Enables Him To Win The Love Of Pomona (q.v.). His Shrine And ...
Verulamium
Verulamium, A Romano-british Town Situated In The Territory Of The Catuvellauni, Close To The Modern St. Albans (hertfordshire). Before The Roman Conquest It Was The Capital Of Tasciovanus, Prince Of The Catuvellauni, Who Issued Coins Inscribed With The Name Of The Place, And Of His Son, Cunobelin; Afterwards It Received ...
Vervain
Vervain (verbena Officinalis), A Plant Of The Family Ver Benaceae (q.v.), Native To Europe And Asia, Common In The South Of England, And Naturalized Across The Continent Of North America. It Is A Smooth Slender Annual, I To 3 Ft. High, With Oppo Site, Deeply Incised Leaves And Numerous Very ...
Vervet
Vervet, A Central And South African Monkey, Cercopithe Cus Pygerythrus. It Is Allied To The Grivet (q.v.), But Distin Guished By The Presence Of A Rusty Patch At The Root Of The Tail And By The Black Chin, Hands, And Feet. ...
Verviers
Verviers, A Town, Province Of Liege, Belgium, On The Main Line From Liege To Aix-la-chapelle And Cologne. Pop. (1930) 44,098. It Is On The Vesdre, Which Flows Into The Ourthe A Few Miles Before Its Junction With The Meuse; And The Water Of That River Is Supposed To Be Especially ...
Vesica Piscis
Vesica Piscis, In Architecture, The Term Given To A Pointed Oval Panel Formed By Two Equal Intersecting Circular Curves; A Common Form Given To A Panel In Which The Figure Of Christ Is Represented. It Is Employed In Mediaeval Seals, Especially Those Of Bishops As Well As Those Of Numerous ...
Vesoul
Vesoul, A Town Of Eastern France, Capital Of The Depart Ment Of Haute-saone, 236 M. E.s.e. Of Paris On The Eastern Railway To Belfort. Pop. (1931) 10,076. Vesoul Is Of Ancient Origin, But In Existing Records Is First Mentioned In The 9th Century. Orig Inally A Fief Of The Church ...
Vespasian
Vespasian, In Full Titus Flavius Vespasianus, Roman Emperor A.d. Was Born On Nov. 18, A.d. 9, In The Sabine Country Near Reate. His Father Was A Tax-collector And Money Lender On A Small Scale ; His Mother Was The Sister Of A Senator. After Having Served With The Army In ...
Vespers
Vespers, In The Roman Catholic Liturgy, The Seventh Of The Eight "hours" Which Make Up The Daily Office. (see Breviary.) ...
Vesta
Vesta, The Roman Hearth-goddess. The Name Is Etymologi Cally Identical With Hestia (q.v.), But The Roman Cult Is Nearer The Primitive Conditions. In An Early Community Fire Was Hard To Make, And Therefore It Was Desirable That At Least One Fire Should Be Kept Always Burning. This Duty Would Naturally ...
Vesteras Or Westeras
Vesteras Or Westeras, A Town And Bishop's See Of Swe Den, Capital Of The District (lan) Of Vestmanland, On A Northern Bay Of Lake Malar, 6o M. N.w. By W. Of Stockholm By Rail. Pop. (1934), 31,229. The Original Name Of The Town Was Vestra Aros ("western Mouth"), In Distinction ...
Vestini
Vestini, An Ancient Sabine Tribe Which Occupied The East Ern And Northern Bank Of The Aternus In Central Italy. It Entered Into The Roman Alliance, Retaining Its Own Independence, In 304 B.c., And Issuing Coins Of Its Own In The Following Century. A Northerly Section Round Amiternum Near The Passes ...
Vestments
Vestments, Ceremonial Garments Worn By Priests And Others In Performing The Offices Of Religion. Ecclesiastical Vest Ments, To Which This Article Is Confined, Are The Special Articles Of Costume Worn By The Officers Of The Christian Church "at All Times Of Their Ministration," As Distinct From The "clerical Costume" Worn ...
Vetch
Vetch, In Botany, The English Name For Vicia Sativa, Also Known As Tares, A Leguminous Annual Herb With Trailing Or Climb Ing Stems, Compound Leaves With Five Or Six Pairs Of Leaflets, Reddish-purple Flowers Borne Singly Or In Pairs In The Leaf-axis, And A Silky Pod Containing Four To Ten ...
Veterans Bureau
Veterans' Bureau: See Pensions : United States. Veterinary Science, The Branch Of Knowledge That Deals With The Anatomy Of Domesticated Animals, Their Physiology And Racial Characteristics, Their Breeding, Feeding And Hygienic Management ; The Pathology And Treatment Of Their Diseases And Injuries; The Improvement Of Stock; Their Relations To Man ...