Vladimir
Vladimir', A Governinnyt Of Russia, Bounded On The E. By The Government Of Nijni Novgorod, And On The S.w. By That Of Moscow. Area, 18,796 Sq.m.; Pop., '70, 1,259,923. The Surface Is Level Or Undulating; The Soil Consists Chiefly Of Clay Or Sand, And Is Fertile Only In Exceptional Spots. ...
Vladimir_2
Vladimir', The Name Of Two Celebrated Russian Princes, The Former Of Whom, Vladimir Sviatorlavitm Was The First Christian Sovereign Of Russia. On The Death Of His Father (972), Vladimir, Though Illegitimate, Received Novgorod As His Share Of The Heritage, But Was Driven Out By Jaropolk, Who Had Already Murdered The ...
Voice
Voice (lat. Vox) May Be Defined As An Audible Sound Produced By The Larynx, And May Be Produced By Any Animal Possessing That Organ; While Speech Or Articulate Lan Guage May Be Regarded As Voice Modified In The Cavity Of The Mouth. The Larynx (q.v.) Is The Organ By Which ...
Volcanoes
Volca'noes Are Conical Mountains Which Vomit Flame And Smoke, And Occasionally Throw Out Showers Of Ashes And Stone, Or Eject Melted Rock On The Surface Of The Earth. Volcanoes May Have Their Origin On Flat Plains On The Surface Of The Earth, Or Even At The Bottom Of The Sea; ...
Vole
Vole, Arcicola, A Genus Of Rodent Quadrupeds, Of A Group Which Some Naturalists Constitute Into A Family (arricolidce), But Which Is More Generally Regarded As A Tribe Or Sub-family Of Muridte (q.v.). This Group Is Characterized By A Thicker And Shorter Form Than That Of The True Rats And Mice; ...
Volga
Volga, The Most Important River Of Russia, And The Longest In Europe, Has Its Origin In A Marshy Plain Among The Valdai Hills, In The Government Of Tver; Lat. 57° N., Long. 33° 10' East. From Its Source, Which Is 550 Ft. Above Ordinary Sea-level, And 633 Ft. Above The ...
Voltaire
Voltaire (francois-manre Aroliet, His True Name)—one Of The Most Famous Of French Writers—was B. According To His Own Accounts, As Given In Later Life, On Feb. 20, 1694, At Chatenay, Near Sceaux. The Register Of His Baptism, However, Assigns Paris As The Place Of His Birth, And Dates It Nov. ...
Volumetric Analysis
Volumetric Analysis, In Chemistry, Consists In Submitting The Substance To Be Estimated To Certain Characteristic Reactions, The Chemist Employing For Such Reactions Liquids Of Known Strength, And From The Quantity Of Liquid Employed To Induce The Reaction, Determining The Weight Of The Substance To Be Estimated By Means Of The ...
Voluntaryism
Voluntaryism, The Principles Or System Of Polity Distinctive Of Those Who Advo Cate The Separation Of Church And State; The Cessation Of State Endowments And State Grants For Religious Purposes, And, In General, Of All Interference, Patronage, Or Exercise Of Authority On The Part Of The Civil Power In The ...
Volvulus
Volvulus (lat. Volvere, To Twist) Is The Term Used In Medicine To Signify A Twisting Of The Intestine, Producing Obstruction'to The Passage Of Its Contents. There Are Three Distinct Varieties Of Rotatory Movement Capable Of Giving Rise To Volvulus—(1) A Portion Of Intestine May Have Become Twisted On Its Own ...
Vomiting
Vomiting Consists In The Stomach Emptying Itself Through The Gullet And Mouth. It Is Preceded By A Feeling Of Nausea, A Flow Of Saliva In The Mouth, And The Breaking Out Of Perspiration; The Countenance Grows Pale, A Feeling Of Weakness Spreads Over The Whole Body, And The Pulse Becomes ...
Vopadeva
Vopadeva Is A Celebrated Grammarian Of India. He Wrote A Grammar Entitled Mugdhabodha, Which Is Held In High Repute, Especially In Bengal, And Was Commented Upon By Durgadasa. (both Text And Commentary Have Been Edited At Calcutta In 1861; Previous Editions Contain Merely The Text Of Vopadeva's Grammar.) It Differs ...
Vortex
Vortex (lat. A Whirlpool). Till Lately, It Was A Reproach To Hydrodynamics That The Theory Of Vortices Or Eddies In Fluids Had Not Been Properly Brought Under The Domain Of Mathematical Analysis. Even Now, The Problem Nas Only Been Partially Solved By The Labors Chiefly Of Stokes (q.v.) And Helmholtz ...
Vorticellidz
Vorticel'lidz, A Family Of Infueoria, Remarkable For Beauty, And Containing A Great Number Of Species, To Which, From Their Form, The Name Of Bell Or Bell-flower Animalcules Is Often Given. The Genus Torticella Consists Of Minute Cup-shaped Or Bell-shaped Crea Tures, Each Placed At The Top Of A Long Flexible ...
Votive
Votive (lat. Votteus, Given In Virtue Of A Vow; Fr. Mum, A Vow), In Ecclesiastical Use, Signifies The Class Of Actions, Offerings, Or Memorial Records Or Observances, Which Are Intended Either As The Fulfillment Of A Vow, Or As A Commemoration Of The Accomplish Ment Of The Prayer Which Accompanied ...
Voussoirs
Voussoirs, The Individual Stones Forming An Arch, And Of Which The Central One Is The Keystone. They Arc Always Of A Truncated Wedge-form. Vow (fr. Neu, From Lat. T'otum), A Promise Made To God Of A Certain Thing Or Action Good In Itself, And Within The Dominion And Right Of ...
Vulcan
Vulcan (the Name Is Probably Connected With Fulgere And Fulgur, And May Be Trans Lated The " Bright Shining One") Was The Old Italian God Of Tire. The Various Myths In Connection With Vulcan Prove The Great Antiquity Of His Worship. Latterly, The Char Acter, Attributes And History Of The ...
Vulgate
Vulgate Is The Name Of The Latin Translation Of The Bible, Which Is The 'received Ver Sion In The Roman Catholic Church. It Must Not Be Confounded With The Older Latin Translation Known As The Itala (see Italic Version). While Jerome Was Engaged In Correcting The Itala, He Conceived The ...
Vulture
. Vulture. Vultur, A Linnrean Genus Of Rapacious Birds, Now Forming The Family Vul Turide, To Almost All The Species Of Which The Name Vulture Is Popularly Given. The Vulturidce Have A Longer Beak Than The Falcon/do, And It Is Straight At The Base, Slightly Or Not At All Toothed; ...
Vyasa
Vyasa Is The Reputed Arranger Of The Vedas (q.v.), And The Reputed Author Of The Maliabliarata (q.v.), The Pusan As (q.v.). The -brahmasatras (see Vedanta), And A Dharmas'astra. According To Tradition, He Was A Sou Of The Sage Para.' Ara And Saty Avati, "the Truthful," Who Was A Daughter Of ...
W00rali Poison
W00'rali Poison. Since The Original Publication Of The Article Cunani, Which Is One Of The Synonyms Of This Substance, The Physiological Actions Of This Fearful Poison Has Been Carefully Studied By Drs. Weir, Mitchell, And Hammond, Of,thet United States; I And The Essay In Which Their Joint Labors Are Recorded ...
Wagers
Wagers, In The Common Law Of England, Were Held Good, If They Were Not Against The Principles Of Morality, Public Decency, Or Sound Policy; And A Wager Or Bet Was Defined To Be, A Contract Entered Into Without Color Or Fraud Between Two Or More Per Sons For A Good ...
Wages
Wages Means The Money Given For Personal Services, As Distinct From The Price Of Anything Sold, Whether Made By The Seller Or Not. When A Man Makes A Basket, And Sells It, The Price Is Not Wages, Though It May Be The Same Thing To Him. The Term Has By ...
Wagon
Wagon, A Vehicle For The Conveyance Of Goods Or Passengers, Is Mounted On Four Wheels, But Varies Considerably In The Construction Of Its Other Parts, According To The Species Of The Traffic In Which It Is To Be Employed. Since The Wagon Has Four Wheels, It Is Quite Unnecessary That ...
Wagrabl Or Deutscii Wagram
Wagrabl Or Deutscii-wagram, A Village Of Lower Austria, On The Left Bank Of The Russbacli, 10 In. N.e. By E. From Vienna, Is Of Little Importance, Except As The Site Of The Great Battle Between The French And Austrians In The Campaign Of 1809, Which Forced Austria To Bow Before ...
Wagtail
Wagtail, Ifotacilla, A Genus Of Birds Of The Family Motacillicice, Which Is Now Very Generally Regarded As A (motacillince) Of Sylciadm, Distinguished By A Length Ened And Slender Bill, Long And Pointed Wings, Rather Long And Slightly Curved Claws, And A Long Narrow Tail, Which The Bird Incessantly Wags Up ...
Waits
Waits (anciently Spelled Waightes) Is A Name Which Has, At Successive'periods Of Our History, Been Given To Different Classes Of Musical Watchmen. The Word Is One, In Slightly Varied Forms, Common In The Sense Of Guard Or Watchman To All The Germanic Languages. It Is The German Wacht Or Wadie, ...
Waiver
Waiver, In Law, The Neglect Or Refusal Of A Person To Take Advantage Of His Right. Every Person Must Claim The Exercise Of His Rights At The Proper Moment; His Neglect Or Relinquishment Will Be Regarded As A Waiver. A Party Bringing Suit Against Another May Sometimes Waive One Remedy ...
Waldenses
Waldenses (valdensts, Valdtst, Valtsi, Vatruots), Are A Christian Community Who Inhabit A Mountain Tract On The Italian Side Of The Cottian Alps, S.w. From Turin. The District Is Bounded On The N. By The Dora Ripaira, On The S. By The Po. It Is Inclosed On All Sides By The ...
Walhalla
Walhalla (the Hall Of The Fallen, I.e., Heroes. See Wacmvares.), Is, In Northern Mythology, The Name Of The Place Of Residence For The Fallen In Battle. This Brilliant Hall Stood In Gladsheim (the House Of Joy); In Front Of It Was The Beautiful Grove Glasur, The Trees Of Which Bore ...
Walicut
Walicut, Juotang, A Genus Of Beautiful Trees Of The Natural Order Juglamdacete. This Order Is Nearly Allied To Amentacee (q.v.), And Particularly To The Sub-order Cupuliferts (q.v.) Or Eopylacece, But Differs In Having The Ovary One-celled, With A Solitary Erect Ovule. The Flowers Are Unisexual, The Male Flowers In Catkins, ...
Walker
Walker, Rev. George, An Irish Clergyman, Distinguished For The Part He Took In The Heroic Defense Of Londonderry Against The Army Of James Il, Was Born In The County Of Tyrone, Of English Parents, In The Early Part Of The 17th Century. He Was Educated At The University Of Glasgow, ...
Walkyries
Walky'ries, Beings Of The Scandinavian Mythology (q.v.), The Legend Of Whom Is The Most Terribly Beautiful In The Whole System. The Name Is Derived Froth The Old Norse Val, Which Signifies A Heap Of Slaughtered Men, And Kjora, To Choose. Val Itself Contains The Notion Of Chosen, Elect, Being Allied ...
Wallenstein
Wallenstein (or, More Correctly, Waldstein), Albert Wenceslas Eusenius Von. Duke Of Friedland, Sagan, And Mecklenburg, The Most Remarkable Of The Long Series Of Eminent Men Who Owe Their Prominence On History's Page To The Thirty Years War, Was The Third Son Of A Noble Though Not Wealthy Bohemian Family, And ...
Wallis
Wallis, Rev. John, D.d., A Very Eminent English Mathematician, Was The Eldest Son Of The Rev. John Wallis, Incumbent Of Ashford In Kent, And Was Born There, Nov. .23, 1616. He Was Brought Up With A View To The Church, And Was Educated For His Pro Fession, To The Strict ...
Walloons
Walloons, The Name Given To A Population Belonging To The Great Romanic Family' More Especially To The French Stock, And Occupying The Tract Along The Frontiers Of The German-speaking Territory In The South Netherlands, From Dunkirk To Malmedy. They Are Located More Particularly In The Ardennes, In Parts Of The ...
Wallsend
Wallsend, A Parish In The Co. Of Northumberland, England, Four M. E.n.e. From Newcastle, Celebrated For Its Collieries, Which Produce A Very Large Quantity Of Coal Of Very Superior Quality. About 2,000,000 Tons Of Wallsend Coal Are Annually Imported Into London. • In Horticulture Are Fruit-trees Trained On Walls For ...
Waloheren Expedition
Waloheren Expedition, One Of The Most Disastrous Military Failures In The His. Tory Of Modern Warfare, Was Undertaken, Like That Of Sir John Moore To Spain, With The View Of Helping The Continental Allies Of Britain, By Creating Such A Diversion As Would Prevent The Concentration Of Napoleon's Strength, In ...
Walpole
Walpole, Sir .robert, Third Son Of Robert Walpole, M. P., By Mary, Daughter Of Sir Jeffrey Burwell, Was Bola Aug. 26. 1676, At Houghton, In Norfolk. He Received His Education At Eton And At King's College, Cambridge. On July 30, 1700, He Married Catharine, Daughter Of Sir John Shorter, Lord ...
Walsinghak
Walsinghak, Sir Francis; English. Statesman, Of An Ancient Kentish Family, Third And Youngest Son Of William Walsingham Of Seadbury, Was Born At Chiselhurst, Kent, In 1536. He Studied At King's College, Cambridge, And Afterward Traveled On The Continent, Where Be Remained Until The Accession Of Queen Elizabeth. Burleigh, With His ...
Walther Von Der Vogelweide
Walther Von Der Vogelweide, The Greatest And Most Famous Minnesinger (q.v.) Of The Middle Ages, Was B. 1165-70 In Franconia Or In Austria. Although His Family Was Noble, He Had No Possessions, And Became A Minstrel As Much, Perhaps, From Necessity As From Impulse. His Master And Early Model Was ...
War 05 The Wartburg
Wartburg, War 05' The, The Name Given Both To A Grave Poetic Contest, Which Is Represented To Have Taken Place On The Wartburg, And Also To A Poem In The Middle High-german Dialect, Which Commemorates The Event. At The Time When The Aforesaid Dialect Had Attained Its Highest Literary Development, ...
Warbler
Warbler, A Popular Name Often Applied To All The Birds Of The Family Sylviada3 (q.v.), Many Of Which, However, Commonly Receive Other Popular Names, As The Black Cap, Nightingale, Hedge-sparrow, Redbreast, Redstart, Stone-chat, Wheat-ear, White-throat, Etc. (q.v.), While Many Receive The Name Warbler With Some Adjunct. Several British Species, Commonly ...
Warder00
Warder00', A Name Which Has Been Given To Several Species Of Monkey. The Spe• Ties Commonly Described Under The Name Is Macaws Silenus Or Silenus Refer, A Native Of The Coast Of Malabar, A Monkey Of Rather Large Size, Deep Black Throughout, Except A Ruff Of Long Gray Or White ...
Warehousing System
Warehousing System Is A Plan For Lessening The Pressure Of Excise Or Customs Duties By Postponing Payment Of Them Until The Goods They Are Laid On Pass To The Con Sumer, Or, At All Events, To The Retail Dealer. A Merchant Who Might Import A Thousand Pounds' Worth Of Wine ...
Warming And Ventilation
Warming And Ventilation (ante). In Its Aspect As To Health, It May Be Assumed That No System Of Heating Is Advisable Which Does Not Provide For A Constant Renewal Of The Air In The Locality Warmed. All Heating Apparatus Depends Upon The Transference Of Heat From The Fire To 1,1ie ...
Warming And Ventilation
Warming And Ventilation. Waumrxo.—a Certain Temperature, Constant Within Narrow Limits, Is Essential For The Life Of Warm-blooded Animals, And The Heat By Which This Temperature Is Maintained Is Produced By The Vital Actions Of The Body Itself. See Ani3ial Heat, Temperature Of The Body. , In The Msc Of Man, ...
Warping
Warping, A Mode Of Improving Land, Practiced Where Rivers Bring Down Large Quan Tities Of Mud, Or Where Mud Is Brought Up From Estuaries By The Tide. It Is Practiced In Some Of The Valleys Of The Alps; And The Rich Soil Brought Down Frpm The Mountains Is Thus Arrested, ...
Warrant Of Apprehension
Warrant Of Apprehension Is An Authority Given By A Justice Of The Peace To Apprehend A Person Who Is Charged With A Misdemeanor, Felony, Or Treason. It Is In The Form Of A Command In Her Majesty's Name, Issued By The Justice To A Constable, And To All Other Peace-officers ...
Warranty
Warranty, In English Law, Is A Promise Or Covenant To Warrant Or Secure, Against All Men, A Certain Person The Enjoying Of The Thing Granted Or Sold To Him. As Applied To Ordinary Sales Of Things Personal, It Is Used To Secure The Truth Of Certain Representa Tions Which The ...
Warsaw
Warsaw, Formerly The Capital Of Poland (q.v.), Now Capital Of The Russian, Or Rather Russianized, Government Of Warsaw, Stands On The Left Bank Of The Vistula, About 300 M. E. Of Berlin By Railway, Lat. Of Observatory, 52° 13' N., Long. 21° 2' Cast. It Stands Partly On A Plain, ...
Warthog
Warthog, Platcocharus, A Genus Of Suidce, Closely Resembling The True Hogs In Most Of Their Characters, And Particularly In Their Feet, But Remarkably Differing From Them In Their Dentition; The Molar Teeth Being Much Like Those Of The Elephant, And Replacing One Another Iu The Same Manner. There Are Two ...
Warts
Warts (sometimes Known In Surgery By Their Latin Name Verruca) Are Collections Of Lengthened Papillae Of The Skin (q.v.), Closely Adherent And Ensheathed By A Thick Cov Ering Of Hard Dry Cuticle. From Friction And Exposure To The Air, Their Surface Presents A Horny Texture, And Is Rounded Off Into ...
Washing And Washing
Washing And Washing Iliachines. Although Domestic Washing Is A Simple Enough Process, Yet It May Be Useful To Give A Brief Description Of The Most Efficient Way Of Conducting It, In So Far As Experience And Correct Principles Can Guide Such An Opera Tion. The First Essential Is Suitable Water, ...
Washing Of Feet
Washing Of Feet (called In Latin Pedilatium, And Sometimes Manclatum, From The First Word Of The " Little Chapter" In The Service), One Of The Ceremonial Observances Of The Holy Week (q.v.) In The Roman Catholic Church. It Forms Part Of The Service Of Holy Thursday, Which Day, From The ...
Washington
Washington, Geoitou, Commander In-chief Of The Continental Forces In The War Of The American Revolution, And First President Of The United States, Was B. In West Moreland Co., Va., Feb. 22,1132; Son Of Augustine Washington And His Second Wife, Mary Ball; A Washington, Who Emigrated To'virginia From England About 1657, ...
Washington Territory
Washington Territory, A Territory Of The United States, In Lat. 45° 30' To 49° N.; Long. 117° To 125° W.; Bounded A. By British Columbia, E. By The Territory Of Idaho, S. By The Columbia River, Which Separates It From Oregon, W. By The Pacific Ocean. Estimated Area, 69,994 Sq. ...
Washington Territory
Washington Territory (ante) Is Divided By The Cascade Mountains And The Columbia River Into Western Washington, Lying W. Of The Cascade Mountains And Extending To The Pacific; Central Washington, Between The Cascade Mountains And The Columbia River; And Eastern Washington, E. Of The Columbia. Western Washington, Comprising Two-fifths Of The ...
Washington University
Washington University, Founded In St. Louis, Under An Act Of Incorpora Tion By The State Of Missouri Iu 1853, Comprises Several Departments, And Is Intended To Embrace The Whole Range Of University Studies, Except Theology, And To Afford Opportu Nity Of Complete Preparation For Every Sphere Of Practical And' Scientific ...
Wasp
Wasp, Veapa, A Linnman Genus Of Insects, Now Forming The Family Yeepidee, A Very Numerous And Widely Distributed Family, Of The Order Hymenoptera And Section Aculeata. They Are Distinguished From All The Other Hymenoptera By Their Wings, When At Rest, Being Folded Throughout Their Entire Length. The Wings Of All ...
Waste
Waste, In English Law, Has Several Meanings. (1) It Means A Common Be Long"ng To A Manor, And By Analogy Is Often Applied To Pieces Of Land Of No Great Valu Ly'ng At The Sides Of Highways Or The Sea-shore. The Presumption Is That A Strip )f Lf.nd Adjoining A ...
Waste Lands
Waste Lands, According To The General Use Of The Term, Are Uncultivated And Un Profitable Tracts Iu Populous And Cultivated Countries. The Term Waste Lands Is Not Em Ployed With Reference To Land Not Reduced To Cultivation In Countries Only Partially Set Tied. There Is A Large Extent Of Waste ...
Watch
Watch, A Small Portable Machine For Measuring Time, The Construction Of Which Is Essentially The Same As That Of A Clock (see Honolooy) Except That The Moving Power Is Obtained From The Elastic Force Of A Coiled Spring Instead Of From A Weight, And The Movement Regulated, So As To ...
Water Bed
Water-bed, Called Also The Hydrostatic Bed, Or Floating Mattress. It Is Well Known That The Life And Health Of Every Part Of The Animal Body Depend On The Sufficient Circulation Through Them Of Refreshed Blood. See Circulation. Now, When A Person In Health Is Sitting Or Lying, The Parts Of ...
Water Color Painting
Water-color Painting, In Some Of Its Forms, Was Employed From The Most Ancient Times Until The Middle Ages, When Oil Was Sometimes Added To The Gum, With Which The Colors Were Prepared. About 1410 The Brothers Van Eyck, At Ghent, Made Improvements In The Use Of Oil-colors, Which Entitle Them ...
Water Gas
Water-gas, A Term First Applied To Hydrogen On Account Of Its Being The Gas Which Was Liberated When Steam Was Brought Into Contact With Red-hot Iron; The Oxygen Of The Steam Uniting With The Iron, Forming Oxide Of Iron, While The Hydrogen Was Evolved. Subsequently It Was Discovered That, When ...
Water Power
Water-power. The Value Of Water-power Depends Much On The Nature Of The Source Of Supply, Whether Steady Or Otherwise. Where Streams Supplying Water-power Are Liable To Fall Off Much In Dry Weather, Large Impounding Reservoirs Are Necessary To Keep The Mills From Being Stopped During Summer. These, However, Being Generally ...
Water Supply
Water-supply. Water Is One Of The Primary Wants Of Human Life, No Less Essential Than Air And Food; Hence The Strong And Religious Interest That Has Always Been Attached To The Means Of Its Supply. In The Earliest Records Of Civilization, We Read Of The Digging Of Wells, And Of ...
Waterfall
Waterfall Is A Break In The Continuity Of Slope Of The Channel Of A River Or Stream, So Abrupt That The Body Of Water Falls From The Higher To The Lower Level. Waterfalls Occur Most Frequently In Mountainous Countries, Where The Streams From The Mountain Sides Enter The Valleys. It ...
Waterford
Waterford, A Maritime Co. Of The Province Of Munster, Ireland, Is Hounded On The N. By The Counties Of Tipperary And Kilkenny, On The E. By Wexford, On The S. By The Atlantic, And On The W. By The County Of Cork. Its Greatest Length From E. To W. Is ...