DE LA ItAME', Louisa (Ouida, pseud.) b. 1840, in Bury St. Edmunds. England, of French descent on the father's side. When a child she was taken to London, and at a precocious age began to write for periodicals. While yet under age, she commenced her first novel in Colburn's New Monthly Magazine. The work is now known as held in Bondage. Novel after novel followed in rapid succession, until she was known far and wide as one of the most prolific authors in the world. The signature " Ouida" is her own pronunciation when a child of her name, Louisa. She resides near Florence, Italy. Her writings, though widely popular, and showing much facility and some skill, are, as a whole, not held in high estimate by thoughtful critics.
DE LA RIVE,-AucusTE, 1801-73; a Swiss physicist who devoted much attention to researches in electribity. At the age of 22; he was appointed to the chair of natural philosophy in the Geneva academy. One of his specialties was an endeavor to deter
mine the heat of the earth's crust, for which purpose he took advantage of au artesian well of 700 ft. deep, and his observations were adopted by Poisson as the basis of his calculations. The name of De La Rive is associated with original discoveries in con nection with magnetism, electric dynamics, the connection of magnetism with electric ity, the properties of the voltaic arc, and the passage of electricity through extremely rarefied media. He published a complete treatise on electricity, which is accepted as a standard work. In 1804, he received the highest honor open to the scientific men of Europe in his nomination as one of the eight foreign associates of the French academy.