LUCE, STEPHEN BLEECKER, an American naval officer; born in Albany, N. Y., March 25, 1827; served on the Pacific Coast in the Mexican War; was promoted commander in 1866; captain in 1872; commodore in 1881; and rear admiral in 1885; was retired the same year. He was naval editor of the "Stand ard Dictionary" and author of "Naval Songs" (1889) ; "Seamanship" (used as a text book at the United States Naval Academy, 1898) ; "Patriotic and Naval Songster"; etc. He died in 1917.
LUCENA (16-tha'na.), a town of Spain, 36 miles S. by E. of Cordova ; famous for its wine and breed of horses. Pop. about 21,000.
LUCERA (18-cha'ra) (the ancient Luceria, of the Samnite War), a town of southern Italy, 12 miles N. W. of Foggia; has a cathedral dating from 1302, and a famous ruined castle of Frederick II. Pop. about 17,000.
LUCERNE (15-sarni) the capital of a Swiss canton, 59 miles S. E. of Basel, 147 S. S. E. of Strassburg, and 177 N. N. W. of Milan; very beautifully situ ated at the point where the Reuss issues from the N. W. extremity of the Lake of Lucerne, and partly surrounded (on the N.) with mediaeval towers. Near the lake, rising from the middle of the Reuss, is an old tower, which is said to have been a lighthouse (lucerna) in Roman times, whence the name of the town. Outside one of the gates is the
Lion of Lucerne, hewn (1821) out of the solid rock after a model by Thorwaldsen. a monument to the Swiss guard who perished at the Tuileries in 1792. Near by is the Glacier Garden, with rocks illustrating the action of ice. Pop. com mune, about 45,000. The canton is bound ed by Aargau on the N., Zug and Schwyz on the E., Unterwalden on the S. E., and Bern on the S. and W.; area, 579 square miles; pop. about 170,000; is fruitful in the valleys; in the more mountainous parts the rearing of cattle is carried on to a great extent, large quantities of cheese being made. The highest elevation is 6,998 feet, a peak of Mount Pilatus. The inhabitants are mostly of German race and language, and belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The canton threw off the yoke of Austria in 1332, and, joining Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden, formed the nucleus of the future Swiss Confederation. See SWITZ ERLAND.