CAPO D'ISTRIAS, ki-pd-des'-tre-as, or CAPO D'ISTRIA, Ioannes Antonios, COUNT, Greek statesman: b. Corfu, 11 Feb. 1776; d. Nauplia, 9 Oct. 1831. His family had been settled in Corfu since 1373, but originally came from the Illyrian town of Capo d'Istria. He devoted himself to political life, and in 1809, after holding a high place in the Ionian Islands, entered the diplomatic service of Russia. Here his policy tended to the separation of Greece from Turkey. In 1828 he entered on a seven years' presidency of Greece; but whether from his attachment to Russian interests, or from the jealousy and impatience of restraint of the chiefs, he speedily became extremely unpopular. Several of these unruly chiefs belonging to the islands and to the province of Maina at last, in the spring of 1831, rose in open rebellion against him, demanding a convocation of the National Assembly, the establishment of the liberty of the press, and the release of certain state prisoners, especially of Petros Mauromichalis, one of their own number whom D'Istrias had arrested and imprisoned. The President obtained the aid of Russia, but before the insurrection could be quelled he was assassinated in a church at Naup lia, by Constantine and George Mauromichalis, the brother and nephew of Petros Mauromicha lis. Consult Phillips, The War of Greek In dependence' (1897).
CAPONIkRE, or CAPON NIERE, in fortification, a place covered against the fire of the enemy on the sides, sometimes also above, and serving for the connection of two works or for maintaining an important point. In particular : (1) A passage secured by two parapets, in the form of glacis, which leads through the dry ditch from one work to another; for instance, from the chief wall to the ravelin. If danger is to be apprehended only from one side, and consequently only one parapet is made, it is called a demi-caponiere; if it is covered above with hurdles or with wood, it is called a coffer: but this word is often used indifferently for caponiere. (2)
Small block-houses so located as to fire along a dead angle. Coehorn laid out similar but less useful works below the glacis, and Scharn horst proposed them, under the name of field caponieres, for the salient angles of field for tification. Caponieres are also known as tam bours in many recent works on field fortifica tions. See FORTIFICATION ; TAMBOUR.
CAPOTE, Domingo Mendez, Cuban statesman: b. Cardenas 1863. He was graduated at the University of Havana and became one of the best-known lawyers in Cuba. Subsequently he was a professor in the versity of Havana for many years. In Decem ber 1895 he joined the insurgents under Gen. Maximo Gomez; became a brigadier-general, and was appointed civil governor of Matanzas and of Las Villas. In November 1897 he was elected Vice-President of the Cuban republic. When the Cuban Constitutional Convention appointed a commission of five members to con fer with President McKinley and Secretary Root concerning the future relations of the United States and Cuba, he became its leader. The conference was held in Washington, D. C., in April 1901.
CAPOUL, Joseph Amedee Victor, French tenor singer: b. Toulouse, 27 Feb. 1839. He was educated at Paris, and sang there in the Opera Comique, 1861-72, where he was very especially in his role as Gaston de Meillagre in Auber's 'Premier jour de bonheur.' He has also sung in New York, London, Vienna, Saint Petersburg and other cities, being everywhere very successful. In 1892 he accepted the position of professor of operatic singing at the National Conservatory in New York. In 1898 he took up his resi dence in Paris, being in great demand as a singing teacher. In 1900 he became stage director at the Grand Opera.