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tures. The elevated region called the High peak, consisting of a succession of bleak hills, some of which rise 2,000 feet above sea level, interspersed with narrow valleys, is famous for its romantic scenery. Dairy husbandry is carried on in nearly all quarters of the county, and yields upward of 2,000 tons of cheese every year. Among the hills are reared small sheep, and a breed of light, slender horses. Among the minerals are coal, iron, lead, zinc, copper, gypsum, black and variegated marble, fluor spar, small crystals called Derbyshire diamonds, chalcedony, jasper, and a few onyxes. The coal field covers an area of about 190,000 acres, and belongs to the same great field which extends over part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and part of Nottinghamshire. The lead mines have from time immemorial been let on lease, and are the subjects of several very ancient and peculiar laws. Courts for the adjustment of disputes occurring and debts contracted in working these mines are established in each mining district, and are presided over by the lessee's steward, assisted by 24 jurymen. There is another officer, called the barmaster, whose duty it is to put miners into possession of veins which they may have discovered, and to collect the rent due the lessee of the crown or the lord of the manor. Derbyshire is traversed by the Grand Trunk, or Trent and Mersey, the Erewash, the Derby, the Cromford, the Nutbrook, the Chesterfield, the Peak forest, and the Ashby de la Zouch canals, and by the Cromford and High Peak, the North Midland, the Midland Counties, the Birmingham and Derby grand junction, and several branch railways, beside a number of private railways for the transportation of produce of the mines. The manufactures are important, and comprise cotton, silk, calico, cambric, fustian, muslin, tape, candle wicks, machinery, agricultural implements, leather, hats, paper, and porcelain. In the mountain district there are numerous tepid mineral springs.

DERBYSHIRE SPAR, a variety of fluor spar found in Derbyshire, England, which is distinguished by its fine shades of purple, blue, red, and yellow. These, together with the soundness of the stone, render it well adapted for ornamental purposes. The manufacture of cups, tables, vases, inkstands, and other objects, is extensively carried on in several towns in the county, as at Derby, Buxton, Castleton, Bakewell, &c. The stone takes a high polish for one so soft; but the property which renders it easy to be worked, makes it liable to be soon defaced by scratches. It is found near Castleton in fissures in the limestone rocks.

DERFFLINGER, GEORG VON (Originally DÖRFLING), a general of the great elector of Brandenburg, born in Bohemia in March, 1606, died Feb. 4, 1695. A tailor's apprentice, he took service as a soldier, and fought at the battle of Prague, after which he entered the Swedish army as an officer under Gustavus Adolphus. He served under Bauer and Torstensen, contributed to the Swedish victory at Leipsic

in 1642, and was raised to the rank of majorgeneral. Afterward he entered the service of Brandenburg, and distinguished himself against the Poles, Swedes, and French. In 1670 he became field marshal, and in 1674 baron of the German empire; routed the Swedes near Rathenau, June 15, 1675, and at Fehrbellin 3 days afterward, and secured the greater portion of Pomerania for the elector. In the winter campaign of 1678-'9 he caused 9,000 soldiers and 30 guns to cross the ice on sleds as far as Tilsit, and routed the Swedes under Horn near the latter city.

DERG, LOUGH, a lake in the co. of Donegal, Ireland, about 7 m. S. E. of Donegal, 3 m. long, and 24 m. wide at the broadest part. It is enclosed on all sides except the S. by steep, barren mountains, which give a wild and desolate character to the surrounding scenery. Its shores are rough and precipitous. It lies 467 feet above the level of the sea, and is 75 feet deep. A multitude of little islands dot its surface, one of which, called Station island, about an acre in extent, contains a cave known as St. Patrick's Purgatory, to which between 10,000 and 15,000 Roman Catholic pilgrims from all parts of Ireland resort annually between Aug. 1 and 15. They remain on the island, which contains 2 chapels, a house for the priests, and a few cabins, from 3 to 9 days, their only food during that time being bread and water.

DERHAM, WILLIAM, an English divine and natural philosopher, born at Stoughton, near Worcester, in Nov. 1657, died at Upminster, near London, April 5, 1735. The most important of his published works are: "The Artificial Clockmaker" (4th edition, 1734); "PhysicoTheology" (16` discourses preached at Boyle's lecture, 1711), and "Astro-Theology" (1714), designed to prove the existence and attributes of God from an examination respectively of the works of creation and of the heavenly bodies; and "Christo-Theology" (1730), a sermon to prove the divine origin of Christianity.

DERIVATION, in modern algebra, is the mode of developing one function from another, according to some fixed law. By a function is here meant any algebraical expression of a quantity dependent for its value upon other quantities. The most usual, and perhaps the most important derivative functions, are DIFFERENTIALS and INTEGRALS, which see.

DERMODY, THOMAS, an Irish poet, born at Ennis in 1775, died at Sydenham, near London, in 1802. His father was a schoolmaster, and is said to have employed him while only in his 9th year as his assistant in teaching Latin and Greek. Thomas, however, soon after ran away from home, enlisted in the army, and served in the expedition to Holland under the earl of Moira, who promoted him to a second lieutenantcy; but by his intemperate habits he lost the favor of his patron, and afterward lived some time in London, and died in extreme poverty. A small volume of poems written by him in his 13th year appeared in 1792. In 1793 he pub

lished a pamphlet on the French revolution, to which was appended a poem entitled "The Reform."

DERVISE, a Persian word meaning poor or indigent, used in Mohammedan countries substantially like the Arabic fakir, to designate a class of religious people who in some respects resemble the monks of Christianity. Their rule commands an austere piety, religious contemplation, poverty, chastity, modesty, patience, humility, and charity. They live in convents under the direction of a sheikh, but are allowed to marry, on the condition, however, of passing two nights of the week among their associates. They live by the labor of their hands, mendicity being forbidden, except in the order of the Bektashis, but their convents have generally been supplied by the donations of the sultans. Beside the fast of the Ramadan, they observe one weekly fast from morning to sunset. They hold religious meetings on Tuesdays and Fridays, in which they perform, to the sound of a flute, sacred dances, whirling around with extreme velocity, and stopping at once when the music ceases. Some lead a vagrant life, and traverse all the countries of the East from the Mediterranean to the Ganges, being lodged and fed in the convents of their order. They wear coarse robes, and walk bare-legged with the breast uncovered. The use of intoxicating liquors, as well as of opium, is stated to be common among them. In general they are said to enjoy little esteem among the people, who despise them as idlers. Some of them also act as jugglers, sorcerers, and charmers. The order of the Rufaïs, founded in the 12th century by Sheikh Ahmed Rufai, is distinguished by fanatical excesses of self-mortification. At their assemblies some are seen holding a piece of redhot iron between their teeth, others making incisions in their flesh. The Calenders are remarkable for their strange dress, sometimes consisting of a sheep's or tiger's skin; they wear feathers in their ears, and frequently go about half naked. The principal order is that of the Maulavis, whose chief convent is at Konieh, in Asia Minor. The origin of the dervises can be traced back to the first centuries of the Hegira. The foundation of some of the orders is attributed to Abubekr, Ali, and others; and passages of the Koran, which extol the merits of poverty and an independent, contemplative life, are quoted in support of the institution, which tradition also represents as having existed in the times of Elijah, of Jacob, and even of Seth. DERWENT, the name of several rivers of England. I. A river of Cumberland, 32 m. long, rising in the district of Borrowdale, and flowing N. and then S. W. into the Irish sea, which it enters near Workington. It forms the lake of Derwentwater near Keswick, where it is joined by the Greta; expands into Bassenthwaite-water at the town of that name, and receives the river Cocker at Cockermouth. Its banks abound in rich and varied scenery. II. A river of Derbyshire, rising in a place called

"the trough," in the mountains which extend along the N. boundary of the county, and uniting with the Trent near the borders of Leicestershire, after a course of about 50 m. Its general course is S. E. It passes Chatsworth house and the towns of Matlock, Belper, and Derby. Its scenery, particularly in the upper part, is beautifully diversified. The Wye is its largest tributary. III. A river of Yorkshire, East Riding, rising near Harwood dale, flowing nearly S. with many windings, and falling into the Ouse at Barmby, after a course of about 60 m. It is navigable to Malton, 27 m. above its mouth.

DERWENT, a river rising near the centre of Van Diemen's Land, flowing S. E. into the district of Norfolk, and entering the S. Pacific ocean through an estuary which separates the districts of Hobart Town and Richmond. The estuary is about 4 m. broad at its entrance, and retains this width for a distance of 6 or 8 m. inland. On an island at its mouth is a lighthouse 70 feet above the sea.

DERWENTWATER, JAMES RADCLIFFE, earl of, a leader in the English rebellion of 1715, born in 1689, beheaded Feb. 24, 1716. He belonged to an ancient Catholic family in Northumberland. Sir Francis Radcliffe was created earl of Derwentwater by James II. in 1688, and his son Francis married a natural daughter of Charles II. His grandson James was brought up at St. Germain, and succeeded to the earldom in 1705. Personal attachment to the members of the Stuart family, as well as political principle, disposed the earl of Derwentwater to attempt the restoration of that house to the throne of England, and he entered into arrangements for that purpose with many other gentlemen and noblemen of the north and west of England. The plot was betrayed to the government of George I., who immediately suspended the habeas corpus act and issued warrants against the suspected. The standard of rebellion having been raised in Scotland, Lord Derwentwater, at the instigation of his countess, as it is said, commenced the movement in England, Oct. 6, 1715. The death of Louis XIV. disappointed the hopes of foreign aid, and at the first rendezvous there were but 60 persons present. Mr. Forster, member of parliament for Cumberland, was chosen leader, a selection in which his Protestantism was alone considered. They soon marched south, and approached Newcastle, which they failed in surprising. Volunteers came in slowly, and they were even compelled to decline the services of some for want of arms. Being joined by a party from Scotland, who were somewhat better, though imperfectly, equipped, they retreated toward the border, where they were joined by another body, under Mackintosh. The combined army now amounted to about 2,000 men. Two plans were proposed: one to take the southern Scottish towns and to operate against the duke of Argyle; the other to march south_and encounter Gen. Carpenter, who was at the head of an inferior body of hastily levied troops. But the Englishmen would not go into Scotland, nor

the highlanders into England. Marching along the border, the dissension soon came to an open rupture. Lord Derwentwater endeavored to compromise matters, and advised the advance into Scotland; and finally they marched against Dumfries, whose inhabitants threw up intrenchments to oppose them. Without fighting, it was decided to march into England. At this a large number of the men retired at once, while the earl of Wintoun, Lord Derwentwater, and others accompanied the advance rather than give up the cause. At Penrith they were encountered by the posse comitatus of Cumberland, headed by the resident nobles and gentry. But this body fled on getting sight of the rebels, who continued their march, seizing the public funds where they could. They were joined by a small party of Lancashire gentlemen, and being informed that Manchester had proclaimed King James, they advanced toward that town. They occupied Lancaster, and afterward Preston, which Stanhope's regiment of dragoons evacuated on their approach. Here they received an accession of about 1,200 gentlemen and peasants, mostly unarmed and undisciplined. But Wills was now advancing against them, and Carpenter was closing in on their rear. The insurgents were totally ignorant of their critical position, which was only revealed by a letter from a private friend to Lord Derwentwater. Its contents were at once communicated to Forster, who was completely paralyzed by it. Lord Derwentwater and others threw up some barricades, but neglected to defend the approaches to the town, where a good resistance might have been made. The first attack of Wills was beaten back with considerable loss, Lord Derwentwater and his brother Charles Radcliffe showing great courage. The arrival of Carpenter made affairs desperate. The Scots were determined to sell their lives dearly, and in this they were joined by Lord Derwentwater; but the English commander Forster and others of his countrymen, dismayed at their hopeless situation, sent a secret message to treat for a surrender. After some difficulty Wills was brought to promise to spare their lives if they would surrender at discretion, and the following day these hard terms were accepted, and the royal troops entered the place. Little mercy was shown by the government; many of the common men were sent to the plantations in America, and the more important prisoners were carried to London. Lord Derwentwater was impeached and brought to trial, Jan. 19, 1716. He pleaded guilty, and threw himself on the mercy of the crown, alleging his youth and inexperience as an excuse; he was condemned to death as a traitor. The greatest efforts were made to obtain his pardon. His wife had a personal interview with the king, but to no purpose. Endeavors were made in both houses of parliament to obtain a reprieve, which was granted for two of the prisoners, Lords Carnwath and Widdrington, but the 3 others were ordered for immediate execution. Lord Nithisdale, by the stratagem of his

devoted wife, succeeded in making his escape from the tower, but Lord Derwentwater was beheaded on Tower hill. He died with firmness, protesting his loyalty to James III., and asserting that "dishonorable terms had been proposed to him as the price of his life, which he had refused to accept." The estates of Derwentwater were confiscated, and afterward settled on the hospital for seamen at Greenwich. The body of the earl was conveyed by night through the country to his ancestral dwelling, and there buried. In 1805 the coffin was opened and the body found entire, and the head lying by it still showed the marks of the axe.The countess of Derwentwater died at the age of 30, of small pox, in Deershaven, Flanders.

DERZHAVİN, GABRIEL ROMANOVITCH, & Russian lyrical poet, born in Kasan, July 3, 1743, died July 6, 1816, gained distinction in the military and civil service, was made secretary of state in 1791 by Catharine II., with whom he ingratiated himself by his panegyrical odes, minister of justice in 1802, and retired in the following year on a full-pay pension. Many of his poems abound with beautiful moral sentiments and expressions, especially his ode to God, which was not only translated into several European languages, but also into Chinese and Japanese. It is said to have been hung up in the palace of the emperor of China, printed in gold letters on white satin; and, according to Golowin's account, it was placed in the same manner in the temple of Jeddo. His complete works appeared in St. Petersburg (5 vols., 1810-'15).

DESAIX DE VEYGOUX, LOUIS CHARLES ANTOINE, a French general, of a noble but poor family, born at the castle of Ayat in Auvergne, Aug. 17, 1768, killed at Marengo, June 14, 1800. He was gratuitously educated at the military school of Effiat, which he left at 15 to enter the regiment of Brittany under the name of the chevalier de Veygoux. His regular conduct and strict attention to duty commended him to his superiors, while his liberal opinions estranged him from the class to which he belonged, and from his family. In the beginning of the revolution he was attached to the staff of Marshal Luckner. After Aug. 10, 1792, having signed a protest against the decree by which the legislative assembly suspended the authority of the king, he was cashiered, and afterward imprisoned, but Carnot reinstated him. He served on the Rhine under Pichegru and Moreau, with such ability that he was promoted to the rank of general of division. În 1796 he seconded Moreau in his campaign through Bavaria, and in the famous retreat which won for that general the reputation of a great strategist. On the return of the army to the Rhine, Desaix defended the fort of Kehl; and notwithstanding the dilapidated condition of the place, he held it for 2 months against the repeated efforts of the archduke Charles, and finally concluded a highly honorable capitulation. The next year he again led the army across the Rhine, an op

eration in which he showed consummate skill. In the expedition to Egypt he received the command of a division, and after the storming of Alexandria, marched to Cairo with the vanguard. He took part in the battle of the pyramids, and being ordered to pursue Murad Bey, defeated him in several encounters, and driving him into Nubia, conquered the whole of upper Egypt. Here he established a regular government, and inspired the Egyptians with such esteem that they called him the "just sultan." When Bonaparte embarked from Egypt, he placed Kleber in command of the French troops, and ordered Desaix to follow him. The latter sailed on board a Ragusan bark, but on nearing his destination was intercepted by an English frigate, and was detained a prisoner for 30 days. Being at last released, he arrived, May 3, 1800, at Toulon, and hastened to join Bonaparte in Italy, where he arrived June 11, and was put in command of a division, with orders to prevent the army which had just taken Genoa from joining that under Melas at Alessandria. He was consequently at some distance from the main army on the morning of June 14, but on hearing the artillery, he hastily returned, and arrived in time to change the nearly lost battle of Marengo to a complete victory. But he did not witness the result of his movement; he was shot through the heart as he was entering the action. Bonaparte wept for him, had a medal struck in his honor, and decreed that a statue should be erected to his memory in the place des victoires at Paris, and that his grave should be placed on the summit of the Alps, under the care of the monks of St. Bernard.

DÉSAUGIERS, MARC ANTOINE MADELEINE, a French song-writer and dramatist, born at Fréjus, Nov. 17, 1772, died in Paris, Aug. 9, 1827. At the age of 17 he produced a successful oneact comedy. He was in St. Domingo, whither he had accompanied his sister, who was married to a planter, when the insurrection of the blacks broke out, from which he barely escaped with his life to the United States, where he earned a living by teaching pianoforte playing. He returned to France in 1797, and wrote songs and light comedies. Some of his plays, such as Les petites Danaides, La chatte merveilleuse, and M. Vautour, had an unprecedented run; while his songs were more popular than those of any other writer except Béranger.

DESAULT, PIERRE JOSEPH, a French surgeon, born of humble parentage at Magny-Vernais, a village of Franche Comté, in 1744, died in Paris, June 1, 1795. He commenced his education for the church in a Jesuit school, but exhibiting a strong inclination toward the study of surgery, was permitted to acquire the rudiments of the art from the barber-surgeon of his native village, after which he was sent to the military hospital at Befort, where he remained 3 years, giving special attention to gunshot and sword wounds. While here he translated Borelli's treatise De Motu Animalium. In 1764 he went to Paris. and there availed

himself of the facilities for dissection with such success that he was soon competent to open a course of demonstrations in anatomy. In 1776 he became a member of the college of surgery. Thereafter his progress was rapid, having successively become chief surgeon to the hospital of the college, consulting surgeon to St. Sulpice, in 1782 surgeon-major to La Charité, and finally chief surgeon to the Hôtel Dieu, with the reputation of being the most skilful operator in France. In connection with the Hôtel Dieu he instituted a clinical class which attracted many students. The chief cases that came before the class were reported in a serial, entitled Journal de chirurgie, edited by the pupils. In the revolution he was arrested while lecturing, May 28, 1793, and carried to the Luxembourg, from which, however, he was liberated at the end of 3 days, more from need of his professional skill than from any leniency in his accusers. Having been employed to attend the dauphin, during the imprisonment of that unfortunate youth in the temple, he bestowed on him unremitting care. Suddenly he himself was seized with illness, which almost immediately terminated in delirium and death. The rumor of the time asserted that he was poisoned, because he refused to lend himself to the murder of his patient. This supposition was favored by the coincidence that Dr. Chopart, who succeeded Desault in his attendance, died with equal suddenness, and that soon afterward the young prince was reported dead. An autopsy in the case of Desault showing no trace of poison, his death was set down to ataxic fever. The republic pensioned his widow. Desault in manner was abrupt, even to rudeness, but under this rough husk lay many kindly qualities. His pupils gave him the name of le bourrou bienfaisant. He introduced numerous improvements into his art, both in instruments and their use, especially in the treatment of fractures and ligature of arteries. In conjunction with his friend Chopart, he wrote the Traité des maladies chirurgicales (2 vols. 8vo., 1780), which has been translated into English by Trumbull.

DES BARRES, JOSEPH FREDERIC WALLET, an English soldier and hydrographer, born in 1722, died in Halifax, N. S., Oct. 24, 1824, while on his way to England. He was descended from the Protestant branch of a noble French family, which emigrated after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. He received his education under the Bernouillis, entered the royal military college at Woolwich, and was offered the choice of a commission either in the royal artillery or corps of engineers. Preferring immediate active service, he embarked in March, 1756, as lieutenant in the 60th regiment of foot, for America; where, having raised above 300 recruits in Pennsylvania and Maryland, he was ordered to form and discipline them as a corps of field artillery, which he commanded until the arrival of one of the battalions of the royal train from England. In 1757 he commanded a detachment of volunteers

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against the Indians, who had committed depredations in the neighborhood of Schenectady and other frontier towns; surprised the chiefs, whom he made prisoners, and soon after gained their confidence so completely, that they not only were restrained from further acts of hostility, but became useful to the army, in which a corps of them continued to be employed to the end of the war. In 1758 he was engaged in the expedition against Louisburg, where he had the good fortune to effect a landing in a violent surf, and to take from the enemy an intrenchment by which the debarkation of the army was greatly facilitated. At this siege he was on a critical occasion ordered to the duty of an engineer, and after the capitulation he employed himself in drawing a chart on a large scale, from papers and plans obtained there, which was found very useful in the next spring, as the navigation of the river St. Lawrence was then known only to a few Canadian pilots. At the siege of Quebec he served under Wolfe as an aide-de-camp, and was making his report when that hero received his mortal wound, and fell dying in his arms. By the expenditure of lives in the campaign of 1759 and the ensuing winter, and in the unsuccessful.battle fought by Gen. Murray, April 28, 1760, the army in Canada was reduced to less than 2,000 men fit for duty. The fortifications of Quebec being in a dismantled state, the preservation of what had been acquired, as well as the expectation of future conquests, seemed to rest on the operations for its actual defence. The conducting of these operations fell to Des Barres as directing engineer, and here, and subsequently in the reduction of Fort Jacques Cartier and other strong places, which completed the conquest of Canada, his endeavors proved successful. He was after ward ordered to Nova Scotia to assist Gen. Bas tide in tracing designs and making estimates of the expense for fortifying the harbor of Halifax, and securing its dock yard. In 1762 he served as directing engineer and quartermaster-general in the expedition for retaking Newfoundland, and was honored with public thanks, as having essentially contributed to the recovery of that island. After making surveys of some of its principal harbors, he was ordered to repair to New York, to proceed on reconnoitring excursions and report observations on the expediency of establishing a chain of military posts throughout the British colonies. In 1763 Lord Colville received instructions to employ him on the survey of the coast of Nova Scotia, which was projected by Admiral Spry, who proposed the undertaking to senior officers prior to recommending Des Barres to the admiralty for that duty. In this work he was engaged until 1773, and on his return to England, 1774, the king express ed his commendation of the manner in which this duty had been performed. Previous to this, many of the fine harbors of Nova Scotia were known only to fishermen, and the isle of Sable was a terror to all navigators. The want of correct charts of the coast of North America

for the use of the fleet engaged in carrying on the American revolutionary war, began at this time to be felt; and on Earl Howe representing the immediate necessity of their being prepared, Des Barres was selected to adapt the surveys of Holland, De Brahm, and others to nautical purposes. These he published in 1777 under the title of the "Atlantic Neptune," in 2 large folio volumes. In 1784 the government of the island of Cape Breton was conferred on him, with the military command of that and of Prince Edward's island; and soon after he commenced building the town of Sydney, and opened and worked the valuable coal fields at the entrance of the river. From his official position he was engaged in aiding and removing the royalists from the United States after the war of the revolution. In 1804 he was appointed lieutenant-governor and commander-in-chief of Prince Edward's island, in the gulf of St. Lawrence, being then in his 82d year. In person he was short, and at the age of 95 lithe and active; about which time he talked of making the tour of the United Kingdom, to which he allotted 2 years; this performed, he was to commence that of Europe, which he calculated would take 3 years more; after which it was his intention to return to his native place, and there spend the remainder of his days. He was Capt. Cook's teacher in navigation.

DESCANT, in music, an old term, now understood to be synonymous with counterpoint. It signifies strictly an unpremeditated enlargement upon a given subject, which, sung by another voice or by voices, formed the accompaniment of the descant. Musicians distinguished between plain, figurative, and double descant.

DESCARTES, RENÉ (Lat. RENATUS CARTESIUs), a French philosopher, born in La Haye, between Tours and Poitiers, in Touraine, March 31, 1596, died in Stockholm, Feb. 11, 1650. He was the youngest son of a councillor of the parliament of Rennes, of an ancient and noble family, and early in life, when as yet a mere boy, evinced such a disposition to inquire into the nature and causes of things, that he passed under the sobriquet of the young philosopher. His education was conducted in the Jesuit college of La Flèche, where, in spite of the extreme delicacy of his physical constitution, he made rapid progress in the Greek and Latin classics, and the other ordinary studies of such an institution. He contracted also while there a friendship with Mersenne, which lasted until the end of his life; and though Mersenne became a monk, it was chiefly through him that Descartes communicated from the profound scholastic retirement which he sedulously sought with the outside learned world. After leaving college, in his 16th year, he occupied himself in acquiring the manly accomplishments of riding and fencing, with a view to the military life, to which he was destined by the wishes of his family and the spirit of the times. But his health did not allow him to enter the service immediately, and he was sent to Paris with a tutor, in order to pass two years in the further prose

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