Spaniards in 1861

Population (1889), 24,000. Veragua (vā-rä'gwä), or Veraguas (vā-rä'gwäs). [From the name of a river, or perhaps of an Indian town.] A region in the western part of the Isthmus of Panama, near the Gulf of Chi riqui. It was named by Columbus, who discovered it in 1502 and attempted to found a settlement there, but was driven off by the Indians. It was included in Castilla del Oro, granted to Diego de Nicuesa in 1509, and he endured great sufferings while attempting to colonize it. Maria de Toledo, acting for her son, Luis Columbus, sent an expedition to conquer Veragua in 1535, but the country was abandoned after nearly all the colonists had died. It was partly settled during the colonial period, and for a time formed a province of New Granada. It is now included in the department of Panama. tures of. A novel by Edward Bradley (under the pseudonym of Cuthbert Bede), published in 1853. Verden (ver'den). A town in the province of Hannover, Pru ia, situated on the Aller 21 miles southeast of Bremen. It has a cathedral, and was formerly the seat of a bishopric. It became a Swedish duchy in 1648, and pa ed to Hannover in 1719. Population (1890), Verdi (ver'dē), Giuseppe. Born at Roncole (near Bu eto), duchy of Parma, Italy, Oct. 10, 1813. A celebrated Italian operatic composer. 8,719. He received his musical education at Bu eto and Milan; was appointed organist at Roncole when only 10 years old; settled in Milan in 1838; and has lived in later life in Genoa and at his villa Sta. Agata (near Bu eto). He was a member of the Italian Parliament for a short time in 1860, and was chosen senator in 1875, but never attended a sitting. His chief operas are "Nabucodonosor" (1842), "I Lombardi" (1843), "Ernani" (1844), "I due Foscari (1844), "Attila" (1846), "Macbeth" (1847: revised 1865), "Luisa Miller" (1849), "Rigoletto" (1851), "Il Trovatore (1853), "La Traviata" (1853), “Les Vêpres Siciliennes" (1855), "Simon Boccanegra" (1857: revised 1881), "Un ballo in maschera" (1859), "La forza del destino" (1862), "Don Carlos "(1867), "Aida" (1871), "Otello" (1887), "Falstaff "(1893). His other works include "Requiem Ma " (1874) and other sacred compositions, etc. Verdigris (ver'di-grēs) River. A river in Kansas and the Indian Territory which joins the Arkansas 25 miles west of Tahlequah. Length, over 250 miles. Verdon (ver-dôn'). A river in southeastern France which forms in large part the boundary between Ba es-Alpes and Var. It joins the Durance 21 miles northeast of Aix. Length, about 100 miles. Verdun (ver-dun'). A fortified town in the department of Meuse, France, situated on the Meuse in lat. 49° 9' N.: the ancient Verodunum in Gaul. It manufactures confectionery, liquors, etc.; has a cathedral of the 12th century; and is strongly fortified. In the 10th century it pa ed to the German Empire; was made a free imperial city; was occupied by Henry II. of France in 1552, and with its territory was formally annexed to France in 1648; was held a short time by the Pru ians in 1792; and capitulated to the Pru ians in 1870. Population (1891), commune, 18,852. in 1651, now in the Louvre, Paris. The godde is represented standing, undraped to the hips, with the head slightly inclined toward the left. Venus of Capua. A beautiful antique statue, of the type of the famous Venus of Melos, in the Museo Nazionale, Naples. The godde wears a stephane, and is undraped to her hips. It is a Roman copy of a Greek original. Venus of Cnidus. The best antique reproduction of the type of the famous statue by Praxiteles, in the Vatican, Rome. The figure is nude; the drapery is held in the left hand, and falls over a beautiful vase. The existing drapery about the legs is of tin _painted white. The arms are restored. Venus of Medici. An antique Greek original statue of marble, probably of the time of August us, in the Tribuna of the Uffizi, Florence. It is a very graceful, highly finished figure of the godde , undraped, as Anadyomene, with her arms held before her body, and a dolphin to her left. While without the dig nity of earlier Greek work, it has long ranked as a canon of female beauty. Venus of Melos. A famous Greek statue in the Louvre, Paris, perhaps the most admired single existing work of antiquity. It was found in 1820 in the island of Melos, and in date appears to fall between the time of Phidias and that of Praxiteles, or about 400 в. с. The statue represents a majestic woman, undraped to the hips, standing with the weight on the right foot and with the head turned slightly toward the left. The arms are broken off, and there is a dispute as to their original position. Also called the Venus of Milo . Venus of Syracuse. A Greek statue of Venus Anadyomene, of the 3d century B. c., in the Museo Nazionale at Syracuse, Sicily. The statue is headle ; the only drapery is a piece of light ti ue blown back by the wind and retained by the right hand. Venus of the Capitol. A notable Greek original statue, in the Capitoline Museum, Rome. The godde is undraped, with her arms in the position of those of the Venus of Medici, and her drapery thrown over a vase beside her. The motive is a variation of the type of the Venus of Cnidus. Venus of the Hermitage. A noted antique statue of Parian marble, found in Rome in 1859, and now in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. It is a very close replica, but slightly restored, of the Venus of Medici, but is somewhat le affected in pose, though ors of Christopher Columbus. In 1536 Luis Columbus abandoned his claims to the viceroyalty of the Indies, receiving in return the title of duke of Veragua, with a grant of twenty-five leagues square in Veragua, and the island of Jamaica, in fief. In 1556 he was deprived of the fiefs, but retained the title, with the honorary title of admiral of the Indies, and a pension. Diego Columbus, the great grandson of the discoverer, died childle in 1578, and with him the male line of Columbus came to an end. A lawsuit for the succe ion to the titles followed: it lasted thirty years, and was settled in favor of the descendants of Isabel, sister of Luis Columbus. This line ceased in 1733, and the title, after new litigations, was settled on the descendants of Francesca, sister of the Diego Columbus who had died in 1578. The present Duke of Veragua (born 1837) visited the United States in 1892, and was received with high honors as the representative of the family. Verazzano. See Verrazano. Verboeckhoven (ver-bök hō-ven), Eugène Joseph. Born at War net on, Belgium, July 8, 1798: died at Bru els, Jan. 20, 1881. A Bel- gian painter of animals. Verbruggen (ver-brug'en), John. Died 1708. An English actor. He was the original Oronooko, and so famous as Alexander that he was sometimes called by that name. Verbruggen, Mrs. (Susanna Perceval Mount fort). Born 1669: died 1701. An English actre . She married William Mount fort, an actor, about 1686, and after his death married Verbruggen. She was a brilliant actre of light comedy. Cibber has celebrated her in his "Apology." Vercellæ (ver-sel'ē). The ancient name of Vercelli. Vercelli (ver-chel'le). A town in the province of Novara, Italy, situated on the Sesia 38 miles west by south of Milan: the ancient Vercellæ, capital of the Libici. Near it are the Raudian Fields. It had a university in the middle ages. The Church of Sant' Andrea, of the early 13th century, is a notable building combining Romanesque and Pointed arches. The walls are of brick; the pillars, angle-quoins, and other important details, and the entire façade, of stone. The façade has three sculptured doorways and two galleries of columns, with slender rectangular towers. At the cro ing there is an octagonal lantern surrounded by six turrets. Population (1881), 20,165. Vercelli, Battle of. See Raudian Fields . Vercelli Book. A manuscript collection of early English poetry and Anglo-Saxon legends and 843 by the sons of Louis le Débonnaire. Lothaire was confirmed as emperor, and received Italy and the region lying in general west of the Rhine and Alps and east of the Rhone, Saône, Meuse, and Schelde. Ludwig the German received the region between the Rhine and the Elbe (the nucleus of Germany); and Charles the Bald obtained the region west of Lothaire's dominions (the nucleus of France). On his (Louis the Pious's] death the sons flew to arms, and the first of the dynastic quarrels of modern Europe was fought out on the field of Fontenay. In the partition treaty of Verdun which followed, the Teutonic principle of equal division among heirs triumphed over the Roman one of the transmi ion of an indivisible empire. Bryce, Holy Roman Empire, p. 77. Verdunois (ver-dü-nwä'). An ancient territory of eastern France, whose capital was Verdun. With the Pays Me in it formed one of the small governments of France prior to 1790. The name Verdunois was also given to a small district in Gascony, southern France, near Verdun-sur-Garonne. Verdy du Vernois (ver-de' dü ver-nwä'), Julius von. Born at Freistadt, in Silesia, July 19, 1832. A Pru ian general, military writer, and politician. He became lieutenant-general in 1881, and commander of the first division (at Königsberg) in 1883, and was minister of war 1889-90. He is especially noted for his works on military affairs. Vere, Sir Aubrey de. See De Vere. Vere, Aubrey Thomas de. See De Vere. Vere, Maximilian Schele de. See De Vere . Vereshchagin ve (ve-resh-chä'gin), Vasili. Born A Ru ian genre-and battle-painter. He studied in the province of Novgorod, Ru ia, Oct., 1842. at the St. Petersburg Academy, at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, and with Gérôme. He traveled through Turkestan, China, and India; served in the Caucasus and in the Ru o-Turkish war; was present at the storming of Plevna; acted as secretary in the negotiations for peace; and went to India again in 1882 and 1884. Many of his paintings are at Moscow in the Tretjakoff collection. Among his other pictures is a cycle of 20 from the his tory of India, a cycle of 20 from the campaign in Turkestan, 20 from the Ru o-Turkish war, a number of sacred subjects, etc. Vergara. See Bergara . Vergennes (ver-jenz'). A city in Add is on County, unty, Vermont, 35 miles west by south of Montpelier. Population (1890), 1,773. IMG:content-1005.png:[blocks in formation] N., and from long. 71° 38′ to 73° 25′ W. Capital, Montpelier. It is bounded by Quebec on the north, New Vergennes (ver-zhen'), Comte de (Charles Gravier). Born at Dijon, France, Dec. 28, 1717: died Feb. 13, 1787. A French politician Hampshire (separated by the Connecticut) on the east, later years were spent chiefly in Camp an i a. His works in- clude "Eclogues" or "Bucolics" (written 42-37), "Geor- gics" (written about 37-30), and the "Eneid." The first printed edition of Vergil appeared at Rome about 1469. Vergil, or Virgil (ver'jil), Polydore. Born at Urbino, Italy, about 1470: died there, 1555. An Italian-English ecclesiastic and historian. He was sent to England as deputy collector of Peter's pence Vergil the Magician. The legendary form which the historical Vergil a umed in the mid- dle ages. Vergilius (ver-jil'i-us). See Vergil . Vergniaud (vern-yō vern-yō'), Pierre Victurnien. Born at Limoges, France, May 31, 1753: guillo tined at Paris, Oct. 31, 1793. A French orator and Revolutionary statesman. He practised law at Bordeaux; became, on the outbreak of the Revolution, a member of the government of the department of Gi- ronde; was elected deputy to the Legislative A embly in 1791, and became its president; and was one of the chief Revolutionary orators, and the leader of the Girondists. He was a member of the Convention; was opposed by Robes- pierre; and was proscribed in June, 1793, imprisoned in July, and condemned to death in October. Ma achusetts on the south, and New York (largely sep a- rated by Lake Cham plain) on the west. It is traversed from north to south by the Green Mountains. It is an agricul- tural State, and is also noted for its quarries of granite and marble. It has 14 counties, sends 2 senators and 2 repre- sentatives to Congre , and has 4 electoral votes. The first to explore it was Cham plain (1609); the first settlement was made at Brattleboro in 1724. It was claimed by New Hamp- shire, and called at first the "New Hampshire Grants," and was afterward claimed by New York. Its "Green Mountain Boys," under the lead of Ethan Allen, took an active part in the Revolutionary War; and it was the scene of the battle of Bennington. It formed a constitution and proclaimed its independence in 1777, and was admitted to in 1791. It was the starting-point of Canadian raids in 1837, and later of Fenian raids. Length, 158 miles. Area, 9,565 square miles. Population (1890), 332,422, Verne (vern), Jules. Born at Nantes, France, Feb. 8, 1828. A French novelist. He was edu- cated at Nantes, and afterward studied law at Paris, but ultimately devoted himself to literature. After turning out a number of moderately succe ful plays, he struck a new vein in his scientific romances, which have gained a world-wide popularity. They include "Cinq semaines en ballon" ("Five Weeks in a Balloon," 1863), "Voyage au centre de la terre" ("Journey to the Center of the Earth," 1864), "De la terre à la lune" ("A Trip to the Moon," 1865), "Vingt mille lieues sous les mers" ("Twenty You sand Leagues under the Sea,"1870), "L'île myste- rieuse" ("The Mysterious Island," 1870), "Voyage autour du monde en quatre-vingts jours" ("Round the World in Eighty Days," 1872), "Michel Strogoff" (1876), "Le rayon vert" (1882), etc. Vernet (ver-na'), Antoine Charles Horace, called Carle. Born at Bordeaux, Aug. 14, 1758: died at Paris, Nov. 17, 1835. A French histori- cal and animal painter, son and pupil of C. J. Vernet. He took a first prize in 1782, studied in Italy till 1789, and went with Napoleon to Italy. Vernet, Claude Joseph, called Joseph. Born at Avignon, France, Aug. 14, 1712: died at Pa- ris, Dec. 23, 1789. A French marine and land- scape-painter, son and pupil of Antoine Vernet (1689-1753). He studied at Rome in 1732, and settled in Paris in 1753, after painting at many European courts. He painted by royal order a series of French seaports. Vernet, Émile Jean Horace, called Horace. Born at Paris, June 30, 1789: died there, Jan. 17, 1863. A distinguished French genre and battle-painter, son and pupil of A. C. H. Vernet, and pupil of Moreau and Vincent. He was deco- rated for bravery at the defense of the Barrière de Clichy in 1820; was director of the French school at Rome 1827-39; and was employed 1836-42 in painting for the gallery of Versailles. Most of his pictures after 1836 were of Arab life. They include "Dog of the Regiment," "Horse with the Trumpet," "Grenadier of Waterloo," battles of Je- mappes, Valmy, Hanau, Bouvines, Montmirail, Jena, Fried- land, Wagram, Isly, "Campaign of Const an tine," "Capture of the Smala of Abd-el-Kader," "Barrier of Clichy," "Bridge of Arcola," "Smala," "Siege of Antwerp," various Moorish scenes, "Judith," "Rachel," scenes from Mo- lière's plays, etc. Verneuil (ver-nėy'). A town in the department of Eure, France, situated on the Avre 49 miles south by west of Rouen. Here, Aug. 17, 1424, the English under the Duke of Bedford defeated the French. Population (1891), commune, 4,270. Verneuil, Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues, Marquise de. Born at Orléans in 1579: died at Paris in 1633. A mistre of Henry IV. She was false to him, but he was infat uated with her, though he finally broke with her. Later she was accused of having been a moral accomplice in his a a ination, but nothing was proved against her. Vernéville (ver-nā-vēl'). A village west-north- west of Metz. The heights east of the village were the scene of hard fighting in the battle of Grave lotte, Aug. 18, 1870. The French center was here attacked by the German 9th army corps. Vermejo (ver-ma'Hō), Rio. [Sp., 'red river.'] A western branch of the Paraguay, rising in Bolivia, flowing southeast through the Gran Chaco plains (Argentine Republic), and joining the Paraguay shortly above the junction of the latter with the Paraná. The middle and lower por tions spread out in swamps in which the channel is nearly lost. Length, over 800 miles. Vermilion (vér-mil'yon). A city in Clay County, South Dakota, on the Mi ouri near Yankton. Vermilion Bay. An arm of the Gulf of Mex- ico, on the southern coast of Louisiana. Length, France, about 1580: died there, Sept. 14, 1637. A French mathematician, noted as the inventor of the vernier (named for him). He wrote "Con- et propriétés du quadrant nouveau de Vernon (ver-non'). [ML. Verno .] A town in the department of Eure, France, situated on the Seine 30 miles southeast of Rouen. Population (1891), commune, 8,288. Vernon (ver'non), Diana or Di. A high-spirited girl with a love for manly sports, the heroine of Scott's "Rob Roy." Vernon (ver'non), Edward. Born at Westmin- ster, Nov. 12, 1684: died at Nacton, Suffolk, England, Oct. 29 or 30, 1757. An English ad- miral. He entered the navy in 1701; served in the War of the Spanish Succe ion 1701-13; and entered Parliament in 1722. He bombarded and took Porto Bello in 1739; was re- pulsed before Cart a gena in 1741; and was struck from the list of admirals in 1746 for publishing a couple of pamphlets against the admiralty. land about 1796: died at New York, June 4, 1869. An English-American actre . She came to Amer- ica in 1827, and shortly after married George Vernon, an actor, who died in about three years. Her best parts in her 1677-1701, and became secretary of the Duche of Orléans in 1703, and historiographer of the Order of Malta in 1715. He wrote "His to ire des révolutions de Portugal" (1689), "His to ire des révolutions de Suède" (1696), "His to ire des révolutions de la république romaine" (1719), "His to ire des chevaliers de Malte" (1726). Vertumnus (ver-tum'nus). [L., 'the god of the changing year,' 'he who turns or changes him- self.'] An ancient Roman deity who presided over gardens and orchards, and was worshiped as the god of spring or of the seasons in general. Vertus (ver-tü'). [ML. Virtus .] A town in the department of Marne, France, 18 miles west- southwest of Châlons-sur-Marne: noted for its wines. Population (1891), 2,781. Verulæ (ver'ū-lē). An ancient town of the Hernici: the modern Veroli. Verulam, Baron. See Bacon , Francis . Verulamium (ver-ö-lā'mi-um). An ancient British and Roman town, situated near the site of the present St. Albans, England. Verus (vē'rus), Lucius. Died 169 A. D. The adopted son of the emperor Ant on in us Pius: colleague of the emperor Marcus Aurelius 161- 169. Verus, Marcus Annius. The original name of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Vert-vert (var-var'). 1. A burlesque poem by Gre et, giving the history of a parrot, the pet of a convent.-2. An opera by Offenbach, words by Meilhac and Nuitter, produced at Paris in 1869. Verviers (ver-vya'). A city in the province of Liège, Belgium, situated on the Vesdre 13 miles east by south of Liège. It has manufacexpeditions, still preserved at Seville. Those records show tures of cloth, etc. Population (1893), com- mune, 50,423. Vervins (ver-van'). [ML. Vervinum .] A town in the department of Aisne, France, situated on the Vilpion 24 miles northeast of Laon. A treaty between France and Spain was concluded here May 2, 1598: conquests were mutually restored. Popula- tion (1891), commune, 3,233. Very (ver'i), Jones. Born at Salem, Ma ., Aug. 28, 1813: died there, May 8, 1880. An American poet and e ayist, a graduate of Har- vard in 1836. preached only occasionally. His works were edited by Very Hard Cash. A novel by Charles Reade, published serially in 1863 as "Hard Cash." Very Woman, A, or the Prince of Tarent. and to have brought it to Italy, and it was preserved at A comedy printed in 1655 as the work of Mas- singer. It was probably written by Fletcher and revised by Mas singer. It is to be identified with a comedy called "The Woman's Plot," which was acted at court in 1621. Vesalius (ve-sāʻli-us), Andreas. Born at Brus- sels, Dec. 31, 1514: died in a shipwreck on the island of Zante, Oct. 15, 1564. A noted Belgian anatomist, physician to the emperor Charles V. and, after his abdication, to Philip II. He lived chiefly at Madrid, and was condemned to death by the In- quisition. His sentence was commuted by the king to a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher. On his return he was shipwrecked. His chief and epoch-making work is "De corp or is human i fabric a libri septem." Vesontio (ve-son's hi-ō). The Roman name of Besançon. a royal residence. The chapel is well proportioned and Vesoul (ve-zöl'). The capital of the depart- sumptuous. The great gallery, called the Galerie des ment of Haute-Saône, France, situated on the Glaces, is one of the finest rooms existing: it is 240 by 35 Durgeon in lat. 47° 37′ N., long. 6o 8′E. Popu- feet, and 42 high, adorned with mirrors and gilding, and lati on (1891), commune, 9,770. with heeling baintings Here King will ru ia was Vespas i an (ves-pā'zhian) (Titus Flavius Sa- bin us Vespas i an us). "Born near Reate, Italy, Nov. 17, 9 A. D.: died June 24, 79 A. D. Roman emperor 70-79. He was of humble origin, but rose to afterward governor of Africa; and in 67 was appointed commander-in-chief against the insurgent Jews. He was proclaimed emperor in 69. His general Antonius Primus overthrew Vitelli us in the same year, and Vespas i an arrived at Rome in 70, leaving his son Titus to continue the Jewish of Jerusalem by Titus (70), the victories of Agricola in Britain, and the suppre ion of the revolted Bat avians pline in the army and order in the finances, and expended under Civil is by Petilius Cereal is (70). He restored disci large sums on public works, including the Colo eum, which, however, he did not live to finish. Vespers, Sicilian. See Sicilian Vespers. Vespucci (ves-pö'che), Amerigo, Latinized Am eric us Vespucius. Born at Florence, March 9, 1451: died at Seville, Feb. 22, 1512. An Italian navigator. He was the son of Nastugio Vespucci, a notary of Florence; received his education from uncle, a Dominican friar; and became a clerk in the commercial house of the Medici. He was sent to Spain by his employers about 1490; and some years after appears to have entered the service of the commercial house of Juonato Berardi at Seville, of which he became a member in 1495. This house fitted out Columbus's second expedi- tion (1493), and it has been suggested that Vespucci may have accompanied Columbus's first or second expedition, although the supposition is unsupported by any proof. Vespucci himself claims to have accompanied four expedi- to the New World, of each of which he wrote a nar- rative. Two of these sailed from Spain by order of Fer- petual flame. Vesta. An asteroid (No. 4) discovered by Ol- bers at Bremen, March 29, 1807. Vesta, Temple of. See Tivoli. Vestini (ves-ti'ni). In ancient history, a peo- ple of central Italy, living east of the Sabines: probably of Sabine affinities. They became allied with the Romans about 300 B. C., and joined the Marsi in the Social War. Vestris, Madame. See Mathews , Lucia Elizabeth . Vesulus (ves'u-lus). The ancient name of Vesunna (ve-sun'ä). The ancient name of Pé- The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: The Century Cyclopedia of names Veszprém Veszprém (ves'prām), or Veszprim (ves'prim), G. Wei brunn (vis'brön). The capital of the county of Veszprém, Hungary, 63 miles west southwest of Budapest: the seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric. It has a trade in wine and grain. It was captured by Maximilian in 1490; by the Hungarians in 1491; by the Germans in 1527; by the Turks in 1552; by the Germans in 1566; by the grand vizir Sinan in 1594; by the Imperialists in 1598; and by the Turks again in 1605, who finally lost it in 1683. Population (1890), 12,655, Veta Madre (vā'tä mä'drā). [Sp., 'mother lode,' i. e . chief lode.] A celebrated silver lode, or system of lodes, near Guanajuato, Mexico. It is about 8 miles long. It was discovered in 1558, and Humboldt calculated that, up to 1800, it had yielded one fifth of the silver then current in the world. It has been worked to a great depth, and most of the shafts are now abandoned owing to the lack of drainage-machinery of sufficient power. Vetancurt (vä-tän-kört'), Agustin de. Born at Mexico City, 1620: died there, 1700. A Mexican Francis can author. His most important work is "Teatro Mexicano" (4 parts in 2 vols., 1697-98), an ethnographical and historical account of New Spain. He published many other books, including biographies, theological treatises, and a grammar of the Nahuatl language. Also written Vetancur , Vetancour , etc. Veteran i Cave (ve-te-rä'nē kāv). A large cavern on the left bank of the Danube, in southern Hungary, about 12 miles from Old Orsova. It was defended for 45 days against an overwhelming Turkish force in 1691 by Baron von Arnau, at the command of Count Veteran i (whence its name). Veto (vē tō), Madame. A sobriquet given to Marie Antoinette during the French Revolu tion. She is mentioned by this name in "La Carmagnole." Vetterli (vet'ter-lē), Fried rich. Born in the canton of Thurgau, Aug. 15, 1822: died May 21, 1882. A Swi inventor, director of the manufacture of firearms in Neuchâtel. His magazine-gun was adopted by Switzerland in 1868, and by Italy in 1870.