De Witt, John

a celebrated statesman of Holland, B. at Dort, 1625. In 1650 he was chosen Pensionary of his native city; and, after distinguishing himself in public affairs, was elected Grand Pensionary of Holland. In that capacity he concluded a peace with Cromwell, one article of which excluded the House of Orange from the stadt holdership. In 1665 war broke out between the Dutch and English, in which the French afterwards joined the former, and, in 1666, De W. sent the fleet under De Ruyter which sailed up the Thames. The peace of Breda was concluded the same year. De W. about the same time procured the pa ing of the perpetual edict for abolishing the office of stadtholder, for which he received public thanks. However, in 1672, when Holland was invaded by the French, and civil di ension overspread the country, both John De Witt and his brother Cornel i us were barbarously murdered by the populace, and the stadtholdership was re-established. William, Prince of Orange (afterwards William III. of England), was then called to that post. De Witt', in Arkansas, a post-village, cap. of Arkansas co., on the Arkansas River, abt. 70 m. S.E. of Little Rock. De Witt, in Georgia , a post-office of Mitchell co. De Witt, in Illinois , a central co.; area , about 450 sq. m. Rivers, Salt creek, an affluent of the Sangamon river. Surface, level. Soil , fertile. Min . Stone coal. Cap . Clin- ton. Pop . (1890) 17,011. -A post-village of De Witt co., about 60 m. E. N. E. of Springfield. -A township of De Witt co. De Witt, in Iowa , a thriving trading city of Clinton co., 26 m. N. of Davenport; center of rich farming region. Pop . (1897) about 1,650. De Witt, in Michigan, a township of Clinton co., on the Looking-gla river, about 8 miles north of Lan. sing. De Witt, in Mi ouri , a post-village of Carroll co., on the Mi ouri river, about 85 miles N. W. of Jefferson City. Pop . (1897) about 700. De Witt, in Nebraska , a post-village of Saline co. De Witt, in New York , a post-town and township of Onondaga county, about 4 miles east of Syracuse. Pop . (1897) about 5,000, De Witt, in Teras , a S. central co.; area , about 880 sq. m. Rivers, the Guadaloupe. Surface , elevated and rolling. Soil, fertile. Cap . Cuero. Pop . (1897) about 20,000. De Witt Land, a region on the N.W. coast of Australia, between Lon. 120° and 123° W. Discovered in 1628. De Witt's Valley, in New York, a village of Alle ghany co. De Witt'ville, in New York , a post-office of Chautau qua co. upon them first. All vegetable fibres are ready radiators of heat; consequently, the smooth leaves of trees, shrubs, and gra es, cause the dew to be deposited upon them, even upon moderately warm evenings. Radiation takes place most rapidly when there is a clear sky; when there are many clouds in the air, heat is radiated back by them to the earth, which nearly supplies the amount of heat lost. Thus dew is more readily deposited upon clear, fine nights than when the sky is overcast. The history of the knowledge of dew is interesting. Aristotle supposed that there was a rain formed by the -A throat wrinkled and flaccid with age; - used in a condensation of the water, which had been evaporated during the day, by the cold of night. (Meteor. i. 10.) In 1784, however, the recognized opinion was, that the cold was caused by the dew. It was not until the discoveries of Leslie concerning radiant heat, in 1794-5, that the true theory of D. was established.