Included in his
publications are: A Short Account of the
Niobe Group) (1874); (The Place of Art in
Education) (1886); (Giordano Bruno, and the
Relation of his Philosophy to Free Thought!
publications are: A Short Account of the
Niobe Group) (1874); (The Place of Art in
Education) (1886); (Giordano Bruno, and the
Relation of his Philosophy to Free Thought!
Warner - World's Best Literature - v29 - BIographical Dictionary
The
greatest of Italian poets; born in Florence,
1265; died in Ravenna, Sept. 14, 1321. * (See
Charles Eliot Norton's biography, and the bib-
liographical notes following, in the Library. )
Da Ponte, Lorenzo. An Italian dramatist
and author; born in Venice, March 10, 1749;
died in New York, Aug. 17, 1838. He wrote
the libretti for Mozart's operas (Don Giovanni)
and Figaro. He came to America in 1805,
and in 1828 was professor of Italian in Colum-
bia College. He wrote many plays, sonnets,
and translations, and published several works
of instruction in the Italian language; also his
own (Life) (1823); (History of the Florentine
Republic and the Medici? (1833).
D'Arblay, Madame. See Burney.
Dargan, Clara Victoria. (Mrs. Maclean. )
An American poet and prose-writer; born near
Winnsboro, S. C. , about 1840. Her writings in-
clude the poem Forever Thine) (1859), under
the pseudonym of “Claudia," and stories signed
« Esther Chesney » (1860). She was literary
editor of the Edgefield Advertiser (1863); and
is author of Riverlands, a story of life on
the Ashley River.
Darimon, Alfred (där-e-môn'). A French
journalist and writer; born in Lille, Dec. 17,
1819. An aptitude for politics and political
writing occasioned his most telling work with
the pen, especially (The History of Twelve
Years, 1857–69, Notes and Recollections) (1883);
(Through a Revolution (1884); (The Agony
of the Empire) (2d ed. 1891); and others
equally popular.
Darley, Felix Octavius Carr. An American
artist; born in Philadelphia, June 23, 1822; died
in Claymont, Del. , March 27, 1888. His illus-
trations of literary masterpieces gave pleasure
to thousands, and made him famous. His best
work comprises his drawings to accompany
the text of Rip Van Winkle); (Sleepy Hol-
low); (Courtship of Miles Standish); “Scarlet
## p. 132 (#148) ############################################
132
DARLEY
DASENT
Letter'; Evangeline); the novels of Cooper,
Dickens, and others, besides many special pict-
ures. His book (Sketches Abroad with Pen
and Pencil' (1868) is well known.
Darley, George. An Irish poet and critic;
born in Dublin, 1795; died near Rome (? ), Nov.
23, 1846. He wrote valuable studies of other
men's work, and was a mathematician of pro-
fundity; in addition to which claims to atten-
tion, he is the author of "Sylvia, or the May
Queen (1827), a fine dramatic poem ; 'Errors
of Extasie and Other Poems); and Nepenthe,
a weird self-revelation in morbid verse.
Darling, Mrs. Flora (Adams). An Ameri-
can novelist; born in New Hampshire in 1840.
Among her works are: Mrs. Darling's Letters)
(1884); (A Wayward Winning Woman; (The
Bourbon Lily); A Social Diplomat); (The
Senator's Daughter. '
Darlington, William. An American scien-
tist, well-known botanist, and author. He was
born in Birmingham, Pa. , April 28, 1782; died
in Westchester, Pa. , April 23, 1863. He was
a soldier in the War of 1812, and a Mem-
ber of Congress from 1815 to 1817 and 1819 to
1823. He published a descriptive catalogue of
plants in Pennsylvania : Flora Cestrica) (1837
and 1853); (Mutual Influence of Habits and
Disease (1804); (Agricultural Botany) (1847);
and in 1853 a genus of pitcher plant found in
California was named in his honor, (Darling-
tonia.
Darmesteter, Agnes Mary Frances (Robin-
son). An English poet; born in Leamington,
1857. She has attained great proficiency in
Greek studies, her verse showing the influence
of Hellenic literature. In 1888 she married
James Darmesteter, the Orientalist. Her writ-
ings include: A Handful of Honeysuckle)
(1878); (An Italian Garden (1886); (Lyrics)
(1891); and (Retrospect) (1893), - volumes of
verse. * See “Robinson” in Library. ?
Darmesteter, James (där-me-ste-tår'). A
distinguished French Orientalist; born at Châ-
teau-Salins, March 28, 1849; died Oct. 19, 1894.
Besides works of strict scholarship on the
Oriental literatures, as (Ormazd and Ahriman);
(Iranian Studies) ; (Origins of Persian Poetry,'
he wrote many essays on miscellaneous sub-
jects. There is an English translation of
some of his Selected Essays. He translated
with Mills the (Zend-Avesta) for the "Sacred
Books of the East) series, published by the
University of Oxford and edited by Max Mül-
ler. *
Daru, Count Pierre Antoine (dä-rü). A
French historian and poet; born in Mont-
pellier, Jan. 12, 1767 ; died on his estate near
Meulan, Sept. 5, 1829. A translation of Horace
into French verse (1800) was greatly admired ;
but his masterpiece is a History of the Re-
public of Venice) (1819), although his (Cléopé-
die, or Theory of Literary Reputations) (1800)
is a poem containing much to recommend it.
D'Arusmont, Madame Frances (da-rüs-món).
(Maiden name Fanny Wright. ) An American
philanthropist and author; born in Dundee,
Scotland, Sept. 6, 1795; died in Cincinnati, (. ,
Dec. 2, 1852. She visited this country sev-
eral times, and in 1825 made an unsuccessful
attempt to establish a settlement for the ele.
vation of the negro at Memphis, Tenn. In
later years she lectured on social, religious,
and political questions. Among her works are :
(Views on Society and Manners in America);
(Altorf,' a tragedy (1819); "Lectures on Free
Inquiry) (1836).
Darwin, Charles Robert. A celebrated Eng.
Tish naturalist and philosopher; born at Shrews-
bury, Feb. 12, 1809; died April 19, 1882. His
life work as a naturalist began in 1831, when
he sailed with Captain Fitzroy in the Beagle
for a surveying expedition round the globe.
From this expedition Darwin returned toward
the end of 1836; in 1839 appeared his Jour-
nal of Researches, afterward revised and pub-
lished under the better known title (A Natur-
alist's Voyage. Several monographs followed
on various points of land and marine zoology;
but not until 1859 did the work appear which
brought to Darwin world-wide and enduring
fame -- (On the Origin of Species by Means
of Natural Selection. (The Descent of Man
and Selection in Relation to Sex appeared in
1871, and “The Expression of the Emotions in
Men and Animals) in 1872. In 1868 he pub.
lished (The Variation of Animals and Plants
under Domestication. He is buried in West-
minster Abbey. *
Darwin, Erasmus. An English naturalist
and poet, grandfather of Charles R. ; born in.
Elton, Nottingham, Dec. 12, 1731; died at
Breadwall, near Derby, April 18, 1802. «The
permanent interest in his writings depends
upon his exposition of the form of evolution-
ism afterwards expounded by Lamarck. He
caught a glimpse of many observations and
principles afterwards turned to account by his
grandson, Charles Darwin; but though a great
observer and an acute thinker, he missed the
characteristic doctrine which made the success
of his grandson's scheme. His literary works
are : (The Botanic Garden (1781); a descript-
ive poem, "The Temple of Nature, or the
Origin of Society) (1803), a specimen of highly
didactic versification; and (Zoonomia' (1794-
98), a prose work on organic life. As a poet
he is lofty and instructive.
Dasent, Sir George. An English philologist
and novelist; born in the island of St. Vincent,
1818. He was for a while one of the editors
of the London Times, and was one of the
Civil Service Commissioners. He is eminent
as a scholar in the Norse languages, particu-
larly Icelandic, and has translated the (Younger
Edda,' besides many other ancient stories and
legends of Iceland, and written (The Norse-
man in Iceland) (1858). Among his original
stories are: Annals of an Eventful Life):
( Three to One); (Half a Life. )
## p. 133 (#149) ############################################
DASH -DAVIDS
133
1
Dash, Countess (däsh), pseudonym of Ga-
brielle Anne Cisterne de Courtiras, Vicomtesse
de Saint-Mars. A French novelist (1804-72);
born at Poitiers. She was a very prolific
writer, producing often five or six stories in the
course of a year. Life in high society is her
theme, and especially wayward love in high
society, as the very titles of most of her novels
indicate : “Bussy-Rabutin's Amours); "Gallant-
ries of the Court of Louis XV. ? ; (Last Amours
of Mme. du Barry); Adventures of a Young
Married Woman.
Dassoucy or d'Assoucy, Charles Coippeau,
called (dä-sö-se'). A French burlesque poet;
born in Paris, Oct. 16, 1605; died there (? ),
1679. He acquired notoriety as the writer of
(Ovid in a Good Humor,' and of a burlesque
of Claudian's "Rape of Proserpine); but he is
remembered mainly because of a contemptuous
allusion to him by Boileau. He seems to have
possessed some talent for musical composition,
but called himself “the emperor of burlesque. ”
Daubenton, Lonis Jean Marie (do-ban-
tôn'). A French botanist and naturalist; born
in Montbar, Burgundy, May 29, 1716; died in
Paris, Dec. 31, 1799. He contributed to the
first five volumes of Buffon's Natural His-
tory) anatomical supplements which form, from
a scientific point of view, the most important
part of that work.
D'Aubigné, Jean Henri Merle (do-bēn-yā').
A celebrated Swiss Protestant church historian;
born near Geneva, Aug. 16, 1794; died at
Geneva, Oct. 24, 1872. He was professor of
historical theology at Geneva (1831-72). His
great work was History of the Reformation)
(1835-53; new ed. 1877-78), with its continu-
ation History of the Reformation in the Time
of Calvin (1863-76).
Daudet, Alphonse (do-dā). A distinguished
French novelist; born at Nîmes, May 13, 1840;
died Dec. 16, 1897. He sought fortune in Paris
in 1857: two booklets of poems were failures;
two plays -(The Last Idol (1862) and (The
White Daisy) (1865)- had more success; after
some years he discovered his true field. His
charming little stories, ( The Little Thing : Story
of a Child (1868); Letters from my Mill
(1869); Monday Tales) (1873), established his
reputation; and his next novel – (Fromont Jr.
and Risler Sr. (1874)- wa
was translated into all
the European languages. Not less celebrated
are : (The Nabob) (1878); (Kings in Exile)
(1880); Numa Roumestan (1882); «The Gos-
peller) (1883); (Sappho) (1884). He struck a
new and a happier vein in the (Tartarin)
series : Prodigious Adventures of Tartarin);
(Tartarin in the Alps); 'Port Tarascon. He
writes reminiscences of his early years in the
French capital in (Thirty Years of Paris )
(1888), and in Recollections of a Man of
Letters) (1889). *
Daudet, Ernest. A French novelist, brother
of Alphonse D. ; born at Nîmes, May 31, 1837.
His most notable novels are: (The Venus of
Gordes); ( The Bloom of Sin); (Martha. ' He
is author of an autobiographical sketch, My
Brother and Myself (1882); and has written
some historical sketches, as a "History of the
Royalist Conspiracies in the South during the
Revolution); History of the Emigration. '
Daumer, Georg Friedrich (dou'mer). A
German poet and philosophical writer (1800-75);
born in Nuremberg. He underwent some re-
markable revolutions of thought concerning
religion : in his student days he leaned strongly
to Pietism ; next he was the declared foe of
the Christian religion; about 1859 he embraced
Catholicism and became one of its foremost
champions. He wrote among many other phil-
osophical tractates : (Hints toward a System
of Speculative Philosophy) (1831); to his sec-
ond period belongs : The Fire and Moloch
Worship of the Hebrews) (1842); to his third :
My Conversion (1859). Of his poetical works,
the Flowers of Song from Hafiz) may be
named,-a very beautiful transcription of the
Oriental poet, with free variations in the very
spirit of Hafiz himself. He wrote also (Beau-
tiful Souls: a Little Wreath of Legends and
Poems) (1862); Legends and Poems of St.
Mary.
Davenant, William. An English poet and
playwright; born at Oxford in February 1606;
died April 7, 1668. A story was current in
his lifetime that he was an illegitimate son
of Shakespeare, and he seemed contented
enough to be thought his son. ! ) He wrote
many plays and poems, but none possessing
any distinguished merit; he succeeded Ben
Jonson as poet laureate of England, however.
He attempted epic composition in (Gondibert,'
and an opera, «The Siege of Rhodes.
Davenport, John. An American divine;
born in Coventry, England, 1597 ; died in Bos-
ton, March 15, 1670. Author of "The Knowl.
edge of Christ) (1653); (The Saint's Anchor
Hold' (1701). He was one of the founders of
New Haven, Conn. In 1660 he hid the regi.
cides Goffe and Whalley from their pursuers.
Davenport, Robert. An English poet and
dramatist, who flourished about 1623 and died
after 1640, but whom we know only through
his (A Crowne for a Conquerour and Too
Late to Call Backe Yesterday. Two Poems, the
One Divine, the Other Morall (1623); King
John and Matilda' (1655), a tragedy; and two
comedies : (A New Trick to Cheat the Divell)
(1639), and “The City Night Cap' (printed
1661). That he was associated with Shakes.
peare in producing (Henry I. and Henry II. ?
seems established, and it is almost certain that
he is the author of a play called (The Pirate.
Davids, Thomas William Rhys. An Eng-
lish publicist, lawyer, and scholar; born at Col-
chester, England, May 12, 1843. He was edu-
cated at the University of Breslau; from 1866
on, filled judicial places in Ceylon and acted
as Archäological Commissioner. In 1877 he
was called to the London bar, and is now
1
1
1
1
4
)
1
(
## p. 134 (#150) ############################################
.
134
DAVIDSON - DAVIS
1
professor of Pali and Buddhist literature in
University College, London. Among his works
are : (Buddhism (1877); translations of (Bud-
dhist Birth Stories) (1880); (Buddhist Suttas)
and “Vinaya Texts) (1881), published in (The
Sacred Books of the East. '
Davidson, John. A Scotch poet, novelist,
and miscellaneous writer; born at Barrhead,
Renfrewshire, 1857. He was at first a teacher,
but in 1890 went to London and adopted the
literary career, writing for the Speaker and
other journals. He has written : (Fleet Street
Eclogues) (1893); (A Random Itinerary)
(1894); "Ballads and Songs) (1894); (Plays)
(1894); (Earl Lavender) (1895); and two noy-
els : (Perſervidand Baptist Lake) (1894).
Davidson, Lucretia Maria An American
poet; born in Plattsburg, N. Y. , Sept. 27, 1808;
died there, Aug. 27, 1825. She was remark-
ably precocious, and at the age of nine years
wrote her first poem : (Epitaph on a Robin. '
Her poetical writings include 278 poems of
various lengths. In 1829 S. F. B. Morse col-
lected and published her writings under the
title (Amir Khan and Other Poems. '
Davidson, Thomas. A Scottish-American
philosopher and writer ; born in Aberdeenshire,
Oct. 25, 1840. He came to the United States
in 1867, and was subsequently professor of
classics in the St. Louis High School. In 1875
he settled in Cambridge, Mass. Later he trav-
eled in Greece and Italy, where much of his
literary work was perfected.
Included in his
publications are: A Short Account of the
Niobe Group) (1874); (The Place of Art in
Education) (1886); (Giordano Bruno, and the
Relation of his Philosophy to Free Thought!
(1886); a (Hand-Book to Dante, from the
Italian of Scartazzini, with Notes and Addi-
tions) (1887); (Prolegomena to Tennyson's
(In Memoriam)); Aristotle and Ancient and
Modern Educational Ideals ); (The Education
of the Greek People and its Influence on Civ-
ilization.
Davies, Sir John. An English poet and
judge; born in Tisbury, Wiltshire, March (? )
1569; died in London (? ), Dec. 7 or 8, 1626.
His legal and judicial career was one of great
distinction, cut short by sudden death. His
rank as a poet is conferred by Know Thyself,
(The Orchestra, and “Hymns to Astræa,' and
others, in which sustained power and a wealth
of moving diction are equally in evidence.
Davies, Thomas Alfred. An American prose
writer; born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ,
December 1809; graduated from West Point in
1829. A few selections from his published works
are : (Cosmogony, or Mysteries of Creation)
(1858); (Genesis Disclosed) (1860); (Answer to
Hugh Miller and Theoretical Geologists' (1861);
and (How to Make Money, and How to Keep
It) (1866).
Davila, Arrigo Caterino (dä-vēl’ä). An
Italian historian and statesman; born in Pieve
di Sacco, near Padua, Oct. 30, 1576; assassin-
ated at San Michele, near Verona, about 1631.
His eminence in diplomacy and in statecraft
has been adequately supplemented in literature
by a “History of the Civil Wars in France);
one of the richest sources of information on
the subject, as far as it extends (1560 to 1597),
and very little discredited by the work of sub-
sequent investigators.
Davis, Andrew Jackson. An American
spiritualist and author; born in Orange County,
N. Y. , in 1826. He is a resident of Pough-
keepsie, N. Y. , and is the author of thirty vol-
umes, chief among which are: (The Great
Harmonia); (Harmonial Man); Philosophy
of Spiritual Discourse ); (The Penetralia. '
Davis, Edwin Hamilton. An American
archæologist ; born in Ross County, O. , Jan. 22,
1811; died in New York city, May 15, 1888.
He was author of Ancient Monuments of the
Mississippi Valley) (1848), which was described
by A. Morlot, the distinguished Swiss archæol.
ogist, as being “as glorious a monument of
American science as Bunker Hill is of Amer.
ican bravery. ”
Davis, Henry Winter. An American states-
man and orator; born in Annapolis, Md. , Aug.
16, 1817; died in Baltimore, Md. , Dec. 30, 1865.
He was Member of Congress for three terms
(1856–65), and took a leading part in advocat.
ing emancipation and loyalty to the Union.
His published works are : (The War of Ormuzd
and Ahriman in the 19th Century) (1853);
"Speeches and Addresses in Congress) (1867).
Davis, Jefferson. An American statesman;
born in Christian County, Ky. , June 3, 1808 ;
died in New Orleans, La. , Dec. 6, 1889. Edu-
cated at the United States Military Academy.
Served in the Black Hawk War; went to
Congress in 1845; served in the Mexican War;
was United States Senator in 1847-51; Secre-
tary of War in 1853-57 ; was appointed Presi-
dent of the Confederate States, Feb. 9, 1861;
the following November he was elected Presi.
dent for six years.
He was confined as a
prisoner of State for two years in Fortress
Monroe, indicted for high treason, released on
bail; never tried, being included in the general
amnesty of 1868. He wrote (The Rise and
Fall of the Confederate Government (1881).
Davis, John Chandler Bancroft. An Amer.
ican lawyer and diplomatist; born in 1822.
A Harvard graduate and a lawyer. In 1849 he
went to London as secretary of legation. In
1854 he became American correspondent of the
London Times. In 1869, and again in 1881,
he was Assistant Secretary of State. He rep.
resented the United States in the Alabama »
contest, zealously pushing the (indirect
claims. He is the author of: (The Massa-
chusetts Justice) (1847); “Mr. Sumner, the Ala-
bama Claims, and their Settlement) (1878);
and a work published in French entitled Pro.
cess Tribunals of the United States) (1878).
Davis, Mary Evelyn (Moon). An American
pvet; born in Talladega, Ala. , 1852. She has
## p. 135 (#151) ############################################
DAVIS - DEANE
135
f
written "Minding the Gap and Other Poems)
(1870); and "In War Times at La Rose Blanche)
(1887).
Davis, Rebecca (Harding). An American
novelist; born in Washington, Pa. , June 24,
1831. She contributed many short stories and
sketches to periodicals, and has written several
novels, including: Life in the Iron Mills)
(1861); (A Story of To-Day) (1861) published
later under the title (Margaret Howth); and
(A Law Unto Herself) (1878). She was the
first writer in this country to introduce the labor
question into fiction. Her later works include:
Waiting for the Verdict); (Dallas Galbraith);
Natasqua); (Frances Walstrup'; and others.
Davis, Richard Harding. An American
novelist, short-story writer, and contributor to
periodical literature; born in Philadelphia,
April 18, 1864. He graduated at Lehigh Uni-
versity, and entered journalism in Philadelphia.
His first purely literary success was the story
of Gallegher,' based upon his newspaper ex-
periences, and published with other stories in
a volume (1891). He has since been constantly
engaged in story-writing, and descriptive narra-
tion of events, places, and people. Among his
works are : (Stories for Boys) (1891); (The
West from a Car Window) (1892); 'Van Bibber
and Others) (1892); (Our English Cousins)
(1894); (The Rulers of the Mediterranean)
(1894); (The Princess Aline) (1895); (About
Paris) (1895); (Three Gringoes in Venezuela
and Central America' (1896); (Soldiers of
Fortune (1897); etc.
Davis, Thomas Osborne. An Irish poet;
born in Mallow, County Cork, 1814; died in
Dublin, 1845. His verse was mainly on patri-
otic themes, and appears, collected, in Duffy's
Library of Ireland.
Davy, Sir Humphry. An eminent English
chemist, philosopher, and man of letters; born
at Penzance, Cornwall, Dec. 17, 1778; died at
Geneva, Switzerland, May 29, 1829. In addition
to the revolution he brought about in the domain
of chemistry and applied physics, he embodied
his discoveries and researches in fascinating
literary form in Consolations in Travel, or the
Last Days of a Philosopher) (1830); "Chemical
and Philosophical Researches (1800); (On the
Safety Lamp and on Flame (1828); and nu-
merous equally interesting productions.
Davydoff, Denis Vasiljevich (dä-ve-dôf').
A Russian poet and writer on military affairs
( 1784-1839); born at Moscow. His compositions
in verse were mostly written in camp, and con-
sisted of satires, elegies, dithyrambics, and sol-
dier ballads : the latter especially had a wide
circulation. Among his prose writings were:
Recollections of the Battle of Prussian-Eylau)
and An Essay toward a Theory of Partisan
Warfare.
Dawes, Anna Laurens. An American writer
on political topics, daughter of Henry L. Dawes
of Massachusetts. She was born in 1851, and
has written much for periodicals; among her
essays being : (How We Are Governed'; (The
Modern Jew: His Present and Future); (Bi.
ography of Charles Sumner. )
Dawes, Rufus. An American poet; born in
Boston, Jan. 26, 1803; died in Washington,
D. C. , Nov. 30, 1859. He wrote: “The Valley
of the Nashaway, and Other Poems) (1830);
(Geraldine) (1839), resembling Don Juan in
form and treatment; the successful romance
(Nix's Mate) (1840). His verses were sung at
the laying of the corner-stone of Bunker Hill
monument.
Dawson, Sir John William. A Canadian
geologist and writer; born in Pictou, Nova
Scotia, October 1820; has made many im-
portant discoveries in the science of geology,
and has written largely on geological subjects.
His publications include: Archaia, or Studies
of Creation in Genesis) (1859); (Air Breathers
of the Coal Period); Chain of Life) (1884);
and (Egypt and Syria) (1885). His scientific
papers include: (The Formation of Gypsum,'
and (The Renewal of Forests Destroyed by
Fire. He has also published (Hand-Book of
Geography and National History of Nova
Scotia.
Dawson, William James. An English poet;
born in Towcester, Northamptonshire, 185-
He is a clergyman by profession. His works
include : (Arvalon : a First Poem) (1878); (A
Vision of Souls) (1884); and "Poems and Lyr-
ics) (1893).
Day, John. An English dramatist; born
perhaps about 1575; flourished about 1606, and
died later than 1623. Of the half-dozen of his
plays which have outlived the vicissitudes of
manuscript, the Parliament of Bees) (1607),
a comedy, is of surpassing charm ; while the
(Isle of Gulls,' a drama impregnated with wit,
contains many strong passages.
Day, Richard Edwin. An American poet;
born in West Granby, Oswego County, N. Y. ,
April 27, 1852. He has published (Lyrics and
Satires) (1883), and Poems) (1888).
Day, Thomas. An English poet and prose-
writer; born in London, June 22, 1748; died
Sept. 28, 1789. He was an ardent sympathizer
with the American patriots. Among his works
are: “The Devoted Legions,' a poem against
the war with America (1776); (The Desolation
of America'; Letters of Marius) (1784). He
is the author of the celebrated History of
Sanford and Merton. '
D'Azeglio. See Azeglio.
Dean, John Ward. An American antiqua-
rian scholar and writer. He was born in
Wiscasset, Me. , March 13, 1815. He is editor
of the New England Historical and Genea-
logical Register); and the author of Memoir
of Rev. Nathaniel Ward) (1868); (Memoir of
Rev. Michael Wigglesworth (1871); and Life
of John H. Shepard. '
Deane, Silas. An American diplomatist;
born Dec. 24, 1737, in Groton, Conn. ; died in
0
## p. 136 (#152) ############################################
136
DEBRAL'X – DE FONTAINE
>
Deal, England, Aug. 23, 1789. With Franklin
and Lee he negotiated the treaty between
France and the United States in 1778; was
afterwards greatly misrepresented, and died
abroad in neglect and poverty. He published
in his own defense : Letters to Hon. Robert
Morgan (1784); (An Address to the Citizens
of the United States) (1784); and Paris Pa-
pers, or Mr. Silas Deane's Intercepted Letters
to his Brother and Other Friends) (1781).
Debraux, Paul Emile (de-bro'). A French
balladist; born at Ancerville, Dept. Meuse,
Aug. 30, 1796; died in Paris, Feb. 12, 1831.
He was an ardent Republican, and wrote for
the common people lively songs of wine and
love, which were sung everywhere in tavern
and workshop. He was called “the Béranger
of the rabble. His best-known songs are :
(Mt. St. John'; Belisarius); "Say, Do You
Remember? ); (The Soldier's Widow); Ma-
rengo. Béranger published a complete collec-
tion of his (Songs) (3 vols. ).
Dechez, Louis. See Jenneval.
Decken, Auguste von der. See Elbe, A.
von der.
Decker, Jeremias de (deck'er). A Dutch
poet (1609 66); born at Dort. He translated
into Dutch, Buchanan's Baptist, and into
Dutch verse (The Lamentations of Jeremiah. )
Of his original works the best are his household
poems and his collection of epigrams. His
iGood Friday' recounts scenes of Christ's pas-
sion. His satirical poem (Praise of Avarice)
is of little worth.
De Costa, Benjamin Franklin. An Amer-
ican clergyman and writer; born in Charles-
town, Mass. , July 10, 1831. Included in his
many publications are: (The Pre-Columbian
Discovery of America by the Northmen (1869);
(The Moabite Stone) (1870); and (The Rector
of Roxburgh,' a novel, under the pen-name of
«William Hickling ” (1873). He became pres-
ident (1884) of the first branch of the White
Cross Society," of which he was the organizer.
De Coster, Charles Théodore Henri (dė
kos'ter). A Belgian poet (1827-79); born at
Munich. His first poetical composition was
( The Owls' Mirror); then followed (Flemish
Legends) (1856); Brabant Stories) (1861), a
spirited description of lowly life ; (The Wed-
ding Tour) (1872); and the little comedy
Jenny) (1865).
Decourcelle, Pierre (dė kör-sel'). A French
dramatist ; born at Paris, Jan. 25, 1856. His first
work was the five-act drama, (The Ace of
Clubs, written for Sara Bernhardt; it had an
extraordinary success. Then followed a suc-
cession of comedies, dramas, comic-opera li-
bretti, and dramatizations of popular novels,
written by him individually or in collaboration
with other authors; among them : (The Ama-
zon' (1885); Madame Cartridge); (The Abbé
Constantin (founded on Halévy's story) ; (The
Man with the Broken Ear) (after About).
He wrote also a sensational novel, « The Gray
Hat) (1887), and "Fanfan) (1889), both of which
were received with great popular favor.
Dedekind, Friedrich (ded'é-kind). A Ger-
man poet (1525-98); born at Neustadt on the
Leine. His principal work is (Grobianus)
(1549), a satire in Latin distichs against drunk-
enness and obscenity; it had wide circulation,
and was translated into German, Dutch, and
English. He wrote two dramas having a re-
ligious polemic end in view : (The Christian
Knight) and (The Converted Papist.
Deems, Charles Force. An American clergy-
man and writer; born in Baltimore, Md. , Dec.
4, 1820; died in New York city, Nov. 18, 1893.
From 1866 to his death he was pastor of the
Church of the Strangers of New York city,
and was widely noted as editor and author.
Included in his publications are : (Triumph of
Peace and Other Poems) (1840); (The Light
of the Nations) (1870); Weights and Wings
(1872); (Chips and Chunks for Every Fire-
side); and My Septuagint' (1892).
Deffand, Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, Mar-
quise du (def-fän'). A French wit and letter-
writer, mistress of a most brilliant salon ; born
in Burgundy, 1697 ; died at Paris, Sept. 24,
1780.
greatest of Italian poets; born in Florence,
1265; died in Ravenna, Sept. 14, 1321. * (See
Charles Eliot Norton's biography, and the bib-
liographical notes following, in the Library. )
Da Ponte, Lorenzo. An Italian dramatist
and author; born in Venice, March 10, 1749;
died in New York, Aug. 17, 1838. He wrote
the libretti for Mozart's operas (Don Giovanni)
and Figaro. He came to America in 1805,
and in 1828 was professor of Italian in Colum-
bia College. He wrote many plays, sonnets,
and translations, and published several works
of instruction in the Italian language; also his
own (Life) (1823); (History of the Florentine
Republic and the Medici? (1833).
D'Arblay, Madame. See Burney.
Dargan, Clara Victoria. (Mrs. Maclean. )
An American poet and prose-writer; born near
Winnsboro, S. C. , about 1840. Her writings in-
clude the poem Forever Thine) (1859), under
the pseudonym of “Claudia," and stories signed
« Esther Chesney » (1860). She was literary
editor of the Edgefield Advertiser (1863); and
is author of Riverlands, a story of life on
the Ashley River.
Darimon, Alfred (där-e-môn'). A French
journalist and writer; born in Lille, Dec. 17,
1819. An aptitude for politics and political
writing occasioned his most telling work with
the pen, especially (The History of Twelve
Years, 1857–69, Notes and Recollections) (1883);
(Through a Revolution (1884); (The Agony
of the Empire) (2d ed. 1891); and others
equally popular.
Darley, Felix Octavius Carr. An American
artist; born in Philadelphia, June 23, 1822; died
in Claymont, Del. , March 27, 1888. His illus-
trations of literary masterpieces gave pleasure
to thousands, and made him famous. His best
work comprises his drawings to accompany
the text of Rip Van Winkle); (Sleepy Hol-
low); (Courtship of Miles Standish); “Scarlet
## p. 132 (#148) ############################################
132
DARLEY
DASENT
Letter'; Evangeline); the novels of Cooper,
Dickens, and others, besides many special pict-
ures. His book (Sketches Abroad with Pen
and Pencil' (1868) is well known.
Darley, George. An Irish poet and critic;
born in Dublin, 1795; died near Rome (? ), Nov.
23, 1846. He wrote valuable studies of other
men's work, and was a mathematician of pro-
fundity; in addition to which claims to atten-
tion, he is the author of "Sylvia, or the May
Queen (1827), a fine dramatic poem ; 'Errors
of Extasie and Other Poems); and Nepenthe,
a weird self-revelation in morbid verse.
Darling, Mrs. Flora (Adams). An Ameri-
can novelist; born in New Hampshire in 1840.
Among her works are: Mrs. Darling's Letters)
(1884); (A Wayward Winning Woman; (The
Bourbon Lily); A Social Diplomat); (The
Senator's Daughter. '
Darlington, William. An American scien-
tist, well-known botanist, and author. He was
born in Birmingham, Pa. , April 28, 1782; died
in Westchester, Pa. , April 23, 1863. He was
a soldier in the War of 1812, and a Mem-
ber of Congress from 1815 to 1817 and 1819 to
1823. He published a descriptive catalogue of
plants in Pennsylvania : Flora Cestrica) (1837
and 1853); (Mutual Influence of Habits and
Disease (1804); (Agricultural Botany) (1847);
and in 1853 a genus of pitcher plant found in
California was named in his honor, (Darling-
tonia.
Darmesteter, Agnes Mary Frances (Robin-
son). An English poet; born in Leamington,
1857. She has attained great proficiency in
Greek studies, her verse showing the influence
of Hellenic literature. In 1888 she married
James Darmesteter, the Orientalist. Her writ-
ings include: A Handful of Honeysuckle)
(1878); (An Italian Garden (1886); (Lyrics)
(1891); and (Retrospect) (1893), - volumes of
verse. * See “Robinson” in Library. ?
Darmesteter, James (där-me-ste-tår'). A
distinguished French Orientalist; born at Châ-
teau-Salins, March 28, 1849; died Oct. 19, 1894.
Besides works of strict scholarship on the
Oriental literatures, as (Ormazd and Ahriman);
(Iranian Studies) ; (Origins of Persian Poetry,'
he wrote many essays on miscellaneous sub-
jects. There is an English translation of
some of his Selected Essays. He translated
with Mills the (Zend-Avesta) for the "Sacred
Books of the East) series, published by the
University of Oxford and edited by Max Mül-
ler. *
Daru, Count Pierre Antoine (dä-rü). A
French historian and poet; born in Mont-
pellier, Jan. 12, 1767 ; died on his estate near
Meulan, Sept. 5, 1829. A translation of Horace
into French verse (1800) was greatly admired ;
but his masterpiece is a History of the Re-
public of Venice) (1819), although his (Cléopé-
die, or Theory of Literary Reputations) (1800)
is a poem containing much to recommend it.
D'Arusmont, Madame Frances (da-rüs-món).
(Maiden name Fanny Wright. ) An American
philanthropist and author; born in Dundee,
Scotland, Sept. 6, 1795; died in Cincinnati, (. ,
Dec. 2, 1852. She visited this country sev-
eral times, and in 1825 made an unsuccessful
attempt to establish a settlement for the ele.
vation of the negro at Memphis, Tenn. In
later years she lectured on social, religious,
and political questions. Among her works are :
(Views on Society and Manners in America);
(Altorf,' a tragedy (1819); "Lectures on Free
Inquiry) (1836).
Darwin, Charles Robert. A celebrated Eng.
Tish naturalist and philosopher; born at Shrews-
bury, Feb. 12, 1809; died April 19, 1882. His
life work as a naturalist began in 1831, when
he sailed with Captain Fitzroy in the Beagle
for a surveying expedition round the globe.
From this expedition Darwin returned toward
the end of 1836; in 1839 appeared his Jour-
nal of Researches, afterward revised and pub-
lished under the better known title (A Natur-
alist's Voyage. Several monographs followed
on various points of land and marine zoology;
but not until 1859 did the work appear which
brought to Darwin world-wide and enduring
fame -- (On the Origin of Species by Means
of Natural Selection. (The Descent of Man
and Selection in Relation to Sex appeared in
1871, and “The Expression of the Emotions in
Men and Animals) in 1872. In 1868 he pub.
lished (The Variation of Animals and Plants
under Domestication. He is buried in West-
minster Abbey. *
Darwin, Erasmus. An English naturalist
and poet, grandfather of Charles R. ; born in.
Elton, Nottingham, Dec. 12, 1731; died at
Breadwall, near Derby, April 18, 1802. «The
permanent interest in his writings depends
upon his exposition of the form of evolution-
ism afterwards expounded by Lamarck. He
caught a glimpse of many observations and
principles afterwards turned to account by his
grandson, Charles Darwin; but though a great
observer and an acute thinker, he missed the
characteristic doctrine which made the success
of his grandson's scheme. His literary works
are : (The Botanic Garden (1781); a descript-
ive poem, "The Temple of Nature, or the
Origin of Society) (1803), a specimen of highly
didactic versification; and (Zoonomia' (1794-
98), a prose work on organic life. As a poet
he is lofty and instructive.
Dasent, Sir George. An English philologist
and novelist; born in the island of St. Vincent,
1818. He was for a while one of the editors
of the London Times, and was one of the
Civil Service Commissioners. He is eminent
as a scholar in the Norse languages, particu-
larly Icelandic, and has translated the (Younger
Edda,' besides many other ancient stories and
legends of Iceland, and written (The Norse-
man in Iceland) (1858). Among his original
stories are: Annals of an Eventful Life):
( Three to One); (Half a Life. )
## p. 133 (#149) ############################################
DASH -DAVIDS
133
1
Dash, Countess (däsh), pseudonym of Ga-
brielle Anne Cisterne de Courtiras, Vicomtesse
de Saint-Mars. A French novelist (1804-72);
born at Poitiers. She was a very prolific
writer, producing often five or six stories in the
course of a year. Life in high society is her
theme, and especially wayward love in high
society, as the very titles of most of her novels
indicate : “Bussy-Rabutin's Amours); "Gallant-
ries of the Court of Louis XV. ? ; (Last Amours
of Mme. du Barry); Adventures of a Young
Married Woman.
Dassoucy or d'Assoucy, Charles Coippeau,
called (dä-sö-se'). A French burlesque poet;
born in Paris, Oct. 16, 1605; died there (? ),
1679. He acquired notoriety as the writer of
(Ovid in a Good Humor,' and of a burlesque
of Claudian's "Rape of Proserpine); but he is
remembered mainly because of a contemptuous
allusion to him by Boileau. He seems to have
possessed some talent for musical composition,
but called himself “the emperor of burlesque. ”
Daubenton, Lonis Jean Marie (do-ban-
tôn'). A French botanist and naturalist; born
in Montbar, Burgundy, May 29, 1716; died in
Paris, Dec. 31, 1799. He contributed to the
first five volumes of Buffon's Natural His-
tory) anatomical supplements which form, from
a scientific point of view, the most important
part of that work.
D'Aubigné, Jean Henri Merle (do-bēn-yā').
A celebrated Swiss Protestant church historian;
born near Geneva, Aug. 16, 1794; died at
Geneva, Oct. 24, 1872. He was professor of
historical theology at Geneva (1831-72). His
great work was History of the Reformation)
(1835-53; new ed. 1877-78), with its continu-
ation History of the Reformation in the Time
of Calvin (1863-76).
Daudet, Alphonse (do-dā). A distinguished
French novelist; born at Nîmes, May 13, 1840;
died Dec. 16, 1897. He sought fortune in Paris
in 1857: two booklets of poems were failures;
two plays -(The Last Idol (1862) and (The
White Daisy) (1865)- had more success; after
some years he discovered his true field. His
charming little stories, ( The Little Thing : Story
of a Child (1868); Letters from my Mill
(1869); Monday Tales) (1873), established his
reputation; and his next novel – (Fromont Jr.
and Risler Sr. (1874)- wa
was translated into all
the European languages. Not less celebrated
are : (The Nabob) (1878); (Kings in Exile)
(1880); Numa Roumestan (1882); «The Gos-
peller) (1883); (Sappho) (1884). He struck a
new and a happier vein in the (Tartarin)
series : Prodigious Adventures of Tartarin);
(Tartarin in the Alps); 'Port Tarascon. He
writes reminiscences of his early years in the
French capital in (Thirty Years of Paris )
(1888), and in Recollections of a Man of
Letters) (1889). *
Daudet, Ernest. A French novelist, brother
of Alphonse D. ; born at Nîmes, May 31, 1837.
His most notable novels are: (The Venus of
Gordes); ( The Bloom of Sin); (Martha. ' He
is author of an autobiographical sketch, My
Brother and Myself (1882); and has written
some historical sketches, as a "History of the
Royalist Conspiracies in the South during the
Revolution); History of the Emigration. '
Daumer, Georg Friedrich (dou'mer). A
German poet and philosophical writer (1800-75);
born in Nuremberg. He underwent some re-
markable revolutions of thought concerning
religion : in his student days he leaned strongly
to Pietism ; next he was the declared foe of
the Christian religion; about 1859 he embraced
Catholicism and became one of its foremost
champions. He wrote among many other phil-
osophical tractates : (Hints toward a System
of Speculative Philosophy) (1831); to his sec-
ond period belongs : The Fire and Moloch
Worship of the Hebrews) (1842); to his third :
My Conversion (1859). Of his poetical works,
the Flowers of Song from Hafiz) may be
named,-a very beautiful transcription of the
Oriental poet, with free variations in the very
spirit of Hafiz himself. He wrote also (Beau-
tiful Souls: a Little Wreath of Legends and
Poems) (1862); Legends and Poems of St.
Mary.
Davenant, William. An English poet and
playwright; born at Oxford in February 1606;
died April 7, 1668. A story was current in
his lifetime that he was an illegitimate son
of Shakespeare, and he seemed contented
enough to be thought his son. ! ) He wrote
many plays and poems, but none possessing
any distinguished merit; he succeeded Ben
Jonson as poet laureate of England, however.
He attempted epic composition in (Gondibert,'
and an opera, «The Siege of Rhodes.
Davenport, John. An American divine;
born in Coventry, England, 1597 ; died in Bos-
ton, March 15, 1670. Author of "The Knowl.
edge of Christ) (1653); (The Saint's Anchor
Hold' (1701). He was one of the founders of
New Haven, Conn. In 1660 he hid the regi.
cides Goffe and Whalley from their pursuers.
Davenport, Robert. An English poet and
dramatist, who flourished about 1623 and died
after 1640, but whom we know only through
his (A Crowne for a Conquerour and Too
Late to Call Backe Yesterday. Two Poems, the
One Divine, the Other Morall (1623); King
John and Matilda' (1655), a tragedy; and two
comedies : (A New Trick to Cheat the Divell)
(1639), and “The City Night Cap' (printed
1661). That he was associated with Shakes.
peare in producing (Henry I. and Henry II. ?
seems established, and it is almost certain that
he is the author of a play called (The Pirate.
Davids, Thomas William Rhys. An Eng-
lish publicist, lawyer, and scholar; born at Col-
chester, England, May 12, 1843. He was edu-
cated at the University of Breslau; from 1866
on, filled judicial places in Ceylon and acted
as Archäological Commissioner. In 1877 he
was called to the London bar, and is now
1
1
1
1
4
)
1
(
## p. 134 (#150) ############################################
.
134
DAVIDSON - DAVIS
1
professor of Pali and Buddhist literature in
University College, London. Among his works
are : (Buddhism (1877); translations of (Bud-
dhist Birth Stories) (1880); (Buddhist Suttas)
and “Vinaya Texts) (1881), published in (The
Sacred Books of the East. '
Davidson, John. A Scotch poet, novelist,
and miscellaneous writer; born at Barrhead,
Renfrewshire, 1857. He was at first a teacher,
but in 1890 went to London and adopted the
literary career, writing for the Speaker and
other journals. He has written : (Fleet Street
Eclogues) (1893); (A Random Itinerary)
(1894); "Ballads and Songs) (1894); (Plays)
(1894); (Earl Lavender) (1895); and two noy-
els : (Perſervidand Baptist Lake) (1894).
Davidson, Lucretia Maria An American
poet; born in Plattsburg, N. Y. , Sept. 27, 1808;
died there, Aug. 27, 1825. She was remark-
ably precocious, and at the age of nine years
wrote her first poem : (Epitaph on a Robin. '
Her poetical writings include 278 poems of
various lengths. In 1829 S. F. B. Morse col-
lected and published her writings under the
title (Amir Khan and Other Poems. '
Davidson, Thomas. A Scottish-American
philosopher and writer ; born in Aberdeenshire,
Oct. 25, 1840. He came to the United States
in 1867, and was subsequently professor of
classics in the St. Louis High School. In 1875
he settled in Cambridge, Mass. Later he trav-
eled in Greece and Italy, where much of his
literary work was perfected.
Included in his
publications are: A Short Account of the
Niobe Group) (1874); (The Place of Art in
Education) (1886); (Giordano Bruno, and the
Relation of his Philosophy to Free Thought!
(1886); a (Hand-Book to Dante, from the
Italian of Scartazzini, with Notes and Addi-
tions) (1887); (Prolegomena to Tennyson's
(In Memoriam)); Aristotle and Ancient and
Modern Educational Ideals ); (The Education
of the Greek People and its Influence on Civ-
ilization.
Davies, Sir John. An English poet and
judge; born in Tisbury, Wiltshire, March (? )
1569; died in London (? ), Dec. 7 or 8, 1626.
His legal and judicial career was one of great
distinction, cut short by sudden death. His
rank as a poet is conferred by Know Thyself,
(The Orchestra, and “Hymns to Astræa,' and
others, in which sustained power and a wealth
of moving diction are equally in evidence.
Davies, Thomas Alfred. An American prose
writer; born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y. ,
December 1809; graduated from West Point in
1829. A few selections from his published works
are : (Cosmogony, or Mysteries of Creation)
(1858); (Genesis Disclosed) (1860); (Answer to
Hugh Miller and Theoretical Geologists' (1861);
and (How to Make Money, and How to Keep
It) (1866).
Davila, Arrigo Caterino (dä-vēl’ä). An
Italian historian and statesman; born in Pieve
di Sacco, near Padua, Oct. 30, 1576; assassin-
ated at San Michele, near Verona, about 1631.
His eminence in diplomacy and in statecraft
has been adequately supplemented in literature
by a “History of the Civil Wars in France);
one of the richest sources of information on
the subject, as far as it extends (1560 to 1597),
and very little discredited by the work of sub-
sequent investigators.
Davis, Andrew Jackson. An American
spiritualist and author; born in Orange County,
N. Y. , in 1826. He is a resident of Pough-
keepsie, N. Y. , and is the author of thirty vol-
umes, chief among which are: (The Great
Harmonia); (Harmonial Man); Philosophy
of Spiritual Discourse ); (The Penetralia. '
Davis, Edwin Hamilton. An American
archæologist ; born in Ross County, O. , Jan. 22,
1811; died in New York city, May 15, 1888.
He was author of Ancient Monuments of the
Mississippi Valley) (1848), which was described
by A. Morlot, the distinguished Swiss archæol.
ogist, as being “as glorious a monument of
American science as Bunker Hill is of Amer.
ican bravery. ”
Davis, Henry Winter. An American states-
man and orator; born in Annapolis, Md. , Aug.
16, 1817; died in Baltimore, Md. , Dec. 30, 1865.
He was Member of Congress for three terms
(1856–65), and took a leading part in advocat.
ing emancipation and loyalty to the Union.
His published works are : (The War of Ormuzd
and Ahriman in the 19th Century) (1853);
"Speeches and Addresses in Congress) (1867).
Davis, Jefferson. An American statesman;
born in Christian County, Ky. , June 3, 1808 ;
died in New Orleans, La. , Dec. 6, 1889. Edu-
cated at the United States Military Academy.
Served in the Black Hawk War; went to
Congress in 1845; served in the Mexican War;
was United States Senator in 1847-51; Secre-
tary of War in 1853-57 ; was appointed Presi-
dent of the Confederate States, Feb. 9, 1861;
the following November he was elected Presi.
dent for six years.
He was confined as a
prisoner of State for two years in Fortress
Monroe, indicted for high treason, released on
bail; never tried, being included in the general
amnesty of 1868. He wrote (The Rise and
Fall of the Confederate Government (1881).
Davis, John Chandler Bancroft. An Amer.
ican lawyer and diplomatist; born in 1822.
A Harvard graduate and a lawyer. In 1849 he
went to London as secretary of legation. In
1854 he became American correspondent of the
London Times. In 1869, and again in 1881,
he was Assistant Secretary of State. He rep.
resented the United States in the Alabama »
contest, zealously pushing the (indirect
claims. He is the author of: (The Massa-
chusetts Justice) (1847); “Mr. Sumner, the Ala-
bama Claims, and their Settlement) (1878);
and a work published in French entitled Pro.
cess Tribunals of the United States) (1878).
Davis, Mary Evelyn (Moon). An American
pvet; born in Talladega, Ala. , 1852. She has
## p. 135 (#151) ############################################
DAVIS - DEANE
135
f
written "Minding the Gap and Other Poems)
(1870); and "In War Times at La Rose Blanche)
(1887).
Davis, Rebecca (Harding). An American
novelist; born in Washington, Pa. , June 24,
1831. She contributed many short stories and
sketches to periodicals, and has written several
novels, including: Life in the Iron Mills)
(1861); (A Story of To-Day) (1861) published
later under the title (Margaret Howth); and
(A Law Unto Herself) (1878). She was the
first writer in this country to introduce the labor
question into fiction. Her later works include:
Waiting for the Verdict); (Dallas Galbraith);
Natasqua); (Frances Walstrup'; and others.
Davis, Richard Harding. An American
novelist, short-story writer, and contributor to
periodical literature; born in Philadelphia,
April 18, 1864. He graduated at Lehigh Uni-
versity, and entered journalism in Philadelphia.
His first purely literary success was the story
of Gallegher,' based upon his newspaper ex-
periences, and published with other stories in
a volume (1891). He has since been constantly
engaged in story-writing, and descriptive narra-
tion of events, places, and people. Among his
works are : (Stories for Boys) (1891); (The
West from a Car Window) (1892); 'Van Bibber
and Others) (1892); (Our English Cousins)
(1894); (The Rulers of the Mediterranean)
(1894); (The Princess Aline) (1895); (About
Paris) (1895); (Three Gringoes in Venezuela
and Central America' (1896); (Soldiers of
Fortune (1897); etc.
Davis, Thomas Osborne. An Irish poet;
born in Mallow, County Cork, 1814; died in
Dublin, 1845. His verse was mainly on patri-
otic themes, and appears, collected, in Duffy's
Library of Ireland.
Davy, Sir Humphry. An eminent English
chemist, philosopher, and man of letters; born
at Penzance, Cornwall, Dec. 17, 1778; died at
Geneva, Switzerland, May 29, 1829. In addition
to the revolution he brought about in the domain
of chemistry and applied physics, he embodied
his discoveries and researches in fascinating
literary form in Consolations in Travel, or the
Last Days of a Philosopher) (1830); "Chemical
and Philosophical Researches (1800); (On the
Safety Lamp and on Flame (1828); and nu-
merous equally interesting productions.
Davydoff, Denis Vasiljevich (dä-ve-dôf').
A Russian poet and writer on military affairs
( 1784-1839); born at Moscow. His compositions
in verse were mostly written in camp, and con-
sisted of satires, elegies, dithyrambics, and sol-
dier ballads : the latter especially had a wide
circulation. Among his prose writings were:
Recollections of the Battle of Prussian-Eylau)
and An Essay toward a Theory of Partisan
Warfare.
Dawes, Anna Laurens. An American writer
on political topics, daughter of Henry L. Dawes
of Massachusetts. She was born in 1851, and
has written much for periodicals; among her
essays being : (How We Are Governed'; (The
Modern Jew: His Present and Future); (Bi.
ography of Charles Sumner. )
Dawes, Rufus. An American poet; born in
Boston, Jan. 26, 1803; died in Washington,
D. C. , Nov. 30, 1859. He wrote: “The Valley
of the Nashaway, and Other Poems) (1830);
(Geraldine) (1839), resembling Don Juan in
form and treatment; the successful romance
(Nix's Mate) (1840). His verses were sung at
the laying of the corner-stone of Bunker Hill
monument.
Dawson, Sir John William. A Canadian
geologist and writer; born in Pictou, Nova
Scotia, October 1820; has made many im-
portant discoveries in the science of geology,
and has written largely on geological subjects.
His publications include: Archaia, or Studies
of Creation in Genesis) (1859); (Air Breathers
of the Coal Period); Chain of Life) (1884);
and (Egypt and Syria) (1885). His scientific
papers include: (The Formation of Gypsum,'
and (The Renewal of Forests Destroyed by
Fire. He has also published (Hand-Book of
Geography and National History of Nova
Scotia.
Dawson, William James. An English poet;
born in Towcester, Northamptonshire, 185-
He is a clergyman by profession. His works
include : (Arvalon : a First Poem) (1878); (A
Vision of Souls) (1884); and "Poems and Lyr-
ics) (1893).
Day, John. An English dramatist; born
perhaps about 1575; flourished about 1606, and
died later than 1623. Of the half-dozen of his
plays which have outlived the vicissitudes of
manuscript, the Parliament of Bees) (1607),
a comedy, is of surpassing charm ; while the
(Isle of Gulls,' a drama impregnated with wit,
contains many strong passages.
Day, Richard Edwin. An American poet;
born in West Granby, Oswego County, N. Y. ,
April 27, 1852. He has published (Lyrics and
Satires) (1883), and Poems) (1888).
Day, Thomas. An English poet and prose-
writer; born in London, June 22, 1748; died
Sept. 28, 1789. He was an ardent sympathizer
with the American patriots. Among his works
are: “The Devoted Legions,' a poem against
the war with America (1776); (The Desolation
of America'; Letters of Marius) (1784). He
is the author of the celebrated History of
Sanford and Merton. '
D'Azeglio. See Azeglio.
Dean, John Ward. An American antiqua-
rian scholar and writer. He was born in
Wiscasset, Me. , March 13, 1815. He is editor
of the New England Historical and Genea-
logical Register); and the author of Memoir
of Rev. Nathaniel Ward) (1868); (Memoir of
Rev. Michael Wigglesworth (1871); and Life
of John H. Shepard. '
Deane, Silas. An American diplomatist;
born Dec. 24, 1737, in Groton, Conn. ; died in
0
## p. 136 (#152) ############################################
136
DEBRAL'X – DE FONTAINE
>
Deal, England, Aug. 23, 1789. With Franklin
and Lee he negotiated the treaty between
France and the United States in 1778; was
afterwards greatly misrepresented, and died
abroad in neglect and poverty. He published
in his own defense : Letters to Hon. Robert
Morgan (1784); (An Address to the Citizens
of the United States) (1784); and Paris Pa-
pers, or Mr. Silas Deane's Intercepted Letters
to his Brother and Other Friends) (1781).
Debraux, Paul Emile (de-bro'). A French
balladist; born at Ancerville, Dept. Meuse,
Aug. 30, 1796; died in Paris, Feb. 12, 1831.
He was an ardent Republican, and wrote for
the common people lively songs of wine and
love, which were sung everywhere in tavern
and workshop. He was called “the Béranger
of the rabble. His best-known songs are :
(Mt. St. John'; Belisarius); "Say, Do You
Remember? ); (The Soldier's Widow); Ma-
rengo. Béranger published a complete collec-
tion of his (Songs) (3 vols. ).
Dechez, Louis. See Jenneval.
Decken, Auguste von der. See Elbe, A.
von der.
Decker, Jeremias de (deck'er). A Dutch
poet (1609 66); born at Dort. He translated
into Dutch, Buchanan's Baptist, and into
Dutch verse (The Lamentations of Jeremiah. )
Of his original works the best are his household
poems and his collection of epigrams. His
iGood Friday' recounts scenes of Christ's pas-
sion. His satirical poem (Praise of Avarice)
is of little worth.
De Costa, Benjamin Franklin. An Amer-
ican clergyman and writer; born in Charles-
town, Mass. , July 10, 1831. Included in his
many publications are: (The Pre-Columbian
Discovery of America by the Northmen (1869);
(The Moabite Stone) (1870); and (The Rector
of Roxburgh,' a novel, under the pen-name of
«William Hickling ” (1873). He became pres-
ident (1884) of the first branch of the White
Cross Society," of which he was the organizer.
De Coster, Charles Théodore Henri (dė
kos'ter). A Belgian poet (1827-79); born at
Munich. His first poetical composition was
( The Owls' Mirror); then followed (Flemish
Legends) (1856); Brabant Stories) (1861), a
spirited description of lowly life ; (The Wed-
ding Tour) (1872); and the little comedy
Jenny) (1865).
Decourcelle, Pierre (dė kör-sel'). A French
dramatist ; born at Paris, Jan. 25, 1856. His first
work was the five-act drama, (The Ace of
Clubs, written for Sara Bernhardt; it had an
extraordinary success. Then followed a suc-
cession of comedies, dramas, comic-opera li-
bretti, and dramatizations of popular novels,
written by him individually or in collaboration
with other authors; among them : (The Ama-
zon' (1885); Madame Cartridge); (The Abbé
Constantin (founded on Halévy's story) ; (The
Man with the Broken Ear) (after About).
He wrote also a sensational novel, « The Gray
Hat) (1887), and "Fanfan) (1889), both of which
were received with great popular favor.
Dedekind, Friedrich (ded'é-kind). A Ger-
man poet (1525-98); born at Neustadt on the
Leine. His principal work is (Grobianus)
(1549), a satire in Latin distichs against drunk-
enness and obscenity; it had wide circulation,
and was translated into German, Dutch, and
English. He wrote two dramas having a re-
ligious polemic end in view : (The Christian
Knight) and (The Converted Papist.
Deems, Charles Force. An American clergy-
man and writer; born in Baltimore, Md. , Dec.
4, 1820; died in New York city, Nov. 18, 1893.
From 1866 to his death he was pastor of the
Church of the Strangers of New York city,
and was widely noted as editor and author.
Included in his publications are : (Triumph of
Peace and Other Poems) (1840); (The Light
of the Nations) (1870); Weights and Wings
(1872); (Chips and Chunks for Every Fire-
side); and My Septuagint' (1892).
Deffand, Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, Mar-
quise du (def-fän'). A French wit and letter-
writer, mistress of a most brilliant salon ; born
in Burgundy, 1697 ; died at Paris, Sept. 24,
1780.
