Chapter IV: Front Matter (4)

A recital of the ancient customs of England, defining the relations between the Church and the Crown, drawn up by order of Henry II, and accepted, after much opposition, by Thomas á Becket on behalf of the Church. It made the criminous clerk subject to the civil jurisdiction, provided that questions relating to land claimed by the Crown should be submitted to a jury, constituted the King the final court of appeal, and limited the power of the bishops. By these and other provisions, the supremacy of the Crown was assured. The constitutions were promulgated at the Council of Clarendon in 1164.

Consulta.

The committee of three members of the Council of State of the Netherlands, during the regency of Margaret of Parma, 1559 to 1567. The three were Viglius, Barlaymont, and the Bishop of Arras.

Continental Blockade.

A system established by Napoleon, in 1806, by the Berlin Decree. In this instrument he declared the whole of the British Isles to be in a state of blockade, and forbade any correspondence with them on the part of the countries dependent on him. He further declared all Englishmen found in any country occupied by French troops to be prisoners of war, and ordered all English merchandise and all private property of English subjects wherever found to be confiscated. So impracticable was it to carry out this system that, within the year, Napoleon found it necessary to purchase English cloth to clothe his own troops.

Contra-Remonstrants.

The Gomarists, the opponents of the Arminians in the Netherlands, were so called from their having presented to the States-General a counter-remonstrance, protesting against the five articles set out in the remonstrance of the Arminians in 1610.

Contracting Out.

The chief point at issue in the Employers’ Liability Bill of 1893. The difference of opinion between the two Houses on this point wrecked the bill. _See_ Employers’ Liability.

Conventicle Act.

An Act passed in 1664, rendering illegal any meeting for religious purposes which was attended by more than five persons beyond the family, unless held in accordance with Church of England practice.

Conventicles.

Open air meetings for public worship held by the dispossessed Scotch ministers, after the establishment of the Episcopal Church in Scotland at the Restoration. They were declared illegal, were then permitted by Indulgence, and finally again made illegal, and suppressed whenever possible.

Convention Parliament.

Two Parliaments are known by this title, being irregular assemblies, as not having been summoned by Royal Writ--(1) The Parliament which restored the Crown to Charles II in 1660. (2) The Parliament which offered the throne to William and Mary in 1689.

Conventions Bill.

An Act passed by the Irish Parliament in 1793. It forbade the holding of meetings for the purpose of petitioning the King or Parliament, and also the election of delegates to attend such meetings.

Convicts Prevention Act.

An Act passed by the Victorian Legislature in 1852, forbidding the immigration into the colony of any but free men, thus shutting out ticket-of-leave men from the penal settlements. The Queen at first refused her assent, but the bill was passed a second time and became law.

Conway’s Cabal.

_See_ Cabal, American.

Co-operation.

The first Co-operative Society was started in 1844 by twenty-eight Rochdale weavers. They began their operations with a capital of £28 only, and in sixteen years the Society was worth over £120,000.

Copperheads.

A name given by the Federals, during the American Civil War, to the Peace Party in the Northern States. The copperhead is a peculiarly venomous snake, as deadly as the rattlesnake and more dangerous, because not provided with the warning rattle.

Coppernose.

A nickname of Henry VIII. derived from the silver coinage of his reign, which was made of an alloy containing a quantity of copper.

Copyhold.

A tenure by service, as opposed to freehold or leasehold. In most cases the service has long since been commuted for a small annual payment. In the event of a copyholder dying intestate and without issue, the copyhold reverts to the Lord of the Manor.

Cordeliers.

A revolutionary club in Paris, in the early days of the French Revolution, composed mainly of the partisans of Danton. It took its name from an old monastery of the Cordelier order, where its meetings were held.

Corn Law of 1804.

An Act establishing a prohibitive duty on foreign corn while the price of English wheat stood at 63s. per quarter or under, and fixing the duty at 3s. 6d. per quarter with the price between 63s. and 66s., and at 6d. per quarter with the price above 66s.

Corn Law of 1815.

An Act prohibiting the importation of foreign corn, until the price of English wheat stood at 80s. per quarter.

Corn Law of 1824.

An Act reaffirming the principle of the sliding scale of duties on imported grain, as in the Corn Law of 1804.

Corn Laws, Repeal of the.

An Act passed by Sir Robert Peel’s Government in 1846, reducing immediately the tax on foreign grain, and providing for its ultimate abolition, with the exception of a registration duty amounting to 1s. per quarter. This Act was mainly the result of the efforts of the Anti-Corn Law League.

Cornwall, Duchy of.

Cornwall was created a Duchy by Edward III, and its revenues were assigned to the maintenance of his eldest son, the Prince of Wales. Since that period the eldest son of the Sovereign has borne the title of Duke of Cornwall, and enjoyed the revenues of the Duchy. Alterations in the internal administration were made by Acts passed in 1863 and 1893.

Coronation Stone.

The ancient Scottish Coronation Stone of Scone was brought to England by Edward I, after his defeat of Balliol at Dunbar in 1296, and is now in Westminster Abbey.

Corporal John.

The great Duke of Marlborough was so called by his soldiers.

Corporation Act.

An Act passed in 1661, compelling all holders of office in corporations to swear to their belief in the doctrine of Passive Obedience, to receive the sacrament according to the rites of the English Church, and to renounce the Covenant. This Act was not repealed until 1828.

Corsican Ogre.

A nickname of the great Napoleon.

Cortes.

The Spanish Parliament is so called.

Corti Compromise.

A compromise proposed by Count Corti, Italian Ambassador to the Porte in 1880, to meet the difficulties raised by Turkey in carrying out the provisions of the Berlin Treaty, relative to Montenegro. He proposed that Turkey should retain Gussinje and Plava, ceding instead Kutschi-Kraina and Podgoritza.

Corvée.

Enforced labour on the roads and other public works, exacted from the French peasant before the Revolution. The same system prevailed in Egypt prior to the English occupation.

Cossacks.

The inhabitants of the debateable land between the Russian frontier and the Crim Tartars. The most important of these communities were those of the Dnieper and the Don. They retained a certain degree of independence until the reign of Catherine II of Russia. The soldiers of the military cordon established by the Russians and Poles along their southern frontiers were also known as Cossacks.

Cottereaux.

Bands of mercenaries in the French service during the twelfth century.

Cotton Famine.

The name given to the distress in Lancashire in 1862, in consequence of the cessation of cotton shipments from America during the Civil War, by which thousands of operatives were thrown out of employment. Large sums were received by subscriptions in aid, and in August of that year the Relief Act was passed, by which loans were granted to the guardians to enable them to establish relief works.

Council of State.

A council of forty-one members, in whom Parliament vested the executive power, on the proclamation of the Commonwealth in 1649. They were appointed for one year.

Councils.

_See_ Ancients, Anziani, Aulic, Blood, Castle, Clarendon, Consulta, Colonies, Federal, Fifteen, Five Hundred, Hlutdaw, Indies, Kilkenny, Magnum, North, Policy, Reason, Sixteen, Ten, Thirty-six.

Councils, Church.

_See_ Bari, Basle, Clermont, Constance, Constantinople, Dort, Lateran, Lyons, Nicæa, Œcumenical, Pisa, Trent, Vatican, Vienne.

Country Party.

A political party, formed about 1673, under the leadership of Lords Russell and Cavendish. They were in full sympathy with the demands of the Dissenters for toleration, and made it their special business to keep a watch on the religious and political designs of the Court. They afterwards became known as Whigs.

County Palatine.

A county possessing certain Royal privileges, created originally for defence of the frontier against the Welsh, the Scotch and the French. They were Chester, Lancaster, Durham, Kent, Shropshire, Pembrokeshire, and Hexhamshire. Only the three first named retained any of their privileges beyond the sixteenth century.

Coup d’Etat.

A term applied to any overthrow of free institutions by military intervention, but used especially to denote the bold stroke of Louis Napoleon, who by a display of military force in the Paris streets in December, 1851, and the imprisonment of the Republican members of the Chamber, succeeded in getting himself proclaimed Consul, and, later, Emperor.

Cour d’Héritage.

An ancient feudal court in Jersey, having jurisdiction over all disputed questions as to landed property.

Cours Plénières.

Assemblies of the Barons, called, on the great festivals of the year, by the early kings of France and England.

Court Baron.

A court of the old Norman Manor, summoned to settle all questions arising out of the cultivation of the demesne land of the Manor.

Court Customary.

A baronial court in feudal times held to decide questions arising out of the tenure of land by villeins.

Court Leet.

Under Henry I the Hundred Court was so called, when it sat for the purpose of trying criminal cases under the presidency of the Sheriff.

Courte Paix.

_See_ Longjumeau.

Courts.

_See_ Audiencias, Augmentations, Aulic, Austrägal, College of Justice, Chambre, Confines, Consistorium, Curia Regis, Four Burghs, Great Session, Haute Cour, Heemraden, High Commission, Jews, Manor, Parlement, Piés Poudrées, Reichskammergericht, Requests, Salford, Star Chamber, Tribunal, Tynwald, Vehmgericht, Wales.

Coventry Act.

An Act passed in 1671 declaring nose-slitting or other mutilation of the person to be a felony. It was passed in consequence of a dastardly attack upon Sir James Coventry, a Member of Parliament, who, having incurred the enmity of the Court party by some comments in the House on Charles the Second’s _liaison_ with Nell Gwynne, was waylaid on his way home by Sir Thomas Sandys and some of the King’s friends, who dragged him from his coach and slit his nose to the bone.

Cowboys.

Bands of British marauders who infested the banks of the Hudson River during the American War of Independence. The name is now applied to the cattlemen on the ranches in the Far West.

Cowper-Temple Clause.

A clause inserted in the Education Act of 1870, embodying an amendment moved by Mr. Cowper-Temple. It provides that unsectarian Bible teaching shall be given during school hours in all rate-aided schools under the School Boards.

Coyne and Livery.

The right of an Irish chieftain to quarter his soldiery on the tenants. It was forbidden by the Statute of Kilkenny in 1307, and was finally stopped in 1603. It was called by the Irish “Bonaght.”

Cradle of Liberty.

The name given to Faneuil Hall, Boston, which was the place of meeting of the American patriots during the period of the Revolution.

Craigmillar, Bond of.

An agreement entered into in 1566, at the instigation of Bothwell, by Argyle, Huntly, Maitland and Sir James Balfour, with the object of compassing the death of Darnley.

Crapaud, Jean.

A Frenchman is so called, probably from the fleur-de-lys of the old French standard, which bears a faint resemblance to a toad (crapaud).

Creole State.

The State of Louisiana is so called because of the large number of its inhabitants who are descendants of the original French and Spanish settlers.

Creoles.

In Spanish America this term is applied to all persons of pure European descent, born in South America. Those with an admixture of Indian blood are known as Mestizos. The word Creole was also applied in Louisiana to those of pure French descent who were born in the Colony.

Cretan Convention.

A convention between the Porte and the Powers, signed in September, 1896. It provided for the appointment of a Christian Governor, and for the summoning of an Assembly within six months. Two-thirds of the official appointments were to be held by Christians and one third by Mohammedans. The Cretan Government was to retain one half of the Customs duties, the other half being taken by the Sultan, in lieu of the old tribute.

Crimes Act, 1882.

An Act empowering the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to suspend jury trial in disturbed districts, and to send agrarian cases for trial by a commission of three judges, with an appeal to the Court of Criminal Cases Reserved. Power of search was given to the police in proclaimed districts, and, further, power to arrest and remove strangers thought dangerous to public safety.

Crimes Act, 1887.

An Act to repress the lawlessness of the Irish Land League. It gave power to the Lord Lieutenant to proclaim the affected districts, and to suppress seditious gatherings and unlawful associations. It also provided for change of venue, in cases where a fair trial could not be relied upon under ordinary conditions.

Croppies.

A name given to the Roundheads during the Civil War. The Irish rebels of 1798 were also called by this name.

Crown, Treaty of the.

A treaty signed at Vienna in 1700, between the Emperor Leopold I, and Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, by which Leopold recognized Frederick as King of Prussia. Frederick undertook to place 10,000 men in the field for the service of the empire, if required, to support Austria in the German Diet, and to vote, as Elector, for Leopold’s son, Joseph, and his successors as occupants of the Imperial throne.

Crusade of Children.

In 1212, some 90,000 children, mostly from Germany, inspired by the crusading spirit of the times, left their homes for the Holy Land. Many who embarked at Marseilles were carried to Alexandria and there sold as slaves. Others got no further than Genoa, where they were enslaved by the Genoese.

Cum ex Apostolatus Officio, Bull.

A Bull of Pope Paul IV, issued in 1559, declaring all Protestant Princes incapable of reigning, and giving Catholics the right to levy on their possessions.

Cumbernauld, Bond of.

An agreement signed by John Graham, Earl of Montrose, and his associates, prior to their invasion of England in August, 1640, by which they bound themselves to oppose any dictatorship vested in the hands of subjects.

Cupar Justice.

_See_ Jedburgh Justice.

Curfew, or Couvrefeu.

The famous enactment of William the Conqueror, ordering all persons in the country districts to be in their houses, with all lights extinguished, by eight o’clock in winter and sunset in summer. It was presumably designed to prevent secret meetings and conspiracies directed against the King, of which there were many, owing to his unpopularity with the Saxon element of the population.

Curia Regis.

A court of law established by William the Conqueror as the Final Court of Appeal of the realm. At its head was the Justiciary, as the King’s representative. It was re-organised in the reign of Henry I, when the Exchequer Court was established by Roger of Salisbury, the Barons of the Curia Regis sitting as Barons of the Exchequer for financial purposes. It was again reconstituted by Henry II, who limited its numbers to five, and by Magna Charta, when it was divided into three courts, those of the Exchequer, the Common Pleas, and the King’s Bench. It thus took the form which lasted, with minor modifications, until the Judicature Acts of 1873-5.

Curt-Mantle.

The nickname of Henry II of England, from his wearing the short cloak of Anjou instead of the longer mantle worn by his predecessors.

Custer Massacre.

The destruction by a body of Sioux Indians of the whole of General Custer’s force, on the Little Big Horn, Montana, in 1876.

Custos Rotulorum.

The keeper of the rolls of the County Sessions. The office is generally held by the Lord Lieutenant of the County.

Cyprus Treaty.

A treaty between Great Britain and Turkey, signed in 1788, whereby the Sultan recognized the occupation and administration of Cyprus by Great Britain, with the following provisos: that a Mussulman religious tribunal should be established; that all surplus revenue should be paid to him; that the Porte should retain the right to sell or lease lands belonging to the Crown, and that Cyprus should be restored to the Porte in the event of Russia restoring Kars.

D

Dacoity.

The name given in India to brigandage or highway robbery. It was very prevalent in Burmah after the annexation.

Daimios.

The great hereditary nobles of Japan. The principal Daimios, such as the Princes of Satsuma, Choshiu, Kaga, and some others, were almost in the position of independent sovereigns, though they owed a nominal allegiance to the Emperor, and in some cases to the Shôgun. The word, strictly Dai-miyo, signifies “Great Name.”

Dalai Lama.

The sovereign pontiff or spiritual ruler of Thibet. He is supposed to be always a reincarnation of a previous holder of the office. The actual government is carried on by the Des-ri, or king.

Dancing Chancellor.

Sir Christopher Hatton, Chancellor of Queen Elizabeth, was so called. The Queen first saw him at a masque, where her attention was attracted by his graceful dancing.

Dandy King.

A nickname of Joachim Murat, King of Naples.

Danegelt.

A tax imposed for the first time by Æthelred the Unready, for the purpose of buying off the Danish invaders, in 994. It became a permanent tax till the reign of Henry II, who replaced it by “Scutage.”

Danelagh.

The country ceded to the Danes by the Treaty of Wedmore, in 878.

Danites.

A Mormon secret society, founded in 1838, for the protection of the Mormons from the “Gentiles.” It contained organized companies, called “Destruction Companies,” whose business it was to burn and destroy “Gentile” property, nominally by way of reprisals, and there is little doubt that these bands did not stop short of assassination. They were probably concerned in the Mountain Meadow Massacre.

Dannebrog, Order of the.

A Danish order of knighthood, founded by Waldemar II in 1219, and reconstituted by Christian V in 1693.

Danube Navigation Commission.

An international commission appointed in 1856, when the navigation of the Danube was thrown open to all nations. It was originally appointed for two years only, but has from time to time been continued, the last extension being for twenty-one years from 1883. Its jurisdiction extends from the mouths of the Danube to the Iron Gate.

Dardanelles, Treaty of.

A treaty signed in London in 1841, after the conclusion of the Syrian War, by England, France, Russia, Prussia, Austria and Turkey. It confirmed the agreement arrived at by the Convention of London of the previous year, depriving Mehemet Ali of all his Asiatic possessions, but securing him the Government of Egypt. It also provided that the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles should be closed to all ships of war, excepting small vessels under a special firman. This provision was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris of 1856. The Treaty of the Dardanelles is also known as the Treaty of London.

Darien Scheme.

A scheme promoted by a Scotchman named Paterson, in the reign of William III, to secure the trade with the Far East by utilising a route across the Isthmus of Darien. A company was formed, and obtained a charter from the Scottish Parliament, granting a monopoly for thirty-one years of the trade with Asia, Africa, and America, and the right to introduce all goods from those regions free of duty, excepting sugar and tobacco. In 1698, 1,200 colonists started for Darien, but were at once opposed by the Spanish colonists, and though a further expedition was dispatched in the following year, the whole enterprise failed ignominiously. The scheme had from the first been opposed in England, and was the cause of much bad blood between the two countries, and of a heavy pecuniary loss to Scotland.

Dauphin.

The title of the first-born heir-male to the French throne.

De Facto King, Statute of.

A Statute of Henry VII, passed in 1485, enacting that no person could be convicted of high treason for services rendered to the King who was actually on the throne.

Death Ride.

The charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade at Balaclava, on September 20, 1854, is so called.

Debateable Land.

A district on the English and Scottish borders, claimed by both countries, and inhabited by the Grahams, who were generally on the English side in war time, though they raided both sides of the border impartially in time of peace. The district lay between the waters of the Esk and the Sark. Under James I the whole Graham Clan was removed to Ulster.

Decamisados.

The extreme section of the Spanish revolutionists in 1821. They may be said to correspond to the French _sans-culottes_. The word means the “shirtless ones.”

December Emeute.

A meeting of about 200 students and young people, on the Nekvsi Prospekt in St. Petersburg, in 1876, at which cheers were raised for the exiles in Siberia, The police interfered, and arrested some thirty, but there seems to have been little resistance, and the affair, though supposed to have been part of a more important movement, was probably much exaggerated by the authorities.

December, Man of.

Napoleon III was so called because December was the month of his election to the Presidency, of the _Coup d’Etat_, and of his taking the title of Emperor.

December Rising.

An outbreak in St. Petersburg in December, 1825, on the accession of Nicholas I, fomented by a revolutionary society known as the Society of the North. The rightful heir to the throne was Constantine, the elder brother of Nicholas, but he had waived his rights. The revolutionists, however, made use of the question of succession to excite the mob, their real object being the overthrow of the dynasty. The rising was easily suppressed, and the ringleaders convicted and hanged. The conspirators were afterwards known as the Dekabrists.

Decet Romanum Pontificum, Bull.

A Bull of Leo X, issued in January, 1521, calling upon the German Princes to uphold the Papal authority by condemning Luther unheard.

Decimation.

An arbitrary income-tax of ten per cent. levied on all Royalists by Cromwell’s Major-Generals, in 1655.

Declaration of Independence (America).

The Manifesto issued by the second Congress in America, on July 4, 1776, declaring the colonies independent. It was only carried in Congress by a majority of one.

Declaration of Independence (Brazil).

This instrument, promulgated in 1822, proclaimed the separation of Brazil from the Crown of Portugal. The colony was erected into a constitutional monarchy, Pedro, the second son of John VI of Portugal, being proclaimed Emperor.

Declaration of Indulgence, 1673.

A proclamation by Charles II, suspending all penal laws against Dissenters. Parliament, however, held that while the King had the power of pardon in individual cases, he had no constitutional right to suspend general enactments. The King was consequently forced to withdraw the Declaration.

Declaration of Indulgence, 1687.

A proclamation by James II, issued on his sole authority, annulling all religious tests, and all penal enactments against Dissenters, which he ordered to be read in the churches. This led to the famous Protest of the Seven Bishops.

Declaration of Right.

A declaration by the Convention, accompanying the offer of the Crown to William of Orange in 1689. It declared that the dispensing power was non-existent, that the sovereign could only raise money by the aid of Parliament, and that no army could be maintained in time of peace. It further asserted the right of petition, of freedom of debate in Parliament, of free choice of representatives, and of pure administration, and the necessity of frequent Parliaments. The declaration was accepted by William, and afterwards embodied in the Bill of Right.

Declaration of Rights.

A manifesto issued by the General Congress in America, in 1774, maintaining the rights of American colonists as Englishmen, and demanding the repeal of the Boston Port Act and other obnoxious legislation.

Decretals, False.

A collection of Decretals, or Papal Edicts, purporting to have been issued by very early Popes, which was produced in the ninth century. These Decretals were designed to support the claim of the Bishops of Rome to supreme authority in the Church.

Defender of the Faith.

The title granted to Henry VIII by Leo X in 1521, in recognition of his book “The Assertion of the Seven Sacraments,” written in opposition to the Lutheran doctrine. This title has been borne by all the English Sovereigns since Henry VIII.

Defenders.

The name assumed by the agrarian bands formed by the Catholic farmers of Ulster for defence against the Peep o’ Day Boys, in 1782.

Defensionale.

A joint military scheme for the defence of the country, drawn up by the Federated States of Switzerland, in 1647.

Deficit, Madame.

A name given by the Parisians to Marie Antoinette, circ. 1786, the constant deficits in the French Budget being attributed to her extravagance.

Dekabrists.

The name given to the conspirators concerned in the December rising in St. Petersburg in 1825.

Delegations.

A body of 120 members, chosen half by the Austrian and half by the Hungarian Legislature, which controls all questions affecting the common interests of the dual monarchy. To this body the Ministers of War, Foreign Affairs, and Finance are responsible. To have the force of law, its enactments require the confirmation of both Parliaments.

Demarcation, Bull of.

The Bull issued by Pope Alexander VI in 1493, defining the respective colonial spheres of Spain and Portugal. A line was drawn north and south, 100 leagues west of the Azores. All extra-European countries east of this line were granted to Portugal, and all west of it to Spain. On this Bull Spain based her claim to the whole of the American Continent.

Demesne Lands.

The lands belonging to the Crown were so called in the early days of English History.

Demetrius, The False.

A pretender to the Russian throne, who appeared in Poland, and obtained the support of the Jesuits in 1591. He claimed to be the Demetrius Ivanovitch who was supposed to have been murdered by the usurper Boris. After the death of Boris, the Pretender, aided by the Poles, entered Moscow, and ascended the throne, but the Muscovites soon discovered the fraud and put him to death.

Democrats (U.S.A.).

_See_ Republicans.

Deogam, Treaty of.

A treaty between the British and the Rajah of Berar, at the close of the second Mahratta War in 1803. The Rajah surrendered Katak and Balasore, and all his territory west of the Wardha, and assented to the conditions of the Treaty of Bassein.

Deposition, Bull of, 1535.

A Bull of Pope Paul III, dated in 1535, and issued in the following year, excommunicating and deposing Henry VIII. It was the Pope’s reply to the Act of Supremacy and the execution of Fisher and Sir Thomas More.

Deposition, Bull of, 1569.

A Bull issued by Pius V, declaring Queen Elizabeth to have forfeited her right to the throne, and freeing her subjects from their allegiance.

Derby Dilly.

A name given to a section of the Tory party in 1835, which followed Lord Stanley, afterwards Earl of Derby.

Despard’s Plot.

A conspiracy, headed by Colonel Despard, a retired army officer, who had become imbued with the principles of the French Revolution, to assassinate George III, 1802. His accomplices were almost all men of the labouring classes. The conspirators were seized, and Despard and some others hanged.

Des-ri.

The king or political ruler of Thibet, to whom the functions of government are handed over by the Dalai Lama.

Destiny, Man of.

Napoleon I was so-called, owing to his firm belief in his lucky star.

Devil’s Parliament.

A Parliament summoned by Henry VI at Coventry in 1459. It passed a Bill of Attainder against the Yorkist leaders.

Devil’s Wall.

The wall which in ancient times separated England from Scotland.

Devolution, Law of.

An ancient local custom in certain fiefs of Brabant, whereby, upon the death of one parent the fief passed to the children.

Diamond, Battle of.

The name given to an affray in 1795, at Diamond, a village near Armagh, between the Defenders and the Peep o’ Day Boys, in which the latter were victorious.

Diamond Necklace.

A scandal of the Court of Louis XVI, in 1785, to which the unpopularity of Marie Antoinette was largely due. Mme. Lamothe, the mistress of the Cardinal de Rohan, gave the Cardinal an order, purporting to be signed by the Queen, for a diamond necklace, which the Cardinal ordered from the Court jeweller, giving bills for payment by instalments. Madame Lamothe, by means of another forged document, obtained possession of the necklace, and turned it to her own uses. The Cardinal being unable to meet the first bill when it became due, the jeweller applied to the Queen. The matter came to the ears of the King, who ordered an inquiry, and Mme. Lamothe was arrested and convicted, and the Cardinal disgraced. Nothing was proved against the Queen, but the public remained convinced that she was in some way mixed up in the affair.

Diamond State.

The State of Delaware, U.S.A., is so called.

Diamond Trade Act.

An Act passed by the Cape Parliament in 1882, to suppress illicit diamond buying, or I.D.B. This Act made it criminal to possess an uncut diamond without being able to account for its lawful possession. It also gave the police large powers of search, including the right to open suspicious parcels in the post. The administration of this Act was the cause of the Kimberley Riots.

Dictator of a Day.

Pavia, Captain-General of Madrid, who by a _pronunciamiento_ in 1869, obtained the supreme power, which he at once handed over to Marshal Serrano.

Dingaan’s Day.

December 16, 1838, on which day the Transvaal Commandos completely routed the Zulu chief Dingaan, thus avenging the massacre of the Boer farmers in the early part of the same year.

Directoire.

The Government established in France after the fall of Robespierre, in July, 1794. The power was vested in five directors, assisted by a Council of five hundred, and a Council of two hundred and fifty members known as the Council of Ancients. It lasted until 1799, when the Consulate was established by the _Coup d’Etat_ of November 9 (18th Brumaire).

Disarming Act.

One of the Irish Penal Laws, passed in 1695, under which all Papists were ordered to surrender their arms, under penalty of a heavy fine for the first offence, and of imprisonment for life for the second.

Disarming the Highlands, Act for.

An Act passed in 1825, forbidding the carrying of arms by the Highland clansmen.

Disastrous Peace.

The Treaty of Câteau Cambrésis in 1559, whereby Henri renounced his Italian claims, was so called by the French.

Discipline, Books of.

The two publications embodying the constitution and procedure of the Church of Scotland. The first was drawn up by John Knox, and four other ministers, in 1560. The second, a revised version of the first, was drawn up by Andrew Melville, and sanctioned by the General Assembly in 1578.

Discoverers.

Certain persons in Ireland, circ. 1616, who made it their business to investigate some of the older titles to land. In the event of their discovering any flaw in the titles, such lands were confiscated, the informer receiving a percentage of the value.

Disinherited.

The Barons who continued the Barons’ War after the Battle of Evesham were so called because a decree of forfeiture had been issued against all the supporters of Simon de Montfort.

Dissolution of Monasteries.

This was carried out by an Act passed in 1536, supplemented in 1539 by a further Act, vesting all monastic property in the Crown.

Divine Right.

The doctrine of the inalienable right of the next in succession to ascend the throne by virtue of inheritance, apart from any considerations of fitness or Parliamentary sanction. It reached its apogee in the Stuart times, and was discarded with the adoption of William III as King of Great Britain and Ireland.

Dix-huit Brumaire.

The _Coup d’Etat_ of November 9, 1799, when Napoleon overthrew the Directoire, and had himself appointed First Consul.

Dix-huit Fructidor.

The _Coup d’Etat_ of September 4, 1797, whereby the Royalist plot in which certain members of the Directoire and the Councils were implicated, was frustrated.

Dixie’s Land.

A popular name for the Southern States of America in the slavery days.

Doctrinaires.

The name given to the philosophic Liberals in France, in the reign of Louis XVIII.

Domesday Book.

A register of the holders of land compiled by Commissioners appointed by William the Conqueror.

Dominicans.

An order of mendicant friars, known as the Preaching Friars, and in England as the Black Friars, founded by St. Dominic and recognized by Pope Honorius III in 1216. To this Order was entrusted the conduct of the Inquisition.

Dominus ac Redemptor noster, Bull.

The Bull of Clement XIV, issued in 1773, suppressing the Jesuits.

Don Pacifico.

A British subject, a Jew of Gibraltar, whose house at Athens was burnt by a mob in 1847. The difficulty and delay in obtaining compensation led to Lord Palmerston sending a fleet to the Piraeus. Greece appealed to France and Russia, and a European war was for some time within measurable distance.

Donation of Charles.

A gift of Charlemagne to Pope Adrian I, in 774. It is uncertain of what the donation consisted, though it included a confirmation of the “Donation of Pepin.” It was declared by the Popes, however, to have been a gift of the whole of the Italian peninsula, and by some even to have been a renewal of the fabled “Donation of Constantine.”

Donation of Constantine.

A legendary gift to the Pope of the imperial sovereignty over Italy and the whole of the Western Empire. This document is included amongst the False Decretals.

Donation of Pepin.

The gift of Pepin, the first king of the Carlovingian dynasty, to the See of Rome, in 755, of Ravenna and the surrounding country, which he had recently conquered from the Lombards. This donation may be said to be the foundation of the temporal power of the Popes, which lasted until 1870.

Donauwörth, Troubles of.

A series of disturbances at Donauwörth, a free Protestant town in Suabia, in 1606, due to the Catholic minority insisting on holding religious processions through the streets of the town. The Aulic Council, supported by the Emperor, placed Donauwörth under the ban of the Empire, and eventually made it a Catholic town, within the jurisdiction of Bavaria. The action of the Aulic Council in this case resulted in the formation of the Protestant League in 1608.

Dongan Charter.

The charter of the City of New York, granted in 1686 by Thomas Dongan, Governor of New York under James II.

Donis Conditionalibus, Statute De.

A Statute of Edward the First’s reign, which provided that if an estate were given to a man and his children, he had only a life interest in it, and in the event of his dying without issue, the estate reverted to the donor. Prior to this statute, it was sufficient that a child was born to him, when the estate became his absolute property, and could be alienated at will. This statute, in fact, established the system of entails.

Doom-Book.

A codification of the Anglo-Saxon laws and customs, made by Alfred the Great (871-901).

Doppers.

The members of the Separatist Reformed Church in the Transvaal and Orange Free State. It was established by Mr. Postma in the Transvaal, in 1859, and is now a very influential body. Its tenets are not unlike those of the Scottish Covenanters.

Dorr’s Rebellion.

An insurrection in Rhode Island, headed by Thomas W. Dorr, in 1841, having for its object the extension of the suffrage, which remained as originally instituted by the Charter of Charles II in 1663. He seized the State Arsenal, but was overpowered, and later was arrested and sentenced to imprisonment for life. He was afterwards pardoned. His movement, however, resulted in the adoption, in 1842, of a constitution to supersede the Charter of 1663.

Dort, Synod of.

A synod held in 1618, to which all the Protestant Churches were invited to send representatives. It was specially convened for the purpose of considering the Arminian heresy, and resulted in the condemnation of Arminianism, and the expulsion of its followers from Holland.

Douglas Larder.

When Sir James Douglas (The Good) recovered his castle from the English in 1306, he massacred the garrison, and threw their bodies, together with all the stores and provisions found in the castle, into a cellar. This was called by the English the “Douglas Larder.”

Douglas Wars.

The Civil War in Scotland between the King’s men and Queen’s men from 1568 to 1573, was so called from the family name of the Earl of Morton, who was Regent during the later period of the war.

Dover, Treaty of.

A treaty between Charles II and Louis XIV, signed in 1670, by which Charles was to re-establish Roman Catholicism, receiving from Louis £200,000 a year, and the use of 6,000 French troops. He was to aid Louis in his designs against Holland, receiving as a reward the Province of Zeeland, and further to support Louis in his claim to the Spanish succession, for which service he was to receive as payment Minorca and Ostend.

Dózsa Revolt.

A revolt of peasants under George Dózsa, in Hungary, in the reign of Ladislas (1490-1516) which was suppressed with considerable difficulty and great cruelty, and led to the peasants being reduced to a condition little removed from serfdom.

Draft Riots.

An outbreak in New York in 1863, to resist the drafting of New Yorkers into the Union Army. The mob held possession of the city for four days, the absence of the militia at the front having left only the police available for the protection of the city. It is calculated that over 1,000 persons were killed, and damage done to the extent of two million dollars during the riots.

Dragonnades.

The persecution of the Huguenots in Poitou and other parts of France by the dragoons of Louvois and Marillac in 1685.

Dred Scott Case.

A case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1855. Dred Scott, a negro, claimed that having lived with his owner in a free labour state, he could not be sold back into slavery on his master’s death. The Supreme Court decided against him, and further laid it down that he had no _locus standi_ before the Court, as the rights of citizenship could not be claimed by any person who had been a slave or was the descendant of a slave.

Dreikaiserbund.

An alliance, more or less formal, between the three Emperors of Austria, Germany, and Russia, dating from a personal meeting in 1872. It had ceased to exist in any form prior to 1879, when the foundation of the existing Triple Alliance was laid.

Dreyfus Case.

In December, 1894, Captain Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery officer, employed at the General Staff in Paris, was found guilty of supplying confidential documents to foreign Powers, and sentenced to degradation and transportation for life. His friends were convinced of his innocence, and began an agitation which by degrees attracted the attention of many eminent Frenchmen, among others Emile Zola, who took up his cause with great warmth. Eventually the Government were forced to submit the case to the Cour de Cassation, which quashed the conviction and ordered a new trial. Dreyfus was brought back to France in 1899, and tried by court-martial at Rennes. Though his innocence was generally believed in outside France, he was again found guilty, but was almost immediately pardoned by the President. The Case was the occasion of a wild outburst of anti-semitism in France. In February, 1903, it was rumoured that the case was to be re-opened by the Dreyfusites, evidence having come to light of the methods adopted by the General Staff to secure the second conviction.

Drifts, Closing the.

In 1895 the Transvaal Government raised the rates on merchandise on the railway between the Vaal and Johannesburg, in order to force importers to use the newly-opened Delagoa Bay Railway. The Cape importers thereupon unloaded their merchandise at the frontier, and sent it on to Johannesburg by waggon. President Kruger then closed the drifts, or fords, on the Vaal on October 1. He was reminded that this action was a breach of the London Convention, but he remained obdurate, and it was found necessary to resort to a display of force, before which he gave way.

Drogheda, Statute of.

Generally known as Poyning’s Act.

Drunken Parliament.

A Scottish Parliament which assembled in 1661. It passed the Episcopal Ordination and the Mile Acts, and it is said that at the passing of the first-named Act, the whole assembly, with one exception, was intoxicated.

Dual Alliance.

The alliance at present existing (1903) between France and Russia. Its earliest form was a military convention, signed in 1891, whereby it was stipulated that either nation should, with a specified force, assist in repelling an attack on the other by Germany. This convention was extended in 1894, and in 1897 became a definite alliance, for defensive purposes only, wherein all special reference to Germany is dropped.

Dual Control.

The control by England and France of the Egyptian finances established by a decree of September 4, 1879, which provided that the Comptrollers-General of the two Powers should have the rank of Egyptian Ministers, and the right to attend, but not to vote at, meetings of the Council, together with full powers of inquiry into all questions of finance. The Dual Control ceased to exist when France declined to co-operate with England in the suppression of the Arabi revolt.

Duclair Incident.

This name is given to the seizure and destruction of six English vessels at Duclair, on the Seine, by the Germans during their occupation of France in 1870. Full apologies and compensation were given.

Duel, Trial by.

Among the Norsemen a claimant was allowed, under certain conditions, to make good his claim by an appeal to arms. If victorious his claim was considered established. This system was abolished among the Danes and Norsemen by King Knut.

Dukhobors.

A Russian sect, claiming to live without submitting themselves to human laws, and without reference to any other authority than that of God. The refusal to undergo military service led to their expulsion from Russia, and they are now domiciled in Canada, where, in 1902, they caused the authorities no little trouble by their refusal to submit to the law of the land.

Dulcigno Arrangement.

The final settlement of the Montenegro boundary question, long pending between the Great Powers and Turkey, replacing the Corti Compromise which was not carried out. The transfer of territory fixed by this arrangement was completed in 1881.

Dumb Captain.

The Prince de Condé, the leader of the conspiracy of Amboise, was so called by his confederates.

Dunces, Parliament of.

The Parliament of Henry IV, which met at Coventry in 1404. _See_ Unlearned Parliament.

Dungannon Convention.

A convention of Ulster volunteer corps, held in 1781, at which resolutions were passed protesting against Irish legislative dependence on England and against a perpetual Mutiny Act. The meeting further demanded freedom of commerce for Ireland, and proclaimed its belief in the right of private judgment in religious matters.

Dupes, Journée des.

November 11, 1603, on which day Marie de’ Medici, Anne of Austria, and the Duke of Orleans, were outwitted by Richelieu, whom they had persuaded Louis XIII to dismiss from his service. The Cardinal returned to office more powerful than ever.

Durham, County Palatine of.

Durham was made a County Palatine in the reign of William I, and Palatine privileges were enjoyed by the Bishops of Durham until 1836. The administrative authority is now exercised on behalf of the Crown.

Dutch East India Company.

A company with trading and political rights, to which a charter was granted in 1602. Its affairs were controlled by a board of directors in Holland, and a governor-general in the Indies. It founded a colony at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. In 1795 the Company ceased to exist, having become insolvent.

Dutch Plot.

A rising in New York in 1690 under Jacob Leisler, declaring for William III.

Dysiefald.

The catastrophe of Dysieaa, where the revolting peasants were defeated by Waldemar I of Denmark in 1181.

E

Eadgar’s Law.

The constitution of England during the reign of Eadgar (959-975) when, under the virtual rule of Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, the various tribes of Saxons and Danes were united under one administration. Knut re-established Eadgar’s Law on his accession in 1016.

Eagle of Brittany.

Bertrand Duguesclin, Constable of France (died 1380), was so called.

Ealdorman.

In Saxon times, a national officer, appointed by the king and council to control military affairs in the shire. He sat with the sheriff in the Shire Court.

Earthquake, Council of the.

The name given to the Synod of the English Church at which the Wycliffite doctrines were declared heretical. It was so called from a shock of earthquake which was felt during the sitting of the Synod.

East India Company.

The first charter to the Indian merchants was granted in 1600, and made perpetual in 1609, a company being constituted under the title of the India Company, with the monopoly of the Eastern trade. During the Revolution a rival company was formed whose competition threatened to extinguish the older Company, but eventually the two were amalgamated in 1708. As the field of operations in India was extended, political questions became increasingly important, and such was the maladministration of the Company, that the Government was constantly forced to interfere. In 1773 a Regulating Act was passed, by which a new council was appointed and other administrative reforms introduced, but the consequent improvement was not marked, and in 1784 Pitt’s India Bill withdrew all political power from the hands of the Company, while leaving their trading rights intact, and established a Board of Control, to be appointed by the British Government. In 1813 the trading monopoly of the Company was broken, so far as India was concerned, by the admission of independent traders to the Company’s territories, but they still retained the China trade. In 1834, however, the restrictions on trade still afforded by the Company’s charter were felt to be out of harmony with modern commercial ideas, and the whole of the Company’s trading rights were swept away, in return for an annuity, payable for forty years, of £630,000, redeemable at the end of that period, at the Government’s option, for a sum of £12,000,000. Before that period was ended, however, the Indian Mutiny broke out, and on its suppression, in 1858, the Company was finally dissolved, and India passed under the direct rule of the United Kingdom.

Ecclesiastical Reservation.

A clause in the Religious Peace of Augsburg, of 1555, providing that any spiritual prince who changed his religion was to forfeit his office and the revenues of his see.

Ecclesiastical Titles Act.

An Act passed in 1851 in response to the agitation caused by the action of the Pope in appointing Cardinal Wiseman to the Roman Catholic Archbishopric of Westminster. The Act declared the assumption of such titles to be illegal, but provided no penalties for a breach of the law, and hence was never enforced. It was repealed in 1871.

Economists.

A philosophical school, or sect, founded in France about 1761 by a physician of Mantes, named Quesnay. He maintained that there was a natural order of human institutions, divinely ordained, and that, if this were adhered to, prosperity must ensue. He further argued that agriculture was the only true source of wealth. These doctrines largely influenced Turgot, the finance minister of Louis XVI.

Ecorcheurs.

Bands of brigands who harried France during the Hundred Years’ War.

Edict of Nantes.

An edict issued in 1598 by Henri IV of France (Henry of Navarre) granting toleration to the Huguenots. It was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685, as a preliminary to a cruel persecution of the Protestants, one result of which was their wholesale emigration to England, Holland, and other Protestant countries.

Edicts.

_See_ Capitularies, Châteaubriand, Emancipation, Fraternity, Hatti Humayun, Majestäts Brief, Moulins, Nemours, Orléans, Pavia, Perpetual, Quarantaine, Reformation, Restitution, Reunion, Romorantin, Six, Soissons, Tours, Villers-Cotterets, Worms.

Edinburgh, Treaties of.

Two treaties, signed in 1560, between France and Scotland and France and England respectively. By the first France undertook to withdraw her troops from Scotland, leaving the Government in the hands of the Council of the Lords. By the second she acknowledged Elizabeth’s sovereignty over England and Ireland, and undertook to maintain her pledges to the Scots.

Edmunds Law.

A stringent law against polygamy, passed by the United States Congress in 1882. It was specially directed against the practice prevailing in the Mormon settlements of Utah.

Education Act, 1870.

An Act passed in 1870, establishing a system of national elementary education in England and Wales, controlled by popularly elected bodies known as School Boards. Its introducer was Mr. W. E. Forster. The system lasted till 1902, when it was abolished by the Act passed in that year.

Education Act, 1902.

An Act for the regulation and co-ordination of primary and secondary education in England and Wales, excepting London. It abolishes the School Boards established by the Act of 1870, and makes the County Council or Borough Council the education authority, subject in certain respects to the Board of Education. It further provides for the inclusion in the scheme of denominational schools, which prior to the passing of the Act received no support from the rates, but are now maintained from the same sources as the old board schools for all purposes of secular education.

Egalité.

The sobriquet of Philippe, Duc d’Orléans, assumed by him to show his sympathy with the Revolutionary party in France in 1789.

Eight Cantons, League of the.

The confederation formed in 1351-1353 by the admission of Zurich, Glarus, Zug and Berne into the Perpetual League of the four Forest Cantons.

Eikon Basilike.

A book published in 1649, shortly after the execution of Charles I, purporting to be his own account of his reign. In 1660, however, the authorship of it was claimed by Dr. Gauden, Bishop of Exeter. The point in dispute is still unsettled, though most authorities oppose the theory that it is the work of Charles.

El Dorado.

_See_ Manoa.

Elephant, Order of the.

A Danish order of knighthood, said to date from the first Crusade, but reorganized in 1693 by Christian V. It is confined to thirty members, exclusive of royal knights.

Eleven Articles.

A short profession of the Protestant faith, issued on the accession of Queen Elizabeth, pending the revision of the forty-two Articles of 1552.

Eltchi, The Great.

The sobriquet of Sir Stratford Canning (Lord Stratford de Redcliffe), British Ambassador to the Porte from 1825 to 1828, and again from 1842 to 1858.

Emancipation Act.

An Act passed in 1833 for the abolition of slavery in the British dominions. It provided that all children under six, and all born after the passing of the Act, should be free. All other slaves were, for a period of twelve years, to serve their masters for three-fourths of their time, the remaining fourth being their own. This period was subsequently reduced to seven years, and after being tried for four years the system was abandoned, and all slaves completely freed. Twenty million pounds was voted as compensation to the planters for the loss of their slave property.

Emancipation, Edict of.

An edict issued by Freiherr von Stein, Prussian Minister in 1807, abolishing every form of villeinage then existing in Prussia, and declaring that from 1810 there should be none but freemen in the Prussian dominions.

Emancipation Proclamation.

A proclamation, issued by President Lincoln in January 1, 1863, declaring that all persons held in slavery in the States in arms against the Union were henceforth free. This proclamation did not apply to those States which had not seceded from the Union, whose slaves were liberated by an amendment to the Constitution.

Embargo Act, First.

An Act of Congress, passed in 1807, as a reply to the English Orders in Council, prohibiting English vessels from making use of American ports. The Act was repealed in 1809.

Embargo Act, Second.

An Act passed by the United States Congress in 1810, by which vessels flying the United States flag were forbidden to trade between France and England, while French and English vessels were, at the same time, forbidden to touch at American ports. The American shipowners very soon found means to evade this law.

Embassy, The.

A deputation from the Victorian Government, under Graham Berry, to the Colonial Office, in 1878, arising out of the Victorian Deadlock. The Colonial Secretary declined to interfere, and the “Embassy” became the laughing-stock of the Colony.

Emigrés.

The nobles and other Royalists, to the number of 123,000, who left France during the Revolution. Their estates were forfeited, and owing to the terms of the “Charte” of Louis XVIII were not, as a rule, recovered at the Restoration. It was said of them that they returned from exile “having learnt nothing and forgotten nothing.”

Eminence Grise, L’.

A nickname of François du Tremblay, the familiar of Cardinal Richelieu.

Emmett’s Rebellion.

An Irish rising under Robert Emmett in 1803. It was fomented by Napoleon, who had despatched numerous emissaries to Ireland during the currency of the Peace of Amiens. The rising was easily suppressed, and Emmett was hanged.

Empire State.

The State of New York is so called as being the richest and most influential of the States of the Union.

Empire State of the South.

The State of Georgia is so-called.

Employers’ Liability Bill, 1893.