Part 16
DONI, a clumsy kind of boat used on the coast of Coromandel and Ceylon; sometimes decked, and occasionally furnished with an outrigger. The donis are about 70 feet long, 20 feet broad, and 12 feet deep, have one mast and a lug-sail, and are navigated in fine weather only.
DONIZET'TI, Gaetano, Italian composer, born in 1797 at Bergamo, died 8th April, 1848. He studied music at Bologna under the distinguished Abb['e] Mattei. His first opera, _Enrico di Borgogna_, was represented at Venice in 1818. In 1822 his _Zoraide di Granata_ gained him the honour of being crowned on the Capitol. In 1830 appeared his _Anna Bolena_, which first, along with _Lucrezia Borgia_ and _Lucia di Lammermoor_--the latter his masterpiece--acquired for him a European fame. In 1835 Donizetti was appointed professor of counterpoint at the Royal College of Naples, but removed in 1840 to Paris, bringing with him three new operas, _Les Martyrs_, _La Favorita_, and _La Fille du R['e]giment_, of which the last two are amongst his most popular productions. Of his other operas none except _Linda di Chamounix_ (1842) and _Don Pasquale_ (1843) achieved any special triumph. He wrote in all as many as seventy operas.
DONJON, the principal tower of a castle, situated in the innermost court or bailey, which the garrison could make the last line of defence. Its lower part was commonly used as a prison.
DON JUAN (Sp. pron. _h_[u:]-[.a]n'), the hero of a Spanish legend which seems to have had some historical basis in the history of a member of the noble family of Tenorio at Seville. According to the legend, Don Juan was a libertine of the most reckless character. An attempt to seduce the daughter of the Governor of Seville brought the indignant father and the profligate don into deadly conflict, in which the former was slain. Don Juan afterwards, in a spirit of wild mockery, goes to the grave of the murdered man and invites the statue of him erected there to a revel. To the terror of Don Juan the 'stony guest' actually appears at the table to bear him away to the infernal world. The legend has furnished the subject for many dramas and operas. The most famous of the latter is Mozart's _Don Giovanni_, which has made the story familiar to everybody. Amongst the former are _Burlador de Sevilla_ by Tellez, _Don Juan, ou Le Festin de Pierre_ by Moli[`e]re (1665), and _The Libertine_ by Shadwell. The _Don Juan_ of Byron bears no relation to the old story but in name and in the libertine character of the hero. Among the modern authors who have made use of the theme are: Prosper M['e]rim['e]e, in _Les [^a]mes du purgatoire_; A. Dumas, in _Don Juan de Marana_; Bernard Shaw, in _Man and Superman_; and Jos['e] Zorilla, in _Don Juan Tenorio_.--Cf. Gendarme de B['e]votte, _La L['e]gende de Don Juan_.
DONKEY-ENGINE, a small engine used in various operations where no great power is required. Thus a donkey-engine is often stationed on the deck of a ship to work a crane for loading and unloading.
DONNAY, Maurice Charles, French dramatist, born in Paris in 1859. His first work, _Phryn['e]_, was produced in 1891, and was followed by an adaptation of Aristophanes' _Lysistrata_. His later works include: _Douloureuse_ (1897), _Le Torrent_ (1898), _L'Affranchie_ (1898), _L'Autre Danger_ (1901), _Le Retour de J['e]rusalem_ (1903), _Le M['e]nage de Moli[`e]re_ (1912). He was elected to the Acad['e]mie Francaise in 1907.
DONNE, John, a celebrated poet and dean of St. Paul's, was the son of a merchant of London, in which city he was born in 1573. He studied both at Oxford and Cambridge. In his nineteenth year he abjured the Catholic religion, and became secretary to the Lord Chancellor Ellesmere, but finally lost his office by a clandestine marriage with his patron's niece, a daughter of Sir George More. The young couple were in consequence reduced to great distress, till his father-in-law relented so far as to give his daughter a moderate portion. In 1610 he wrote for the king the _Pseudo-Martyr_, and in 1612 he published a philosophical poem, _The Progress of the Soul_. By the desire of King James, Donne took orders, and, settling in London, was made preacher of Lincoln's Inn. In 1621 he was appointed Dean of St. Paul's. He was chosen prolocutor to the Convocation from 1623-4. He died in March, 1631, and was interred in St. Paul's. As a poet, Donne stands extremely high, and may be deemed the founder of what Dr. Johnson calls the _metaphysical_ class of poets. Abounding in thought, this school generally neglected versification, and that of Dr. Donne was peculiarly harsh and unmusical. His style is quaint and pedantic; but he displays sound learning, deep thinking, and originality of manner. A collection of his poems appeared in 1633, and they include: _The Storm_, _The Calm_, _The Blossom_, and _Upon Parting with his Mistress_. He also wrote _Letters, Sermons, Essays on Divinity_, and other pieces.--Cf. E. Gosse, _Life and Letters of John Donne_.
DONNYBROOK, formerly a village, Ireland, now a suburb of Dublin. Its famous fair, instituted under King John in 1204, and which seldom passed off without riot and bloodshed, was abolished in 1855.
DON REPUBLIC, a republic in south-eastern Russia, formerly a government of imperial Russia, and known as the Don Cossacks' Territory. The republic was proclaimed in Jan., 1918; its capital is Novo-Tscherkask.
DOOMBOOK, a code of laws compiled by King Alfred from the West-Saxon collection of his ancestor Ina, and comprising small portions of the Mercian laws of Offa, and of the Kentish collection of Ethelbert. The code begins with the words: "The Lord spake these words to Moses, and thus said: I am the Lord thy God".--Cf. B. Thorpe, _Ancient Laws and Institutes of England_.
DOON, a river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which issues from the long, narrow Loch Doon, and falls into the Firth of Clyde; length, 27 miles.
DOPPLER'S PRINCIPLE, the principle by which the motions of heavenly bodies in the line of sight can be determined spectroscopically. When the distance between a body and the observer is being diminished, the number of waves of light of any definite colour received from it per second is increased, just as a swimmer meets more waves in the same time if he swims to meet them. Each colour of light is, therefore, slightly shifted towards the violet end of the spectrum. Thus any radiation or absorption lines seen are shifted towards the violet. If the body's distance is increasing, they are shifted towards the red. By investigation of such displacements, the motions of stars, nebulae, &c., in the line of sight can be measured, the dimensions of the orbits of double-stars gauged, the motions of gases in the solar atmosphere determined, and the rotational velocity of the sun's surface found for latitudes where sun-spots are rarely or never visible. The speed and direction of the sun's motion through space, viz. 12 miles per second towards a point in the constellation Hercules, has also been determined by this means.
DOR, or DORR, the black-beetle, _Geotr[=u]pes stercorarius_, one of the most common British beetles, of a stout form, less than 1 inch long, black with metallic reflections, not to be confounded with the cockroach, commonly but erroneously called black-beetle. It may often be heard droning through the air towards the close of the summer twilight.
DORA, the name of two rivers in Northern Italy, both tributaries of the Po. The Dora Baltea rises on the southern slopes of the Mont Blanc group, and falls, after a course of about 100 miles, into the Po below Chivasso; the Dora Riparia, about 75 miles long, rises in the Cottian Alps, and joins the Po below Turin.
DO'RAN, John, English writer, born 1807, died 1878. He began writing when a mere youth, and produced a great number of books, among them being _Lives of the Queens of England of the House of Hanover_, _Monarchs retired from Business_, _History of Court Fools_, _The Book of the Princes of Wales_, _Their Majesties' Servants_ (a history of the English stage from Betterton to Kean), _Saints and Sinners_, _A Lady of the Last Century_ (Mrs. Montague), _London in Jacobite Times_, and _Memories of Our Great Towns_. _In and about Drury Lane_ was published after his death. He was editor of _Notes and Queries_ at the time of his death.
DORCAS SOCIETY (from _Dorcas_ mentioned in _Acts_, ix, 36-42), an association generally composed of ladies for supplying clothes to the poor. Frequently the members of the society meet at stated times and work in common. Partial payment is generally required from all recipients except the very poor. Most of these societies are connected with churches of one denomination or another.
DOR'CHESTER, a municipal borough of England, chief town of Dorsetshire, 118 miles S.W. of London. There are large cavalry and infantry barracks a little to the west of the town. The trade consists chiefly in agricultural produce. Dorchester was an important Roman station (Durnovaria), and many interesting Roman remains, such as the 'Maumbury Rings' (a Roman amphitheatre), are still to be found in the vicinity. It was a parliamentary borough till 1885, when it was merged in the county. Pop. 9842.
DORDOGNE (dor-dony), a department of France, which includes the greater part of the ancient province of P['e]rigord, and small portions of Limousin, Angoumois, and Saintonge. Area, 3544 sq. miles, of which about a third is fit for the plough. The chief minerals are iron, which is abundant, slate, limestone, marble, and other stone. Mining, iron manufacture, &c., are carried on to a considerable extent, and there are a number of vineyards. The climate is mild but somewhat changeable. Pop. 396,702.--The river _Dordogne_, principal river of the department, rises on the flanks of the Puy-de-Sancy, flows W.S.W., and, after a course of 290 miles, unites with the Garonne in forming the Gironde.
DORDRECHT. See _Dort_.
DOR['E] (d[=o]-r[=a]), Gustave Paul, a prolific French draughtsman and painter, born at Strasbourg, 6th Jan., 1833, died 23rd June, 1883. He studied at Paris, contributing, when only sixteen years of age, comic sketches to the _Journal pour Rire_. He distinguished himself greatly as an illustrator of books. His illustrations of Rabelais (_Rabelais Illustr['e]_), of Perrault's _Tales_, Sue's _Wandering Jew_, Dante's _Divina Commedia_, and Cervantes' _Don Quixote_ displayed great fertility of invention, and the fine fantasy of his landscapes and the dramatic effectiveness of his groups acquired for him a European reputation. His illustrations of the Bible, of Ariosto's _Orlando Furioso_, and Milton's _Paradise Lost_ are also of high excellence. As a painter he has grandeur of conception and a bold expressive style. Amongst his chief works are: _Christ leaving the Praetorium_, _Paolo and Francesca di Rimini_, _The Flight into Egypt_, and _Mont Blanc_. In later years Dor['e] also won fame as a sculptor.
DORE'MA, a genus of plants, nat. ord. Umbelliferae. _D. ammoni[)a]cum_, a Persian species, yields the ammoniacum of commerce, a milky juice that exudes from punctures on the stem and dries in little 'tears'.
DORIA, one of the most powerful families of Genoa, became distinguished about the beginning of the twelfth century, and shared with three other leading families, the Fieschi, Grimaldi, and Spinola, the early government of the Republic. Amongst the older heroes of this family are Oberto Doria, who in 1284 commanded the Genoese fleet which at Meloria annihilated the power of Pisa; Lamba Doria, who in 1298 defeated the Venetian Dandolo at the naval battle of Curzola; Paganino Doria, who in the middle of the fourteenth century distinguished himself by great victories over the Venetians. But the greatest name of the Dorias is that of Andrea, born at Oneglia in 1466, of a younger branch of the family. After serving some time as a condottiere with the princes of Southern Italy, he was entrusted by the Genoese with the reconstruction of their fleet. Disagreement with the Genoese factions drove him to take service with Francis I of France, in which he highly distinguished himself, and in 1527 he took Genoa in the name of the French king. But being displeased with the projects of Francis for reducing Genoa to a place of secondary importance, he went over to the service of Charles V, carrying with him the whole influence and resources of Genoa, and hastened the deliverance of Italy from French domination. He entered Genoa in 1528, re-established order, reorganized the Government, and, although refusing the title of doge, practically controlled its affairs to the end of his life. The country bestowed on him the title of _Father of Peace_. As Imperial Admiral he performed many services for Charles, clearing the seas of Moorish pirates and assisting the emperor in his expeditions to Tunis and Algiers. In 1547 his authority was threatened by the conspiracy of Fieschi, and he narrowly escaped assassination in the tumult. He died in 1560.
DORIANS, one of the three great branches of the Greek nation who migrated from Thessaly southwards, settling for a time in the mountainous district of Doris in Northern Greece and finally in Peloponnesus. Their migration to the latter was said to have taken place in 1104 B.C.; and as among their leaders were certain men reputed to be descendants of Hercules (or Herakles), it was known as the return of the Heraclidae. The Dorians ruled in Sparta with great renown as a strong and warlike people, though less cultivated than the other Greeks in arts and letters. Their laws were severe and rigid, as typified in the codes of the great Doric legislators Minos and Lycurgus.--The _Doric dialect_ was characterized by its broadness and hardness, yet on account of its venerable and antique style was often used in solemn odes and choruses.
[Illustration: Grecian Doric Order]
DORIC ORDER, in architecture, is the oldest, strongest, and simplest of the three Grecian orders, and the one that is best represented among the remains of ancient Greek architecture. The Doric column is distinguished by its want of a base (in the more ancient examples, at least), by the small number of its flutings, and by its massive proportions, the true Grecian Doric having the height of its pillars six times that of the diameter. The capital was small and simple, and the architrave, frieze, and cornice were rather plain and massive.
DORIGNY (do-r[=e]-ny[=e]), the name of several French painters and engravers. Michael, born in 1617, became professor in the Academy at Paris, and died in 1665. Louis, son of the preceding, was born in 1654, settled in Italy, and died in 1742. Sir Nicholas, brother of Louis, born in 1658 at Paris, was the most celebrated of the three. He spent eight years in engraving the famous cartoons of Raphael at Hampton Court, and was knighted by George I. He died in 1746.
DORIS, anciently a small and mountainous region of Northern Greece, at one time the abode of the Dorians. It now forms an eparchy in the nomarchy of Phocis.
DORKING, a town of England, county of Surrey, 22 miles S.S.W. of London, largely consisting of villa residences. Large numbers of fowls, known as _Dorkings_, of an excellent breed, having five claws on the foot, are reared here, and sent to the London markets. The breed was introduced both into Gaul and Britain when those countries were subject to the Roman power. Pop. (urban district), 7850.
DORMANT STATE, a state of torpidity in which certain animals pass a portion of the year. In cold and temperate climates this period of long sleep takes place during the winter months, and is properly called _hibernation_. It commences when the food of the animal begins to get scarce, continues for a longer or shorter period, and is deeper or lighter according to the habits and constitution of the animal. Bats, bears, some animals of the rodent order, such as the porcupine, the dormouse, and the squirrel, all the animals belonging to the classes of Amphibia and Reptilia, such as tortoises, lizards, and snakes (frogs, &c.), also many species of molluscs and insects, hibernate more or less completely, retiring to suitable places of concealment--the bat to dark caves, the hedgehog to fern-brakes, and snakes to holes in trees. During hibernation there is a great decrease of heat in the bodies of the animals, the temperature sometimes sinking to 40deg or even 20degF., or in general to a point a little above that of the surrounding atmosphere. The respiration as well as the pulsation of the heart is exceedingly slow, and the irritability of the animal often so low that in some cases it can be awakened only by strong electric shocks. With frogs and other amphibia the dormant state is very common, and if the temperature is kept low by artificial means, they may remain dormant for years. The term _aestivation_ has been used to describe a similar condition into which certain animals, such as serpents and crocodiles, in tropical countries pass during the hottest months of the year. Plants also present many interesting examples of the dormant state, by which unfavourable periods or conditions are tided over. A seed, for instance, contains a dormant embryo or plantlet, which resumes growth (i.e. germinates) when the temperature rises above a certain level, provided sufficient moisture and air are present. Many lower forms, notably bacteria, are able to form thick-walled cells (spores) that can retain their vitality for a considerable time.
[Illustration: Dormer Window. Abbeville, Fifteenth Century]
DORMER WINDOWS (Fr. _dormir_, to sleep), are windows inserted in the inclined plane of a sloping roof, on a frame rising vertically above the rafters. They are named dormer windows because they are found chiefly in attic bedrooms.
[Illustration: Dormouse (_Muscardinus avellanarius_)]
DORMOUSE, the popular name of small rodent mammals constituting a special family (Gliridae or Myoxidae) allied to rats and mice. They inhabit temperate and warm countries, and subsist entirely on vegetable food. Their pace is a kind of leap, but they have not the activity of squirrels. Whilst feeding they sit upright and carry the food to their mouths with their paws. Dormice pass the winter in a lethargic or torpid state, reviving only for a short time on a warm sunny day, when they take a little of their hoarded stores and then relapse into the dormant state. The squirrel-tailed or 'fat' dormouse (_Myoxus glis_) of the continent was esteemed as an article of diet by the ancient Romans. The common British dormouse (_Muscardinus avellanarius_) is a graceful little creature about 3 inches in length, with a tail 2-1/2 inches long. It feeds on hazel-nuts, eggs, and insects, and constructs a spherical nest. It is not known to occur in Scotland or Ireland.
DORN'BIRN, a manufacturing town in Tyrol, about 6 miles from the Lake of Constance. Pop. 28,550.
DORNICK, a kind of stout figured linen fabric used for table-cloths, and generally chequered. It derives its name from Doornik, or Tournai, in the Netherlands. The manufacture was brought into Norfolk by the Dutch.
DORNOCH (-no_h_), a seaport and royal burgh of Scotland, county of Sutherland, at the entrance of the Dornoch Firth, the seat of the extinct bishopric of Caithness. It is one of the Wick district of parliamentary burghs. Pop. 740.--The _Firth_ runs inland for about 16 miles between Ross-shire and Sutherlandshire.
DOR'OHOI, a town of Roumania in N.W. Moldavia, near the Austrian frontier. Pop. 11,140.--The department of _Dorohoi_ has an area of 1090 sq. miles, and a pop. of 189,789.
DOR'PAT (Tartu), a town, formerly in the Russian province of Livonia, now belonging to the Republic of Esthonia. It is situated on the Embach, about 135 miles N.E. of Riga. Dorpat is chiefly remarkable for its university and other educational establishments. It is an ancient town, and was once a member of the Hanseatic Union. Captured by the Russians in 1559, it was ceded to Poland in 1582, was subsequently taken by the Swedes, and in 1704 passed to the Russians, who called it _Yuryev_. The town was occupied by the Germans on 18th Feb., 1918. The vernacular language is Esthonian, but the upper classes speak German. Pop. 44,140.
D'ORSAY, Alfred, Count, a dilettante artist and man of fashion, born at Paris 1801, died 1852. When a young man he visited England, and became acquainted with Byron and other literary and fashionable celebrities. He married a daughter of the Earl of Blessington, but after the earl's death a separation took place, and D'Orsay became an inmate of Gore House, which the Countess of Blessington had made the centre of a famous literary coterie. A zealous Bonapartist, he followed Prince Louis Napoleon to Paris in 1849, and enjoyed his favour till his death. Disraeli has described him in his novel _Henrietta Temple_, under the name of 'Count Mirabel'.--Cf. Richard Madden, _Life of Lady Blessington_.
DORSET, EARLS OF. See _Sackville_.
DORSET, or DORSETSHIRE, a maritime county in the south of England, having on the south the English Channel; area, 627,265 acres, over 490,000 being under crop. The general surface of the county is undulating; its principal elevations being chalk hills known as the North and South Downs, upon which immense flocks of sheep are pastured. On the south, on the borders of Hampshire and along part of the sea-coast, is a heathy common. A great part of the county is in grass, and dairy husbandry is extensively carried on. Neither coal nor ores of any kind are found, but the quarries yield the well-known Portland stone. Pipe-clay, plastic clay, and potter's clay also abound. The principal manufactures are those of flax, canvas, duck, &c., also silk and woollens. The fish frequenting the coast are of various kinds, but mackerel is the most abundant. Near the mouth of Poole harbour is a prolific oyster bank. The principal rivers are the Stour, the Frome, and the Piddle. The county has four parliamentary divisions, with a member for each. Dorchester is the county town. Other towns are Bridport, Poole, and Weymouth. Pop. 223,274.
DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT, THE, once known as the East Middlesex, dates from 1702, and is intimately associated with Gibraltar, which it twice defended during siege (1727 and 1779-82). For its services in India under Clive it bears the motto _Primus in Indis_. It later took part in the relief of Ladysmith, and during the European War suffered heavily on the Western front, being also represented at Kut and Ramadie.
DORSTE'NIA, a genus of plants, nat. ord. Moraceae, found in tropical America. They have their naked flowers buried in a flat, fleshy, somewhat concave receptacle. _D. Contrayerva_ and other species have a stimulant and tonic rhizome, which is used medicinally under the name of _contrayerva_.
DORT, or DORDRECHT, a town, Holland, province of South Holland, 14 miles S.E. of Rotterdam, on the Merwede, an arm or part of the Maas, and on an island separated from the mainland by an inundation in 1421. It is an old town, founded in 1018 by Count Dietrich III of Holland, with a fine Gothic Church (Groote Kerk, 'Great Church'), a good town-house and museum. It was formerly of more importance than now, but it still carries on an extensive trade, being not only near the sea, but by the Rhine, the Maas, and other water communications, connected with an immense extent of inland territory. Pop. 47,300.
DORT, SYNOD OF, an assembly of Protestant divines convoked at Dort on 13th Nov., 1618, dissolved on 9th May, 1619. Besides the Dutch and Walloon divines, it included representatives from England, Scotland, Switzerland, and part of Germany, in all about sixty-two native and twenty-four foreign deputies. The Synod was convoked principally for the sake of crushing the Arminian party, and extreme measures were taken to prevent that party being represented in the assembly or having a free voice there. The result was the condemnation of the Arminians and the dogmatic establishment of Calvinism in the Reformed Church. The Synod also set on foot the Dutch translation of the Bible known as the Dort Bible.