into a constant correspondence with this young man. During a journey to Paris, which he made in company with his friend Caraccioli, who was sent as an ambassador to London, Lagrange became personally acquainted with the Parisian savants, and was received with general respect. But ill health soon obliged him to return home, where he applied himself with renewed diligence to his scientific labors. At this time, he obtained the prize of the academy of sciences in Paris, for a treatise on the theory of the satellites of Jupiter, and, at the same time, by his exposition of the leading features of his doctrine in regard to the planetary system, rendered his name immortal. He soon after received an invitation from Frederic the Great, to go to Berlin, with the title of director of the academy, in place of Euler, who had gone to St. Petersburg. The king of Sardinia was, however, very reluctant to permit his distinguished subject to depart. Esteemíed by the great Frederic, who preferred his independent spirit to the somewhat too submissive character of Euler, and valued highly by all who became acquainted with him, Lagrange lived in Berlin in pleasant circumstances (which were interrupted, however, by the continual sickness of his wife), during the lifetime of the king. After Frederic's death, the regard which had been paid to men of genius and talent at the Prussian court declined, and Lagrange began to look about for another situation. At this period, Mirabeau saw him in Berlin, and resolved to obtain this renowned geometrician for France. Lagrange accepted the offers made him from Paris, and declined the proposals of the ambassadors of Naples, Sardinia and Tuscany. He was received at Paris, in 1787, with the highest tokens of respect. But a deep melancholy seemed to have taken entire possession of him, and to have palsied his mind, notwithstanding all the efforts which his friends made to remove it. He suffered the same inconvenience which D'Alembert had once before experienced, viz. of having lost all love for his science. Lagrange now zealously employed himself upon the history of religion, the theory of ancient music, languages, and even the medical sciences. His own favorite science alone had no attractions for him, and he even suffered his most celebrated work, La Mécanique analytique (for which Du Chatelet, to whom Lagrange had given the manuscript, was for a long time unable to find a publisher), to lie untouched

for two years after its publication. At the proposal of Du Séjour, he was, in 1791, confirmed by the national assembly in his pension of 6000 francs, and, in order to indemnify him for the depreciation of the paper currency, he was first appointed a member of the committee for rewarding useful inventions, and, afterwards (in March, 1792), one of the directors of the mint. Dissatisfied with this station, although Cicero and Newton had discharged similar offices, he soon resigned it, considering it as an oppressive burden. In the same year, he was married, for the second time, to a daughter of the academician Lemonnier, hoping to lead a tranquil life in the midst of the storms of the revolution. The decree of October 16, 1793, commanding all foreigners to leave France, and the execution of Bailly, Lavoisier, and other distinguished men, soon, however, destroyed his illusions. Through the instrumentality of Guyton Morveau, the severe law of banishment from the country was not put in force against him; but the danger of becoming a victim to the rage of the infuriated populace remained. Hérault de Séchelles offered to procure him a place in an embassy to Prussia, but Lagrange, who had conceived a warın affection for his new country, preferred to remain there in spite of the danger. Peace and quiet at length returned. It was proposed to restore the institutions for the promotion of learning, which had been destroyed during the reign of anarchy, and Lagrange was appointed professor in the newly established normal school at Paris. In this new sphere of influence, his former love for his science returned with all its strength. At the formation of the institute, the name of Lagrange was the first on the list of members, and he was, likewise, the first member of the newly constituted bureau of longitude. His fame now increased from day to day, and France, feeling honored in the possession of such a man, determined to give him a public mark of her esteem. By the command of the directory, the minister of foreign affairs, Talleyrand, commissioned the French chargé d'affaires in Turin, citizen D'Eymar, to visit Lagrange's father, and congratulate him, in the name of France, in having such a son. This commission was performed by D'Eymar in the most brilliant manner, accompanied by several generals and other distinguished persons. Napoleon respected the talents and services of Lagrange not less than the republic had done; and while consul and emperor, he never ceased to show

French revolution had broken out, he drew up, in the name of his fellow-citizens, a respectful petition to the council of Berne, requesting a meeting of deputies, for the purpose of abolishing abuses. Soon after, troubles broke out, and the government, who considered him as one of the instigators, put his name on the list of exiles, and his enemies succeeded in removing him from the person of Alexander. He went to Geneva, and was about to return to Berne, when he learned that orders for his arrest had been given there. Indignant at this, he went, in 1796, to Paris, where he continued to write in favor of the cause of liberty, and published a work entitled Lettres de Philanthropos. In consequence of a petition addressed by him and 22 other exiles from the Pays de Vaud and Friburg, to the French directory, requesting the fulfilment of the guarantee established by the treaty of Lausanne, 1565, the directory interfered in the affairs of Switzerland, the Swiss revolution broke out, French armies penetrated into Switzerland, and a new organization was given to this country. Laharpe was made one of the directors of the Helvetic republic, and exerted himself energetically in carrying on the new system, until a violent quarrel took place between the legislative body and the body of directors, and the latter was dissolved, and Laharpe put under surveillance. Friends and enemies both allowed the honesty of his intentions. In 1800, when on the point of leaving Lausanne for Paris, he was deceived by a letter, probably a forgery, communicating intelligence of a conspiracy against the first consul, Bonaparte, who was then commanding in Italy. This he gave up to the proper authorities, and was, in consequence, arrested by the legislative council of Berne, as himself concerned in the conspiracy. He escaped by flight to Paris, where he was coolly received by Bonaparte, and went to live at a country-seat (Plessis Piquet) near Paris. In 1801, he made a journey to Russia, and returned with proofs of the esteem of his former pupil, the emperor. In 1814, he visited him in Paris, and was appointed a general in the Russian service. At the congress of Vienna, he labored actively to effect the independence of the cantons of the Pays de Vaud and Aargau, and their separation from Berne. He has since then lived as a private man in his native country, enjoying the highest esteem of his countrymen.

LA HOGUE; the north-western point of

the peninsula, near Cherburg, in the department La Manche. A naval battle was fought here May 29, 1692, between the French, under Fourville, and the English and Dutch, under Russel. The French were beaten. James II beheld the battle from the land, and was obliged to witness the defeat of his party.

LAHYRE (properly Etienne Vignoles); a brave knight in the reign of Charles VII of France, and the faithful companion of the maid of Orleans. Lahyre hated the English bitterly, as his family had been ruined by their invasions. In 1418, when Coucy was surrendered to the Burgundians, the allies of the English, in consequence of the treachery of the mistress of the commandant, Lahyre and the equally brave Peter de Xaintrailles placed themselves at the head of the remnant of the garrison, and successfully led their little band, in the midst of constant skirmishes, through a country filled with enemies. After many valiant deeds in Valois, and in Champagne, Lahyre hastened to the relief of Orleans. The government of the town sent him with a petition to the dauphin, Charles VII, to implore his assistance. He found the weak and pleasure-loving prince preparing for an entertainment. "What are your thoughts?" said Charles to the knight, who viewed with indignation the frivolity of the court. "I think," replied Lahyre, "that a kingdom could not be lost more merrily." Returning to Orleans, he did his utmost to save the town, and to assemble the relics of the beaten army. In 1429, the maid of Orleans appeared. Lahyre joined her, and was with her at her entrance into the town. He followed the defeated English, and distinguished himself in the battles of Jargeau and Patai. In the middle of winter, he stormed Louviers, and advanced to Rouen with the intention of liberating the imprisoned Joan (q. v.); but the English took him prisoner. He soon, however, obtained his liberty, and renewed his exertions, with Xaintrailles, against the enemy. To his death, Lahyre was the most inveterate enemy of the invaders of his country, and injured them greatly. He was repeatedly taken prisoner, often by the treachery of false friends; but he always succeeded in liberating himself: for a time, he even braved his own king, continuing a petty warfare against the English and the Burgundians, and garrisoning several towns, although Charles had concluded a peace. On a journey to Montauban, where he accompanied Charles VII, in 1442, he died in consequence of his wounds. His ro

mantic valor, together with his attachment to the maid of Orleans, procured him, after his death, the honor of having his name added to the knave of hearts in the French playing cards; the pictures of which are, as it is well known, designated by the names of different heroes. LAINE, Joseph Henry Joachim, peer of France, formerly minister of the interior, and president of the chamber of deputies, was born at Bordeaux, Nov. 11, 1767. He was a lawyer at the outbreak of the French revolution, in the last century, when he embraced republican principles. His zeal procured him, in 1792—3, some important posts in the administration, in which he showed great activity. He also distinguished himself as an orator. In 1808, he was chosen member of the corps législatif for the department of the Gironde, and was distinguished for his liberal opinions. About this time, he received the star of the legion of honor, but entered into a correspondence with the friends of the royal family. After Napoleon's disasters in Russia, the legislative body appointed a committee (1813) to report the wishes of the nation. It consisted of Laine, Raynouard, Gallois, Flaugergues, and Maine de Biran. Raynouard was chairman, and the language of the report was bold. Raynouard's speech to the emperor, on this subject, contained these words: "Si vous (the emperor) ne voulez pas nous donner la paix, nous la ferons nous-mêmes." The corps législatif, so long submissive, now made bold by the disasters of the emperor, was prorogued. Lainé went to Bordeaux, and, in 1814, was made prefect of the city by the duke of Angoulême, who had arrived there, and soon after president of the chamber of deputies. On Napoleon's return from Elba, Lainé spoke with zeal against him, and called him "the common enemy,' and, on the emperor's entry into Paris, published a protest against the dissolution of the chamber, and absolving all Frenchmen from obedience to the demands of the "usurper." He left Bordeaux, it is said, for Holland, when the duchess of Angoulême quitted that place, and, after the second restoration, again appeared as president of the chamber, and held the port-folio of the interior from June, 1816, to Dec. 28, 1818, when Decazes succeeded him. He often spoke, while in these stations, against the pretensions of the ultras, and their attacks upon the charter; but, after this period, he inclined more and more to the right side, and advocated the change in that law of election which he

had formerly defended. About this time, he was created peer. It must be mentioned, however, that he voted against the war with Spain, in 1823, opposed the unconstitutional toleration of the Jesuits by the government, and the arbitrary measures of the Villèle ministry. M. Lainé is a member of the French academy.

LAING, Alexander Gordon, was born at Edinburgh, in 1794, entered the army, served for several years in the West Indies, and, in 1820, was sent, with the rank of lieutenant and adjutant, to Sierra Leone. In 1821-22, major Laing was despatched on several missions from Sierra Leone, through the Timannee, Kooranko and Soolima countries, with the view of forming commercial arrangements. On the last of these journeys, he had reason to believe that the source of the Niger (q. v.) lay much farther to the south than Park (q. v.) had supposed. At Falaba he was assured he might reach it in three days, had not the Kissi nation, in whose territory it was situated, been at war with the Soolimanas, with whom he then resided. (See his Journal.) In 1826, he undertook to penetrate to Timbuctoo (q. v.), and started from Tripoli, crossing the desert by way of Ghadamir. On his journey, he was attacked by a band of Tuaricks, who wounded him severely, and left him for dead. He, however, recovered, and reached Timbuctoo August 18, where he remained upwards of a month. Several letters were received from him while there, stating that he had collected ample materials for the geography of this part of Africa. Being obliged to leave Timbuctoo by the sultan of Masina, into whose power the city had fallen, he hired a Moorish merchant to accompany and protect him, on his route by Sego to the coast. Three days after leaving the city, he was murdered by the person who had undertaken to guard him. The fate of his papers is uncertain. It has been suggested by English reviews (Quarterly Review, No. 84), that Rousseau, French consul at Tripoli, has become possessed of them. Caillé gives a different account of his death. (See Narrative of Discovery in Africa, by Jameson, Wilson and Murray (Edinb. 1830), forming No. 16 of Harper's Family Library, New York, 1831.)

LAIRESSE. There was a family of Flemish painters of this name, of whom Gerard, son to the elder Lairesse, has acquired by far the greatest reputation. He was born in 1640, at Liege. He is particularly distinguished by the high finish

with which his pictures are executed, and is considered the Raphael of the Dutch school; nor have any of his countrymen ever equalled him in historical painting. This talented artist was also a good engraver, and understood music scientifically, while of his literary abilities he has left a favorable specimen, in a treatise on the principles of his art. He survived the loss of his sight some years, and died, at length, at Amsterdam, in 1711. His book has been translated into English. His three brothers, Ernest, John and James Lairesse, were artists of some note, the two former excelling in the delineation of animals, the latter in flowers. Two of his sons also followed the profession of their father, but with inferior ability.

LAIS; a celebrated courtesan, daughter of Timandra, the mistress of Álcibiades, born at Hyccara, in Sicily. She was carried away from her native country to Greece, when Nicias, the Athenian general, invaded Sicily. She began to sell her favors at Corinth for 10,000 drachmas, and an immense number of princes, noblemen, philosophers, orators and plebeians, did homage to her charms. The high price which she demanded of her lovers gave rise to the proverb of Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum. Even Demosthenes himself visited Corinth for the sake of Lais; but when he heard the courtesan name her price (a sum equal to about 1000 dollars), the orator departed, and observed that he would not buy repentance at so dear a rate. The charms which had attracted Demosthenes had no influence upon Xenocrates, although Lais (Phryne?), seeing the philosopher unmoved by her beauty, visited his house herself. Diogenes the cynic was one of her warmest admirers, and, though slovenly in his dress and manners, yet he gained her heart. Lais ridiculed the austerity of philosophers, observing that the sages and philosophers of the age were found at her door as often as the rest of the Athenians. The success which she met at Corinth encouraged her to pass into Thessaly, particularly to enjoy the company of a favorite youth called Hippostratus; but the women of the place, jealous of her charms, and apprehensive of her corrupting the fidelity of their husbands, assassinated her in the temple of Venus, about 340 years before the Christian era. -Pausanias mentions another Lais, likewise a courtesan.

LAIUS. (See Edipus.)

LAKE. Lakes are large bodies of inland water, having no direct communication

with seas or the ocean, or communicating with them only by rivers, by which they pour out their superabundant waters. Some lakes have no issue, and receive no streams; but these are generally very small. Some have outlets, but receive no running waters; these are fed by springs which are thus obliged to fill up a basin before their waters can find their way downward towards the lower country. Others receive and discharge large rivers, and sometimes a chain of lakes are connected with each other, and with the sea, by a series of rivers. This is the case with the great lakes on our northern frontier, which are, in reality, a series of large basins or reservoirs, receiving the accumulated waters of the surrounding countries, and pouring them out through successive channels into other basins situated on a lower level. (See the articles Superior, Huron, &c.) Another class of lakes receive large streams or rivers, but have no visible or apparent outlet. The Caspian sea (q. v.), lake Titicaca, &c., are examples of this kind. These masses of water are sometimes drained by subterraneous streams, and are sometimes kept at their ordinary level by the ordinary process of evaporation. Some lakes are raised to a great height above the level of the sea. Superior is 641 feet above the ocean. The waters of lakes are generally sweet, but there are some, such as the Caspian, &c., which are salt. All the great American lakes are of fresh water.

Lake

LAKE OF THE WOODS, or Du Bois; a lake of North America, 70 miles long, and 40 wide. Large quantities of oak, fir, pine, spruce, &c., grow on its banks; hence its name. It contains a few small islands, and communicates with lake Winnipeg, which discharges its waters into Hudson's bay. Lon. 95° 20′ W.; lat. 54° 36′ N.

LALANDE, Joseph Jerome le Français de, one of the most distinguished astronomers of the last century, was born of a respectable family, at Bourg en Bresse, in France, July 11, 1732. Educated with a minute attention to religious duties, he displayed his abilities when very young, by composing sermons and mystical romances. The remarkable comet of 1744 first drew his attention to the heavenly bodies; and his taste for astronomy was fixed by the observations of father Beraud, mathematical professor at the college of Lyons, on the great eclipse of July 27, 1748. He wished to become a Jesuit, that he might devote himself entirely to study; but his friends, objecting to this