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.
DORT'MUND, a city of Prussia, province of Westphalia, on the Emscher, 47
miles N.N.E. of Cologne, starting-point of an important canal to the lower
Ems. It has rapidly increased in recent years, being the centre of
important railway systems, having extensive coal-mines in the vicinity, and
active manufactures of iron, steel, machinery, and railway plant. There are
also a number of breweries, potteries, tobacco factories, and chemical
works. It was once a free Imperial Hanseatic town, and the seat of the
chief tribunal of the Vehme. Pop. 214,226.
[Illustration: Dory (_Zeus faber_)]
DORY, or JOHN DORY (_Zeus faber_), a bony fish which is the type of a
special family (Zeidae), and is celebrated for the delicacy of its flesh.
It seldom exceeds 18 inches in length, and is yellowish-green in colour
with a blackish spot on each side, which, according to an old superstition,
is the mark of St. Peter's forefinger and thumb; another claimant for this
honour is the haddock. The dory is found on the Atlantic shores of Europe
and in the Mediterranean. The name John Dory is supposed to be derived from
the Fr. _jaune dor['e]e_, golden yellow.
DOSITH'EANS, an ancient sect among the Samaritans, so called from their
founder Dositheus, who was a contemporary and associate of Simon Magus, and
lived in the first century of the Christian era. They rejected the
authority of the prophets, believed in the divine inspiration of their
founder, and had many superstitious practices.
DOSSO DOSSI, Giovanni di Lutero, Italian painter of the Ferrara school;
born 1479, died 1542. He was much honoured by Duke Alfonso of Ferrara, and
immortalized by Ariosto (whose portrait he executed in a masterly manner)
in his _Orlando_. Modena, Ferrara, and Dresden possess most of his works.
_Circe in the Woods_ is in the Borghese Gallery, and _St. Sebastian_ in the
Brera at Milan.
DOST MOHAMMED KHAN, born about 1790, a successful usurper who obtained
possession of the throne of Afghanistan after the flight of Mahmud Shah in
1818. He ruled with very great ability, and although driven from his throne
by a British army, was ultimately restored and became a steady supporter of
British power in the East. He died in 1863.
DOSTOIEV'SKY, Feodor Mikhailovitsh, a famous Russian novelist, born 1821,
died 1881. After serving as an officer of engineers he devoted himself to
literature, but becoming connected with the communistic schemes of
Petrashevsky, he was condemned to death. At the last moment, when
Dostoievsky was already on the scaffold, the sentence was commuted, and he
was banished to the mines of Siberia. Pardoned by Alexander II, he returned
in 1856 to resume his literary activity. His first novel, _Poor People_,
came out in 1846. Among his works that have appeared in English are: _Crime
and Punishment_; _Injury and Insult_; _The Friend of the Family_; _The
Gambler_; _The Idiot_; _Prison Life in Siberia_; _Uncle's Dream_; _The
Permanent Husband_; _The Brothers Karamzov_; _Letters from the Underworld
and Other Tales_. There is a complete edition of his novels by C. Garnett,
1912.--BIBLIOGRAPHY: J. A. T. Lloyd, _A Great Russian Realist_; J. M.
Murray, _F. Dostoievsky: a Critical Study_.
DOT'TEREL (_Eudromias morinellus_), a species of plover which breeds in the
north of Europe, and returns to the south for the winter. In Scotland it
appears in April and leaves in August, the young being hatched in July, but
comparatively few breed in the British Islands. It is found all over Europe
and Northern Asia. The dotterel is about 8 inches long. Contrary to the
general rule the hen is larger and more brightly coloured than the cock,
and the latter performs most of the duties of incubation.
DOUAI (d[:o]-[=a]), town, France, department of Nord, on the Scarpe, 18
miles south of Lille. It is one of the oldest towns in France, of which it
became part by the Treaty of Utrecht. It is strongly fortified, has a fine
town-house, several handsome churches, an academy of arts and law, a
lyceum, museum and public library, Benedictine college, and hospital; a
cannon foundry, linen manufactories, machine-works, and tanneries. There
was long here a college for British Roman Catholic priests, the most
celebrated of its kind, founded by Cardinal Allen in 1568. Douai was
captured by the Germans during the European War, and retaken by the Allies
in Oct., 1918. It received the Cross of the Legion of Honour in Sept.,
1919. Pop. 36,314.
DOUAI BIBLE, the English translation of the Bible used among
English-speaking Roman Catholics, and executed by divines connected with
the English College at Douai. The New Testament was published in 1582 at
Rheims, the Old during 1609-10 at Douai, the translation being based on the
_Vulgate_. Various revisions have since materially altered it.
DOUARNENEZ (d[u:]-[.a]r-n[.e]-n[=a]), a seaport, France, Finist[`e]re, on a
beautiful bay of the same name, 13 miles north-west of Quimper. It depends
chiefly on the sardine fishery. Pop. 13,753.
DOUBLE FERTILIZATION. See _Embryo-sac_.
DOUBLE-FLOWERING, the development, often by cultivation, of the stamens and
pistils of flowers into petals, by which the beauty of the flower is
enhanced and its reproductive powers sacrificed.
DOUBLE-INSURANCE, the effecting of two insurances upon the same goods. In
marine insurance it is lawful for a shipper to insure his goods twice, but
only to give an additional security in the event of the failure of the
first underwriters. In the event of a loss it is ultimately divided among
the underwriters in the ratio of the risks they have taken.
DOUBLE-STARS, or BINARY STARS, stars which are so close together that they
appear as one to the naked eye, but are seen to be double when viewed
through a telescope. One of these stars may revolve about the other, or,
more accurately speaking, both revolve round the common centre of gravity.
[Illustration: 1, Doublet, time of Edward IV. 2,3, Doublets, time of
Elizabeth. 4, Doublet, time of Charles I.]
DOUBLET, a close-fitting garment, covering the body from the neck to a
little below the waist. It was introduced from France into England in the
fourteenth century, and was worn by both sexes and all ranks until the time
of Charles II, when it was superseded, as far as men were concerned, by the
coat and waistcoat. The garment got its name from being originally lined or
wadded for defence.
DOUBLET, in lapidary work, a counterfeit stone composed of two pieces of
crystal, with a colour between them, so that they have the same appearance
as if the whole substance of the crystal were coloured.
DOUBLE-VAULT, in architecture, one vault built over another so that a space
is left between the two. It is used in domes or vaulted roofs when the
external and internal arrangements require vaults differing in size or
shape, the outer and upper vault being made to harmonize with the exterior
of the building, the inner or lower with the interior.
DOUBLOON', a gold coin of Spain and of the Spanish American States,
originally double the value of the pistole. The doubloon of Spain was
subsequently equivalent to about a guinea sterling. The doubloon of Chile
was worth about 18s. 9d. sterling; that of Mexico, L3, 4s. 8d.
DOUBS (d[:o]), a department of France, having Switzerland on its eastern
frontier. Its surface is traversed by four chains of the Jura. The
temperature is variable, and the climate somewhat rigorous. About a third
of the land is arable, but much the greater part is covered with forests.
Maize, potatoes, hemp, flax are the principal crops. Much dairy produce is
made into Gruy[`e]re cheese. The minerals include iron, lead, and marble.
Pop. 284,975.--The River Doubs rises in the department to which it gives
its name, flows first north-east, then north-west till it joins the
Sa[^o]ne at Verdun-sur-Sa[^o]ne; length, 250 miles.
DOUCHE (d[:o]sh), a jet or current of water or vapour directed upon some
part of the body; employed in bathing establishments. When water is
applied, it is called the _liquid douche_, and when a current of vapour,
the _vapour douche_.