Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 06.djvu/48

LEFT LUCCA 30 LUCIFEB LUCCA (lok'ka), called "the Indus- trious," chief town of an Italian prov- ince, situated on a plain, bounded by picturesque hills and irrigated by the Serchio, 14 miles by rail N. E. of Pisa; has a great trade in olive oil and silk. The cathedral of St. Martin, begun in 1063, has a cedar crucifix reputed to have been brought to Lucca in 782; this Volto Santo ("Sacred Countenance") is men- tioned by Dante; the church contains also several fine paintings, the tomb of Maria Guinigi, and valuable archives; there are nearly 40 other churches, some dating from the 7th and 8th centuries. A splendid aqueduct (1820) supplies the town with water from the Pisan hills. The municipal buildings (1578) contain a valuable collection of paintings; the town is exceptionally rich in artistic and scientific institutions, and the en- virons abound in delightful villas. Lucca (ancient Luca) was made a Roman colony in 177 B. c. The town had a most checkered history down to 1369, when it became an independent republic, v/hich lasted till 1797. In 1805 it was erected into a principality by Napoleon for his sister, Elisa Bacciochi, and in 1815 passed to Maria Louisa of Spain, Queen of Etruria. Her son, Charles Louis, ceded it to Tuscany in 1847, on obtaining pos- session of Parma and Piacenza. In a charming valley, 16 miles N. of the town, are situated the mineral baths of Lucca, which have been famous since the 15th century. Pop. about 80,000. The prov- ince is famed for the fertility of its soil and the superiority of its agriculture. LUCE, STKPHEN BLEECKER, an American naval officer; born in Albany, N. Y., March 25, 1827; served on the Pacific Coast in the Mexican War; was promoted commander in 1866; captain in 1872; commodore in 1881; and rear- admiral in 1885; was retired the same year. He was naval editor of the "Stand- ard Dictionary" and author of "Naval Songs" (1889) ; "Seamanship" (used as a text book at the United States Naval Academy, 1898); "Patriotic and Naval Songster"; etc. He died in 1917. LUCEN-A(l6-tha'na), a town of Spain, 36 miles S. by E. of Cordova; famous for its wine and breed of horses. Pop about 21,000. ^ LUCERA (lo-cha'ra) (the ancient Luceria, of the Samnite War), a town of southern Italy, 12 miles N. W. of Foggia; has a cathedral dating from 1302, and a famous ruined castle of Frederick II. Fop. about 17,000. LUCERNE (lii-sarn') the capital of a Swiss canton, 59 miles S. E. of Basel, 147 S. S. E. of Strassburg, and 177 N. N. W. of Milan; very beautifully situ- ated at the point where the Reuss issues from the N. W. extremity of the Lake of Lucerne, and partly surrounded (on the N.) with mediaeval towers. Near the lake, rising from the middle of the Reuss, is an old tower, which is said to have been a lighthouse (lucerna) in Roman times, whence the name of the town. Outside one of the gates is the Lion of Lucerne, hewn (1821) out of the solid rock after a model by Thorwaldsen, a monument to the Swiss guard who perished at the Tuileries in 1792. Near by is the Glacier Garden, with rocks illustrating the action of ice. Pop. com- mune, about 45,000. The canton is bound- ed by Aargau on the N., Zug and Schwyz on the E., Unterwalden on the S. E., and Bern on the S. and W.; area, 579 square miles; pop. about 170,000; is fruitful in the valleys; in the more mountainous parts the rearing of cattle is carried on to a great extent, large quantities of cheese being made. The highest elevation is 6,998 feet, a peak of Mount Pilatus. The inhabitants are mostly of German race and language, and belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The canton threw off the yoke of Austria in 1332, and, joining Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden, formed the nucleus of the future Swiss Confederation. See Switz- erland. LUCERNE, LAKE OF, called also ViERWALDSTATTERSEE ("Lake of the Four Forest Cantons" — Uri, Unterwalden, Schwyz, and Lucerne), one of the most beautiful sheets of water in Europe. In shape it resembles roughly a cross with a crumpled stem; its shores are mostly steep and rocky. Length from Lucerne to Fliielen, 23 miles; average breadth; about 1% miles; area, 44 square miles. The chief places on its banks are Lucerne, Kiissnacht, and Alpnach at the N. W., and Fliielen near its S. W.. extremity. It forms part of the St. Grothard route, and is navigated by steamboats, but is liable to sudden and violent storms. See Tell, William. LUCHU, LIU-KIU, a chain of 55 islands, belonging to Japan. They extend in a S. W. direction from Coluet Strait toward Formosa. The total area is 941 square miles. The climate is healthful and the soil fertile. Sugar is the most important crop, but sweet potatoes, rice, barley, wheat, and beans are also pro- duced. The principal industry is the manufacture of cotton cloth for native wear. The popul^ion is about 600,000. LUCIFER, the morning star. A name given to the planet Venus when she