Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/212

 200 L A D L islands are entirely of igneous origin, and on Pagan and Uraceas are smoking craters. The coasts of the southern islvnds are in many instances surrounded by reefs. All the islands except Farallon de Medinilla and Mangs (in the northern group) are more or less densely wooded, and the vegetation is luxuriant, much resembling that of the Philippines, whence many species of plants have been introduced. Owing to the humidity of the soil cryptogams are very numerous, as also most kinds of grasses. Among the useful vegetable products may be mentioned areca and cocoa-nut palms, rice, maize, sugar, tobacco, cotton, indigo, breadfruit, bananas, and castor oil. In consequence of the laziness of the native population, agriculture is almost entirely neglected, in spite of the exceptional advantages offered by the climate and soil. On most of the islands there is a plentiful supply of water; at Guahan, however, the partial clearing a.way of the woods has caused several full streams to dwindle to mere brooks. The fauna of the Ladrones, though inferior in number and variety, is similar iu character to that of the Carolines, and certain speciea are indigenous to both colonies. Swine and oxen are allowed to run wild, and are hunted when required : the former were known to the earlier inhabit ants ; the latter with most other domestic animals were in troduced by the Spaniards. The roe was imported from the Philippines. The climate of the Ladrones, though humid, is salubri ous, whilst the heat, being tempered by the trade winds, is milder than that of the Philippines. The yearly mean temperature at Guahan is about 81 Fahr. August and September are the warmest months, but the variations of temperature are not great. The year may be divided into a wet and dry season, though even in the latter rain often falls. From October to May the general winds are north-easterly; during the other four months they are often north-westerly and south-westerly, the latter being accompanied by much rain. The present population of the Ladrunes consists of descendants from the original inhabitants, called by the Spaniards Chamorros, of Tagal settlers from the Philippines, and of a mixed race formed by the union of Spaniards and Chamorros. On the island of Saypan there is a colony from the Carolines. With the exception of the last- mentioned settlers, who are very active, and have founded the village of Garapan, the inhabitants are generally wanting in energy, of indifferent moral character, and miserably poor. Little has yet been done for the improve ment of their intellectual and social condition, with the exception of the establishment of a few schools, now mostly fallen into decay. The number of the original inhabitants previous to the subjection of the islands by the Spaniards in 1668 has been variously estimated at from 40,000 to 60,000. The Spanish conquest and the forcible suppres sion of the protracted opposition of the natives reduced their numbers to such an extent that in 1741 the population was only 1816. From that date, however, owing to the introduction of new colonists from the Philippines, the population began to increase, and in 1856 was 9500. In the last year a severe epidemic carried off more than a third of the inhabitants. Since 1871 the total population of the Ladrones has been roughly estimated at 8000. All the inhabitants understand and are able to speak Spanish, which is gradually supplanting the native language, a Mieronesian dialect nearly allied to that used by the Tagals of the Philippines. The residence of the governor is at Agaiia in Guahan. Spain gains no revenue by the pos session of these islands. The honour of the discovery of this archipelago, the first found by Europeans in the Pacific, is due to Magellan, who upon the 6th of March 1521 observed the two southernmost islands, and sailed between them (0. Teschel, Gcschichtc dcs Zdtalters dcr Enidcck- ungcn, Stuttgart, 1877, p. 500). Modern research in the archipelago began with the visit of Commodore Anson, who in August 1742 landed upon the island of Tinian, where he found extensive ruins (Anson s Voyage, bk. iii. ). The Ladrones were visited by Byron in 1765, Wallis in 1767, and Crozet in 1772. Great additions to our knowledge of the islands were made in the present century by Freycinet, in 1829 (Voyage autour du monde, part histor. ii.), and the Spanish captain Sanchez y Zayas, in 1865. Besides works above mentioned, see especially C. E. Jleinkke, Die Itiftln des Stilltn Oceans, Leipsic, 1875-76, part ii.; &quot;The Marianas Islands,&quot; iu the Xauticat Magazine, vols. xxxiv., xxxv., London, 1865. 1866 ; and P. A. Lesson, Lei J olyne siims, lew oriyine, &c., Paris, 18SO. (E. D. B.) LADY DAY, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. See ANNUNCIATION. LAENNEC, PtENE THEODORE HYACINTHE (1781-1820), inventor of the stethoscope, was born at Quimper in Britanny, February 17, 178 1. Early trained to medicine under his uncle at Nantes, he completed his medical studies at Paris, where he received the degree of doctor in 1804. He specially distinguished himself by his researches in pathological anatomy, and was regarded as one of the first practitioners of the capital when in 1816 he was appointed physician at the Necker hospital. There he continued those researches which resulted in the discovery of the .stethoscope in the manner already fully described under AUSCULTATION (vol. iii. p. 100). Laennec himself fell a victim to phthisis, the disease which, of all others, he had specially studied. For a few years he was able to occupy a medical chair in the College de France ; but he died on August 13, 1820. Laennec s chief work is the Traite dc V Auscultation mediate, 1819, in which he announced his discovery. It has been translated into various languages. He was the author also of Propositions sttr la doctrine medicale d Hippocratc, 1804 ; of Memoires sur Ics vcrs vesi- culaires, 1804 ; and of articles in the Diet, dcs Sciences Medicares, and other publications. LAEll, or LAAE, PIETER VAN (1613-1675), painter, was born at Laaren in Holland in 1613, The influence o[ a long stay in Rome begun at an early age is to be traced in his landscape and backgrounds, but in his subjects ho remained true to the Dutch tradition, choosing generally lively scenes from peasant life, as markets, feasts, bowling scenes, farriers shops, robbers, hunting scones, peasants with cattle, and the like. From this taste, or from his personal deformity, he was nicknamed Bamboccio by the Italians. On his return to Holland about 1639, he lived chiefly at Amsterdam and Haarlem, in which latter city he died in 1674 or 1675. Pieter van Laer s pictures are marked by skilful composition and good drawing ; he was especially careful in perspective. His colouring, according to Crowe, is &quot;generally of a warm brownish tone, sometimes very clear, but oftener heavy, and his execution broad and spirited.&quot; Certain etched plates are also attributed to him. L^ESTHYGONES, a mythic race of giants, mentioned in the Odyssey. After leaving the island of TEolus, Ulysses reached in six days the coast of the Ltestry- gonians and the city of Lamus, where the paths of day and night approach so close that a sleepless man might make double wages by herding continuously, watching one flock while the other rested. This feature of the tale obviously contains some hint of the long nightless summer in the Arctic regions, which perhaps penetrated to the Greeks with the merchants who fetched amber from the Baltic coasts. The Laestrygonians were cannibals; and, when three sailors sent as scouts incautiously entered the city, the king Antiphates ate one and the people pursued the others to the ships. As the vessels tried to escape from the harbour, the giants pelted them with masses of rock, and sunk all except the one in which Ulyssss was. The Lfestrygonians must be a mythic multiplication of the one ultimate demonic being who is called their king, just