Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 24.djvu/659

Rh W I S W I T 619 by the refusal of a Sac band to remove beyond the Mississippi from Illinois, in accordance with treaty stipulations. Pursued by regulars and Illinois militia to the head-waters of Kock river, the band fled across south-western Wisconsin to the Mississippi, where they were nearly exterminated. This expedition disclosed the rich fanning lands of the region. In 1836 Wisconsin Territory was formed. Before this the fur trade and lead-mining had been the chief factors in development, but a wave of land speculation and immigration reached here at this period. In 1840 there was a population of 30,945, more than double that of four years before. On August 9, 1846, Congress authorized Wisconsin to form a State government. The constitution framed in 1846 being rejected by the people, a second one was ratified in 1848, and Wisconsin be came a State on May 29 of that year. At an early period the State adopted the policy of attracting im migration by cheap lands, a work in which the railroads have greatly aided, with the result that Wisconsin has the remarkable proportion of persons of foreign parentage indicated above. There are whole communities of the same foreign nationality, such as the German groups along the shore of Lake Michigan, the Scandi navian in various localities, the Swiss colony of New Glarus, the Belgians in Door county, and many others. The recent develop ment of lumbering has rapidly built up northern Wisconsin, a process now being accelerated by the mining interests on the Montreal range. Wisconsin furnished to the Union armies in the civil war over 91,000 men, the famous Iron Brigade being chiefly from that State. (F. &quot;J. T.) WISHAW, a police burgh of Lanarkshire, Scotland, and an important mining and iron town, is situated on the face of a hill, a short distance south of the South Calder water, and on the Caledonian Railway, 12 miles east-south-east of Glasgow. It is rather irregularly built, but contains some spacious streets, although the majority of the houses are inhabited by the working classes. It has numerous churches belonging to the different denorn- O O inations, and a public library. Wishaw has risen to importance since the development of the coal and iron industry within recent years. The coal-pits of the district are among the most extensive in Scotland, and in the town there are iron and steel works, malleable-iron works, fireclay works, and a distillery. Wishaw was created a police burgh in 1855, and in 1874 the limits of the burgh were extended so as to include the villages of Cambusnethan and Craigneuk. The population of Wishaw according to its old limits was 8812 in 1871 and 8953 in 1881, that of the extended area in 1881 being 13,112, of which 1829 belonged to Cambusnethan and 2330 to Craigneuk. The town has borne in succession the following names: New Town of Cambusnethan, New Town of Wishaw, Wishavv- town, and Wishaw. WISMAR, the second commercial town and seaport of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, is situated on the Bay of Wismar, one of the best harbours on the Baltic, 18 miles almost due north of Schwerin. The town is well and regularly built, with broad and straight streets, and contains numerous handsome and quaint buildings in the northern Gothic style. The church of St Mary, a Gothic edifice of 1353, with a tower 2 GO feet high, and the church of St Nicholas (1381-14GO), with very lofty vaulting, are regarded as good examples of the influence exercised in these northern provinces by the large church of St Mary in Liibeck. The elegant cruciform church of St George dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. The Fiirstenhof, at one time a ducal residence but now occupied by the municipal authorities, is a richly decorated specimen of German Renaissance. Built in 1554, it was restored in 1877-79. The &quot; Old School,&quot; dating from about 1300, has been restored, and is now occupied as a museum. The chief manufactures of Wismar are iron, chicory, cigars, roofing-felt, asphalt, etc. Fishing and agriculture are carried on by the inhabitants, but their main industry is connected with shipping and trade. The leading ex ports are grain, oil-seeds, butter, and cattle ; the imports are coal, timber, iron, stoneware, and lime. The harbour is deep enough to admit vessels of IG-feet draught. In 1886 the port owned 35 ships (2 steamers), of 8302 tons burden ; in 1875, however, it had 46 ships, with a total burden of 10,447 tons. The population, 6009 in 1810 and 14,462 in 1875, was 16,011 in 1885. Wismar is said to have received town-rights in 1229. In the 13th and 14th centuries it was a nourishing Hanse town, with important woollen factories. Though a plague carried off 10,000 of the inhabitants in 1376, the town seems to have remained toler ably prosperous until the 16th century. By the peace of West phalia in 1649 it passed to Sweden, along with a barony to which it gives name. In 1803 Sweden pledged both town and barony to Mecklenburg for a sum of money, reserving, however, the right of redemption after 100 years. In view of this contingent right of Sweden, Wismar is not represented in the diet of Mecklenburg ; but it still enjoys some of its ancient rights and privileges as a free town. WITCHCRAFT. This subject has already been con sidered in its general aspects under ASTROLOGY, DEMON- OLOGY, DIVINATION, MAGIC, and SPIRITUALISM. In this place what will be mainly attempted will be to illustrate the position assumed by the law towards a crime which was regarded for centuries not only as possible but also as specially noxious. It is a long interval from the Twelve Tables to the Bill of Rights, but the lawyers of the latter age accepted the existence of witchcraft with a faith almost as unquestioning as those of the former, and com paratively few were they, whether lawyers or laymen, who in the interval dared to raise their voices against the prevailing superstition. The writings of Shakespeare and the other Elizabethan dramatists are sufficient of them selves to show the universal prevalence of the belief in England. For the purposes of this article witchcraft may be taken to include any claim of a power to produce effects by other than natural causes. By whatever name such a power might be called in a particular case, whether witch craft, conjuration, sorcery, incantation, divination, or any similar name, the legal effects attaching to its supposed exercise were usually the same. Witchcraft was the most comprehensive English name, sortileyium the most com prehensive in ecclesiastical Latin. In Roman law it was provided by the Twelve Tables that no one should remove his neighbour s crops to another field by incantation or conjure away his corn. At a later date the Lex Cornelia de Sicariis et Venejicis was extended by decree of the senate to cases of offering sacrifice to injure a neighbour. 1 Exercise of magical and diabolical arts rendered the magicians themselves liable to be burned alive, and those who consulted them to crucifixion. Even the possession of magical books was criminal. To administer a love potion, even though harmless, was punished by labour in the mines, or relegation and fine in the case of persons of rank. 2 One title of the Code of Justinian is entirely taken up with the subject. 3 Astro logers (mathematics) seem to have been specially objection able to both the pagan and Christian emperors. Sorcery was punished by Constantine with banishment, or death by burning ; and an accusation of witchcraft, as of treason, rendered every one, whatever his rank, liable to torture. To teach or to learn magic art was equally criminal. The only exceptions allowed (and these were afterwards re moved by Leo 4 ) were magic remedies for disease and for drought, storms, and other natural phenomena injurious to agriculture. A constitution of Honorius and Theodosius in 409 rendered mathematici liable to banishment unless they gave up their books to be burned in the presence of a bishop. 5 The trial of APULEIUS (q.v.) for magic in 150 A.D. is the most familiar instance occurring under Roman law. The church followed and amplified Roman law. The 1 Dig., xlviii. 8, 13. 2 Paulus, Sententiae, v. 21, 23 3 Cod. , ix. 18 (iJe Maleficis ct Mathematicis}. 4 Cunst., 65. 5 Cod., i. 4, 10.