Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 6.djvu/857

Rh sional geographical lights which they afforded, for it was remarked that in perusing their works he was totally indifferent to everything which did not tend to fix a geographical position. The object of this immense labour was to effect a complete reform in the science of geography by banishing the system of copying blindly from preceding maps, and never fixing a single position without a careful examination of all the authorities upon which it rested. By this process he detected many serious errors in the works of his most celebrated predecessors, while his own accuracy was soon attested on all sides by the travellers and mariners who had taken his works as their guide. His principles led him also to another innovation, which was that of omitting every name for which there existed no sufficient authority. Vast spaces, which had before been covered with countries and cities, were thus suddenly reduced to a perfect blank; but it was speedily perceived that this was the only accurate course, and that the defect lay iu the science, not iu the geographer. D Anville was at first employed in the humbler task oi illustrating by maps the works of different travellers, such as Marchais, Charlevoix, Labat, and Duhalde. For the history of China by the last-named writer he was employed to make an atlas, which was published by itself at the Hague in 1737. The question respecting the figure of the earth coming to be much agitated, he published in 1735 and 1736 two treatises, with a view to illustrate it. But this attempt to solve a geometrical problem by historical materials was eminently unsuccessful. Maupertuis having gone to measure a degree within the polar circle, the result was found directly opposite to D Anville s prediction. Any loss of reputation which this failure might have occasioned was completely retrieved by his map of Italy, published in 1743. It was marked by a method of investigation often employed by D Anville with peculiar success, which con sisted in the application of ancient materials to correct the existing geography. By the diligent study of the Latin authors he was enabled to trace numerous errors which had crept into the delineation of that country. A trigono metrical survey which Pope Benedict XIV. almost immediately after caused to be made in the States of the Church confirmed, in a surprizing degree, all these altera tions. On this occasion he first set the example of accompanying the map with a memoir exhibiting the data on which it had been constructed. He now applied himself to ancient geography, always his favourite department, the aspect of which, under his hands, was soon completely changed. He illustrated succes sively, by maps, all the countries known to the ancients, among which Egypt attracted his peculiar attention. To render these labours more extensively useful, he published in 1768 his Geographic Ancienne Aliregee, of which an English translation, entitled Compendium of Ancient Geography, appeared in 1791. His attention was finally turned to the Middle Ages, which were illustrated by his Etats formes en Europe apres la Chute de V Empire Roinain tn Occident (1771), and by some other works equally learned. Entirely devoted to geographical inquiries, the appearance of his successive publications formed the only events by which his life was diversified. From causes which are not explained, he was late in being admitted into the literary societies. In 1754, at the age of sixty, he became a member of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres, whose transactions he enriched with many papers. In 1775 he received the only place in the Academy of Sciences which is allotted to geography ; and in the same year he was appointed, without solicitation, first geographer to the king. But these honours came too late to gladden a life which was now drawing to its utmost verge. His last employment consisted in arranging his collection of maps, plans, and geographical materials. It was the most extensive in Europe, and had been purchased by the king, who, however, left him the use of it during his life. This task performed, he sunk into a tot;il imbecility both of mind and body, which continued for two years, and ended only with his death in January 1782.

1em  DAPHNE, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of a river-god, usually the Arcadian Ladon, sometimes the Thessalian Peneus, her mother being Gsea, the goddess of the earth. As usual with nymphs of springs or rivers she was pursued by lovers, first by Leucippus, a son of (Enomaus, who disguised himself as a girl to be able to follow her better, but was discovered and killed by the nymphs with Daphne, and secondly by Apollo, from whom she escaped, being transformed into a laurel tree (Sd^nj).  DAPHNEPHORIA, a festival held every nine years at Thebes, in Boeotia, in honour of Apollo, consisting of a procession in which the chief figure was a boy chosen on each occasion for his beauty and strength, who at the same time was of a good family and had both parents alive. He was styled Daphnephoros, &quot; laurel-bearer.&quot; In front of him walked one of his nearest relatives, carrying an olive branch hung with laurel and flowers and having on the upper end a bron/e ball from which hung several smaller balls. Another smaller ball was placed on the middle of the branch or pole, which was then twined round with purple ribbons, and at the lower end with saffron ribbons. These balls were said to indicate the sun, stars, and moon, while the ribbons referred to the days of the year, being 365 in num ber. This object was called the Kopo. The Daphnephoros, wearing a golden crown, or, as Pausauias (ix. 10, 4) says, a wreath of laurel, richly dressed and partly holding tho Kopo, was followed by a chorus of maidens carrying sup pliant branches and singing a hymn to the god. The Daphnephoros dedicated a bronze tripod in the temple of Apollo, and Pausanias (loc. cit.) mentions the tripod dedi cated there by Amphitryon when his son Hercules had been Daphnephoros.  DAHABJIRD, or, a city of Persia in the province of Farsistan, 140 miles south-east of Shiraz. It is situated in a very fertile district at the foot of mountains, and is embellished by luxuriant orchards of orange, lemon, and date trees. Though greatly fallen from its former prosperity, it is still one 0f the most important cities of the province. Its name signifies the city or residence of Darius, and by Von Hammer it was identified with the ancient Pasargadse. In the neighbourhood there are various remains of antiquity, the most important of which, 3 miles to the south, is known as the Khaleh-Darfib, or citadel of Darius, and consists of a series of earthworks arranged in a circle round an isolated rock. Nothing remains, however, to fix the date or explain the history of the fortification. Another monument of the vicinity is *&amp;gt; gigantic bas-relief carved on the vertical face of a rock, apparently representing the victory of Sapor I. of Persia over the Emperor Valerian. A full description of both monuments will be found in the second volume of Flandin s Voijaye en Perxe.  D’ARBLAY, (1752-1840). Fiances Burney, daughter of Charles Burney, D.Mus., was born at Lynn Regis, in Norfolk, 1752. Her mother was a Miss Esther Sleepe, distantly of French descent. In 1 760 the Burneys moved to London; and in 1761 Mrs Burney died, leaving six children, of whom Fanny, the tbird, was but nine years old. Her sisters were sent to school, but she, as she tells 