Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/537

Rh thick obtuse lips and truncated snout preeminently fit them. They are gregarious, feeding in large numbers in localities where they are not often disturbed. The female produces a single young one at a birth, and is remarkable for the great affection it shows for its offspring, so that when the young dugong is caught there is no difficulty in capturing the mother with it. There are two species the Indian Dugong (Halicore indicus) and the Australian Dugong (Halicore australis). The former is very abundant along the shores of the Indian Ocean, and is captured in large numbers by the Malayans, who esteem its flesh as a great delicacy ; while the lean portions, especially of young specimens, are regarded by Europeans even as excellent eating. It is generally taken by spearing, the main object of the hunter being to raise the tail out of the water, when the animal becomes perfectly powerless. It seldom attains a length of more than 8 or 10 feet. The Australian Dugong is a larger species, attaining sometimes a length of 15 feet. It occurs along the Australian coast from Moreton Bay to Cape York, and is highly valued by the natives, who hunt for it with spears, and gorge themselves with its flesh, when they are fortunate enough to secure a carcase. In recent years the oil obtained from the blubber of this spec/es has been largely used in Australia as a substitute for cod-liver oil. It does not contain iodine, but is said to possess all the therapeutic qualities of cod-liver oil without its nauseous taste. A full grown dugong yields from 10 to 12 gallons of oil, and this, according to Bennet, &quot; forms in cold weather a thick mass, and requires to be melted before a fire previously to being used.&quot; According to the same authority, the flesh of the Australian dugong is easy of digestion, the muscular fibre when fresh resembling beef, and when salted having the flavour of excellent bacon. In the earliest Australian dugong fishery, natives were employed to harpoon these cetaceans ; they soon, however, became too wary to allow themselves to be approached near enough for this purpose, and the harpoon was abandoned for the net. The latter is spread at night, and in its meshes dugongs are caught in considerable numbers. The skin is nearly half an inch thick, and can be made into gelatine or glue.  DUGUAY-TROUIN, (–), a famous French admiral, was the son of a sea captain, and was born at St Malo on the 10th June. He was originally intended for the church, and studied with that view at Rennes and Caen ; but on the breaking out of the war with England and Holland in 1689 he obtained leave to enter the marine. Accordingly he embarked in the capacity of a volunteer on board a small vessel of 18 guns, equipped by his family, and during the first three months his courage was tried by a violent tempest, an imminent shipwreck, the boarding of an English ship, and the threatened destruction of his own vessel by fire. The following year, as a volunteer in a vessel of 28 guns, he carried off the honours in a bloody combat with an English fleet of five merchant vessels. The courage he then showed was so remarkable that in, at the age of eighteen, he obtained the command of a frigate of 14 guns, when, having been thrown by a tempest on the coast of Ireland, he burned two English ships in the river Limerick. In his vessel of 40 guns was captured by the English, and, being taken prisoner, he was confined in the castle of Plymouth, where, however, he made love to the daughter of the jailer, and by her aid managed to escape. He then obtained command of a vessel of 48 guns, and made a capture of English vessels on the Irish coast. In he made a brilliant capture of Dutch vessels, and the king hearing an account of the affair raised him in to the rank of captain of a frigate. In - he desolated the coasts of England. In he was raised to the rank of captain of a vessel of the line. In he was made chevalier of the order cf St Louis, and captured the greater part of an English con voy of troops and munitions bound for Portugal. His most glorious action was the capture in of Rio Janeiro, on which he imposed a heavy contribution. In he was made chief of a squadron, and in  commander of the order of St Louis and lieutenant-general. In he commanded a squadron for the protection of French commerce in the Levant. He died 27th September.  DU GUESCLIN, (c.–), constable of France, the most famous French warrior of his age, was born of an ancient but undistinguished family, at the castle of La Motte-Broon, near Rennes, about. The date is doubtful, the authorities varying between and. The name is spelt in various ways in contemporary records, e.g., Claquin, Klesquin, Guescquin, Glayaquin, &c. The familiar form is found on his monument at St Denis, and in some legal documents of the time. In his boyhood Bertrand was a dull learner, spending his time in open air sports and exercises, and could never read or write. He was remarkable for ugliness, and was an object of aversion to his parents. He first made himself a name as a soldier at the tournament held at Rennes in to celebrate the marriage of Charles of Blois with Jeanne de Penthievre, at which he unseated the most famous competitors. But this playing at fighting was not enough for his ambition ; and in the war which followed between Charles of Blois and John de Montfort, for the possession of the duchy of Brittany, he served his apprenticeship as a soldier. As he was not a great baron with a body of vassals at his com mand, he put himself at the head of a band of adventurers, and fought on the side of Charles and of France. He distinguished himself by a brilliant action at the siege of Vannes in ; and after that he disappears from history for some s. In, having shortly before been made a knight, he was sent into England with the lords of Brittany to treat for the ransom of Charles of Blois, who had been defeated and captured by the English in. When Rennes was besieged by the duke of Lancaster, in, Du Guesclin forced his way with a handful of men into the town, and successfully defended it till June , when the siege was raised in pursuance of the truce of Bordeaux. For this service lie was rewarded with the lordship of Roche d Airien. At the expiration of the truce he distinguished himself by the defence of Dinan, and here he engaged in single combat with Sir Thomas Canterbury. Shortly afterwards he married ; and about the same time he passed into the service of France, and greatly distin guished himself at the siege of Melun. In, in conjunction with Boucicaut, he recovered Mantes and Meulan from the king of Navarre ; and in May he defeated the Navarrese under Captal de Buch at Cocherel, and took their leader prisoner. The king now created him marshal of Normandy and count of Longueville. At the battle of Auray, in September of the same year, Charles of Blois was defeated and killed, and Du Guesclin taken prisoner, by Sir John Chandos. The grand companies beginning, after the close of the war, to play the part of brigands in France, it was necessary to get rid of them. Du Guesclin was ransomed for 100,000 crowns, and was charged to lead them out of France. He marched with them into Spain, visiting Avignon on the way, and extorting from the Pope a large sum of money and his absolution. Du Guesclin now supported Henry of Trastamare against Peter the Cruel, set the former upon the throne of Castile , and was made constable of Castile and count of Trastamare. In the following year he was defeated and captured by the Black Prince, ally of Peter the Cruel, at Najara, but was soon released for a heavy ransom. Once more he fought for Henry, reinstated him on the throne 