Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/23

 F A L F A L 13 The reign of Faliero has formed the subject of tragedies by Lord Byron, by Delavigne, and by Albert Lindner ; and Hoffman has employed it to furnish materials for a romance. It also forms the subject of the libretto of one of Donizetti s operas. Byron has added to his tragedy a good many notes on the character of Faliero, and on the incidents of his reign, together with an English translation made by F. Cohen of the old Chronicle of Marino Faliero. The circumstances of Faliero s plot are related in one of the letters of Petrarch, who was his contemporary and friend. FALK, JOHASN DANIEL (1768-1826), a German author and philanthropist, was bom at Dantzic, 20th October 17G8. His parents, who were in poor circumstances, gave him only a scanty education, and strongly opposed his desire to enter one of the learned professions ; but notwithstanding their discouragement he managed not only to make himself acquainted with the best German writers but also to learn French and English. After attending for some time the gymnasium of his native town, he entered the university of Halle with the view of studying theology, but preferring, on second thoughts, a non-professional life, he gave up his theological studies and went to live at Weimar. There he published a volume of satires which procured him the notice and friendship of Wieland, and admission into the literary circles of the city. On the invasion of Germany by the French, Falk joined the army, and so distinguished himself at the battle of Jena that the duke of Weimar created him a counsellor of legation. In 1813 he succeeded in establishing a society for friends in necessity, and about the same time he founded an institute for the care and education of neglected and orphan children, which in 1829 was changed into a free public school. The first literary efforts of Falk took the form chiefly of satirical poetry, and gave promise of greater future excellence than was ever completely fulfilled, for as his later pieces were directed more against individuals than the general vices and defects of society, they gradually degenerated in quality. In 1804 he published a comedy entitled Amphitryon, which met with some success, and a tragedy entitled Prometheus, which, although in many places deficient in rhythm and melody, and in form more philo sophical than dramatic, yet contains many fine thoughts expressed in language truly poetical. From 1797 to 1803 he published a kind of satirical almanac entitled T*aschen- buc.h fur Freunde des Scfierzes und der Satire. In this publication he wrote a description of the hospitals of Berlin under the satirical title of Denlnvurdiykeiten der Berliner CJtaritv auf das Jahr 1797, which led to the appointment of a committee to inquire into their management, and finally to their reform. In 180G Falk founded a critical journal under the title of Elysium itnd Tartarus. lie also contri buted largely to contemporary journals. He enjoyed the acquaintance and intimate friendship of Goethe, and his account of their intercourse was published after the death of both under the title Goethe aus ndherm personliclien Umgange dargestellt, Leipsic, 1832. Falk difid 14th February 1826. See Johannes Falks ErinnerunysUattcr aus Bricfcn imd Tagc- biichcrn, gcsamniclt von dcsscn Tochtcr Rosalie Falk, Weimar, 1868. FALKE, JOHANN FRIEDRICH GOTTLIEB (1823-1876), a German historian, was born at Ratzeburg, 20th April 1823. He entered the university of Erlangen in 1843, and soon thereafter began to devote his attention to the history of the German language and literature. In 1848 he went in the capacity of tutor to Munich, where he remained five years, and diligently availed himself of the use of the Government library for the purpose of prosecuting his his torical studies. In 1855 he was appointed secretary of the German museum at Nuremberg, and in 1859 keeper of the manuscripts. With the aid of the manuscript collections in the museum he now turned his attention chiefly to politi cal history, and, along with his brother Jacob, who is still (1878) living, and Johann Miiller, established an historical journal under the name of Zeitschrift fur deutsche Cultur- geschichte (4 vols., 1855-59). To this journal he contri buted a history of German taxation and commerce. On the latter subject ho published separately GescJiichte des deutschen Handels (2 vols., Leipsic, 1859), and Die JIansa als deutsche See-und Handelsmacht (Berlin, 1862). In 1862 he was appointed secretary of the state archives at Dresden, and a little later keeper. He there began the study of Saxon history, still devoting his attention chiefly to the history of commerce and economy. In 1868 he published, at Leipsic, Die Gcschichte des Kurfursten August von Sachsen in volkswirthschaftlicher Beziehuny, and in 1869 Geschichte des deutschen Zollwesens. He died at Dresden, 1st March 1876. FALKIRK, a municipal and parliamentary burgh and market-town of Scotland, in the county of Stirling, 25 miles W. by N. from Edinburgh by rail, is situated on a declivity which overlooks the expanse of fertile country called the Carse of Falkirk. The town consists of one wide street, with a number of narrow streets and lanes branching off-from or running parallel to it. The houses are generally lofty and well built. The parish church, erected in 1811, has a fine steeple 130 feet high. There are also places of worship for the Free Church, United Presbyterians, Inde pendents, and Roman Catholics. Continuous lines of houses connect Falkirk with the villages of Grahamston and Bainsford, and extend thence to Carron, which lies about two miles N. of the town, and is celebrated for its iron-works. Though Falkirk is not itself a manufacturing town, yet in the neighbourhood there are extensive works of various kinds. In addition to the Carron iron-works there is the Falkirk foundry at Bainsford, and several large collieries, distilleries, flour-mills, &c. The three trysts or cattle fairs held at Falkirk annually, on the 2d Tuesday and Wednesday of August, the 2d Monday and Tuesday of September, and the 2d Monday, Tuesday, and Wednes day of October, are the largest in Scotland, the last being the largest of the three. Population of parliamentary burgh in 1871, 9547; of burgh and suburbs, 11,312. Falkirk is a town of considerable antiquity, and appears to have been a place of some note in the early part of the llth century. Its original name was Eglishbreckk, which signifies the &quot; speckled church,&quot; in allusion, it is supposed, to the colour of the stones, and translated by Buchanan variiim saccllum. In the valley between Falkirk and the Carron a battle was fought on the 22d July 1293, between the Scotch under Wallace and the English under Edward I., in which the former were defeated, and two of their chieftains, Sir John Graham and Sir John Stewart, slain. Their graves arc still pointed out in the churchyard : that of Graham has a monu ment with an inscription which has been several times renewed. On a moor a little to the S.W. of the town a battle was fought on 17th January 1746, between the royal forces and those of the Pretender, in which the rebels were victorious. On this occasion fell Sir Robert Monro of Foulis, and his brother Dr Monro, whose monument is to be seen in the churchyard. In the vicinity traces of the Roman wall are still visible. Falkirk was made a burgh of barony in 1600, and in 1646 a burgh of regality. In 1715, by the forfeiture of the earl of Linlithgow, its superiority was vested^ in the crown, but it did not become a municipal burgh till the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, when it also obtained the privilege, in conjunction with Airdrie, Lanark, Hamilton, and Linlithgow, of returning a member to parliament. FALKLAND, a royal burgh of Scotland, county of Fife, is situated at the N. foot of the East Lomond Hill, 22 miles N.N.W. of Edinburgh. It consists of a single street with some cross lanes, the houses being in many cases thatched and of an antique and primitive appearance. The inhabitants are engaged chiefly in weaving and flax- spinning. Falkland is noted for its royal palace, originally a stronghold of the Macduffs, earls of Fife, but forfeited to the crown in 1424. The palace was greatly enlarged and improved by James V., who died there in 1542, and was also the favourite residence of James VI., on account of the