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CRECY

476

CRESTON

Haydn placed a higher estimate upon The Creation than he did upon his second oratorio, The Seasons9 written during 1798-1800.

Crecy (krd's$f), a town of France, where, on Aug. 26, 1346, Edward III of England, with about 30,000 men, won a brilliant victory over 100,000 French under the Count of Alencon. The flower of French chivalry, together with the blind king of Bohemia, who was fighting on the side of France, fell in this battle. In all, fully 30,000 French bit the dust. Here the Black Prince gained his spurs and adopted the threefold feather-crest of the fallen Bohemian king, with the motto Ich dien (I serve), still worn by the Princes of Wales. The battle was one of the earliest in which cannon were used by the English.

Creeks, an Indian tribe, living, when first seen by De Soto in 1540, on the Flint, Chattahoochee, Cposa and Alabama Rivers in Florida. Their own account of themselves is that they came out of the earth, and marched from the northwest to the lands then held by them. From their language, they probably are of the same race as the Choctaws and Chickasaws. Their alliance was courted by the Spaniards in Florida, by the French in Louisiana and by the English in Carolina. During the Revolutionary War they attacked Wayne's army, and at its close many Tories joined them. Washington got some of their chiefs to come torsTew York and sign a treaty; but they continued still hostile. In the War of 1812 they surprised Fort Mimms, killing 400 men, women and children. They were at once attacked by United States troops and defeated seven times, the last time being utterly crushed by General Jackson at Horseshoe Bend. When hopeless, having lost 2,000 warriors, their country ravaged and their towns laid in ashes, they submitted. Nevertheless, the government treated with them for years before it succeeded in getting them across the Mississippi. One chief, General William Mclntosh, who signed a treaty in 1825, was put to death by his enraged countrymen. But when, in 1836, some of the Creeks had attacked the frontier towns of Georgia and Alabama and had been defeated by General Scott, about 25,000, who were still left on their old grounds, were at once sent to join the rest of their nation, between the Arkansas and Canadian Rivers. In the Civil War some joined the north and some the south. Schools and churches were late in obtaining a footing with the Creeks, as their only idea of Christianity was what they learned from the negroes, and the proud warriors would have nothing to do with the slaves1 religion. Their government was peculiar. Each town had nothing to do with the others, but was ruled by its own micco or king, who was

chosen as a ruler. Next to him was the war-chief. Every town had a square in its center, shut in by houses, the micco and war-chief having special nouses. On this square was held their great feast.

Creeper, Brown, a little, brown, mottled bird that creeps—or rather flashes—round and round a tree in search of larvae. It is our one member of the family of Creepers. It is a little smaller than the English sparrow; is grayish-white beneath; the brown and gray above very like in coloring

BROWN CREEPER

to the bark of a tree; it has a slender, curving bill. It is a most diligent bird; it starts from the bottom of a tree and in a sort of spiral climb picks out with utmost care the larvag in the bark. In climbing it sometimes uses its tail like the woodpecker, the tail being stiff and sharp at the points. The breeding-range is in the northern states and northward; from September to April it may be found from Massachusetts to Florida.

Cre'ole. See NEW ORLEANS.

Cress, name of various plants whose leaves are an agreeable relish, much favored in salads. Garden-cress often called pep-pergrass, is gaining ground in American

fardens. In winter it may be grown in ower-ppts or boxes, the seed sprouting very quickly; for a supply of tender leaves seed should be sown very frequently. Water-cress is an important market-crop. It can be grown in almost any pool or shallow water course with sand or gravel bottom, being introduced by scattering seeds or some freshly cut branches. It is a hardy perennial.

Crest on, Iowa, a city, the seat of Union County, in the south of the state, on the Chic., Burl, and Quincy Railroad, 60 miles southwest of Des Moines. Besides its shipment of live-stock it has extensive railway-car works, machine-shops and wagon-factories. The city, which was settled so recently as 1868, is growing rapidly, and it has a fair showing of public buildings, besides schools and churches. Population 6,924.