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GUISE

813

GULL

on July 17, 1085. See The Normans in Europe by A. H. Johnson.

Guise   (gu-gz),   Henry,   Duke,   of   the

family of Lorraine, a son of Francis, was born on Dec. 31 ,1550. The murder of his father by the Protestants filled him with bitter hatred toward them, and he fought against them at Jarnac in March, 1569, and at Moncontour in October, 1569, and forced Coligni to raise the siege of Poitiers. He was one of those who brought about the massacre of St. Bartholomew, Aug. 24, 1572. He was ambitious to become king, in place of Henry III, whom he defied and humilated to such an extent that the king procured Guise's assassination at Blois on Dec. 23, 1588. See History of France by Guizot and that by Yonge.

Guitar (gi-tarf), a stringed musical instrument resembling the lute, well-adapted as an accompaniment to the voice in singing and much used in Italy and Spain. It was introduced into Srjain by the Moors. It has six strings, which are twitched by the fingers of the right hand, while those of the left hand make the notes of the music by being pressed on the fingerboard, which has frets (metal strips dividing it into notes') across it. The three highest strings are always of gut, the three lowest of silk spun over with silvered wire.

Guizot (ge'zo'), Francois Pierre Guil-laume, a French historian and statesman, was born at Nimes, France, of Huguenot parentage, Oct. 4, 1787. His father was guillotined in 1794, whereupon his mother took him to Geneva, where he was carefully educated, but he returned to Paris to study law in 1805. In 1809 he attracted attention by his review of Chateaubriand's Martyrs, followed by the New Dictionary of Synonyms, by an essay on the fine arts and in 1812 by a translation of Gibbon. He was appointed professor of modern history in the University of France shortly afterward. On the fall of Napoleon in 1814, Guizot was made secretary-general of the ministry of the interior, tnen secretary-general of the ministry of justice and in 1816 director-general and counselor of state. But in 1821, finding himself at odds with the Bourbon policy, he was deprived of all his offices, and four years later was prevented even from lecturing. He then published his History of France and History of the Revolution in England. In 1828 he was restored to his college-chair, and his lectures on the history of civilization in England, Europe and France, published as a Course of Modern History, made his reputation as one of the first historians of the day. In 1830 he returned to political life and held several important offices, being ambassador to England in 1840 and prime-minister in 1847, When minister of public instruction, he established a system of primary schools. On the fall of Louis Philippe in 1848, he

escaped to London, but returned to Normandy during the Second Empire, devoting all his leisure to literature. He died in Normandy, Oct. 12, 1874. See Private Life by Madame Guizot de Witt and Memoirs by himself.

Gulf Stream, the largest and best known of all oceanic currents, derives its name from the Gulf of Mexico, out of which it flows as a stream of warm water along the east coast of the United States to Newfoundland, whence it takes a diagonal course across the Atlantic. This flowing of an independent and separate stream in a large body of water is caused by the action of the prevailing winds of the globe. In the Atlantic the waters near the equator are forced by the winds into the Caribbean Sea, through the Yucatan Channel, into the Gulf of Mexico, which is three feet four inches higher than the waters around Sandy Hook. This is occasioned by part of the force keeping up the flow of the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream varies from 50 miles in width to 300 at Sandy Hook, there spreading out in the shape of a fan. It travels from about six milus per hour at the Straits of Florida to three or four miles per day at its widest part in the Atlantic. It is divided into two parts off the coast of Europe, one part passing along the coast of Norway to the Arctic Ocean and the other along the coast of Spain and Africa. As it enters the colder waters, it sinks below the surface on account of its greater density, and is therefore warmer below the surface at Great Britain than off the coast of Africa. Its surface temperature averages about 77.5° F.

Gull, a long-winged water-bird with web-feet, inhabiting all parts of the world. The group to which gulls belong embraces also the terns, and these two kinds of birds are closely related. There is a popular notion that gulls have an undivided tail and the terns a forked one; this holds good for most forms, but not for all, as some gulls have forked tails and some terns wedge-shaped tails. There are about 100 species of these birds — 50 gulls and 50 terns. These graceful birds are seen flying over the water, both on large fresh-water lakes and at the sea-coast. Their cry is a scream, loud and powerful. No birds are more widely distributed than gulls and terns. One on a voyage, either on the Great Lakes or the ocean, is sure to see them flying about the vessel for remnants thrown overboard from the cook's galley. They are beneficial as scavengers, for they dispose of refuse floating on the water which might do harm if cast ashore. The gulls are larger and stouter than the terns. The predominating colors in both birds are white and gray, varying in shade. The feet and bill are usually brightly colored, frequently yellow or red. They feed on fish, floating scraps