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HIRSCH

to be higher than Mt. Everest. The great rivers of India flow from these mountains through wild, narrow gorges often thousands of feet deep. The mountains are considered sacred among the Hindus, and thousands of pilgrims ascend them yearly, traveling to the holy sources of the Ganges. They divide the central Asian tableland of Tibet from the plain of the Ganges in northern India.

Hincks, Sir Francis, a Canadian statesman, was born at Cork, Ireland, Dec. 14, 1807. He came to Canada and lived in Toronto, became interested in politics and was editor of the Examiner. In 1841 he was elected to the Dominion parliament, and later was appointed inspector-general. From 1851 to 1854 he was prime minister of Canada. After serving for some time as governor of the Windward Islands and, later, of British Guiana, he returned to Canada and assisted in the measures that united the British provinces in the Dominion. Knighted in 1869, he served as minister of finance four years. He was editor of the Journal of Commerce in Montreal for some years previous to his death, which occurred on Aug. 18, 1885.

Hindu=Kush (hm'doo koosh ), the Indian Caucasus, is a range of mountains forming the westward continuation of the Himalayas, to which they are sometimes considered as belonging. They are separated from them by the Indus River. They separate Afghanistan from Turkestan, stretching westward for 365 miles with an average width of 200 miles. The highest measured peak is over 23,000 feet; Hindu-koh, north of Kabul, is 24,000 feet in height.

Hindustan'. See INDIA.

Hip'pias, an Athenian tyrant, son of Pis-istratus. At the death of his father in 527 B. C., he and his brother Hipparchus became joint rulers, and conducted the affairs of the government in accordance with the principles laid down by their father. Hipparchus was assassinated in 514 B. C., however, and then Hippias seized the power of fovernment himself, put to death all whose delity to himself he had any reason to suspect, imposed heavy taxes and became generally tyrannical. After two unsuccessful attempts, his despotism was overthrown by the Alcmaeonidae, ancient enemies of his family, aided by a Spartan force led by Cleomenes. Hippias was compelled to leave Attica, and afterwards condemned to perpetual banishment. He went to the court of King Darius of Persia, and succeeding in stirring up that monarch to enter upon the first Persian War against Greece. It is not definitely known whether Hippias was killed at the battle of Marathon or whether he died somewhat later at Lem-nos.

Hippocrates (Mp-pok'rd-tez), the most celebrated of Greek physicians,, was de-

scended from JEsculapius. He was born on the island of Cos about 460 B. C. He was greatly esteemed as a physician, and his teaching gave the medical school at Cos a high reputation. His works were quoted by Plato and by Aristotle, who calls him Hippocrates the Great. He was cautious in his practice, paying attention mainly to diet and nursing, and was charged with letting his patients die because he did nothing seemingly to keep them alive. The works, about 60 in number, called the Hippocratic collection are only in part known to be his writings. Of these are On Wounds of the Head, Epidemics and On Air, Water and Places. He died at Lar-issa, in Thessaly, 377 B. C., probably, as other dates are given.

Hip'podrome, the Greek name for a place set apart for horse and chariot races. It was supposed to be about one half mile long and oneeighth wide, and corresponded in most respects to the Roman circus. See OLYMPIC GAMES.

Hippopotamus (tiipf po-potf d-mus}, whose name means river-horse, is a massive, thick-skinned animal of Africa, with short legs and a ponderous body. An air-breathing mammal, it lives in the water as well as on land. The hide is two inches thick, and on leaving the water it is covered with drops of reddish fluid that give rise to the saying that the hippopotamus sweats blood. This exudation gives the skin its dark fleshy-red color. On the head are small pointed ears, small eyes and a very broad snout, the nostrils of which can be tightly closed. The canine teeth are very large and curved, and are sold for ivory. Hippopotami remain mostly in the water during the day, coming to the surface from time to time for air, and go to pasture at night. They often go eight or nine miles to feed. Their ordinary food is grass and water-plants, but they also make inroads on cultivated fields and have been driven from the cultivated regions. They are no longer found in lower Egypt.

Hirsch, Maurice Baron de, an Austrian financier and philanthropist, was born at Munich, in Bavaria on Dec. 9, 1831. Early in life Baron Hirsch had acquired a princely fortune. In 1888 he lost a beloved son, 20 years of age, and this moved him to devote 20 million dollars to the purpose of charity. He consulted prominent Jews in all countries, and by their advice this sum was invested in behalf of destitute Jews in Hungary, Russia, Galicia and Rumania. When, later, the Jews were expelled from the Russian empire, Baron Hirsch devised an emigration scheme, involving the expenditure of ab-xit $10,000,000, to aid exiled Jews 1x» ^ettle in other countries, as the Argenilr«s Republic, where 500,000 acres of land were acquired. Here 1,223 families were settled. Baron Hirsch