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LIGNITE

IO70

LILY

not be laid upon securing good ground connection. At sea this is easily secured by connecting with the copper sheathing of the vessel. On land a well, moist earth or the water-pipe system (never the gas pipe) makes a good "ground.''

Lig'nite, most of the coals in the more recent geological formations. (Lat. lignum, meaning wood.) It also is known as wood-coal and brown-coal, and as a rule shows more or less of the texture of the wood from which it was formed. This coal has brownish streaks or a brown color shading into black, with a glistening fracture. It is chiefly found in the cretaceous and tertiary formations. The term Lignite is applied to woody tissue in which bituminization has begun, and is older than it is in peat, and not so old as it is in bituminous coal.

Lig'ules, certain outgrowths from the surfaces of leaves. The best-known ligules are found in the grasses. Each leaf consists of two portions: an expanded blade and a sheathing base. The sheath is prolonged at the very base of the blade into a scaly outgrowth more or less prominent, called the ligule. Ligules are found also in connection with the leaves of quillworts (Isoetes} and the smaller club-mosses (Selaginella). Li, Hung Chang (le hoong chdng), a Chinese dignitary and statesman, wlas born in 1823 and took one of the degrees of the Chinese system in 1849. He first became prominent in connection with the Taiping rebellion in 1863, when he was associated with General "Chinese" Go r-don in the recovery of Suehau and in driving the rebels from Kiangsu. For this he was created an hereditary noble. He was later made governor-general of the Liang-Kiang provinces, and in 1872 was appointed viceroy of the province of Chili. He had remarkable shrewdness and ability, and his dignities and honors came to him through his achievements and practical management of affairs. He was, for a Chinese, an advanced thinker and a friend to foreigners and to the culture and progressive ideas of European and western nations. He originated the Chinese navy and the only existing Chinese steamship line. He for years practically controlled the foreign policy of the empire. He was commander-in-chief of all Chinese forces during the war with Japan (1894), but was degraded from his position and deprived of his yellow jacket and peacock's feather. These

dignities were returned to him for his skill in negotiating the peace with Japan. He made a tour of Europe and the United States in 1896, and upon his return to China was made foreign secretary of the empire. In 1898 he was again temporarily disgraced and excluded from the Tsung-li-Yamen (Department of Foreign Affairs), but was reinstated and given a commissionership in southern China. When the Boxer rising occurred in 1900, Li became prominent as the representative of the empire in negotiations with the foreign powers. He died on Nov. 7, 1901.

Li'lac, species of Syringa, a genus belonging to the olive family and containing about 12 species, native to Asia and eastern Europe. The common lilac of cultivation is S. vulgaris, a shrub 10 to 25 feet high, with characteristic clusters of lilac or white fragrant flowers, blooming earty in the season. This cultivated species is native to eastern Europe, and it has borne the following old names: pipe tree, blue pipe, blue ash and Roman willow. It is unfortunate that the name of syringa has been popularly applied to a very different plant, the mock-orange. The name^ of syringa (meaning a tube or pipe) was given because its stems once were used for pipestems.

Lil'y, a name applied in general to members of the great lily family, but technically belonging to species of the genus Lilium. The family is native to the north temperate regions, and contains over 200 species, half of which are said to be in cultivation. Their conspicuous shapes, brilliant flowers and erect habits have long made them among the best known and most prized of garden plants. The genus contains about 45 species, 15 native to North America. L. tigrinum, the tiger-lily, a native of China and Japan and commonly cultivated, has often escaped from gardens. In addition to the tiger-lily and some of the native forms, the easter-lily (L. longiflorum) is probably best known. This lily has been introduced from Bermuda, and is largely forced by the florists. Besides these forms there are numerous magnificent kinds which are little known in cultivation in this country. Among the common wild forms are L. Philadelphicum, the red lily; L. Cana-dense, the wild yellow lily; and L. superbum, the Turk's-cap lily. The wild red or wood lily is a beautiful member of the family; growing in deep woods, it stands out with startling vividness. The flower does not droop like the tiger-lily, but grows erect on a stalk about two feet high, is of a fine rich red spotted with purple or brown, the outside of the cup being orange-red. It blooms in July and August, and is found mostly in the north and west. The wild yellow or meadow lily is golden yellow, profusely spotted with rich brown; it blooms in June and July, the flowers droop-

LI HUNG CHANG