Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/459

 CRAIK CRAMER 455 CRAIK, George Lillie, an English author, born in Fifeshire in 1799, died June 25, 1866. He studied theology at the university of St. An- drews, but did not take license as a preacher. He went to London about 1824, and wrote for the society for the diffusion of useful knowledge " The Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties " (2 vols., 1831). He was a principal contributor to the "Penny Cyclopaedia" in history and biography, and in 1839 became the editor of the "Pictorial History of England, "and wrote the chapters afterward expanded into separate works as "Sketches of the History of Litera- ture and Learning in England " (6 vols., 1844), and the " History of British Commerce " (3 vols.). In the same series (Knight's " "Weekly Volume ") appeared " Spenser and his Poetry " (1845), and " Bacon and his Philosophy " (1846- '7). He wrote in 1847 another volume of " The Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficul- ties," containing female examples only. He was appointed in 1849 professor of history and literature in the Queen's college, Belfast, and afterward published " Romance of the Peer- age " (4 vols., 1848-'50), " Outlines of the His- tory of the English Language " (1851), " The English of Shakespeare," &c. His last work was "A Compendious History of English Lit- erature and the English Language " (1861). CRAIK, James, M. D., the family physician of Washington, born in Scotland in 1731, died in Fairfax co., Va., Feb. 6, 1814.. He was educated for the medical service of the Brit- ish army, emigrated to Virginia, accompanied Washington in the expedition against the French and Indians in 1754, and the next year was with Braddock in his fatal campaign. In 1775, by the aid of Washington, he entered the medical department of the army, and in 1781 he was director of the hospital at Yorktown. To him we owe the anecdote respecting the dan- gers incurred by Washington, and his remark- able escape, at Braddock' s defeat. Fifteen years afterward, while exploring wild lands in the western districts of Virginia, he encountered a party led by an aged Indian chief, who inform- ed him, by an interpreter, that he had made a long journey to see Col. Washington, at whom in the battle of Monongahela he had fired his rifle 15 times, and ordered all his young men to do the same. In fact, Washington had two horses killed under him, and his coat was pierced with four bullets. After the revolution Craik settled near Mount Vernon, and continued to be the physician of Washington until his death. CRAKE, or Corn Crake, a European represen- tative of the rallidcB or rail family of wading birds, of the genus crex (Bechst.). The bill is conical, shorter than the head, and the whole appearance and habits are much like those of gallinaceous birds. The European land rail or corn crake ( G. pratensis, Bechst.) is about 10 inches long; the general color above is blackish brown, with lighter edges, but with- out white spots ; grayish below. It lives and nestles in fields and meadows, running with great rapidity ; its cry resembles the syllable* " crex, crex," causing a disagreeable rattling in the throat, whence the name rail, derived from the French rdle, according to Buffon. It is a solitary bird, remaining concealed during the day, and seeking its food in the morning and evening ; it is a northern species, migrating to central Europe in spring and returning in Oc- tober; the French call it "king of the quails,'* Corn Crake (Crex pratensis). from its coming and going about the same time with that bird. In summer it seems to be a constant visitor to Greenland, and it is occa- sionally seen on the E. coast of the United States. It feeds principally on grains, insects, and worms. The American bird coming near- est to it is the yellow-breasted rail (porzana Noveboracensis, Vieill.) ; for its description, and for the characters of the family, see RAIL. CRAMER. I. Johann Andreas, a German poet and theologian, born at Johstadt, Saxony, Jan. 29, 1723, died in Kiel, June 12, 1788. He was an eloquent and learned divine, and next to- Gellert the best of the religious poets whose writings contributed so much toward the re- generation of German poetry. He was pastor in various places, and through Klopstock's in- fluence became in 1754 chief preacher at the court of Copenhagen. He acted there also as. professor of theology from 1765 to 1771, and subsequently occupied important posts in Lli- beck and Kiel, where in 1784 he became chan- cellor and curator of the university. He wrote a biography of Gellert (Leipsic, 1774), transla- ted Bossuet's universal history, and prepared a poetical version of the Psalms (4 vols., 1762- '4). His poetical works were published in 1782-'3 (3 vols.), and his posthumous poetry at Hamburg in 1791. II. Karl Friedrich, son of the preceding, born in Quedlinburg, March 7 T 1752, died in Kiel, Dec. 8, 1807. He was a student and member of the Dichterbund or poets' league at Gottingen, and subsequently became professor at Kiel, which post he lost in 1794 on account of his sympathy with the French revolution. He then established him- self as a bookseller and publisher in Paris, but lost his fortune, and was obliged to leave the city. Klopstock addressed to him one of his.