Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/708

 704 DAVENPORT his literary talents. About 1628 Le began to be known by his masques, which the nobility of both sexes played at court. In 1637, on the death of Ben Jonson, he was appointed poet laureate. During the civil wars he adhered to the royal cause, and was arrested as a royalist in 1641, but effected his escape to France, where he became a Roman Catholic. Return- ing to England with forces for the relief of the king, he was knighted at the siege of Glouces- ter in 1643. In 1651 he undertook to convey a colony of French artisans to Virginia ; but his ship was captured by a parliamentary cruiser, and he was imprisoned in the tower. His life was saved, it is said, by the interces- sion of Milton, and after two years he was re- leased. He now tried to introduce a modifi- cation of the drama suited to the moral views of the time, and his " entertainments " are considered by some to be the beginning of the representation of operas in England. At the restoration he formed a new company of co- medians, and as manager of the court theatre of Charles II. introduced from France many improvements in theatrical representation. His works consist of dramas, of which the best is " The Siege of Rhodes," masques, an unfinished epic called "Gondibert," and fugitive verses. They were published by his widow in 1673. On his tomb in Westminster abbey is inscribed, in imitation of Jonson's epitaph, " O rare Sir William Davenant." In his own day it was currently reported that he was the natural son of Shakespeare, and he encouraged the impres- sion himself. The chief foundation of the story seems to have been his strong personal resemblance to the great dramatist. II. Charles, an English political writer, son of the preceding, born in 1656, died Nov. 14, 1714. He gradu- ated as doctor of civil law at Oxford, and was a member of parliament in 1685, 1698, and 1700. In 1685 he was appointed inspector of plays, in conjunction with the master of the revels, and from 1703 to the time of his death he officiated as inspector general of exports and imports. In his youth he composed a tragedy, called " Circe," in which he himself acted. A selection of his political and commercial works was published by Sir Charles Whitworth (5 vols. 8vo, London, 1771). DAVENPORT, a city of Iowa, capital of Scott county, on the right bank of the Mississippi, just below the upper rapids, opposite Rock Island, 111., about 200 m. K by W. of St. Louis, .and 160 m. W. by S. of Chicago. It is built at the foot and along the slope and summit of a bluff 3 m. long, rising gradually from the river, and enclosed on the land side by an amphitheatre of hills half a mile in the rear. The back country is a rich farming region, and abounds in bituminous coal. The city pre- sents the aspect of a prosperous commercial and manufacturing mart. It is regularly laid out, and besides the county buildings contains many imposing edifices, including the city hall and one of the finest opera houses in the west. The population in 1840 was 600; in 1850, 1,848 ; in 1860, 11,267 ; in 1870, 20,038, of whom 8,301 were foreign. The Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific, and the Davenport and St. Paul railroads pass through the city. The old bridge connecting Davenport with Rock Island has recently been replaced by one of wrought iron, resting on massive piers of stone, which, besides a rail track, has accommodations for carriages and foot passengers, and was built partly by the United States and partly by the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific railroad company, at a cost of $1,000,000. There are several miles of street railroad. Davenport has immense water power, and is the great grain depot of the upper Mississippi. The fol- lowing statistics are for the six months ending Dec. 81, 1872: Receipts by rail and wagon, 955,767 bushels of wheat, 1,441,962 of barley, 370,482 of oats, 12,480 of rye, 336,116 of In- dian corn, 333,882 of potatoes, 119,480 of onions, 5,000 tons of hay, 210 of straw, 2,700 of anthracite and 38,040 of bituminous coal, and 150 of coke; shipped by rail, 2,414 cattle, 210 sheep, 7,800 swine, and 500 horses. Among the leading manufactures were : lum- ber, $637,318 ; agricultural implements, $347,- 000; carriages and wagons, $152,650; sashes, doors, and blinds, $282,743; furniture, $186,- 787 ; woollen goods, $93,000 ; bags and wrap- ping paper, $100,000; ale and beer, $160,820; cigars and tobacco, $245,551 ; flour, 128,000 bbls. ; corn meal, 14,400 bbls.; coke, 1,000 tons. There were slaughtered 5,121 cattle, 4,371 calves, 3,656 sheep, and 10,000 swine. The hides and pelts bought and shipped were valued at $100,000. There are several manu- factories of saddlery and harness, machine shops, and brass and iron founderies; also three national banks, two savings banks, and three insurance companies. The city is gov- erned by a mayor and a board of 12 aldermen. There are seven grammar school houses. The number of separate schools in 1871 was 54 (including a high, a normal, and an evening school), having 75 teachers, and an average at- tendance of about 2,500 pupils. The expendi- ture for school purposes was $132,244 92, of which $37,318 13 was for teachers' wages. The academy of the Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic) had 12 instructors and 150 pupils. Griswold college (Episcopal), estab- lished in 1859, which has a theological depart- ment, had 7 instructors, 117 students, and a library of 4,000 volumes. Iowa college, origi- nally established here, has been removed to Grinnell, Poweshiek co. The library associa- tion has about 3,000 volumes. Four daily newspapers (two German), five weekly (two German), and a monthly periodical are pub- lished. The city contains an academy of nat- ural sciences, two medical societies, and a branch of the Iowa soldiers' home. There are 25 churches, viz. : 2 Baptist (1 German), 1 Christian, 2 Congregational (1 German), 3 Episcopal, 1 Jewish, 2 Lutheran (German), 6