Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/754

 750 DECAZES DECEMBER eisting of three frigates, one sloop of war, and six brigs and schooners, he sailed from New York for the Mediterranean to act against Al- giers. On June 17, off Cape de Gatte, on the coast of Spain, the squadron fell in with and captured the Algerine frigate Mashouda, 46, after a short running fight, in which the Alge- rine admiral, Rais Hammida, and nearly 100 of his officers and men, were killed or wound- ed. The prisoners amounted to 406. On board the Guerriere, Decatur's flag ship, 14 were killed or wounded. Two days later an Algerine brig of war, the Estidio, 22, was cap- tured off Cape Palos after a short resistance. The prizes were sent into Cartagena, and the squadron arrived off Algiers June 28. On the 30th, just 40 days after leaving New York, Com. Decatur and William Shaler, the commis- sioners, concluded a treaty with the dey, by which demands upon the United States for tribute were forever abolished. A mutual lib- eration of prisoners and restitution of property was made, and it was stipulated that in the event of future wars Algiers was not to treat American prisoners as slaves. As a personal favor to the dey, the captured frigate and brig were restored. Decatur then proceeded with his squadron to Tunis and Tripoli, made reclamations upon those powers for their dep- redations upon American commerce during the war with England, demanded the release of captives, and obtained prompt redress. As soon as this service was concluded, most of the squadron returned to the United States. In November, 1815, Decatur was appointed navy commissioner, which position he held until his death. He was killed in a duel with Com. James Barron, which grew out of the affair between the Chesapeake and Leopard. Both fell at the first fire, Decatur mortally and Bar- ron very severely wounded. DECAZES, Elie, duke, a French statesman, born at St. Martin du. Laye, Gironde, Sept. 28, 1780, died Oct. 24, 1860. He studied law at Libourne, became an advocate, and in 1805 went to Paris, where he married the daughter of Count Muraire, president of the court of cassation. In 1806 he went to Holland by invitation of King Louis, whom he served even after his abdication in 1810. He officiated as secretary of Letizia Bonaparte, but joined the cause of the Bourbons in 1814, and under the second restoration discharged the duties of prefect of police at Paris. He became intimate with Louis XVIIL, and in 1815 was made minister of police. By his conciliatory policy he gave umbrage to the ultra royalists, with- out giving satisfaction to the extreme liberal party. In 1818 he was appointed minister of the interior, and in November, 1819, prime minister. The opposition of the royalist party broke out with renewed virulence on the as- sassination of the duke de Berry in 1820, when a deputy openly charged Decazes with being an accomplice of the murderer. He then re- signed, and Louis XVIIL made him a duke and ambassador to England, where he remained till December, 1821. Under the reign of Charles X. he opposed the extreme measures of the government, and after the revolution of 1830 adhered to Louis Philippe. In 1834 he was appointed grand referendary of the chamber of peers. Subsequently he devoted himself to the establishment and superintendence of large iron works at Decazeville in Aveyron. On his marriage in 1818 with his second wife, Mile, de Saint- Aulaire, a relative of the duke of Holstein- Glucksburg, the title of duke of Gliicksburg was conferred on him by Frederick VI. of Denmark. DECAZEVILLE, a town of France, in the de- partment of Aveyron, 20 m. N. N. E. of Ville- franche ; pop. in 1866, 7,106. It has coal and iron mines, and its blast furnaces and rolling mills are among the best in the country. It was founded by Duke Elie Decazes in 1825. DECCAN, The (Sansk. DacTcsJiina, the south), a term formerly applied to all that part of India S. -of the Nerbudda river, but since the Mohammedan invasion restricted to the region between the Nerbudda and Kistnah, or be- tween lat. 16 and 23 N., extending from the Arabian sea to the bay of Bengal, and including the provinces of Candeish, Aurungabad, Bee- der, Hyderabad, Bejapoor, Berar, Gundwanna (most of the Central Provinces), Orissa, and the Northern Circars. The general aspect of the Deccan is a triangular table land support- ed by the mountain walls of the Ghauts on the east and west, and by the Vindhya range on the north. The dip of the country is toward the east, all the large rivers flowing to the bay of Bengal. The principal of these are the Godavery and the Mahanuddy. The declivity of this table land facing the bay of Bengal consists of a series of terraced steeps, abrupt but not precipitous. The interior table land is mostly rolling prairie. The first irruption of Mohammedans from the north into the Dec- can took place in 1294, under Ala ed-Din, after- ward king of Delhi. He was followed by Mo- hammed Togluk, who about 1325 completed its subjugation. Revolts followed, and wars for 300 years, ending in distribution and redistri- bution of the territory, until in 1686 it passed under the sway of the Mogul emperor Aurung- zebe. After his death it fell piecemeal into the hands of the Mahrattas, and was subse- quently broken up into the feudal sovereignties which still exist in name. About the middle of the last century British influence became predominant ; and by conquest and annexation, especially since 1818, the whole Deccan has come under British control, although some por- tions are nominally governed by native rulers. DECEMBER, the 12th and last month of the year, consisting of 31 days. With the Romans it was the 10th month, whence its name (from decent, ten) ; and after the change in the cal- endar by which the beginning of the year was transferred from March to January, it still retained its old name. In the Athenian cal-