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 262 GROAT bishopric of Grosswardein and governor of Transylvania finally aroused the indignation of the people of that province, who marched against him with an overpowering force, be- sieged him in Mediasch, and put him to death. GROAT (Dan. groot, Ger. gross, great), an old English silver coin, of the value of four pence (originally about equal to the present shilling), first struck under Edward III. about 1351, and so named because it was the greatest silver coin then in use, none having been previously struck of value over a penny. The grot, groot, and groscJien are silver coins or moneys of ac- count on the continent of Europe. GRODNO. I. A government of European Russia, in Lithuania, formerly a part of Po- land, bordering on Wilna, Minsk, Volhynia, and the kingdom of Poland; area, 14,960 sq. m. ; pop. in 1867, 958,852, the large majority of whom are Roman Catholics. The surface is generally level, and a great portion of it is covered with pine forests and swamps. The principal productions are rye, barley, timber, hops, hemp, flax, fruit, honey, and cattle. The most important minerals are iron, chalk, lime- stone, and nitre. The forests abound with wild boars, wolves, bears, elk, and roebucks. The manufactures consist for the most part of woollen stuffs, hats, and leather. The chief rivers are the Niemen, Bug, Narew, and Pri- petz. The principal towns are Grodno, Novo- grodek, and Slonim. II. A city, capital of the government, on the right bank of the Nie- men, 93 m. S. W. of Wilna; pop. in 1867, 24,789, among whom are many Jews. It has several Roman Catholic and Greek churches, a Lu- theran church, two synagogues, an academy of medicine, a gymnasium, a military school for young noblemen, several other educational institutions, and manufactories of cloth, silk, and cotton. After 1673 every third Polish diet was held here, and in 1793 the Polish diet was here forced to assent to the second divi- sion of Poland. GRONINGEN. I. A N. E. province of the Neth- erlands, bordering on the North sea and the estuary of the Ems, Prussia, and the prov- inces of Drenthe and Friesland ; area, 885 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 234,903. The surface is gen- erally level, and in some places marshy. The climate is humid and unhealthy. The soil is very fertile, and is watered by numerous rivers and canals. The productions are corn, potatoes, butter, cheese, coal, flax seed, honey, wool, seeds, fruits, pigs, and cattle, which form the great exports from the province. It is divided into the districts of Groningen, Winschoten, and Appingadam. II. A city, capital of the province, at the junction of the Aa and the Hunse, 92 m. N. E. of Amsterdam; pop. in 1870, 88,258. The streets are traversed by oannls, bordered with trees and crossed by 18 bridges. The principal public edifice is the province house, a large Gothic structure com- pleted in 1810. It has a university which was established in 1614, academies of design, of GRONOVIUS architecture, and of navigation, several learned associations, manufactories of paper, brushes, linen, and woollens, and a considerable trade in corn, butter, cheese, cattle, and wool. About 600 vessels arrive at and leave the port annu- ally. Canals connect the town with the Dol- lart and the Zuyder Zee. Groningen appears as a village in the 9th century, when the sur- rounding territory belonged to Friesland. Li the 10th century it was annexed to the Ger- man empire, and was subsequently governed by imperial burgraves. Having become a free city, it joined the Hanse league. Maximilian I. bestowed the hereditary governorship of the city and country on the dukes of Saxony. The people revolted, and after a struggle placed themselves under the protection of the duke of Gelderland, who subsequently became a vassal of Charles V. The province joined the league of Utrecht in 1579. The capital was repeatedly besieged during the Dutch war of independence, Maurice of Nassau capturing it in 1594. GRONOVIIIS, the Latinized form of Gronov, the name of a German family settled in Hol- land. I. John Frederick, born in Hamburg, Sept. 8, 1611, died in Leyden, Dec. 28, 1671. He was educated at Leipsic and Jena, and studied law at Altorf. In 1634 he became a private tutor in Amsterdam, but three years later he gave up all other pursuits for the study of antiquities and the classics. He spent much time in England, France, and Italy, studying old manuscripts and rare books. In 1643 he was appointed rector of the gymnasium of De- venter, and in 1658 professor of belles-lettres at Leyden. He published annotated editions of Livy, Tacitus, Seneca, Sallust, Pliny, and other classical writers, and numerous essays on phi- lology and antiquities. II. Jacobus, his eldest son, born in Deventer, Oct. 20, 1645, died in Leyden, Oct. 21, 1716. In 1668 he visited Ox- ford and Cambridge to study antiquities, and in 1672 went to Madrid as a member of the embassy from the states general. He was for two years professor of belles-lettres in the uni- versity of Pisa, and from 1679 in Leyden. He published editions of many of the classical writers, but is best known by his Thesaurm Antiquitatum Grcecarum (13 vols. fol., Ley- den, 1697-1702). III. Abraham, son of the pre- ceding, born in Leyden in 1694, died there, Aug. 17, 1775. He practised medicine success- fully in England and in Holland, but finally be- came librarian to the university of Leyden. He published editions of Justin, Pomponius Mela, and Tacitus, and several works exhibit- ing much classical erudition. IV. John Frede- rick, brother of the preceding, born in Leyden, March 10, 1690, died there in 1760. He stud- ied jurisprudence and was a magistrate of Ley- den, but devoted himself to botany, and was intimate with Linnaeus. Among his works are Flora Virginica (1743), and Flora Orientals (1755). V. Laurentius Theodoras, a naturalist, son of the preceding, bom in Leyden in 1730,