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 LARDNER 171 chanics," of "Natural Philosophy, Electricity, Magnetism, and Acoustics," and of "Natural Philosophy and Optics " (1854-'6). LARDNER, Nathaniel, an English divine, born at Hawkshurst, Kent, in 1684, died there, July 24, 1768. He belonged to the Presbyterian denomination, but entertained Unitarian opin- ions. He was educated at London, Utrecht, and Leyden, and was the author of many valuable theological works. That on which his fame chiefly rests is his " Credibility of the Gospel History" (5 vols. 8vo, 1727-'57), which is regarded as one of the ablest works upon that subject. There are two complete editions of Dr. Lardner's works, the last in 10 vols. 8vo (London, 1828), and the other in 5 vols. 4to (London, 1815). LARES, a class of inferior divinities or pro- tecting spirits in ancient Rome, domestic and public. Their worship was closely connected with that of the manes, but only the spirits of the good were honored as lares. The house- hold lares were headed by the lar familiarity who was revered as the founder of the family. When the latter changed abode, he followed them. The worship of the public lares is said to have been introduced by Servius Tullius ; it was renewed by Augustus. They were con- sidered as the protecting spirits of the city, and had a temple in the Via Sacra. There were others who were regarded as presiding over the several divisions of .the city, over the rural dis- tricts, high roads, &c. In great houses the im- ages of the household lares had their separate apartment, called cedicula or lararium. Their worship was simple ; they received offerings in patella, especially on the calends, nones, and ides of every month. On joyful occasions they were adorned with wreaths. (See PENATES.) LARIMER, a N. county of Colorado, border- ing on Wyoming territory, bounded W. by the Medicine Bow mountains, and intersected by the South Platte river ; area, about 1,200 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 838. The mountainous re- gion in the west abounds in pine timber, and numerous streams, among which is the Cache d la Poudre, furnish water power. The E. part is undulating and adapted to agriculture. The chief productions in 1870 were 12,923 bushels of wheat, 9,354 of Indian corn, 40,213 of oats, 26,075 of potatoes, 34,190 Ibs. of butter, and 3,174 tons of hay. There were 801 horses, 1,301 milch cows, 3,292 other cattle, 611 sheep, and 113 swine; 1 flour mill, and 3 saw mills. Capital, Laporte. LARISSA (Turk. Yenishehr, new town), a town of European Turkey, in the vilayet and 75 m. S. S. W. of the city of Salonica ; pop. about 20,000, more than half Turks, and the rest Greeks, Jews, &c. It is situated on a gently rising ground on the river Selembria (anc. Peneus), crossed here by a bridge of ten arches. It is the seat of a Greek archbishop and of a Turkish pasha, possesses some manu- facturing establishments, and trades in the products of the country. Larissa was an im- portant town in the ancient Grecian province of Thessaly, and celebrated for its bull fights. It is said to have been founded by Acrisius, king of Argos. In process of time its inhab- itants attained considerable power, and became lords of the surrounding plain, and the town the capital of Pelasgiotis. In the Peloponne- sian war they supported Athens against Spar- ta. They were afterward reduced to subjec- tion, in common with the other Thessalians, successively by the Macedonians, the Romans, and the Turks. LARISTAN, a S. province of Persia, bordering on the Persian gulf, and bounded landward by Kerman and Fars; area, about 23,000 sq. m. In antiquity it formed a part of Carmania. It is one of the poorest divisions of the empire, consisting mainly of an arid sandy waste, with salt steppes and several mountainous elevations, the highest of which are Mounts Tcharek, Kor, Khalatu, and Nabend. There is a scarcity of water, the principal river being the Div-rud, and there is little or no agriculture beyond the raising of small quantities of wheat, barley, and dates. The coast is occupied by Arabs, who live under their own sheik, and pay an insig- nificant sum for tribute. Capital, Lar. LA RIVE. I. Charles Gaspard de, a Swiss chemist, born in Geneva, March 14, 1770, died there, March 18, 1834. In 1794 he left Switzer- land on account of the political disturbances, and went to Edinburgh, where he studied medicine and chemistry and became president of the royal medical society. He returned to Geneva in 1799, took charge of an insane asylum, and in 1802 was made honorary pro- fessor of pharmaceutical chemistry. He also became prominent in politics, and was a mem- ber of the representative council. He founded the museum of natural history, a botanic gar- den, and courses of public lectures. He was the first on the continent to make known the dis- coveries of Davy and other English physicists, and to construct a large galvanic battery. Many of his writings were published in the Biblio- theque Britannique and the BibliotJieque uni- verselle of Geneva. II. Angnste de, son of the preceding, born in Geneva, Oct. 9, 1801, died in Marseilles, Nov. 27, 1873. He studied under his father, and became professor in the academy of Geneva, a correspondent of the French insti- tute, a member of the London royal society, and editor of the BibliotJieque universelle. He vindicated by his experiments the electro- chemical theory in respect to galvanic batter- ies. In 1842 he received the Monty on prize of 3,000 francs from the French academy of sciences for his inventions relating to galvano- plasty. In 1864 he was made one of the eight foreign associates of the French academy. His principal work is Traite d? electricite theorique appliquee (3 vols., Paris, 1854-'8). LARK, a conirostral bird of the family alau- didce, coming in many respects near the finches. The family characters are : a short and conical bill with the frontal feathers extending along