Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/215

 LAUREL LAURENS 209 of figs always come packed with a few bay leaves placed at the top of each box, to repel an insect which is very destructive to the fruit. The only other species, the Canary laurel (L. Canariensis), has much larger leaves, but, being a sub-tropical plant, is rarely seen in culti- vation. The Portugal laurel of the European gardens is prunus (cerasus) Lusitanica, an ev- ergreen species of cherry, similar in properties to the related cherry laurel. (See CHERRY LAUREL.) The Carolina laurel cherry is prunus Caroliniana, another evergreen species related to the cherry laurel, and like that having poi- sonous properties ; its leaves, especially after wilting in the sun, destroy cattle. The Caro- lina laurel of the English gardens is known with us as the Carolina red bay ; it was for- merly laurus Carolinensis, but is now placed in the genus Persea. California or mountain laurel (oreodaphne Californica) is a fine tree, sometimes 70 or 100 ft., but usually much smaller; its leaves are pleasantly aromatic, and sometimes used as a spice; its dark-col- ored, handsomely veined wood is valued for cabinet work. Among the plants popularly called laurel, but which do not belong to the laurel family, are magnolia grandiflora, called big laurel and laurel magnolia ; rhododendron maximum, the great laurel ; epigcea repens, the ground laurel or trailing arbutus (see ARBU- TUS) ; and the kalmias (see KALMIA). LAUREL, a S. E. county of Kentucky, drained by Rockcastle river and Laurel creek; area, 288 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 6,016, of whom 144 were colored. The surface is undulating or hilly, and thickly timbered, and the soil is fer- tile. The Knoxville branch of the Louisville and Nashville railroad traverses the county. The chief productions in 1870 were 14,146 bushels of wheat, 136,259 of Indian corn, 45,- 043 of oats, 11,597 of potatoes, 13,600 Ibs. of wool, 17,784 of tobacco, and 46,394 of butter. There were 1,351 horses, 1,537 milch cows, 2,526 other cattle, 7,617 sheep, and 7,625 swine. Capital, London. LAURENS. I. A N. W. county of South Caro- lina, bounded N. E. by Enoree river, and S. W. by the Saluda; area, 812 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 22,536, of whom 12,632 were colored. The surface is moderately uneven, and the soil, watered by numerous small rivers, is rich and well cultivated. The prevailing geological for- mation is granite. The Laurens railroad ter- minates at the county seat. The chief produc- tions in 1870 were 52,246 bushels of wheat, 277,364 of Indian corn, 35,192 of oats, 19,947 of sweet potatoes, 88,554 Ibs. of butter, and 7,077 bales of cotton. There were 1,741 horses, 2,037 mules and asses, 3,071 milch cows, 3,924 other cattle, 5,658 sheep, and 10,581 swine ; 20 flour mills, and 2 woollen factories. Capital, Laurensville. II. A central county of Georgia, traversed by the Oconee river ; area, 780 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 7,834, of whom 3,654 were colored. It abounds in soft limestone, and has an undulating surface, overgrown in many places with forests. The soil is a fertile sandy loam, resting on a bed of clay. The chief productions in 1870 were 175,298 bushels of Indian corn, 18,229 of sweet potatoes, 22,- 728 Ibs. of wool, and 4,305 bales of cotton. There were 1,037 horses, 586 mules and asses, 2,567 milch cows, 6,733 other cattle, 8,502 sheep, and 9,603 swine. Capital, Dublin. LAURENS. I. Henry, an American statesman, born in Charleston, S. C., in 1724, died there, Dec. 8, 1792. His ancestors were French Hu- guenots who shared in the exile of the sect at the revocation of the edict of Nantes. He was educated in Charleston, was designed for mer- cantile life, and passed from school to a count- ing house in Charleston, from which he was transferred to another in London, in order that he might enjoy a larger field for commercial study and acquaintance. Returning to his na- tive city, he began business for himself, which he pursued with a rare industry and intelli- gence. As rigid with others as himself, he trained all his agents and subordinates to or- derly habits like his own ; so that his counting room became a school of discipline, into which the youth was deemed fortunate who could find his way. Although tenacious of his inter- ests as a business man, he was a sturdy oppo- nent of the abuses of power. His contests with the crown judges were frequent, especially in respect to their arbitrary decisions in marine law and the courts of admiralty, and his pam- phlets gave remarkable proof of legal ability. Retiring from business, he visited Europe in 1771, put his sons to school in England, made the tour of Great Britain, and spent some time on the continent. In 1774 he was one of 38 Americans, a large proportion of whom were South Carolinians, who signed a petition to dissuade parliament from passing the Boston port bill. Finding, however, that petition was unavailing, and that war was inevitable unless averted by submission, he hastened home to take his part in the patriotic cause, reaching Charleston near the close of 1774. He was made a member of the council of safety, and soon became its president. In 1776 he was elected a delegate to the continental congress from South Carolina, and became its president, which office he held till the close of 1778. He was a frequent correspondent and resolute sup- porter of Washington. In 1779 he was ap- pointed minister plenipotentiary to Holland, to negotiate a commercial treaty, but was cap- tured on his way thither by a British frigate. He threw his papers overboard, but they were recovered by the enemy. They afforded conclu- sive evidence of his mission, and also disclosed the fact that Holland had been in secret nego- tiation with the revolted colonies, which led to a declaration of war by Great Britain against Holland. He was taken to London, and, being known to have been president of the rebel congress, was in October, 1780, closely incar- cerated in the tower. His imprisonment con- tinued for nearly 15 months, during which he