Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/152

 QUEEN QUEEN'S QUEEN (Goth, queins, quena, a woman, a wife ; Icelandic, knan ; A. S. cwen, wife, queen ; Gr. -ywfa a woman), the wife of a king, or a woman who is the sovereign of a kingdom. In the former capacity she is regarded in most countries as a person of dignity only inferior to that of her husband, and possesses all the privileges enjoyed by a feme sole. Thus in England she can receive grants from or make them to her husband, can purchase or convey land without his concurrence, can sue and be sued alone, and dispose of her property by will. She has a separate household and sepa- rate courts and officers, is exempted from pay- ing tolls and amercements, and has other extra- ordinary privileges ; and to compass or imagine her death, or to violate or defile her person, even with her consent, is treason. If accused of treason herself, she is tried by the peers of parliament. She is also entitled to be crowned with full regal solemnities. In other respects she is on a footing of equality with the subjects of her husband, in accordance with the maxim of the Roman law: Augusta legibus soluta non est. As a sovereign princess, a signification not originally comprehended in the term queen, she possesses all the attri- butes of a king; and her husband, if she is married, is her subject. In France, where by the Salic law a female could not succeed to the throne, the mother of a sovereign some- times exercised royal authority during the minority of her son, in which case she was called the queen regent. The queen dowager is the widow of a king, and as such enjoys most of the privileges accorded to her during the lifetime of her husband. In England she does not lose her rank, although she marry with a commoner ; but no one can contract a marriage with her without a special license from the sovereign. When the queen dowager is mother of the sovereign, she is commonly called the queen mother. Ql'KK ANNE, an E. county of Maryland, bor- dered E. by Delaware, W. by Chesapeake bay, and N. W. by Chester river, and drained by several creeks; area, 400 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 16,171, of whom 6,592 were colored. It has a rolling surface and fertile soil. The chief pro- ductions in 1870 were 326,828 bushels of wheat, 605,975 of Indian corn, 59,167 of oats, 26,845 of Irish and 9,467 of sweet potatoes, 22,581 Ibs. of wool, and 107,422 of butter. There were 3,703 horses, 586 mules and asses, 8,121 milch cows, 1,201 working oxen, 3,050 other cattle, 5,373 sheep, and 9,942 swine; 1 fruit-canning establishment, 1 woollen mill, and 3 saw mills. Capital, Centreville. QUEEX CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, a group in the N. Pacific ocean, about 130 m. N. W. of Van- couver island, and about 80 m. from the coast of British Columbia, to which they belong. They consist of four principal islands, with numerous adjacent islets, extending N. N. W. and S. S. E. about 180 m., and separated by narrow channels; aggregate area about 5,000 sq. m. The largest islands are Prevost at the southern extremity of the group, Moresby, Graham, and North at the northern. Mores- by island is about 80 m. long and from 10 to 30 m. wide, with an area of 1,500 sq. m. Graham island is about 80 m. long and from 20 to 60 ui. wide, with an area of 3,000 sq. m. Prevost and North islands are much small- er. The surface is hilly, but not mountainous. The interior is clothed with magnificent for- ests of pine, cedar, and similar trees. Copper and iron ores and anthracite coal have been found. Various kinds of berries are abun- dant, and potatoes are cultivated by the natives. There is thought to be much arable land. The climate is equable, the winters being mild and the summers cool. The harbors are numer- ous. The surrounding waters swarm with fish. The natives, divided into several tribes, num- ber 4,000 or 5,000. QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND. See VANCOUVER ISLAND. QUEENS, a S. E. county of New York, in the W. part of Long Island, bordered N. by Long Island sound and S. by the Atlantic ocean; area, 410 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 73,803. Its surface is somewhat hilly ; much of the soil is fertile, and nearly all is highly cultivated. The shores are much indented by bays and in- lets, and on the S. beach are many small islands. It is intersected by the Long Island and sev- eral other railroads. The chief productions in 1870 were 83,258 bushels of wheat, 58,576 of rye, 535,796 of Indian corn, 164,599 of oats, 7,063 of barley, 24,685 of buckwheat, 49,145 of peas and beans, 734,549 of potatoes, 48,325 tons of hay, 11,254 Ibs. of wool, and 362,250 of butter. There were 7,733 horses, 8,627 milch cows, 569 working oxen, 2,294 other cattle, 3,838 sheep, and 8,229 swine ; 4 manufactories of brick, 28 of carriages and wagons, 7 of cor- dage and twine, two of explosives and fire- works, 1 of fertilizers, 1 of India-rubber and elastic goods, 3 of liquors, 4 of machinery, 8 of brick and atone, 4 of oil, 6 of paper, 1 1 of saddlery and harness, 4 of sash, doors, and blinds, 2 of starch, 3 of stone and earthen ware, 14 of tin, copper, and sheet-iron, 4 flour mills, 5 lumber mills, and 4 ship yards. The court house is in the town of North Hempstead, about a mile from Mineola station on the Long Island railroad. The county clerk's office is in the village of Jamaica. A new court house is in course of erection in Long Island City. QUEEN'S. I. A S. central county of New Brunswick, Canada, intersected by the St. John river; area, 1,480 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 13,847, of whom 5,469 were of Irish, 4,842 of English, 2,142 of Scotch, and 918 of Dutch origin or descent. Around Grand lake consid- erable quantities of bituminous coal are mined. The county is traversed by the European and North American railway. Capital, Gagetown. II. A S. W. county of Nova Scotia, Canada, bordering on the Atlantic ocean; area, 1,065 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 10,554, of whom 5,270