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* COMPUKGATION. peimittfj to 'wage liis law,' i.e. to give security to ajJiJuiir and abide by the results of a regular trial. Under ordinary eireunistanees, the oath of the defendant, .--upported by those of his eleven eompuigators, was conehisive and result- ed in elearing him. The proeedure was avail- able, in many forms of civil suit and in criminal proceedings, where the accused was on trial for the first time. Compurgation was employed as a part of the regular j)r(X'edure of the ecclesi- astical courts throughout Kuropc in the Middle Ages. It existed among the Anglo-Saxons, and was in use in the courts of the connnon law in England until it was gradually superseded by the jury system. Though long obsolete, it was revived in England in an action of debt as late as 1824. {Ifiiig vs. Williams, 8 Bani. and Cress. .3387.) It was not until 1833 that it was linallv abolished bv act of Parliament (2 and 3 ^Vill."IV. ch. 42, § 13). It never existed in the legal procedure of the United States or of the English Colonies in America. See Jvry ; Oath ; Proof ; WiT>iESS. The procedure is elaborately discussed by Blackstone, Comiiicnlaries on Ihe Laws of Enfllaiid. See also Inderwick, The King's Peace: A Historical Sketch of English Laiv Courts (Loudon, 1805) : Stephen, Histori/ of the Criminal Law of Enqlattd (London, 1883) : Pollock and Maitland, History of English Law (2d ed. Boston, 1899). COM'STOCK, AXTIIONT (1844—). An Ameri- can reformer, born in New Canaan, Conn. He was educated at high schools in his native State, and during (he Civil War served in the Vniou Army from 18(i3 to 1865. Afterwards he became an active worker in the Young !Men's Christian Association in New York City, and upon the organization of the Society for the Suppression of Vice in that city (1873), was ap- pointed chief special agent. Since that time lie has att^ained considerable prominence by his vigorous crusade against such books, papers, pictures, and establishments as he considers in- jurious to the public morals. He has published: Frauds Exposed (1880); Traps for the Young (1883); (Jamhliiig Outrages (1887); Morals Tersus Art (1887): and numerous magazine ai'ticles relating to the same class of subjects. COMSTOCK, Cyrus Ballou (1831—). An American siddier and military engineer. He was born in West AVrentham, !Mass., graduated at West Point in 1855, was appointed lieutenant- engineer, and from 1859 to 1801 was assistant professor of natural and exijerimentiil philosophy at the Military Academy. On the outbreak of tlie Civil War he was assigned to active duty as first lieutenant of engineers, and for some time was one of the assistant engineers engaged in the construction of defenses at Washington. He was assistant to the chief engineer of the Army of the Potomac from March to June, 1862; was senior engineer on General Sumner's staff in June and July; sened as a member of the engineer battalion in the Maryland campaign; and from November. 1862, to ilarch, 1803, was chief engineer of the Army of the Potomac. He was subsequently engaged in the siege of Yicks- burg. was chief engineer of the Army of the Ten- nessee from .luly to October. 1803; was assistant inspector-general of the Division of the Alissis- sippi from November, 1803. to ;March. 1804: and v.as .senior aide-de-camp to General C!rant from 243 COMSTOCK. March, 1804, to July, 1800. At the close of the war lie was brevetted miijor - general of volun- teers and lirigadiergeneral in the Kegular Army, and from .luly. 1800, to May, 1870. was aide- de-camp to the C.eneral-inCliief, with the rank of colonel. Afterwards f(U- several years he was .superiiileiicling engineer of the geodetic survey of the Xcirlheru and Northwestern lakes, and in addition has been engaged as engineer on many important Goveriunent works. In 1888 he became colonel in the engineer corps, and was retired from active service in 1895. He has published : .otcs on European i<urveys (1870); ,Snrrey of the Xorlhwestern Lakes (1877): and Primary TriamiuUilion United yStates l.al.c .Surrey (1882). COMSTOCK, Georok Gary .( 185.5— ). An American astronomer, born at iladison. Wis. He receivcKl his education at the University of Michigan and spent several years sludying'and practicing law, at the same time studying mathe- matics and astronomy. In 1881 he was aj)- pointed assistant astronomer at the Washburn Observatory in the University of Wisconsin. In 1885 he was made professor of mathematics at the Ohio State University, but in 1887 returned to the L^niversity of Wisconsin as associate di- rector of the observatory, of which he was after- wards made head director. Comstock is a mem- ber of many scientific bodies, including the National Academy of Sciences. His published works include: Method of Least Srjuares and Publications of the M'asliburn Observatory. COMSTOCK, John Henry (1849—). An American entomologist, born at Jaynesville, 'is. He was educated at Cornell University, where he became first instructor, then assistant professor, and,, in 1882, professor of entomology and general invertebrate zoiilogj'. From 1878 to 1881 he was United States entomologist. In 1891 he became non-resident professor of en- tomology at Leland Stanford, Jr.. University. Comstock is one of the most inlluential of Amer- ican entomologists; his investigations deal with 1he morpholog}', classification, and economic re- lations of insects. In this Aork he has'been as- sisted by his wife, Anna Botsford Comstock, who is herself an entomologist, and prominent in the educational movement emanating from Cornell University toward the general extension of na- ture study. His important publications include: Report on Cotton Insects (1.S79); Annual Re- port of the Entomologist (1879-81) ; Introduction to Enlomnlngy. part i. (1888); Erolution and Taxonomy (1893) ; A Manual for the Kludy of Insects (with his wife. Anna Botsford Corn- stock. 1895) : The Wings of Insects (with J. G. Needhnm. 1S!»7). COMSTOCK, John Lee (1789-1858). An American author of text-books. He was Ijom at Lyme. Conn., and after a conunon-school educa- tion took up the stvidy of medicine. He served as assistant surgeon in tlie War of 1812; and at its close settled in Hartford, where he devoted himself to writing and the preparation of text- books on the various sciences and history. His Hystcm of Xatnral Philosophy (1831) reached a sale of 900,000 copies, while other popular works from his pen were an Introduction to Mineralogy (1832) : History of the Precious Metals (1849) ; and History' of the Greek Revo- lution (1828).