Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/612

* FERRY. 556 FERTILIZATION. ration of war with Prussia, and after the fall of Sedan he and the other Paris Deputies were proclaimed members of the Government of the National Defense, September 4, 1870. He was elected one of the representatives of the Depart- ment of the Vosges, and resigned his place in the Government in 1871. In 1872 he was ap- pointed Minister to Greece by Thiers, but re- signed the position the following year. When Grevy became President of the Republic in 1879, Ferry was appointed Minister of Public Instruc- tion: the year following he became president of the Council and Prime Minister, but on November 14. 1881. resigned on account of the attacks made on his policy in regard to Tunis. In 1882 he was Minister of' Public Instruction under Freycinet, and in the following year became Prime Minister again. In all of these positions he manifested bit- ter hostility to the Jesuits, and was largely instru- mental in securing their banishment from France. In 1885 the unsatisfactory result of the war in Tongking, which culminated in the defeat of the French at Langsun, on the Chinese frontier, led to Ferry's final resignation, March 30th. In spite of his loss of political power, he was still an influential member of the Chamber of Deputies, and in 1888 was a candidate for the Presidency, but was defeated. Shortly after the election he was wounded, in December, 1887, by a pistol-shot fired by a fanatic named Aubertin in the lobby of the Chamber of Deputies. In 1889 he failed "to be reelected to the Chamber, but in January, 1891, was chosen Senator. He came unscathed through the Panama scandal, and was made president of the Senate, February 24, L893. He died shortly after, March 17, 1893. Consult: Sylvin, fvhhriti's contemporaines (Paris, 1883) ; King, French Political Leaders (New York, 1882) ; The London Spectator (1893). FER'RY, Orris Saxdford (1823-75). An American legislator. He was born at Bethel, Conn., and graduated at Yale in 1844. He was a probate judge from 1849 to 1856. and a member of the State Senate from 1855 to 1857, as a mem- ber of the American Party. He was elected a member of the Thirty-sixth Congress as a Repub- lican in 1859. and formed one of the celebrated Committee of Thirty-Three, organized to consider the condition and relation of i he seceded Slates. In July, 1861, he recruited and became colonel of the Fiftli Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and he was commissioned a brigadier-general of vol- unteers by President Lincoln March 17. 1802, in which capacity he served to the close of the war. In 1800 he was elected to the I'nited Slates Sen- ate as a Republican, but his independence, and bis opposition to the Civil Rights Bill in particu- lar, threw bim out of line with his party, and be was reelected in 1872 by a combination of Liberal Republicans ami Dei irats, defeating General Hawley, the regular Republican candidate, lie continued to acl with the Republicans, however, and supported the Grant Administration, taking a leading pari in framing the legislative acts that provided foi carrying out the President's policy. FERRY, fa iv. Pa ri. (1591 1669). A French was born ai Met Z and -pent his life there. He was the author of a number of unii worl certain interest al- io a cone pondence he bad with Bossuel i 1666 67) upon the reunion of the Protestant and ('athoii.> churche I Gatichii mi gt >>■ ral dt la reformat inn dc la religion (1654) provoked a ref- utation from Bossuet. He is said to have re- ceived a pension from Richelieu for agitating this question. FERRY, Thomas White (1827-96). An American politician, born in Mackinac. Mich. He was a member of the State Legislature for some time, and from 1865 to 1871 was a Republi- can member of Congress. He then served in the United States Senate for two terms, acting for much of the time as president pro tempore ; and, on the death of Henry Wilson, was the acting Vice-President of the United States from 1875 to 1877. FER'RYLAND. An old-time port of entry, capital of Ferryland District, Newfoundland. 44 miles south of Saint John's (Map: Newfound- land, H 5). It has a fine harbor and lighthouse. As Avalon, it was founded in 1624 by Sir George Calvert, afterwards Lord Baltimore, and here in 1638 Sir David Kirke held the court of a count palatine with powers over the whole island. Ruins of the ancient fort exist. Its development was arrested bv troubles with the French. Popu- lation, in 1891, 549; in 1901, 535. FERSEN, fer'sen, Fredric Axel von (1719- 94 ). A Swedish soldier and statesman, born at Stockholm. He served in the French Army from 1740 to 1748, and was promoted to the rank of major-general. As a lieutenant-general of Sweden he served in the Seven Years' War, and conquered the islands of Usedom and Wollin. In 1770 he became field-marshal. Thereafter he was an important factor in the politics of Sweden, until, as leader of the opposition to the royal aspirations of Gustavus III., he was apprehended in the Riksdag of 1789, and ultimately compelled to retire from the political arena. FERSEN, Hans Axel, Count (1755-1810). A marshal of Sweden, and the son of the pre- ceding. He studied at the Turin military acad- emy, served in America under Rochambeau. and became colonel of the regiment called Royal SueVlois at the Court of Louis XVI. Out of devo- tion for Marie Antoinette, he accompanied the royal family in their flight to Varennes, and labored for their welfare after their capture. Re- turning to Sweden in 1793. he was made marshal, chancellor of the University of Upsala, and was sent as plenipotentiary to the Congress of Ra- stadt. When the Crown Prince of Sweden died suddenly in June. 1810, the people, who baled Fersen. accused him of having poisoned the Prince, and seizing bim in the (own ball to which be bad been taken, murdered him (June 20. 1810). His complete innocence was subsequently established. Consult: Klinckowstrom, he comte d, Fersen <t la cour de France (Paris. 1878); Graudat, / ri ami de In nine (Paris, 1890). FERTILIZATION (from I.at. fertilis. fertile, from ferre, to bear, Gk. Qipeiv, pherein, Ski. bhar, Goth, balran, OIIG.. AS. Im-an, Fug. bear). In plants, the fusion of two sexual cells or gametes iq.v.i. This process, sometimes called 'fecunda tion,' is exhibited in the life histories of most plants. Gametes arc present in all plants, except ing the lower forms. The possible derivation oi gametes has been suggested by the life histories of certain alg», as Ulothrix, in which there is an evident relationship between gametes and ths ordinarj asexual swimming-spores. It is prob- able that gametes have in general been derived