Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/756

LADISLAS.  He founded the University of Cracow in 1400.— (1424-44) was the son of Ladislas II., and succeeded his father in 1434, assuming personal charge of the government in 1439. In the following year he was elected King of Hungary, but was compelled to make good his title by force of arms against Elizabeth, widow of the late monarch, Albert II., who claimed the throne for her son, Ladislas Posthumus, born after the father's death. In 1442 he married Elizabeth, who died three days after the wedding. Under the great (q.v.) the Hungarian armies were successful for a time in the struggle against the Turks; but at Varna, on November 10, 1444, the Hungarian army was overwhelmed and the King with the greater part of his nobility perished.— (1595-1648) was the son of Sigismund III. In 1610 he was elected Czar by a part of the Russian nobility, and took up his residence in Moscow; but his father's ambition to bring Russia under the Polish Crown led to a national uprising, and Ladislas was expelled from Moscow in 1612. He succeeded his father in 1632, and carried on war with marked success against the Russians and the Turks. He sought to vindicate the royal power against the powerful nobility, but with little success. The last years of his reign were disturbed by a formidable uprising of the Cossacks under (q.v.).  LADLEWOOD. A South African tree. See .  LADMIRAULT,, (1808-98). A French general. He was born at Montmorillon, in the Department of Rhône, entered the army in 1831, served in Africa, distinguished himself in the Italian war at Melegnano and Solferino (1859), and as commander of the Fourth Army Corps, was ordered to defend the lines between Metz and Thionville, upon the outbreak of war with Prussia. He was with Bazaine in Metz, and went a prisoner to Germany. On the outbreak of the War of the Commune (see ), Ladmirault was made commander of the troops ordered to take Paris. On May 22 he forced an entrance into the city by the Porte Saint Ouen, the following day gained possession of the heights of Montmartre, and thence, with obstinate fighting on both sides, took possession of the city part by part. On July 1, 1871, he was made military governor of Paris. From 1876-91 Ladmirault was a member of the Senate.  LADOGA,. The largest lake of Europe, situated in the northwestern part of Russia, its southwestern corner being 40 miles east of Saint Petersburg (Map:, D 2). It is bounded by Finland and the governments of Saint Petersburg and Olonetz. It is 129 miles from north to south, 81 miles from east to west, 585 miles in circumference, and covers an area of somewhat over 7000 square miles. The shores are mostly low and sandy, rocks appearing only in the northwestern part. The depth in the southern and central parts is less than 300 feet, while in the north it is mostly over 400 feet, and occasionally reaches about 800 feet. Its water is cold, but abounds in fish. It is fed by a number of streams, the chief of which are the Svir, the outlet of Lake Onega, and the Volkhov from Lake Ilmen, and has for its outlet the Neva. Navigation on the lake is attended with considerable danger, owing to the numerous shallows, sand-banks, and hidden rocks. Its position at the northern terminal of the great water system which connects the Caspian Sea with the Gulf of Finland through the Volga, and the three feeders of the Ladoga, the Volkhov, the Sias, and the Svir, gives the lake great commercial importance, and, in order to make it available for navigation, a number of canals have been constructed along its southern and southeastern shores. The chief of these are the Ladoga Canal, about 70 miles long (1718-31), connecting the Neva with the Volkhov; the new Ladoga Canal, running parallel to the former; and the Sias and the Svir canals, connecting the mouths of these two rivers with the Ladoga Canal. These canals are navigated annually by thousands of vessels and rafts. The lake is also connected by water with the White Sea, and is ice-free on the average for 191 days in the year, from May to October, The most interesting of its numerous islets are Valaam and Konevetz, both occupied by monasteries, the former being among the most popular places of pilgrimage in Russia. The chief towns on the lake are the famous fortress of Schlüsselburg, at the entrance to the Neva and Novaya Ladoga, at the mouth of the Volkhov.  LADOGA STARAYA,. A town of Russia. See.  LADRONE (, Sp. pron. ) ISLANDS, or. A group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, belonging, with the exception of (q.v.), the southernmost and largest, to Germany (Map:, G 1). They are situated between latitudes 13° and 21° North, and between longitudes 144° and 146° East, about 1500 miles east of the Philippines. They are disposed in a row from north to south; their number is about sixteen, of which eight, including Guam, are inhabited; their aggregate area is about 430 square miles. The largest islands, next to Guam, are Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, all in the southern part of the group, those in the north being only small volcanic islets, and all of them mountainous. The climate is humid, but moderately warm and not unhealthful. The cocoanut and breadfruit trees are indigenous, but rice, sugar, maize, coffee, tobacco, and indigo are cultivated. The native fauna is very poor, including no mammals except a few rats and bats, and hardly any reptiles or insects. All the domestic animals of Europe, however, have been imported and thrive there. The aboriginal inhabitants consisted of Chamorros, a tribe of Micronesians who were in possession of considerable culture, as is shown by the remains of ancient temples found in the island of Tinian. They decreased rapidly after the Spanish occupation, and Tagalogs were imported from the Philippines, who mixed with and almost supplanted the earlier race. In 1898 the population of the islands numbered 1938, exclusive of Guam, whose population is about 9000. They were discovered in 1521 by Magellan, who named them Ladrones (Sp., ‘robbers’) on account of the thieving propensities of the inhabitants. They were settled in 1667 by Spanish Jesuit missionaries, who called them the Mariana Islands. As a result of the Spanish-American War, the island of Guam was ceded to the United