Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/781

* LAKSHMI. 707 LA LINEA. LAKSHMI, liik.sh'me (8kt. Laksmi, wealth, boauty. Iriini tnkfui, sign, token, fortune). The Hindu {•oddess of wealth, prosjjerity, and beauty, and wile of ishnu (q.v.), whose consort she is in his various reinearnations. She is said to have sjirung. Aphrodite-like, from the foam of the sea when the gods ami demons cliurned the ocean to obtain the nectar of ambrosia. According to other accounts she sprang from a lotus, which flower she is always represented as holding; hence she is sometimes called Padma, the goddess of the U)tns (Skt. padma, iotus'). Jlore often she is termed Hrl, as an embodiment of fortune and loveliness. Consult: Dowson, Hindu ilyihol- oijii (London, 187!l) ; Wilkins, Hindu Mt/thologi/ (ib., I'.IOO). For illustration, .see Plate of Hindu Deities in the article India. LALAGE (Ok. XoXaT^, prattling). A term of endearment, commonly used of a lady-love. It is given by Horace to two different persons. LALANDE, la'liiNd', Joseph JiSrOme Le- FbanCj'AIs ue (1732-1807). A French astronomer, born at Bourg-en-Bresse. He devoted himself with such success to mathematics and astronomy that the French Academy sent him to Berlin in 1751, to determine the moon's parallax, at the same time that Lacaille was .sent to the Cape of Good Hope. In 1752 he returned; was subse- quently appointed one of the astronomers of the Observatory of Paris; and in 1761 succeeded Le- monnier in the professorship of astronomy in the College de France. In 1705 he became director of the Paris Observatory. His lectures had a rare attractiveness, and he jiuldished several astro- nomical works of a popular kind, as well as works of profound scientific value. His principal work is his Tnjife d'astronomie (2 vols., 1764; a new and augmented edition, 4 vols., 1792). He also published minor works on astronomy, navigation, etc.. and an account of his travels in Italy, during 1765 and 1766 (9 vols., 1786). LA LANDELLE, la laN'del', Gi-illaume •TosEiMi (Jackiei. DE (1812-86). A French author, born at IMontpcllicr. He served in the navy for twelve years, and was stationed in South Amer- ica for most of this time. The scenes of many of his romances are laid in that country, and sev- eral of (hem have been translated into Spanish. Among these are La couronne navale (1848), Ine haine i hard (1851), Les princes d'ebene (1852), Le dernier des flibiistiers (18.57), and Sans Peur le corsaire (1859). He also wrote Le Ifinfiofie des warins, recherohefi historiques et critiques sur le roenhulaire maritime (1859). LALANDES FOX-DOG. A fenneclike ani- mal lOtorjion Liihindii) of South and Fast Af- rica, having rcmirkably large ears and a very bushy (ail. It is a native of ojien country, and is Aery shy and not well known, though frequently seen at a distance. It is especially interesting as cne of the most aberrant of the Canida% and lecause of its unusual dentition. In the lower jaw it invariably has four molar toeth, or one more thun any otiicr member of the family: and in the upper jaw either three or four molars, whereas all other living canines possess only two. Anatomists look upon this as an indication of a marsupial ancestry. It is known to South African hunters as the long-eared Cape fox. Sec Plate of Foxes and .Tackai.s. LALANNE, la'h'in', I.i::on Lons CnRfiTiEN (1811-92). A French engineer, bom in Paris. He was educated there at the Polytechnic School, and his first professional engagement was in the Construction of the railway trotii Paris to Sceau.'C (1846). Two years afterwards, during the Rev- olution, he was appointed guardian of the na- tional studios, but found it .safer to live out of France (1849-62;, during which time he was charged with important public works in Walla- chia. Western Switzerland, Northern Spain, and elsewhere. After his return to his native land, he was made an inspector-general (1867), and director of the School of Bridges and Causeways (1877), until he retired in 1881. His works in- clude: Mt'nwire sur rarithmo-planimetre (1840); Tiihles nourelles pour nbretjer divers caleuls rela- tifs aux projets des routes (1840); XoureUea tdhles rjruphiques d I'usar/e des chemins de fcr (1842-43) ; Description et usage de I'abaque ou compteur nnirersel (1845): Instruction sur les rigles a calcul (1851) ; Assainissement des Imllcs centrales (1875) ; Rectification historique sur les ateliers nationaux (1887). LALEMANT, lal'miiN', Gabriel (1610-49). A French .lesuit missionary, born in Paris, where his family were hereditary practitioners of the law. He was a nephew of Jerome Lalemant (q.v.). He became a member of the Society of Jesus in 163u, and in 1646 went to Canada, where he was sent to the Huron mission. During a great invasion of the Iroquois he was captured, and. after being fearfully tortured, was put to death. Consult Parkman, The Jesuits in North America (Boston, 1867; new ed. 1898). LALEMANT, J]5r6iie (1593-1G73). A French Jesuit missionary to Xcw France. He joined the Society of .Tesus in 1609 or 1010, and served in various educational positions at Clermont, Blois, and other places. In 1638 he was sent to Xcw France as superior of the missicms to the Hu- rons, which position he held until 1045. From 1645 to 1650 he was supciior of all the missions in New France, with headquarters at Quebec. He returned to France in 1650 to secure aid in the work, and remained until 1650, when he went back to New France. For si.x years he was again superior of missions. Many of his reports, let- ters, and appeals are to be found in various vol- umes of the Jesuit Relnttonf (Cleveland, 1806- 1901). LA LIBEETAD, le'nar-tan'. A seaport of the Republic of Salvador, situated on the Pacific Ocean, 20 miles south of Nuova San Salvador (Map: Central America, C 4). Its harbor is protected by a breakwater, and is commercially the most important in the country. It exports coffee, sugar, rice, and indigo. Population, 2000. LALIN, la-len'. A town of Northwestern Spain, in the Province of Pontevedra, situated among the mountains, 26 miles northeast of Pontevedra. It cimfains the ruins of the Mon- astery of Carboiro, a beautiful Roman temple, and has manufactures of leather and paper. Population, in 1000, 17.882. LA LINEA. la le'n.l-A. . town of Spain in the Province of Cadiz, situated just within the Spanish line at Gibraltar, whence the name. The town ischiefly of modern construction, and has few interesting features, though there are a theatre, a bullring, and several casinos. It is inhabited cliielly by laborers, and its gardens supply Gib- raltar with vegetables. It has a Spanish gar- rison, but is not fortified, its forts having beea