Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/807

* LANCER. 731 LANCIANO. advantage of his louger weapon and freer play — and considerably handicapping the swordsman. The foot soldier, armed with rille and bayonet, attacks the lancer on his lance side, manoeuvring to get inside his guard, a form of attack which is specially advantageous, because of the unwieldi- ness at close quarters of the lance as a weapon of defense. There are fifteen regiments of lancers in the Bengal cavalry division of the British Indian native army. During the British-Boer War of 1899-1902 the British lancers were suc- cessfully employed against the Boers, on the few occasions that contact between the combatants was possible, notably at Elaandslaagte. It was observed, however, that in field operations the lancer cavalry, owing to their lances, were readily seen at great distances by the Boers, and to that extent were limited in their usefulness. Whatever may be the future of cavalry in general, the opening years of the twentieth century witnessed a growing employment of lancer regiments. See Cavalry. LANCERS. A square dance for eight or six- teen couples. It was probably invented about 1819, either by Joseph Hart, who published, the following year, Lvs Lanriers, ti Sicond .S'e/ of (Quadrilles for the Pianoforte, trilh Entirely New Figures; or by Duval of Dublin, who also, at this time, published a set. The lancers was first danced in I^ondon in 1850. but it had been intro- duced in Paris by Laborde in 1S3I!. It originally consisted of five figures. La Rose. La Ladoiska, La Dorset. Les Lanciers. and L"Etoile, and was a most intricate dance. LANCET-FISH (so called from the sharp spines, one on each side of the tail) . or Haxds.wv- Fisn. One of a family ( Alepisaurida>) of fero- cious pelagic fishes of the order Inionii. (Com- pare Lantern-Fi.sh.) They are found in both the Atlantic and Pacific, but are rarely seen except when cast ashore dead or dying by storms, or are caught by deep-sea lines. They are elongated, scaleless. swift-moving fishes, with the snout prolonged, the mouth deeply cut and armed with long fangs and numerous small teeth (see Plate of Lanterx-Kisiies) ; but the lower jaw is un- able to drop far. so that the mouth cannot be widely opened. The K'Hopenings are very wide: there is no air bladder. The fins are exceedingly delicate. .ind thcdorsal one may Im- folded down out of sight in a groove along the back. Every part of the skeleton is extremely fra<;ile. About a dozen species are known, all of the genus Alepi- saurus. and varying from two to four feet long. The "lancet-fish' proper is Alrpisnurus ferox of the North Atlantic. A Western species {Alepi- sauru.s .Exculapius) . also called 'wolf-fish,' is known by several s|)ecimens from California and Alaska. Another Pacific specie* ( .ilcpisaurus borcalis) is the one called 'handsaw-fish,' in allusion to the serrations on the first ray of the ventral fin— a characteristic, however, of the whole group. LANCET WINDOW. A long and narrow window with acutely pointed arch head. This form was much used in France and Oreat Brit- ain during the early period of Gothic architec- ture, and was retained in England and Scotland long after it had been supplanted in France by the wider traceried forms. Several lancet win- dows are frequently groujjed together in English Gothic, so as to produce an efTeet of elegant sim- plicity. The groups of two and three at Salis- VOL. XI.— 17. bury and Ely, and the famous 'Five Sisters' at Vork, are especially good examples. In some eases the central lancet is higher than the others. The development of tracery drove out the lancet. LANCEWOOD. The wood of a small West Indian tree. Oxandra rirgata. or Bocagea virgata, of the natural order Anonacea-, valued for its strength and elasticity. It is used by coach- builders for shafts and carriage-poles, for which it is specially fitted. The tree, which is very straight, seldom attains a diameter of more than nine inches with the bark on. U'hite lancewood, derived from Bocagea laurifolia, or Oxandra lauri- folia. is little used. LAN-CHOW, liin'-chou'. The capital of the Cliinese Province of Kan-su. situated on the right bank of the Hoang-ho. and near the Great Wall, in latitude 3G° 8'. and longitude 10.3^ .5.5' E. It is one of the most important cities of North- ern China, l.ving at the converging of trade routes connecting China with Mongolia, Turke- stan, and Tibet. The town is built mostly of wood, and has well-paved streets. There are an anmuinition factory and manufactures of cloth and camel's-hair goods, all operated by steam. Lan-chow carries on an extensive trade in silk stufls,,fur, metal, and wooden articles, grain, vegetables, fruit, and tea. Population, estimated at 500,000. LANCIANI, lan-ch-a'ne. Rodoi.fo Amedeo ( 1847 — ) . An Italian archipologist, born in Rome, January 1, 1847. He studied at the Roman College and the University of Rome, and also was a pupil of the famous Christian archae- ologist De Rossi. At the age of twenty Lanciani assisted at the excavations at Ostia. and after the establishment of the Italian Government in Rome engaged in its archirological service almost continuously. In 1872 he became secretary of the Archaeological Committee; three years later vice-director of the Mus«'o Kircheriano: in 1875 director of excavations: and after 1878 professor of Roman topography in the university. In the United States he is well known from his books dealing with the excavations and monuments of ancient Rome, and also from his visit to this country and his lectures in 188ti. The most important of his publications are: / comen- tarii di Frontino inlorno Ir arque et gli acque- dotti (Rome, 1880), a comprehensive study of the water-supplies and distributing systems of ancient Rome: Ancient Rome in the Light of Recent Discovcrie>i (Boston, 1888), being the lectures delivered in the I'nited States in 1886- 87; Rccerche suite .V/I' regioni urbane (Rome. 1890) ; L'itinerario di FJnsiedeln e Vordine di Benedetto canonico (Rome. 1891): Pagan and Christian Rome (Boston. 189.3): TheExcara- tions of Ancient Rome (Boston. 1897) : The De- struction of Ancient Rome (New York, 1899) : Forma Urhis Romas (^lilan, 189.3-1901). a map of Rome in 18 parts, 4(! plans, on the scale 1 : 1000. showing all the ancient monuments and the excavations; ypir Tales of Old Rome (Boston, 1901). LANCIANO, lan-cha'nA (Lat. Anxanum). A city in the Province of Chieti. Italy. 99 miles northwest of Foggia, and 8 miles tiy stage from the Adriatic and from the nearest railway sta- tions. San Vito and Fossacesia (Map: Italy. J 5). It occupies three hills, two of which are con-