Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/27

* LAURIER. 15 LAUSANNE. bar in 1864, he entered political life as a mem- ber of the Quebec Assembly from 1871 to 1874, and later became a member of tlie Dominion Parliament. He was Minister of Inland Rev- enue, 1877-78; vas elected leader of the Liberal Party in 1891; and in 1896 became Premier of Canada, being the first French-Canadian to hold that otfice. His oratorical abilities earned him the name of •.Silver-tongued Laurier,' while his services to the Dominion and Empire have been recognized bj' the award of various honors, com- prising a Queen's counselship in ISSO, member- ship in the Imperial Privy Council, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint ilichael and Saint George. He received the cordon of a grand officer of the Legion of Honor during a visit to President Faure of France. His principal speeches, edited bv Ulric Barthe, were published in 1890. LATJ'RION, or LAU'RITIM (Lat., from Gk. AatSpLOP, Xavpciov, Laureion). A promontory in Southeast Attica, Greece, projecting into the .^^^gean Sea, celebrated for its mines. They seem to have been known in prehistoric times, and there are numerous ilycensean remains throughout this region. It is also possible that they were later worked by the Phcenician traders. But they first became important toward the end of the sixth century B.C., with the growth of Athenian power and commerce. Dur- ing the fifth and fourth centuries they were of the greatest value to the commercial supremacy of Athens, but with the increased supplies of the precious metals which resulted from the Eastern conquests of Alexander the Great their importance rapidly declined, and about the beginning of the Christian Era they were aban- doned. The mines were the property of the Athenian State, which leased them to citizens who worked them by slave labor. The chief product was silver, though lead was also ob- tained in large quantities, and the yield of mini- um (red oxide of lead) and ochre was of ap- preciable value. The mines were worked by cutting narrow galleries in the rock and the prod- ucts were separated by crushing or grinding, washing and melting. In 18G0 a Marseilles com- pany bought the right to work over the heaps of refuse, from which much lead was extracted. In 1869 a dispute arose over the limitations im- posed by the contract; and after a protracted lawsuit, the company in 1873 purchased a large tract of land. Since tlien two large and three smaller companies have occupied the territory, and carry on profitable operations in the pro- duction of lead, cadmium, and manganese. Sil- ver, the most important product in ancient times, is of little value at present. The mines are con- nected by rail with Athens through the port of Laurion or Ergasteria. which has a good harbor, workshops, smeltingfurnaces, and a population (1896) of 7926. Consult the very complete ac- count of the mines of Laurion by Ardaillon, I.rx mines dit Laurion dnnn I'antif/iiHc (Paris, 1897). where is given a bibliography of the ear- lier literature. XATJRISTON. 16're'stoN-'. .T.CQrEs Alex- andre P.F:Rx.Rn L.w. JIarquis de (1768-1,828). A French marshal, born at Pondieherry, India. He was educated at the Ecole Mililaire in Paris, and at Brienne. where he was a comrade of Xa- poleon. He entered the army in 178.5. and from 1792 was with the Republican armies in the Netherlands and on the Rhine. In 1800 he be- came aide-decamp to Xapoleon, who sent him to England in 1802 to transmit the articles of the Peace of Amiens. He was made brigadier-gen- eral in 180.5, and Governor-General of Venice in 1807. At Wagram (1809) his artillery at a critical moment crushed the Austrian centre and gained the victory. He was Ambas.sador to Saint Petersburg in 1811, took part in the Russian campaign of 1812, fought at Liitzen and Bautzen, and was taken prisoner at Leipzig (1813), After the Restoration Louis XVIII. made him a general of division (1815), and gave him the title of marquis (1817). He be- came a marshal of France, and took part in the invasion of Spain in 1823. LAIT'RITIM. A mining district of Greece. See Lavriox. LAXTRIUM, la'ri-um (formerly Calumet). A village in Calumet Township, Houghton Coun- ty, Mich., 11 miles north by east of Houghton, the county-seat; on the ilineral Range and the Copper Range railroads (Map: Michigan, El). It is situated on Keweenaw Peninsula, in one of the richest copper districts of the United States, and in the vicinity of several of its most famous mines. Population, in 1890, 1159; in 1900, 5643. liAURTJSTI'NUS (Xco-Lat., from Lat. laurKS, laurel -H tinus, sort of plant), or Laubes- Tixrs {Tibiirniim Tinus). An ornamental shrub, native of the south of Europe and the north of .Africa, which belongs to the Caprifoliaceic. or honeysuckle family. It is an evergreen, with dark, shining, leathery leaves and with corymbs of small whitish flowers, which appear in winter or early spring, and are followed by small blackish-blue, acrid berries, which inflame the mouth and have drastic, purgative properties. Some kinds of birds, however, eat them with avidity. Since the laurustinus cannot endure much frost, it is grown in northern latitudes as a greenhouse or house plant for winter flowering. Sometimes it is planted oit in summer. See ViBiTixril. LAURVIG, lour'veg, or LARVIK. A sea- port of Xorway. situated on the Larvikfjord. at the mouth of the river Laagen (ilap: Norway, C 7 ) . The town has a pleasant situation. There are sulphur and iron springs in the neighborhood. The chief trade is in wooden ware. Population, in 1901. 10,064. LAUSANNE, 16'zan' (Lat. Lausonium). Capital of the Swiss Canton of Vaud. situated about one mile north of Lake Geneva, and nearly 500 feet above the level of the lake (Map: Switz- erland. .4 2). It lies largely on the lower slopes of Jlont .Torat. and consists of several quarters on both sides of the Flon. which has been partly filled up. A two-story viaduct known as the Grand Pont connects the quarters of Saint-Fran- cois and Saint-Laurent. The Place de la Riponne is the finest square. The imposing cathedral, built in 1235-75 and recently restored, is Gothic and of fine proportions. It is noted as the scene of a disputation in 1536 which was participated in by Calvin. Farel. and Viret. and which re- sulted in the secession of the canton from the Catholic Church. On a hill west of the to^vn stands the National Supreme Court of Appeals, a handsome Renaissance building designed by Recordon. The old town hall, and the prison, modeled after the Pennsylvania system, the