Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/80

* LEDRU-EOLLIN. 70 Assembly placed the inleriiii government (May 10, 1848). In tliis position he showed a certain want of perception, liniiness, an<l energj'. In June. 1848. he ceased (o liold ollice. and thence- forth sou}»ht to recover liis inlhicncc with the extreme democrats, which he had partly lost by accepting ollice. lie succeeile<l [lartially and ventured on a candidature for the Presidency, obtaining, however, only 370.000 votes (Decem- ber, 1848). In May, 1849, he was chosen to the Legislative Assembly, but the unsuccessfil pro- test of June 1311) against Louis Xapoleon's Gov- ernment put an end to his political career. He fled to England and became later on associated in London with .Mazzini. Kossuth, and other Eurojiean revolutionists in the issuing of republi- can manifestoes. While there he wrote and pub- lished a work against the land which had given him an asylum, La decadence dc I'AntjIctcfrc (I8.')0). For the next twenty years he lived al- teriuitely in London and Brussels, llis name was excepted from the anuiestics of l.SOO and ISOfl; but in 1870 he was allowed to return to l''ranee. In February. 1S71. he was returned to the Na- tional Assemlily, but at once resigned, though later (1874) he sat as a member of the extreme Left in the Versailles Assembly, where he made his last great oration in favor of universal suf- frage. June 3, 1874. He dieil December 31, 1874. His Dixcourx politiqucs et dci'its diirra were pub- lished by his widow (2 vols., Paris, 1879). LEDUM ( Neo-Lat., from Gk. ijSov, ledoii, from Ar. li'idan, ladiinum). A genus of plants of the natural order Ericace.T. which consists of small evergreen slirubs, with comparatively large flowers, of which the corolla is cut into five deep petal-like segments. The. species are na- tives of Europe and North America, some of them common in both. The leaves of Ledum lalifoUum are said to be used in Labrador as a substitute for tea, whence it is sometimes called 'Labrador tea.' Sir .Tohn Franklin and his party, in the .rctic expedition of 1819-22. used Ledum palustre in the same way to produce a beverage with a smcU resembling rhubarb. They found it refreshing. The leaves nf liotli these shrtiUs jios- sess narcotic properties, and have been used as a substitute for hops in beer. They are regarded as useful in agues, dysentery, and diarrhn-a. since they contain tannin. They are also used in the preparation of certain kinds of leather, as Rus- sia leather. liEDTARD, .Toiix (17.51-88). An American traveler, born at Groton, Conn. His father dying early. Ledyard was brought up by his paternal grandfather at Hartford. At first he studied law. but in 1772 entered Dartmouth to fit himself for a missionary career. Soon absenting himself, he spent several months with the Iro- quois, and in 1773 went as a common sailor to Gibraltar, where he enlisted in a British regi- ment, from which, however, he was almost iinnie- diat<Oy discharged. He returned to America, but in 1770 went to England, and. as a corporal of marines, accompanied Captain Cook on his last voyage (1770-79). In 1782. while on a man-of- war off Long Island., he deserted; but in .Tune. 1784, returned to England, where and in Paris he made fruitless efforts to organize an exploring e.xpedition to the northwest coast of Xorth .mer- ica. He then, with the assistance of Sir .Toseph Banks, undertook a tour of exploration in the X,EE. extreme north of Europe. Starting from Stock- i holm on foot (December. 1780). he traversed the coastline of the Gulf of Bothnia, and arrived at Saint Petersburg early in 1787. At Irkutsk he was arrested by order of the Russian tiovern- ment, and was subsequently expelled from the country with orders not to return. He reached London with the greatest difhculty: but almost innnediatcly — on behalf of the African Associa- tion — started on an expedition to the interior of Africa. At Cairo, however, he became ill, and died (probably in November, 1788), from the j effects of an overdose of 'vitriol.' A journal] which he kept during Captain Cook's voyage had been confiscated by the British Government, but in 1782 be publishe<l an account from mem- ory which became very popular. Some of his ! pajiers were also published after his death by the : .frican Association. Consult his "Life" (Bos- - ton, 1828), by Jared Sparks, in Sparks's Ameri- can lUofjynjdn/, vol. xxiv. LEDYARD, William (c.1740-81). An .merican soldier, born at Groton. Conn. He was one of the Committee of Correspondence] chosen at Groton on the elusing of the port of * Boston by Parliament, and in 1770 was ap- pointed by the Connecticut Assembly, of which lie was a member, to be captain of an artillery company, which it was proposed to raise for the purpose of garrisoning the forts at New London. In March, 1778, he was promoted to be .major, and was appointed to command the posts at New London, Stonington, and Groton. On Septem- ber 0. 1781. a large British force under Benedict .rnold landed atthe mouth of the Thames ami advanced against New London. Ledyard was summoned to surrender, but though he had only some 1.50 ill-armed militia with him in Fort (Jriswold. refused., hoping to be able to withstand the British until the eountrvside could arm. After an obstinate resistance the fort was taken bv storm, and Colonel Ledyard surren- dered. Major Bronifield. to whom he gave up his sword, jdunged it into his lueast, and then the soldiers, imitating their commander's exam- ple, murdered the greater number of their de- fenseless captives. Arnold in his report makes no mention of this massacre. LEE. A town, including the villa.ces of South Lee and East Lee, in Berkshire Countv, ilass., 12 miles south of Pittsfield, on the llousatonie River, and on the New York. New Haven and Hartford Railroad (Map: Massachusetts. A3). It is in a region noted for its grand sccner.y and popular as a place of summer re.sort. The town has .a public library. There are extensive quarries of fine white marble, which has been used in the construction of many prominent build- ings. Marlilc-quarrying and the manufacture of paper are the principal industries. The govern- ment is administered liy town meetings. Settled in 1700. Lee was incorporated in 1777. and was named in honor of Gen. Charles Lee(q.v.). Popu- lation, in 1800, 378.5; in 1900, .3r)90. Consult: Hyde and Hyde, Centennial History of Lee (Lee, 1878), ami Records of the Town of Lee (Lee, 1900). LEE (AS. hlfo. shelter. Icel. hie, Dan. 1(e, lee). The quarter or direction toirard which the wind blows, and the opposite direction from breather, which is the point or quarter from which it blows. To get under the lee of an