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* VILLAKD. 136 VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-SAONE. 18flO effected a combination of electrical interests and organized the Edition General Electric Com- pany, of which he became president. VILLAREAL, vel'ya-ra-al'. A town in the Province of Castellon, Spain, 3.3 miles north of Valencia, near the coast, at a short distance from the mouth of the Jlijares River (ilap: Spain, E 3). Near the town is the famous Canal de Castellon, a magnificent piece of Moorish irriga- tion engineering, still in good condition after seven centuries of continuous use. The town has distilleries and woolen and paper manufactoriea. Its decadence dates from the expulsion of the Moriseoes. Population, in 1900, 16,493. VILLA REALE, ve'la ra a'la. See Villa Nazion.^le. VILLARI, vil-la're. Pasquale (1827—). An Italian historian, born in Naples, October 3, 1827. While studying law at the Univer- sity of Naples, he became involved in the revolutionary movement of 1848-40, and was forced to leave the country. He resided at Flor- ence for some years, and there published his Storia di Girolamo Havonarola e de' siioi tempi (1850-61 ; corrected ed., 1887-88), which has been translated into English, French, and German. He was made, successively, professor of modern history at Pisa and at Florence. Several years later he became General Secretary of Public In- struction. In 1867 he was chosen a Deputy and in 1884 he became a Senator. In 1801-92 he was Minister of Public Instruction, etc. His works include, in addition to the Life of Savonarola. 'Siccolo Machioirlli e i siioi tempi (1877-82; later ed., 1895; trans, by Linda Villari, 1892) lAntiche leggende e tradi::ioni che illustrano la Divina Commedia (1865); Saggi critici, etc. (1868) ; Vinsegnamento delta storia (1860) ; I^a scuola e la guestione sociale in Italia (1872) ; Le lettere meridionali. etc. (1878) ; / priini due secoli delta storia di Firenze (1803-94; trans, by Linda Villari, as The Two First Centuries of Florentine Histortf. 1804). In 1901 he produced Le inrasioni t>arJ)ariehe in Italia (trans, by Linda Villari, 1902), and in 1902 appeared his Scritti sulla guestione sociale in Italia. VILLA RICA, ve'la re'kil. A town of Brazil, known also as Ouro Preto (q.v.). VILLA RICA, vel'ya relva. A town of the seventh district of Paraguay, 70 miles southeast of Asuncion, with which it has railway connection (Map: Paraguay, F 9). The largest interior town of the Republic, it has a thriving tobacco trade, and is the centre for the collection of mate. Population, about 12,000. VILLARS, ve'liir', Cr.ArnE Lot'i.s Hector, Duke de ( 10.'")3 1734) . A French marshal. He was horn in Moulins, Dej)artment of Allier, May 8. 1053; became a Court page, and entered the army in Holland as a volunteer in 1672. He served in many important campaigns under Tu- renne. Conde. and Luxembourg, and in 16S(, and again from l(i98 to 1701, represented France at the Court of Vienna. In 1702 he was given an independent command and sent to aid the Elector of Bavaria, who had taken up arm.s on the side of France. He defeated (he Imper- ialists at Friedlingen and in the following year gained the victory of Ilochsliidt (September 20, 1703). In 1704 he suppressed the insurrection of the Camisards (q.v.). He opposed Marlborough for a time, and, entering Germany, out- generaled the Imperialists under the Mar- grave of Baden. In 1708 with a comparatively small force he foiled the attempts of Prince Eugene to penetrate into France from Italy. In the following year he commanded in Flanders and was defeated by Marlborough and Prince Eugene at Malplaquet (q.v.). He was severely wounded at the beginning of the battle, and the reopening of his wound in the autumn of 1710 forced him again to resign the command. But in 1711 he returned to his post, defeated the Eng- lish and Dutch at Denain, July 24, 1712, and gained a success over Prince Eugene near Landre- cy. These victories hastened the conclusion of the Peace of Rastadt, which Villars signed as pleni- potentiary, in ilarch, 1714. He was after this the chief advi.ser of the Court on military and foreign affairs. In 1733 as marshal-general he took command of the French forces in Italy, but, on account of inharmonious relations with the King of Sardinia, the ally of France, he resigned. He died at Turin, June" 17, 1734. Villars was the last of the great military leaders of the French monarchy. He was himiane, sincere, and as a leader prompt, bold, and skillful. His Memoires were edited by VogiiS and published by the So- ciete de I'His'toire de France ( Paris, "l884-91). Consult: Anquetil. Vie dii Mareehal de Villars (Paris, 1784) ; Vogiif, ]'illars d'apres sa. cor- respondance (Paris, 1888). VILLARSIA (Neo-Lat., named in honor of Domenique Villars, a French botanist of the eighteenth century), or Floating Heart. A genus of plants of the natural order Limnan- thaceie. Vitlarsia. or Limnanthemu/n. pcltatiim, is a native of Europe, from Denmark to the ilediterranean, and is very abundant in Holland, often covering large tracts of the canals with its beautiful yellow flowers and leaves. It abounds in the south of Siberia. It is easily cTiltivated. This species has become established in ponds in the District of Columbia. There are two indigenous species in the United States, Limnanihemum lacunosum and Limnanthemum tracJnispcniiiim or aquatica. VILLASIS, vel-ya'ses. A town of Luzon. Phil- ippines, in the Province of Paugasinan, situated on the right bank of the Agno River, 24 miles south- east of Lingayen. It is an important junction of highways. ' Populat i.>ii, in 1900. 11.968. VILLEFRANCHE-DE-ROUERGUE, vel' frilNsh' dcroTi'arg'. The capital of an arron- dissement in the department of Aveyron. France, 27 miles west of Rodez, on the Aveyron (Map: France, J 7). Among its interesting features are the thirteenth-century bridge across the Aveyron. the medieval Church of Notre Dame, and the old Carthusian convent, at present >ised as a hos])ital. The industrial establishments include foundries, oil-mills, and tanneries, and a trade is carried on in Hour, linen. trulHes. wine, and liquors. Population of connnune. in 1901, 9730. Villefranche was founded about the middle of the thirteenth century and soon at- l:iined considerable commercial prominence. It played an important part in the struggle between the English aiul French over the disposition of Ai(uitaine. VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-SAONE, syr son. The ca])ital of an aiic^nilissciiicnt in the De-