Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/267

* VOLTERRA. 219 VOLUNTARY CONVEYANCE. Tuscany. He was first a pupil of Sodoma, ■VNlioni he followed so closely that early works, liUe Ilia "Justitia," in the Palazzo Puhblico at Volterra, iiiiyht be taken for the hitter's works. After distinguishing himself as sculptor as well as painter, he became a follower of Jlichelangelo, occupying liimself with painting after his de- signs. A more ungrateful task was the clothing of the nude figures in Michelangelo's "Last Judgment," from which he derived his nickname, II Uraccalone (breeches-maker). His best picture, "Descent from the Cross," after Miclielangelo, in Trinitil de' Monti, at Home, is a great composition, full of emotional power; and in the same cluirch are his frescoes of the "Life of the Virgin." . other well-known "P>aptism of Clirist," in San Pietro in iion- torio ( Rome ), like most of Ids works, is well composed, but somewhat inexpressive. His double picture on both sides of a slate panel in tlic Louvi'e, representing "Daviil Killing Goliath," is a curious cftort attaining the effects of a statue group. The "Massacre of the Inno- <*nts," a celebrated picture in the Uffizi at Florence, containing more than seventy figures, is cold and artificial. Volterra also executed r.iany facade paintings of Roman palaces, now lost; subjects from the history of Judith in the fagade of the Massimo Palace are ascribed to him. He belongs to the groiip of mannerists Ti'ho adopted the forms of Michelangelo, without being able to rise to his conceptions. VOLTIGEURS, vol'te'zher'. Light infantry forming at one time a part of the French Army. The voltigeurs were picked companies to which small and active men who were good shots were assigned for open-order fighting, being placed on the left wing. The voltigeurs organized by Na- poleon I. in 1804 were independent picked com- panies assigned to the different battalions, one company to each. In 18(58 the voltigeurs were formed into four special regiments, which endured until the end of the Empire. VOLTMETER. An instrument used to meas- ure the difi'erence of potential between two points on an electric circuit. The voltmeter is usually a galvanometer of portable form so arranged with pointer and scale that volts may be read directly. For direct-current work the most satis- factory voltmeters are based on the principle of the Darsonval galvanometer (see G.i.vano- METER) and have the movable coil mounted on jeweled bearings and kept in position by a fine spiral spring. In experiments with the galvano- meter it is readily demonstrated that with a high resistance in the circuit the current will be proportional to the difference of potential. This idea is the basis of the Weston and similar volt- meters and the resistances are so adjusted that the pointer deflects over an evenly divided scale. Any ammeter if given sufficient resistance can be used as a voltmeter. And there are different types of the latter which may depend on the movement of a small piece of soft iron on a coil or of one coil with respect to another. A volt- meter based on still another principle is that tlevised by Cardew where the difference of po- tential is indicated by the expansion of a long fine platinum wire which is heated on the pas- sage of a current. Voltmeters for alternating currents are either a form of dynamometer or Vol. XX.— 16. based on the jiiinciple of the (juadrant electro- meter. (See Klixtko.metek.) Where the dy- namometer ])rinciple is employed the current passes through two coils conneclcd in series, but one being arranged so that it may rotate within the other. The attraction of one coil for the other ]iroduced by the current enables the difi'erence of jiotential to be measured. See Ammeteb; Elec- TlilCITY. VOLTRI, vftl'trf. A town in the Province of Genoa, Italy, 9 miles west-southwest of Genoa, on the Gulf of" Genoa (Map: Italy, C 3). Confetti, jute, and wool are manufactured. Population (commune), in 1901, 14,719. VOLTUM'NA. A goddess of the Etruscans. The diputiis from the twelve divisions of the Etruscans met at her temple in the territory of Volsinii. She can scarcely be separated from the Roman god Vortumnus (or Vertumnus, see Pomona), whose temple on the Aventine seems to have been built in u.c. 2G4, at the time of a war with Volsinii. The god is expressly called the chief god of that city, and his temple seems to have been vowed to induce him to desert to the Romans. VOLTURNO, vAl-tnr'nA. A river of Southern Italy, flowing westward past Capua, and empty- ing, after a course of 115 miles, into the Tyrrhe- nian Sea (jIap: Italy, HG). On its banks Gari- baldi defeated the Neapolitan army in 1860. VOLUME. See Mensuration. VOLUM'NIA. The mother of Coriolanus in Shakespeare's drama of the latter name. VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION. An organ- ization of individuals for moral, benevolent so- cial or political purposes, or for any object other than peciuiiary profit. Such associations are not legal entities as are corporations, nor have they the legal status and incidents of partner- sliips. In order to bind any member of a volun- tary association for debts and liabilities in- curred by another member or by a committee thereof it must be shown that a relation of prin- cipal and agent existed between them, and this relation will not be presumed from the mere fact of the association, except where the liability contracted was for something absolutely neces- sary for the preservation of the association. Therefore, a meml)er of such an association act- ing without authority becomes personally re- sponsible for debts contracted for its benefit. An association organized to carry on some busi- ness scheme for profit is for legal purposes sub- ject to the law governing partnerships and can- not correctly be termed a voluntary association in the above sense. Consult Lindley on Partner- ship. See Corporations: Partnership, and authorities there referred to. VOLUNTARY CONVEYANCE (Lat. volun- tarius. willing, from voluntas, will, from velle, to will. wish). In law, a conveyance made with- out valuable consideration therefor. No con- sideration is necessary to make a valid transfer of lands or chattels, and a person may legally make a gratuitous transfer of all his property provided his act does not prejudice his creditors. Fraudulent intent is implied from the fact that the creditors suflTer loss as a result of the trans- fer.