Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/778

* WRASSE. 664 WRECKFISH. mounted by short membranous filaments, the posterior portion having short and split rays. The mouth is protrusibie, with thick fleshy lips, folded so as to appear double. The colors are generally very brilliant, especially in the Oriental genus •Julus, an example of which is depicted on the Colored Plate of Philippi.xe Irishes. They chiefly frequent rocky shores, and are generally seen in small shoals, often hiding luider sea- weeds, where they feed on crustaceans, mollusks, and marine worms. They are often caught by bait intended for other fish, but their flesh is not much esteemed. Xo Xorth American fish is popularly called a wrasse, but the family is rep- resented here by the cunners, tautogs, lady- fishes, doncellas (qq.v.), and similar forms of our southern and western seaeoasts. WRATH, Cape. See Cape Wrath. WRAT'ISLAW, Albert Hexry (1822-92). An English Slavonic scholar. He was born at Rugljy of a Czechic family which had settled in England. He was educated at Rugby School and the University of Cambridge, and in 1850 was appointed head master of Felsted School. In 1855 he became the head of King Edward VI. 's school at Bury Saint Edmund's, where he re- mained till 1870, when he was given the living of ilanorbier, Pembrokeshire. In 1889 he re- tired. His more important works are Lyra Czeclio Slovanska (1849); Life, Legend, and Canoniza- tion of Haint John yeponiuk (1873); The Kative Literature of Bohemia in the Fourteenth Century (1878) : and fiixty Folk-Tales from Ex- clusively Slavonic Sources (1889). WRAXAIiL, raks'al. Sir Frederick Charles LA.SCELLES (1828-05). An English writer, born in Bristol. He was a grandson of Sir Nathaniel William Wraxall (q.v. ). He was educated at Saint Mary's Hall. Oxford, but left without a degree. He lived mostly on the Continent, and served for nine months as assistant commissary in the Crimean War. His experiences in the East are described in Camp Life (1860). Among his other books are Handbook to the Xaval and Military liesources of European Xations (1856) ; Armies of the Great Powers (1859); Military Sketches (1864) ; and Life and Times of Caro- line Matilda. Queen of Denmark and Noricay (1864), which is a substantial work. He also wrote several entertaining novels, as ^Vild Oats (1858); Only a M'omaii (1S60); Married in Haste (186.3); and Golden Hair, a Tale of the Pilgrim Fathers (1864). WRAXALL, Sir Xathaxiel William (1751- 1831). . English historical writer. He was born at Bristol and was educated there. He lived for several years as an autlior anil would-be man of fashion, partly in EngLind ami partly on the Continent. In 1780 he entered Parliament, where for foirteen years he ])ursued a somewhat tortuous and noisy career. After his retirement he devoted himself largely to comiuling his his- torical memoirs and was often involved in quarrels as a rcsvilt of his publications. Wraxall must be regarded as a fairly accurate racon- teur, though his veracity has been often im- peached, and his pictures of political life have some historical value. His publications include: Memoirs of the Kings of France of the Race of iVa/ois (1777) ; Memoirs of the Courts of Ilcrlin, Dresden, Warsaw, and Vienna (1779) ; Historical Memoirs (1815); and Posthumous Memoirs ( 1836). The last two were republished with ad- ditions by H. B. Wheatley in 1884. WRAY'BURN, Eugexe. A kindly, indolent young barrister in Dickens's Our Mutual Friend. He becomes interested in the "Harmon mystery" and thus makes the acquaintance of Lizzie Hexam. daughter of a longshoreman who is sus- pected of murdering the heir. He finally marries her. after being attacked and nearly murdered by the jealous Bradley Headstone. WRECK (AS. wrcec, exile, misery. Icel. rek, reki, anything drifted or driven ashore, from A.S. u-rccan, Icel. reka, Goth, urikan. to perse- cute, OUG. rehhan, Ger. rachen. to revenge; con- nected with Lith. Vargas, afiiiction, OChurch Slav, vraga, enemy, persecutor, Lat. urgere, to press, Gk. s'lpyeiv, eirgein, to repel. Skt. varj, to turn aside ). A vessel which has been stranded or so badly injured as to be helpless. The num- ber of wrecks which occur annually is very large, amounting to about 4 per cent, of all ships in actual use. This has led to the development of a special form of industry called 'wrecking.' The means of raising sunken vessels and removing stranded ones are various. They may be lifted with chains; by submerging hollow caissons, lash- ing them to the hull and then pumping them out; by closing all openings in the vessel's hull and pumping the water out; by inserting air bags in the hull and inflating them : or by a comljina- tion of these methods or of similar ones. Strand- ed wrecks have been removed in many dif- ferent ways : by digging a canal to them from deep water; by building launching ways under- neath; by cutting them in two (where caught on the rocks) and removing the parts separately and reconnecting them ; and of course by haul- ing them into deep water by means of lines leading to tugs or anchors. In law, wreck is defined as parts of vessels or their cargoes east upon the land by the sea. By the common law, fragments of vessels or other property floating upon the sea do not come under this classification : they are known as derelict property, and belong to the jurisdiction of the admiralty courts. By the .statute of 17 and 18 Victoria all jetsam, flotsam, and ligan, which were formerly classed as derelict jiroperty, w'ere included muler the liead of wreck. Under the ancient English law" all wreck belonged to the Crown, but by the statiite aboe referred to the owner may claim his property u]ion the payment of the proper salvage. In the United States tlie disposition of wrecks lielongs to the several States. The owner of a wrecked vessel may abandon his property and is not obliged to re- move it, even though it ol)struet navigable waters, nor is he liable for damage occasioned thereby. Federal statutes provide that stealing from wrecks, obstructing tile escape of a crew from a wrecked vessel, extinguishing lights or set- ting up misleading liglits in order to cause wrecks, .shall lie ]>nnished as felony. In the law of marine insurani-e, a vessel becomes a wreck and may be abandoned to the insurers when she liecomes so disabled as to be unnavigable. See Salvage. WRECKFISH. One of the great deep-water sea-liass of (lie genus Polyprion. closely related to the jewfish ( Stereolepis). It is usually to be seen about floating timber and wrecks. Two