south of Lyons. The River Gère passes through the town, and here joins the Rhone, after having supplied motive power to a number of mills and factories. Vienne was the chief town of the Allobroges, is mentioned by Cæsar, and by Martial, who calls it the rich Vienne; in the time of the Roman emperors it was the rival of Lyons. Besides numerous water conduits, etc., of Roman construction, there are a Corinthian temple of Augustus and Livia, remains of a theatre and an obelisk, called The Eagle, 72 feet high; and the museum containing many relics of Roman antiquity. The cathedral of Saint Maurice, partly Romanesque, partly Gothic, was built in 1107-1251; Saint Peter's dates from the 6th century. The town was prominent under the Burgundian princes, and its archbishop disputed with his neighbor of Lyons the primacy of Gaul. In 1312 a council was held here, in which Pope Clement V. pronounced the suppression of the order of the Templars. There are manufactures of woolens, silk, paper, leather, and iron goods, and trade in grain and wine. Pop. about 30,000.

Vieques, vē-a'kas, or Crab Island, West Indies, a dependency of the United States; administratively, a district of the Department of Humacao, Porto Rico; a fertile island with several commodious ports where the largest ships can ride at anchor. It lies about 13 miles east of Porto Rico; is 21 miles long and 6 wide; has a fine climate, and produces almost all varieties of fruit and vegetables that grow in the West Indies. The population of Vieques district (in which Culebra island was included as a ward) was given as 6,642 in the census of 1899; of the town called Vieques, 2,646. The principal settlement is located on a bay on the southeast side; on the north is the town of Isabel Segunda. Latest statistics of the island prepared under the direction of the War Department of the United States show: Native whites, 2.545; foreign whites, 138; negroes, 1,036; mixed, 2,923; married, 688; single, 4.539; living together as huband and wife by mutual consent, 1,185; widowed, 230; inhabitants 10 years of age and over who attended school, 162; 10 years of age and over who could neither read nor write, 3,288; superior education, 22; inhabitants engaged in agriculture or fisheries, 1,396; trade and transportation, 225; manufacturing and mechanical industries, 253; professional service, 39; domestic and personal service, 727; without gainful occupation, 4,002; total number of dwellings, 1,273; number of farms, 120.

Vieta, François, French mathematician: b. Fontenay-le-Comte 1540; d. Paris Feb. 1603. He practised law until 1589, when he was appointed maître des requêtes under the Parliament at Paris, subsequently holding various civil offices. He was the founder of modern algebra and the foremost algebraist of his time. His works were collected and published by Van Schooten (Leyden 1646).

Vieuxtemps, Henri, on-rē vē-e-ton, French composer and violinist: b. Verviers, Belgium, 2 Feb. 1820; d. Mustapha, Algiers, 6 June 1881. He studied at Vienna and at Paris, and made his first appearance at Paris in 1841. He visited the United States in 1844-5, 1856, and 1870, was solo violinist to the emperor of Russia in 1846-52, and in 1870 was appointed to a professorship at the Con

servatoire at Brussels. A stroke of paralysis, however, in 1873, left his right arm useless and he was compelled to retire. He composed numerous pieces for the violin, comprising concertos, fantasies, and dances.

Vigan, ve'gän, Philippines, pueblo and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur; on the northern delta of the Abra River about three miles from the coast. It is open to the coast trade, is on the west coast road connecting it with Dagupan, and the Dagupan & Manila Railroad, and carries on an important trade with the interior of the province by means of the river. It contains brick kilns, a boat building yard, and a carriage factory. It has broad streets, and a number of important public buildings, including the casa real, court house, provincial administration building, and the council seminary; it has been an episcopal see since 1755, and contains a fine cathedral and the bishop's palace.

dinavian scholar: b. Frakkanes, Iceland, 13 Vigfusson, vig'foos-son, Gudbrand, ScanMarch 1827; d. Oxford, England, 31 Jan. 1889. He was educated at Copenhagen University and lived in Copenhagen from 1849 till 1864, devoting himself to the study of old Icelandic literature. His first work, Timatal,' on the chronology of the Sagas, was published in 1855. In 1858 he brought out the 'Biskupa Sögur, or Lives of the Icelandic Bishops, and in 1864 the Eyrbyggja Saga.' He then went to England to undertake the Icelandic-English lexicon, on which he was employed from 1864 to 1871. In 1878 the Clarendon Press published his Sturlunga Saga,' to which he prefixed the 'Prolegomena, containing a complete history of the classic literature of Iceland. This was followed by the Corpus Poeticum Boreale' (with F. York Powell), a complete collection of the ancient Icelandic poetry, with translation. In 1848 he was appointed lecturer in Icelandic and kindred subjects at the University of Oxford.

Vigil, the day and night preceding a festival in the Roman Catholic Church. In the early period of the Church the night as well as the day was spent in prayer and fasting, but this practice, so far as the night was concerned, was found to promote immorality, and it was given up, the vigil being celebrated in the day time only, except the Midnight Mass, before Christmas, which is a relic of the old custom. The term "vigil" is also applied to the devotional exercises held on the evening preceding a festival.

Vigilance Committee, a term used in the United States to denote a band of citizens organized to summarily punish crime, or prevent the commission of crime, in such instances as the civil and lawfully constituted authorities seem powerless to enforce the law. The most noted committees in the history of the country were those formed in San Francisco, and contiguous territory in the Western States, and in New Orleans, in the Southern States. In the earlier years of San Francisco the city was so overrun with the lawless element among the miners and adventurers that the administration of justice became in the hands of the constituted authorities but a travesty. It was then that the work of the vigilance committee, or Vigilantes, as they were styled, began. That work was short, sharp, and terrible. Thieves

equal skill. His general attitude was one of a rather stoic acceptance of things, and his manner has a corresponding dignity. Other volumes by him are 'Les Destinées' (1864), and Stello' (1832), the former verse, the latter prose. Consult Paléologue, Alfred de Vigny (Grands Ecrivains Français' 1891); Dorison, Alfred de Vigny, Poète et Philosophe (1892); Montégut, Nos Morts Contemporains,' Ist series (1882); Sainte-Beuve, Portraits Littéraires,' Vol. VIII., 'Portraits Contemporains,' Vol. II., and Nouveaux Lundis,' Vol. VI.

Vigo, vegō, Spain, town in the province of Pontevedra, situated on the Bay of Vigo, 20 miles southwest of Pontevedra. It has some sardine and tunny fisheries. The town is old and irregularly built, but picturesque, and the surrounding country, which is very attractive, is rich in wine, oil, and fruits. Pop. 15,044.

Vihara, vi-hä'ra, a word originally meaning in Sanskrit pleasure or relaxation; afterward signifying a pleasure-ground, and hence a meeting-place. The temples being meeting-places for the Buddhist monks-just as places of worship in New England are called meeting-houses- the word was used to designate a Buddhist temple, and hence it came to be applied to a Buddhist monastery, which in complete form includes the image-house, with images of Buddha, the dagaba, a bell-shaped dome, solid in structure, under which a relic of Buddha is supposed to be buried, the sacred Bo-tree, surrounded by a stone terrace, and supposed to be a descendant of the Botree, or sacred fig-tree, under which enlightenment came to Buddha; also a hall for preaching, a hall of assembly, and sleeping-rooms. See BUDDHA; INDIA,

Vi'king (from the Icelandic vik, a bay or fiord, and the termination ing, implying one who belongs to or is descended from: literally one who lurked in bays and issued thence to plunder, a rover belonging to one of the bands of Northmen who scoured the European seas during the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries. This word has been frequently confounded with sea-king, a term which is applied to a man of royal race, who took by right the title of king when he assumed the command of men, although only of a ship's crew; whereas the former term is applicable to any member of the bands. The Scandinavian vikings were excellent ship-builders and expert seamen, and were able to navigate in the open sea by the aid of the sun, moon, and stars. Notwithstanding the origin of the term, which is unpleasantly suggestive of the methods of Malay pirates of present or recent date, it has come to be the recognized designation of the Scandinavian adventurers who, by daring, hardihood, and endurance, fought their way to thrones, and established kingdoms, principalities and dukedoms in all parts of Europe, from southern Russia to Britain. See NORTHMEN.

Vilaine, vē-lan, France, a western river which rises in the department of Mayenne, flows west past Vitré to Rennes, where it receives the Ille from the north, and with a southwesterly Course reaches the Atlantic at Pénestin, in the department of Morbihan, after a course of 130 miles, 80 of which are navigable. With the Ille it gives its name to the department of Ille-etVilaine.

Vilas, villas, William Freeman, American lawyer and politician: b. Chelsea, Vt., 9 July 1840. He went to Wisconsin with his parents in 1851, and was graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1858, and from the Albany Law School in 1860. He was admitted to the New York bar, but returned to Wisconsin, was admitted to the bar there, and had just begun the practice of his profession, when he joined the Federal army (1862). He was promoted lieutenant-colonel, and commanded his regiment during the siege of Vicksburg; he resigned from the army in 1863 and returned to his law practice in Madison. In 1868 he was appointed professor in the Law School of the University of Wisconsin, holding that position till 1885; and After the Civil War he was an active member in 1897 became a regent of the University. of the Democratic party; from 1876 to 1886 he

was the Wisconsin member of the Democratic National Committee, and in 1884 was permanent chairman of the National Convention; and in 1885 was elected to the Wisconsin legislature. In the same year he was appointed postmastergeneral of the United States, and in 1888-9 was secretary of the interior. His course as postmaster-general was marked by an improvement of the foreign mail service, economy of management, and the negotiation of postal treaties with Mexico and Canada. In 1891 he was elected to the United States Senate for a six years' term. In 1896, being opposed to the freesilver movement, he was one of the organizers of the National or Gold Standard Democratic party, attended their convention at Indianapolis, and was chairman of the committee on resolutions. He edited (with E. E. Bryant) the 1st, 2d, 4th and 6th-20th volumes of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Reports.'

Vilayet, vil-a-yet', in the Turkish empire, the most important administrative division, governed by a vali, or governor-general, and a council. Each vilayet is divided into livas or sanjaks.

Villa, vil'a, a word which in the English and Anglo-American sense means a rural, suburban, or sea-coast dwelling, as distinguished from a farm-house, and which is occupied usually in the summer months by a person who has also a residence in a town or city. In the Latin it had a similar meaning, but also meant originally a small collection of houses, and as the country home of a rich Roman would be likely to have around it a cluster of dwellings of retainers and slaves, it is probable that the country house became known as a villa from this fact. The French and Spaniards have enlarged on the Latin meaning, and with them it is equivalent to the English word "town," either as designating an urban community, or as distinguishing town from country. Italians give about the same meaning to the word as their Roman predecessors.

Villa Adriana, vēl'lä ä-drē-ä'nä, or Hadrian's Villa, the ruins of a splendid palace, temples, baths, theatres and other buildings erected by the Emperor Hadrian, near Tibur, now Tivoli, about 15 miles east-northeast of Rome. The emperor spared no expense to make it the most beautiful palace in Italy. Many of the statues now in Roman museums were found

there.

Villa Albani, äl-bä'nē, a modern Roman villa containing many works of art. It was founded in 1760 by Cardinal Alessandro Albani. The first Napoleon caused many of its art treasures to be removed to Paris. These were restored to the Albani family in 1815, and were sold, and are now in the Glyptothek at Munich, and other collections. Prince Torlonia bought the villa in 1866.

a

Villa Aldobrandini, äl-dō-brän-dē'nē, noted villa at Frascati, near Rome, built for Cardinal Aldobrandini about the close of the 16th century, and afterward owned by the Borghese family.

Villa Borghese, bor-gā'sě, just outside the Porta del Popolo, Rome. The founder was Cardinal Scipio Borghese, nephew of Pope Pius V. The original museum was purchased by Napoleon I. and sent to the Louvre, and another has been established in its place. The villa contains many fine sculptures.

Villa Ludovisi, loo-do-ve'sē, formerly one of the chief attractions of Rome until the palace and gallery of statues, and a large part of the grounds, gave way to the march of local improvement. The villa was built in the early part of the 17th century by Cardinal Ludovisi on the site of the Gardens of Sallust, and large sums were expended in beautifying the grounds and adorning the gallery of statues with a collection of antique sculptures, including the famous Ludovisi Juno and Mars. These were removed in 1891 to the Piombino palace, and the only building remaining of the Villa Ludovisi is the Casino dell' Aurora.

Villa Medici, mā'dē-chē, a famous Roman villa, south of the Pincio, with a fine collection of casts. It was built in 1540 for Cardinal Ricci de Montepulciano, became the property of the Medici family about 1600, and passed into the possession of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the younger branch of that family. Here Galileo was confined, when his sentence to imprisonment in a dungeon for advocating great astronomical truths was commuted to detention in the villa of the Grand Duke of Tuscany at Rome. In 1801 it became the home of the French Academy of Art, founded by Louis XIV. It is one of the most interesting features of the Eternal City.

Villa Pallavicini, päl-lä-vē-chē'ne the celebrated residence of the Marchese Durazzo, at Pegli, on the Gulf of Genoa, Italy. Nature and art are combined to make it one of the most picturesque and enchanting spots on the globe. The decorations display taste and magnificence, and the gardens are luxuriant with the choicest plants of that genial climate, while statues, grottoes, fountains, a Christian chapel, a mosque, a Roman temple, a triumphal arch with sculptures, and other works of art add to the grandeur and beauty of the scene. The villa commands an extensive view of the Mediterranean.

were signed here on 11 July 1859. Pop. about

10,000.

Village Communities, supposed upon ample evidence in the present as well as the past, to have been the primitive form of organized human society. In Africa, the South Sea Islands, and among the American aborigines who have progressed beyond savage isolation, the village community exists, a survival of a system which was probably universal in the prehistoric period, and was prevalent throughout a large part of Europe, as it is to-day in Russia, long after Greece and Rome had built flourishing cities, and established new forms of civilization. In the Russian mir, a word which signifies union, all the land is held in common, and is divided for use among the several families. Such was the system of land tenure among the ancient German tribes, when they first came within the observation of the Romans, and although at a very early date-probably before the tribes from the North swept down on the Roman dominions-private proprietorship of land had become a fixed institution among them—the village continued to have its common or "green," which every villager had a right to use and enjoy. This communal land system was brought to the New World by the first settlers, being represented by the Boston Common, and the "commons" of New York now known as City Hall Park, and other similar public reserves.

It is unnecessary to trace the village community from its primitive condition through the feudal and more recent periods to the present day. Throughout all changes something of the commercial system survived, and the common enjoyment of land, which had been nearly effaced by private proprietorship, is being revived in the creation and the extension of public parks, open to every citizen. In Russia, on the other hand, the mir, or village community, is giving way to private proprietorship, Russia in this, as in some other respects, being in a period of transition from which western Europe evoluted centuries ago.

cisco, Spanish soldier and colonial governor: Villagran, vēl-yä-grän', or Villagra, Franb. Astorga, Spain, 1507; d. Concepcion, Chile, 15 July 1563. He accompanied Valdivia to Peru, was engaged with him in the conquest of Chile in 1540-5, and in 1547-9 was deputy governor in the absence of Valdivia. Upon the death of Valdivia in the Araucanian uprising of 1553-4 Villigran became governor. While proceeding to march against the Araucanians was severely defeated at Mariguenu in Februarv 1554. He, however, continued the war for months, killing the famous Indian chief Lantaro at Mataquito in 1556. He was superseded by Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza in 1557; and that governor, in order to be rid of his dangerous rival, sent Villigran a prisoner to Peru. On his release he went to Spain, secured a royal commission to succeed Mendoza and returned in 1561 to take charge of the colony. He pushed though much harassed by the uprisings of the the Spanish conquests beyond the Andes, and Araucanians, continued in office until his death.

Villain, or Villein. See VILLEINS.

Villard, vil-ärd', Henry, American journaland capitalist: b. Speyer, Bavaria, 11 April