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DEIOTARUS. 



DELACROIX, FERDINAND-VICTOR-EUGEXE. 



633 



ritioii of Mrs. Veal.' De Foe's minute and accurate knowledge of thi 

 lower walks of human life was no doubt acquired in the variou 

 positions in which he was himself placed, joined to an acute observa 

 tion, and long treasured and matured in his mind, His style has a 

 colloquial ease, but also a colloquial negligence ; it is genuine English 

 thoroughly idiomatic, but by no means faultless. The remarkable 

 quality of his writings is, the appearance of reality that is given to 

 fiction. By a particularity and minuteness of description which his 

 skill prevents from being tedious, he increases the probability of his 

 story, adds to its interest, and carries forward his reader. No author 

 of imaginary tales has impressed so many persons with the belief thai 

 they have been reading a true rather than a fictitious narrative. 



(Sir Walter Scott, Biog. prefixed to the edition of De Foe'i WorJca, 

 Wilson, Life of De. Foe; Forster, Eiaay on De Foe.) 



DEIO'TARUS, a tetrarch or prince of Qalatia, or Gallo-Gnccia, was 

 the ally of Rome in the wars against Mithridates, for which he was 

 rewarded by the grant of part of Pontug and Little Armenia, with 

 the title of king given to him by the Roman senate. Cicero, during 

 his government of Cilicia, became acquainted with him, and received 

 assistance from him against the Farthians. In the civil war between 

 Ccesaj- and Pompey, Deiotarus took part with Pompey, and was in 

 consequence deprived by Caesar of part of his dominions. After 

 Cicsar'i return from Spain, Deiotarus was accuued by his own grand- 

 eon, Castor, of having attempted to assassinate Caesar, while the latter 

 was in Asia. Cicero pleaded before Caesar in favour of his old friend 

 (' Oratio pro Rege Deiotaro.') After Ciesar's death, Deiotarus 

 recovered possession of his territories ; he at first took part with 

 Brutus, but afterwards made his peace with the triumvirs, and sub- 

 sequently favoured Octavius againt Antony in his final struggle for 

 the empire. Deiotarus was then very old, but the precise time of 

 his death is not known. 



Coin of Deiotaru*. 

 BritifU Museum. Actual size. Copper. Weight 170 grain*. 



DEKKER, THOMAS. [DECKKB, THOMAS.] 



DE LA BECHE, SIR HENUY THOMAS, an eminent geologist. 

 He was the only Bon of Colonel Thomas de la Beche of Halse Hall, 

 Jamaica, and represented the old family of De la Beche, who lived at 

 Alilwortb, near Reading, in the 13th and 14th centuries. Sir Henry 

 was born near London in 1796. He went to Jamaica when young, 

 where his father died, and whilst returning to Europe hi* mother and 

 her young son suffered shipwreck. On reaching England they lived 

 at Charmouth and Lyme Regis, where the young De la Beche seems 

 to have acquired his first taste for geology. He was educated at the 

 military school at Great Marlow, which was afterwards removed to 

 Sandhurst. He entered the army in 1814. la 1817 he became a 

 Fellow of the Geological Society ; he afterwards became Secretary and 

 Foreign Secretary of this society, and eventually, in 1847, President. 

 In 1818 he married. Before this event he had begun to investigate 

 the geology of Devon, Dorset, and Pembrokeshire ; he now travelled 

 on the continent, and dwelt for some time in Switzerland. Here in 

 1820 he produced one of his earliest scientific papers, ' On the tempe- 

 rature and depth of the Lako of Geneva.' This was first published in 

 the ' Bibliotheque Universelle,' and afterwards in the 'Edinburgh 

 Philosophical Journal' The researches which led to the publication 

 of this paper exercised an important influence on all his subsequent 

 career. He subsequently returned to England, and renewed his 

 laboura on the geology of Wales and Devonshire. In conjunction 

 with the Rev. Mr. Conybeare, now the Dean of Llandaff, he first made 

 known the singular form of the I'leiiotuurus. This was done in a 

 paper published in 1823 in the ' Transactions of the Geological Society,' 

 and entitled ' On the Discovery of a new fossil animal, forming a 

 link between the Icthyosaurus and Crocodile.' 



In 1824 Mr. de la Beche vi.-i ted his paternal estates in Jamaica. Here 

 he made himself remarkable for attempting to introduce ameliorations 

 in the condition of the slave. He suffered considerably from the Act 

 of I ; .mancipation. Whilst in Jamaica he lost no opportunity of pur- 

 suing his favourite science, and a paper published in 1826 in the 

 ' Transactions of the Geological Society,' on the ' Geology of Jamaica,' 

 was the result. Having returned to England, his papers on the 

 geology of Dorset, Devon, and Wales became very numerous, besides 

 others on the general principles of geological enquiry. Such were his 

 papers on the ' Classification of European Rocks,' ' On the Excavation 

 of Vulleys,' ' On the Geographical Distribution of Organic Remains,' 

 ' On the Formation of Extensive Conglomerate and Gravel Deposits,' 

 and many others. In 1831 ha published his 'Geological Manual,' 



BIOG. BiV. VOL. II. 



which went through several editions and was translated into French 

 and German soon after its appearance in England. In this year he 

 also projected a plan of forming a geological map of England, in 

 which all the details of the various formations should be accurately laid 

 down. He began this gigantic undertaking on his own responsibility, 

 and commenced a map of Cornwall. This resulted in the government 

 instituting the Geological Surrey, at the head of which he was placed. 

 Whilst working out his plans, he became possessed of a large col- 

 lection of specimens of rocks and mineral substances used in. the 

 arts. This collection served as the nucleus of the Museum of 

 Practical Geology, which was at first deposited in a house in Craig's 

 Court. In 1834 he published 'Researches in Theoretical Geology,' 

 and in 1835, 'How to Observe Geology.' In 1845 the Geological 

 Survey and Museum of Practical Geology were united, and the 

 building in Jermyn Street, Westminster, erected for the reception of 

 the rapidly increasing collection of the latter. Sir Heury succeeded 

 in attracting to this institution a number of ardent young men of 

 science, amongst whom we may mention the late Professor E. Forbes, 

 and through their labours this institution rapidly became one of 

 the most important scientific bodies in the country. In 1851 courses 

 of lectures were given by the various members of the corps, and 

 under the name of the Government School of Mines, they are carried 

 on with increasing vigour and usefulness under the presidency of Sir 

 Henry's successor, Sir Roderick Murchison. 



For several years previous to his death Sir Henry had suffered from 

 a gradually increasing paralytic disorder, which, although it prevented 

 him using his limbs, left his fine intellect almost unimpaired. Day 

 after day it was evident that his frame became feebler, but his atten- 

 tion to the interests of the school he had founded did not diminish, 

 and till within two days of his death he performed the active duties 

 of his responsible position. He died on the lltlx of April 1855. 



The distinguishing feature of Sir Henry's mind was its eminently 

 practical character. The establishment of the Geological Survey and 

 the School of Mines was a proof of this. Wherever his knowledge 

 could be made available for practical purposes, his services wore at 

 Ihe command of the public. Thus we find him becoming a member of 

 the Health of Towns Commission and also of the Commission of 

 Sewers, He was chairman of one of the juries of the Great Exhibition 

 in 1851. With Sir Charles Barry he formed one of a committee to 

 select buildiug-stoue for the New Houses of Parliament. He was 

 associated with Dr. Lyon Playfair in reporting to the government on 

 the coals suited to the steam-navy, also with Dr. Playfair and Mr. 

 Smyth in reporting on the gases and explosions in collieries. He was 

 elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1S19, in 1848 he had con- 

 ferred on him the honour of knighthood, and in 1853 he was elected 

 a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Paris. 



* DELACROIX, FERDINAND-VICTOR-EUGENE, a celebrated 

 French painter, was born at Charenton-Saiut-Maurice, near Paris, on 

 the 26th of April 1799. His father, Charles Delacroix de Constant, 

 was a somewhat prominent member of the convention from the trial 

 of Louis XVI. down to the death of Robespierre, when he was a 

 member of the most violent section of the Thermidoriens ; he then 

 held the offices of secretary of the ' Conseil des Anciens," and minister 

 for foreign affairs till July 1797, when he went to Holland as ambas- 

 sador ; and finally, on the triumph of Bonaparte he abandoned repub- 

 licanism and became prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhone, and of the 

 Gironde ; he died in 1805. 



The young Delacroix received a good education, but left college 

 early. At the age of eighteen he entered the Academy of Art, then 

 presided over by Gue"rin, but from the first he rebelled against the. 

 classic tastes of his teacher. Delacroix exhibited his first picture, 

 ' Dante and Virgil making their passage round the Infernal City,' at 

 ;ho Salon in 1822. It was a bold and uncompromisiug departure 

 Tom the cold correctness of manner theu in vogue, and, as its great 

 ability was undeniable, it excited no little critical controversy. Among 

 ita most ardent defenders was M. Tbiers, then a newspaper critic, who 

 pronounced it the work of one for whom was evidently destined a 

 ;reat future. ' The Massacre of Scio,' another large work which was 

 exhibited the following year, strengthened the opinions both of 

 admirers and opponents ; and the young artist at once became the 

 acknowledged chief of what was designated the Romantic school, by 

 ;he adherents of the hitherto prevalent classic school. Both the 

 jictures just named have been purchased for the national collection, 

 and now adorn the walls of the Luxembourg. 



From this time, although M. Delacroix had to bear much rough 

 criticism, his position was assured; and the numerous important 

 works he continued to produce were received with enthusiasm by a 

 constantly increasing body of disciples and admirers. Among the 

 more important of his earlier works may be named the ' Doge Marino 

 i"aliero decapiteY ' Christ in the Garden,' ' Mephistopheles appearing 

 ;o Faust,' ' Justinian,' for the Salon of the Council of State ; ' Sarda- 

 napale inourant, au milieu de ses femmes, qu'ou egorge,' 'Milton 

 lictating Paradise Lost to his Daughters,' ' Cardinal Richelieu, sur- 

 ouuded by his Guards, officiating in the chapel of the Palais Royal,' 

 Combat du Giaour et du Pacha,' purchased by the Museum of Nuutes. 

 'he revolution of 1830 supplied him with now subjects; he produced 

 n that year ' La Libertd guidant le Peuple sur les Barricades,' now 

 u the Louvre. Some other revolutionary pictures followed ; but his 



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