DAMPING OFF 



DANAi: 



667 



buccaneering expedition, in which he coasted along 

 tin- Chores of Chili, Peru, and Mexico, Hailing 

 thence ;icro88 tlie I'ncilic, and touching at the 

 Philippine Islands, China, and New Holland. Pat 

 ashore mi Nicohar Islands, May NW8, after a 

 dispute with his comrades, he made his way by 

 sheer seamanship in a native canoe to Atcheen, and 

 after two years' trading in the neighliouring seas, 

 made his way to Kngland (1091), where he pub- 

 lished his vigorous and interesting Voyage round 

 tin- \\'nrlil i Hi 1 .)"). He was afterwards deputed by 

 government to conduct a voyage of discovery to the 

 South Seas, in which he explored the west and 

 north-west coasts of Australia, also the coasts of 

 New Guinea and New Britain, giving his name to 

 the Dampier Archipelago and Strait. On the 

 return voyage his vessel was wrecked off Ascension, 

 and Dampier with his crew lived on turtles and 

 goats on that island for over two months, until 

 relieved. The old buccaneer was more skilful as a 

 pilot than successful as a commander, and his over- 

 hearing cruelty to his lieutenant led to himself 

 being court-martialled. Yet soon after he was 

 again appointed to the command of two vessels in 

 a privateering expedition to the South Seas. He was 

 as unfortunate as before. According to an account 

 published by Fummell, one of his sailors, Dampier 

 was guilty not merely of drunkenness and brutality, 

 but even of cowardice, which at least is hard to 

 believe of an old buccaneer. The master of one of 

 his two vessels was that Alexander Selkirk who 

 was marooned at Juan Fernandez, and was yet to 

 be made immortal as Robinson Crusoe. Dampier 

 returned home at the close of 1707, poor and broken, 

 nor did his angry Vindication re-establish his 

 reputation. Next year he sailed again to the 

 South Seas as pilot to a privateer, which rescued 

 Selkirk, and returned in 1711 after a prosperous 

 vovage. Dampier died in London early in March 

 1715. See Life by Clark Russell ( 1889). 



Damping off, in Horticulture, the death of 

 plants from excess of moisture in the soil and 

 atmosphere. Young seedlings in stoves and hot- 

 beds are particularly liable to it. Although the 

 cause is sufficiently obvious, prevention is not 

 always easy ; not only because some plants are 

 very sensitive as to moisture, but also because the 

 necessity of keeping sashes closed on account of 

 temperature often stands in the wav of the ventila- 

 tion which would otherwise be desirable, and it is 

 when a moist atmosphere stagnates around them, 

 and the temperature is not very low, that plants 

 are most liable to damp off. 



Damson, a rather small oval-fruited variety of 

 the common plum, much esteemed, for preserving, 

 and not wholly unfit for dessert. The tree grows 

 to a considerable height, but has a bushy, sloe-like 

 appearance. It is extremely fruitful. There are 

 many sub-varieties, with fruit of different colours, 

 dark purple, bluish, black, yellow, &c. Damsons 

 are produced in great quantities in some parts of 

 England. Damson pies and damson cheese made 

 somewhat in the manner of fig-cake are well 

 known. The name is a corruption of Damascene, 

 from Damascus. The Mountain Damson or Bitter 

 Damson of the West Indies is the Simaruba (q.v. ). 



Dana, CHARLES ANDERSON, an American man 

 of letters, was born at Hinsdale, New Hampshire, 

 8th August 1819, spent two years at Harvard, 

 and was a member or the Brook Farm (q.v.) com- 

 munity. From 1848 to 1862 he was the managing 

 editor of the New York Tribune, which he was 

 largely instrumental in making the leading organ 

 of the party opposed to the extension of slavery to 

 new territories ; and from 1863 to the close of the 

 war he was assistant-secretary of war. In 1867 he 

 purchased the New York Sun, and commenced the 



successful iiiaimgnnientof that journal on democratic 

 lines. Me puMi-hcil several tiiuialatioiiM ami an- 

 thologies, collaborated in a Life of (i runt (IKoH), and, 

 along with George Ripley, an associate at Brook 

 Farm, planned and edited the New American C'yclo- 

 iniilin ( ls.">7-63), and its revised edition, the Amer- 

 >! Ci/r/niin-dia (1H73-76). See ENCYCLOPEDIA. 

 Died October 17, 1897. 



Dana* JAMES DWIGHT, an American mineralo- 

 gist and geologist, was born at Utica, New York, 

 12th February 1813. He graduated at Yale College 

 in 1833, and was sent out in 1838 as a scientific 

 observer in the United States exploring expedition, 

 under Wilkes, visiting the Antarctic ami Pacific. 

 During the course of this expedition Dana's ship 

 was wrecked. He was afterwards associated with 

 his father-in-law, the elder Silliman, in the editor- 

 ship of the American Journal of Science. In 1846 

 he was elected professor of Natural History and 

 Geology in Yale College. Among his works are a 

 System of Mineralogy ( 1837 ), a Manual of Mineral- 

 ogy ( 1848), two treatises on Corals, a Text-book of 

 Geology (1864), Hawaiian Volcanoes (1890), and 

 many highly valued reports on geological, minera- 

 logical, and zoological subjects. He died on the 

 14th April 1895. Dr Dana's labours gained him 

 world-wide distinction, and he was made an hon- 

 orary member or fellow of many of the prominent 

 scientific societies of Europe and America. 



liana. RICHARD HENRY, an American poet 

 and prose writer, was born at Cambridge, Massa- 

 chusetts, 15th November 1787. He was educated 

 at Harvard College, and was admitted to the bar 

 at Boston in 1811. In 1818 he became associate 

 editor of the North American Review, to which he 

 contributed largely. Some of his poems, such as 

 The Dying Raven ( 1821 ), and The Buccaneer ( 1827), 

 were warmly praised by critics on both sides of the 

 Atlantic. The American public, however, received 

 them coldly, partly because it was not at that 

 time educated up to the standard of Dana's work, 

 but chiefly because that work, with all its literary 

 merits, such as learning, neatness of execution, and 

 precision in verbal expression, lacked the elements 

 which most appeal to the popular feelings. Dana's 

 liest literary work was done in the field of criticism. 

 His abilities as a critic were very decided ; and 

 though many of his best efforts were not duly appre- 

 ciated in his day, they did much to educate and ele- 

 vate the literary taste of New England. A collec- 

 tion of his prose and verse appeared in 1833. He 

 was for a time in 1821-22 connected with The Idle 

 Man, a meritorious though ill-supported literary 

 periodical. He died at Boston, 2d February 1879. 

 His son, RICHARD H. DANA, author and" lawyer, 

 was born 1st August 1815, and graduated at Harvard 

 College in 1837. During an interval in his collegi- 

 ate career, occasioned in part by a troublesome 

 affection of the eyes, he shipped as a common 

 sailor, and made a vovage to California and back. 

 This voyage he described in Two Years before the 

 M-'*f (1840), the l>est book of the kind in the 

 language ; in 1840 he was admitted to the Massa- 

 chusetts bar. As a lawyer he attained great dis- 

 tinction, especially in the department of maritime 

 law. Among his works are The Sen wan' t r'riend 

 (1841) and To Cu/xi ami Bark (1859). He also 

 published an edition of \Vheaton 's International 

 I.n>i\ and was prominent as a Free-soiler and Re- 



Eiblican. In 1879 he was nominated minister to 

 ngland, but after a long contest the senate failed 

 toconfirm the appointment. Hedied in Rome, 7th 

 Jan. 1882. See Life by C. F. Adams (2 vols. 1890). 

 Danae, the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos, 

 himself the great-grandson of Danaus. An oracle 

 hod announced that she would one day give birth 

 to a son, who should kill his grandfather. Acrisius, 



