698 



HESPERUS 



HESSIAN FLY 



some motion, so that ' the power of swallowing was 

 doubtless equal to almost any emergency.' See 

 ODONTORNITHES. 



Hes'perus, the Greek name (Lat. Vesper) for 

 Venus as the evening star (see PLANETS). Hence 

 the Alexandrian grammarians called Italy, and 

 sometimes all western Europe, Hesperia, ' the 

 western land.' 



Hesse (Ger. Hessen}, or HESSE-DARMSTADT, a 

 grand-duchy of the German empire, lying between 

 7 51' and 9 39' E. long., and 49 24' and 50 50' 

 N. lat. A strip of Hesse- Nassau divides it into a 

 northern part, Oberhessen, completely enclosed by 

 Prussia, and a southern part, comprising the two 

 provinces of Starkenburg, east of the Rhine, and 

 Rheinhessen, west of the Rhine. Besides these two 

 main parts there are eleven enclaves in Baden 

 and Prussia, the largest Wimpfen and Hohen- 

 stadt. Oberhessen is partly occupied in the east 

 by the Vogelsberg, culminating in Taufstein 

 (2532 feet), in the south-west by a ramification 

 of the Taunus, the fertile and undulating valley 

 of Wetterau lying between them. Starkenburg, 

 in the south-east, is covered by the larger part 

 of the Odenwald. The Bergstrasse divides the up- 

 lands of Starkenburg on the east from the plain 

 of the Rhine on the west. This plain merges in the 

 north into the plain of the Main. Rheinhessen, 

 fertile and populous uplands, laid out largely in 

 vineyards, the principal industry of the province, 

 lies between the three points, Kreuznach, Mainz, 

 and Worms. With the exception of the streams to 

 the east of Vogelsberg draining into the Fulda, the 

 waters of Hesse Rhine, Main, Neckar, and Lahn 

 belong to the Rhine system. Of the total sur- 

 face, comprising 3000 sq. m. , 50 per cent, is tilled 

 land and garden, and 31 forest. The most im- 

 portant products are corn particularly in the 

 Rhine and Main plains, and in Wetterau pulse, 

 potatoes, rape, poppy, tobacco, flax, fruit, and 

 vines. Hesse yields iron, manganese ore, and 

 peat. The industries mainly in Mainz, Offen- 

 bach, and Worms include the making of leather, 

 boots, upholstery, tobacco, cigars, chemicals, &c. 

 For an old Hessian trade, see MERCENARIES. 



The total population amounted in 1875 to 

 882,349, in 1885 to 956,611, in 1890 to 992,883. Of 

 these 4 1 9, 642 belonged to Starkenburg, and 666,118 

 were Protestants, 293,632 Catholics, and 25,331 

 Jews. Mainz (q.v. ) is the largest town ; Darmstadt 

 is the capital. Hesse has a university at Giessen, 

 with 550 students, and a technical university at 

 Darmstadt, with 300 students. The government is 

 constitutional, the legislative power consisting of 

 two chambers. The annual revenue for the period 

 1894-97 was estimated at 1,721,000, and the ex- 

 penditure at 1,570,000. 



The Hessen were an ancient German tribe, and 

 their territory came to be included in the princi- 

 pality of Thuringia. We first hear of the land- 

 grave of Hesse in the 13th century. On the death 

 of Philip the Magnanimous in 1567 the land- 

 graviate of Hesse was quartered among his four 

 sons, into Cassel, Marburg, Rheinfels, and Darm- 

 stadt. The House of Rheinfels becoming extinct 

 in 1583, and that of Marburg in 1604, Hesse was 

 reconstituted in two divisions Hesse-Cassel and 

 Hesse-Darmstadt. After the French Revolution 

 Louis X., under pressure of France, signed a treaty 

 of neutrality, and ( 1805-13) supplied Napoleon with 

 a contingent of troops against the other Germans. 

 In 1806 Louis assumed the title of grand-duke. 

 In 1813, after the battle of Leipzig, Louis joined 

 the allies, and in 1815 had to acknowledge the 

 independence of Hesse-Homburg. In 1866 Hesse, 

 having sided with Austria, had to yield up certain 

 territories, including Hesse-Homburg, recently 



acquired, to Prussia. In 1820 was founded a new 

 constitution of government, modified in 1856, 1862, 

 and 1872. 



Hesse-Cassel, till 1866 a German electorate, 

 now forming the government district of Cassel in 

 the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau ( q. v. ). Area, 

 3700 sq. m. ; pop. (1864) 745,063. The landgravi- 

 ate of Hesse-Cassel was formed by William IV., 

 eldest son of Philip the Magnanimous, who died 

 in 1567. Constituted an electorate in 1803, it was 

 .occupied by the French in 1806, incorporated with 

 Westphalia in 1807, and reconstituted an electorate 

 in 1813. The elector having joined Austria in 1866, 

 Hesse-Cassel was incorporated with Prussia, as part 

 of the province of Hesse-Nassau. 



Hesse-Homburg, till 1866 a landgraviate of 

 Germany, consisting of the lordship of Homburg 

 vor der Hohe, on the right bank of the Rhine, and 

 the lordship of Meisenheim, on the left bank. 

 Area, 106 sq. m. ; pop. (1864) 27,374. Since 1866 

 Hesse-Homburg has been incorporated with Prussia, 

 Homburg now forming part of the district of 

 Hesse-Cassel, and Meisenheim of that of Coblenz. 

 Hesse-Homburg was constituted a landgraviate 

 in 1596. In 1806 Hesse-Homburg became again 

 incorporated with Hesse-Darmstadt, but in 1815 

 was decreed independent, while it was enlarged by 

 the addition of the district of Meisenheim. In 

 1866 Hesse-Homburg reverted to Hesse-Darmstadt; 

 but the grand-duke, having espoused the cause of 

 Austria in the seven weeks' war, was forced to 

 surrender Hesse-Homburg to Prussia. 



Hesse-Nassau, a province of Prussia, between 

 Bavaria and Saxony on the east and the Rhine on 

 the west, was formed (1867-68) out of parts of 

 the former electorate of Hesse-Cassel, of the former 

 Duchy of Nassau, of the lordship of Homburg 

 forming part of the former countship of Hesse- 

 Homburg, of the larger part of the former free 

 town of Frankfort-on-the-Main, and small parts of 

 Bavaria. It comprises 5943 sq. m. The surface 

 consists mostly of uplands, contrasting with the 

 Main plain and part of Wetterau in the south, 

 and with the narrow valleys of the Werra and 

 Fulda, and the fertile basin of the Schwalm in the 

 north. The hills covering its surface include the 

 Taunus and the Westerwald, rising to 2886 feet ; 

 the Hohe Rhon, rising in Grosse Wasserkuppe to 

 3096 feet ; the Lahn Mountains, &c. The Thiir- 

 ingerwald traversing Schmalkalden culminates in 

 the Inselsberg (3001). Among the minerals are 

 iron, copper, lead, manganese, and building-stone. 

 It is rich in mineral waters, such as at WiesbatTen, 

 Ems, Kronthal, Homburg, &c. The manufactures 

 include gold and silver wares at Cassel, leather at 

 Eschwege, damasks and other stuffs at Fulda, 

 iron-foundries at Hanau, &c. The population in 

 1875 was 1,467,898; in 1890, 1,664,426; 1,156,457 

 being Protestants, 455,332 Catholics, and 44,543 

 Jews. Of its 108 towns only seven (Frank- 

 fort, Cassel, Wiesbadn, Hanau, Bockenheim, 

 Marburg, and Fulda) have more than 10,000 in- 

 habitants each. Hesse-Nassau has a university at 

 Marburg, twelve gymnasiums, thirty-eight 'Real-,' 

 commercial, and higher schools, seven teachers' 

 seminaries, three deaf and dumb and two blind 

 institutes. The principal occupations are agricul- 

 ture, cattle rearing, the usual industries, and 

 mining. 



Hessian Fly (Cecidomyia destructor], a dip- 

 terous insect, which in its larval state is one of 

 the most important crop-pests, attacking stems of 

 barley, wheat, and lye. The eggs are usually laid 

 on the leaves twice a year, in May and September, 

 and the larvje, which hatch in a fortnight, bore 

 into the stem, suck the juices, and destroy the 

 plant. The larva; turn to pupse in the end of July, 



