OXALURIA 



OXENSTIERNA 



675 



unds 



Con- 



ery abundant, 

 habitants. The 

 in binoxalate 



cells. Temperate North America and the Cape of 

 Good Hope may be said to lie the headquarters of 

 the order. The herbaceous parts of almost all the 

 species are distinguished by a strong acidity, which 

 is owing to the presence of oxalate of potash ; 

 some, however, are bitter and slightly stimulating. 

 The fruit of some is pleasingly acid and cooling 

 as Carainbola and reputed to l)e antiscorbutic and 

 antiseptic. The tubers of several of the typical 

 genus (Oxalis) are eatable, and contain a consider- 

 able quantity of starchy matter. The leaves of all 

 the species are more or less sensitive. The Wood- 

 sorrel (0. aeetosella) is a native of Britain, and 

 one of the most elegant of the wild flowers, carpet- 

 ing woods and shady places with its bright tri- 

 foliate leaves and white or rose-tinted flowers. Its 

 leaves, resembling as they do those of the clover, 

 have led to the surmise that it may be the true 

 Shamrock (q.v.). The plant, which is antiscorbutic 

 and refrigerant, is widely distributed 

 Europe, Russian and central 

 America. It is much used 

 tinent ; and in Lapla 

 it Is the favourite he 

 expressed juice of the . ,^^ 

 of potash. Twenty pourmT of fresh leaves yield 

 about six pounds of juice, from which is obtained 

 about two ounces of the pure salt. Salt of Sorrel 

 and Essential Salt of Lemons (see OXALIC ACID). 

 The preparation is carried on mainly in Switzer- 

 land ana Germany ; not, however, exclusively from 

 this species of Oxalis, but from several other species 

 of the same genus and of the true sorrels ( Ruinex ), 

 which contain the same salt. The numerous species 

 of Oxalis strongly resemble each other in their 

 general appearance and properties. Several of 

 them, such as 0. crenata and 0. taberosa, natives 

 of Pern and Bolivia, and 0. Deppei, a Mexican 

 species, are cultivated in those countries for the 

 sake of their tuberous roots, which are eatable. 

 These species have all been recommended for cul- 

 ture in Britain as substitutes for the potato, but 

 their produce is too meagre to deserve attention ; 

 besides, the plants are constitutionally adapted 

 only to the most favourable parts of England. 

 Averrhoa bilimbi, or Cucumber-tree, indigenous to 

 the East Indies, and now cultivated in some parts 

 of South America, produces a green fleshy fruit of 

 the shape and size of a small cucumber, which is 

 esteemed for its grateful acid juice when ripe. 

 The unripe fruit is also pickled. 



O\;il uria. the occurrence of crystals of oxalate 

 of lime in the Urine (q.v.). 



Oxenford, JOHN, dramatist and critic, was 

 born in Camberwell in 1812, and was originally 

 educated for the bar, but early turned to a life 

 of letters, made himself familiar with French, 

 German, and Spanish literature, and soon made 

 his name known by admirable translations of such 

 notable liooks as Goethe's Dichtung uiul Wahrheit 

 and Eckermann's Conversations with. Goethe. For 

 his last thirtv years he was dramatic critic for the 

 Times, and Iiis criticisms were ever characteristic 

 of the genial kindliness of his nature. He was a 

 fluent and graceful writer, yet his original work 

 suggested rather than demonstrated his powers 

 as a critic. His Illustrated Book of French Songs 

 (1835) showed a dexterous mastery of the lijjlitei 

 forms of verse. He wrote many plays, among them 

 the Dice of Death, the Reigning Favourite, the 

 Two Orphans, as well as the libretto for The Lily 

 of Killarney, and one farce at least, Ticjce Killed, 

 tnat became widely popular. He died February 

 21, 1877. 



Oxciiham, HENRY NUTCOMBE, theologian, was 

 born at Harrow, Novem!>er 15, 1829, and educated 

 at Balliol College, Oxford, taking a classical second 



class in 1850. He took orders in 1854, and held 

 various curacies, but entered the Roman Catholic 

 'hurch in 1857, and was successively professor at 

 St Edmund's College, Ware, and master at the 

 Dratory School, Birmingham. He died March 23, 

 1888. Oxenham translated Dollinger's First Agt 

 of the Church ( 1866 ), and Lectures on lie-union of 

 the Churches (1872), also vol. ii. of Hefele's History 

 of the Councils of the Church ( 1876) ; and, besides 

 frequent articles in the leading reviews, the follow- 

 ing learned works came from his pen : Catholic 

 Doctrine of the Atonement (1865); Catholic Escfta- 

 tology and Universalism (1876); Short Studies in 

 Ecclesiastical History and Biography (1884); and 

 Short Studies, Ethical and Religious ( 1885). 



Oxenstierna, or OXENSTERN, AXEL, COUNT, 

 Swedish statesman, was born at Fano, north of 

 Stockholm, 16th June 1583. He was originally 

 educated for the church, and studied theology as 

 well as jurisprudence at Rostock, Jena, and Wit- 

 tenberg, and, although lie entered ( 1602) the public 

 service of his country, he continued all his life to 

 take a deep interest in religious questions, and 

 lalioured zealously for the extension of the Pro- 

 testant doctrines. Charles IX. despatched him in 

 1606 as ambassador to the court of Mecklenburg, 

 and made him senator in 1609. Having displayed 

 great prudence and wisdom in the settlement of 

 disputes between the Livonian nobles and the town 

 of Reval, he was appointed by Charles now infirm 

 from age guardian of the royal family and head 

 of the regency. On the accession of Gustavus 

 Adolphus (q.v.) in 1611 Oxenstierna was created 

 chancellor ; and in 1613 acted as minister-pleni- 

 potentiary in the negotiations for peace between 

 Sweden and Denmark, and in 1617 in those whicU 

 terminated hostilities l>etween Sweden and Russia.. 

 In 1621, on the departure of the king for the Polisli 

 war, Oxenstierna was charged with the administra- 

 tion of affairs at home, but five years later was 

 summoned to act as governor-general of the con- 

 quered districts in Prussia. In 1629 he concluded 

 peace with the Poles on highly favourable condi- 

 tions. Although be strongly opposed the desire of 

 Gustavus to take part in the Thirty Years' War, 

 yet, when lie found that the Protestant sympathies 

 of the king were irrepressible, he supported his 

 master most faithfully and ably ; Gustavus in 

 return charged him with the difficult business of 

 managing the diplomatic relations of Sweden in 

 central Germany. After the king's death it was 

 Oxenstierna who not only kept the Swedish armies 

 together, but sustained the Protestant cause and 

 prevented it going to pieces on the jealousies of the 

 German Protestant princes, displaying masterly 

 diplomatic ability, great courage, resource, and 

 imxleration. Having in four arduous years re- 

 organised the Protestants and reanimated their 

 courage by gaining French and Dutch assistance, 

 he went back to Sweden (1636). He had already 

 drawn up a constitution, which the estates accepted 

 and ratified in 1634. After his return he resumed 

 the duties of chancellor, adding to them those of 

 guardian to the young queen Christina, who, how- 

 ever, did not accept the advice of her father's wise 

 friend and counsellor as it beseemed her. Oxen- 

 stierna continued to direct the policy of the Pro- 

 testants in Germany till the peace of Westphalia 

 in 1648 put an end to the war. He humiliated the 

 Danes and forced them to sign the treaty of 

 Bromsebro (1645), and opposed the abdication of 

 Christina and the succession of Charles X. This 

 king, nevertheless, retained him in office until he 

 died, 28th August 1654. See Lundblad's Svensk 

 Plutarch ( 2 vols. Stock. 1824); Fryxell's History of 

 Gustavus Adolphus; Geijer's History of the Sweiles 

 (Lond. n.d.); and Journal of Bulstrode White- 

 locke (1772). His Writings and Correspondence 



