POLK 



POLLIO 



These proceedings failing to good the Mexicans 

 into a declaration of war, the president forced on 

 hostilities l>y advancing the American army, at 

 the suggestion of General Tuylor, to the Kio 

 Grande. Palo Alto and Kesaca followed, and the 

 Mexican war was successfully started ; the capital 

 was taken in September, and its fall enabled the 

 conquerors to dictate terms of peace, by which the 

 United States acquired California and New Mexico. 

 During Folk's term the Oregon boundary was 

 settled by a compromise (49) offered by England, 

 though tlie party cry (' Fifty -four- forty or tight') 

 which helped to elect him was a claim for the 

 entire territory to 54 40' N. lat. In 1846 a revenue 

 tariff, in which ad valorem were substituted for 

 specific and minimum duties, was adopted in the 

 senate, however, only by the casting vote of .Vice- 

 president Dallas. Polk consistently condemned 

 the anti-slavery agitation ; he did not believe in 

 the possibility of a United States all slave or all 

 free, and considered the modus vivendi between 

 North and South quite satisfactory. Having 

 pledged himself to a single term of office, he 

 refused a renotnination, and retired to his home 

 in Nashville, Tennessee, where he died three 

 months afterwards, June 15, 1849. Polk was a 

 man of good abilities, and of a solid, firm, honest, 

 and religious character. He was devoted to the 

 principles of the Democratic party of Jefferson and 

 Jackson state rights, a revenue tariff, independent 

 treasury, and strict construction of the constitution. 

 See Life by J. a Jenkins (1850). and a History of his 

 administration, by Luoien B. Chase (1850). 



Polk, LKONIDAS, the Antony Bek of the Con- 

 federacy, was born at Raleigh, North Carolina, 

 10th April 1806. He was a cousin of President 

 Polk, and grandson of Colonel Thomas Polk, an 

 officer of the Revolution. Graduating at West 

 Point in 1827, he received a commission in the 

 artillery, but was induced to study for the ministry, 

 and in 1890 received deacon's and in 1831 priest's 

 orders in tin- Episcopal Church. In 1838 lie was 

 consecrated Bishop of Arkansas and Indian Terri- 

 tory, with charge of the dioceses of Alabama, 

 Mis-i-sippi, ;IM<I Louisiana: in 1*41 he resigned 

 all these except the bishopric of Louisiana, which 

 he retained even when at the head of an army 

 corps until his death. Koon after the outbreak of 

 the civil war he was ollered a major-generalship by 

 Jefferson Davis, and, accepting it, proceeded to 

 strongly fortify strategics! points mi the Missis- 

 sippi. At Itelinont, in November 1861, he was 

 driven from his camp l>> Crant, but returned and 

 eventually compelled him to retire. At Khiloli and 

 at Corinth he commanded the 1st corps ; in Octolier 

 1862 be was promoted to lieutenant-general, and 

 in November lie conducted the retreat from Ken- 

 tucky. After Chickamaiiga, where he commanded 

 the right wing, he was relieved of his command ; 

 but in December 1863 he was appointed to the 

 department of Alabama. Mississippi, and Eastern 

 Louisiana, and he afterwards joined Johnston in 

 opposing Sherman's march to Atlanta. He was 

 killed while reconnoitring on Pine Mountain, 14th 

 June 1864, by a cannon-shot fired by gome Northern 

 officers who wished to give the nishop's party a 

 fright. See the Life by \V M. I 'oik (1894). 



Polka* a species of dance, of Bohemian origin, 

 invented in 1830, and introduced into England in 

 1843, the music to which is in } time, and has the 

 rhythmical peculiarity of being accented on the 

 third quaver of the measure. 



Pollack (Gafiiis jmllachiux), a common fish on 

 Britisli coasto, belonging to the cod, haddock, and 

 whiting genns. It is ahont the sue of the coal- 

 tish. is active in habit, and is frequently caught. 

 The lower jaw projects beyond the upper, and 



there is no barbel. In Scotland and in some part* 

 of Ireland it is called Lytke. 



Pollaiuolo, ANTONIO, goldsmith, medallist, 

 metal-caster, and painter, was Imrn at Florence in 

 1429, and died at Rome in 1498, whither he had 

 Kern summoned to cast a sepulchral monument for 

 Pope Sixtus IV., and where he also cant a similar 

 one for Pope Innocent VIII. (died 1492), both 

 in St Peter's, and Ixith works of great merit. 

 Antonio's pictures the l>est being Hercules slay- 

 ing the Hydra,' ' Hercules destroying Anta-us,' and 

 'St Selxustian ' are distinguished for the life and 

 vigour of their drawing. Ilis brother PIKTKO, IKUII 

 at Florence in 1443, and died at Rome in 1496, was 

 generally associated with him in his work, though 

 he devoted most attention to painting. To him mi- 

 attributed an altarpiece introducing SS. .lames, 

 Vincent, and Eustace (if indeed it is not mainly by 

 the other brother), an Annunciation, a Coronation 

 of the Virgin, and the Five Virtues. 



Pollail ( ('iiregnniis jtollan ), a fresh-water fish of 

 the family Salmonidn*, a native of lakes in Ireland. 

 It is particularly abundant in Lough Neagh, where 

 great numbers are often netted, and sold in the 

 neighbouring country. The fish is from 10 to 12 

 inches in length, and is well flavoured. See 

 QOBMOHUa 



Pollaiiarriia. a ruined city of Ceylon, 60 

 miles ENE. of Kandy, with a massive dagoba, 

 a rock-cut temple, masses of sculptured stones, 

 and a wide area of ruined buildings that attest 

 the size and importance of the city, which became 

 the capital of the kingdom about 770, after the 

 Malabar invasion ruined Anunulhapura, the former 

 capital. The city stood on the site of an immense 

 tank, still called Topaweva or Topare. The place 

 was first made known to Europeans in 1820. 



Pollarding (to poll, to cut off, or share the 

 head) is the cutting off of the whole crown of a 

 tree, leaving it to send out new branches from the 

 top of the stem. Trees thus treated are called 

 pollards. The new branches are never equal in 

 magnitude to the original branches of the tree, 

 although often more numerous, and when pollarding 

 is often repeated the scars and stumps form a thick 

 ring at the top of the stem, from which many small 

 branches spring. Pollards are not lieautiful ; but 

 pollarding is practised with ad\ antage in districts 

 where fuel is scarce, the branches being cut off in 

 order to lie used for fuel, and the operation repeated 

 every third or fourth year. Willows, poplars, 

 alders, elms, oaks, and limes are the trees most 

 frequently pollarded, and in some parts of Europe 

 the white mulberry. The trees of most rapid 

 growth are preferred where fuel is the object: and 

 willows, poplais. and alders are planted along 

 water-courses, ami in rows in moist meadows and 

 l>ogs. Oaks are somct hues pollarded, chiefly for the 

 sake of the hark of their branches, and the whole 

 treatment very much resembles that of copse-wood. 

 Sec COI-.SK. 



Pollen. See (under Flower) FERTILISATION ort 

 THE Fl-OWKK ; also the article STAMi 



Pollio. CAIUS ASINII s. an orator, poet, his- 

 torian, ami soldier, was l>orn in Rome, 76 B.C. He 

 sided with C:esar in the civil war fought at 

 Pharsalia, and commanded in Spain against Kextus 

 I'oiiipciiis, but was defeated. He sided with the' 

 triumvirs against the oligarchic senate, and was 

 appointed by Antony to settle the veterans on tha 

 lands assigned them in Trunspadane Caul. It was 

 now t hat he saved the pro]M-rty of the poet Virgil 

 at Mantua from confiscation. After Antony and 

 OcUvian had quarrelled, it was Pollio who effected 

 their temporary reconciliation at Brnndusiuin (KM. 

 This year he "was consul, when Virgil's fourth 



