324 



FRIDAY FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 



other tilings, depends on the same cause ; for they 

 are mails of short fibres, pressed together by twist- 

 ing ; and this pressure causes a sufficient degree of 

 friction to prevent the fibres sliding one upon another. 

 Without friction, it would be impossible to make a 

 rope of the fibres of hemp, or a sheet of the fibres of 

 flax ; neither could the short fibres of cotton have 

 ever been made into such an infinite variety of forms 

 as they liave received from the liands of ingenious 

 workmen. Wool also has been converted into a 

 thousand textures for comfort or for luxury ; and all 

 these are constituted of fibres united by friction. In 

 fine, if friction retards the motion of machines, and 

 consumes a large quantity of moving power, we have 

 a full compensation in the numerous and important 

 benefits, which it ensures to us. 



Friction, in medicine and surgery ; the act of rub- 

 bing the surface of the body, whether with the hand 

 only, with the flesh-brush, flannel, or other sub- 

 stances, or with oils, ointments, or other medicinal 

 matters, with a view to the preservation of health, or 

 to the removal of particular diseases. The wholesome 

 effects of friction are well illustrated by the advan- 

 tages of currying horses. Friction is an efficacious 

 remedy in several conditions of disease , particularly 

 in chronic rheumatisms of long standing ; in muscular 

 contractions, succeeding to rheumatism, c., and 

 connected often with effusions of lymph ; in some 

 states of paralysis ; in certain indolent tumours, &c. 

 In these cases, a variety of unguents and liniments is 

 recommended ; but the friction itself is the principal 

 source of relief. 



FRIDAY, with the Anglo-Saxons Frigeday, has 

 its name from the wife of Odin, Frea or Friga. See 

 Northern Mythology. 



FRIDAY, GOOD ; the day of our Saviour's cruci- 

 fixion. The Protestants on the continent, consider 

 this day as the most solemn in the whole year ; by 

 the Catholics, however, it is celebrated only as a half 

 holyday. 



FRIEDEN (German for peace) occurs in many 

 geographical names, as Friedland. 



FRIEDLAND ; a town and lordship in Bohemia, 

 in the circle of Bunzlau, with a castle, Wallenstein 

 bought the lordship hi 1622, and was created, in the 

 same year, duke of Friedland by the emperor ; hence 

 he was called, by the troops, Der Friedlander. The 

 castle contains a portrait of Wallenstein. The town 

 contains over 2000 inhabitants. 



FRIEDLAND, BATTLE OF ; gained by Napoleon, 

 June 14, 1807, over the Russians, under Bennigsen. 

 Although the Russians had repelled the attack of the 

 French army at Heilsberg (June 10), they were 

 obliged to retire, on the following days, towards 

 Friedland. On the 14th, at two o'clock in the 

 morning, the advance guard had a skirmish with a 

 part of the division of Lannes, which covered the road 

 to Konigsberg. The contest remained undecided at 

 five o'clock in the morning, when the first divisions of 

 the Russian army arrived, and crossed to the left 

 bank of the Aller by the stone bridge hi the town, 

 and two pontoon-bridges above and below it. The 

 Russian army (deducting the detachments) amounted 

 to about 67,000 men (seven divisions). It was drawn 

 up in two bodies, with the Aller in the rear. The 

 right wing, consisting of four divisions, and the 

 greatest part of the cavalry, rested on the Aller. 

 The left, consisting of two divisions, separated from 

 the right by a mill stream, also rested on the Aller ; 

 and one division, divide*! into battalions, was stationed 

 as a reserve upon the right bank of the river. The 

 first body was drawn up with two battalions of each 

 regiment in line, and the third in the rear in column; 

 the whole second body was composed of columns of 

 battalions. On the French side, the remainder of 



the division of Lannes came up in the beginning of the 

 battle ; that of Mortier, at seven o'clock in the morn- 

 ing ; Napoleon himself, at nine o'clock, with the divi- 

 sion of Ney and the horse-guards ; the first division, 

 under Victor, with the foot-guards, at three o'clock 

 in the afternoon; in all, 75,000 men. From five o'clock 

 in the morning, the battle was continued on the left 

 wing, without any decisive results. Both armies 

 kept their position (Lannes formed the left, Ney the 

 right wing of the French army) ; yet the Russian 

 cavalry ofboth wings made several successful attacks, 

 and the whole line advanced half a league. It would 

 now have been easy for Bennigsen to overpower the 

 division of Lannes (which was only supported by the 

 successive arrival of detachments), to take possession 

 of the wood of Posthenen and of the road which 

 passes through it, and thus prevent the development 

 of the French forces, and, perhaps, destroy them in 

 detail. But Bennigsen, satisfied with these incon- 

 siderable advantages, allowed himself to be detained 

 by a cannonade and some skirmishes of the light in- 

 fantry, and looked on while the enemy continually 

 augmented his forces. The French, on the coming 

 up of their last divisions, immediately commenced a 

 general attack in front, whilst Ney (at six o'clock in 

 the evening) fell upon the left flank of the Russians, 

 with a strong detachment. The Russians were 

 already forced back into their former position, when 

 he opened a battery of forty cannons upon the heights 

 to the left of Friedland, which soon decided the fate 

 of the day. The havock which it made in their 

 masses, compelled the Russian left wing to fall back 

 to Friedland, over the Aller. They covered their 

 retreat by setting fire to the suburb. Under these 

 circumstances, it oecame necessary to relinquish the 

 advantages gained by the right wing, and a general 

 retreat through Friedland was ordered. But some 

 detachments of Ney's division had already taken 

 possession of the town. The Russians, exposed to a 

 heavy cannonade, threw themselves into the burning 

 suburb, and were compelled to fight their way through 

 the enemy. The carnage was dreadful. The divi- 

 sion which covered the retreat found the bridges 

 already destroyed, but succeeded in escaping through 

 a ford. The Russians retreated through Wehlau, to 

 the left bank of the Memel. An armistice was con- 

 cluded on the 21st, which was succeeded by the peace 

 of Tilsit. The Russians had about 7000 killed 

 (among whom were two generals), and 12,000 

 wounded. The French had five generals wounded. 

 Their total loss cannot be ascertained, but was pro- 

 bably much less than that of the enemy. They 

 captured sixteen cannons. 



FRIENDLY COVE, or SANTA CRUZ ; a har- 

 bour in Nootka Sound, where a settlement was formed 

 in 1788, by Mr Meares and some other Englishmen, 

 for the sake of carrying on the fur trade ; Ton. 126 

 30' W.; lat. 49 35' N. 



FRIENDLY ISLANDS ; a cluster of islands in 

 the South Pacific ocean, of great extent, and up- 

 wards of 150 in number ; some of which are large, 

 and some lofty, with volcanoes. The most important 

 are the following : Tonga, Eaoowe, Annamooka, 

 Hapaee islands, Mayorga islands, Feejee islands, 

 Vavaoo, and Toofoa. Lon. 184 46' to 185 45' E. ; 

 lat. 19 40 1 to 21 30" S. They are in general fertile 

 and well planted with cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, 

 plantains, sugar-canes, yams, c. Fowls are large 

 and good ; parrots and paroquets are found, of vari- 

 ous kinds ; pigeons, with plenty of wild ducks, and 

 other water-fowl. The inhabitants appeared to cap- 

 tain Cook, who first discovered these islands in 1773, 

 hospitable and kind, and to be united in a firm alli- 

 ance ; on which account he gave them the name they 

 bear. But the accounts of subsequent visitors, parti- 



