FRIENDLY SOCIETIES FROBEN. 



325 



cularly that of Mariner, show them to be capable of 

 the most ferocious cruelty, and to be in the practice 

 of cannibalism. They are a shade darker than 

 copper brown , of common stature, muscular, healthy, 

 cleanly, and some of them handsome. The popula- 

 tion is supposed to be about 200,000. The climate 

 is healthy. The inhabitants are active and industri- 

 ous, and acquainted with neither riches, want, nor 

 oppression. The sea coast abounds with fish, in 

 catching which they are extremely expert, and on 

 their coasts are found great numbers and variety of 

 shell-fish. They are exceedingly fond of iron, and 

 will readily give the produce of the islands in ex- 

 change, such as hogs, fowls, fish, yams, bread-fruit, 

 plantains, cocoa-nuts, sugar-canes, &c. Good water 

 is scarce, or it is generally difficult for navigators to 

 obtain it in sufficient quantity. 



FRIENDLY SOCIETIES denote associations, 

 chiefly among the most industrious of the lower and 

 middling class of tradesmen and mechanics, for the 

 purpose of affording each other relief in sickness, and 

 their widows and children some assistance at their 

 death. These societies in Britain have been thought 

 worthy of the protection of the legislature, to prevent 

 frauds, which had arisen from the irregular principles 

 on which many of them were conducted. 



FRIENDS. See Quakers. 



FRIESLAND ; a province in the Netherlands, 

 bounded north by the German ocean, east by Gronin- 

 gen and Overyssel, south by Overyssel and the 

 Zuyder Zee, and west by the river Flie. Friesland, 

 in its air and soil, resembles Holland, especially in 

 the north-west parts, which lie lower than the sea, 

 and are particularly remarkable for fine pastures, in 

 which, besides excellent oxen, cows, and sheep, a 

 great number of large horses are bred for sale in 

 Germany and other countries. In the more elevated 

 parts is found good corn land. Lewarden is the 

 capital. Square miles, 1152. It is divided into the 

 three following districts : 



Lewarden, 



Sneek, 



Heerenveen, 



Total, 



176,557 



FRIESLAND, EAST ; a province of Hanover, 

 bounded north by the sea, east by Oldenburg, south 

 by Oldenburg and Meppen, and west by Groningen ; 

 about thirty-eight miles from north to south, and 

 thirty-six from east to west. The air is moist and 

 thick, but much purified by sea breezes. The spring 

 and harvests are late. The land is flat, low, and 

 defended by strong and lofty dikes against the waves 

 of the sea. The land along the coast is rich and 

 fertile, chiefly meadow land, with a few corn fields. 

 The inhabitants are mostly Lutherans, and partly 

 Calvinists. The Catholics have a free toleration in 

 many towns, and the Moravians at Emden, Leer, 

 and Norden. The principal towns are Aurich, 

 Norden, and Emden. It is divided into twelve dis- 

 tricts ; square miles, 1113; population, 120,826; 

 houses, 21,673. 



FRIEZE, in architecture; that part of the en- 

 tablature of columns between the architrave and 

 cornice. Anciently friezes were enriched with figures 

 of animals ; in modern times, they are commonly 

 ornamented by figures in basso relievo. 



FRIGATE, in the navy ; a light, nimble ship, 

 built for the purpose of sailing swiftly. These 

 vessels mount from twenty to forty-four guns, and 

 sometimes more. 



FRIGATE-BIRD. See Albatros. 



FRINGE-TREE (chionanthus Virginica) is a small 

 tree, belonging to the same natural family with the 



olive, inhabiting America, from latitude 39 to the 

 gulf of Mexico. It sometimes attains the height of 

 twenty feet, but usually does not exceed eight or 

 ten ; the leaves are opposite, oval, and six or seven 

 inches long ; the flowers are very numerous, snow- 

 white, disposed in panicled racemes; the corolla is 

 divided into four long linear segments, whence 

 it derives the name of fringe-tree. The fruit is an 

 oval drupe, containing a single striated nut. This 

 tree is frequently cultivated in gardens as an orna- 

 mental plant. Four other species of chionanthus 

 are known, two of which inhabit the West Indies 

 the third, Ceylon, and the fourth, New Holland. 



FRISIANS (Frisii) ; an old German tribe of the 

 Istaevones and Ingasvones, which dwelt between the 

 Rhine, the German ocean, and the Ems. They were, 

 at first, allies of the Romans, till the latter attempted 

 to deprive them of their liberty, when the Frisians 

 became dangerous enemies to the Roman colonies. 

 In the fourth and fifth centuries, they appear in the 

 great confederation of the Saxon tribes, and inhabited 

 the sea coast from the Scheldt to the Elbe and Eider. 

 We also find them among the Saxons in England. 

 Charlemagne appointed dukes over them, who, at a 

 later period, were succeeded by chiefs from among 

 themselves, who were engaged in continual quarrels. 

 Count Edzard at length united East Friesland, and 

 held it as an imperial fief. The estates of Friesland 

 always retained considerable power. On the death 

 of their last prince, in 1744, Prussia took possession 

 of the country, by virtue of an imperial infeoffment 

 of 1690, but respected the estates. The peace of 

 Tilsit, in 1807, separated it from Prussia, and, in 

 1814, it was annexed to Hanover. West Friesland, 

 a province of the Netherlands, was formerly a part 

 of this country. Tacitus describes the Frisians as 

 extremely poor, and paying their tribute in furs. 

 They have always been bold seamen, and ardently 

 attached to liberty. Their language is interesting 

 for the student of Anglo-Saxon. There are descend- 

 ants of the ancient Frisians, on some of the small 

 islands near the western coast of Sleswick, who are 

 characterized by peculiar dress, customs, and lan- 

 guage. See Wiarda's History of East Friesland, ten 

 vols., coming down to 1816, Aurich, 1792 1816. 



FRITILLAR1A (fritillary) is a genus of plants 

 belonging to the natural order liliacea. The species 

 are herbaceous ; the leaves simple, alternate, though 

 sometimes appearing opposite or verticillate ; the 

 flowers, terminal and pendent ; the corolla campanu- 

 la! r, of six petals; the stamens six; the style trifid, 

 and terminated with three stigmas ; the capsule of 

 three cells. About a dozen species are known, 

 several of which are cultivated in gardens, being 

 hardy and highly ornamental plants. The F. im- 

 pcrialis, or crown imperial, so generally a favourite, 

 and supposed to be a native of Persia, differs from 

 the other species in having its large orange or yellow 

 flowers cernuous beneath a terminal tuft of leaves. 



FROBEN, JOHN (Frobenius) ; a learned printer, 

 born at Hammelburg, in Franconia, in 1460. After 

 having completed his studies, he went to Basle, and 

 became the corrector of Amerbach's press until 1491, 

 when he established a press of his own. His im- 

 pressions, which are remarkable for their correctness, 

 were principally of theological works, particularly 

 the fathers. His Greek type is not handsome; his 

 Roman is round and clear, without being pleasing ; 

 his title-pages are generally crowded, but the margins 

 are, in many of them, decorated with designs from 

 Holbein. He also printed the second edition of the 

 New Testament of Erasmus (1519) on parchment. 

 He was an intimate friend of Erasmus, who lodged 

 in his house, and had all his works printed at Froben's 

 press. He died in 1527. Erasmus wrote a Greek 



