UEXTER DIABETES, 



661 



republican party was victorious, and De Witt, as 

 grand-pensioner, employed the time of peace in 

 healing the wounds under which the state was suffer- 

 ing. 



When Charles II. again took possession of the 

 crown of England, De Witt inclined to the side of 

 France, which inclination became more powerful 

 when, in 1665, the war recommenced between 

 England and the states-general. The bishop of 

 Munster, likewise, taking arms against the latter, 

 the discontent of the people against De Witt became 

 so great, that he was compelled, in order to pacify 

 them, to give up some privileges to the prince of 

 Orange, and to conclude peace with England, in 

 1667. To increase the danger of De Witt's situa- 

 tion, Louis XIV. now began to manifest his inten- 

 tions with regard to the Spanish Netherlands. The 

 Orange party insisted on elevating prince William 

 to the dignity of his ancestors. De Witt succeeded 

 in separating the offices of stadtholder and captain- 

 general, and provided that, in Holland at least, he 

 should be entirely excluded from the latter. The 

 number of De Witt's enemies increased. He was 

 obliged to conclude an alliance with England and 

 Sweden against France, which produced the peace 

 of Aix-la-Chapelle, and was as quickly dissolved as 

 it had been formed. Louis XIV., now united with 

 England, invaded the Spanish Netherlands (1672.) 

 William's friends succeeded in procuring for him the 

 post of commander-in-chief. The first campaign 

 was unfortunate in its results, which were imputed 

 to De Witt and his friends. The life of the former 

 was endangered. William was nominated stadt- 

 holder by universal consent, and De Witt resigned 

 his employments. 



But the disposition of the people was little changed 

 by this voluntary act, nor was the hatred of the 

 Orange party satisfied. His brother Cornelius was 

 accused of having attempted to assassinate the prince. 

 He was imprisoned and put to the rack ; but, as he 

 would not confess any such design, he was banished 

 from the country, and his property confiscated. 

 Hearing that his brother wished to speak to him 

 while in prison, John De Witt hastened thither, 

 when a tumult suddenly arose among the people at 

 the Hague. The militia could not disperse the mob, 

 the greater number of the officers being devoted to 

 the prince. The people broke into the prison, and 

 both brothers fell victims to their rage (Aug. 20, 

 1672). The states demanded an investigation of 

 this affair, and the punishment of the murderers, 

 from the stadtholder, which, however, never took 

 place. That the opinions of De Witt's contempora- 

 ries respecting him did not agree, may well be sup- 

 posed ; but afl acquitted him of treason against his 

 country. He was simple and modest in all his rela- 

 tions. He fell a victim to party spirit, nor could the 

 friends of the house of Orange accuse him of any other 

 crime than that of not belonging to their party, and 

 of aiming to elevate his own party at their ex- 

 pense. De Witt was an active political writer, and 

 has left many excellent observations on the events oi 

 his time. 



DEXTER, SAMUEL, an eminent American lawyer 

 and statesman, was born at Boston, in 1761. His 

 father was a distinguished merchant, and a benefac- 

 tor of Harvard college. The son was graduated at 

 that institution, in 1781, with its first honours. He 

 then engaged in the study of the law. He had not 

 been long at the bar before he was elected to the 

 state legislature, from which he was transferred to 

 congress, first to the house of representatives, am 

 then to the senate. He was in congress during a 

 period of strong party excitement, and succeeded in 

 gaining much influence and honour by the force of 



lis talents and character, proving himself an en- 

 ightened politician and superior orator. President 

 Adams made him, successively, secretary of war and 

 of the treasury. He discharged these offices in a 

 masterly manner. Towards the end of Mr Adams's 

 administration, he was offered a foreign embassy, but 

 declined it. When Mr Jefferson became president, 

 ic resigned his public employments, and returned to 

 he practice of the law. In 18 15, president Madison 

 requested him to accept an extraordinary mission to 

 he court of Spain, but he declined the offer. For 

 many years, he continued to display extraordinary 

 >owers in his profession, having no superior, and 

 scarcely a rival, before the supreme court at Wash- 

 ngton, in which he appeared every winter, in cases 

 ofthe highest importance. On his return from that 

 capital, in the spring of 1816, he fell sick at Athens, 

 n the state of New York, and died there May 4, 

 aged fifty-five. Mr Dexter was tall and well formed, 

 with strong features and a muscular frame. His 

 eloquence was that of clear exposition, and cogent, 

 philosophical reasoning; his delivery in general 

 simple, and his enunciation monotonous ; out he 

 often expressed himself with signal energy and 

 beauty, and always gave evidence of uncommon 

 power. He devoted much of his leisure to theolo- 

 gical studies, and died a zealous Christian. A sketch 

 of his life and character has been drawn by judge 

 Story. 



DEY ; the title formerly bestowed on the chief of 

 Algiers. In Tunis and Tripoli, the same officer in 

 these military republics, is named bey. The bey of 

 Tripoli is, however, assisted by a pacha. Since 

 1520, up to the recent occupation of the French, 

 Algiers recognised the authority of the Turkish 

 sultan. Turkish soldiers, under the command of a 

 pacha, sent to Algiers by the sultan, once governed 

 there, and, not receiving their pay from the pacha, 

 they prayed permission of the Porte, at the com- 

 mencement of the seventeenth century, to choose a 

 chief from their number, with the title of dey. The 

 pacha was to remain, but to have no share in the 

 government. This was agreed to by the Porte. In 

 the year 1710, the dey Tanished the pacha from 

 Algiers, and obtained permission of the Porte to enjoy 

 both titles. From that period, every dey chosen by 

 the soldiers was obliged to apply to the sultan for 

 confirmation and for appointment as pacha. The 

 sultan, therefore, reckoned Algiers amongst his 

 possessions, and sent orders to the pacha and 

 the divan. In time of war, the people of Algiers 

 assisted the Porte, if required, with soldiers and 

 ships. 



DHIOLIBA. See Niger, and Timbuctoo. 



DIABETES is an affection of a very peculiar na- 

 ture, and which, both with respect to its origin, its 

 proximate cause, and its treatment, has given rise 

 to much controversy. Its most remarkable symp- 

 toms are, a great increase in the quantity of urine, 

 a voracious appetite, a stoppage of the cutaneous 

 perspiration, thirst, emaciation, and great mus- 

 qular debility. The urine is not only prodigiously 

 increased in its quantity, but likewise has its com- 

 position completely changed ; the substance named 

 urea, which it contains in the healthy state, is entire- 

 ly removed, or exists in very small proportion, while 

 in its stead we find a large quantity of a body possess- 

 ing the physical and chemical properties of sugar. 

 Wnether diabetic differs essentially from vegetable 

 sugar, is to be regarded more as a chemical question, 

 than as what, in any respect, influences either our 

 pathology or our practice ; and it has been a subject 

 of controversy whether there be a proper diabetes 

 insipidus, that is, a disease attended with the in- 

 creased discharge of urine, the voracious appetite, 



