VAUDOIS VECTOR. 



789 



consisting of several couplets (strophes) of a gay 

 and sometimes satirical character. A vaudeville 

 should have an easy and pleasing tune, and the 

 chief idea of the whole should be repeated with 

 proper variations at the end of each strophe. The 

 little dramatic pieces interspersed with witty songs 

 adapted to well-known popular tunes, &c., and 

 which are performed at the theatre du Vaudeville, 

 opened in 1791, are called comedies-vaudeville, and 

 conclude with a vaudeville, of which each performer 

 sings one strophe, having reference to the part per- 

 lormed by him. Opinions are divided respecting 

 the origin of the word. The Dictionary of the 

 academy derives it from Vau de Vire, a valley in 

 Normandy. In the little town of Vau-de-Vire, 

 Olivier Basselin, a Norman poet of the fourteenth 

 century, is said to have satirized the follies of the 

 day in spirited songs. This Vau de Vire, publish- 

 ed as early as 1576, and republished in 1821, by 

 Louis Dubois (Vaux de toutes les Vines'), is be- 

 lieved to have given rise to the name vaudeville. It 

 has also been derived from Vau-de-ville, a song 

 which runs through the whole town, from mouth 

 to mouth. 



VAUDOIS. See Waldenses. 



VAULT. See Architecture. 



VAULTING; one of the finest gymnastic ex- 

 orcises, which much strengthens the arms, abdo- 

 minal muscles, dorsal muscles and lower extremities, 

 and imparts more grace than any other gymnastic 

 exercise. 



VAUQUELIN, NICHOLAS Louis, an eminent 

 French chemist, member of the institute and of 

 numerous learned societies, was born in Normandy, 

 in 1763. In 1780, he went to Paris to continue 

 the study of chemistry and pharmacy, which he had 

 begun at Rouen, and, three years after, was engaged 

 by Fourcroy as his assistant in his chemical prepara- 

 tions. Vauquelin soon became the friend and rival 

 of his master, with whom he continued to be 

 connected for eight years. In 1793, he became 

 a member of the academy of sciences, which, with 

 other learned societies, was soon after abolished. 

 At this time, he went to Melun, where he was at- 

 tached to the military hospital, but was recalled to 

 Paris the next year, and appointed inspector of the 

 mines. His lectures on the art of assaying, de- 

 livered by order of the government at the mining 

 academy in Cleves, procured him the place of ad- 

 junct professor of chemistry at the polytechnic 

 school. When the institute was founded, he was 

 admitted a member; and he was also among the 

 first to receive the cross of the legion of honour. 

 Being appointed professor of chemistry to the col- 

 lege of France on the death of Darcet, he resigned 

 his place of inspector of the mines, and assumed 

 the superintendence of the newly-erected school of 

 pharmacy. On the death of Brogniart, he was ap- 

 pointed, at the nomination of the institute and of 

 the inspectors of studies, to the professorship of 

 chemistry at the Jardin des Plantes. In 1811, he 

 succeeded Fourcroy as professor of chemistry to 

 the faculty of medicine, all the other candidates 

 having voluntarily withdrawn their pretensions in 

 his favour. In 1822, with Jussicu, Dubois, Lalle- 

 ineut and others guilty of holding liberal opinions, 

 he was dismissed from his place. His only separate 

 publication is the Manuel de I'Essayeur (1812); 

 but he is the author of many valuable papers in the 

 An/talcs de Ckimie, the Journal des Mines, the An- 

 nales du Museum, &c. He died in 1829. 



VAUQUELINITE. This mineral occurs in 



extremely minute crystals, which appear to have 

 the form of the regular six-sided prism ; fracture 

 uneven ; surfaces of the crystals a little curved ; 

 lustre adamantine, often faint; colour blackish- 

 green, olive-green ; streak siskin-green, often in- 

 clining to brown ; faintly translucent to opaque ; 

 rather brittle ; hardness inferior to calcareous spar ; 

 specific gravity 5*5. Besides occurring in crystals, 

 it is found botryoidal, reniform and massive : com- 

 position generally impalpable ; surface drusy or 

 rough ; fracture imperfect and flat conchoidal. 

 Alone before the blow-pipe, it intumesces a little, 

 and then froths and melts into a grayish globule, 

 giving, at the same time, some globules of lead. 

 According to Berzelius, it consists of 



Oxide of lead, 60-87 



Oxide of copper 10'80 



Chromic acid, 28'33 



It occurs at Berezof, in Siberia, along with chro- 

 mate of lead ; and is also said to exist in Brazil. 



VAUX, NICHOLAS, first lord Vaux, was the son 

 of Sir William Vaux, and received the honour of 

 knighthood for his gallantry at the battle of Stoke, 

 in 1487. He ranked high in the favour of Henry 

 VIII., who carried him with him into France, 

 where he was present at the celebrated meeting 

 between that king and the French monarch in the 

 " field of cloth of gold," and was afterwards en- 

 nobled. His death took place in 1530. 



His son, Thomas, lord Vaux, who inherited the 

 talents and valour of his father, and succeeded him 

 in the esteem of his prince, was born in 1510. He 

 attended Henry on his French expedition, and was 

 made governor of Jersey, with the collar of the 

 order of the Bath. Like many of the young nobil- 

 ity of the age, he joined the cultivation of poetry 

 to the study of martial exercises ; and several of 

 his poetic effusions are yet to be found in the 

 Paradyse of Daintie Devyces, of which his Aged 

 Lover's Renunciation of Love, and the Assault of 

 Cupid, have been much admired. His death took 

 place soon after the accession of Mary to the throne. 



VAUXHALL GARDENS. This elegant place 

 of summer resort is situated near the Thames, in 

 the parish of Lambeth, about a mile and a half 

 from Westminster bridge, and is denominated from 

 the manor of Vauxhall. There is no certain ac- 

 count of the time when these premises were first 

 opened for the entertainment of the public; but 

 the Spring gardens at Vauxhall are mentioned in 

 the Spectator as a place of great resort. It was 

 formerly little more than a tea-garden, enlivened 

 with instrumental music, but so much frequented, 

 that the proprietor was encouraged to augment the 

 attraction by the introduction of vocal music. 

 These gardens are beautiful and extensive, and 

 contain a variety of walks : when open for public 

 amusement, they are illuminated with variegated 

 lamps, and embellished with transparent devices. 

 The different boxes and apartments are adorned 

 with paintings, many of which are executed by 

 Hogarth and Hayman. The latter has chosen his 

 subjects from Shakspeare. In bad weather, the 

 musical performance is in the rotunda, seventy feet 

 in diameter. The roof is so contrived, that sounds 

 never vibrate under <it ; and thus music is heard 

 to great advantage. 



VECTOR, OR RADIUS VECTOR, in astro- 

 nomy, is a line supposed to be drawn from any planet 

 moving round a centre, or the focus of an ellipse, 

 to that centre, or focus. It is so called, because it 

 is that line by which the planet seems to be carried 



