HISTORY 



21 



State of Louisiana was admitted, in 1812, the 

 remaining portion was organized as Missouri 

 Territory, which name it held till 1819, when 

 Missouri formed a State Constitution, and Ar- 

 kansas became a Territory under its present 

 name. It became a State in 1836. The people 

 passed the ordinance of secession on May 6, 1861. 

 During the late Civil War the principal battles 

 fought within the State boundaries were Pea 

 Ridge, Prairie Grove, Arkansas Post, and Hel- 

 ena. Arkansas was temporarily reorganized as 

 a State in the Union in 1864, but it was rele- 

 gated to military government under the recon- 

 struction acts of 1867. The new constitution 

 was adopted in 1868, and the State resumed 

 permanent federal relations. In 1903, charges 

 were preferred against Governor Jeff Davis, 

 alleging gross official misconduct. In the fol- 

 lowing election he received full vindication. 



Armada. A Spanish word, signifying gen- 

 erally an armed force, but applied specially to 

 the great naval expedition sent out against 

 England bv Philip of Spain, A. D. 1588. The 

 object of the expedition was to strike a decisive 

 blow at the Protestant interest. The expedition 

 had been long in preparation, and consisted of 

 no fewer than 132 vessels, chiefly galleons, which 

 carried, besides 8,000 sailors and the galley- 

 slaves, an army of 20,000 men. These were 

 destined for the coast of Flanders, where Alex- 

 ander 1 arnese, Prince of Parma, was to embark 

 wit h .<.').<><)<) men in addition. The news of these 

 hostile preparations aroused all the enthusiasm 

 nul. Her navy, which had been reduced 

 to thirty-six ships, was rapidly increased until 

 191 vessels were ready for sea. These were 

 placed under the command of Lord Howard of 

 Emngham, under whom served Drake, Hawkins, 

 Frobisher, and others. The command of the 

 army was given to the Earl of Leicester. The 

 main body of the ships was stationed off Ply- 

 mouth, while a squadron, under Lord Seymour, 

 was ordered to cruise off the coast of Flanders. 

 The Armada set out from the Tagus on the 29th 

 of May. on the 19th of July, the fleet (which 

 had been delayed by storms) was observed en- 

 tering the Channel. On the 23d, there was a 

 whole day's fighting off Portland ; and the 25th 

 saw a similar scene with a similar result the 

 capture or crippling t Spanish ships off the 

 Isle of Wight. On the 27th, the fleet anchored 

 off ( 'alais. Two nights later, eight small vessels, 

 daubed with pitch and resin, and filled with 

 explosive -ulMance-,. \\ere drifted down with 



tin tide towards the floating castles, and were 

 set on fire. In the panic which tin- lire and the 

 frequent crashes struck through the Spanish 

 fleet, many vessels cut their cables and cleared 

 off from the shore, while others were di-abled 

 or seriously injured. Next morning the scattered 

 vessels of the Armada fell an easy prey 

 to the Knirli-h -hip-., winch, being miich'stnalle'r 

 in size than those of the Spaniard*, had all along 

 been more easily manoeuvred. Four t him -and 

 BpftOtadl were killed. Many of their vessels 

 flier taken, -link, or driven a-h.r. . I be 

 re-t t!el northward at the bidding of their ad- 

 miral, who saw no way home but round the 

 northern coast of Scotland; and. at the end ..t 

 September, fifty-three weather-beaten and muti- 



lated ships, all that remained of "The Invin- 

 cible Armada," were brought to an anchor in 

 Santander Bay. 



Assembly. The four great legislative 

 bodies which succeeded each other during the 

 period of the first French revolution are usually 

 termed: (1) The National or Constituent Assem- 

 bly, commenced June 17, 1789, by the resolution, 

 of the deputies of the communes in the States- 

 General, constituting themselves a national as- 

 sembly, to which the deputies of the nobles and 

 clergy afterwards adhered; termed Constituent 

 Assembly from having framed a constitution; 

 dissolved on the acceptance of the constitution 

 by the king, September 30, 1791. (2) The Legis- 

 lative Assembly It commenced its sittings Octo- 

 ber 1, 1791; suspended the royal authority by 

 its decree of August 10, 1792; and was dissolved 

 September 21, 1792. (3) The Convention. It 

 commenced its sittings September 21, 17!J. 

 with a proclamation of the Republic; was dis- 

 solved 4 Brumaire, fourth year of the Repub- 

 lic (October 26, 1795). (4) Two-thirds of this 

 assembly were then included in the new body 

 of the Corps Ugislatif, which commenced its 

 sittings October 27, 1795, forming the Council 

 of the Five Hundred (des Cinq-Cents), and the 

 Council of the Ancients (des Anciens), 250 in 

 number. The latter body named the Directory. 

 This assembly subsisted until the dissolution of 

 the Directory by Bonaparte, 17 Brumaire, eighth 

 year of the Republic (November 10, 1799). The 

 term Assemble Rationale was revived by the 

 legislative body under the second Republic, 

 May, 1848; and under the third Republic, 1870. 

 Assyria (Os-slr* re-ah). The name of the 

 first great empire of antiquity recorded in Holy 

 Writ. Assyria Proper was a region east of the 

 Tigris, in chid in r Nineveh, and derived its name 

 from Asshur, the second son of Shem. It ap- 

 pears to have comprised the modern pashalics 

 of Van and Diarbekr, with IVnsarmenia, includ- 

 ing at least part of Azerbijan; corresponding 

 pretty exactly to modern Kurdistan. The first 

 empire of Assyria was founded by Belus, B. C. 

 1993. Minus, son of Belus (1968-191(5 ). and his 

 widow, Semiramis (1916-1874), were its most 

 famous monarchs. The last of their successors, 

 Sardanapalus, infamous for his luxury and volup- 

 tuoiiMie-s. was dethroned by his subjects, and 

 burned himself in his palace, with his eunuchs. 

 concubines, and all lu^ treasure*, about 820 B.C. 

 The empire wa- then divided into Media. Assyria, 

 and Babylonia. Salmanassar. or Shalmat 

 i conquered Judea about 7l' I B. C. The -econd 

 ; empire of Assyria finished with Nnbopolassar, 



who united .Wyria to Babylonia. B. C. ' 

 | Assyria, with Babylonia, was conquered by Cyrus. 

 B. C. 538, and became a province of IVr-ia 

 Augur (au'gi'ir). \ public otiicer ap|x>inted 

 to interpret the will of the gods, as r\ 

 signs or on;. itional or individual guicf- 



Their ollice was on imjvortance 



in the -taie .1- no enterprises or ceremonies were 



jM'rformed iinle^ they declared the otn. 



vorable. Accordingly, themembers of their col 



lege were always elected from the m.i-t honorable 

 .rir divinations wore culled mufiiriut 

 between which then- is sometime a 



di-tinction made; the latter meaning such as 



