powder in a mill, it formed the substance called tan; and this was used by the following method, which is still practised on the continent. At the bottom of a large pit old tan is laid some inches in depth, and over this a layer of new tan; upon this is spread a layer of hides which is covered with tan, and upon this are placed more hides; and so they alternate till the pit is filled, the last layer being of tan 12 inches thick. Over this boards are laid and covered with stones. Water containing tannin in solution is then let into the pit. Sometimes 600 or 700 hides are thus treated in one pit; and they are left from 4 to 8 months without being disturbed, excepting once to take them all out and reverse the order of their arrangement, putting those that were at top below, and laying them in fresh tan. In England, hides intended for heavy leather have been kept 4 years in the pit, the tan being renewed every few months. In the United States, the hides, after being thoroughly cleaned, are put in a weak solution of bark liquor and handled often, with a view to prevent their becoming "crusted" or unevenly "struck." The liquors must be adapted to the quality of the hides. By soaking green hides in weak solutions or "ooze," some of the gelatine may be extracted and lost; while liquors too warm and strong may by acting too rapidly upon the outer portions prevent, by what is called crusting, the penetration of the tanning material into the ceniral part of the skins. This effect is in great measure obviated by adding a little Glauber's salts to the liquors, so that stronger solutions can be at once used. The liquors, however, may be gradually strengthened, the hides being handled and changed daily. In the tanning process dried hides gain in weight from 60 to 80 per cent.; and it is this increased weight that accounts for the fact that hides purchased in the New York market are carried several hundred miles into the interior, and, after being treated by expensive manipulations, are returned to the city and sold at a less price per lb. than the original cost of the hides. The object of the tanner is to add as much as possible to the weight, and this sometimes causes him to adopt processes that are not particularly designed to improve the quality of the leather, and to reject others of great value in this respect, but which cause little addition to the weight. When sufficiently tanned for the purpose, they are split by a machine into several sheets, sometimes as many as 5 from a single thickness. The knife in this machine is sometimes made 72 inches long, so as to take almost the whole width of a hide of leather at one cut. By the latest improvement, of which the patent is held in Boston, this knife is made 80 inches long. Its use secures a large saving in labor, and also 25 per cent. or more in stock, which before its introduction was shaved away. The flesh side sheet, together with the shank and other small pieces, are in a good state without further tanning to be used by the trunk makers for covering wooden trunks, and are blackened and finished VOL. X.-26

on the trunks. The other sheets are then "levelled" with the knife by the currier, and the outer one, commonly used for covering carriages, is subjected to the process called "buffing," which consists in shaving off about half the grain, so as to leave a softer surface for receiving the artificial grain. Being then returned to the tan yard, they are scoured on a table with a brush, slicker, and water, and then are retanned in warm liquors. They are frequently handled, and being very thin the process is soon completed, when they are again scoured and sent to the currier to finish in the ordinary method or to prepare for japanning. In the retanning it is found advantageous to employ the terra japonica mixed with the bark liquors. Being very soluble and containing much tannin, it increases the strength of the liquors and lessens the amount of yard room required. Sicily sumach is used also in this part of the process. its effect being to soften the liquor and brighten the leather.-The species of oak principally used in England for tanning is the quercus pedunculata; but the great demand for leather has caused other kinds of bark to be tried, and the following tanning materials are now largely imported into that country:

Reference may be made to a number of these productions, as ALGAROVILLA, CATECHU, DIVIDIVI, &c., under their own names, as alphabetically arranged in this work. A great variety of other vegetable substances have been intro- . duced, either to be used alone, or as an adjunct to oak bark, none of which afford tannin in such large proportion as the gall nuts. In the northern United States and along the range of the Alleghanies the bark of the hemlock (abies Canadensis) is the chief source of tannin. It is stripped in June, and its effect is to give a more reddish tinge to the leather than that produced by oak. Though it is inferior to oak, the two kinds of bark together afford, it is supposed, a better product than either alone. The American oaks most esteemed are, the Spanish oak, known in the southern states as the red oak (Q.falcata), the red oak of the north (Q. rubra), the chestnut or rock oak (Q. prinus monticola), and the black or quercitron oak (Q. tinctoria). The bark of the white oak and of some other species is also somewhat used in tanning. The bark of the American chestnut (castanea vesca)

treatment, can be well tanned in 10 days. It is a common but mistaken impression that leather tanned rapidly is necessarily weak. On the contrary, the longer the hides remain in the liquor the more gelatine must be dissolved and lost, and consequently the more imperfect is the process. The late Hon. Gideon Lee, in a course of lectures delivered in New York upon tanning, remarked that in all of numerous experiments he had observed of both slow and quick tanning (the preparation of the hides for the ooze being equally well done), he had found the quick-tanned leather of a firmer and closer texture, more solid, less pervious, vastly greater in weight, and far more durable in the wear than the slowtanned leather. And when all the gelatine composing the hide is combined with the tannin, not a single additional ounce can be gained from the strongest ooze, however long the process is continued. By the ordinary process in the United States the tanning is continued from 3 to 6 or 7 months, varying in different years from different qualities of hides, and sometimes owing to the different conditions of the seasons. The largest tanneries are usually in the vicinity of hemlock forests, where the bark can be most economically procured. Some of these establishments are of immense extent, with several hundred vats, and a capacity of tanning nearly 100,000 sides of leather. The consumption of bark is rated at about a cord to 10 sides, and the sides average over 18 lbs. each. The tanneries include extensive buildings for storing bark, mills for grinding it, and those for softening the dry South American hides, which is done by beating them after they are soaked in water. There are also machines for rolling the leather, and copper heaters for warming the liquors.

LEAVENWORTH, a N. E. co. of Kansas, bounded N. E. by the Missouri river, which separates it from Missouri, and S. by the Kansas; area, about 500 sq. m.; pop. in 1860, about 16,000.-LEAVENWORTH, a city and the capital of the preceding co., founded in 1854, on the right bank of the Missouri river, 3 m. below Fort Leavenworth and 500 m. from the mouth of the river; pop. in 1857, 2,000; in 1860, about 10,000. The river is here swift and deep, and bordered on the Kansas side by a natural levee of rocks. The city has straight avenues, crossing each other at right angles, is lighted with gas, and contains (1860) 12 churches, 7 schools, 8 banking houses, 11 hotels, 13 lumber yards, 7 steam saw mills, a flour mill, a machine shop, 3 soap and candle factories, 6 breweries, 2 coach and wagon factories, 1 sash and blind factory, 4 brick yards, and several miscellaneous manufactories. Messrs. Russell, Major, and Waddell, the government contractors, have an immense establishment here connected with the transportation business, in which are employed 6,000 teamsters and 45,000 oxen. Three daily and five weekly newspapers are published, one of which is in German and one in French. The city is connected with St. Joseph and Jefferson City by

steamboat lines, and by daily stages with Lawrence, Fort Riley, Lecompton, Topeka, St. Joseph, Atchison, Wyandot, and Kansas City. Telegraphic communication with the East was established in 1859.

LEBANON, a S. E. co. of Penn., bounded N. W. by Kittatinny or Blue mountain, and S. E. by South mountain, and drained by Swatara river and its branches; area, 288 sq. m.; pop. in 1850, 26,071. It consists almost wholly of a valley, and has mines of excellent iron ore in connection with rich veins of copper; slate, limestone, and marble also abound. The soil is very fertile. The productions in 1850 were 241,939 bushels of Indian corn, 274,095 of wheat, 372,542 of oats, 25,602 tons of hay, and 417,074 lbs. of butter. There were 36 grist mills, 13 saw mills, 15 tanneries, 5 newspaper offices, 52 churches, and 5,738 pupils attending public schools. The Union canal and the Lebanon valley branch of the Philadelphia and Reading railroad traverse the country. Capital, Lebanon.

LEBANON. I. A village of South Lebanon township, and the capital of Lebanon co., Penn., situated on Quitopahilla creek and on the Union canal, 24 m. E. from Harrisburg; pop. in 1852, about 3,000. The Lebanon valley branch of the Philadelphia and Reading railroad connects it with Reading and Harrisburg, and the North Lebanon railroad with Cornwall ore banks. It has an active trade, and stands in the midst of a rich iron mining district, having several large furnaces in operation in the immediate vicinity. The village is regularly and substantially built; the houses are mostly of brick or stone; and there are several schools, newspaper offices, warehouses, a bank, a library, and various manufacturing establishments, chiefly of iron, malt liquors, leather, earthenware, &c. II. The captal of Marion co., Ky., situated on Hardin's creek, at the terminus of the Lebanon branch of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, 5 m. from Rolling fork of Salt river, and 55 m. S. S. W. from Frankfort; pop. in 1859, about 1,200. It contains 6 churches, a female seminary, an academy for boys, a flour mill, and 3 hotels, and is the seat of St. Mary's Roman Catholic college, which in 1859 had 115 students. III. The capital of Wilson co., Tenn., situated on a branch of Cumberland river, 30 m. E. from Nashville; pop. in 1851, about 2,000. It contains several academies, churches, &c., has manufactories of cotton and woollen goods, and is the seat of Cumberland university, founded in 1844, and having, in 1859, 11 professors, 165 students, and a library of 4,000 volumes. This institution is under the care of the Cumberland Presbyterians; attached to it are a law school with 3 professors and 188 students, founded in 1847, and a theological department with 2 professors and 33 students, founded in 1855. IV. A village and the capital of Warren co., Ohio, on Turtle creek, a branch of the Little Miami river, 37 m. N. N. E. from Cincinnati; pop. in 1859, about 3,000. It is situated on the Little Miami railroad, and is the terminus of the Warren

with prose translations of Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata, Homer's Iliad, and other works. A letter advocating political and social reforms, published by him in 1789 under the title of La toir du citoyen, brought him into considerable notice, and he was elected a deputy to the states-general. As a member of the constituent assembly he opposed the issuing of assignats and the establishment of lotteries. He subsequently became president of the directory of Seine-et-Oise, was twice imprisoned during the reign of terror, entered the council of the ancients in 1795, and after the 18th Brumaire was appointed by Bonaparte 3d consul. He owed this elevation to his integrity of character, as well as to his abilities as a financier, which had been advantageously displayed while he was a legislator. Napoleon wished also to afford a proof of his moderation by selecting for so high an office a man of aristocratic connections and predilections. Lebrun rendered important services to the country in the adjust ment of its finances and the establishment of the court of accounts, and after the coronation of the emperor was created arch-treasurer and duke of Piacenza. He was also at different times governor-general of Genoa and of Holland. After the abdication of Napoleon he adhered to the Bourbons; but having accepted office under the emperor during the Hundred Days, he was subsequently excluded from the chamber of peers until 1819. His latter years were passed in retirement, during which he finished a translation of the Odyssey.

LEBRUN, PIERRE ANTOINE, a French poet, born in Paris, Nov. 29, 1785. At an early age he wrote a tragedy entitled Coriolan, and other poetical compositions, which secured for him the patronage of François de Neufchâteau, one of the ministers of the directory. On the battle of Austerlitz he wrote a poem, for which he received a pension of 1,200 francs from the government. After the fall of the empire, he celebrated the glories of Napoleon in a series of poems. In 1828 he succeeded his patron, Count Neufchâteau, as a member of the French academy. From 1831 to 1848 he officiated as director of the royal printing establishment. For some time he was under Louis Philippe a member of the chamber of peers, and since 1853 he has been a member of the imperial senate. The publication of his complete works was commenced in 1844. They include a number of dramas, of which his Marie Stuart is based upon Schiller's tragedy of that name.

LEBRUN, PONCE DENIS ÉCOUCHARD, a lyric poet, sometimes called the "French Pindar," born in Paris, Aug. 11, 1729, died there, Sept. 2, 1807. He was brought up in the family of the prince de Conti, and as early as his 12th year he began to write verses. By the advice of L. Racine he founded his style upon classic models, and his odes and epigrams soon brought him into notice. His early life was not fortunate, his wife, a beautiful woman, celebrated in many of his poems under the name of "Fanny," hav

ing procured a legal separation after a stormy union of 14 years, and his little property having been dissipated by the insolvency of the prince de Guémené. He avenged himself on his enemies by stinging epigrams and passionate lyrics. Upon the appointment of Calonne as comptroller-general of finance, he received a pension of 2,000 livres, and his muse was energetically employed in celebrating the virtues of the king. Upon the downfall of the monarchy he sang the praises of the republic with no less enthusiasm. He subsequently ingratiated himself with the first consul, and received a pension of 6,000 francs, on which he subsisted comfortably until the close of his life. His literary remains include 140 odes of all kinds, 600 epigrams, 4 books of elegies and 2 of poetical epistles, and a mass of miscellaneous pieces.

LECLERC, JOSEPH VICTOR, a French writer and philologist, born in Paris, Dec. 2, 1789. After distinguishing himself as a teacher in various schools, he became in 1824 professor of Latin eloquence and in 1832 dean of the faculty of letters of Paris, which position he still holds; he is also a member of the academy of inscriptions and belles-lettres, and ordinary councillor of the board of public instruction. He has edited the works of many old French writers, and commented on the Fabliaux and other literary remains of the middle ages. He has also translated or edited several classic authors. Among his principal works are: the Éloge de Montaigne (Paris, 1812); Les pensées de Platon, in Greek and French with a commentary (1818); Nouvelle rhétorique (1823); and Des journaux chez les Romains (1838). For many years past M. Leclerc has been the editor-in-chief of the great Histoire littéraire de la France, of which the 23d volume, bringing the history down to the 13th century, appeared in 1856.

LECOMPTON, a town of Kansas and capital of the territory, situated on the Kansas river, about midway between Topeka and Lawrence, and 60 m. W. from Westport, Mo. It is the seat of a U. S. land office, and $50,000 was appropriated by congress to erect the government buildings in it.

LE CONTE, JOHN, an American naturalist, born near Shrewsbury, N. J., Feb. 22, 1784. He entered the corps of U. S. engineers in 1813, and was early employed in various important surveys and fortifications. He always manifested a taste for the natural sciences, to which he has contributed many important papers in the departments of botany and zoology. His principal publications are: "Monographs of the North American Species of Utricularia, Gratiola, and Ruellia" (in the "Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History," vol. i.); "Observations of the North American Species of Viola" (ibid., vol. ii.); "Descriptions of the Species of North American Tortoises" (ibid., vol. iii.); "A Monography of North American Histeroides" (Boston "Journal of Natural History," vol. v.); "Descriptions of Three New Species of Arvicola, with Remarks upon other