Named Entity Results, Switzerland (Switzerland)

Haldimand, Sir Frederick 1728-1791 Military officer; born in Neuchatel, Switzerland, in October, 1728; served for some time in the Prussian army, and, in 1754, entered the British military service. He came to America in 1757, and as lieutenant-colonel distinguished himself at Ticonderoga (1758) and Oswego (1759). He accompanied Amherst to Montreal in 1760. In 1767 he was employed in Florida, and became major-general in 1772. Returning to England in 1775 to give the ministry information respecting the colonies, he was commissioned a major-general (Jan. 1, 1776), and in 1777 a lieutenant-general and lieutenant-governor of Quebec, where he succeeded Carleton as governor in 1778. He ruled in an arbitrary manner until 1784, when he returned to England. He died in Yverdun, Switzerland, June 5, 1791.

Hassler, Ferdinand Rudolph 1770- Scientist; born at Aernen, Switzerland, Oct. 6, 1770; was engaged in a trigonometrical survey of his native country, and was induced to come to America about 1807 by Albert Gallatin, then Secretary of the Navy. He was employed as Professor of Mathematics at West Point from 1807 to 1810, and in 1811 was sent by the government to Europe as scientific ambassador to London and Paris, to procure necessary implements and standards of measure for use in the projected coast survey (see coast and Geodetic survey, United States). He began that survey in July, 1816, and left it in April, 1818, but resumed it in 1832, and continued its superintendent until his death, in Philadelphia, Nov. 20, 1843, when he was succeeded by Prof. Alexander D. Bache (q. v.). Professor Hassler made valuable contributions to the American Philosophical transactions on the subject of the coast survey, and in 1832 a report to the United States Senate on weights and measures. His

Initiative and referendum A political system which originated in Switzerland, designed to test the feeling of the people concerning proposed legislation. In the several cantons of the Swiss Confederation the councils merely formulate the laws, while the people pass them. Similar to the law of all other nations that of Switzerland concedes the people a certain right of initiative in the way of petition; but in many of the cantons this right goes much further and an additional or imperatiSwitzerland concedes the people a certain right of initiative in the way of petition; but in many of the cantons this right goes much further and an additional or imperative initiative is allowed. Any petition containing a certain number of signatures (generally from 5,000 to 6,000), demanding action upon any matter whatever, must be given attention by the council, which, after passing upon it, must submit it to the popular vote. This course must be taken even if a proposed measure is unfavorable to the council. Again, in a number of the cantons, the people have the right of veto power. In about a month's time after any measure has been adopted by the canton

James, Henry 1843- Author; born in New York City, April 15, 1843; was educated in France, Switzerland, and in the Harvard Law School. His literary career opened in 1866. A year or two later he began writing serial stories, but produced no extended novel till 1875. He has since been a prolific writer, not only of novels but also of contributions to the periodical press on engrossing questions of the day. Since 1869 he has lived chiefly in England. His publications include Trans-Atlantic sketches (1875); A passionate Pilgrim; The American; The Europeans; An international episode; The siege of London; The Bostonians; Poor Richard; Watch and Ward; Life of Hawthorne; A little Tour in France; A London life; The tragic Muse; The lesson of the master; Embarrassments; Tales of three cities; Essays in London and elsewhere; The wheel of time; What Maisie knew, etc.

Jarves, James Jackson 1820-1888 Author; born in Boston, Mass., Aug. 20, 1820; established the first newspaper printed in the Hawaiian Islands, in 1840. In 1850 he was appointed by King Kamehameha III. commissioner to the United States, Great Britain, and France, for the purpose of negotiating treaties, and in 1879 United States vice-consul in Florence, Italy. Among his works are History of Hawaii; Parisian sights and French principles seen through American spectacles; Italian sights, etc. He died in Terasp, Switzerland, June 28, 1888.

ession of the Emperor Paul, who set him at liberty, and offered Kosciuszko his own sword. It was refused, the Polish patriot saying, I have no need of a sword, since I have no country to defend. In 1797 he visited the United States, where he was warmly welcoined, and received, in addition to a pension, a grant of land by Congress. He resided near Fontainebleau, in France; and when Bonaparte became Emperor, in 1806, he tried to enlist Kosciuszko in his schemes in relation to Poland. Kosciuszko refused to lend his services, except on condition of a guarantee of Polish freedom. He went to live in Solothurn. Switzerland, in 1816, where he was killed by a fall from his horse over a precipice, Oct. 15, 1817. The remains of this true nobleman of Poland lie beside those of Sobieski and Poniatowski in the cathedral church at Cracow. An elegant monument of white marble was erected to his memory at West Point by the cadet corps of 1828, at a cost of $5,000. Kossuth, Lajos (Louis)

Marcou, Jules 1824-1898 Geologist; born in Salins, Jura, France, April 20, 1824; was educated in Paris, and while travelling in Switzerland became interested in scientific investigation. In 1846 he was appointed an assistant in the department of mineralogy in the Sorbonne, and in 1847 travelling geologist for the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris. It was under this last appointment that he came to the United States, and with Prof. Louis Agassiz visited the region around Lake Superior in 1848. During the following year he studied the geology of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and the Canadian provinces. He returned to Europe in 1850, but was soon again in the United States, and in 1853 entered the service of the government. He was the first geologist to cross the American continent, and during his trip he made a section map of the thirty-fifth parallel from the Mississippi to the Pacific coast. In 1861-64 he had charge of the division of paleontology in the Museum of Compar

rk to Barcelona. It was made the unit of length and the base of the system by law, April 7, 1795. A prototype metre was constructed in platinum by an international commission, representing the governments of France, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Savoy, and the Roman, Cisalpine, and Ligurian republics, in 1799. The unit of weight is the gramme, the weight of a cubic centimetre of water at 4° centigrade (the temperature of greatest density). The unit of measure of surface is horized by act of Congress, and table of equivalents approvedJuly 28, 1866 Convention establishing an international bureau of weights and measures signed at Paris by representatives of Austria, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, United States, Argentine Republic, Brazil, and PeruMay 20, 1875 International congress on weights and measures meets at ParisSept. 4, 1878 Metric system. Unit of the measure of length. Metre = 39.37 inches.