OpenLLM-France/wikimedia huggingface dataset:
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Inisfail

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​INISFAIL, a poetical name for Ireland. It is derived from Faul or Lia-fail, the celebrated stone, identified in Irish legend with the stone on which the patriarch Jacob slept when he dreamed of the heavenly ladder. The Lia-fail was supposed to have been brought to Ireland by the Dedannans and set up at Tara as the “inauguration stone” of the Irish kings; it was subsequently removed to Scone where it became the coronation stone of the Scottish kings, until it was taken by James VI. of Scotland to Westminster and placed under the coronation chair in the Abbey, where it has since remained. Inisfail was thus the island of the Fail, the island whose monarchs were crowned at Tara on the sacred inauguration stone.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Initiation

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​INITIATION (Lat. initium, beginning, entrance, from inire, to go in), the process of formally entering, and especially the rite of admission into, some office, or religious or secret society, &c. Among nearly all primitive races initiatory rites of a bloody character were and are common. The savage pays homage to strength, and the purpose of his initiatory rites is to test physical vigour, self-control and the power of enduring pain. Initiation is sometimes religious, sometimes social, but in primitive society it has always the same character. Thus, in Whydah (West Africa) the young girls consecrated to the worship of the serpent, “the brides of the Serpent,” had figures of flowers and animals burnt into their skins with hot irons; while in the neighbouring Yorubaland the power of enduring a sound thrashing is the qualification for the throne. In no country was the practice of initiatory rites more general than in the Americas. The Colombian Indians compelled their would-be chief to submit to terrible tests. He had first to bear severe beatings without a murmur. Then, placed in a hammock with his hands tied, ​venomous ants were placed on his naked body. Finally a fire was lit beneath him. All this he had to bear without flinching. In ancient Mexico there were several orders of chivalry, entry into which was only permitted after brutal initiation. The nose of the candidate was pierced with an eagle’s talon or a pointed bone, and he was expected to dig knives into his body. In Peru the young Inca princes had to fast and live for weeks without sleep. Among the North American Indians initiatory rites were universal. The Mandans held a feast at which the young “braves” supported the weight of their bodies on pieces of wood skewered through the muscles of shoulders, breasts and arms. With the Sioux, to become a medicine-man, it was necessary to submit to the ordeal known as “looking at the sun.” The sufferer, nearly naked, was bound on the earth by cords passed through holes made in the pectoral muscles. With bow and arrow in hand, he lay in this position all day gazing at the sun. Around him his friends gathered to applaud his courage.
Religious brotherhoods of antiquity, too, were to be entered only after long and complicated initiation. But here the character of the ordeal is rather moral than physical. Such were the rites of admission to the Mysteries of Isis and Eleusis. Secret societies of all ages have been characterized by more or less elaborate initiation. That of the Femgerichte, the famous medieval German secret tribunal, took place at night in a cave, the neophyte kneeling and making oath of blind obedience. Imitations of such tests are perpetuated to-day in freemasonry; while the Mafia, the Camorra, the Clan-na-Gael, the Molly Maguires, the Ku-Klux Klan, are among more recent secret associations which have maintained the old idea of initiation.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Horning, Letters of

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​HORNING, LETTERS OF, a term in Scots law. Originally in Scotland imprisonment for debt was enforceable only in certain cases, but a custom gradually grew up of taking the debtor’s oath to pay. If the debtor broke his oath, he became liable to the discipline of the Church. The civil power, further, stepped in to aid the ecclesiastical, and denounced him as a rebel, imprisoning his person and confiscating his goods. The method declaring a person a rebel was by giving three blasts on a horn and publicly proclaiming the fact; hence the expression, “put to the horn.” The subsequent process, the warrant directing a messenger-at-arms to charge the debtor to pay or perform in terms of the letters, was called “letters of horning.” This system of execution was simplified by an act of 1837 (Personal Diligence Act), and execution is now usually by diligence (see Execution).
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Hornsey

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​HORNSEY, a municipal borough in the Hornsey parliamentary division of Middlesex, England, suburban to London, 6 m. N. of St Paul’s Cathedral, on the Great Northern railway. Pop. (1891) 44,523; (1901) 72,056. It is chiefly occupied by small residences of the working classes. The manor, called in the 13th century Haringee (a name which survives as Harringay), belonged from an early date to the see of London, the bishops having a seat here. In 1387 the duke of Gloucester, uncle of Richard II., assembled in Hornsey Park the forces by the display of which he compelled the king to dismiss his minister de la Pole, earl of Suffolk; and in 1483 the park was the scene of the ceremonious reception of Edward V., under the charge of Richard, duke of Gloucester, by Edmund Shaw, lord mayor of London. The parish church of St Mary, Hornsey, retains its Perpendicular tower (c. 1500) and a number of interesting monuments. Finsbury Park, of 120 acres, and other smaller public grounds, are within the borough. Hornsey was incorporated in 1903 under a mayor, 10 aldermen and 30 councillors. Area, 2875 acres.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Horrocks, John

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​HORROCKS, JOHN (1768–1804), British cotton manufacturer, was born at Edgeworth, near Bolton, in 1768. His father was the owner of a small quarry, and John Horrocks spent his early days in dressing and polishing millstones. The Lancashire cotton industry was then in its infancy, but Horrocks was greatly impressed with its future possibilities, and he managed to obtain a few spinning-frames which he erected in a corner of his father’s offices. For a time he combined cotton-spinning on a very small scale with stone-working, but finally devoted himself entirely to cotton-spinning, working the frames with his own hands, and travelling through the Lancashire manufacturing districts to sell the yarn. His goods obtained a reputation for quality, and his customers increased so rapidly that in 1791 he removed to Preston, where he began to manufacture cotton shirtings and long-cloths in addition to spinning the cotton yarn. By taking full advantage of the machinery invented for manufacturing textiles, and by rigidly maintaining the quality of his goods, Horrocks rapidly developed his business, and with the aid of the capital of a local banker, whom he took into partnership, erected within a year of his arrival in Preston his first large mill, securing shortly afterwards from the East India Company a monopoly of the manufacture of cottons and muslins for the Indian market. The demand for Horrocks’s goods continued to increase, and to cope with the additional work he took first an elder brother and in 1801 a Mr Whitehead and a Mr Miller into partnership, the title of the firm being altered to Horrockses, Miller & Co. In 1802 he entered parliament as tory member for Preston. He died in London in 1804 of brain-fever resulting from over-work.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Horreum

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​HORREUM, the Latin word for a magazine or storehouse for the storage of grain and other produce of the earth, and occasionally for that of agricultural implements. The storehouses of Rome were of the most extensive character, there being no fewer than 290 public horrea at the time of Constantine. They were used for the storage of food and merchandize of all kinds, being part of the great Roman system of providing food for the population, and they were supplied constantly with corn and other provisions from Africa, Spain and elsewhere.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Hornpipe

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​HORNPIPE, originally the name of an instrument no longer in existence, and now the name of an English national dance. The sailors’ hornpipe, although the most common, is by no means the only form of the dance, for there is a pretty tune known as the “College Hornpipe,” and other specimens of a similar kind might be cited. The composition of hornpipes flourished chiefly in the 18th century, and even Handel did not disdain to use the characteristic rhythm. The hornpipe may be written in 3/2 or in common time, and is always of a lively nature.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Horowitz, Isaiah

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​HOROWITZ, ISAIAH (c. 1555–c. 1630), Jewish rabbi and mystic, was born at Prague, and died at Safed, then the home of Jewish Kabbala. His largest work is called Shelah (abbreviated from the initials of the full title Shene luhoth ha-berit, “Two Tables of the Covenant”). This is a compilation of ritual, ethics and mysticism, and had a profound influence on Jewish life. It has been often reprinted, especially in an abbreviated form.
For an account of the Jewish mystics at Safed see S. Schecter, Studies in Judaism, series ii. (1908).
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Horse-mackerel

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​HORSE-MACKEREL, the name applied to a genus of fishes (Caranx) found in abundance in almost all temperate and especially in tropical seas. The designation “cavalli,” given to them by the early Portuguese navigators, and often met with ​in the accounts of the adventures of the buccaneers, is still in frequent use among the sailors of all nations. Some ninety different kinds are known—the majority being wholesome food, and some of the species attaining a length of 3 ft. and more. The fish to which the name horse-mackerel is applied in Great Britain is Caranx trachurus, distinguished by having the lateral line in its whole length armed with large but narrow bony plates. Horse-mackerel are found singly on the coast all the year round, but sometimes they congregate in shoals of many thousands. Although well-flavoured, they are much more frequently used for bait than for food. This species has a most extraordinary range, being found almost everywhere within the temperate and tropical zones of the northern and southern hemispheres.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Narvik

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​NARVIK or Victoriahavn, a seaport on the Ofoten Fjord of the north-West coast of Norway, in Nordland amt (county), 68° 30′ N. It is wholly modern, developed by the construction and completion (1903) of the Ofoten railway, the most northerly in the world. There are extensive quays, from which is shipped the iron ore from the rich districts traversed by the line. Narvik is 167 m. N.W. of Gellivara, and 982 N. by W. of Stockholm by the railway. In summer express trains cover the whole distance in two days. Narvik is a convenient point from which to visit the beautiful Lofoten Islands.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Narwhal

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​ NARWHAL, the Scandinavian name of a cetacean (Monodon monoceros), characterized by the presence in the male of a long horn-like tusk. In the adult of both sexes there are only two teeth, both in the upper jaw, which lie horizontally side by side, and in the female remain throughout life concealed in cavities of the bone. In the male the right tooth usually remains similarly concealed, but the left is immensely developed, attaining a length equal to more than half that of the entire animal. In a narwhal 12 ft. long, from snout to end of tail, the exserted portion of the tusk may measure 6 or 7 and occasionally 8 ft. in length. It projects horizontally forwards from the head in the form of a cylindrical or slightly tapering, pointed tusk, composed of ivory, with a central cavity reaching almost to the apex, without enamel, and with the surface marked by spiral grooves and ridges, running in a sinistral direction. Occasionally both left and right tusks are developed, in which case the direction of the grooves is the same in both. No instance has yet been met with of the complete development of the right tusk associated with a rudimentary development of the left. In young animals several small additional teeth are present, but these usually disappear soon after birth.
The head is rather short and rounded; the fore limbs or paddles are small and broad compared with those of most dolphins; and (as in the beluga) a dorsal fin, found in nearly all other members of the group, is wanting. The general colour of the surface is dark grey above and white below, variously marbled and spotted with shades of grey.
The narwhal is an Arctic whale, frequenting the icy circum-polar seas, are rarely seen south of 65º N. lat. Four instances have, however, been recorded on its occurrence on the British coasts, one on the coast of Norfolk in 1588, one in the Firth of Forth in 1648, one near Boston in Lincolnshire in 1800, while a fourth entangled itself among rocks in the Sound of Weesdale, Shetland, in September 1808. Like most cetaceans it is gregarious and usually met with in “schools” or herds of fifteen or twenty individuals. Its food appears to be cuttlefishes, small fishes and crustaceans. The purpose served by the tusk—or “horn”—is not known; and little is known of the habits of narwhals. Scoresby describes them as “extremely playful, frequently elevating their horns and crossing them with each other as in fencing.” They have never been known to charge and pierce the bottoms of ships with their weapons, as the swordfish does. The name “sea-unicorn” is sometimes applied to the narwhal. The ivory of which the tusk is composed is of very good quality, but owing to the central cavity, only fitted for the manufacture of objects of small size. The entire tusks are sometimes used for decorative purposes, are of considerable, though fluctuating value. (See Cetacea.)(W. H. F.)
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Nashua

* related portals: New Hampshire.
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See also Nashua, New Hampshire on Wikipedia; the 9th edition; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.
​NASHUA, a city and one of the county seats of Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, U.S.A., at the confluence of the Nashua and Merrimac rivers, 35 m. S.S.E. of Concord and 40 m. N.W. of Boston by rail. Pop. (1890) 19,311; (1900) 23,898, of whom 8093 were foreign-born; (1910 census) 26,005. Nashua is served by the Boston & Maine railroad, whose several divisions centring here give the city commercial importance, and by electric lines to Hudson, Litchfield, Pelham, Dracut and Tyngsboro. The area of the city in 1906 was 30·71 sq. m. To the N., W. and S.W. of the city there are beautiful hills and mountains. The church of Saint Francis Xavier and the First Congregational church are architecturally noteworthy. The city has a soldiers’ monument, a public library, a court house and two hospitals. There is a United States fish hatchery here, and until after the close of the 18th century fishing was the principal industry of the place, as manufacturing is now. Water-power is furnished by the Nashua river and by Salmon Brook, and the city is extensively engaged in manufactures, notably cotton goods, boots, shoes, and foundry and machine-shop products. The value of the city’s factory products increased from $10,096,064 in 1900 to $12,858,382 in 1905, or 27·4%, and in 1905 Nashua ranked second among the manufacturing cities of the state. Nashua is one of the oldest interior settlements of the state. The first settlement here was established about 1665; and in 1673 the township of Dunstable was incorporated by the General Court of Massachusetts. In 1741, when the boundary between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was settled, the jurisdiction of this portion of Dunstable was transferred to New Hampshire; five years later it was incorporated under the laws of that state; and in 1803 the settlement, originally known as Indian Head, was incorporated as a village under the name of Nashua, and in 1836 the township of Dunstable also received the name Nashua. The town of Nashville was set apart from the town of Nashua in 1842, but the two towns were united under a city charter obtained in 1853. In 1795 the first stage coach was run through here from Boston to Amherst, and at about the same time a canal was built around Pawtucket Falls on the Merrimac at Lowell. In 1822 a manufacturing company was formed, which at once began to develop the water-power and in 1825 erected the first cotton mill. Thirteen years later the Nashua & Lowell railroad (now leased to the Boston & Maine) first reached Nashua.
See The History of the City of Nashua, edited by E. E. Parker (Nashua, 1897).
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Narvaez, Pánfilo de

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​NARVAEZ, PANFILO DE (c. 1480–1528), Spanish adventurer, was an hidalgo of Castile, born at Valladolid about 1480. He was one of the subordinates of Velazquez in the reduction of Cuba, and, after having held various posts under his governorship, was put at the head of the force sent to the Aztec coast to compel Cortes to renounce his command; he was surprised and defeated, however, by his abler and more active compatriot at Cempoalla, and made prisoner with the loss of an eye (1520). After his return to Spain he obtained from Charles V. a grant of Florida as far as the River of Palms; sailing in 1527 with five ships and a force of about 600 men, he landed, probably near Pensacola Bay, in April 1528, and, striking inland with some 300 of his followers, reached “Apalache” on June 25. The prospects of fabulous wealth which had sustained them in their difficult and perilous journey having proved illusory a return to the coast was determined, and the Bahia de los Caballos, at or near St Mark’s, was reached in the following month. Having built rude boats, the much-reduced company sailed hence for Mexico on September 22, but the vessel which carried Narvaez was driven to sea in a storm and perished. His lieutenant, Cabeza de Vaca, with three others who ultimately reached land, made his way across Texas to the Gulf of California. (See Florida.)
See Prescott, Conquest of Mexico; H. H. Bancroft, Mexico (1882–1890); and the Naufragio of Alvaro Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca in the Biblioteca of Rivadeneyra, xxii.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Narvaez, Ramon Maria

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​NARVAEZ, RAMON MARIA (1800–1868), Spanish soldier and statesman, was born at Loja, Granada, on the 4th of August 1800, entered the army at an early age, and saw active service under Mina in Catalonia in 1822. He was in his sympathies a Conservative, and could not go all lengths with the Radical opposition to Ferdinand VII., whom he served after his restoration. When the king died, Narvaez became one of the Conservative supporters of Isabel II. He achieved great popularity by his victory over Gomez, the Carlist general, near Arcos, in November 1836, and after clearing La Mancha of brigands by a vigorous policy of suppression in 1838 he was appointed captain-general of Old Castile, and commander-in-chief of the army of reserve. In 1840, for the part he had taken at Seville in the insurrection against Espartero and the Progresista party, he was compelled to take refuge in France, where, in conjunction with Maria Cristina, he planned the expedition of 1843 which led to the overthrow of his adversary. In 1844 he became prime minister, and was created field-marshal and duke of Valencia, but his policy was too reactionary to be tolerated long, and he was compelled to quit office in February 1846. He now held the post of ambassador at Paris, until again called to preside over the council of ministers in 1847; but misunderstandings with Maria Cristina led to his resignation in the following year. His ministry succeeded that of O’Donnell for a short time in 1856–1857, and he again returned to power for a few months in 1864–1865. He once more replaced O’Donnell in July 1866, and was still in office when he died at Madrid on the 23rd of April 1868.
Some very curious notices of Narvaez may be found in the letters of Prosper Merimée to Panizzi (1881). For his general political career see Hermann Baumgarten, Geschichte Spaniens v. Ausbruch d. französ. Revol. bis auf unsere Tage (1865–1871); and the Historia Contemporanea of Antonio Pirala (1871–1879).
# Lady Susan/Letter I

Lady Susan Vernon to Mr. Vernon
Langford, Dec.
MY DEAR BROTHER,—I can no longer refuse myself the pleasure of profiting by your kind invitation when we last parted of spending some weeks with you at Churchhill, and, therefore, if quite convenient to you and Mrs. Vernon to receive me at present, I shall hope within a few days to be introduced to a sister whom I have so long desired to be acquainted with. My kind friends here are most affectionately urgent with me to prolong my stay, but their hospitable and cheerful dispositions lead them too much into society for my present situation and state of mind; and I impatiently look forward to the hour when I shall be admitted into Your delightful retirement.
I long to be made known to your dear little children, in whose hearts I shall be very eager to secure an interest. I shall soon have need for all my fortitude, as I am on the point of separation from my own daughter. The long illness of her dear father prevented my paying her that attention which duty and affection equally dictated, and I have too much reason to fear that the governess to whose care I consigned her was unequal to the charge. I have therefore resolved on placing her at one of the best private schools in town, where I shall have an opportunity of leaving her myself in my way to you. I am determined, you see, not to be denied admittance at Churchhill. It would indeed give me most painful sensations to know that it were not in your power to receive me.
Your most obliged and affectionate sister,
S. Vernon.