LACE 388 LACONIA scent, their language Malaj'alam, ex- cept in Minikoi, which properly belongs to the Maldive group and retains its lan- guage. LACE, an ornamental fabric of threads so interwoven, twisted, braided, and knotted as to form definite patterns, of contrasted open and close structure. It is claimed that the art of embroidery was developed into needle lace early in the 15th century, by Greek refugees, who brought their art from the Ionian Is- lands to Venice. By the middle of the 17th century lace had become the most desired adornment; and at the time when Colbert introduced its manufacture into France, under royal patronage, in 1660, it was so highly prized that extravagant nobles mortgaged their chateaux to ob- tain decorations for their boot-tops and jabots for their necks. From then till the introduction of machine-made lace early in the 19th century, lace making remained one of the great industries of Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the S. of England. Technically, lace consists of two ele- ments: the pattern, flower, or gimp, which forms the closer-worked and more solid portion of the fabric; and the ground or filling, which serves to hold the pattern together and in its proper place. Real or hand-made lace is of two dis- tinct varieties: point or needle lace, which is made with a needle and is, in fact, the direct development of embroid- ery (being the lace of Italy, Spain and their followers) ; and pillow lace, which is made by the braiding, plaiting, and knotting of threads whose foundations are pins stuck in a cushion or pillow held on the maker's lap (this is the lace of Flanders and the Netherlands). To these two schools of real laces, in which the finest linen threads are the material, have been added machine lace, which imi- tates with marvelous closeness the more noticeable characteristics of the precious handmade treasures, but utilizes cotton and silk and even metal threads, produc- ing such quantities of beautiful web at such moderate cost as to have practically killed the real lace industry. LACE BARK, the inner bark of La- getta lintearia, one of the Daphnads. The English name is given because the bark, when macerated and stretched lat- erally, resembles coarse lace, and in Ja- maica, where the tree grows, is made into caps, ruffles, etc. The negroes make durable clothing from it, and the white inhabitants utilize it for ropes and ca- bles. Also the name given in New Zea- land to the genus Philippodendron. LACED^MON. See Sparta. LACERTA (la-sur-ta) ("The Liz- ard") , one of the eight constellations added to the original ones by Hevelius in his "Introduction to Astronomy" in 1690, or rather one of the eight which have survived, for he added 10 in all. It is not a conspicuous one, the brightest star being of the fourth magnitude. LACHES (lash'ez), in English law, a word used to denote negligence or undue delay, such as to disentitle a party to a particular remedy or to relief. LACHESIS (lak'e-sis), in classical mythology, one of the three Fates (q. v.). Also the name of Planetoid 120. In zoology, (1) A genus of Crotalidae. Rattlesnakes or pit vipers. Lachesis mutus, the bushmaster of Surinam, Guiana, and Brazil, has the rudiments of a rattle. (2) A doubtful sub-genus of mollusks, genus Pleurotoma. LACHLAN (lak'lan), a river of East- ern Australia, rising in New South Wales, to the W. of the Blue Mountains ; total length about 700 miles. It is joined by the Murrumbidgee, the united stream afterward falling into the Mur- ray. LACKAWANNA, a river which runs through the N. E. part of Pennsylvania and flows into the Susquehanna at Pitts- ton; length about 50 miles. Great quan- tities of the best anthracite coal are mined in the valleys adjacent to this river. LACKAWANNA, a city of New York, in Erie co. It is on the Pennsylvania, the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, the Lehigh Valley, and other railroads. Its industries include the manufacture of steel, bridge works, blast furnaces, and coking plants. It has St. John's Protectory, an orphan asylum, and a hos- J)ital. Pop. (1910) 14,549; (1920) 17,- 918. LACONIA (-ko'ni-a), a former name for a tract of country granted by royal patent to Ferdinand Gorges and John Mason. It was bounded by the Merri- mac and Kennebec rivers, the ocean, and the so-called River of Canada. The present State of New Hampshire formed a considerable portion of Laconia. The colony was of short duration. LACONIA, a city of New Hampshire, the county seat of Belknap co. It is situated on both banks of the Winnepe- saukee river, and on the Boston and Maine Railroad. It is an attractive sum- mer place and has also important in-
