GINGKO in size and covers the base of the ripe fruit, which is a globular or ovate nut. In its native countries the ginkgo attains a large size ; Bunge mentions one 40 ft. in circumference and still vigorous ; a specimen in the botanic garden at Pisa is 75 ft. high. It is supposed that it w.as introduced into Europe from Japan by the Dutch ; it was first planted in this country in 1784 by Mr. Alexander Hamilton, who lived near Philadelphia ; the trees are still standing, though the grounds have been converted into a rural cemetery; there are also some fine specimens in Boston. The wood is of a yel- lowish color without any resinous qualities, and useful as lumber, though the Chinese cultivate the tree mainly for its nuts, which are edible but insipid ; medicinal virtues are attributed to them, and they are considered essential, roasted or boiled, at entertainments. Though the tree was for many years regarded as a great rarity in the United States, it is now not un- common in cultivation, and is used in the orna- mentation of lawns and pleasure grounds ; it Gingko (Salisburia adiantifolia). should be planted where the peculiarity of its foliage can be readily observed. By frequently heading back the branches, it can, if desired, be kept in the form of a large bush. As it is perfectly hardy at Boston, it will probably en- dure the climate in most parts of the country. It is raised from seeds, cuttings, and layers; it has not fruited to any great extent in this country, but has dene so abundantly, in Europe, and the seeds are imported by seed dealers. Cuttings of the old wood or of the partly ri- pened new wood take root readily, as do layers. Trees grown from cuttings and layers are not likely to be so well shaped as those obtained from seed. Gingko is one of the Chinese names for the tree, and was adopted by Linnaeus as the generic name ; he described it in 1771 as ginglco liloba, but Sir James Edward Smith, considering the name " uncouth and barba- 359 VOL. vii. 52 815 rous," in 1796 altered it to Salisburia, in honor of R. A. Salisbury, an English botanist ; the specific name recognizes the resemblance of the leaves to the fronds of adiantum, the maid- en-hair fern. Although this change of name was against the rules of scientific nomenclature, and strongly protested against at the time, later botanists have generally adopted it. GINGRAS, a N. E. co. of Dakota territory, recently formed, and not included in the cen- sus of 1870; area, about 1,450 sq. m. Dakota or James river rises here, and Cheyenne river flows through the N. part. GINGUENE, Pierre Louis, a French historian, born in Rennes, April 25, 1748, died in Paris, Nov. 16, 1816. He went to Paris in 1772, being then acquainted with classical, French, Italian, and English literature, and music. He had written before leaving Rennes a poem en- titled La confession de Zulme. He showed it to many of his friends, copies were taken, and in 1777 it was published without his con- sent and disfigured by innumerable errors. Several persons claimed the authorship, and he finally published it correctly under his own name in 1779. He afterward published sev- eral other poems. In 1776 the celebrated com- poser Piccini arrived in Paris, and soon after a violent quarrel broke out between his ad- mirers and those of Gluck, hi which Gingue- n6 was the most effective supporter of Pic- cini's cause. About 1780 he obtained a clerk- ship in the office of the minister of finance. The moderation of his views brought upon him the hostility of the revolutionists, and in 1793 he was thrown into prison, and only re- leased on the overthrow of Robespierre. He was soon after appointed a member of the executive commission of public instruction, and was director general of that branch of the ad- ministration from 1795 to 1797. In 1794, in company with Chamfort, he commenced the Decade pMlosopJiique litteraire et politique. After the abolition of the republican calendar the title was changed to Revue, and he con- tinued to write for it till 1807, when it was merged in the Mercure de France. In 1798 he went to Turin as minister plenipotentiary, but remained only seven months. In 1799 he was chosen a member of the tribunate. His course there, especially his opposition to special tri- bunals, excited the anger of Bonaparte, and he was removed from the office in 1802. In 1802-'8 and 1805-'6 he delivered lectures on Italian literature at the athenaeum of Paris, which attracted crowded audiences, including a large number of the most distinguished lit- erary men of France. He was a member of the commission established to continue the Eistoire litteraire de la France, of which 12 volumes had been completed by the Benedic- tines; to the succeeding volumes he contrib- uted many articles, mostly on the lives and pro- ductions of the troubadours. ^ He also wrote much for the Biographie universelle and the Moniteur. But his great work is the His-
