Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/181

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GRATTAN his friends remonstrated, he replied that he would be happy to die in the discharge of his duty, and he did in fact sink under the exer- tion soon after his arrival. Grattan was be- low medium stature and exceedingly unpre- possessing in appearance. His oratory was impassioned, and he was often entirely over- come by his subject. His private character was without a blemish. His speeches were edited by his son Henry Grattan (4 vols., Lon- don, 1822), and a selection from them by D. O. Maddyn (Dublin, 1845). A volume of his miscellaneous works appeared in 1822, and his "Life and Times" by his son in 1839-'46 (5 vols., London). GRATTAN, Thomas Coltey, an Irish novelist, born in Dublin in 1796, died in London, July 4, 1864. He studied law, and procured a com- mission in the army, but renounced both pro- fessions on his marriage, and afterward resi- ded in France. At the age of 25 he published "Philibert," a metrical romance, which was a complete failure. He next became a contrib- utor to various magazines and reviews, and in 1823 published in two volumes the first se- ries of " Highways and Byways." A second series appeared in 1824, and a third in 1827, each in three volumes. Establishing himself in Brussels, he wrote a number of works, of which "Traits of Travel" (3 vols., 1829), "The Heiress of Bruges" (4 vols., 1830; new ed., 3 vols., 1834-'49), " History of the Nether- lands " (1830), " Jacqueline of Holland " (1842), and " Legends of the Rhine " (3 vols., 1849), are the best known. Having actively sup- ported the candidacy of King Leopold in the Belgian revolution of 1830, he was at the re- quest of that sovereign appointed in 1839 Brit- ish consul to Boston, which office he resigned in 1852, to accept one in the queen's household. His "Civilized America" (2 vols., London, 1859) is a spiteful record of his experiences in North America. His last work was "Beaten Paths" (2 vols., 1862). JRATTONI, SeYerino, an Italian engineer, born Voghera, Dec. 7, 1816. After extensive idies, he was from 1845 to 1851 director of an observatory under Plana, and formed the acquaintance of Cavour, who consulted him on public works, especially on the project of pierc- ing Mont Cenis. Grattoni, being elected to the chamber of deputies, supported Cavour's policy, and was soon called upon, together with Sommeiller and Grandis, to devote himself to the Mont Cenis tunnel scheme. While Som- meiller supplied the chief inventive power, and Grandis a sound judgment on theoretical ques- tions, Grattoni, by his skill, energy, and perse- verance, became the organizing genius of the work, which was completed in September, 1871. GRATZ, or Gratz, a town of Austria, capital of the province of Styria, on the Mur, 90 m. 3. S. W. of Vienna; pop. in 1870, 80,732. It consists of the town proper, which is on the left bank of the river, and is fortified, and of four suburbs connected with the town and GRAVEL 173 with each other by bridges. The chief public buildings are a magnificent Gothic cathedral erected by the emperor Frederick III. in 1456 ; St. Catharine's chapel, built as a mausoleum by Ferdinand II., whose remains repose here ; the Landhaus, where the diet of Styria holds its ses- sions ; the old palace of the Styrian dukes ; the university, founded in 1586, subsequently abol- ished, restored in 1827, and having in 1873-'4 70 professors and 975 students, with a library of about 70,000 volumes and 7,500 MSS. ; the Johanneum, an institution established in 1811 by Archduke John for the encouragement of the arts, sciences, and manufactures of Styria; and the refectory or convicte, the largest build- ing in Gratz, formerly belonging to the Jesuits, but now a collegiate school. It is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop, who bears the title of bishop of Seckau. There are 22 Catholic churches, a Protestant church, and 10 con- vents. The principal manufactures are cot- ton, woollen, silk, hardware, leather, and paper. GRAUBUNDEff, or Graubiindten. See GEISONS. GRAIDENZ, a fortified town of Prussia, in the province of West Prussia, on the Vistula, 60 m. S. of Dantzic; pop. in 1871, 15,559. It has a Protestant and five Roman Catholic churches, a convent, a gymnasium, a normal school, and two hospitals. There are manu- factories of cloth, tobacco, and carriages, sev- eral breweries and distilleries, a considerable trade in cloth and corn, some shipping, and four annual fairs. The fortress was built by Frederick the Great, and became famous in 1807 for its brave defence by Courbiere. GRAUN, Karl Heinrich, a German composer, born in Wahrenbruck, Saxony, in 1701, died in Berlin, Aug. 8, 1759. He studied music in Dresden, subsequently became tenor and com- poser to the opera house in Brunswick, and in 1740 was appointed by Frederick the Great his chapelmaster, a position which he occupied during the remainder of his life. He was the author of 30 operas, and an immense number of cantatas and miscellaneous pieces. His best works are the oratorio Der Tod Jesii, and his Te Deum. GRAVE CREEK. See MOUNDSVILLE. GRAVEL, small stones, commonly intermixed with sand, and sometimes with clayey or cal- careous earth. Such a mixture constitutes the principal portion of the drift formation ; and where this prevails, the surface of the coun- try is often covered to unknown depths with deposits of sand and gravel. It forms hills throughout New England, and nearly the whole of Long Island is covered with it. (See DILUVIUM.) It is of more recent formation wherever rocks, especially the granitic, are comminuted by joint action of atmospheric and fluviatile agents, and their materials are gathered in the bed and banks of swift running streams. On the beaches of seas and lakes, the gravel, piled up in beds of coarse pebbles and washed clean of sand and all earthy mat- ters, is called shingle.