Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/795

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HOMBURG HOME 777 Gothic building over the spring, the upper part of which is now used as a school house. In the vicinity are collieries, and valuable mines of lead, copper, and zinc. The chief manu- factures are copper wire, bolts, nails, sheath- ing, white and red lead, shot, flour, and flan- nels. Limestone is largely exported. HOMBURG (Ger. also Hamburg vor der ffohe, at the height), a town of Prussia, capital of the circle of Upper Taunus in the province of Hesse-Nassau, 9 m. N. N. W. of Frankfort; pop. in 1871, 8,626. It derives its name from being situated on and near the heights of the mountain ridge of Taunus. The principal buildings are a castle, built in 1680 and reno- vated in 1835, a library, a picture gallery, and a Protestant church. The town is a cele- brated watering place, but owes much of its reputation to the former existence of an au- thorized gambling house. The government of the landgraviate concluded in 1840 a contract with the brothers Louis and Francois Blanc of Paris, permitting them to keep open bank, in return for building a Kursaal at a cost of $100,- 000, and a high annual rent. At the expira- tion of the contract in 1870 the Prussian gov- ernment refused to renew it and prohibited the further existence of gambling houses. There are four ferruginous and two saline springs, which contain more carbonic acid than any other mineral water known. (See HESSE- HOMBURG.) HOME, Daniel Dnnglas, an English spiritualist, born near Edinburgh, March 20, 1833. He was adopted by an aunt, with whom he came to America when nine years of age. It is said that spiritual manifestations attended him from his infancy, but the earliest of his own recollection was a remarkable vision in his 14th year of a deceased playmate. When 17 years old he became publicly known as a medium, though against the wishes of his fam- ily. He resided at different times in Troy and Newburgh, N. Y., in Lebanon, Conn., and in Springfield, Mass., in the last place many re- markable manifestations taking place. These manifestations have continued with intermis- sions to attend Mr. Home to the present time. Besides the ordinary phenomena of rapping, table-tipping, writing, and playing upon mu- sical instruments, they include in his case, it is affirmed, visions seen by the medium, ap- pearances of hands, arms, and spirit forms, seen by other persons, " levitation," or the preter- natural uplifting of the medium, elongation and shortening of his body by several inches, and his handling of fire and heated objects without hurt. The occasional intermission of his pow- er is without any known cause, and its oc- currence has been generally beneficial to his physical health. He claims to have performed some remarkable cures, and to have been him- self protected from sudden danger. The mani- festations have been witnessed by many persons, and contradictory accounts of them have been published by different and reputable witnesses. In 1853 he went to New York to study medi- cine, but abandoned the intention. In 1855 he went to England, and has since made Lon- don his principal residence. He visited many parts of Europe, and was presented to the emperors of France and Russia, and to the pope. In 1856, while in Rome, he united with the Roman Catholic church. He subsequently met in Rome a Russian lady of noble birth, whom he married in St. Petersburg in 1858. She died in southern France, where they were staying for her health, in 1862, leaving him a son born in 1859. Memorial sketches of her were written by Mary Howitt and Mrs. S. C. Hall. In 1864 he was expelled for spiritualist practices from the city of Rome by the papal authorities. In 1866 he became secretary of the spiritual athenasum, a society in London for the extension of spiritualism. In the same year he became acquainted with Mrs. Jane Lyon, who conveyed to him by gift and be- quest large sums of money, including the bulk of her property. Subsequently she sued for its recovery, and it was restored to her by law. In 1871 Mr. Home again married a Russian lady of rank. He has published an autobio- graphical work on spiritual manifestations, en- titled "Incidents of my Life" (London, 1862, and republished in New York and Paris), and a second volume with the same title (London and New York, *1872). A third volume is an- nounced. HOME, Sir Everard, a Scottish surgeon, born at Greenlaw castle, Berwickshire, May 6, 1756, died Aug. 31, 1832. He studied medicine with his brother-law, the celebrated John Hunter, and practised in London for more than 40 years. In 1813 he was created a baronet and appointed sergeant surgeon to the court, in which office he was continued by William IV. He was also professor of surgery and anatomy, and for many years president of the royal col- lege of surgeons. His " Lectures on Compara- tive Anatomy" (6vols. 4to, London, 1814-'28) is his most important work. He is indebted for his reputation as an author to the folio vol- umes of minutes of dissections left by John Hunter, which he took from the Hunterian museum under the pretence of preparing a catalogue of the museum, and burned. HOME, Henry, Lord Kames. See KAMES. HOME, or Hume, John, a Scottish author, born at Ancrum about 1722, died in Edin- burgh, Sept. 5, 1808. He was educated at the university of Edinburgh, and .after a course of theological studies was licensed to preach in April, 1745. Upon the outbreak of the re- bellion in 1745 he took up arms on the Han- overian side. He was taken prisoner at Falkirk in 1746 ; but having effected his escape, he re- sumed his professional studies, and in the lat- ter part of the year was presented to the parish of Athelstaneford. He gave much time to historical reading and dramatic composition, and in 1749 went to London with a tragedy entitled " Agis," which Garrick, then manager