DES PLAINES RIVER. 166 DESSAU. deflected to fonn the Chicago Drainage Canal (q.v.». It is 150 miles long, and drains an ariM of ITtK) s(iiiare miles. DESFORTES, dft'pOrt', Francois Alexandre (10011743). A Krcncli painter, horn at Chani- pigiieul. lie was the impil of Xicasius and hnydcrs, and the latter master always influenced his choice of subjects, which usually dealt with the chase and still life. After a stay of two years in Poland, he returned to France, and in lOli'.i became a member of the Academy. He designed eight compositions for the Uobelin tapestries, and decorated several of the French chilteaux and palaces. In 17 12 lie went to Eng- land in the suite of the French ambassador, and was received with enthusiasm at the Court. There are nearly thirty pictures by him in the Louvre. DESFORTES, riiiLlPPE (154C-1C06). A French poet, born at Chartres. In his youth he went to Italy as secretary to the Bishop of Puy, and there studied the Italian ])oets, especially Petrarch and Ariosto. whom he imitated in his sonnets and elegies. On his return he rose rap- idly in favor, and enjoyed during his lifetime the reputation of a Ronsard. He was essentially a courtier; he praised the loves of the last Valois, and iH'came Abbe and Canon of Xotre Dame, and Court poet. His talent, neither orig- inal nor profound, is best shown in such charm- ing verses as C'ontre uiie unit troi> chiirc and Rosette pour iin pcu d'absctwe, although certain of his religious poems have a sober beauty. Edi- tions of his works appeared in l.i73. 1.583, and 1592. They were also published with an introduc- tion by Michiels, as CEiit res dc Philippe Ucsportcs (IS.5s"i. DESPOT (from Gk. iea-6Tiis,tlespotes, master, lord, ruler). An absolute ruler who carries on the government entirely in liis own interests, pursuing generally a policy of cruelty and op- pression. Like 'tyrimt.' the word "despot' origi- nally carried no odious meaning, and denoted merely the possessor of unlimited i)ower. In a modilied sense, but still free from the imputa- tions of tyranny, the title was applied to the rulers of the Greek towns of Asia jlinor under the Persian domination, and subscqtiently to the governors of the Asiatic provinces and towns of the P.yzantine Kmpire. DESFRES, .losQt IN. See DEPRi:s, Josquix. DESPRETZ, dft'pnl', C£sar MAsrfexE (1792- 18ii.3). A Frencli i)hysicist. bom at Lessines, Belgium. lie was instructor of physical sciem^cs at the Coll^ge Henri iV. in Paris, and at the Polytechnic Institute, and was appointed pro- fessor at the Sorbonne about 1837. His writings were published in the Comptes Iteitdiis of the Paris Academy of Sciences, of which society he was a member; and in the Annales dc Cliimic ct de Physir/iic (1817-56). His Trait f vUmenlnirc dc phi/sit/uc (4th ed., 1800) was adopted by the Council of Public Instruction. A product of car- bon introduced by him i« said to be almost as sen'ii'eabli^ as diamond-dust for polishing pur- p'l^r-.. DESSAIX, dA'sA'. .Iosepii :MARrE. Count (17041834 1. . French general and politician, bririi at Thorens. in Savoy. In I791-!l2 he raided volunteers for Frnnec in Savoy, and was present at the siege of Toulon, and siibsequently served under Napoleon in Italy. He was a member of the Council of Five Hundred, and was one of the few who ojiposed the coup d'etat of the Eigh- teenth lirunniire. Nevertheless, he was made a brigadier-general in 1803, and rose to be general of division by 1809. His conduct at Wagram wuu him the title of "the Intrepid' from the lips of the Emperor. He was created a count in 1810, and made tJovernor of Am>terdam. In the Uus- sian campaign of 1812 I)cssai. was severely wounded at Borodino. In 1814 he was successful again>t the Allies in Savoy. After the Itcvolu- tion of 1830 he was appointed comniander of the National Guards at Lyons. He died Octo- ber 20, 18.'?4. For the details of I'.is life, consult Dessaix et Folliet, Etude tiistoriquc sur la revo- lution ct Vcnipirc en Saroic. Le gi^neral Dessaix — *</ tie piilitiijuc et niititairc (Paris, 1879). DESSALINES, dA'sA'l.'n'. .Jea.n' .TACQVt.s ( 175S-18U(>). A negro military leader, known as Jean .lacques I., Emperor of Haiti. He was born in Guinea, Africa (according to some accounts at Grand liivi&re, Haiti), and was sold as a slave, at Cap Franijais (now called Cape Haitien). In 1791 he entered the insurgent ranks under Bias son, and subsequently, with rank of lieutenant- general, became one of the trusty subordinates of Toussaint rOuverture. For some time he maintained a guerrilla warfare against General Leclerc, the otlicer sent by Napoleon to subjugate the island, but, i|)iin the conclusion of peace, in 1802, he professed allegiance to the French, and was appointed governor of the southern division of Haiti, with rank of a general of division. Angered at the severe repressive measures of Gen eral R<Khaml)eau, who succeeded General Lcclen-. he organized and directed an uncompromising revolt, which, with the assistance of an Fnglish squadron, ended in the utter expulsion of the French. In 1804 he was ajipointed (lovcrnor- General for life. But. infuriated by the failure of his expedition agjiinst the Spanish part of llic island, he had himself crowned Kniperor, and pro ceeded to .a cruel despotism. He was assassi nated by two of his officers, PC-tion and Chris tophe, the latter of whom became President of Haiti. Consult Dubroca, Vie de J. J. Dessalincs (Pari^. 1S()4). DESSAU, dfs'sou (first called Dissouire. then Dessn ) . The capital of the German Ducliy of Anhalt, and residence of the Duke, on the Mulde, not far from its jtinction with the Kibe, about .seventy miles by rail southwest of Berlin (Map: (^iermany, E 3). The town lies in a well-wooded plain, surrotuided by a very fertile and richly cultivated country. The streets are broad and well shaded. The ducal palace, dating in part from the sixteenth century, contains a collection of paintings, including some excellent examples of the early Italian and Flemish schools. The palace is interesting also for its fine architectural features, its suite of Old German rooms, and its relics of Prince Leopold (known as 'the old Dessauer'l and Napoleon. Among the other buildings of note may be mentioned the old and new town halls, the palaces of Princess Louise !ind the hereditary prince, the Parliament build- ing, and the new postolHi'e and the theatre. The Cliurcli of Saint Mary contains several pictures by the two Cranaclis, and in the vatilts the tomb of Prince Leopold, (he sarcophagtis being surrounded
