GBAHAM-GILBERT. 109 GRAIL. (1829), and John Bums (1857). His otlipr works incluae: "The Pear Tree Well" (1844); "Fenrales at the Fountain" (1845) ; "The Young Jlothor" (185.3) ; "A Koman Girl" (1804) ; "An Italian Nobleman;" "The Bandit's Bride;" "The Begjjar Maid;" "The First Born;" "Crossing the Ford;" "Going to Market:" "La Pcnscrosa :" and the biblical pictures, "Prodigal Son" (ISlU); "Christ in the Garden" (1848) ; "Christ Appear- ing to Marj' Magdalene;" and "Christ and the Woman of Samaria." GB. AH AMITE, gra'om-it (named in honor of J. Lurimcr Graham of New York, and Colonel Graham of Baltimore). An asphaltic coal orig- inally found in Wood and Ritchie counties, W. Va., where it occupies more or less vertical veins or fissures tha*- traverse rocks of Coal ^IeaL,i:»e age. A peculiarity of this deposit is that the grahamite fractures in such manner as to form columns, the axes of which are at rigiit angles to the walls of the vein. It has also been found in Colorado, Texas, and Jlexico. Its origin is supposed to have been through oxidization of petrolciun. It is used for making varnishes and insulators. See Asphaltic Coal. GRAHAM LAND. Part of the western coa.st line of that portion of the so-called Antarctic Continent which lies to the southward of South America. It extends in a northea.st direction from near Alexander Island (latitude c. 68° 4.3' S., longitude c. 72° W.) about two degrees of latitude; its limits are not definitely determined. Its existence was vaguely reported by the Ameri- can sealers, who visited the region in the second decade of the nineteenth century, and in 1832 John Biscoe, the master of a British sealer, brought liome a more definite report, and the dis- covery of the territory has usvially been credited to him. The name Graham Land has also been used to designate all of what is supposed to be a spur of the Antarctic mainland, jutting out toward South America. What is known of this region is included, roughly speaking, between the fifty- sixth and fifty-seventh meridians of west longi- tude and the si.Kty-fifth and sixty-ninth parallels of south latitude. To that portion of this terri- torv which has been seen by various explorers, various names have been given. The Norwegian sealer Larsen discovered the east eoast in 1894, and named the northern portion of it King Oscar II. Land, and the southern portion, which he saw in the distance, Fovn Land. His most southern point is latitude G8° 10' S. The Belgian Ant- arctic expedition of 1897-99 discovered what they believed to be the northern terminus of the main- land, and named it Danco Land. The Swedish expedition under the command of Otto Nordens- kjiild visited Graham Land in 1901. In no case has any explorer penetrated into the interior, and it is not certain that the region is not an archipelago instead of a solid land mass. See Antarctic Region. GRAHAM'S DYKE. A popular name in England for the remains of the Roman wall in the south of Scotland. See Roman Wall. GRAHAMSTOWN, gra'amz-toun. See Thames. GRAHAMSTOWN. The capital of the divi- sion of Albany, in Cape Colony, situated a short distance from the eoast. and eonnected by rail with Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, and Port Alfred (Map: Cajjc Colony, K 9). There are some manufactures of tweed and blankets. Population, in 1891, 10,498. GRAIL, gral, The Holy (from OF. yraul, grvtil, from ilL. (.■niUlln, l)ovl). The spelling varies greatly iu the old njanuseripls. but in mod- ern usage the most common English forms are yruU and gnuil. The Grail bad ;i history, which in the fully develoi)ed romance ran somewhat in this wise: It was the dish from which Christ ate at the Last Supper. Joseph of Arimathea, wish- ing to preserve something which belonged to Christ, took it from the table, anil afterwards col- lected in it the blood from the body of Christ, either while the body was on the cross or after it had been taken down. The vessel was brought to England by Josephes, a son of Joseph, or by Brons, Joseph's brother-in-law. It was handed down from generation to generation. It possessed manj' mystic properties — feeding those that were, like Joseph, without sin; multiplying a few loaves of bread, so that they suthced for five hun- dred people; blinding from its ell'ulgence all, ex- cept the pure, who looked upon it, or striking dumb those who came into its presence. It was also identified with the cup of the Last Sujuier, and more or less vaguely with Christ Himself. The Grail first appeared in romance united with the stoi-y of Perceval. Living with his mother iu seclusion far from the Court, the boy Perceval is kept in ignorance of chivalry. One day he meets by chance several knights, and is fascinat- ed by the splendor of their annor, taking them for angels. Setting out as knight-errant, he comes to the castle of the Fisher King, who lies speechless. Before the King passes a bleeding spear and a sacred vessel, concerning which Perce- val fails to a.sk questions. Had he, a pure man, spoken, the King would have been healed. After many wanderings, Perceval returns to the Grail ca.stie, welds together a broken sword, and be- comes King. The ston* is worked out with many details, which often dilTer from those here given. Later the legend assumed a very difTerent form. It was connected with the Arthurian cycle, and Galahad was given the leading role in the quest.
- Many knights from .rthur's Court go on the
adventure; but the Grail is seen only by Gala- had, Perceval, and Bors, who follow it to the far East. Galahad's soul is borne up to heaven by a great multitude of angels, Perceval dies in a hermitage, and Bors returns to Britain. Though there are many unsolved problems connected with the growth of the Grail legend, its development seems to have been somewhat as follows: Chrestien de Troyes. a French trouv6re (died about 1195), left incomplete a ixiem known as "Perceval," or "Le Conte del Graal," which was continued by other hands. On this ro- mance. Wolfram von Eschenbach, a poet of South Germany, founded his Parzival (about 1210), the finest poem on the legend. According to this version, the Grail is a precious stone which came from heaven after the fall of the angels. It is guarded by a chaste order of knights whom it chooses. Other early Grail romances are a trilogy by the French poet Robert de Borron, known as "Joseph d'Arimathie:" "Merlin;" "Perceval" (early in the thirteenth century), in which the Grail lesend is attached to the Arthurian cycle; Qiieste del Saint Granl (about 1210). a prose romance, in which Perceval is displaced by
