HirMPHREYS. 317 HUNDRED. guage3 at Leipzig. Having held the chair of Greek at Vanderbilt University from 1875 to 1883, he was professor of ancient languages at the University of Texas from 1883 to 1887, and in the latter year beoame professor of Greek at the University of Virginia. In 1882 he was president of the American Philological Associa- tion, and for a number of years he was American editor of the Revue dex Revues. His publication.^ include excellent editions of The Clouds of Ari.stophanes (1885), and the Antigone of Sophocles (1891). HUMTJS (Lat., ground). A generic term for the decomposed organic matter contained in soil. During decomposition of vegetable matter the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen pass off in the form of water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, etc.. or are carried down into the earth in solu- li(jn, wliile the remainder of the constituents form compounds less easily removed, to which the name humus is properly applied. These com- pounds have been investigated chemically, but little is known as to their nature and relations; special names have been given to a few of them, as crenic acid, apocrenic acid, ulmic acid, and nlniin. They are of importance in relation to tlic fertility of the soil, increasing its powef of absorbing and retaining water, lessening its te- nacity, and, causing more rapid absorption of heat from the sun's rays. They may also in- directly afford nutrition to plant life. See Son.; Compost. HTJMUS PLANTS. Plants which grow nat- urally in humus soil. Ordinarily in nature, where large amounts of humus are found, there i.s a rich development of forest trees. Associated . very intimately with the humus, however, are a number of plants which depend not only upon the rich organic food found in the humus and in the shade furnished by the trees, but also upon the presence of fungi which permeate the humus. The significance of these fungi is discussed luidcr the head JlvcDRRiiiZA. Until recently, the plants dependent upon humus have lieen called sapro- phytes, but inasmuch as more close investigation has shown" that the dependence is very rarely directly upon the humus, but rather upon the fungi spoken of .above, such plants are now re- ferred to as symbiotic saprophytes. Among these are found not only plants destitute of chloro- phyll, like the Indian pipe, but also a large num- ber of green plants, even forest trees, such as beech and pine. See Forest; Saprophyte. HTJ-NAN, hoo'niin' (Chin., south of the lake, i.e. the Tung-ting Lake). An inland province of China, bounded on the east by the mountains cjf Kiang-si, on the south and southwest by the Xan-ling Mountains, which separate it from Ihe provinces of Kwang-tung and Kwang-si, on the west by Kwei-chow and Sze-chuen. and on the north by Hu-peh (Map: China. D 6). Area, about 77,0(10 square miles. It is made up of the basins of four rivers, which discharge into the Tung-ting Lake and through it into the Yang-tse. The chief of these rivers are the Siang. which rises in the Xan-ling and flows north, receiving many tributary waters in its course: the Tsze; and the Yuen, which has its origin in the southeast of Kwei-chow, the latter furnishing the shortest and most satisfactory route to Kwei-chow. Yunnan, and Burma, being navi- gable by native boats a.s far as Ch'Sn-yuan-fu on the Kwei-chow frontier. The general slope of the province is toward the lake. Hills at- taining in some places the height of mountains are found in the south, southeast, and along the Kwei-chow border on the west. The soil is fer- tile, and in many parts two crops a year are produced. The chief agricultural products are tea, rice, hemp, and tobacco. Hunan is one of the principal tea-producing regions of China, and immense quantities are shipped every year to foreign countries from Hankow. The coarser varieties are prepared in brick form and sent overland via Hankow to Siberia and Russia. Both bituminous and anthracite coal is found and mined. The anthracite is of good quality and is exported. Iron, copper, and tin are also found. Capital, Ch'ang-sha-fu. The population of Hunan is estimated at about 22,000,000. The inhabitants are noted for their lawlessness and their hostility to foreigners. HTTNCAMXJNCA, hun'ka-mun'ka. The in- genuous daughter of King Arthur and Queen Dollallolla in P'ielding's burlesque Tom Thumb the G-reat. HUNCHBACK, The. The most successful comedy of J. Sheridan Knowles. produced in 1832. At Covent Garden, under Kemble"s di- rection, Fanny Kemble played Julia, and the part of Master Walter was taken by the author himself. HUNDRED (AS. hundred, Ger. hundert, from AS., Goth, hund, OHG. hunt, Ger. hund. Olr. cet, Lith. s::imtas, Lett, simts, OChurch Slav, suto, Lat. centum, Gk. 4KaT6f, hekaton, Skt. iata, hundred + AS. -red; connected with OHG. radio, Ger. Rede, account, speech, Goth. ra]>j6, Lat. ratio, reckoning, reri, to think). An ancient territorial unit in England, less than a shire or county, and usually greater than a parish or town. The origin of the name is in- volved in obscurity, but it is supposed to be derived from a convenient grouping of one hun- dred families for purposes of defense, or for local administration. Hundred -c varied greatly in size in different parts of PJngland. from two square miles in the southern counties, to three hundred square miles in Lancashire, but they maintained considerable uniformity within the limits of a given county. But they were not mere subdivisions of the county, being both historically and for various administrative purposes inde- pendent of the greater territorial division within which they were included. .'■ice the article Wapkntakk. Each hundred had a court of ancient and for- gotten origin, which was known as the Hundred Court. This was held at frequent intervals and appears to have been of equal authority with the county courts, though its jurisdiction seems to have been more restricted, taeing apparently con- fined to civil causes, such as actions of debt and trespass. Like the other customary courts of the feudal period, such as the county courts, courts baron, and the like, the hundred courts were composed of the freeholders of the hundred, who were liable to do service as "suitors.' i.e. triers of suits, as one of the obligations of their freehold tenure. Most of these courts have been abolished and their jurisdiction transferred to the county courts, but a few. which were courts of record, have been permitted to survive. But the hundred was more than a political
