Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/240

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LIEGE. 218 LIEN. on as a house industry. Xaturally, however, it has begun to feel the effect of the competition of other countries where the industry is more mod- em in its organization. ' Among the larger iveapon-faetorics may be mentioned the royal giin-factorv and canncm-foundry. The proximity of rioli coal-mines makes Liftgc an important iron and steel centre, its products including dill'erent tools and instruments, hea-y machinery, needles, nails, etc. Watches, gold and silver articles, mirrors, cloth, leather, paper, oil, and chicoiy are also among the manufactures, and Li^ge has large zinc-foundries. Its commerce is of great extent: there is considerable navigation in the port. Liege is the seat of a hislio]) and a United States consul. Population, in IS'.lO, UT.CifiO; in 1900. 173. 70C, chielly Walloons (q.v.). The city is believed to have had its origin in a Roman colony. It became the residence of a bishop at the beginning of the eighth century, and its history may be epitomized as a continual struggle between its citizens and the bishops, who were princes of the Holy Honian Empire. The latter frequently employed foreign armies to crush the rebellious spirit of the towiisi)eople. In 1408 it was taken by Charles the Bold of Burgundy and later by Maximilian I. During the seventeenth century it was seized repeatedly by the French, and it "fell before JIarlborough in 1702. In 1801 it was ceded to France by the Treaty of Luneville. In 1815 it was annexed to the United Netherlands, and in 18.30 it passed to Belgium. LIEGEARD, lyS'zhar'. Fr.x^ois Emile Stepiikx (18.'?0— ). A French author, born at Dijon. Educated as a lawyer, he entered polities, and from 1807 to 1870 was a member of the Legislative Assembly. After the fall of the Em- pire he was obliged to retire from public life. His publications include the following collections of poems: Les abeiUes d'or (18.59) ; Le verger d'Isatire (1870); Les grands cwurs (1883), crowned by the Academy; La cote d'azur (1888), crowned bv the Academv; and Rties de combat (1S9-2). LIEGNITZ, leK'nits. A town in the Province of Silesia. Prussia, capital of the former Princi- pality of Liegnitz, at the confluence of the Schwarzwasser and the Katzhach. 40 miles by rail west-northwest of Brpsl;ii (M.ap: Prussia. G 3). The principal churches are that nf Saint John, containing nionunients of the dukes of Liegnitz and Brieg, of the House of Piast. and that of Saints Peter and Paul, dating from the fourteenth century and recently restored. The royal castle, destroyed by fire in 183.5. has been restored and is used as a Government building. Liegnitz has a municipal g inasi>ini founded in 1309. an academy for the children of noblemen, a seminary for female teacliers. a museum of an- tiquities, and a theatre. Cloth, machinery, pianos, shoes, tobacco, oil. woolens, wagons, and glazed brick are largely manufactured, and vegetables arc extensively cultivated in the gardens of the suburbs. Liegnitz is first mentioned in 1004 and was after 1164 the residence of the dukes of Liegnitz. Near Liegnitz. on the battlefield known as the Wahlstatt, the Silesians. Poles, and Teu- tonic Knights fought a bloody battle with the Mongols in 1241. .As a fortified town it figiired prominently in many wars. It has been in pos- session of Prussia since 1742. Here in 1760 Frederick the Great defeated the Austrians under Laudon. Population, in 1890, 4(5,874; in 1900. 54,839. LIEN (Fr. lien, bond, from Lat. ligamen, hand. from ligiire, to bind). In law, a security or hold over goods or land, and the right to retain or take the same for a debt whicji is due. Lien^ exsit (1) at connnon law, (2) in equity, |3| in admiralty, and (4) by statute; and each ui these ditl'ers from the others in character an I in its etl'ect upon the property. ( 1 ) Ijiens upon chattels were recognized and enforced at com- mon law in favor of innkeepers, common carriers, attorneys, wai-ehousenien. factors, and any one who had perlurmed work upon a chattel in hi-- possession — all of which attached by implicatiun of law without any express agreement. A lien might also be created by a contract or agreement between the debtor and creditor by which the debtor deposited personal property with the cred- itor as security for his debt (see Pledge), or in a particular business or trade by a usage so ex- tensive and well established that the courts of law will recognize it. ( See Cl'.sTOM.) In general, a lien cannot be acquired against the owner of a chattel when possession is given to the would-be lienor by one wrongfully having possession of the chattel. Innkeepers may, however, acquire a lien on stolen goods brought to them by a thief. This constitutes the one important e.xce|)tion to the general rule. Possession of the property by the lienor is essential to a common-law lien: for as soon as the goods are voluntarily parted with by him the lien is gone. The lienor's only right at common law was to retain possession of the property until his claim was paid. He could not sell or "otherwise dispose of it. Equity, however, early took jurisdiction to relieve the lienor by allowing him to foreclose his lien and collect the amoinit due from the proceeds of the judicial sale of the chattels. In many States the lienor now has statutory authority to sell chattels on which he has a lien and apply the proceeds to the pay- ment of the debt. A common-law lien may be either general or specific. It is general when it may be enforced for a general balance due from the owner to the lienor, and is not confined to the amount due ujion or on account of the specific article over which it exists. (See LiEX, Ge>;eb.i..) X speei/ic lien is one over specific goods for a debt contracted in respect to them alone, as for the price of them or for some labor or services expended upon them. Thus, a vendor of goods has a special lien upon them while they remain in his possession with the price due and unpaid, after the title to them has passed to the vendee. A miller has a special lien on the flour he has ground, an artisan on the article he has repaired, etc. Warehouse- men and carriers have what has been called a general -special lien — i.e. if an owner place a large quantity of goods in their custody at one time, they may retain any portion of them in their possession for their charges upon the entire quantity, bi^t they have no lien for charges upon goods placed with them at other times. Com- mon carriers also have a lien for charges paid by them to connecting carriers upon the goods upon which a lien is claimed. The right of stop- page in transitu — that is. the right of a vendor to retake goods in transit before delivery to vendee in case of the insolvency of the vendee, as .security for the purchase price — although.