DEAK 287 DEAX perintendence of Mr. Gallaudet, who was the promoter of a system of teaching styled the "American System," which widely differs from those followed in Eu- ropean schools. From this sprung up, in 1818, the New York Asylum, now known as the New York Institution for the In- struction of the Deaf and Dumb, one of the largest in the world; in 1820, the Asylum of Philadelphia; and, since that time, many others in most of the States, which, throughout the country, make easily accessible to the deaf-mute the inestimable blessings of education. The two chief methods of conveying instruction to the deaf and dumb are by the means of the manual alphabet, and by training them to watch the lips of the teacher during articulation. There are two kinds of m.anual alphabet, the double-handed alphabet, where the letters are expressed by the disposition of the fingers of both hands; and the single- handed, in which the letters are formed with the fingers of one hand. The meth- od of teaching by articulation, the pupil learning to recognize words and in time to utter them, by closely watching the motions of the lips and tongue in speech, and by being instructed through dia- grams as to the different positions of the vocal organs, has given excellent re- sults. A new meth iT of teaching ar- ticulation, was devisea by Prof. Melville Bell called "visible speech." The char- acters of the alphabet on which this system is founded are intended to re- veal to the eye the position of the vocal organs in the formation of any sound which the human mouth can utter. The proportion of deaf-mutes in the popula- tion varies with relation to economic and social conditions. It varies from 1 to 760 in India, 1 to 1,200 in France, 1 to 1,970 in England, to 1 in 2,400 in the United States. DEAK, FRANCIS (da-ak'), a Hun- garian politician; born in Kehida, in 1803. He practiced as an advocate, un- til elected to the national diet in 1832. Here he soon took his place as leader of the Liberal opposition, and effected rec- onciliations between Hungary and the Austrian emperor as her king — tempo- rarily in 1840, and more permanently in 1867. After the revolution of March, 1848, he became Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Count Batthyanyi, and made every effort to ward off the inevi- table war. On Kossuth's coming into power (September, 1848), Deak re- signed his portfolio, and after futile attempts at negotiation retired from public affairs. He refused to return to public life till 1860 when a constitution was granted to his country. Returned by Pest to the diet in 1861, he again became the leader of the Mod- erate party, while the Extreme party collected round Count Teleki. The death of the latter (May 8) destroyed the only influence which could counterbalance that of Deak; and the diet appointed him to draw up the address to the emperor de- manding the constitution of 1848, a Hun garian ministry resident in Pest, th- return, without restriction, of the exiles and the restitution of their property. The emperor answered it by a hostile re- script, against which Deak protested strongly. Out of the humiliation of Austria in 1866 came the triumph of peak's policy. His wise and statesman- like moderation effected a satisfactory constitutional relation between Austria and Hungary in the dual system of mon- archy. He died in Budapest, Jan. 29, 1876. DEAKIN, ALFRED, an Australian statesman; born in Melbourne in 1856. After studying at the University of Mel- bourne he was elected to the Parliament of Victoria in 1879, and in 1883 he was Minister of Public Works. In 1887 he represented Victoria at the Im- perial Conference in London. After the Commonwealth of Australia was found- ed, Deakin was Attorney-General and later Premier, when the Protectionist party was in control of the Government. He served as Premier from 1905-1908, and again during 1909 and 1910. Fol- lowing that date, he was leader of the opposition until his retirement from public life in 1913. He died in 1919. DEAL, a municipal borough and sea- bathing place of England, in the E. of Kent, on a bold open beach. It has been one of the Cinque Ports since the 13th century. Of the three castles built by Henry VIII. in 1539, Deal Castle is the residence of its "captain"; Sandown Castle, to the N., has been blown up as dangerous through the encroachment of the sea; and to the S., Walmer Castle is now the residence of the Warden of the Cinque Ports. Some maintain that it was near Deal that Julius Caesar landed in 55 B. C. Pop. (1891) 8,898; (1901) 10,557. DEAL, in the United States, a plank 12 feet long, 11 inches wide, and 2V2 inches thick. Deals are sawed of other sizes, but are reduced to that cubic di- mension in computing them. In England, lumber not exceeding 3 inches in thickness and 9 inches wide. The word is applied especially to the wood of the fir. If the planks are 7 inches or less in width, they are called battens, and if less than 6 feet long, 4eal-ends. Fifty cubic feet of deals are
