Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/517

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LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE 441 LE CATEAU consist principally of limestones and chalks. They are divided into two par- allel ranges, the Lebanon on the W. and the ^ Anti-Lebanon (or more correctly Anti-Libanus) on the E. Between them lies the deep valley of the Buka (the ancient Coele-Syria), which is from 4 to 6 miles wide, and is watered by the rivers Litany and El-Asi (the ancient Orontes). The former flows S. W., then turning ab- ruptly to the W., reaches the sea a little N. of Tyre; while the latter flows in the opposite direction, and after crossing the plains of Hamath likewise turns to the W. to the Mediterranean. The highest summits occur in the N. in both ranges, but are higher in Lebanon than in Anti- Lebanon; in the former they vary from 10,018 (El-Kazib) to 7,000 feet and less, and in the latter are about 8,000 or 9,000 feet. In both ranges the E. ver- sant is the steeper and sterner. The W. slopes of Lebanon are broken by numer- ous deep transverse valleys, running be- tween the spurs that the main chain sends down to the very edge of the sea, where they often terminate in bold head- lands. The W. slopes of Anti-Lebanon are more barren and more broken by crags and bare rocks. The valleys and the lower slopes of the hills are gener- ally verdant with vegetation. The vine is extensively grown, and wine is made, but is all consumed at home. Mulberry trees figure prominently; for the manu- facture of silk is one of the most impor- tant industries of the mountaineers. Olive groves and orchards (nuts and figs) abound everywhere. The higher slopes are in many districts covered with forests of oak, cypress, pine, plane, etc. Contrary to the current belief, remains of the great cedar forests of Solomon's time exist in more places than the single grove of 377 trees at the head of Ked- isha valley. Tobacco, wheat, barley, and millet are the chief crops cultivated. Owing to the elevated situation, the cli- mate is healthful and bracing. Streams of clear water are numerous. The in- habitants number in all about 400,000; 230,000 Maronites, 50,000 Druses, and 30,000 Moslems, and a few converts of the American Protestant and the Roman Catholic missionaries of Beyrout. After the bloody quarrels of the Druses and Maronites in 1860, the district of Leb- anon was separated (1861) from the Turkish pashalik of Syria, and put under a Christian governor, the European powers constituting themselves the "guardians" of the new province. LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE, an educational institution in Annville, Pa.; founded in 1866 under the auspices of the Union Brethren ; reported at the close of 1919: Professors and instructors, 25; students, 311; president. Rev. G. D. Gossard. LEBRUN, CHARLES FRANCOIS, a French administrator; born in St. Sau- veur-Landelin, France, March 19, 1739. He came at an early age to Paris; and was nominated deputy to the states-gen- eral in 1789. In 1795 he was elected to the council of elders, and became presi- dent in 1796. He was appointed third consul in December, 1799; nominated arch-treasurer of the empire in 1804; and in 1805 governor -general of Liguria and Duke of Placentia. Having signed the constitution that recalled the house of Bourbon to the throne, he was created a peer of France by the king, and became president of the first bureau of the Chamber of Peers. After the return of Napoleon he accepted the peerage from him, and likewise the place of grand mas- ter of the university, which rendered him incapable of sitting in the new Chamber of Peers, formed in August, 1815. In the early part of his life he translated the "Iliad" and "Odyssey," and Tasso's "Jerusalem." He died near Dourdan, France, June 16, 1824. LE BRUN, MARIE, a French painter ; born in Paris, France, April 16, 1755. She was a daughter of one Vigee, a painter, and in 1776 married J. B. P. Le Brun, a picture dealer. Her great beauty, as well as the charm of her paint- ing, speedily made her the fashion in Paris and at Versailles. Her first por- trait of Marie Antoinette (in 1779) led to a lasting friendship. She subse- quently painted numerous portraits ^ of various members of the royal family, and in 1783 was admitted, after much opposition on account of her sex, a mem- ber of the Royal Academy of Painting. She left Paris for Italy at the outbreak of the Revolution in 1789, and after a species of triumphal progress _ through Europe, arrived in London in 1802. There she painted portraits of the Prince of Wales, Lord Byron, and other celebri- ties. In 1805 she returned to Paris, where she lived till her death, March 30, 1842. LE CATEATT, formerly Cateau-Cam- bresis: a town of France, in the Nord department, 14 miles S. E. of Cambr^i. Has a town hall belonging to Renaissance period, and manufactures include ma- chinery and textiles. The town figured prominently in the fighting of 1918, where Rawlinson's Third Army fought stubbornly. The town changed hands repeatedly. Pop. about 10,000.