LITHARGE 495 LITHUANIA idea. The invention of printing natur- ally greatly added to the possible returns inherent in literary work, but the emolu- ment that went to the author continued small. The earliest instance on record of an author being safeguarded in his literary property is the case of Peter of Ravenna, whom the Republic of Venice in 1491 endowed with the exclusive right of printing and selling his work "Phoe- nix." The Ordonnances des Moulins of Charles IX. in 1566 and the letters patent of Henry III. in 1576, in France, like- wise gave some definition to literary property. In 1512, in Germany, John Stadium received an imperial privilege for every book he might print, and in Basel, in 1531, printers were prohibited for three years from reprinting the books of one another. To Pynson, who suc- ceeded Caxton, was issued in 1518 the first English copyright. From that time on privileges continued to be issued to authors and publishers. The idea of in- ternational copyright was first taken up in Germany, particularly in Prussia, which in 1836 gave protection to the writers of every country that recipro- cated such protection. In the year fol- lowing, Henry Clay put before the United States Congress a petition by British authors in favor of an international copyright act. From that time on efforts to secure international copyright have continued, and laws to give effect to that purpose have been passed in all the countries of Europe and America. LITHARGE, the yellow or reddish protoxide of lead partially fused (PbO). It is extensively used in the manufacture of glass, of enamels, of artificial gems, of lead, plaster and lead soap, of sugar of lead, white and red lead, and other compounds. LITHIA, in chemistry, oxide of lithium. Carbonate of lithia acts as a powerful diuretic, which may be given in acute and chronic gout, in uric-acid gravel, and renal calculus. It may be used externally as a lotion. Citrate of lithia is also lithontriptic. These salts, being solvents for uric-acid calculi, alter the quality of the urine, and prevent the crystallization and deposit of the sub- stances forming gravel and calculi. Muriate lithia waters are waters impreg- nated with chloride of lithium, as at Baden Baden. They are useful in gout. LITHIUM, (symbol Li; at. wt.=7), a monatomic element of the alkali group of metals. It is very widely distributed through the mineral kingdom. It can be obtained by reduction of its fused chlo- ride by means of the electric current. The metal has a white color, and fuses at 180°. Lithium appears to be the lightest solid body known, having a dens- ity of only 0.5936. Like potassium and sodium, lithium dissolves in anhydrous ammonia, and on evaporating the liquid, it is left behind, with its original appear- ance and color. LITHOGRAPHY, the process of en- graving or drawing on stone, in such a way as to produce a surface from which printed copies can be multiplied in the press. It was invented by Alois Sene- felder about 1799. Almost the only stone suitable for lithographic work is that known as lithographic stone. On such a surface the artist produces the design to be printed from. This is done by one of four distinct methods: (1) he draws it with a fluid, watery ink; (2) with a solid crayon; (3) he obtains it by transfer from an inky design on paper by various means, or (4) he en- graves it on a prepared stone. LITHUANIA, formerly one of the provinces of the Russian Empire, since the World War an independent state. Lithuania includes three groups of ter- ritory: Lithuania proper, or Litivia, which formed the governments of Vilna and Troki; the Duchy of Samogitia; and Russian Lithuania, comprising Polesie, Black Russia, or Novogrodek, White Russia, or Minsk, Meislav, Vitebsk, Smolensk, Polotsk and Polish Livonia. Part of it is included in East Prussia. The inhabitants are a race separate by themselves, speaking a language which is said to be more closely related to ancient Sanskrit than any other European tongue or dialect. They are at least partly Slavic, and bear close affinity to the Wends of Prussia, the Letts of Livonia and the Cours of Courland. Lithuania was, in ancient times, sub- ject to Russia, but in the twelfth century gained its independence, being ruled by a ruler who bore the title of Grand Duke. At one time the Lithuanians conquered Russian territory to the very gates of Moscow. In 1386 the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Jagello, was elected King of Poland, which brought about the union of the two countries in 1569. After the partition of Poland by the European Powers, in 1797, Lithuania was annexed to Russia, together with a portion of Poland. At one time the country was a uni- versal forest, very sparsely inhabited, but Catherine the Great, of Russia, dis- tributed large parts of it among her German favorites and a certain per- centage of it was reclaimed by serf labor. Yet even now the country is not thickly populated.
