Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 10.djvu/312

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WALES, PBINCE OF 272 WALKER cloth, and hosiery. The Welsh have many strange customs and peculiar su- perstitions. They are remarkably fond of poetry and music, and their language is said to be peculiarly adapted to poeti- cal effusions. Their ancient language is, however, falling fast into disuse through- out the principality, more especially the S. part. Family distinction is held in great estimation. The aboriginal Celtic race still inhabits some parts of the country. Llewellyn ap Gryffydd was the last prince who exerted himself for the independence of Wales. In 1282 he was subdued by Edward I., and fell on the field of battle. From that time, Wales has been annexed to the English crown; but the union was not complete till the reign of Henry VIII., when the government and laws were assimilated with those of England. See England: Great Britain. WALES, PRINCE OF, the title ap- plied to the eldest son of the English sovereign since the time of Edward I. The holder of the title in 1921 was Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David^ oldest son of George V. He became Prmce of Wales upon reach- ing his majority in 1910. WALEWSKI, ALEXANDRE FLO- RIAN JOSEPH COX iONNA, DITKE DE, a French statesman; born in Walewice, Poland, May 4, 1810; was educated at Geneva, and entered the Polish patriot army, but later retired and devoted him- self to literature. He wrote: "A Word on the Question of Algiers" (1837); "The English Alliance" (1838); a comedy, "The School of the World; or, The Coquette Without Knowing It" (1840). He died in Strassburg, Sept. 27, 1868. WALFISH BAY, a body of water on the S. W. coast of Africa, in lat. 22° 50' S. It possesses a safe anchorage, but is without fresh water, and its shpres are barren and desolate in the extreme. Fish are very abundant, and it was formerly a favorite whaling ground, whence its name. Valuable deposits of copper and lead exist some distance inland, but are not yet worked. The climate is almost rainless, and is fairly healthy except in the hot months, when low fever prevals. It forms a part of the Cape province of South Africa. WALHALLA, a magnificent and sumptuously decorated Doric octostyle peripteral temple, on the Danube, near Ratisbon; built between 1830-1842, as a national pantheon, consecrated to cele- brate Germans of all walks of life. The idea of the erection is derived from the Walhalla, or Valhalla, the ancient para- dise of Odin and the Scandinavian deities. WALKE, HENRY, an American naval officer; born near Portsmouth, Va., Dec. 24, 1808 ; was appointed to the navy in February, 1827; and took part in the Mexican War as executive officer on the brig "Vesuvius," where he engaged in the capture of Vera Cruz and in the operations against Tabasco, Tuxpan, and Alvarado. Immediately prior to the out- break of the Civil War in 1861, he took measures which prevented the occupa- tion of Fort Pickens by the Confederates. He served with distinction throughout the war; commanded the squadron that co-operated with Grant at the battle of Belmont and covered the retreat of the National army; participated in the bat- tle of Fort Henry, for which he received the thanks of the Secretary of War, of Congress, and of the State of Ohio; opened the battle of Fort Donelson and was the last to retire from the front line of battle; took part in the bombardment of Island No. 10, when he voluntarily ran the gantlet of the Confederate batteries and captured the batteries below the island; and commanded the second divi- sion of the fleet at the battle of Grand Gulf, silencing the main fort on Point of Rocks. Subsequently he dispersed the Confederates under General Taylor at Slmmsport, La.; blockaded the mouth of Red river; commanded the "Sacramento" in search of the "Alabama"; blockaded the "Rappahannock" at Calais, France, till the close of the war; and intercepted her when she escaped to British waters under the British flag. On April 26, 1871, he was retired at his own request to hasten the promotion of junior officers. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., March 8, 1896. WALKER, AMASA, an American political economist; born in Woodstock, Conn., May 4, 1799. He was for many years engaged in commercial pursuits; from 1842 to 1848 lectured on political economy at Oberlin College; in 1848 be- came a member of the Massachusetts Assembly, and in 1849 of the Senate; in 1851-1852 was Secretary of State, and in 1862-1863 was Republican member of Congress from Massachusetts. From 1858 to 1869 he was lecturer on political economy at Amherst College. He was one of the editors of the "Transactions" of the Agricultural Society of Massachu- setts (7 vols. 1848-1854). He wrote: "Nature and Uses of Money and Mixed Currency" (1857) ; and "The Science of Wealth" (1866). He died in North Brookfield, Mass., Oct. 29, 1875.