DOLPHIN. 367 DOMBROWSKI. the dolphin euiits a peculiar murmuring or suppresiej lowing cry. It was sacred to Apollo, who was worshiped at Delphi with dolphins for liis symbols. The ligure of the dolphin, there- fore, appears on many ancient coins and medals. It is said to have been borne on the shield of L'lysses; early appeared on the shield of some of the prini^s of I'rance, and gave its name to one of the fairest of the French provinces, whence the heir apparent of the French throne came to be styled 'dauphin.' It is not easy to account for the high regard in which the dolphin was anciently held; nor is it altogether easy to explain the very general transference of its name in modem times to the coryphene (q.v.), a true fish, renowned for those changes of color in its dying moments «liich poets have delighted to celebrate. Similar attributes are popularly given in Brazil to a dolphin (siotalia GuianenMs) , very abundant in the Bay of Rio Janeiro, which the natives assert will bring to shore the bodies of drowned persons. This genus ( Sotalia ) has Oriental and African species ascending rivers, one (of the Kamenin River) having the nostrils (blow-holes) prolonged into a snout-like process. The European dolphin is rare on the coast of the United States, but three or four other spe- cies occur, one of them, at least, numerously. This is the bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops iiirsio), which is caught in considerable numbers on the Xew Jersey coast. Closely allied to this species is the tlack' dolphin (Tursiops ereben- nus) , which is not quite so large, and is wholly black iu color. The spotted dolphin (Prodel- phinus plagiodo7i) is occasionally found on our coasts. It is dark slate-color above, and pale or white below, somewhat spotted with slate. See Bi_CKnsH. DOLPHIN. A fish. See Cobtphexe. DOMAIN. See Desiesxe. DOMAS Y VALLE, do'mas 4 va'lya, Josfi (c.1717-1803) . A Spanish naval commander and colonial governor, bom at Cartagena. He ad- vanced rapidly, and within six years of his ad- mission to the navy attained the rank of chief of squadron. He participated in many engage- ments in the Mediterranean, and was commander of the vessel Asis in the West Indies during the war with England (1778-80). For his brilliant action in conveying the treasure ships of the Crown from Vera Cruz to Havana, past the fleet of Admiral Rodney, he received .5. .500.000 pesos from the King. After participating in the cap- ture of Pensacola (1781) and later in the siege of Gibraltar, he ser-ed as Governor of Panama from 1 786 to 1704, and then became Captain- General of Guatemala. DOMAT, d'/ma', or DATJMAT, Jeax (1625- 96). A French jurist. He was associated with the recluses of Port-Royal and with Pascal, who bequeathed to him his private papers. His elab- orate digest, entitled Lois ciiiles dans leur ordre nalurrl (1689-94), places him among the first jurisconsults of his century: though it was not until after 1726. when Blackstone commended the work, and it was translated into English, that it rec-eived any degree of attention outside of France. DOMATIA. dA-ma'shi-fi (Neo-Lat. nom pi., from Gk. Su^nov. di'imnlion, little hovise. di- minutive of iiS/ui, dOma, house). Portions of plants which are modified so as to form cham- bers in which various organisms, especially fungi or small animals, may dwell. See Svmbiosis. DOMBAStE, dox'bai', Christopher Joseph Aijl.xa.mirb MATiiiEr DE (1777-184.3). A French agriculturist. In 1822 he was appointed director of the agricultural institute at Roville. Ho in- vented the plow which bears his name. .Vn im- portant innovation introduced by him was the use of lime in clayey soils. He contributed greatly to the improvement of agriculture in France by his numerous admirable works upon that subject, such as Essai sur Vanalyse des eaux naturelles (1810) : Thcorie de la cimrrue (1821) ; Iitstniction sur la distiUrition dcs grains et des pommcs de terre (1829). DOM'BEY AND SON. A novel by Charles Dickens, first published serially in lS4ti. It nar- rates tlje fortimes of a London merchant whose chief desire is to assure the continuance of the firm name through his son Paul. He is indif- ferent to the death of the boy's mother, but is crushed by the early death of his son. His second wife, Edith, elopes with his manager, James Carker, and he incurs financial losses. His daughter Florence, whom he hates for living while his son dies, marries, and afterwards wins his allection, and her children are the solace of ilr. Dombey's later years. DOM-BOC, dom'bok (AS. book of dooms or sentences, Lat. liber jiidicialis) , or DooM-BooK. ■The code of laws compiled by King Alfred chiefly from the West Saxon collection of his own an- cestor Ine, but comprising also small portions of the ilercian laws of Ofl'a and of the Kentish col- lection of Ethelbert, with the supplements of his successors. "Ine's collection," says Dr. Pauli, was the only one received entire into the codex, which was chiefly applicable to the condition of the West Saxons. A few articles were admitted here and there from the Kentish and Mercian laws, but research into this matter is not pos- sible, as OlTa's book is lost." Alfred made few, if any, original laws, but contented himself with restoring, renovating, and improving those which he found already in existence. The peculiarly Christian character of the King is strongly im- pressed on this code, which begins with an ex- tract from the Bible: "The Lord spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God." Then follow the Ten Commandments, the part of the Mosaic law relating to criminal olienses, and passages from the New Testament, including the Golden Rule. The code was ratified by the Witan. as .Alfred expressly informs us. Consult : Paiili, Alfred the Great, from the German (London, 1852) ; Thorpe, Ancient Laics and Institutes of England (London, 1840). DOMBROWSKI, di'mi-brov'ske, or DABROW- SKI, Ja. Henuyk (1755-1818). A distinguished Polish general, bom in Pierszowice, in the District of Cracow. He entered the service of the Elector of Saxony in 1770; but in 1702. on the first symptoms of the insurrection in Poland, proceeded to Warsaw. He took part in the Polish campaigns against Russia and Prussia, and exhibited remarkable military talents. In 1796 Dombrowski went to France, where hi> was coimnissioned by the Directory to form a Polish legion among his exiled countrymen. The legion signally distinguished itself in the Ttal-
