1623, and therefore the oldest city in the State. Dover was organized as a town in 1633, received its present name in 1639, and was chartered as a city in 1855. It was a frontier town throughout the seventeenth century, and frequently suffered from Indian attacks, the most disastrous of which occurred on June 28, 1689, when 23 of the inhabitants were killed, 29 carried into captivity, and a number of houses destroyed. Population, in 1890, 12,790; in 1900, 13,207. DOVER. A town and the county-seat of Stewart County, Tenn., 75 miles west-northwest of Nashville, on the Cumberland River (Map: Tennessee, D 4). It is a mile from Fort Donelson. There is here a national cemetery of 672 graves. Population, in 1900, 400. DOVER, Strait of. A strait separating England from France, and connecting the English Channel with the North Sea (Map: England, H 6). On the English coast its limits are defined by the promontories of Dungeness and South Foreland, and on the French coast it extends from Cape Gris-Nez to Calais. It is 20 to 27 miles wide and 1 to 20 fathoms deep. The Ridge Shoals near the middle of the strait are over 8 miles long, and have a depth of 10 to 24 feet. Both the English and French shores are formed by chalk cliffs. The strait has been carefully surveyed by engineers with a view to bridging or tunneling it. There is great opposition in England, on military grounds, against the construction of a tunnel. It is, perhaps, the most frequented maritime route in the world. Captain Webb, of the British mercantile navy, in August, 1875, swam the strait in 21¾ hours. DOVER'S POWDER (named from Thomas Dover, an English physician of the eighteenth century, who first prepared the powder). An old preparation of powder of ipecacuanha 1 dram, opium in powder 1 dram, and sulphate of potash 1 ounce, the whole being thoroughly mixed. Sugar of milk is now substituted for the sulphate of potash, and occasionally saltpetre is added. The powder is largely used in domestic practice to abort a ‘cold’ (because of its causing a sweat), as well as at the beginning of any attack of fever; but it should be used cautiously, on account of the opium it contains.
DOVE-TICK. A blind tick (Argas reflexus),
well known in Europe as a parasite of doves and
some other birds. A closely related species is the
Asiatic Argas Persicus, which dwells in houses
“and by its punctures produces convulsions in
man, and it is said that even death has resulted
from its sting.” A third species, the pique
(Argas nigra), is almost equally distressing. See
Tick.
D'OVIDIO, dô-vēd′yô, Francesco (1849—).
An Italian philologist and literary critic. He
was born at Campobasso, and was educated at
Pisa and Naples. In 1870 he became professor
of Romance philology at the University of Naples.
His thorough scholarship and keen criticism are
shown in a large number of works, of which the
following are the most noteworthy: Dell' origine
dell' unica forma flessionale del nome italiano
(1872); Il vocalismo tonico italiano (1878);
Storia della letteratura latina (1879); Il Tasso
e la Lucrezia Bendidio-Machiavelli (1882).
DOW, Gerard. See Dou, Gerard.
DOW, Lorenzo (1777-1834). An American
preacher, noted for his eccentricities and zeal.
He was born at Coventry, Conn., October 6, 1777.
His education was limited. In youth he joined
the Methodists (1799), but left them under a
conviction that he was called to be a missionary
to the Roman Catholics of Ireland. His preaching
in that country attracted crowds of people,
and brought him some persecution. He also
visited England, introducing there the Methodist
system of camp-meetings. He returned to the
United States, and repeated his visits to
Ireland and England in 1805. He afterwards
preached for many years in the United States,
traveling all over the country, and sometimes
making appointments a year in advance, which
he filled at the exact day and hour. His natural
eloquence and his eccentricities of dress and
speech attracted large audiences everywhere.
He preached much against the Jesuits, whom he
regarded as conspirators against civil and
religious liberty. His Polemical Works appeared
in 1814. Among his other writings are The
Stranger in Charleston: or, the Trial and
Confession of Lorenzo Dow (1822); A Short Account
of a Long Travel (1823); and the History of a
Cosmopolite (1851)—the cosmopolite being
himself. He died at Georgetown, D. C., February 2,
1834. Consult his Life and Writings (New York,
1854).
DOW, Neal (1804-97). An American
temperance reformer. He was born in Portland,
Maine, of Quaker parentage, and was educated
at the Friends' Academy in New Bedford, Mass.
He was twice Mayor of Portland, and in 1858-59
was a member of the State Legislature. In
1861 he was appointed colonel of the Thirteenth
Maine Volunteers, which he commanded in
General Butler's expedition to New Orleans.
Promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in 1862,
he commanded the fortifications at the mouth
of the Mississippi, and later the Department
of Florida. He was wounded and taken prisoner
by the Confederates at Port Hudson in May,
1863, and was confined for eight months thereafter
in Libby Prison. It was as a temperance
reformer and orator, however, that he was best
known. He was the author of the famous
prohibition law enacted by the Maine Legislature
in 1851, and traveled widely in the United
States, Canada, and Great Britain, speaking on
temperance questions and helping in the
organization of societies for the furtherance of the
reform. In 1880 he was the Prohibition candidate
for President of the United States.
DOWAGER (OF. douagiere, from douage,
dower, from douer, doer, Fr. douer, It., Lat.
dotare, to endow, from Lat. dos, dower). A widow
with a dower (q.v.). A title commonly
applied only to the widows of persons of high
rank. The Queen dowager in Great Britain, as
the widow of the King, enjoys most of the privileges
which belonged to her as Queen consort;
but it is not high treason to conspire her death,
because the succession to the crown is not thereby
endangered.
DOW′DEN, Edward (1843—). An English
scholar and critic. He was born in Cork,
Ireland, May 3, 1843, and educated at Trinity
College, Dublin, where he became, in 1867, professor
of oratory. From this chair he was soon
transferred to that of English literature. He
