Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/507

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
*
459
*

KERESAN STOCK. 459 KERMANSHAH. Santa Ana, Santo Domingo, aitd Sia, all in the general neij,'lil>orliood of AlljiKiuorque. with an aggregate [jopulation of about .3400. See PiEnLO, and Colored Plate of 1ndi..ns, Amehica.n. KERGUELEN (ker'gel™ or k.lr'gc-lax') LAND, nr Dksolatiox lsr_xn. .

uninliahited 

i.sland in the south of the Indian Oeean. in lati- tude 48° .39' to 49° 44' S. and longitude 08° 42' to 70° 35' E. It is over 100 miles long and about nO miles wide at the widest part, with a total area of over 1300 square miles (Jlap: World, O 28). It is surrounded with numerous inlets and reefs, and has an elevated surface, the gla- eiev-eovered peaks of Mount Ross and Jlount Richards reaching 6000 and nearly 4000 feet re- sjiectively. The coasts are indented bj' a number of inlets, the largest being Christmas Harbor and Royal Sound. The island is of volcanic ori- gin, and composed chiefly of ba.saltic rocks with an admi.xture of carboniferous strata. Streams and lakes abound, but trees are absent. The flora is arctic, the most interesting species being the indigenous PrinriJea anf {scorbutica or Ker- guelen cabbage, a cruciferous edible plant of large dimensions. The fauna is made up largely of aquatic animals and sea-fowl. The climate is very raw. The warmest period is in .January, when only the highest peaks are covered with snow. The group was discovered by Kerguelen- Tremarec in 1772, and visited by Cook in 1776. In 1874 the island was used by the German, Eng- lish, and American expeditions as a station for observing the transit of Venus. Since 1803 the group has been in the possession of France. KERGUELEN - TREMAREC, kar'ge-lUx' tra'ma'rek'. Yvks .Ioski-h ue (c.1745-97). A French navigator and explorer, born at Quimper. Brittany. He sailed in 1771 on a voyage of dis- covery to the southern seas as naval lieutenant. At Mauritius he embarked in two smaller craft. He discovered and claimed for France (1772) a certain island in the archipelago named for him in the Indian Ocean, half way between Africa and Australia, and called the 'Island of Desolation' by Captain Cook, who visited it four years after- wards. Kerguelen's discovery was discredited in his own country, as it was certainly not the long- sought southern continent, though a second voy- age (1773-74) failed to convince the explorer, now captain of two vessels, that ho was mis- taken. On his return he was tried by court-mar- tial for professional errors, condemned and im- prisoned; b>it Louis XVI. released him and commanded him to write an account of his ex- plorations. This he did in Relation de deux voi/npcft dans les mem aiisfrnten ct les hides (1782) : and he published besides: Relation d'un roi/af/e dans la mer du Xord (1771) and Rela- tion des comhats et de.i errnements de la ijuerre maritime de mS entrc la France et VA-nglcterre (1700). KEBKI, ker-ke'. A strongly fortified town of Bokhara. Central Asia, situated about 113 miles southeast of the city of Bokhara, on the left bank of the .mu Darya (Map: Asia, Central, K 2). The town has several mosques, a small bazaar, and a caravanserai. It is defended by a good wall and deep ditch, and has some strategical importance, owing to its position on the Russian frontier. Its fortificntions were strengthened by the Russians in 1885, and the town contains Vol. XL— ai. a Russian garrison. The inhabitants, number- ing :ibout 5000, are mostly Uzbeks and Turko- man-. KERKUK, ker-krHik'. A town of Asiatic Tur- key, in the Vilayet of Mosul, situated on a tribu- tary of the Tigris, about 140 miles north of Bagdad (Jlap: Turkey in Asia, L 5). It has an old citadel, a number of mosques, three Roman Catholic churches, and several monasteries. One of the mosques contains the alleged tomb of Daniel. There are some cotton factories, tan- neries, and potteries, 'ilie population is esti- mated at 30.000, mostly Kurds, about one-third being Christian Chalda'ans. KEBL, kerl, Georg Heixbich Bru.xo (1.824- — ) . A German metallurgist. He was boi-n at Saint Andreasbcrg, in the Harz; received his scientific training at the mining academy of Klausthal and at GiJttingen, and was appointed a lecturer at the former in 1840. In 1802 he obtained a professorship. From 1807 he was a lecturer in the Royal ilining Academy of Berlin, from 1808 to 1892 was a member of the expert industrial commission, and from 1877 to 1885 was connected with the patent office. In 1850 he be- came an assistant editor on the staff of the Berg- und hiittenniiinnische Zcitung. of Leipzig. The list of his publications is extensive, and includes a Handbueh der melallurqisehen Biittenkunde (2d ed., 4 vols., 1801-05)'; Grundriss der all- gemeinen Hiitteukunde (2d ed. 1879) ; and Grundriss der Mctallhuftenktinde (2d ed. 1880). KERLEREC, k.lr'la'rek', Lons BiLLor.BT, Chevalier de (1704-70). A French sailor and Colonial Governor of Louisiana. He was born at Quimper, France, and early entered the French Xavy. During the War of the Austrian .Succes- sion he distinguished himself against the English. In 1747. while on the Xcplune. after his siqjerior officers had been disabled, he fought three English ships, giving up only when the ship was full of water, the crew much reduced, and he himself wounded. He was promoted captain in 1751. and the next year was appointed Governor of Louisiana. He was involved in frequent quar- rels with indei)endently appointed subonlinates, and was nuicli annoyed by English privateers and the intriguing of English agents with the Indians. Louis X'.. finding the colony unprofit- able, paid no attention to his appeals for aid, and secretly ceded it to Spain. On his return to France in 1703, nevertheless, he left the colony in much better condition than that in which he found it. However, he was accused by some of his subordinates of peculation and illegal use of power. In 1709 he was convicted and sentenced to banishment. He appealed, but died before fur- ther action could be taken. KEBMADEC ( ker-m:-|<l'ek ) ISLANDS. A gi'nup of small volcanic islands in Oioanica. situated between 29° 10' and 31° 28' S. lati- tude, and about 178° 32' W. longitude. 000 miles northeast of Xcw Zealand, with which they are administratively connected (Map: .Vustral- asia, L 0). They aggregate in area about 12V. square miles, and had in 1901 only eight inhabit- ants. KERMAN, ki'r'miln. A province of Persia. See KIR^rA^". KERMANSHAH. ker'mftn-sha'. A town of Persia. See KiRMAXsn.ii.