KNELLER. 546 KNICKEBBOCKEB. painted with success at Xureiiibcrg. Hamburg, and elsewhere, and in IG75 he went to England. He was given an opportunity to portray Charles II. at the same sitting with Sir Peter Lely, and at once won favor by his superior rapidity of execution and excellent likeness. Being hand- some and witty, his success at Court was assured. On the death of Lely, in 1680, he was made Court painter. His sitters included all persons of rank and distinttion of his day. He painted fourteen reigning sovereigns, among whom «ere Louis XIV., Peter the Great, and the kings and queens of England from Charles II. to George I. After having been knighted by William III. in 1693, and made a baronet by George I. in 171.5, he died in London. October 19, 1723, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Modern criticism does not indorse the eulogies of Rnellcr's paint- ing by Dryden. Addison, and other distinguished contemporaries. His art was modeled on that of Van Dj'ck; his canvases are smootlily painted, with much elegance and little character. His best-known works are the "Beauties" of Hampton Court, twelve ladies of William III.'s Court, painted as a counterpiece of Lely's series for Charles II.; and the "Kit-Cat Club." now in private possession in London. Kneller himself esteemed his portrait of Francis Couplet, a con- verted Chinese, his best work. Consult Acker- mann, Der Portriit-Maler Kneller im VcrlUillniss zur Kunsthilduii'i seiner Zeit (Liibeck. 184;j). KNELLEB HALL. The British Army train- ing college for bandmasters, instrumentalists, etc. The school was first instituted as a (Jovern- ment institution in 1857, although part of the expenses was met by a ta.x of ilO per annum from each regiment in the service. Ten years later the Government took over the entire re- sponsibility. It is situated at Twickenham, near London, and was formerly the residence of Sir Godfrey Kneller. KNESEBECK, kna'zr-bek, K.rl Friedrich, Baron von dem (1768-1848). A Prussian gen- eral, born at Karvve. He entered the army when he was fourteen : distinguished himself in the campaigns of 1792 and 1794: rose rapidly to the rank of major (1802). and at AuersUidt (1806) saved his King from ca))ture. Later in the same year he served with the Russian allies, and contributed to the victory of Pultusk in Decem- ber. After the Peace of Tilsit, he lived in retire- ment until 1809, Ahpn he was sent to Bohemia on a diplomatic erraud. Three years afterwards he was sent to Russia to urge the Prussian pol- icy of peace, and after the failure of this mis- sion was made adjutant-general, in which post he exercised a potent and frequently unfortunate influence on the King, especially in his attempt to oust Bliichcr in 181.5. In 1831 he succeeded Gneisenau in command of the army of observa- tion on the Polish frontier. He was made field- marshal on his retirement in 1847. He was a poet of some popularity, and wrote a Lob des Krieges (1805). which was a favorite in his day. Con- sult Lehmann, Kneseleck und Schiin (Leipzig, 1876). KNIAZIEWICZ, knya-z6v1ch, Kar6l (1762- 1842). A F'olish general, born in Courland. He joined a corps of cadets at Warsaw, and in 1778 entered the artillery of the Polish Republic. Decorated for bravery at Dubienka ( 1 792 ) . he distingiiished himself at Chelm and Golkow (1794) and in the defense of Warsaw, and rose rapidly to the grade of major-general. At Macie jowice he was in command of the left wing, was captured, and not set free till the accession of Paul. Then he joined the French Army, fought against Rome and Naples in the Polish legion was made corps connnander. and sent to Paris with the captured standards of the campaign .ftcr -Marengo he raised a new Polish legion, commanded it at Holienliii<len. but left the French service as soon as it became plain that Bonaparte intended to do nothing for Poland. He lived in retirement until 1812, then fought again for the French under Poniatowski at Smolensk, and showed himself a brilliant tactician by his mas- terly retreat from Yoronova. At Beresina he was so severely wounded that he had to leave the ser- vice. After the Peace of Paris he lived at Dresden; but in 1822 his popularity among the Poles made him suspicious in the eyes of the Russian (Jovcrnment, and he was imprisoned for eight months. He returned to Dresden, only to leave his retiremefit again in 1830 to plead for the cause of Poland in Paris, and remained there till hi-, dcatli. KNIAZNIN, kni'-iizh'ni'n, Fr.vnziszek Dv- ONlZY (1750-1807). A Pidish poet, born at Vi- tebsk. Upon the dissolution of the Order of the .Jesuits, of which he was a member, in 1773, he became secretary to Prince Adam Czartoryski. Learned. uj)right. sociable, and witty, he .spent his life in eulogizing, under classical names, in numerous odes his patron and that prince's family. Besides translations of Horace and Os sian, Kniaznin wrote many dramas, of which The Spartan Mother and the (lypsies achieved great vogue. His works were published in seven volumes (Leipzig, 1835). With Karpinski (q.v.) and Xaruszewicz (q.v.) he belongs to that group of sentimental Polish poets who sought the most artiticial phraseology and forms for the expres- sion of their feelings. KNIAZNIN, .Jakov Borissovitch (1742-91). A Russian dramatist, born in Pskov; member of the Saint Petersburg Academy (1783). He was educated at home and in the University of Saint Petersburg, and jmblished his first poems while still a student. He entered the army, and rose to be adjutant-general. His tragedy Didon (1769) was only an imitation of iletastasio and Lefranc de Perpignan ; but it brought him under the notice of the Empress Catharine II., whom he afterwards assisted in translation. Through his acquaintance with the poet SumarokofI, his future father-in-law, he was induced to leave military life and to devote himself to lit(:rature. His more noteworthy tragedies are: Vladimir i lanipolk (1779); Ifosslar (1784); ladishah ( 1786). In these, as in his comedies, he adhered too closely to French models. His IVidiHi, written in 1789, was not published for four years, because of some passages sudiciently original and patri- otic to alarm the Empress Catliarine, who caused it to be destroyed. Kniaznin brought out a com- plete edition of his works (4 vols., 1787), and they have been frequently reprinted, notably in two volumes (1847-48). KNICKEBBOCKEB, nik'er-bok-er. A name used of residents of New York descended from the old Dutch settlers. It is sometimes extended to include old Xew Yorkers of other stock.
