OLDSTYLE. 786 OLEANDER. OLDSTYLE, Jonathan. The pscudonyiu undui- ■rtliii.-li Vasliiii<;ton Irving contributed to the Xew Vurk Morning Chronicle, in 1802. OLD TOWN. A city in Penobscot County, Maine, 12 miles nortli-northoast of Bangor; on the Penobscot River, and on the Maine Central and the Bangor and Aroostook railroads (Map: Maine, F 6). It has a public library and a city Jiospital; and anionji the jjroniincnt buildings are the city hall, high school, and Odd Fellows Block. The lumber interests of the city are very important, and there are also manufactories of wood pulp, bateaux and canoes, boots and shoes, woolens, patent medicines, chemical fibre, and machinery and foundry products. Under a revised charter of 1895, the government is administered by a mayor, annually elected, and a unicameral council. Settled about 1820, Old Town was set olF from Orono and incorporated as a town in 1840, and in 1801 was chartered as a city. Population, in 1890, 5312; in 1900, 57C3. OLD UNCLE NED. One of Stephen Collins Foster's popilar negro songs (1847), beginning "There was an old darky and his name was Uncle Ned." OLD WIVES' TALE, The. A farce or inter- lude by George Peele, printed in 1.595. but acted probably in 1590. The plot of' this lively farce is taken from Ariosto, but its chief interest is the fact that it suggested to ililton the plan of Com MS. The troiipe who act part of the Tale are transformed into the Lady, the Brothers, and Spirit of the poem. OLD WOMAN'S SUMMER. See IxwAM Summer. OLDYS, r.l'dis, William ( KiOdlTGl ) . An English antiquary; natural son of Dr. William Oldys, a civil lawyer. He seems to have been horn in London. He inherited some property from his father, but lost heavily through con- nection with the 'South Soa l!ul)ble' in 1720. For several years he aided Dr. Knowles in editing the Enrl of fjtrafforrlr'x Lellcrx and Dcspnlchrs (2 vols., 1739). During this time, also, he collected a valuable library, which he sold in 1731 to the Earl of Oxford, whose literary secretary he became in 1738. After O.xford's death, in 1741, Oldys's life became one of ilrudgery and hard- ship. For a number of years lie collaborated with Dr. .Tohnson in preparing a catalogue of tlic Oxford library, which had been purchased by Thomas ()sl>orne, the bookseller; but in 1751 ho was imprisoned in the Fleet for debt, and remained there two years before friends came to his aid. In 1755 the Duke of Norfolk secured for him the post of Xorroy king-at-arnis, which he kept until shortly before his death. His works, which have been often used by later writers, show deep learning and thorough re- search. Among the best known is the Life of Ixiilriqh, originallv prelixed to the llinloni of Ihc World (2 vols.. lYaii). and later to the collected edition of Sir Walter's ll-.r/.-.s- (8 vols.. Oxford, 1829). Another valuable work is his Brilish IJhriirinn (1737). a critical catalogue; and almost equally useful are his annotations and notes on the works of earlier writers. Consult Veowell. A Lilcrnrit Aniiiiimry : Memoir of Wil- linm Oldys, Xorroy King-al-Arms (London, 1SG2). OLEAN, O'le-an'. A city in Cattaraugus County, N. V., 70 miles south bj- east of Bulhilo; at the eonlluence of the Allegheny lliver with Olean Creek, and on the Erie, the Pennsylvania, and the Pittsburg, Shawnuit and Northern rail- roads (Map: New York, B 3). It has the Fore- man Library, General Hospital, a State armory,
- >. fine high-school building, and City Park. The
driving park here has been the scene of famous races; and in the vicinity is the well-known 'Rock City,' a collection of massive conglomerate rocks. Olean is noted for its extensive oil and lumber interests. Owing to the proximity of the Pennsylvania oil fields, it is a storage place for large quantities of petroleum, and the terminus of several pipe lines. Leather interests also are prominent, and great hemlock forests are near by. The industrial establishments include oil re- fineries, tanneries, planing mills, stave, heading, and barrel factories, carriage and wagon works, railroad shops, marble works, foimdries, glass factories, brick yards, flouring mills, a brewery, and bicycle works. Settled in 1804, Olean was chartered as a city in 1893, the charter of that date now being in operation, and proviiling for a government vested in a mayor, elected bien- nially, and a unicameral council. The water- works are owned and operated by the nm- nicipalitv. Population, in 1890, 7358; in 1900, 9402. OLEANDER (Fr. olcandre, Sp. olcand'-o, eloendro. ML. nrodandnim, corrupted by popular etymo!og>' with Lat. olea, olive tree, from Lat. rhododendron. CJk. }>o66SevSpov, oleander, from pdihv, rhodon, rose, + dfvSpov, dendron. tree), Xeriiim. A genus of plants of the natural order Apocynaccfe. The species are evergreen shrubs with leathery leaves, which are opposite or in threes; the llmvers in falsi' umbels, terminal or axillary. The common oleander (Xerium Olean- OLR.I.NDEB. dcr), a native of the -Mediterranean region and many of the warmer temperate parts of Asia, is frequently planted in many countries as an ornamental shrub, and is very common in north- ern latitudes as a house plant. It has beautiful red or sometimes white flowers. The English call it rose bay, and the French rose laurel tlaurier rose). It attains a height of 8 to 10 feet. Its (lowers give a splendid appearance to many ruins in the south of Italy. It delightsin moist situations, and is often found near streams.
