Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 07.djvu/218

PEMBROKE COLLEGE 166 PENAL SERVITUDE broke College, among others Spenser and Thomas Gray, the poets. The famous English martyr bishop, Ridley, and the great English statesman, William Pitt, were among the alumni. The library of the college, consisting of about 20,000 volumes, contains many interesting and valuable v^rorks. In 1913-1914 there were 293 undergraduates. PEMBROKE COLLEGE, a college at Oxford, England. Founded in 1624, when Thomas Tesdale bequeathed a sum of money for the support of scholars in Oxford. Richard Wightwick added to Tesdale's bequest, and because the latter had indicated Balliol as his preference, that college claimed the endowment. James I., however, determined to found a new college, and, with these two be- quests, founded Pembroke, named after the then chancellor of the university. The buildings are very picturesquely situated and are, for the most part, of modern construction. The college con- sisted of a master, 7 fellowships, and about 150 undergraduates. During the war the number of undergraduates was reduced to a third of that figure. Among its famous alumni are John Pym, George Whitefield, Beaumont, the dram- atist, and Samuel Johnson. Some me- morials to Johnson have been erected, and a number of relics from his student life are there. PEMBROKESHIRE, county of Wales, on W. coast, and Bristol Channel. Is mountainous, and traversed by River Leife; and Milford Haven is important harbor for commerce and war. Coal mines are numerous, and iron ore and lead are leading minerals. In the valleys the products are barley, wheat, and green crops. Pembroke, capital; St. Davids, seat of ancient episcopal see. Fop. 89,600. PEMMICAN, or PEMICAIST, meat cut in thin slices, divested of fat, and dried in the sun, then pounded into a paste, mixed with melted fat, and sometimes dried fruit, and pressed tightly into cakes or bags. It is an easily preserved food, will keep for a long time, and contains much nutriment in a small compass. PEMPHIGUS, or POMPHOLYX, a skin disease which is characterized by an eruption of large vesicles, filled with serous fluid, and known as bullae. The disease occurs both in acute and in the chronic form. In a mild case of acute pemphigus, bullae, or blisters, from the size of a pea to that of a chestnut, ap- pear^ in succession (chiefly on the ex- remities), and having continued three or four days break, form a thin scab, and soon heal, unaccompanied with febrile or inflammatory symptoms. In severe cases there is considerable constitutional disturbance, the bullae are larger, and the scabs heal with difficulty. The chronic form differs mainly from the acute by its prolonged continuance. The acute variety chiefly affects children, and has been ascribed to dentition, errors of diet, etc.; while the chronic form chiefly attacks aged persons, and is probably due to debility and impaired nutrition. PEN, an instrument for writing with a fluid. The metallic stilus for the pro- duction of incised letters was probably the earliest writing implement. It was used by the Romans for writing on tab- lets coated with wax; but both they and the Greeks also used what is the true an- cient representative of the modern pen, namely, a hollow reed, as is yet common in eastern countries. It has been as- serted that quills were used for writing as early as the 5th century A. D. In Eu- rope they were long the only writing im- plements, the sorts generally used being those of the goose and swan. Up till the end of the first quarter of the 19th cen- tury these formed the principal material from which pens were made. In 1803 Wise produced steel pens of a barrel form, mounted in a bone case for carry- ing in the pocket. Joseph Gillott com- menced the manufacture about 1820, and succeeded in making the pen of thinner and more elastic steel, giving it a higher temper and finish. Mr. Gillott was fol- lowed into the same field by Mr. Perry and others, and their improvements re- duced the cost and raised _ the quality. Cast-steel of the finest quality is used in the manufacture, and the various opera- tions are performed by cutting, stamping and embossing apparatus. Birmingham was the first hora.= „nd is still the prin- cipal center of the steel-pen industry. Gold pens tipped with minute particles of iridium are now in extensive use, and a good one vdll last for years. Fountain pens and penholders, to carry a consid- erable supply of ink and to discharge it in an equal manner, were invented by Joseph Bramah. PENAL LAWS, laws which prohibit an act, and impose a penalty for the com- mission of it. PENAL SERVITUDE, a form of pun- ishment in English criminal law, substi- tuted, in 1853, for the punishment of transportation. It consists in imprison- ment with hard labor for a term of years, from two up to the duration of life, in one of the penal establishments in Great