Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/27

History Survey. He became n mombcr of the Na- tional Academy of Sciences, the Scienlihe So- ciety of C'hristiania, and various other scientific associations, and in 1892, upon the foundation of tlu! JounuiJ of (leolof/ij, was made one of its edi- tors. His principal works relate to the geolo^zy of the Arelia'an and Algonlcian formations. He is a recognized authority of tlio liighest order on Anu'rican Algonkian and Arelia-an geologj', and liarticuhuly on the iron-bearing series of the, LaUe Sujierior region, on the deposition of ores, and on the principles of structural and dynamic geology, as applied to i're-Canibiian formations. His separate publications include such titles as Correlalion Papers — Archccan and Algonkian (1892); The Pcnokee Iron-Bearing Series of Michigan and lT'isco«si)i (with R. D. Irving, 1892) ; Principles of ^^orth American Prc-Cam- brian Oeologi/ (with Appendix by L. M. Hoskins, 189G) ; The Marquette Iron-Hearing District of Michigan (with W. S. Bayley and H. L. Smyth, 1897) : The GnjKtal Falls lion-Iiegring District of Michigan (with J. Morgan Clenu'nts, H. L. Smytli, and W. S. Bayley, 1899) ; The Menominee Iron-Hearing District of Michigan (with V. S. Bayley, 1900) : Some Principles Controlling the Deposition of Ores (1901) ; The Iron Ores of the Lake Superior Region (1901); The Lead and Zinc Deposits of the Mississippi Valley, U. 8. A. (with It. F. Bain, 1902); A Treatise on Meta- morphism ; An Attempt to Reduce the Phenomena of h'ock Alterations to Order Under the Laivs of Energg (1903).

VAN HORNE, Sir William Cornelius (1843 — ). A Canadian railroad official, born near Joliet, 111. After filling various positions with several railways, he became general mana- ger of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882, and in 1888-99 served as president of that road. He was also instrumental in the development of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company, and of steamship communication with Australia.

VANILLA (Neo-Lat.. from Sp. vainilla, ray- nilla. aiiilla. vanilla-bean, little pod, diminutive of raina, pod. from Lat. vagina, sheath). A genus of epiphytic orchids, natives of tropical America and of Asia. The seedlings germinate in the ground, and climb with twining stems to a heiglit of 20 to 30 feet on trees, upon which they feed and to which they cling by fibrous roots produced from the nodes. The stem is four-cor- nered and juicy; the leaves long and fleshy; the very large fleshy, generally fragrant fiowers in spikes; the fruit, a pod-like fleshy capsule, open- ing along the side. The vanilla of conuucree is cliiefly. if not wholly, the fruit of 'I'anilhi plani- folia. a s]iecies indigenous from Mexico to Peru, and cultivated in the West Indies. Mauritius, and Ceylon. The plant is propagated by cuttings and is allowed to climb trees that will afl'ord it a partial shade. It furnishes a crop in three years and continues in bearing for thirty or forty years. Since it is not self-fertile, artificial fertilization of the flowers is resorted to in the more successful plantations. The fruit is cylin- drical. 7 to 8 inches long, and less than half an inch thick. It is gathered before it is fully ripe, dried in the shade, and 'sweated.' to develop and fix the aroma. This manipulation, which is a kind of fermentation, requires great care, and upon it the value of the product largely depends. The fruit contains within its tough pericarp a soft black pulp, in which many minute black .seeds are imbedded. It has a strong, peculiar, agreeable odor, and a sweetish taste, which is most pro- ' nounccd in the interior pulp. It is much used by perfumers and also for flavoring chocolate, pastry, sweetmeats, ices, and liquors. The aro-

TANILLA PLANIFOLIA.

matio principle of vanilla is vanillin (CsHgOj), now produced artificially by several methods. Owing to the high price of the best vanilla beans, $10 to $15 per pound, the artificial product is used to a great e.xtent, especially in adulterating the cheaper grades. It has not the delicate odor of the natural product and has a tendency to breali up. forming undesirable compounds.

VANILLA GRASS. See Holy Grass.

VANINI, va-n6'ne, LuciLlo (c.1585-1619) . An Italian free-thinker, born at Taurisano. He taught successively at Geneva, Paris, and Lyons, at the last of which cities he published in 1615 the Amphitheatrnm ^I^temw Providentiw. On account of his pantheistic teachings he was forced to flee to England. When his dialogues De Admirandis 'Natures RegincB Deceque Mor- talium Areanis came . out in Paris the fol- low'ing year they were burned by the Sorbonne. Vanini then went to Toulouse, where he began to teach. Hei-e he was again accused of atheism and witchcraft, and was burned at the stake on the day of his condemnation. His dramatic death has given him a reputation not justified by the achievements of his life.

VANITY FAIR. In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, a fair held in the tomi of Vanity, at which all comers are supposed to give themselves up to thouglitless frivolity and careless vice. It is a scene graphically described. The term has become synonymous ^vitll the world of fashionable pleasure.

VANITY FAIR. A celebrated novel by Thackeray, published first in monthly parts,