438
DIAZ —DICTIONARY “The Storm,” and “The Forest of Fontainebleau” (1870) Williamson Artisan School is entirely supported by an at Leeds. Diaz had no well-known pupils, but Leon endowment. There are three printing-presses. Richet followed markedly his methods of tree-painting, and J. F. Millet {q.v.) at one period painted small figures Dictionary.—A dictionary is a book in which the in avowed imitation of Diaz’s then popular subjects. words of a language, or words of a special class, are Authorities.—A. IIustin. Les Artistes Cdebres: Diaz. arranged, generally in alphabetical order, and their meanParis.—D. Croal Thomson. The Barlizon School of Painters. ing and idiomatic use are explained in the same or in a London, 1890.—J. W. Mollett. Diaz. London, 1890.—J. different language. Most modern dictionaries give also the Claretie. Peintres et Sculpteurs Contemporains: Diaz. Paris, pronunciation of the words defined and an account of their 1882.—Albert Wolff. La Capitate de VArt: JVarcisse Diaz. derivation or etymology, and some add information of Paris, 1886.—Ph. Burty. Maitres et Petit-Maitres: N. Diaz. various kinds about the things or processes which certain Paris, 1877. (d. C. T.) words designate. If the latter variety are general (not Diaz, Porflrio (1830 ), President of the limited to a special class of words) they are commonly Republic of Mexico, was born at Oaxaca 15th September called encyclopcBdic. A general dictionary in which the 1830. He was educated for the Church, but upon information given relates only to the meaning, idiomatic becoming his own master decided to follow the profession use, pronunciation, orthography, derivation, and history of of the law; and, about 1855, the disturbed condition of words (or to some of these things) is literary, pedagogical, the country, in revolt against Santa Anna, made him a or philological. Special dictionaries are classed as technical soldier. He took a prominent part in the resistance to the when they include only the terms of one or more of the French invasion in 1863, and so greatly distinguished sciences, arts, or trades. The name is also given to himself as to have become by 1867 commander of the certain works, such as a “rhyming dictionary,” a “dictionarmy of the east, to which the capital surrendered after the ary of biography,” a “ dictionary of quotations,” and the execution of the Emperor Maximilian. He then retired like, which are not of a strictly lexicographic character, into private life, but in 1870-72 was in arms against and to encyclopaedias. For a detailed description of President Juarez, and in 1875 placed himself at the dictionaries of various kinds, and for a list of the more head of an insurrection against the Government of important of them, the reader is referred to the article in President Lerdo de Tejada. After many desperate the ninth edition of this work, vol. vii. (pp. 179-193). struggles and hairbreadth escapes he entered the city of Here only the more noteworthy recent work in general Mexico in November 1876, and was elected President in lexicography will be considered. At no time has progress in the making of general 1877. His repudiation of all the promises he had made in the programme he had put forward at the beginning of the dictionaries been so rapid as during the second half civil war caused his term of office to be exceedingly stormy, of the 19th century. It is to be seen in three things: but he suppressed all opposition, and in 1880 peacefully in the perfecting of the theory of what a general transmitted his power to General Gonzalez, his Secretary dictionary should be; in the elaboration of methods of War. In 1884 he was elected for a second term, of collecting and editing lexicographic materials; and in and, the provision of the Constitution which for- the magnitude and improved quality of the work which bade the re-election of a President having been repealed, has been accomplished or planned. Each of these can he continued to be regularly re-elected; and no disquiet- best be illustrated from English lexicography, in which ing event has since occurred, except an abortive attempt the process of development has in all directions been to assassinate him in 1897. Under his vigorous rule the carried farthest. The advance that has been made in most anarchical of Spanish American states has become the theory began with a radical change of opinion with regard most orderly ; military revolts have disappeared; the laws to the chief end of the general dictionary of a language. are executed without opposition; industry has been The older view of the matter was that the lexicographer stimulated, to the great increase of national wealth; roads should furnish a standard of usage—should register only and railways have been multiplied; foreign capital has those words which are, or at some period of the language been invested and rendered secure ; and the financial credit have been, “good” from a literary point of view, with of the country, which had sunk to the lowest ebb, has been their “ proper ” senses and uses, or should at least furnish entirely re-established. All these benefits are owing to the means of determining what these are. In other words, General Diaz’s force of character and administrative his chief duty was conceived to be to sift and refine, to ability, and he has incontestably earned the title of the decide authoritatively questions with regard to good usage, and thus to fix the language as completely as might be regenerator of Mexico. possible within the limits determined by the literary taste Dibrugfarh, a town of British India, in the of his time. Thus the Accademia della Crusca, founded Lakhimpur district of Assam, of which it is the head- near the close of the 16th century, was established for quarters, situated on the Dibru river about 4 miles the purpose of purifying in this way the Italian tongue, above its confluence with the Brahamaputra. In 1881 it and in 1612 the Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca, had a population of 7153, and in 1891 of 9876. It is long the standard of that language, was published. The the terminus of steamer navigation on the Brahmaputra, Academic Francaise, the first edition of whose dictionary and also of a railway running to important coal-mines and appeared in 1694, had a similar origin. In England the petroleum wells, which will ultimately be connected with idea of constructing a dictionary upon this principle the Assam-Bengal system. Large quantities of coal and arose during the second quarter of the 18th century. It tea are exported. There are a military cantonment, with 280 was imagined by men of letters—among them Alexander men in 1898 ; the headquarters of the volunteer corps Pope—that the English language had then attained such known as the Assam Valley Light Horse; a Government perfection that further improvement was hardly possible, high school, with 292 pupils in 1896-97 ; a training school and it was feared that if it were not fixed by lexicographic for masters; and an aided school for girls. In 1900 a authority deterioration would soon begin. Since there medical school for the province was established, out of a was no English “ Academy,” it was necessary that the task bequest of Rs.50,000 left by the late Brigade-Surgeon J. should fall to some one whose judgment would command Berry-White, which will be maintained by the Govern- respect, and the man who undertook it was Samuel Johnment, to train hospital assistants for the tea gardens. The son. His dictionary, the first edition of which, in two
