"Ronveds," or defenders of the country, were organized with extraordinary rapidity, and a severe battle was fought with Jellachich. Kossuth was now named president of a committee of defence. The second revolution of Vienna broke out in October, and Kossuth directed the march of the army on Vienna. Then followed the battle of Schwechat, which compelled the Hungarians to retire. Windischgratz, the Austrian general, entered Hungary, and commenced a system of wholesale murder. Kossuth and the diet had retired to Debreczin, and there they declared the country in danger. Volunteers came from all quarters engaged to serve "till after the victory." A new army sprang as it were out of the earth, and the old Polish general, Henry Dembinski, was placed at its head, with Klapka and Repassy as generals of division. Soon after the war of extermination commenced.
We need not pursue the military details; suffice it to say that Austria called in the aid of Russia, that the Hungarians renounced all allegiance to the Austrian emperor, and pronounced the house of Hapsburg dethroned. Kossuth was then by acclamation nominated governor of Hungary. A "Declaration of Independence" was drawn up and signed, and Kossuth in the name of his country made appeal to France and England—unfortunately without receiving the aid which at a later period was so lavishly accorded to the far less worthy Turks. The Russian army determined the fate of Hungary, but not until heroism of the highest order was displayed by the revolutionists. Kossuth attributed to Görgey the ruin of the Hungarian cause, and would have fought out the battle to the last man; but finding the cause lost he resigned the governorship, which in August, 1849, was transferred to the general who was supposed to betray his country.
The political career of Kossuth may be said to have terminated at this point. He had no other course than to leave Hungary, which he did by crossing into Turkey. He was first detained at Widdin, then at Shumla, then at Kutaija, where he was joined by Madame Kossuth and his two sons in February, 1850. In the following year, thanks to the influence of England and the United States, he was able to reach England, and disembarked at Southampton on the 17th October. He there made his first address to the English in a speech characterized by so much power, such intimate acquaintance with British institutions, and eloquence of so high an order, that England was taken by surprise. Received as he was with a welcome not less than enthusiastic, the Southampton speech raised the ex-governor in popular esteem, and brought him at once into close sympathy with the people of England. It was, however, only the first of a series of the most masterly addresses that have ever been delivered in any country by the native of another. In 1851 Kossuth went to America, in the hope of enlisting the western republic in the cause of Hungary, but met with no success. He returned to England, and honourably employed his great talents in giving public lectures. At the time of the Russian war a volume of his "Select Speeches" was published under the editorship of F. W. Newman. At the breaking out of the Italian war, the ex-governor anticipated that Hungary might also be induced to move, and entered into some negotiations, it is supposed, with the emperor of the French, the particulars of which have not been made public. During his residence in Great Britain, Kossuth has enjoyed an amount of general esteem seldom accorded to a foreigner. By the integrity of his conduct and the honour of his character, combined with the domestic virtues so highly appreciated in England, not less than by his remarkable talents, he has won for himself a high place in public estimation, and takes rank as an illustrious, though hitherto unsuccessful patriot, who has never in adversity sullied the cause to which he had devoted his life.
In 1861 Kossuth, in a letter to one of his friends in Glasgow, published a manifesto regarding the policy which he thought Hungary ought to pursue in the national dispute with the court of Vienna. This elaborate document shows with the utmost clearness the legality of the Hungarian cause, and the utter treachery of the Austrians.—P. E. D.
KOSTER, Henry, a resident in Brazil for some years, published in 1816 an account of his travels in that country, illustrated with plates. Died at Pernambuco in 1820.—D. W. R.
KOSTER, Laurens Janszoon, said to have derived the surname by which he is known from the parochial dignity of sacristan hereditary in his family, is one of the competitors for the honour of having invented the art of printing. He was born at Haarlem in Holland, it is supposed about 1370, and is reported to have filled several offices besides that of sacristan, in connection with the church of St. Bavan in his native city. His claims to the distinction of being the inventor of printing in Europe were first raised by Adrian Junius, the lexicographer, in the Batavia, published in 1588 (Junius died in 1575), nearly one hundred and fifty years after the date assigned by the best authorities as that of the death of Koster. According to the statement of Junius, who when young had been a student at Haarlem, and later became the principal of its college, he had heard from several of the elders of Haarlem, who again had received it from a person in early life in the employment of Koster, the story which connects the latter with the invention of printing. This tradition was, that one hundred and twenty years before Junius reported it, Koster had invented wooden types, cut out of the bark of the beech-tree; that he had next proceeded to manufacture a new kind of ink more suitable than any other in use for printing purposes; and that finally he had employed lead and pewter instead of wood in the construction of his type. Koster was successful and required other aid than that of his first assistant, his son-in-law. Among his employés, was a certain John, whom Junius suspects to be Fust, the partner of Guttenberg. This John, whoever he might be, stole his master's invention and implements, through which printing was commenced in Germany. Other Dutch advocates of Koster's claims assert, that his printing establishment at Haarlem was continued by his heirs. Unfortunately for the whole story, however, no book or other publication has yet been discovered which bears indubitable evidence of having been printed by Koster. Junius' report of the traditions of Haarlem is unsupported by a tittle of evidence, and was not published, moreover, until Koster himself had become almost mythical. The latest asserter of Koster's claims is the learned M. Auguste Bernard, to whose Origine des débuts de l'imprimerie en Europe (Paris, 1853. Laurence Coster et son école), the reader is referred.—F. E.
KOSTHA Ben Luca, a Christian philosopher, a native of Baalbek or Heliopolis, in Syria, flourished about 864. According to Casiri he travelled into Asia Minor and to Constantinople, to perfect himself in Greek and to collect manuscripts. At Bagdad he was employed in translating Greek authors into Arabic. Finally he retired into Armenia, where he died. His original works in Arabic are numerous, and chiefly on scientific subjects. His translations from the Greek include several important works, some of which are lost in the originals.—B. H. C.
KOTHOUZ, Mahmoud Saif eddin Malek Modhaffer, sultan of Egypt from 1259 to 1260. His early experiences were of a very diversified character, but he had attained to the dignity of emir when the Tartars invaded Syria and threatened Egypt. Taking advantage of the prevailing confusion, he made the reigning sultan, Nour-eddin Ali, prisoner, and usurped the throne. Shortly after he marched against the Mogul Tartars, whom he defeated and drove out of Syria. William of Tripoli says that he was urged by the emir Bibars to follow up his victory over the armies of Holagou Khan, by an attack upon the Franks, which he refused on the ground of existing treaties. Bibars was also not rewarded as he expected for his services, and revenged himself by the murder of Kothouz, whom he succeeded.—B. H. C.
KOTTER or COTTER, Christoph, born in Silesia in 1585. A currier by trade and a Calvinist by religious profession, in or about 1616 he began to give out that he had extraordinary visions and revelations relating to the church. These visions were followed by dreams and ecstacies. The political aspect of some of his predictions led to his apprehension and imprisonment as an impostor. After being confined for some time and put in the pillory, he was banished and withdrew to Lusatia, where he died in 1647. The pretended prophecies of Kotter were collected and put into Latin, and published by J. A. Comenius in 1657, under the title of Lux in Tenebris.—B. H. C.
KOTZEBUE, August Friedrich Ferdinand von, the most prolific and most popular of German comic dramatists, was born of a good family at Weimar on the 3rd May, 1761. After a careful education he studied law at Jena and Duisburg, and in 1780 settled at Jena as an attorney. At the same time he began his literary career by some feeble imitations. Driven by a restlessness which characterized the whole course of his life, he proceeded to St. Petersburg, where he became secretary
