Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/67

DEVONSHIRE DEVRIENT 59 duit nearly 30 m. long. With the exception of some breweries and soap-boiling houses, Devonport contains no factories of importance. The density of the population is greater than that of any other place in England, viz., 130,- 000 to the square mile. Devonport is fortified on three sides by a wall, a breastwork, and a ditch 12 to 20 ft. deep cut in the solid rock ; while the entrance from the sea is commanded by several heavy batteries. These works were begun by George II. The chief feature of the town is the dock yard, which employs 2,500 men. It was commenced by William III., who built the basin and two docks. It has a river front of 3,500 ft., and a maximum breadth of 1,600 ft., the area enclosed being about 96 acres. There are two dry docks, one double and one single dock for ships of the line, one graving dock, five building slips, and vast docks or basins at Point Keyhain for fitting and repairing war steamers, commenced in 1844, and embracing an area of 72 acres. The immense roofs over the docks, consisting of single arches, without buttresses or pillars, are wonders of architectural skill. A canal TO ft. wide runs nearly through the yard, com- municating with the boat pond. DEVONSHIRE, a maritime county of England, bounded N. and N. W. by the Bristol channel, W. by the river Tamar and Marsland Water, which separate it from Cornwall, S. and S. E. by the English channel, and E. and N. E. by Dorsetshire and Somersetshire; area, 2,589 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 600,814. The principal rivers of Devon are the Taw, Torridge, Tamar, Dart, Teign, Exe, and Tavy. Trout are found in great plenty in most of these ; the Tamar, Tavy, and Exe furnish valuable salmon fish- eries, those of the last being thought the best in England. The county has three canals : the Great Western, 35 m. long, connecting the S. E. coast with the Bristol channel, the Tamar canal, and the Tavistock canal. The Bristol and Exe- ter and the South of Devon railways also trav- erse it. Devonshire is a rich mineral coun- try, furnishing copper and lead in considerable abundance, with smaller quantities of tin, iron, bismuth, and many other minerals, besides coal and marble. The tin mines were anciently nu- merous and valuable, but are now nearly aban- doned, those of Cornwall being so much richer. There are several varieties of lead ore, one of which is very rich in silver. Cobalt, antimony, and native silver have been found in consider- able quantities. The marbles quarried from the limestone rocks on the E. and S. coasts much resemble Italian marble in texture and appearance. Fine pipe clay, potters' clay, and slate of excellent quality are abundant. The agriculture of Devonshire is in a flour- ishing condition, about three fourths of the land being under cultivation. The S. and S. E. parts contain extensive wastes, inclu- ding Dartmoor, covered with immense rocks and detached masses of granite. In the N. and N. W. are found large tracts of swampy ground and many peat bogs of great depth. The vale of Exeter, containing about 200 sq. m., is one of the richest valleys in the kingdom. The district called South Hams, extending from Torbay round to Plymouth, is known as the garden of Devonshire, and is finely diversified and very productive. The pasture lands are chiefly devoted to dairy uses, though some at- tention is paid to raising sheep and cattle. Devonshire is celebrated for its cider and its cattle. The purest breeds are distinguished by a high red color, without white spots ; they are fine in the bone and clean in the neck, thin- skinned, and silky in handling ; have horns of medium length bent upward, a small tail set on very high, a light dun ring around the eye, and are noted for feeding at an early age. The cows weigh from 420 to 460 Ibs., the oxen from 700 to 820 Ibs. The North Devon cattle, an- other variety, are in great demand for the firm grain of their meat, and the superior qualities of the oxen for work. The native horses are small, but hardy, and much accustomed to the packsaddle. Landed property in Devonshire is more evenly divided than in most other counties, there being few very large freeholds. Farms average from 100 to 200 acres. The spinning of linen yarn, and manufacture of lin- en goods, have superseded the former woollen manufacture. In and about Tiverton great quantities of lace and lace net are made, which find a market on the continent of Europe. Ship building gives employment to numbers of men. The chief ship yard is the royal dock yard at Devonport. The county town is Exeter, where the assizes are held. Among the other prin- cipal towns are Plymouth, Dartmouth, Tavis- tock, Okehampton, Totness, Honiton, Axmin- ster, Tiverton, and Barnstaple. The county gives the title of duke to the Cavendish, and of earl to the Courtenay family. There are ruins, British and Roman, in various parts of the county, among which are several abbeys and castles. DEVRIENT, the name of a family of German actors, of whom the most eminent are : I. Ludwig, born in Berlin, Dec. 15, 1784, died Dec. 30, 1832. His father, a silk mercer, intended him for a mercantile life, but at the age of 18 he joined a company of actors, and made his debut at Gera in Schiller's u Bride of Messina." He afterward travelled with the same company through Saxony, and in 1805 accepted an engagement at the court theatre of Dessau, and attained brilliant success. Pecuniary em- barrassments drove him some years later from this place. He went to Breslau, and subsequently, at the suggestion of the actor Mand, to Berlin, where in 1815 he appear- ed as Franz Moor in Schiller's "Robbers." From that time until his death he stood at the head of his profession in Germany. He was equally great in comedy and tragedy. II. Karl August, nephew of the preceding, born in Berlin, Aug. 5, 1798. He served in a regiment of hussars in the campaign of 1815 against