Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/566

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546 WEISSENBURG WELD WEISSENBURG, or Kronwelssenburg (Fr. Wis- sembourg), a town of Alsace, Germany, former- ly a strongly fortified place in the French de- partment of Bas-Rhin, on the Lauter, 32 m. N. N. E. of Strasburg; pop. in 1871, 5,886. It has several churches and schools and various manufactories. On Aug. 4, 1870, it was taken by the Germans under the crown prince of Prussia, after a victory over a division of Mac- Mahon's army commanded by Gen. Abel Douay, who fell in the action ; and subsequently the fortifications were razed. WEISSEXFELS, a town of Prussia, in the prov- ince of Saxony, on the right bank of the Saale, 19 m. S. by W. of Halle; pop. in 1871, 15,443. It has two churches, a normal school, a deaf and dumb asylum, and manufactories of porce- lain, merinoes, and other articles. In the ad- joining castle of Augustusburg are the bar- racks. From 1657 to 1746 the town was the capital of an independent duchy, Saxe-Weis- sonfols, a branch of the Saxon electorate. WELBY, Anella B. (COPPUOK), an American poetess, born in St. Michael's, Md., in 1821, died in Louisville, Ky., May 3, 1852. In 1838 she married George B. Welby, a merchant of Louisville. She gained considerable literary reputation at an early age by poetical contri- butions, first published in the " Louisville Jour- nal" under the signature of Amelia. These wore collected and published in a small octavo volume at Boston in 1844, which passed rap- idly through several editions. A larger col- lection of her poetical works appeared at New York in 1850, with illustrations by R. W. Weir. WELD (Span, gualda), a plant, probably na- tive to southern Europe, cultivated as a dyeing material. It is also called dyers' weed, dyers' rocket, and dyers' mignonette. It belongs to Weld (Reseda luteola). the same genus with the garden mignonette, and is reseda luteola. Weld is an erect, stiff, rarely branching annual or biennial, 1 to 2 ft. high, with linear or lanceolate, entire leaves, 2 to 3 in. long, and yellowish green flowers in long, stiff spikes. It is occasionally found along roadsides in this country, and in England is very common in waste places. Before com- mercial dyes were so numerous, weld was largely cultivated for the yellow dye yielded by the whole plant, but more especially by the seeds. The seed is sown broadcast, and the next year, when the flowers have opened quite to the top of the spike, the whole plant is pulled and dried. It is used to dye cotton, wool- len, silks, and other materials various shades of yellow, and as a basis for a green dye ; alum, cream of tartar, and chloride of tin are among the mordants used. The coloring principle is called luteoline ; by the action of the air this changes into luteoleine, which crystallizes in golden yellow plates. The yellow water color called Dutch pink is obtained from weld. WELD, the N. E. county of Colorado, bor- dering on Wyoming and Nebraska, and inter- sected by the South Platte and its tributaries ; area, about 11,000 sq. in.; pop. in 1870, 1,636. It is wholly situated in the "plains;" the sur- face is diversified, and is mostly covered with grasses and other vegetation. There is little wood, but extensive beds of coal are found, and iron ore in the W. part. The valleys of the streams are very fertile ; irrigation is ne- cessary, and except in the S. E. part is readily obtained. It is crossed in the west by the Den- ver Pacific railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 8,307 bushels of wheat, 1,9GO of rye, 9,550 of Indian corn, 24,207 of oats, 8,065 of potatoes, 58,043 Ibs. of wool, and 4,553 tons of hay. There were 681 horses, 1,462 milch cows, and 3,406 other cattle. Capital, Groeley. WELD. I. Theodora Dwlgtat, an American philanthropist, born at Hampton, Windham co., Conn., Nov. 23, 1803. In 1825 he entered Hamilton college at Clinton, N. Y. ; but his eyes failed. In 1830 ho was appointed general agent of the society for the promotion of manual labor in literary institutions, on which subject he published a valuable report in 1838. Ho entered Lane theological seminary in 1833 ; but when the trustees suppressed the anti- slavery society in the institution, lie led the secession which resulted in the transfer of all the students but six to Oberlin. He now be- came a prominent abolitionist lecturer. In 1836 he lost his voice, and the American anti- slavery society appointed him editor of all its publications not periodical. He wrote many pamphlets issued by the society, and books en- titled "The Bible Against Slavery," "Ameri- can Slavery as it is," and " The Power of Con- gress over the District of Columbia." In 1841 -'3 he was in Washington in the employment of the anti-slavery members of congress. In 1854 he established the Eagleswood school at Perth Amboy, N. J., and in 1864 removed to Hyde Park, near Boston, where he has since re- sided, occupied chiefly in lecturing. II. Angelina Emily Grimke, wife of the preceding, born in Charleston, S. C., Feb. 20, 1805. She was the