factures of less extent. The city was first settled in 1828, and is governed by the charter of 1859. The mayor's term is one year, and the city council is composed of five members. Pop., 1890, 1321; 1900, 2022.
ABINGDON. A town and county seat of
Washington Co., Va., 140 miles west by south
of Lynchburg, on the Norfolk and Western Rail-
road (Map: Virginia, C 5). It is the seat of
the Martha Washington College (Methodist
Episcopal, South), established in 1858, and the
Stonewall Jackson Institute (Presbyterian),
opened in 1869 (both for young ladies), and con-
tains Abingdon Academy. The industries are
cigar and wagon factories and planing mills.
Abingdon was settled about 1730 and was incor-
porated in 1778. Pop., 1890, 1674; 1900, 1306.
AB'INGTON. A manufacturing town in Plymouth Co., Mass., 20 miles southeast of Boston, on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (Map: Massachusetts, F 3). It was settled about 1680, and incorporated as a colonial town 1712. The town's affairs are administered by the town meetings, at which all questions affecting the interests of the town are discussed and settled. The town owns and operates its waterworks. Pop., 1890, 4260; 1900, 4489. Consult: B. Hobart, History of the Town of Abingdon ( Boston, 1866).
ABINGTON, Frances (1737-1815). A fa-
mous English actress. She was the daughter of
Barton, a common soldier. As an errand-girl,
she acquired French from a milliner. She be-
came a flower-girl at the theatres, and made her
first appearance at the Haymarket in London
(1775) as Miranda, in The Busybody. She was
married to Abington, her music teacher, from
whom she soon separated. The headdress she
wore was adopted by the women of fashion, and
the "Abington cap" became famous. Returning
to England in 1765, at the invitation of Garrick,
she played at Drury Lane for eighteen years,
and later at Covent Garden. She was the orig-
inal representative of Lady Teazle in 1777, and
played many Shakespearean parts. After the re-
tirement of Mrs. Pritchard and Kitty Clive, she
had no rivals on the London stage, and became
the first comic actress of the period. Her last
appearance was on April 12, 1799.
AB'IOGEN'ESIS. See Biogenesis.
ABIPONE, ii'h.'.-i)r>'nA. A South American
Indian tribe of Guaycuran stock, which formerly
wandered over the Gran Chaco region, west of
the Paraguay River. from the headwaters of the
Rio Grande in Bolivia southward to the Ver-
mejo in Argentina. Their traditions pointed to
a more northern origin. They obtained horses
about the year 1640, and soon developed into
bold riders and implacable foes of the Spaniards.
They were of splendid physique. and lived en-
tirely by hunting. The women tattooed, and the
men practiced the couvade. Their weapons were
the bow, the lance, and the shield. The Jesuits
established missions among them, but owing to
constant wars with the Spaniards and with other
tribes, and also to the custom among the women
of killing all but two children born to a family,
the tribe, which about 1780 was estimated at
5000, dwindled rapidly and is now supposed to be
entirely extinct.
ABKHASIA, ab-Kii's.*-a. A district of
Asiatic Russia on the Black Sea, included in the
government of Kutais. It is separated by the lofty ridge of the Caucasus from Circassia. and is hounded on the southeast by Mingrelia (Map: Russia, F 6). It derives its name from the Abkhasians. The country is mountainous, with well-watered valleys, and has rich woods of oak, walnut trees, etc. Area, about 2800 square miles. The northern part has a mild and healthful cli- mate, while in the south it is hot and unhcalth- ful. Its population, numbering about 50,000, mainly Mingrelians and Abkhasians, is engaged in agriculture, cattle-raising, and trade in lum- ber. This country was subdued by the Emperor Justinian, who introduced the Christian religion. Subsequently Persia, Georgia, and Turkey ruled in succession, the latter suppressing Christianity and establishing Moslemism. In 1810, the Khan of Abkhasia embraced Christianity and swore al- legiance to Russia, reserving to himself and his heirs the right of governing the district. The chief town in this region is Suklunnkale. The people speak a Circassian dialect, and are phys- ically akin to that stock, although typically ruder and less graceful. Their folk-life is also more primitive. As a result of the Russian oc- cupation, a great part of the tribe emigrated into Turkish territory. See Circassians.
AB'LATIVE CASE. See Declension.
ABLAUT, .'ibHout ; Ger. pron. iip'lout, or
Vowel Gradation. The name given by Ger-
man scholars, and in common use in English, to
a change in the root vowel in different forms of
the sam<' word. While ablaut appears in other
Indo-European languages and in otlier parts of
speech in the Teutcmic languages, it has become
the essential feature in the strong conjugation of
the verbs. (See Cox.ll'GATION.) .4 ?)/((«« is, there-
fore, not, like umlaut, a specifically Teutonic
change. tlKnigh its ai)plication to the verbal con-
jugation is such. Through various causes ablaut
has been obscured in modern English, but in Old
English six classes or grades of ablaut can be ob-
served. Ablaut appears also in connection with
the reduplicating verbs. For a complete list of
the strong verbs arranged according to the classes
of ablaut, see any Old English (Anglo-Saxon)
grammar. See Phonetic Laws.
AB'LEGATE (Lat. ab, away, from, off + legare, to send with a commission). A papal envoy or emissary, a special commissioner, deputed by the papal court at Rome to carry the hat and red biretta to a newly appointed cardinal. His official duties are completed when the latter has received the insignia of his office. The so-called apostolic ablegates are of higher rank than those termed pontifical.
ABLU'TION. See Purification.
ABNAKI, abna'ke ("Easterners"). A con-
federacy of Algonquian tribes, including the Pas-
samaquoddies, Penobscots, Norridgewocks, and
others, formerly occupying what is now Maine
and southern New Brunswick. On the northeast
their territory adjoined that of the Micmacs,
while on the southwest it merged into that of the
Penn;cooks. In consequence of King Philip's
War (see Wampanoag), they attached themselves
to the French side and maintained unceasing hos-
tility against the encroachment of the English,
until the destruction of their principal town at
Norridgewock and the killing of their mission-
ary Rasle in 1724, after which the greater por-
tion removed to Saint Francis. Canada, whither
other refugees from the New England tribes had
