Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/808

LANCIANO. 732 LAND-CRAB. nected by an aiuiciit bridge of great square blocks of stone, originally dedicated to Diocletian. The central position uf tliis town caused it to be selected as a centre of judicial and civil adminis- tration during both the Roman and the Gotliic periods. It is the seat of an archbishop, has a gii'nniasium, technical schools, a seminary, a pub- lie library, a city hospital, an asylum for the aged, an infant asylum and a nuuiicipal theatre. The country produces grain, fruit, wine, and oil, and there are important hemp and linen facto- ries. Population (commune), in 1881, 17,109; in 1901, 18,528. LANCRET, Ui.N'krfi', Nicolas (1090-1743). A French painter, liorn in Paris. He was the pupil of Dulin, a professor at the Academy, and then of Gillot, who was the master of Watteau. Lancret imitated Watteau, both in manner of painting and choice of subjects. He was ad- mitted to the Academy in 1719 as painter of 'fetes galantes,' and afterwards became councilor (1735). He is not the equal of Watteau. though he sometimes ap|)roaclies him: liis l)rusli is more conventional, and he had le-;s imagination. Some of the best examples of his art are "Charniea de la conversation," "Cache-cache Mifoulas," "Les quatre elements," "Les quatre coins." and the portrait of Mile. Sale. He was also an engraver. There are twelve of his pict vires in the Louvre. LAND (AS. land, OHG. laiit. Ger. Land; con- nected with Ir. laud, lann, Welsh Uan, Corn., Bret. Ian, OChureh Slav, ledinn, land). As a technical term of the law of England and -Vmer- ica, the term land comprehends not only the surface nf the earth, but a vertical space extending indefi- nitely downward toward the centre of the earth and indefinitely iijnvard toward the sky, together with everything which has become permanently aflSxed to the earth within the limits of that space. It thus includes all waters collected in wells, cisterns, or ponds, as well as waters per- colating through the soil; all improvements of a durable or permanent character, such as houses. fences, monnmenis, etc., and the vertical column of air which rests upon the surface as its base. As thus employed, the term describes the sub- ject-matter of real property, rather than the nature of the property, land as such not being capable of absolute ownership, but being subject to certain rights of user and enjoyment, known as estates. But the term land is not coextensive in meaning with real estate, as certain rights over land, as leasehold interests, are in oir legal system classified as personal jiroperty. and. on the other hand, things which have no connection with land, such as heirlooms, are under certain circiunstances regarded as real property. See CiHTTEL: K.state; Flxture; Hereditament; Reai- Property ; Tenement. LANDAU, liin'dou. An old town in the Rhine Palatinate, (ierniany. situated on the Queich, 11 miles by rail from Xenstadt (Map: Germany. C 4). It has manufactures of iron and machinery, landau became a free Imperial city in 1291. was taken eight times during the Thirty Years' War. and having passed to France by the Peace of Westphalia, was fortified by Vauban in 1088. The fortress figured prominently in the War of the Spanish Succession. It was annexed to Ba- varia in 1810: its fortifications were razed in 1871. Population, in 1890. 11.236; in 1900, 15,823. LAND BANKS. Hanks of issue organized for the iiurposc of loaning credit on land. In Kngland a National Land Bank was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1090. Landed estate, made over to the companj- by the subscribers, took the place of capital stock, and served as security for notes issued. The object of the cor- ]ioration was to make a large loan to the Govern- ment, and to lend nxmey to individuals on land as security. The interest paid by individuals was not to exceed 4 per cent., and lan<l on which interest was in arrears for two years could be sold. The scheme was found wholly imprac- ticable, and, in spite of many tempting offers made by its promoters, failed to obtain the neces- sary amount of subscriptions. In 1714. 17.'{2, and 1740 attempts were made in New England to establish similar land banks, but it was believed that the .security of land held by the corporation was sullicient to enable the notes to circul.ate, and. tlicrefore. it was believed that bank capital and current redemption of notes were unnecessary. Instead of a promise to pay on demand, the notes merely bore the statement that the members of the company would accept them at their face value in all mercantile transactions, and, in some cases, the promise that the note would be redeemed in twenty years. None of these banks were in existence long enough to affect trade. The issue of notes by the banks established in 1714 and 1732 was promptly suppressed by the colonial Governments, and in 1741 the land banks of 1740 were declared illegal by Act of Parlia- ment. BlBLlOORAPlll'. White, Monei/ and Hanking (Boston, 1892) ; Rogers, Firxt inr Yrdt/t nf the Hank of Enijland (Oxford. 1887); Davis. Ciir- rrncy and Bankhiq in the I'rnrinrr nf Massachu- ■irtts Bay, ii. ( Puldications of the American Economic Association, May, 1901). LAND-CRAB. Any species of crab (q.v.) which in a mature state is not aquatic, having become adapted to ,a terrestrial mode of life. Such are now grouiied into a family, the Gecar- cinidiE, and divided into several genera. The species are numerous, and all inhabitants of warm countries. They very much resemble the common crabs of oiir shores, and are remarkable as animals breathing by gills, and yet not aquatic, some of them inhabiting very dry places, where they burrow in the sand or earth; hut some degree of moisture is absolutely necessary to them to prevent the desiccation of their gills. Many, and proliably all of them, carry their eggs to the water, for which purpose some of them annually migrate from considerable distances to the sea; but there is reason to suppose that .some deposit their eggs in fresh water. The black crab, or mountain crab (flrrarcintin ruri- rnla). of the West Indies, usually resides in woods and on hills often two or three miles from the sea, which, however, it regularly visits in the months of April and JIay. Like most of the other species, this land-crab is active chiefly during the night : and except in rainy weather it seldom leaves its burrow by day. It feeds chiefly on vegetable food. When in season, it is highly esteemed for the table, .as some of the other land- crabs also are; and its spawn or roe, which be- fore being ileposited forms a bunch as large as a hen's egg. is accounted a delicacy. Another species of Gecarcinus abundant in .Jamaica is known as the white land-crab. It occurs in