Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/125

This page needs to be proofread.
*
113
*

I LEIPZIG. Ill LEITH. the greater number being in law and philosophy. Besides a large number of university institutions, clinics, museums, collections, laboratories, and the like, there arc a number of private institutes and clinics available for students. The library contains 500,000 volumes and 5000 ilSS. A new governing body for tile universitv, the syndicate, was established in 1893. LEISEWITZ, ll'ze-vits, Johaxn Axton (17o2-1800). A German dramatic poet, born in Hanover. He went to Gr>ttingen in 1770, and became a member of the circle of poets called Der Hainbiind,v.hk-h included Stolberg and Voss. and contributed two poems to the GiJttingen M usenalmanach for 1775, both essentially dra- matic and democratic in tone. In 1775, at Brunswick, and later at Berlin and Weimar, he met and soon counted among his friends Eschen- liurg, Mendelssohn, Lessing, Nicolai, Herder, and • loethe. His single complete play, JuUvs von Turt'nt (1776), was written in Lessing's style and with nuich of the latter's dramatic tech- nique. The play was a favorite of Schiller, and was frequently acted in Germany. LEISLEB, lis'ler, .J.coB (?-1691). A char- acter prominent in the history of colonial Xew York. He was born in Frankfort. Germany, and in 1660 came to New Amsterdam as a soldier in the Dutch West India Company's service. Leisler's importance in history is due to the part he played in New York affairs in the three years following the English Revolution in 1088. On May 13, 1689, the New Y"ork militia, following the example of Massachusetts, which had imprisoned Andros, rose against Lieu- tenant-Governor Nicholson, and the three royal iipuncilors resident in New Y'ork seized the Gov- ernment for William and ilary. and chose a committee of safety, at the head of which was Leisler, who was appointed commander of the fort. Leisler at once set vigorously to work put- ting the town in condition to resist an expected attack from the French. One of his acts was to construct a new half-moon battery on tlie ^pot which has since taken the name of the r.attery. On December 9th a letter from the new • ■overnraent in England addressed to Nicholson, or. "in his absence, to such as for the time being take care for preserving the peace and admin- istering the laws in the said Province of New York," was delivered to Leisler. Taking this letter as his authority, Leisler assumed the title of Lieutenant-Governor, appointed a council, chose .Jacob Milbournc as secretary, and pro- ceeded to carry on the government partly in ac- cordance with the old Dongan charter. A num- ber of the most inlluential inhabitants, especially those who had held office under the Andros ri'gime, opposed Leisler, and some of them fled to Albany, which for a time held out against his authority, but after the destruction of Schenec- tady, February 19, 1690. by the French and In- dians, submitted to him. Thus for a time he was supreme in the Colony; and some of his most violent enemies were imprisoned. In Jlay, 1690, by his invitation, the first intercolonial congress that had ever assembled met in New York, and planned an expedition against Canada, ■which, however, was tmsuceessful. In January, 1691, Captain Ingoldsby, who sailed from Eng- land with Slonghter. the new Governor, but had been separated from him at sea, arrived in the Colony, and, although his commission did not give him authority to act as Governor, demanded possession of the fort and of the government. With this demand Leisler refused to comply, and some blood was shed before Sloughter li'imself arrived in March. As soon as he was convinced of the new Governor's authority, Leisler sur- rendered ; but, at the instigation of Leisler's ene- mies, Sloughter convened a special commission of oyer and terminer, which condemned leisler, his son-in-law Milbourne, and eight others to death. The prisoners were reprieved for a time, but at length Sloughter was prevailed upon to sign the death-warrants of Leisler and ililbourne, and on ilay 11, 1691, they were hanged. Four years later, liowever, tlie son of Leisler prosecuted an appeal in England, and succeeded in getting the confiscated estates restored and the bill of at- tainder reversed. Upon no other subject in New Y'ork colonial history has there been more dif- ference of opinion than upon that of Leisler's character and government, and historians have not yet come to an agreement upon the matter. Consult: Hoffman, The Adminislration of Jacob Leisler (in vol. xiii. of Sparks's "Library of American Biography," Boston, 1844) : Brodiiead, Historij of the State of yew York (New Y'ork, 1853-71 ) : and vol. ii. of the Dociimenlari/ Uis- tort/ of the Htate of Xeio Yorlc (Albany, 184"9-51). LEIST, list, BURKAKD WiLUKLM (1819—). A German jurist, born at Western,. in Hanover. He was educated at Giittingen, Heidelberg, and Berlin ; was made professor of civil law at Basel (1846), and later at Kostock (1847), whence he went to the University of .Tena ( 1853). A pupil of Savigny, he combined the historical method with analysis, and after studies on the fundamental material of law, especially Roman law, made valuable researches in the hypothetical field of Indogermanic law. His more' important writings are: Die Bonorum Possessio, ihre gc- schichtliche Entwickelung mid heutige Geltung (1844-48) ; Civilistische Stiidien auf dem Gebiet dogmatischcr Analyse (1854-77); Mancipation nnd Eiyentumstradition (1805); Versnche riner Gesehichte der romischen Rechtssystenie (1850) ; Der romische Erbreehtsbesitz { 1871) : Altarisches Jus Gentium (1889) ; and Altarisches Jus Civile (1S!)4-!16). LEITH, leth. An important town of Scotland. on the Firth of Forth, two miles north of Edin- burgh, with which it is connected by a continuous line of houses, and of which it is the seajiort (Map: Scotland, E 4).. The town is irregular and dingj', especially in the older and central parts, but the Trinity House, custom-house, town hall, iwal exchange, corn exchange, and banks are handsome buildings. The city has a Goveni- nient navigation school, ^^■est of the town is Leith fort, an important artillei-y station,and the fishing village of Newhaven is situated within the port boundaries. Leith combines with Edin- burgh in the provision of water and gas ; it maintains electric lighting, baths, municipal lodging-house, artisans' dwelling, fire brigade, slaughter-houses, and public parks. The harbor extends by means of two piers upward of a mile into the firth, and has a depth of about 25 feet at high water. There are six dry docks and an. equal number of wet docks. The total water area of the docks and harbor is 80 acres. Rail- way communication is continued from the various Leith stations to the quays, and even to the ex- tremity of the western pier, and across the har-