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of the sovereign. The yeoman of the guard wear a picturesque uniform which dates back to the fifteenth century, the corps being formed by Henry VII. in 1485. It consists of old soldiers and is officered by a captain, who is usually a member of the Ministry and a peer, a lieutenant, an ensign, a clerjc of the cheque and adjutant, and four 'exons.' These appointments are usinil- ly awarded to retired oUicers ami are uuieli valued. There are also noncommissioned ollicers and 100 yeomen or privates. The yeomen of the guai'd, though uniformed similarly to the Tower Warders, well known to visitors to Lon- don, are a distinct corps. They are armed with partizans, a form of long-handled cutting weapon. Consult Preston, Yeomen of the Guard (London, 1S87). See' Beefeatek. YER'KES, Charles T-.son (1837—). An American capitalist, born in Philadelphia, Pa. He was educated in the Quaker Hchool and the C'<-mtral High School in Philadelphia, was a clerk for a time in a Hour and grain connnission house there, opened a money and stock-broker's office in 1858, and from ISGl to 1886 was in the bank- ing business, making a specialty of dealing in bonds. In 1871 he was forced to make an assign- ment, and as he refused to give any preference to the city of Philadelphia, to which he was in debt for bonds sold on its account, he was tried on a charge of having misappropriated public funds, was convicted, and for a short time, until pardoned, was imprisoned. In 187.')-74, at the time of the Ja}' Cooke failure, he reestablished himself financially by a series of fortunate in- vestments, and he gradually became identified largely with the development of the street rail- way system in Philadelphia. In 1881 he re- moved to Chicago, where after 1886 he secured virtual control of the city's street and elevated railway systems, which he greatly extended. In lSfl'2-93 he was an influential member of the board of directors of the World's Fair in Chicago, and devoted his attention particularly to the fine arts department, to which he lent his own nota- ble collection of paintings. In 1892 ho endowed the famous Yerkes Observatory (q.v.). wdiich was completed in 1896. He took an active part in the construction and extension of the new London underground railway system. YERKES OBSERVATORY. The astro- nomical observatory of the University of Chicago, located at William Bay, Wis. It is named after its founder. Charles Tyson Yerkes (q.v.), who supplied the funds for buildings and instruments. This institution contains the largest refracting telescope in existence. It is of 40 inches diameter and used principally for the observa- tion of close or faint double stars, the planets and satellites, and spectroscopic work. YERMAK TIMOFEYEFF, yer'mak te'nio- fa'yef (?-1584). Conqueror of Siberia. He was chief (hetman) of the 'Don Cossacks.' and, in consequence of his depredations, was defeated and outlawed by Ivan the Terrible, bxit he was subsequently pardoned. In 1579 the family of Stroganoff. to whom the Czar had granted lands on both sides ef the Urals, applied to Yermak for assistance against Kntchum. Khan of Sibir. who ruled the coimtry between the Tobo! and Irtysh rivers, and whose tribesmen had inter- fered with the operation of the great Stroganoff salt works. Yermak invaded the country, took the town of Sibir (Isker) in October, 1581, and subjugated the people as far as the Irtysh. The conquered country he gave to the Czar Ivan, who made him Prince of Siberia. Conflicts, however, were renewed with Kutehum in 1584. In Septem- ber of that year Yermak was drowned in the Irtysh, and it was not mitil 1587 that the Ivhan- ate of Sibir was definitely conquered by the Rus- sians_. Yer)nak's deeds are celebrated in Russian folksongs and in Khomvakoir's Yermak, a drama in verse (1832). YEW (AS. iw, Cvu; Coh, OIIG. iifa, iha, Ger. Elbe, Swiss Ichc, Jge, yew; connected with Olr. CO, Welsh, yiv, Corn, hivin, Bret, iuen, ivinerir yew, OPruss. invis, Lith. jiiva, Lett, eva, black alder, OChurch Slav, ica, W'illow), Taxus. A genus of coniferous trees of the natural order Taxacea;. The species are widely distributed in the Northern llcmisphere and some are large and beautiful evergreen trees. The connuon yew (Taxus hareata), a tree of 30 to 40 feet and a trunk sometimes of great thickness, is a native of Middle and Southern Europe and of Siberia. It often attains an age of 300 years. Its wood has been much used for making bows, for which it is preferred to every other kind of wood. It is very hard, and reckoned almost equal to box- wood for fine work. The fruit is red, and was. YEW (Taxns baccata.). long reputed poisonous. There are numerous varieties in cultivation. In North America there are three species, Taxus Canadetisis, a low strag- gling shrulj; Taxus Floridaua, the Florida yew, and Taxus brevifolia, the Paeiiie yew, both trees of considerable size. The Pacific yew attains a height of 75 feet and diameter of 5 feet or more, and its light yellow wood is of considerable value. Tvrrcjid CaJifornica is sometimes called stinking yew. The name .Japan yew is sometimes given to I'odovari>us iiiacropluilld, a close relative. It is a large and stout tree, a native of Japan; its wood is mucli valued for cabinet work. YEZD, yezd. or YAZD, yazd. The capital of the Province of Yezd. Persia. 105 miles oast by south of Ispahan, on the roiite between that city and Kirman (Map: Persia. E 5). The chief features are the ruins of the old walls, nu- merous mosques, and a large bazaar. The manu- factures of silk and felt goods are important.