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borstal system

(Encyclopedia)borstal system bôrˈstəl [key], rehabilitation method formerly used in Great Britain for delinquent boys aged 16 to 21. The idea originated (1895) with the Gladstone Committee as an attempt to refor...

Björnsson, Sveinn

(Encyclopedia)Björnsson, Sveinn svān byörnˈsôn [key], 1881–1952, Icelandic diplomat and political leader, first president of Iceland (1944–52). A distinguished lawyer, he was elected to the Althing (Icelan...

Quadruple Alliance

(Encyclopedia)Quadruple Alliance, any of several European alliances. The Quadruple Alliance of 1718 was formed by Great Britain, France, the Holy Roman emperor, and the Netherlands when Philip V of Spain, guided by...

Ness, Loch

(Encyclopedia)Ness, Loch lŏkh [key], lake, 22 mi (35 km) long, Highland, N central Scotland, in the Great Glen. More than 700 ft (213 m) deep and ice free, it is fed by the Oich and other streams and drained by th...

Tennent, Gilbert

(Encyclopedia)Tennent, Gilbert, 1703–64, American Presbyterian clergyman, leading preacher of the Great Awakening, b. Ireland; son of William Tennent. He moved with his parents to Pennsylvania c.1718. Installed a...

Saint Kitts and Nevis

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Saint Kitts and Nevis or Saint Kitts–Nevis nēˈvĭs, nĕvˈĭs [key], officially Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, island nation (2015 est. pop. 52,000), 120 sq mi (311 sq km), West Indie...

Hurd, Douglas

(Encyclopedia)Hurd, Douglas, 1930–, British politician. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he worked in the diplomatic service (1952–66) and later served as Prime Minister Edward Heath's political...

Troppau, Congress of

(Encyclopedia)Troppau, Congress of trôpˈou [key], 1820, international conference convened at the behest of Czar Alexander I of Russia under the provisions of the Quadruple Alliance. The congress, which met at Tro...

Kearny, Lawrence

(Encyclopedia)Kearny, Lawrence kärˈnē [key], 1789–1868, American naval officer, b. Perth Amboy, N.J.; cousin of Stephen Watts Kearny. He became a midshipman in 1807, served in the War of 1812, and later saw ac...

lake dwelling

(Encyclopedia)lake dwelling, prehistoric habitation built over the shallow waters of a lake shore or a marsh, usually erected on pile-supported platforms, but sometimes on artificial islands or mounds. Such a site ...