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Montejo, Francisco de

(Encyclopedia)Montejo, Francisco de fränthēsˈkō dā mōntāˈhō [key], c.1479–c.1548, Spanish conquistador. He served in Cuba under Diego Velásquez, later commanded a vessel in the expedition of Juan de Gri...

Vérendrye, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de la

(Encyclopedia)Vérendrye, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de la pyĕr gōtyāˈ də värĕnˈ syör də lä vāräNdrēˈ [key], 1685–1749, explorer in W Canada and the United States, b. Trois Rivières (Three...

Vattel, Emerich de

(Encyclopedia)Vattel, Emerich de āˈmərĭkh də vätĕlˈ [key], 1714–67, Swiss philosopher and jurist. He served (1746–58) as Saxon minister at Bern and later in the cabinet of Augustus III at Dresden. He is...

San Juan Boundary Dispute

(Encyclopedia)San Juan Boundary Dispute, controversy between the United States and Great Britain over the U.S.–British Columbia boundary. It is sometimes called the Northwest Boundary Dispute. The difficulty aros...

Maistre, Xavier de

(Encyclopedia)Maistre, Xavier de də mĕsˈtrə [key], 1763–1852, French writer, b. Savoy; brother of Joseph de Maistre. He served in the Russian army and lived most of his life in St. Petersburg. His works are ...

Rambouillet, Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de

(Encyclopedia)Rambouillet, Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de kätrēnˈ də vēvônˈ märkēzˈ də räNbo͞oyāˈ [key], 1588–1665, famous Frenchwoman, whose salon exercised a profound influence on French liter...

Maupassant, Guy de

(Encyclopedia)Maupassant, Guy de gē də mōpäsäNˈ [key], 1850–93, French novelist and short-story writer, of an ancient Norman family. He worked in a government office at Paris and became known c.1880 as the ...

Rivera, Fructuoso

(Encyclopedia)Rivera, Fructuoso rēvāˈrä [key], 1790?–1854, first president of Uruguay (1830–34, 1839–42). After serving with Artigas, he was one of the Thirty-three Immortals who raised the standard of i...

Serrano y Domínguez, Francisco

(Encyclopedia)Serrano y Domínguez, Francisco fränthēsˈkō sāräˈnō ē dōmēngˈgāth [key], 1810–85, Spanish general and statesman. In 1834–39 he distinguished himself in the war against the Carlists. H...

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