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descent

(Encyclopedia)descent, in anthropology, method of classifying individuals in terms of their various kinship connections. Matrilineal and patrilineal descent refer to the mother's or father's sib (or other group), r...

Cowper, William Cowper, 1st Earl

(Encyclopedia)Cowper, William Cowper, 1st Earl, 1664?–1723, English jurist. He became lord keeper of the great seal in 1705 and in 1706 took a leading part in negotiating the union of England with Scotland. He wa...

Clergy Reserves

(Encyclopedia)Clergy Reserves, those lands set apart in Upper and Lower Canada under the British Constitutional Act of 1791 “for the support and maintenance of a Protestant clergy.” “Protestant clergy” was ...

Fenwick, John

(Encyclopedia)Fenwick, John, 1618–83, Quaker colonist in America, b. England. Planning to found a Quaker refuge in America, Fenwick obtained (1674) Lord Berkeley's share of New Jersey in trust for the Quaker merc...

Gray, George

(Encyclopedia)Gray, George, 1840–1925, American jurist, b. New Castle, Del. A lawyer, he was (1879–85) attorney general of Delaware and (1885–99) a Democratic senator. Gray often served (1898–1916) on inter...

Maranhão

(Encyclopedia)Maranhão mərənyouNˈ [key], state (1996 pop. 5,218,442), 126,897 sq mi (328,663 sq km), NE Brazil, on the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is São Luís (also known as Maranhão). Agriculture and livest...

Kolomyya

(Encyclopedia)Kolomyya kələmĭˈyə [key], Ger. Kolomea, Pol. Kołomyja, city (1989 pop. 63,000), W Ukraine, on the Prut River and in the Carpathian foothills. It is a rail junction and agricultural trade center....

Mascara

(Encyclopedia)Mascara măsˈkərə, mäsˈkärä [key], town (1998 pop. 80,797), NW Algeria. The town is also known as Mouaskar. It is an administrative center, a garrison town, and a marketplace, noted for its whi...

Laguna District

(Encyclopedia)Laguna District [Span.,=lake], irrigated area in E Durango and W Coahuila states, N central Mexico. Originally a 900,000-acre (364,200-hectare) tract, consisting of large estates, the land was reappor...

Kigoma

(Encyclopedia)Kigoma kēgōˈmäˈ [key], town, capital of Kigoma prov., W Tanzania, a port on Lake Tanganyika; combined with Ujiji in a single municipality, Kigoma-Ujiji (2012 pop. 215,458). It is the terminus of ...