pastured his kine upon mount Etna. The nymph Echenais, who loved the youth, threatened him with blindness if he should love another; but, being intoxicated with wine by the daughter of a Sicilian prince, he forgot her warnings, and thus brought upon himself the threatened punishment. Some say that he died of grief; others, that the nymph transformed him into a stone. All the nymphs bewailed his death, and Mercury raised him to the heavens. On the spot where he died flowed a fountain, at which the Sicilians afterwards performed yearly sacrifices.

DARCET, John; an eminent French physician and chemist, born, in 1725, at Douazit, in Guienne. He preferred the study of medicine to that of the law; in consequence of which, having been discarded by his father, he was obliged to teach Latin for his support, while pursuing his studies at Bordeaux. He accompanied the celebrated Montesquieu to Paris in 1742, and remained with him till his death as a literary assistant. He afterwards devoted himself to chemistry, and went to Germany, in 1757, with the count le Lauraguais, and visited the mines of the Hartz, in Hanover. On the restoration of peace, they applied themselves to technical chemistry, especially to the improvement of the manufacture of porcelain. Darcet made many experiments with this view, of which he drew up an account in several memoirs presented to the academy of sciences, in 1766 and 1768. He tried the effect of fire on the various kinds of earths, and demonstrated the combustibility of the diamond; on which subjects he presented memoirs to the academy in 1770. In 1774, he travelled over the Pyrenees, to study the geology of those mountains, on which he delivered a discourse at the college of France, which was published in 1776. On the death of Macquer, he succeeded him as a member of the academy of sciences, and director of the manufactory of Sèvres. He was afterwards appointed inspector-general of the assay of coin, and inspector of the Gobelin manufactory. He made several important chemical discoveries, and contributed much to the present improved state of the science. During the reign of terror, his life was preserved by Fourcroy, who procured the obliteration of his name from a list of persons destined by Robespierre to destruction. He died in 1801, at which period he was a member of the institute, and of the conservative senate. DARCET, John Peter Joseph, an excel

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lent practical chemist, born at Paris in 1787, has very successfully applied the discoveries in his science to the promotion of French industry. His father, who died in 1801, in the office of director-general of the porcelain manufactory at Sèvres, also distinguished himself as a practical chemist; and his grandfather was the celebrated Rouelle, the restorer of chemistry in France. Darcet entered early upon his career, after having laid the foundation of his eminence by the study of mathematics and natural philosophy. In his 24th year, he was made assayer of the mint; and, after introducing, among other discoveries, a new process for the preparation of powder on a large scale, he made experiments on the addition of seasalt in the manufacture, and essentially improved the preparation of the hydrate of the protoxide of barytes. These experiments led to new discoveries respecting elective affinity; but the decomposition of sea-salt was of the greatest importance, and eventually led to the establishment of the manufacture of artificial natron (soda). Among his other discoveries, we may notice the extraction of alkali from chestnuts, and the preparation of sugar from the same material, and the extraction of jelly from bones by means of an acid. The hospital of Louis at Paris is indebted to him for the excellent footing on which he put its baths and chimneys, and for the process which he introduced for bleaching the linen of the hospitals. He also made another discovery of great importance, whereby he obtained the prize of 3000 francs, which Ravrio had provided for the discovery of the means of protection against the fine dust of quicksilver, which had been so unhealthy to the gilders. Darcet's discovery completely attained the object, and this branch of French industry has since increased greatly in importance. He has also offered a plan for preserving the health of those concenied in the manufacture of Prussian blue.

DARDANELLES are the four strong castles built on the European and Asiatic coasts of the Hellespont, opposite to each other, and commanding that strait, which is about 12 leagues long, and called, from them, the strait of the Dardanelles, so that they are looked upon as the key of Constantinople. Their name is probably derived from the old city of Dardanum. The entrance to the Hellespont is defended by two castles, which are called the new castles, because they were built (subsequently to the two others, called the old

castles), in the middle of the 17th century, under Mohammed IV, to afford protection to the Turkish fleets against the Venetians. The distance of one from the òther is about two miles and a quarter. Four hours' sail farther to the north lie the old castles, built by Mohammed II, immediately after the conquest of Constantinople, which are not more than 1500 yards apart. Farther on still, the channel becomes narrower, and, at an hour and a half's sail from the old castles, two promontories appear suddenly, about 750 yards distant one from the other, and form that strait rendered famous by Leander's nightly visit to Hero, by Xerxes' bridge, and by Solyman's passage upon a bare raft. This is not provided with fortifications. It leads into the sea of Marmora, at the northeastern end of which lies Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman empire, upon another channel, which connects the Black sea with the sea of Marmora. The late lord Byron, in the month of March, 1810, swam from the castle of Sestos, in Europe, to the fort of Abydos, in Asia, in company with lieutenant Ekenhead, an English naval officer, and mentions the feat in his works with evident satisfaction. The same feat has been repeatedly performed in modern times. The negligent Turks, confiding in the celebrity of the castles of the Dardanelles, have taken so little care to keep them in a state of defence, that in 1770 they were completely in ruins, and upon the Asiatic side there was but a single battery standing, and that half filled with rubbish. On the 20th of July of that year, when the squadron of the Russian admiral Elphinstone, consisting of three ships of the line and four frigates, in pursuit of two Turkish ships of the line, appeared before the first castles, the Turkish batteries, from want of ammunition, were obliged to cease firing, after one general discharge of their ordnance, and Elphinstone sailed by without receiving more than a single shot. But, the other ships not following him, he contented himself with continuing his course, not minding the Turkish batteries, and cast anchor in the channel. From hence he returned to his fleet, notwithstanding a contrary wind, with drums and trumpets sounding, as much to conceal his own fear as to deride the weakness of the Ottomans. Warned by this unexpected circumstance, the Porte accepted the offer of baron De Tott (q. v.) to restore the castles to their former condition; and he rendered them, in a short time, impregnable. But the Turks were too indolent to preserve them long in

this condition; for, in 1798, Eton, an Englishman, who was for a considerable time resident in Turkey, in a description of this empire, declared that, at that time, a fleet might easily pass the Dardanelles. "These castles," he says, "may be beaten down by batteries erected on shore, or by sea, from situations where the great artillery cannot bear on ships. There are, on each side of the water, 14 great guns, which fire granite balls. These guns are of brass, with chambers, like mortars, 22 English feet long, and 28 inches diameter of the bore. A gentleman who has measured them since I did, says they are only 23 inches in diameter: one of us must have made a mistake. They are very near the level of the surface of the water, in arched port-holes or embrasures, with iron doors, which are opened only when they are to be fired. The balls cross the water from side to side, as they are a little elevated. These monstrous cannon are not mounted, but lie on the paved floor, with their breech against a wall. They cannot be pointed, and the gunner must wait till the vessel he intends to fire at is opposite the mouth; and they are at least half an hour in loading one of these guns." That this account is accurate there is no doubt, for it is confirmed by admiral Duckworth, an Englishman, who, on the 19th of February, 1807, with eight ships of the line and four frigates, together with fire-ships and gun-boats, effected a passage through the Dardanelles without loss, and appeared, on the next day, before Constantinople, which, till then, had never seen an enemy's fleet. Their presence was intended to influence the negotiations then in progress, but was of little avail, for the Turks, during the course of the discussions, under the direction of the French ambassador Sebastiani, were zealously employed in fortifying Constantinople and repairing the castles of the Dardanelles; so that Duckworth, on the 2d of March, could not return without loss, &c., according to his own confession. If he had remained eight days later, his return would have been altogether impossible.-The new castles are much less strong than the old ones, which are generally understood when the Dardanelles simply are spoken of. The latter are called Chana Kalissi (said to mean pottery castles, from a pottery near them), or, more elegantly, Sultanei Kalissi. The new castle on the Asiatic side is called Koum Kalé, or castle in the sand, from the character of the shore in that place. In the immediate vicinity of Koum Kalé, the ruins of the Troad are, by the common

marched forth, 10,000 strong, under the command of Miltiades, to meet the Persian army, and, animated by the reflection that they were fighting for freedom and their country, obtained a complete victory (B. C. 490). Darius now determined to take the command of a new army in person, but was prevented by domestic troubles, and died B. C. 485. This prince did much to improve the internal administration of his kingdom. In the year 508 B. C., he sent his admiral Scylax to explore the river Indus, and he encouraged commerce and arts by useful institutions and laws. His successor was Xerxes. (q. v.-2. Darius III, surnamed Codomanus, son of Arsanes and Sysigambis, and great-grandson of Darius II, or Ochus (who reigned from 424 to 404 B. C.), was the 12th and last king of Persia. He ascended the throne B. C. 336, when the kingdom had been weakened by luxury, and the tyranny of the satraps under his predecessors, and could not resist the attacks of a powerful invader. Such was Alexander of Macedon; and the army, which was sent against him by Darius, was totally routed, on the banks of the Granicus, in Asia Minor. Darius then advanced, with 400,000 soldiers, to the plains of Mesopotamia. The Grecian mercenaries advised him to await the enemy here, as the level country would enable him to draw out his forces to advantage; but Darius hastened forward to meet Alexander in the mountainous Cilicia. Curtius describes the splendor of his march. Darius was a second time totally routed, near the Issus, B. C. 333. He himself escaped, under cover of the night, to the mountains. His mother, his wife, and three of his children, fell into the hands of the conqueror, who treated them with great generosity. Alexander loaded 7000 camels with the spoil taken here and at Damascus. Darius was so far from being discouraged by these defeats, that he wrote a haughty letter to Alexander, in which he offered him a ransom for the prisoners, and invited him to a new engagement, or, if he did not choose that, granted him permission to retire into Macedonia. Alexander then laid siege to Tyre, on which Darius wrote him another letter, offering him not only the title of king, which he had before refused to do, but also 10,000 talents ransom, and all the countries of Asia as far as the Euphrates, together with his daughter Statira in marriage. These propositions, however, were unavailing. Alexander subjected Egypt, and Darius found himself once more obliged to collect an army, which most writers

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estimate at 1,000,000 men. He led his forces from Babylon to Nineveh, while Alexander was encamped on the banks of the Tigris. The two armies met between Arbela and Gaugamela, and, after a bloody engagement, Darius was compelled to seek safety in flight (331 B. C.). Alexander took possession of his capital, Susa, captured Persepolis, and reduced all Persia. Darius meanwhile arrived at Ecbatana, in Media, where he had another army of 30,000 men, among whom were 4000 Greeks, who remained true to the end, besides 4000 slingers and 3000 horse, commanded by Bessus, the governor of Bactria. With these he wished to march against the conqueror, but a conspiracy of Nabazanes and Bessus frustrated his plan. The magnanimous prince would not credit the report of the conspiracy, which reached his ears, and, at the same time, observed that his death could not be premature, if his subjects considered him unworthy of life. The traitors soon after took possession of his person, and carried him, in chains, to Bactria. Here he refused to accompany them any farther, and they transfixed him with their javelins, and left him to his fate. A Macedonian, named Polystratus, saw the chariot of Darius, and, as he was drinking at a neighboring fountain, heard the groans of a dying person. He approached the chariot, and found the king in the agonies of death. Darius begged for some water, on receiving which he requested Polystratus to thank Alexander, in his name, for the generosity with which he had treated the captive princesses. Scarcely had Darius expired, when Alexander came up. He melted into tears at the sight of the corpse, caused it to be embalmed, and sent it to Sysigambis, that it might be deposited by the side of the other Persian monarchs. Darius died (330 B. C.) in the 50th year of his age, with the reputation of a humane, peaceful and just sovereign.

DARMSTADT, capital and residence of the grand-duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, has 1279 houses (among which are 53 public buildings) and 20,000 inhabitants, mostly Lutherans, exclusive of the garrison. It is, of course, the seat of the highest authorities, and of a court of appeal; has a museum, library (with 90,000 volumes), drawingschool, gymnasium, an opera-house, theatre, &c. The house in which the soldiers are drilled is 319 feet long, 157 feet wide, and 83 feet high; so that a traveller remarked that the drilling-house was larger than the duchy. Lat. 49°56′ 24′′ N.; lon. 8° 34′ 49′′ E.