Fergusson, Robert
Robert (1750-1774), a Scottish poet. He lived in Edinburgh. He was a scholar of St. Andrew's University, and later held a clerkship in his native town. He led a brief, convivial life, but died in deep melancholy. He was a favorite of society. He wrote Lowland Scots verse with facility, and is considered a forerunner of Burns. Burns fully acknowledged his indebtedness and raised a memorial stone in the old Canongate above the remains of "his elder brother in the Muses."
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Fermo
2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about other peoples, religions, or nationalities that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: ET 2026-07-22) a walled city of central Italy, till 1860 capital of a delegation of same name, forming part of the states of the Church in the province of Ascoli, 3 miles from the Adriatic, and 32 S. S. E. of Ancona. Its harbor on the Adriatic, called Porto di Fermo, is small, and but little frequented. Fermo was founded by the Sabines before Rome existed, was colonized by the Romans toward the beginning of the First Punic War, and was repeatedly sacked by the Goths and other barbarians. In the 8th century the city was transferred to the Holy See. Pop. about 5,000.
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Fermoy
a town in the county of Cork, Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the Blackwater. It is the site of a cathedral, archbishop's palace, two convents, and a college. The chief industries are agricultural products and grist mills. It is an important garrison town with accommodations for 3,000 troops. Pop. about 12,000.
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Fern
in botany: (1) General: The filical alliance, consisting of vascular , acrogens with marginal or dorsal onecelled spore cases, usually surrounded by an elastic ring; spores of only one kind. Ferns are leafy plants springing from a rhizome, which creeps below or on the surface of the ground or rises into the air like the trunk of a tree. This trunk does not taper, but is of equal diameter at both ends. It is covered by a hard, cellular, fibrous rind; its wood, when any is present, consists of large, scalariform or dotted ducts; the vernation of the leaves is circinate, their venation often dichotomous. Reproductive organs, consisting of spore cases, arise from the veins on the lower drated oxide is used to remove ₂S Irom coal gas, and as a mordant in dyeing. It is reduced by organic matter, but is reoxidized in the air. Ferric oxide unites with ferrous oxide to form magnetic oxide of iron, Fe2O3 FeO, or Fe3O4. surface of the leaves or from their margins. The collection of seeds are called sori.
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Fernando De Noronha
an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Brazil. It is 8 miles long, by FESSENDEN 124 ton the Order of the Society of the Cincinnati. Later he went to France, where he became a favorite at court,, and was the disguised coachman at the flight of the royal family from Versailles during the Revolution. He returned to Sweden, where he was received with honor, and in 1801 was made grand marshal that country. On suspicion of complicity in the death of Prince Christian of Sweden, he was seized by a mob while marshaling the funeral procession, and tortured to death, June 20, 1810.
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Ferret
a relative of the weasel, now known only as a domesticated animal. It is about fourteen inches long. It is of a whitish or yellowish color, with red or pink weasel-like eyes. It is bred in confinement, both in this country and in Europe. It has an exceedingly slender, lithe body, and is used to rid houses of mice and rats. English poachers and gamekeepers use the ferret to drive rabbits out of their underground warrens, a bag being held over the entrance to catch the rabbits as they come popping out. As a verb, the term, ferret, is used to denote a sly, furtive method of detecting crime or drawing out a secret. Common weasel. European polecat. Ferret. Furbearing animals Pine marten. White-breasted marten. Furbearing animals Russian sable. Furbearing animals
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Ferrex and Porrex
. See Tragedy
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Ferric Oxide
This material is used in its natural state and also prepared artificially under various names, such as crocus, red stuff and rouge It is used for polishing fine articles of steel, gold, silver, copper and bronze. Tin Putty is an artificial compound prepared from glowing oxalate of tin, which is obtained by decomposing tin salt with oxalic acid.
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Ferris
WOODBRIDGE N., American educator and statesman, was born at Spencer, N. Y. January 6, 1853. He graduated from the Oswego Normal Training School and studied medicine at the University of Michigan, 1873-4. From 1875 to 1884 he was connected as teacher or principal with a number of Illinois business colleges and in 1884 became the founder of the Ferris Institute at Big Rapids, Michigan, of which he was president for almost forty years. He was governor of Michigan in 1913-14 and again in 1915-16. In 1922 he was elected U. S. Senator from that state, being the first member of the Democratic Party to hold the office for over seventy years.
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Ferris Wheel
a device for pleasure seekers. It may be described as a merry-go-round on edge. The cars are swung between the circumferences of two large wheels. The axis of the wheels or wheel is turned by power. As the wheel turns, the cars are carried up and down , describing the circumference of a circle. The cars are swung in such a way that they retain an upright position. Ferris wheels are a popular feature of fair grounds and summer resorts. The original Ferris wheel was built on the grounds of the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. The inventor was Mr. G. W. G. Ferris, of Pittsburg. The wheel, the largest wheel ever built, was 250 feet in diameter, and swung fourteen feet in the clear. The upper part of the circumference was thus 264 feet above the ground. This wheel carried 36 cars. Each car had seats for 40 passengers. This wheel weighed 2,200,000 pounds, 1,100 tons, and cost $300,000. After the close of the Chicago fair the wheel was operated for a time on North Clark street, and later it was set up in St. Louis. Finally, being too large to pay for removal from place to place, it was sold for old iron; but it has been succeeded by many imitations.
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