Peter's Pence
a tax of a penny on each house throughout England, which commenced in Saxon times as an occasional voluntary contribution, but was finally established as a legal tax under Canute, Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror. From being sent to Rome it was called by the Saxons rome-feoh, rome-scot and rome-pennying. The name Peter's pence arose from its being collected on St. Peter's Day. From being levied on every private and every religious house, the Abbey of St. Albans only excepted, it was called also hearth money. At first it was used chiefly for the support of an English college at Rome, then the Pope shared the gift with the college, and finally appropriated the whole. Edward III. forbade its being paid; but it was soon repassed stored. An act of Henry VIII., in 1534, swept it away. A voluntary contribution was raised among Catholics, and sent to the Pope for his private use.
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Peterborough (Town and capital)
a town and capital of Peterborough co., Ont., Canada; on the Otonabee and Trent Valley canal, and on the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific railroads; 85 miles N. E. of Toronto. It is well laid out, having wide and regular streets. The town is in the center of a rich agricultural rewheat, flour, cheese, wool, and pork. The manufactures include steam engines, agricultural implements, mill machinery, largest largest lift-lock lift-lock in the designed to lift vessels 140 feet long, 65 feet in the air in one motion, was built in 1904. Peterborough was settled in 1825 by Col. Peter Robinson, in whose honor it was named. Pop. (1918) about 25,000.
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Peterhof
a palace of the emperor of Russia, on the S. shore of the Gulf of Finland, 18 miles W. of St. Petersburg, built by Peter the Great in 1711, contains a fine collection of paintings, and is surrounded by beautiful parks and gardens laid out on the model of those at Versailles, with cascades, terraces, and summer houses. Pop. (1918) about 15,000.
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Peters
CARL, a German traveler and administrator. He was born at Newhaus, Hanover, in 1856, and studied at several German universities, and in London. He then traveled through parts of Africa, suitable for German colonization, becoming head of several German colonizing organizations, passing between Germany and Africa. In 1888 he led an expedition to Victoria Nyanza, and went to the aid of Stanley and Emir Pacha. In 1891 he acted as Reichscommissär in East Africa, and later formed companies for gold prospecting in Rhodesia, returning to Berlin in 1914. His works include: "Die Deutsche Emir Pascha Expedition"; "Das Goldene Ophir Salomos"; "Im Goldlande des Alter tums"; "England und die Engländer"; "Die Gründung von Deutsch-Ostafrika"; "Zur Weltpolitik."
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Petersburg
a city and port of entry of Dinwiddie co., Va.; on the S. bank of the Appomattox river, the Upper Appomattox canal, on the Atlantic Coast Line, the Norfolk and Western, and the Seaboard Air Line railroads; 22 miles S. of Richmond. Here are the Central State Hospital for the Insane, Home for the Sick, and Industrial Institute, libraries, parks, National and State banks, street railroads, electric lights, and daily and weekly newspapers. The handling of cotton and tobacco, with wheat, corn, and general country produce, is the chief business. The city has tobacco factories, cotton factories, flour and grist mills, and silk mills. The socalled siege of Petersburg lasted from June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865; and during its continuance 13 pitched battles were fought in the neighborhood. The intrenchments of Lee and Grant still form conspicuous features in the landscape; Grant's lines extended from the Appomattox to Fort Fisher, and thence E. to Fort Bross, a distance of 23 miles. One of the best-known engagements was that of the old crater, to crater, to the E. of the city, on Griffith's farm, where a small museum of war relics is exhibited. Pop. (1910) 24,127; (1920) 31,002.
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Peterwardein
one of the strongest fortresses in Austria; situated in a marshy, unhealthy locality on the right bank of the Danube; 44 miles N. W. of Belgrade; and connected with Neusatz opposite by a bridge of boats. The fortress was held by the Turks from 1526 to 1687. In 1688 the fortifications were blown up by the imperialists, and the town was soon after burned to the ground by the Turks; but at the peace of Passarowitz (1718) it remained in the posses- , sion of the emperor. Here, on Aug. 10, - 1716 1716,, Prince Eugene obtained a great . The the victory ry over the Grand Vizier Ali to Hungarians were compelled to surrender Two the fortress to the Austrians in September, 1849.
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Petiole
the leaf stalk of a plant, the part connecting the blade with the stem. It is generally half cylindrical, often channeled above, but in some monocotyledons it is cylindrical, and in others
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Petition of Right
a declaration a narrow valley of the Wady Musa, about 110 miles S. S. E. of Jerusalem. It appears to have been a place of considerable extent and great magnificence, for its ruins, partly temples, etc., cut out of the to have been the Joktheel of the Old solid rock, cover a large space. It seems Testament, taken by Amaziah from the Edomites.
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Petra
a ruined city, formerly the Nabathæan capital of Arabia Petræa, in
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Petrie
WILLIAM MATTHEW FLINDERS, an English Egyptologist, Ausgrandson of Captain Flinders, the tralian explorer; born June 3, 1853. He made measurements of prehistoric monuments in Great Britain (1875-1880); discovered and excavated the Græco- Egyptian city of Naukratis, in the Delta; and examined the interior of the pyramids at Hawara and Illahun. The results of his researches are found in "Stonehenge: Plans, etc." (1881); "Pyramids and Temples of Gizeh" (1883); "Tanis" (1885-1888); "Ten Years' Dig gings in Egypt" (1892), a popular summary of his Egyptian work; "Six Temples at Thebes" (1897); "Researches Sinai" (1906); "Arts and Crafts in Egypt" (1909); "Egypt and Israel" (1911); "Tools and eapons (1917). Professor of Egyptology, University College, London.
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Petrifaction
the act or process of petrifying or changing into a stone; the state of being petrified; conversion of any organic matter, animal or vegetable, into stone, or a substance of stony hardness. A "petrifaction" is not, transformation strictly speaking, a of the original animal or plant into stone. It is merely a replacement of the organic tissue by mineral substance. As each particle of the plant or animal decays and disappears its place is taken, usually in water or mud, by a particle of mineral matter deposited from the water which has held it in suspension. Thus the perishable original is changed into imperishable stone. By such means have the skeletons of animals millions of years old been preserved in the rocks of the everlasting hills. In the same way whole forests of trees in the Yellowstone region and elsewhere are changed into agate and other forms of stone, the hollow logs of the forest primeval being often found filled with beautiful crystals of quartz and amethyst.
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