Piccolomini
a distinguished Siennese family, still flourishing in Italy in celebrated two branches. The two most members are: ( 1) ÆNEAS SYLVIUS BARTHOLOMÆUS, afterward Pope Pius II. (2) OCTAVIO, a grand-nephew of the first; born in 1599, died in Vienna in 1656. He served in the armies of the German emperor, and became one of the distinguished generals in the Thirty favorite of Years' War. He was a Wallenstein, who intrusted him with a knowledge of his projects, when_he purposed to attack the emperor. In spite of this he made himself the chief instrument of Wallenstein's overthrow, and after the latter's assassination (1634) was rewarded with a portion of his estates.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Pichegru
CHARLES (peezh'groo), a French military officer; born in Arbois, France, Feb. 16, 1761, of humble parents, but receiving a good education under the monks of his native town. Entering the army he soon rose to the rank of general and in 1794 succeeded General Hoche in the command of the Army of the North. He shortly after relieved Landau, and compelled the English to evacuate the Netherlands. He next marched into Holland, of which he made a complete conquest, and, in 1797, was elected a member of the Legislative body; but his opposition to the Directory, and his speeches in favor of the acroyalist emigrants, occasioned an to recusation against him as designing store royalty. Without trial he was transported to Cayenne, whence he escaped to England. In 1804 he returned , was again apprehended and to Paris sent to the Temple, where he was found strangled in his bed, April 5, 1804.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Pichincha
"boiling mountain," the most populous province of Ecuador, embraces the Quito plateau and its slopes; area 9,030 square miles. The soil is fertile in the W. The province takes its name from the active volcano of Pichincha, 8 miles N. W. of Quito, the chief town. It has five peaks, two of which (15,418 feet) Mr. Whymper ascended in 1880. The enormous crater, nearly a mile across at the top and perhaps 1,500 feet in diameter at the bottom (which is 2,500 feet below), is said to be the deepest in the world. Pop. about 205,000.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Pichon
STÉPHEN, French a journalist and statesman, born in Arnay le Duc, 1857, studied medicine at the University of Paris, but instead of following the medical profession, he took up journalism and, in 1880, joined the editorial staff of "La Justice." In 1882 he was elected to the municipal council of Paris, of which he later became secretary. In 1885 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, of which he was secretary from 1889 to 1890. In 1894 he served successively, for short periods, as French Minister to Hayti, Brazil, China (where he was present during the Boxer uprising) and to Tunis. In 1905 he became a member of the Senate, from Jura. In the year following he was given the portfolio for Foreign Affairs, by Clemenceau. This same post he held in the Briand Cabinet, in 1910-1911 and under Barthou, in 1913. After the reorganization of the French Cabinet, in November, 1917, when Clemenceau became Premier, Pichon again became Minister of Foreign Affairs, and also a member of the War Committee of the Cabinet. At the Peace Conference at Versailles he acted as one of the French delegates.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Pichurim Beans
a name given to the seed lobes of Ocotea pichurim, a South American tree. T They resemble nutmeg and sassafras in taste and are used for flavoring chocolate, etc.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Picide
woodpeckers; a family of zygodactyle Picarian birds, with, according to Wallace, 30 genera and 320 species, almost universally distributed, region beyond Celebes and Flores. Bill more or less straight; toes in pairs. They are insectivorous; the tongue is extensile, barbed at the point, and covered with a viscid solution to assist them in catching their prey; tail feathers hard and stiff, terminating in points, enabling the bird to run up the trunks of trees with facility.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Pickens
FORT, a fort on Santa Rosa Island, Pensacola harbor, held by a small Union force under Lieut. A. J. Slemmer at the beginning of the Civil War. It refused to surrender when besieged by the Confederates in 1861, and was held till re-enforced. PICKEREL
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Pickens
ANDREW, an American military officer; born in Paxton, Pa., Sept. 13, 1739, of Huguenot ancestry. In 1752 he removed to South Carolina; was engaged in the expedition against the Cherokees in 1761. During the Revolution he was promoted Brigadier-General; took part in the defense of South Carolina against the British. He defeated the Tories at Kettle Creek, and in the battle of the Cowpens, commanded the militia, rallying them when retreating; received a sword from Congress for gallant conduct. He served in Congress from 1793 to 1795; and made treaties with the Indians. He died in Tomassee, S. C., Aug. 17, 1817.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Picker
There are various devices for picking out small patterns from the sand, including screws, spikes and spring-lifters, etc., all of which are designated by the general name of picker. The best picker for very small bench-work patterns that are made of wood and do not require duplicating is a fine-pointed steel wire. But if a large number require to be made from one pattern, have a small hole bored well in, or through if the pattern is thin, and use the spring-lifter. A metal plate inserted neatly at the orifice of the hole will prolong the usefulness of the pattern indefinitely. See SCREW; SPIKE; SPRING-LIFTER.
Only in The Encyclopedia of Founding
Pickerel Weed
a genus of fresh water plants, the Pontederia.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Pickering
WILLIAM HENRY, an American astronomer; born in Boston, Mass., Feb. 15, 1858; was graduated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1879; became assistant professor at the Harvard Observatory; and conducted several expeditions to observe the total solar eclipses in different parts of the Western Hemisphere in 1878- 1893. He established astronomical stations in Southern California in 1889; at Arequipa, Peru, in 1891; and at Mandeville, Jamaica, W. I., in 1900. He had a record as a mountain-climber, having ascended over 100 peaks. Among his astronomical works is "Visual Observations of the Moon and Planets."
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia