Pickering (TIMOTHY an American statesman)
TIMOTHY, an American statesman; born in Salem, Mass., July 17, 1745; was graduated at Harvard in 1763, and admitted to the bar in 1768. He participated in the battle of Lexington; in 1776 joined the Continental army in command of 700 men; was soon appointed adjutant-general by Washington; in 1780 was selected for the post of quartermaster of the army. Shortly after his resignation, he united with Patrick Henry and Alexander Hamilton in opposing the measure that drove the Tories from the country. He negotiated a treaty between the United States and the Six Nations in 1791, and being only absent from the Australian a month later was appointed Postmaster-General. He was Secretary of State under Presidents Washington and Adams, but was dismissed during the "X. Y. Z." papers dispute in 1800. He retired from politics for a time, but was elected to the United States Senate in 1804, and from that time continued actively in politics. He died in Salem, Jan. 29, 1829.
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Pickford
MARY ( MRS. DOUG- LAS FAIRBANKS), an American actress, born in Toronto in 1893. Her family name was Smith. After some success on the stage she went into moving pictures where she has been a great She married Owen Moore, also success. a moving picture actor, from whom she obtained a divorce in 1920. She then married Douglas Fairbanks.
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Pico
one of the Azore Islands, consisting of a single volcanic mountain, which terminates in a peak (El Pico) 7,613 feet high that emits smoke and lava. It is fertile and well wooded, and produces an excellent wine, of which 25,000 pipes are exported annually. Area, 175 square miles; pop about 30, 000. Chief town, Villa di Lajuna; pop. about 1,500. or CARBAZOTATE, a
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Picrate
compound of picric or carbazotic acid with a base. Explosive powders, almost entirely composed of picrate of potash, and nitrate of potash, were used in the Franco- Prussian War of 1870 with the most appalling effect. Derivatives of picrate were used for explosives in vast quantities during the World War (1914-1918).
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Picric Acid
Trinitrophenol, C.H2 (NO2)3 OH., a yellow crystalline solid, melting point 122° C, soluble in water and alcohol, very soluble in ether. The aqueous solution stains the skin yellow. Obtained by the action of nitric acid on phenol, or by the nitration of monochlorbenzol in the presence of sulphuric acid. Very poisonous and explosive. Used in the manufacture of explosives, for dyeing silk and in the tanning industry. Also in the laboratory in urine analysis, and as a reagent for detecting alkaloids. In medicine, it is used externally in the treatment of burns and acute eczema, and internally for treating malaria and as a bitter tonic. (See LYDDITE.)
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Picrite
a rock, consisting principally of olivine and augite, with occasionally hornblende, felspar, and magnetite. First found at Teschen, Silesia.
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Picrotoxin
in chemistry, C12H14O5, the poisonous principle of Cocculus indicus and extracted from that berry by means of hot alcohol.
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Picton
SIR THOMAS, a British military officer; born in Poyston, Pembrokeshire, England, in August, 1758. He entered the army in 1772. In 1794 he went out to the West Indies; took part in the conquest of several of the Va., July 30, 1875. islands, including Trinidad, and was appointed ( 1797) governor of the last named, being shortly afterward promoted general. In 1803 he was superseded, and made governor of Tobago. He saw active service again, in 1809, and was made governor of Flushing after its capture by the English; he was summoned to Spain, and rendered brilliant service at Busaco, during the subsequent expulsion of the French from Portugal, at Fuentes de Onoro, at the Badajoz, sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and at Vittoria and in the and battles of the Pyrenees, at Orthez and before Toulouse. Napoleon's escape from Elba once more called Picton into the field; he fought at Quatre Bras, and at Waterloo fell leading his men to the charge, June 18, 1815.
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Pictou
a port of entry on the N. coast of Nova Scotia, on a large and sheltered harbor, 85 miles N. N. E. of Halifax. The town contains mills and factories, and coal, mined in the vicinity, is exported.
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Picts' Houses
. See Earthhouse
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Pictured Rocks
a series of sandstone cliffs on the southern shore of Lake Superior. They are about 300 feet in height and five miles in length. They are situated forty miles east of Marquette, Michigan. Sculptured rocks would be a more expressive term. The cliffs have been weathered into caves and fantastic forms by winds, frosts, and waterfalls. The rocks are of various colors, including red and yellow. In Longfellow's Hiawatha, the wigwam of Nokomis is located among the pictured rocks.
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Pictures
. See Painting Pickwick Papers, a story by Charles Dickens. It was published in serial form during 1836-37. The full title is The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, and the hero is Mr. Samuel Pickwick, founder of the Pickwick Club. This was in reality Dickens' first attempt at writing a work of any length; the preceding volume, Sketches by Boz, being, as the title indicates, a collection of brief sketches, published originally in a London newspaper. The Pickwick Papers, which had an enormous commercial success, commences also an era in English literature . It was the first of a series of fictitious works exhibiting the life and manners of the middle and lower classes which up to that time had had scarcely any exponent. In one respect, however, this book had neither predecessor nor progeny. Neither before nor since has there ever been such an embodiment of healthy animal spirits. There is none like it for unflagging but never unwise merriment--for humour that is very much the reverse of dry. That Mr. Dickens gave us no more Pickwick Papers is to be lamented, but may be easily explained by the fact, that he never had the advantage of being five-and-twenty again.--Chambers's Encyclopedia.
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Picul
a Chinese weight of 133% pounds. It is divided into 100 catties, or 1,600 taels; also called tan.
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Picus
King of Latium, son of Saturn, who married Venilia. As he was hunting he was met by Circe , who became enamored of him. She changed him into a woodpecker. 2026 Editor's Note: In Roman mythology, Picus was the first king of Latium and the son of Saturn, who was also known as Stercutus. He is credited as the founder of Laurentum, the first Latin settlement located southeast of the future site of Rome. Beyond his transformation by Circe, he was traditionally celebrated for his skill in horsemanship and the art of augury. (Ed: BR 2026-07-08)
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