VAUXHALL                                               2007                                               VELASQUEZ

Vauxhall '(vâks-hâV), a famous public garden in London, established immediately after the Restoration in 1660 and continuing for nearly two centuries. It was situated in Lambeth, opposite Milbank and near the manor called Fulke's Hall, from which it derived the name of Vauxhall. The loose character of the amusements it afforded is freely sketched by the novelists and dramatists of the last century, and is further sketched in Thackeray's Vanity Fair.

Vec'tor is a term employed by mathematicians to denote a directed magnitude, that is, a quantity which has both direction and magnitude.

As examples of vector quantities may be mentioned the distance between any two given points, a velocity, a force, an acceleration, angular velocity, intensity of magnetization flux of heat.

Quantities, such as a quart of water, a pound of sugar, temperature, a quantity of energy, which do not have direction, are called scalars. See Maxwell's Matter and Motion and Tait's Newton's Laws of Motion.

Veda {vā'då or ve'da), (literally, knowledge) is the name of those ancient Sanskrit works on which the first period of the religious belief of the Hindus is based. The oldest of these works is the Rigveda; next to it stand the Yajurveda and Samaveda; the fourth and latest being the Atharvaveda. The first three bear the collective title of Trayi, the threefold, and all four are considered of divine origin. Each of these Vedas consists of two distinct divisions — a Sanhita or collection of mantras or hymns and a portion called Brahmana A mantra may be defined as a prayer or thanksgiving addressed to a deity in one form or another. If such a mantra is metrical and intended for loud recitation, it is called rich, from rich, praise — whence the name Rigveda; if it is in prose it is called Yajus, from yaj, sacrifice, — therefore Yajurveda signifies the Veda containing such sacrifices. And if it is metrical and intended for chanting, it is termed Saman — hence Samaveda means the Veda containing such Samans. No special name is given to the mantras of the fourth Veda. Though the mantras and Brahmanas are both said to have existed from all eternity, there is abundant evidence that the Brahmana portion of each Veda was written some time after its mantras, for it refers to them, and it seems almost self-evident that both portions must have been the work of considerable time.

Ved'der, Eii'hu, an American painter, was born at New York City, Feb. 26, 1836, and after studying his art for some years both with Matteson and in Europe, opened a studio in his native city, where he won high reputation as a genre painter. He afterwards returned to Europe and took

up his residence at Rome, where he is now Hying. Among the pictures which rank him high as an artist may be mentioned The Lair of the Sea-Serpent, The Monk upon the Gloomy Path, African Sentinel and The Last Sun-Wcrshipper.

. Vega-Carpio (vă'gákär'pê-Õ), Lop£ Felix de, a celebrated Spanish poet, was born at Madrid, Nov. 25, 1562. From his infancy he is said to have given promise of extraordinary talent. Like Pope he "lisped in numbers." He was the idol of his time, and in productiveness at least surpassed all other poets, his dramas alone numbering 1,500 to 1,800, and in view of the quantity of his work its quality is no less surprising. The ease and grace of his versification are unsurpassed in the Spanish language, and his works are all instinct with life and dramatic movement. He is deficient in deep and serious qualities; but, notwithstanding this defect, he remains the chief ornament of the Spanish drama and a considerable figure in the dramatic literature of the world. The dramatist is generally referred to as Lope de Vega. He died at the home of his birth, Aug. 27, 1635.

Veii (ve'yî), an ancient city of Etruria and in early times the rival of Rome. Its very site is disputed, but it is now generally thought to be at Isola Farnese, about 12 miles from Rome. The struggle between the two cities is represented by Roman historians as commencing during the time of Romulus and continuing under all the other kings, except Numa, generally to the advantage of the Romans. At last the Romans determined to rid themselves of a rival by a siege, and persevered with great tenacity, although the city held out for ten years, and frequent attempts were made by neighboring states to relieve it. It is said to have been finally taken by means of a mine which was directed into the citadel. The citizens were massacred or sold as slaves, and the land confiscated by the conquerors. The fall of Veii took place in 396 B. C, and after its fall it was gradually deserted. In later times a colony was planted there by Julius Caesar and afterwards by Augustus, but it always remained an insignificant place.

Veins (in plants) are the extension of the vascular system into the leaves. See Venation.

Velasquez (vã-läs'kåfh), Diego Rodriguez de Silva, one of the most famous of Spanish painters, was born at Seville in June, 1599-At an early age he was placed in the studio of Francisco Herrera el Viejo, and afterwards became the pupil of Francisco Pacheco, whose daughter Juana he married. In 1622 he visited Madrid, and while there painted so fine a picture of King Philip IV that he at once became famous and secured the royal favor and patronage, which continued to the end of his life. In 1629 per-