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DURAO

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Originally appearing in Volume V08, Page 696 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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DURAO , JOS$ DE See also:

SANTA RITA (1720-1784), Brazilian poet, was See also:born near Marianna, in the See also:province of See also:Minas Geraes, in 1720, and died in See also:Lisbon in 1784. He studied at See also:Coimbra, in See also:Portugal, graduated as a See also:doctor of divinity, became a member of the Augustinian See also:order of friars, and obtained a See also:great reputation as a preacher. Having irritated the See also:minister See also:Pombal by his See also:defence of the See also:Jesuits, he retired from Portugal in 1759; and, after being imprisoned in See also:Spain as a See also:spy, found his way to See also:Italy in 1763, where he became acquainted with See also:Alfieri, Pindemonte, See also:Casti and other See also:literary men of the See also:time. On his return to Portugal he delivered the opening address at the university of Coimbra for the See also:year 1777; but soon after retired to the cloisters of a See also:Gratian See also:convent. At the time of his See also:death he taught in the little See also:college belonging to that order in Lisbon. His epic in ten cantos, entitled Caram4ru, poema epico do descubrimento da See also:Bahia, appeared in Lisbon in 1781, but proved at first a See also:total failure. Its value has gradually been recognized, and it now ranks as one of the best poems in Brazilian literature—remarkable especially for its See also:fine descriptions of scenery and native See also:life in See also:South See also:America. The historic See also:institute of Rio de Janeiro offered a See also:prize to the author of the best See also:essay on the See also:legend of Caramflru; and the successful competitor published a new edition of Durao's poem. There is a See also:French See also:translation which appeared in See also:Paris in 1829. See Adolfo de Varnhagen, Epicos Brazileiros (1845) ; Pereira da See also:Silva, Os Varoes See also:illustres do Brasil (1858); See also:Wolf, Le Bresil litteraire (See also:Berlin, 1863) ; Sotero dos Reis, Curse de litteratura Portugueza e Brazileira, vol. iv. (See also:Maranhao, 1868) ; Jose Verissimo, Estudos de literatura Brazileira, segunda serie (Rio, 1901). DURAllO (anc.

Epidamnus and Dyrrachium; Albanian, Durresi; See also:

Turkish and See also:Slavonic, Drach), a seaport and See also:capital of the sanjak of Durazzo, in the vilayet of lannina, See also:Albania, See also:Turkey. Pop. (1900) about 5000. Durazzo is about 50 M. S. of See also:Scutari, on the See also:Bay of Durazzo, an inlet of the Adriatic See also:Sea. It is the seat of a See also:Roman See also:Catholic See also:archbishop and a See also:Greek See also:metropolitan, but in every respect has greatly declined from its former prosperity. The walls are dilapidated; See also:plane-trees grow on the gigantic ruins of its old See also:Byzantine citadel; and its See also:harbour, once equally commodious and safe, is gradually becoming silted up. The only features worthy of See also:notice are the See also:quay, with its rows of See also:cannon, and the See also:bridge, 750 ft. See also:long, which leads across the marshes stretching along the See also:coast. The See also:chief exports are See also:olive oil—largely manufactured in the district—wheat, oats, See also:barley, pottery and skins. Epidamnus was founded by a See also:joint See also:colony of Corcyreans and See also:Corinthians towards the See also:close of the 7th See also:century B.C., and from its admirable position and the fertility of the surrounding See also:country soon See also:rose into very considerable importance. The See also:dissolution of its See also:original oligarchical See also:government by the democratic opposition, the consequent See also:quarrel between Corcyra and the oligarchical See also:city of See also:Corinth, and the intervention of See also:Athens on behalf of Corcyra, are usually included among the contributory causes of the Peloponnesian See also:War (431–404 B.C.). In 312 B.C., Epidamnus was seized by the Illyrian See also:king Glaucias, and shortly afterwards it passed into the See also:power of the See also:Romans.

As the name Epidamnus sounded to Roman ears like an evil See also:

omen, as though it were derived from the Latin damnum, " loss " or " harm," the alternative name of Dyrrachium, which the city possibly received from the rugged nature of the adjoining sea-coast, came into See also:general use. Thenceforward Epidamnus rose rapidly in importance. It was a favourite point of debarcation for the Roman armies; the great military road known as the Via Egnatia led from Dyrrachium to Thessalonica (See also:Salonica) ; and another See also:highway passed southwards to See also:Buthrotum and See also:Ambracia. Broad swamps rendered the city almost impregnable, and in 48 B.C. it became famous as the See also:place where See also:Pompey made his last successful resistance to See also:Caesar. After the See also:battle of See also:Actium in 31 B.C., See also:Augustus made over Dyrrachium to acolony of his veterans; it became a civitas libera and a great commercial See also:emporium (for coins see Maier, Numis. Zeitschr.,1908). The See also:summit of its prosperity was reached about the end of the 4th century, when it was made the capital of See also:Epirus Nova. Its bishopric, created about A.D. 58, was raised to an archbishopric in 449. In 481 the city was besieged by See also:Theodoric, the king of the See also:East Goths; and in the loth and 1th centuries it frequently had to defend itself against the Bulgarians. In 1082 it was stormed by the See also:Norman See also:Robert Guiscard, who in the previous year had defeated the Greeks under their See also:emperor Alexius; and in 1185 it See also:fell into the hands of King See also:William of See also:Sicily. Surrendered to See also:Venice in 1202, it afterwards See also:broke loose from the See also:republic and in 1268 passed into the See also:possession of See also:Charles of See also:Anjou.

In 1273 it was laid in ruins by an See also:

earth-quake, but it soon recovered from the disaster, and became an See also:independent duchy under See also:John, the See also:grandson of Charles (1294-1304), and afterwards under See also:Philip of See also:Otranto. In 1333 it was annexed to See also:Achaea, in 1336 to See also:Servia, and in 1394 to Venice. The See also:Turks obtained possession in 1501. D'See also:URBAN, See also:SIR See also:BENJAMIN (1777-1849), See also:British general and colonial See also:administrator, was born in 1777, and entered the British See also:army in 1793. Promoted See also:lieutenant and See also:captain in 1794 he took See also:part in that year in operations in See also:Holland and See also:Westphalia. In 1795 he served under Sir See also:Ralph See also:Abercromby in See also:San Domingo. He went on See also:half-pay in 1800, joining the Royal Military College, where he remained until 18o5, when he went to See also:Hanover with the force under See also:Lord See also:Cathcart. Returning to See also:England he filled various See also:staff offices, and in See also:November 1807 went to See also:Dublin as assistant-quartermaster-general, being transferred successively to See also:Limerick and the See also:Curragh. He joined the army in the See also:Peninsula in 18o8, and his marked abilities as a staff officer led to his selection by General (afterwards See also:Viscount) See also:Beresford as quartermaster-general in the reorganization of the Portuguese army. He served throughout the See also:Peninsular War without once going on leave and took part in nine pitched battles and sieges, Busaco, See also:Albuera, See also:Badajoz, See also:Salamanca, See also:Vittoria, the See also:Pyrenees, the Nivelle, the Nive and See also:Toulouse. He was promoted See also:major-general in the Portuguese army and See also:colonel in the British army in 1813, and made a K.C.B. in 1815. He remained in Portugal until 1816, when he was summoned See also:home to take up the posts of colonel of the royal staff See also:corps and See also:deputy quartermaster-general at the See also:Horse See also:Guards.

In 1819 he became major-general and in 1837 lieutenant-general. From 1829 he was colonel of the 51st See also:

Foot. Sir Benjamin began his career as colonial administrator in 182o when he was made See also:governor of See also:Antigua. In 1824 he was transferred to See also:Demerara and See also:Essequibo, then in a disturbed See also:condition owing to a rising among the slaves consequent on the emancipation See also:movement in Great See also:Britain. D'Urban's See also:rule proved successful, and in 1831 he carried out the amalgamation of Berbice with the other counties, the whole forming the colony of British See also:Guiana, of which D'Urban was first governor. The ability with which he had for nine years governed a community of which the See also:white See also:element was largely of Dutch origin led to his See also:appointment as governor of Cape Colony. He assumed See also:office in See also:January 1834, and the four years during which he held that See also:post were of great importance in the See also:history of South See also:Africa. They witnessed the abolition of See also:slavery, the See also:establishment of a legislative See also:council and municipal See also:councils in Cape Colony, the first great Kaffir war and the beginning of the Great Trek. The firmness and See also:justice of his See also:administration won the cordial support of the British and Dutch colonists. The greater part of 1835 was occupied in repelling an unprovoked invasion of the eastern See also:borders of the colony by Xosa See also:Kaffirs. To protect the inhabitants of the eastern province Sir Benjamin extended the boundary of the colony to the Kei See also:river and erected military posts in the See also:district, allowing the Xosa to remain under British supervision. Since his appointment to the Cape there had been a See also:change of See also:ministry in England, and Lord See also:Glenelg had become secretary for the Colonies in the second See also:Melbourne administration.

Prejudiced against any See also:

extension of British authority and lending a ready See also:ear to a small but influential party in South Africa, Glenelg adopted the view that the Kaffirs had been the victims of systematic injustice. In a momentous despatch dated the 26th of See also:December 1835 he set forth his views and instructed Sir Benjamin D'Urban to give up the newly annexed territory. At the same time Sir Andries Stockenstrom, See also:Bart. (1792–1864), was appointed lieutenant-governor for the eastern provinces of the colony to carry out the policy of the home government, in which the Kaffir chiefs were treated as being on terms of full equality with Europeans. D'Urban in vain warned Glenelg of the disastrous consequences of his decision, the 'beginning of the long course of vacillation which wrought great harm to South Africa. One result of the new policy was to recreate a See also:state of insecurity, bordering on anarchy, in the eastern province, and this condition was one of the causes of the Great Trek of the Dutch farmers which began in 1836. In various despatches D'Urban justified his position, characterizing the Trek as due to " insecurity of life and See also:property occasioned by the See also:recent See also:measures, inadequate See also:compensation for the loss of the slaves, and despair of obtaining recompense for the ruinous losses by the Kaffir invasion." (See further SOUTH AFRICA: History, and CAPE COLONY: History.) But Glenelg was not to be convinced by any See also:argument, however cogent, and in a despatch dated the 1st of May 1837 he informed Sir Benjamin that he had been relieved of office. D'Urban, however, remained governor until the arrival of his successor, Sir See also:George See also:Napier, in January 1838. During his governorship Sir Benjamin endeavoured to help the British settlers at See also:Port See also:Natal, who in 1835 named their See also:town D'Urban (now written See also:Durban) in his See also:honour, but his See also:suggestion that the district should be occupied as a British possession was vetoed by Lord Glenelg. Though no longer in office D'Urban remained in South Africa until See also:April 1846. In 1840 he was made a G.C.B., and in 1842 declined a high military appointment in See also:India offered him by Sir Robert See also:Peel. In January 1847 he took up the command of the troops in See also:Canada, and was still in command at the time of his death at See also:Montreal on the 25th of May 1849.

End of Article: DURAO

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