DEJAZET, VIRGINIE, a celebrated French actress, born in Paris; made her debut at five years of age (1797-1875).

DEKKER, THOMAS, a dramatist, born in London; was contemporary of Ben Jonson, between whom and him, though they formerly worked together, a bitter animosity arose; wrote lyrics as well as dramas, which are light comedies, and prose as well as poetry; the most famous among his prose works, “The Gull’s Hornbook,” a pamphlet, in which he depicts the life of a young gallant; his pamphlets are valuable (1570-1641).

DE LA BECHE, SIR HENRY THOMAS, geologist, born in London; wrote the “Depth and Temperature of the Lake of Geneva,” and published a “Manual of Geology” and the “Geological Observer”; was appointed head of the Geological Survey in England (1796-1855).

DELACROIX, EUGENE, a French painter, born at Charenton, dep. of Seine; one of the greatest French painters of the 19th century; was the head of the French Romantic school, a brilliant colourist and a daring innovator; his very first success, “Dante crossing Acheron in Charon’s Boat,” forms an epoch in the history of contemporary art; besides his pictures, which were numerous, he executed decorations and produced lithographic illustrations of “Hamlet,” “Macbeth,” and Goethe’s “Faust” (1799-1863).

DELAGOA BAY, an inlet in the SE. of Africa, E. of the Transvaal, subject to Portugal; stretches from 25 deg. 30’ to 26 deg. 20’ S.; extends 52 m. inland, where the Transvaal frontier begins, and between which and it a railway of 52 m., constructed by an English company, extends.

DELAISTRE, a French statuary, born in Paris (1836-1891).

DELAMBRE, JEAN JOSEPH, an eminent French astronomer, born at Amiens, a pupil of Lalande; measured with Mechain the arc of the meridian between Dunkirk and Barcelona towards the establishment of the metric system; produced numerous works of great value, among others “Theoretical and Practical Astronomy” and the “History of Astronomy” (1749-1822).

DELANE, JOHN THADEUS, editor of the Times, born in London; studied at Oxford; after some experience as a reporter was put on the staff of the Times, and in 1841 became editor, a post he continued to hold for 36 years; was the inspiring and guiding spirit of the paper, but wrote none of the articles (1817-1879).

DELAROCHE, PAUL, a French historical painter and one of the greatest, born in Paris; was the head of the modern Eclectic school, so called as holding a middle place between the Classical and Romantic schools of art; among his early works were “St. Vincent de Paul preaching before Louis XIII.” and “Joan of Arc before Cardinal Beaufort”; the subjects of his latest pictures are from history, English and French, such as “The Princes in the Tower” and “Cromwell contemplating the corpse of Charles I.,” a great work; but the grandest monument of his art is the group of paintings with which he adorned the wall of the semicircle of the Palais des Beaux Arts in Paris, which he completed in 1841 (1797-1856).