came major, 15 Feb., 1809, lieutenant-colonel of the 1st light dragoons, 7 June, 1813, and colonel, 1 Aug., 1813. From 21 May, 1821, until his death he held the post of military storekeeper.
LAVALETTE, Antoine de, clergyman, b. in
France, 21 Oct., 1707. The place and date of his
death are unknown. He became a member of the
Society of Jesus in Toulouse, 10 Oct., 1725, was or-
dained priest in 1740, and in 1741 sent as mission-
ary to the island of Martinique. In 1754 he was
named superior-general of all the Jesuit missions
in the French possessions in Central and South
America. He was accused about the same time of
engaging in commerce, contrary to the canon law,
and summoned to Paris for trial ; but his defence
was undertaken by the authorities in Martinique,
and the matter was allowed to drop for the time.
His conduct afterward was one of the causes that
led to the downfall of his order. His mission was
heavily in debt, and to restore it to financial
prosperity he made extensive purchases of land in
Dominica, and engaged in various commercial ven-
tures, borrowing large sums of money when these
proved unsuccessful. When Ricci, the Jesuit gen-
eral, was informed of this, in 1757, he sent three
visitors to Maitinique, all of whom met with mis-
haps that prevented them from arriving. At last,
in the spring of 1702, the fourth visitor, Father de
la Marche, reached the island, and organized a
tribunal of the principal fathers of the mission,
before whom Lavalette appeared. He was con-
demned and suspended from all ecclesiastical
functions until their report was laid before the
general of the order in Rome. Lavalette signed a
confession declaring that he alone was guilty, and
after his confession he went to England, where he
was notified of his expulsion from the society by
the Jesuit general. Lavalette gave information to
his superiors by which it appeared his debts
amounted to 2,400,000 livres. The French Jesuits
were making an effort to settle with the creditors
when the case was brought before the courts, the
whole society was held responsible for the debt,
and a decree was issued for the seizure of all their
property. This rendered the society in France
bankrupt, and led to the royal edict of November,
1764, which abolished the order in that country.
LA VALETTE, Elie A. F., naval officer, b. in
Virginia about 1790; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 18
Nov., 1862. He entered the navy as a sailing-
master on 25 June, 1812, was commissioned as a
lieutenant on 9 Dec, 1814, promoted commander
on 3 March, 1831, and became a captain on 23
Feb., 1840. He was a favorite with Com. Isaac
Hull, and accompanied that officer when he took
command of the Mediterranean squadron in 1837.
In accordance with the recommendation of the re-
tiring-board he was made a rear-admiral on the
retired list on 16 July, 1862.
LAVALLE, Juan (lah-val'-yeh), Argentine sol-
dier, b. in Buenos Ayres, 16 Oct., 1797 ; d. in Jujuy,
9 Oct., 1841. He entered the army at the age of
sixteen, fought in 1814 and 1815 against Jose
Artigas, and in 1817— '18 in the battles of Chacabuco
and Maipu. In 1820 he embarked for Peru with the
forces that were sent by Buenos Ayres to aid the
revolutionists. He was promoted major for gal-
lantry in action, took command of his regiment at
Moquegua, where its colonel was wounded, and
effectively protected the retreat of the army. He
returned to Buenos Ayres in 1823, and shared in
the campaign against Brazil from 1825 up to the
conclusion of peace in 1828. His conduct at the
battle of Ituzaingo gained him the grade of coronel
mayor. About this time he began to take part in
politics, headed a revolt against Col. Dorrego, gov-
ernor of Buenos Ayres and chief of the Federal-
ists, and overturned his government, 1 Dec, 1828.
The governor was again defeated at Navarro, and
Lavalle, obtaining possession of his person by
treachery, had him immediately shot. On 26
April, 1829, Lavalle was defeated by Estjinislo
Lopez y Santa-Fe, and forced to withdraw i'rom
Buenos Ayres. In 1838 a French expedition was
sent out against the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas,
and the city of Buenos Ayres was declared block-
aded. Lavalle was chosen commander-in-chief of
the forces of Uruguay, united to those of Corrien-
tes, and marched on Buenos Ayres; but when within
sight of the city he suddenly gave orders to re-
treat to Sante-Fc Rosas, who had been much
alarmed by the approach of the enemy, sent his
lieutenant, Oribe, to attack that city, and mean-
while Lavalle learned that a treaty of peace had
been signed between the French and the governor
of Buenos Ayres, 29 Oct., 1840. He rejected the
offer of an asylum and a pension that was made
him by the French representative, and determined
to continue the war against Rosas unaided. But
he was pursued by a superior force, defeated at
Quebracho-Herrado on 28 Nov., and again on the
plains of Famailla, 19 Sept., 1841. With great
difficulty he reached the capital of the province of
Jujuy, escorted by about 100 soldiers, when he met
a party of the enemy and was killed in a house
where he had taken refuge.
LAVALLEJA, Juan Antonio (lah-val-yay'-
hah), Uruguayan soldier, b. in Montevideo, 18 July,
1795; d. there, 23 Oct., 1853. He served in the
army of his country during the war for independ-
ence ; but little is known of his career during
those years. On 19 April, 1825, a company of pa-
triots of Uruguay, under the command of Col.
Lavalleja, landed in Boca de Gutierrez, Uruguay,
with the intention of freeing their country from
Brazilian control. Four days afterward they de-
feated the Brazilian forces under Gen. Laguna in
San Salvador. On 29 May of the same year with
other forces he surprised Gen. Rivera, who with
all his men joined the popular side. On 12 Oct.
he gained the battle of Sarandi, and on 23 May,
1826, the congress of the provinces of Rio de la
Plata rewarded him and his comrades with pensions
for life. In the battle of Ituzaingo, 20 Feb., 1827,
he commanded a brigade of cavalry under Gen.
Alvear and routed the left wing of the Brazilian
army. In 1832 Gen. Lavalleja headed a revolu-
tion against the first government of Uruguav, but
was defeated and obliged to take refuge in Brazil
on 20 Sept. of that year. He continued his plot-
ting, and on 19 March, 1834, landed in Punta
Gorda, but was defeated and again obliged to take
refuge in Brazil. He then retired from politics
until the year 1853, when he was the chief member
of the triumvirate that was appointed to govern
the republic after the deposition of President Giro.
LAVAL-MONTMORENCY, Francis Xavier de, first Canadian R. C. bishop, b. in Laval, France, 30 April, 1623 ; d. in Quebec, 6 May, 1708. He studied in the College of La Fleche, and received the tonsure at the age of nine. The death of his eldest brother left him heir to the title and estates of his family, but he persevered in his intention of becoming a priest, resigned his rights in favor of a
younger brother, and, after finishing his theological course in Paris, was ordained in 1646. He entered the Congregation of the Holy Virgin, and during a visit to Paris in the interests of this order he attracted the favorable notice of the queen mother. He was nominated by the king in 1657
