DESPENSEB 335 D'ESTOURNELLES leros, in Estremadura, about 1496, of a good but impoverished family; accom- panied Pedrarias Davila to Darien in 1519; served on the expedition to Nicara- gua in 1527; and afterward assisted Pizarro in the conquest of Peru, return- ing to Spain with a fortune. Charles V. now gave him permission to conquer Flor- ida at his own expense, and appointed him governor of Cuba; and in 1538 he sailed from San Lucar with a richly equipped company. The fleet anchored in the bay of Espiritu Santo (now Tampa Bay) on May 25, 1539; the ships were sent back to Cuba, and the long search for gold was begun. For three years, harassed by Indians and enduring every privation, the company continued the quest. In 1541 the Mississippi was reached and crossed, and the third winter was spent on Washita river. Returning to the Mississippi in the spring, De Soto, worn out by disappointments, died of a fever on its banks, in June, 1542; and that his death might be concealed from the In- dians, was lowered at midnight into the waters of the great stream he had dis- covered. In the following year his com- panions, reduced to half their original number, sailed down the river, and finally reached the town of Panuco, in Mexico. DESPENSEB, HUGH LE (de-spen' ser), an English jurist; born about 1210. He was justiciar of England in 1261 and during the war of the barons with Henry III. joined the former. He was killed at Evesham, Dec. 4, 1265. DESPENSEB,, HUGH LE, an English courtier, grandson of the preceding; born about 1262. He distinguished him- self as a soldier and diplomat in the service of Edward II. and became Earl of Winchester in 1322. His tyranny as the royal favorite led to a revolt of the barons and his own downfall. He was beheaded in 1326. DESPENSEB, HUGH LE, an Eng- lish courtier, son of the preceding; bom about 1290. He deserted the baronial party for that of Edward II., and became a royal favorite. He and his father were involved in the misfortunes following the flight of King Edward from London. He was beheaded in November, 1326. DESPOBLADO (daz-po-bla'do) (des- ert), a treeless, uninhabited plateau, nearly 10,000 feet above the sea, on the Bolivian and Argentine frontier, N. E. of Antofagasta. DESPOTO DAGH (des-po'to dah), a mountain chain of European Turkey, ex- tending from 30 miles to the E. of the Balkan to the bank of the Maritza. DESSALINES, JEAN JACQUES (da-sa-len), an emperor of Haiti; born in Africa in 1758. He was a slave in 1791, when the insurrection of the blacks occurred in that island, but was set free along with the other slaves in St. Do- mingo in 1794. After the deportation of Toussaint L'Ouverture, and the subse- quent evacuation of the island by the French, Dessalines was appointed gov- ernor-general for life Avith absolute power; and the year following (1804) was declared emperor with the title of Jacques I. His rule was savage and op- pressive, and both the troops and the people entered into a conspiracy against him, and, Oct. 17, 1806, he was slain by one of his soldiers. DESSAU (des'sou), a town of north Germany; capital of the former Duchy of Anhalt; on the left bank of the Mulde, not far from its junction with the Elbe, 70 miles S. W. of Berlin. It is in gen- eral well built. Among the principal buildings are the ducal palace, a notable structure, built in 1748, and improved in 1875, with a valuable picture-gallery and library; a town-hall, an elegant theater, and several churches. The Philanthro- pinum of Basedow was here. The manu- factures are sugar, woolen cloth, machin- ery, carpets, and there is a large trade in grain. Moses Mendelssohn was a native. Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1676- 1747), a famous soldier in the wars of the 18th century, is popularly known as der alte Dessauer (the old Dessauer) ; his statue adorns the market-place. Pop. (1890) 34,658; (1905) 55,134. DESTEBBO (daz-ter'ro). a seaport of Brazil, capital of the province of Santa Catharina. The harbor is, next to that of Rio de Janeiro, the best on the Brazil- ian coast. DESTINN, or DESTINOVA, EMMY. She was born at Prague in 1878, the daughter of Emanuel Kittel. She studied under Madame Loewe Destinn, whose name she assumed when slie went on the stage. She sang in various coun- tries of Europe until in 1898 she was eai- gaged at the Royal Opera House, Berlin. The roles in which she has gained distinc- tion include "Senta," "Mignon," "Car- men," "Santuzza." She has sung in New York and the principal cities of North and South Ameilca. She has also written several volumes of poems. D'ESTOUBNELLES DE CONSTANT, BABON (PAUL HENBI BENJATLIN), a French diplomat. He was boru at La Fleche, Sarthe, in 1852, and was educated in French schools. He entered politics and was elected a member of the Cham- ber of Deputies. He represented France
