fication of seeing the public worship of the Society legally recognized before his death. He died in London, Jan. 13, 1690. See Friends, Society of.
FOX, JOHN (WILLIAM), an American writer of dialect stories; born in 1863. He became a contributor to magazines, and published "The Cumberland Vendetta, and Other Stories" (1895); "Hell Fer Sartain, and Other Stories" (1897); "Crittenden" (1900); "Bluegrass" (1901); "A Knight of the Cumberland" (1906) "Heart of the Hills" (1913) "In Happy Valley" (1917) "Erskine Dale—Pioneer" (1920). He died in 1920.
FOXGLOVE, in botany, the genus Digitalis, and specially the species D. purpurea, the purple foxglove. It grows to the height of three or four feet, with very long spikes of numerous drooping flowers, which are generally purple, though occasionally white. D. purpurea yields a valuable cardiac tonic and diuretic. The Canary foxglove is D. canariensis; the downy false foxglove is an American name for Gerardia flava; and the ladies' foxglove is Verbascum thapsus. They succeed well in light, rich soil.
FOX HOUND, a hound kept and trained for hunting foxes. They are smaller than the staghound, averaging 22 to 24 inches in height. They vary very much in color. They possess a very fine scent, great fleetness and endurance.
FRACKVILLE, a borough of Pennsylvania, in Schuylkill co. It is on the Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia and Reading railroads. There are important coal mines in the neighborhood and coal mining is the chief industry. Pop. (1910) 3,118; (1920) 5,590.
FRACTION, a part of any magnitude, integer (whole number), or unit. For example, "two and a fraction" means two units and that part of a unit which can be distinguished, as one-half, two-fifths, and so on. In the fraction ⅓ in arithmetic, or ab in algebra, the figure 1, or a, is the numerator, and 3, or b, is the denominator; and they represent that, if a whole number is divided into three or b parts, only one or a parts are taken. In the addition of fractions, the fractions must be brought down to the same denominator, and their numerators (as expressed in the value of their new denominator) must then be added, when we have one whole fraction. Thus, if we want to add ⅓ and 2-5, we must find the least common multiple of 3 and 5, which is found to be 15; then, as 3 goes 5 times into 15, and 5 goes 3 times into the same number, we multiply the numerators of the different fractions by those respective quotients, and then add the two quantities together. Thus, ⅓ added to 2-5 will be 5 added to 6 fifteenths. The true definition of a fraction may be thus summed up: It is the division of its numerator by its denominator; as seven-eighths are equivalent to the whole number 7 divided by 8—whence a fraction is obtained. Decimal fractions simplify calculations greatly, as they are constructed on the principle of having one common denominator—a multiple of 10; and thus fractions can be added, subtracted, and divided without repeating over the tedious process of bringing down to a common denominator. See Arithmetic; Decimal Fraction.
FRACTURE, in mineralogy, the irregular surface produced by breaking a mineral across, as distinguished from splitting it along the planes of cleavage. The chief kinds of fracture enumerated by William Phillips and others are conchoidal, even, uneven, splintery, and hackly.
In surgery, a solution of continuity in a bone. It is said to be simple when the bone only is divided, and compound when there is also a wound of the integuments communicating with the bone, which in such cases generally protrudes. In a comminuted fracture, the bone is broken into several pieces, and in a complicated fracture there is in addition to the injury done to the bone a lesion of some considerable vessel, nervous trunk, etc. Fractures are also termed transverse, oblique, etc., according to their direction.
FRA DIAVOLO ("The Devil's Brother"), a Neapolitan robber, whose real name was Michael Pezza; born in Calabria, 1760. He began life as a stocking-maker, after which he became a friar, and in this capacity was the leader of a gang of banditti in Calabria. In 1799 he assisted Cardinal Ruffo, who headed the counter-revolutionists in favor of the Bourbons of Naples. For this he received a pardon of his crimes, and a pension of 3,600 ducats, with which he was enabled to purchase an estate. He lived in peace till 1806, when he rose again in favor of the expelled Bourbons. He entered Spalinga, and threw open the prisons, when he was joined by large numbers of lazzaroni; but after a severe engagement with the Bonapartists, he was taken prisoner, condemned, and summarily executed in the same year. Auber, the French musical composer, has written one of his best operas founded on the adventures of this bandit.
