of distinguishing himself. In 1796 he was named captain of the fleet by Sir John Jervis, and took part in the great battle off Cape St Vincent (February 14, 1797). He was selected as bearer of the despatches announcing the victory, and on that occasion was knighted by George III. He also received the thanks of parliament, and in the following year was created a baronet. In 1799 he became rear-admiral; and in 1801 he was despatched with a small squadron in pursuit of a French force, under Admiral Gantheaume, conveying supplies to the French in Egypt. In this pursuit he was not successful, and returning home at the peace he struck his flag. When the war again broke out he was recalled to service, was promoted vice-admiral in 1804, and was employed in the following year in the blockade of the ports of Ferrol and Corunna, in which (amongst other ports) ships were preparing for the invasion of England by Napoleon I. He held his position with a force greatly inferior to that of the enemy, and refused to be enticed out to sea. On its becoming known that the first movement directed by Napoleon was the raising of the blockade of Ferrol, Rear-Admiral Stirling was ordered to join Sir R. Calder and cruise with him to intercept the fleets of France and Spain on their passage to Brest. The approach of the enemy was concealed by a fog; but on the 22nd of July 1805 their fleet came in sight. It still outnumbered the British force; but Sir Robert entered into action. After a combat of four hours, during which he captured two Spanish ships, he gave orders to discontinue the action. He offered battle again on the two following days, but the challenge was not accepted. The French admiral Villeneuve, however, did not pursue his voyage, but took refuge in Ferrol. In the judgment of Napoleon, his scheme of invasion was baffled by this day’s action; but much indignation was felt in England at the failure of Calder to win a complete victory. In consequence of the strong feeling against him at home he demanded a court-martial. This was held on the 23rd of December, and resulted in a severe reprimand of the vice-admiral for not having done his utmost to renew the engagement, at the same time acquitting him of both cowardice and disaffection. False expectations had been raised in England by the mutilation of his despatches, and of this he indignantly complained in his defence. The tide of feeling, however, turned again; and in 1815, by way of public testimony to his services, and of acquittal of the charge made against him, he was appointed commander of Portsmouth. He died at Holt, near Bishop’s Waltham, in Hampshire, on the 31st of August 1818.
See Naval Chronicle, xvii.; James, Naval History, iii. 356-379 (1860).
CALDER, an ancient district of Midlothian, Scotland. It has been divided into the parishes of Mid-Calder (pop. in 1901 3132) and West-Calder (pop. 8092), East-Calder belonging to the parish of Kirknewton (pop. 3221). The whole locality owes much of its commercial importance and prosperity to the enormous development of the mineral oil industry. Coal-mining is also extensively pursued, sandstone and limestone are worked, and paper-mills flourish. Mid-Calder, a town on the Almond (pop. 703), has an ancient church, and John Spottiswood (1510–1585), the Scottish reformer, was for many years minister. His sons—John, archbishop of St Andrews, and James (1567–1645), bishop of Clogher—were both born at Mid-Calder. West-Calder is situated on Breich Water, an affluent of the Almond, 1512 m. S.W. of Edinburgh by the Caledonian railway, and is the chief centre of the district. Pop. (1901) 2652. At Addiewell, about 112 m. S.W., the manufacture of ammonia, naphtha, paraffin oil and candles is carried on, the village practically dating from 1866, and having in 1901 a population of 1591. The Highland and Agricultural Society have an experimental farm at Pumpherston (pop. 1462). The district contains several tumuli, old ruined castles and a Roman camp in fair preservation.
CALDERÓN, RODRIGO (d. 1621), Count of Oliva and Marques de las Siete Iglesias, Spanish favourite and adventurer, was born at Antwerp. His father, Francisco Calderón, a member of a family ennobled by Charles V., was a captain in the army who became afterwards comendador mayor of Aragon, presumably by the help of his son. The mother was a Fleming, said by Calderón to have been a lady by birth and called by him Maria Sandelin. She is said by others to have been first the mistress and then the wife of Francisco Calderón. Rodrigo is said to have been born out of wedlock. In 1598 he entered the service of the duke of Lerma as secretary. The accession of Philip III. in that year made Lerma, who had unbounded influence over the king, master of Spain. Calderón, who was active and unscrupulous, made himself the trusted agent of Lerma. In the general scramble for wealth among the worthless intriguers who governed in the name of Philip III., Calderón was conspicuous for greed, audacity and insolence. He was created count of Oliva, a knight of Santiago, commendador of Ocaña in the order, secretary to the king (secretario de cámara), was loaded with plunder, and made an advantageous marriage with Ines de Vargas. As an insolent upstart he was peculiarly odious to the enemies of Lerma. Two religious persons, Juan de Santa Mariá, a Franciscan, and Mariana de San José, prioress of La Encarnacion, worked on the queen Margarita, by whose influence Calderón was removed from the secretaryship in 1611. He, however, retained the favour of Lerma, an indolent man to whom Calderón’s activity was indispensable. In 1612 he was sent on a special mission to Flanders, and on his return was made marques de las Siete Iglesias in 1614. When the queen Margarita died in that year in childbirth, Calderón was accused of having used witchcraft against her. Soon after it became generally known that he had ordered the murder of one Francisco de Juaras. When Lerma was driven from court in 1618 by the intrigues of his own son, the duke of Uceda, and the king’s confessor, the Dominican Aliaga, Calderón was seized upon as an expiatory victim to satisfy public clamour. He was arrested, despoiled, and on the 7th of January 1620 was savagely tortured to make him confess to the several charges of murder and witchcraft brought against him. Calderón confessed to the murder of Juaras, saying that the man was a pander, and adding that he gave the particular reason by word of mouth since it was more fit to be spoken than written. He steadfastly denied all the other charges of murder and the witchcraft. Some hope of pardon seems to have remained in his mind till he heard the bells tolling for Philip III. in March 1621. “He is dead, and I too am dead” was his resigned comment. One of the first measures of the new reign was to order his execution. Calderón met his fate firmly and with a show of piety on the 21st of October 1621, and this bearing, together with his broken and prematurely aged appearance, turned public sentiment in his favour. The magnificent devotion of his wife helped materially to placate the hatred he had aroused. Lord Lytton made Rodrigo Calderón the hero of his story Calderon the Courtier.
See Modests de la Fuente, Historia General España (Madrid, 1850–1867), vol. xv. pp. 452 et seq.; Quevedo, Obras (Madrid, 1794), vol. x.—Grandes Anales de Quince Dias. A curious contemporary French pamphlet on him, Histoire admirable et declin pitoyable advenue en la personne d’unfawory de la Cour d’Espagne, is reprinted by M. E. Fournier in Variétés historiques (Paris, 1855), vol. i. (D. H.)
CALDERÓN DE LA BARCA, PEDRO (1600–1681), Spanish dramatist and poet, was born at Madrid on the 17th of January 1600. His mother, who was of Flemish descent, died in 1610; his father, who was secretary to the treasury, died in 1615. Calderón was educated at the Jesuit College in Madrid with a view to taking orders and accepting a family living; abandoning this project, he studied law at Salamanca, and competed with success at the literary fêtes held in honour of St Isidore at Madrid (1620–1632). According to his biographer, Vera Tassis, Calderón served with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders between 1625 and 1635; but this statement is contradicted by numerous legal documents which prove that Calderón resided at Madrid during these years. Early in 1629 his brother Diego was stabbed by an actor who took sanctuary in the convent of the Trinitarian nuns; Calderón and his friends broke into the cloister and attempted to seize the offender. This violation was denounced by the fashionable preacher, Hortensio Félix Paravicino (q.v.), in a sermon preached before Philip IV.;
