gary. It was very largely the work of the Austrian Chancellor, Count von Beust (q.v.) and of Ferencz Deák (q.v.) the Magyar national leader. (See Austria-Hungary.) Consult: Lowell, Governments and Parties in Continental Europe, Vol. II. (Boston, 1896); Start, "The Rivalry of Nations," in the Chautauquan (December, 1900).
AUSONES, 8's6-nez (Ai!(Toves, Gk. form of
the name Aurunci). A hardy mountain tribe of ancient Italy, south of Rome, probably of Oscan stock. The name Ausonia was later given to all the lands of the non-Latin tribes of Central Italy, and finally by the poets it was used as synonymous with Italy itself.
AUSO'NIA. One of the six regions into which the Greeks divided Italy at the time of Aristotle. The name was used as synonymous with Italy by Vergil and Roman poets.
AUSO'NIUS, Decimus Magnus (c. 310-394 A.D.). The most conspicuous Roman poet of the Fourth Century A.D. He was born at Burdigala (Bordeaux) about 310. His father was a man of considerable importance, having been at one time honorary prefect of Illyricum, and he appears to have taken care that the young Ausonius should receive an excellent education. Many amiable female relatives fostered and probably flattered the talents of the boy. After finishing his curriculum at Tolosa (Toulouse) , he returned to Burdigala, where, after practicing for a short time at the bar, he turned his attention to literature, and soon distinguished himself as a professor of oratory. Some years later he was appointed by Valentinian tutor to his son Gratian, afterwards quæstor, and by Gratian, prefect of Latium, and subsequently Consul of Gaul (379). On the death of Gratian, Ausonius retired from public life to his estate at Burdigala, where he occupied himself with literature and rural pursuits until the time of his death (about 394). The question whether or not Ausonius was a Christian has occasioned much controversy. He probably conformed to Christianity, but with a sort of pagan indifference. His works include translations of Greek eclogues, a collection of 150 epigrams, epistles in verse and prose, 20 so-called idyls and other descriptive pieces, which were admired in their day, and of late have once more come to be read with appreciation for their love of nature. But though destitute of the highest poetic quality, Ausonius occasionally displays a certain neatness and grace of expression, which show that in a better era he might have proved a greater poet. Besides these, he also wrote a panegyric on the Emperor Gratian, full of bombastic adulation. His best-known poems, Mosella, contain many charming bits of description, and some strikingly modern touches. Best edition by Peiper (Leipzig, 1886). Consult also: Dill, Roman Society in the Last Century of the Western Empire, especially Bk. II., Chap. III. (London, 1899), and for an a])preeiation, Mackail, Latin Literature (New York, 1896).
AUSSEE, ou-sa' (Ger. aus, from + See, lake).
A market town of Styria, Austria, situated at the southwestern end of the crown-land, at an elevation of 2155 feet (Map: Austria, C 3). Its mountain air and salt baths have made it a popular bathing-place and health resort. The chief products are wood-carvings and salt. In the vicinity are situated the three mountain lakes of Alt-Aussee, Grundl-See, and Toplitz-See, famous for their beautiful scenery. Population, in 1890, 1509.
AUSSIG, ou'siK (from Bohem. Oustí nad Labem, river mouth over Elbe.) A flourishing manufacturing town of the Austrian crown-land of Bohemia, about 455 feet above sea-level, situated on the left bank of the Elbe, at its junction with the Biela, about 69 miles northwest of Prague, and 9 miles from the Saxon frontier (Map: Austria, D 1). Its notable public buildings are the Rathaus, and the town church, supposed to date from 826, containing a fine painting of the Madonna, by Carlo Dolce, presented by Israel Mengs, whose son, the famous artist, Raphael Mengs, was born in Aussig. The town's affairs are administered by a municipal council of 36, and an executive board of 8 members. The leading industrial establishment is a chemical factory employing some 1500 workmen — the largest in Austria. There are also manufactures of machinery, glass, pottery, woolen and cotton goods, and a considerable trade in grain, fruit, wood, and mineral water. The town is an important station on the direct railway line from Dresden to Prague, and one of the stations of the Elbe Steamship Line. It has two harbors on the river. Population, in 1890 (largely German), 24,000: in 1900, 37,300. Aussig was destroyed in 1426 by the Hussites, and was taken by the Swedes, under Baer, in 1639.
AUS'TEN, Jane (1775-1817). An English novelist. She was born December 16, 1775, at Steventon, Hampshire, where her father was rector. When a girl, Jane learned French and Italian, and read somewhat widely in contemporary English literature. Throughout her life she was distinguished alike by good sense, sweetness of disposition, and personal attractions. Her novels are remarkable for the truthfulness with which they portray the everyday life of the middle classes of England in her time, and for their delicate, yet withal distinct, discrimination of character. Sir Walter Scott said of her: "That young lady had talent for describing the involvements, feelings, and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with. The big Bow-Wow Strain I can do myself, like any now going; but the exquisite touch, which renders ordinary, commonplace things and characters interesting from the truth of the description and the sentiment, is denied to me." Miss Austen's first four novels — Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma — were published between 1811 and 1816. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, appeared in 1818, after her death, which took place at Winchester, July 24, 1817. Consult: Austen-Leigh, Memoir of Jane Austen (London, 1871); G. Smith, Life of Jane Austen (London, 1890), which contains a full bibliography; Hill, Jane Austen, Her Home and Her Friends (New York, 1900); for an historical and critical study. Pollock, Jane Austen (New York, 1899); and for delicate appreciation, Howells, Heroines of Fiction (New York, 1902).
AUS'TEN, Peter Townsend (1852 — ). An American chemist; born at Clifton, Staten Island, N. Y. He received his education at the School of Mines of Columbia University, studied chemistry in Germany, and took his doctor's degree at
