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Ripon, Frederick John Robinson, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Ripon, Frederick John Robinson, 1st earl of rĭpˈən [key], 1782–1859, British statesman, better known as Viscount Goderich. Entering Parliament as a Tory in 1806, he sponsored the unpopular corn l...

Bentinck, Lord William George Frederick Cavendish

(Encyclopedia)Bentinck, Lord William George Frederick Cavendish, 1802–48, English politician and sportsman, known as Lord George. Although he entered Parliament in 1826, he was known primarily for his horse-racin...

Stanhope, Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl

(Encyclopedia)Stanhope, Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl, 1805–75, English historian. He was undersecretary for foreign affairs (1834–35) in Sir Robert Peel's first ministry and secretary of the board of control...

Peterloo massacre

(Encyclopedia)Peterloo massacre, public disturbance in St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England, Aug. 16, 1819, also called the Manchester massacre. A crowd of some 60,000 men, women, and children were peaceably gath...

Cobden, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Cobden, Richard kŏbˈdən [key], 1804–65, British politician, a leading spokesman for the Manchester school. He made a fortune as a calico printer in Manchester. A firm believer in free trade, afte...

diminishing returns, law of

(Encyclopedia)diminishing returns, law of, in economics, law stating that if one factor of production is increased while the others remain constant, the overall returns will relatively decrease after a certain poin...

Huskisson, William

(Encyclopedia)Huskisson, William hŭsˈkĭsən [key], 1770–1830, British statesman. First elected to Parliament in 1796, he was secretary of the treasury (1804–5, 1807–9) but resigned with his close associate...

Salic law, laws of the Salian Franks

(Encyclopedia)Salic law: see Germanic laws.

Aberdeen, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Aberdeen, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th earl of ăbˌədēnˈ [key], 1784–1860, British statesman. He served (1813) as ambassador extraordinary at Vienna and helped arrange (1814) the peace terms at P...

Derby, Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley, 14th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Derby, Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley, 14th earl of därˈbē [key], 1799–1869, British statesman. Although a Whig, he entered (1827) government as George Canning's undersecretary for the colo...