UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

1966

UNIFORMS OF THE U. S.

ment stood for Uncle Sam, of Samuel Wilson, a citizen of Troy. It is doubtful whether there is any truth in this story. Certainly, however, "Uncle Sam" was an accepted sobriquet for the United States as early as 1817. Uncle Sam is conventionally portrayed as a tall man, thin, with long, narrow beard, long-tailed coat and high hat.

Un'derground' Rail'road', the name popularly applied to the system adopted by many .persons in the north, before the Civil War, for aiding fugitive slaves to escape from their masters into Canada, beyond the reach of the fugitive-slave law. Sympathizing abolitionists furnished the fugitives with food, hiding-places, transportation and advice, while they refused information or comfort to their pursuers. The most favored routes lay through Ohio and Pennsylvania. The houses along these routes where aid was given came to be known as "stations;" those persons directly assisting the run-a-ways as "conductors;" those who made contributions of clothing and money as "stockholders" in the enterprise Wm. Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips were stockholders. Among the most active officials was Levi Coffin, who claimed to have actively engaged in the work for 33 years and to have received an average of 100 fugitives annually; he was often styled the president of the concern. Seibert in his exhaustive work on "The Underground Railroad" gives the names of 3,211 "agents, station-keepers and conductors." Many of them were heavily fined for violation of the law, but the practice continued to be one of the chief grievances of the south against the north.

Unga'va, District of, the northern part of Labrador, lies north of the province of Quebec and between the eastern shore of Hudson Bay and the Atlantic. Although it is the portion of Canada nearest Europe, and although the trade of Canada has passed immediately south or north of it for over 200 years, it is the least known portion of the country. It is in the same latitude as northern England and Scotland and the southern portion of Norway and Sweden, but the effect of the Arctic current on its northern and northeastern coast unfits it for agriculture. It is the character and climate of this part of Canada nearest Europe that have done so much to create a mistaken prejudice in the minds of Europeans against Canada's climate and advantages. Forests valuable for paper-making cover a great part of the country. The lakes are large and numerous, fish excellent and plentiful. There is every indication pointing to profitable mineral development, but at present the only industry is the fishing along the coast. In the opinion of Mr. Low, who has considerable knowledge of the country, Ungava

possesses a belt of iron-bearing rock probably 100 miles long and 200 to 300 wide. In the future Labrador will supply a large portion of Canada's iron. See Hudson Bay and Labrador.

Ungulates (ŭn'gŭ-lăts), the name for an order of hoofed mammals. , The larger proportion of mammals belong to this interesting order, which embraces the species useful to man, as the horse, ox, sheep, camel, pig and deer. They all walk, so to speak, on the tips of their toes, each toe at the end being incased in a horny hoof. They are naturally divided into two groups : the odd-toed and the even-toed mammals. The former includes the horses (q. v.) with a single hoof, the rhinoceroses with three toes on each foot and the tapirs with three toes on the hind feet and four (one of which is not used) on the fore feet. The odd-toed mammals (Perissodactyla) have had a long geological history, and many modifications can be traced through those found in the rocks. The horse, for example, sprang from ancestors with five toes, and between those remote ancestors and the modern horse with a single toe lie more than two and one half million years (see Evolution). The even-toed forms (Artiodactyla) include all those with cloven hoofs, as cattle, deer, sheep, goats, swine and the like. The hippopotamus has four toes on each foot. The swine has four toes, but the two outer are lifted above the ground and not of use in progression, and the cud-chewers have the toes reduced to two. These even-toed mammals likewise have a long history, and in the rocks are forms which lead up to those now existing.

U'nicorn, a legendary animal described by ancient authors as possessing the body of a horse and a single long horn, issuing from the forehead and projecting forward. It was supposed to inhabit India. This fabulous creature became a sign in heraldry. A somewhat similar animal with the cloven hoof and the beard of a goat is depicted on the coat-of-arms of England. The word translated unicorn in the Bible refers to some horned creature. It is supposed by some scholars that the buffalo is indicated.

U'niforms of the U. S. : Military and Naval. Of recent years, particularly since 1902, considerable changes have been made in the uniforms both of the army and the navy of the United States regular and volunteer forces. These have been introduced with the design of adapting them more effectively to the conditions of active service and to combine an ornamental and tasteful neatness with the idea of utility, but without undue display or ostentation. In accomplishing the changes the cumbrous helmet has been almost entirely discarded for a serviceable peaked cap (blue or khaki), retaining also the soft, felt, buff-colored campaign hat; while khaki, of a now fast