A series of riots which disturbed London in 1809, owing to Kemble having raised the prices at Covent Garden Theatre. The mob demanded the “old prices.” Clifford, a barrister, was charged with inciting to riot by appearing in the theatre with the letters “O.P.” in his hat, but was acquitted, whereupon Kemble gave way.

Oakboys.

An agrarian society in Ulster in 1763. It was formed to protest against the action of the Grand Juries, who had decided upon the construction of certain roads which the peasantry maintained were to be made solely in the interests of the great landowners.

Oath of Allegiance.

A formula drawn up after Gunpowder Plot in 1606, which asserted the supremacy of the Sovereign in ecclesiastical matters, and denied the power of the Pope to relieve his subjects from their allegiance, or to depose him.

Oath of Strasburg.

The oath of allegiance taken by Charles and Louis, the sons of Louis le DÉbonnaire, to their brother Lothair, the Emperor, after the battle of Fontenay in 841.

Oberstuhlherr.

The chief of the Westphalian Vehmgericht, as representative of the Emperor. The post was usually filled by the Archbishop of Cologne.

Oblivion and Indemnity, Act of.

A proclamation under the Great Seal in 1603, by which James I promised a complete amnesty to all those who had taken part in the rebellions in Ireland during the reign of his predecessor.

Occasional Conformity Bill.

A bill introduced into Parliament in 1703 to render illegal the practice of nonconformists receiving the sacrament according to the rites of the Church of England, in order to qualify for municipal office, and then returning to their own form of worship. The bill entailed heavy penalties on all those who held office under these conditions. The bill failed to pass, was reintroduced in the following session, and was again thrown out, while a further attempt to pass it in 1704 was defeated by the Lords. It at last became law in 1711.

O’Connell’s Tail.

The nickname given to the following of Daniel O’Connell in the House of Commons, after the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832.

October Club.

A club composed of Tories and Jacobites, formed in 1710. Among its members were Bolingbroke and his followers.

Odal.

A system of land tenure among the Norsemen, by which property in the land was absolute. It was probably land allotted to the warrior after conquest, to be held by him and his descendants, though according to the Gulathing’s law, it could not become Odal until it had been held for three generations. The udallers of Orkney hold under this tenure.

Odalsthing.

See Storthing.

Œcumenical Councils.

The General Councils of the Church accepted by ecclesiastical authorities as genuinely Œcumenical are twenty-one in number, namely: two of NicÆa, four of Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon, five Lateran Councils, two of Lyons, Vienna, Constance, Basle, Florence, Trent and the Vatican.

Œil de Boeuf.

The name given to the antechamber in the Palace of Versailles. It was so called from two bull’s-eye windows near the ceiling.

Ohio Company.

A company of Virginian settlers who colonised the Ohio Valley under a charter from the British Government in 1749.

Old Abe.

A nickname of President Abraham Lincoln.

Old Catholics.

A section of the Roman Catholics in Germany who, under the leadership of Dr. DÖllinger, rejected the dogma of Papal Infallibility imposed by the Vatican Council in 1870.

Old Czechs.

The Conservative section of the Czech or National party in Bohemia.

Old Dominion.

A name given to the State of Virginia, as the original English Colony in America.

Old Glorious.

A sobriquet of William III of England.

Old Hickory.

Andrew Jackson, President of the United States from 1829 to 1837, was so called on account of his obstinacy of character.

Old Hunkers.

The Conservative wing of the Democratic party in New York, 1824-1848.

Old Line State.

The State of Maryland is so called with reference to the Mason and Dixon Line, which divides it from Pennsylvania.

Old Man of the Mountain.

See Assassins.

Old Morality.

A nickname of Mr. W. H. Smith, leader of the House of Commons from 1887 1891.

Old Noll.

A nickname of Oliver Cromwell.

Old Pretender.

James Edward, son of James II, was so called by the adherents of the Hanoverian succession.

Old Rough and Ready.

General Zachary Taylor, President of the United States in 1849, was so called by his soldiers during the Mexican war.

Old Rowley.

A nickname of Charles II.

Old Style.

The old or Julian Calendar, superseded in England by the Gregorian in 1751, but still in use in Russia.

Oleron, Laws of.

A code of commercial and maritime laws founded on the Consolato del Mare, issued in the reign of Louis IX of France.

Olive Branch Petition.

An appeal to the King by the Second American Congress, 1775, expressing a desire for reconciliation, but offering no concessions. The King, however, refused to receive it, on the ground that it was issued by an unauthorized assembly.

OlmÜtz, Convention of.

Also called the Humiliation of OlmÜtz. A convention signed in 1850 between Prussia and Austria, by which the former Power renounced all her projects of union, and recognized the restoration of the old Germanic Diet, under the presidency of Austria.

Olney Doctrine.

An extension of the Monroe Doctrine put forward by Mr. Olney, President Cleveland’s Secretary of State, in a despatch on the Venezuela boundary question in July, 1895. He claimed that Great Britain had no right to interfere on the American Continent, and that, if force was necessary, British Guiana must rely on her own resources, without calling in aid from Great Britain. He further maintained that the United States had a right to insist upon all claims concerning questions of territory being submitted to arbitration unreservedly, and was justified in taking steps to satisfy herself that no territory had been or was being unwarrantably annexed. Lord Salisbury absolutely repudiated this doctrine, and refused in any sense to accept it as binding on Great Britain.

Omladina.

A secret society having its headquarters in Servia, whose object is the establishment of a Pan-Slavic confederation on a republican basis. It has from time to time caused Austria some trouble in Bohemia.

Open Door.

The declared English policy in China, as opposed to the policy of “Spheres of Influence.” It is defined in the Anglo-German agreement of 1900 as the free access, under equal conditions, of all nations to the ports, rivers and littorals of China.

Opium Commission.

A commission appointed in 1893 to inquire into the opium question in India. The commission reported in 1895, eight out of nine members signing the report, to the effect that the use of opium in India was strictly moderate, that native opinion made no demand for restriction, that any interference with the growing of opium in the native states would be unjustifiable, and that the Government of China was perfectly satisfied with the existing arrangements as to the opium trade. There was, therefore, in the opinion of the commissioners, absolutely no ground for legislative interference.

Opium War.

The war with China in 1840 is so called, because it arose out of the action of the Chinese authorities, who in their efforts to stop opium smuggling, insisted on the forfeiture of the stocks of opium in the hands of British merchants in China. It resulted in the cession to Great Britain in perpetuity of Hong Kong, and the opening of Canton, Amoy, Foochow, Ningpo and Shanghai as treaty ports.

Opportunists.

A school, rather than a party, in French politics who, unlike the Doctrinaires, do not seek to enforce their views in season and out of season, but allow due weight to considerations of expediency. Among them may be named Gambetta and Jules Ferry.

Orange Peel.

A nickname given to Sir Robert Peel, when Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1812-18, on account of the strong anti-Catholic bias he is considered to have displayed.

Orangemen.

A society of the Protestants of Ulster, founded in 1790, originally in opposition to the Catholic Defenders. It has remained, however, a strong and important body in the north of Ireland, firmly attached to the Union, and bitterly anti-Catholic.

Ordainers, Lords.

A commission of twenty-one persons, to whom the Government of England was confided for a period of eighteen months (1309-1310) during the reign of Edward II. Their task was to propound a scheme for the reform of the Government.

Ordeal, Trial by.

This is of Norse origin, and was practised in England in Anglo-Saxon and early Norman times. The ordeal was of various kinds, one of the most severe consisting in the accused walking barefoot and blindfold over red-hot ploughshares. If within a given period the burns so caused were not healed he was adjudged guilty. The ordeal was forbidden by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215.

Orders in Council, 1807.

England’s reply to Napoleon’s Berlin Decree, establishing the Continental Blockade, was the issue of a series of Orders in Council. They forbade vessels to trade between any ports in France or the territories of the allies, granted the right of reprisals against Tuscany, Naples, Dalmatia and the Ionian Islands, declared a blockade against all ports from which the English flag was excluded, and finally declared the sale of ships by a belligerent to a neutral illegal. These orders had a very serious effect upon the American carrying trade, and the irritation caused thereby was one of the causes of the outbreak of war in 1812.

Ordinance of 1784.

An Act providing for the Government of the North-West Territory, passed by the United States Congress in 1784.

Ordinance of 1787.

An Act of Congress making further provision for the government of the North-West Territory, and decreeing freedom from slavery and religious toleration.

The articles of reform prepared by the Lords Ordainers in the reign of Edward II and agreed to by the King and Parliament in 1311. They provided that no war should be undertaken without the consent of Parliament, that all customs duties imposed since the death of Edward I should be removed; that the great officers of state should be nominated with the consent of Parliament; that Parliament should meet annually, and that the King’s undesirable companions should be removed and his household reformed. Piers Gaveston in particular being banished from the kingdom.

Ordonnance de Mai.

An edict issued in May, 1413, by Charles VI of France, reforming the finances and abolishing numerous sinecures about the Court.

Ordonnances de Juillet.

The decrees issued by Charles X on July 24, 1830. The first suspended the liberty of the Press, the second dissolved the Chamber of Deputies, and the third ordained that the future Chamber should consist only of Deputies from the Departments. A revolutionary outbreak, fomented by the journalists, followed immediately on the promulgation of these ordinances, and Charles fled from Paris, and abdicated on August 3.

Oregon Treaty.

A treaty between Great Britain and the United States, signed in 1846, defining the frontier between Oregon and British Columbia. It involved the settlement of the claim to Vancouver Island in favour of Great Britain.

Organic Statute.

A Russian ukase, issued in 1832, withdrawing constitutional government from Poland.

Organizer of Victory.

Lazare Nicolas Carnot, the revolutionary leader, was so called during the wars of the French Revolution.

Oriflamme.

The ancient standard of France: a crimson flag attached to a gilded lance.

Orleanists.

The party among the French Royalists who supported the claims of the Orleans Branch of the French Royal Family to the throne of France. On the death of the last of the French Bourbons in 1883 the party was augmented by the adhesion of the majority of the Legitimists.

OrlÉans, Edict of.

An edict issued in 1561 by the Chancellor, de l’HÔpital, proclaiming certain reforms in the Church and the Justiciary. In the former category were included the abolition of annates and of the sale of benefices, and in the latter the abolition of all extraordinary Courts of Justice. It further authorized the Government to take possession of the surplus income of all religious communities, and to apply the sum thus obtained to educational purposes.

OrmÉe.

The name given to the insurrectionary government established at Bordeaux in 1652. It is derived from the fact of the leaders of the movement holding their meetings under a large elm near the Fort du Ha.

Orphan of the Temple.

Marie ThÉrÈse, Duchess of AngoulÉme, the daughter of Louis XVI, was so called in allusion to her three years’ imprisonment in the Temple in Paris.

Orsini Bombs.

A conspiracy to murder Napoleon III by blowing up his carriage as he was on his way to the opera in 1858. The Emperor escaped unhurt, but ten persons were killed and 158 injured by the explosion of the bombs. Orsini, who was captured and executed, had been a refugee in London, where the plot was hatched, a fact which led to an intensely hostile feeling towards England on the part of the French.

Ostend Manifesto.

The outcome of a conference at Ostend in 1854 between Messrs. Buchanan, Mason and SoulÉ, the representatives of the United States at the Courts of Great Britain, France and Spain respectively. They were asked to advise on the Cuban question, and advised their Government that the proper course was purchase, or if Spain refused to sell, that the United States were fully justified in using force if they felt themselves sufficiently powerful.

OtokodatÉ.

In old Japan a friendly association of the ChÔnin, or wardsmen of the large towns. They were very particular as to the character of their members, their aim being mutual assistance against oppression and wrong-doing of every kind, while among themselves they were a sort of benefit society, aiding those of their members who through misfortune were in need of assistance.

Ottawa Conference.

A conference of delegates from the British self-governing colonies, held at Ottawa in 1894. The conference agreed to resolutions asking for Imperial legislation enabling the Colonies to enter into treaties of reciprocity with each other, and the denunciation of existing foreign treaties which prevented this. The delegates further pronounced in favour of preferential customs arrangements between the Mother Country and the Colonies, of a line of fast steamers between Canada and Australia, and of an “All Red” cable to Australia.

Oude Proclamation.

A proclamation issued by Lord Canning after the fall of Lucknow in 1858, confiscating all proprietary rights to land in Oude, with the exception of the estates of seven unimportant proprietors. All others must throw themselves on the mercy of the British Government, and clemency would be extended to them, if they had not been concerned in the murder of Englishmen. This proclamation was considered by Lord Ellenborough unduly severe, and a controversy arose which nearly led to Lord Canning’s resignation.

Our Lady of Mercy, Order of.

A Spanish Order of Knighthood, instituted in 1218 by James I of Aragon. Its special mission was to work for the deliverance of captives in the hands of the Moors.

Outlawry.

Among the Norsemen certain crimes, such as the violation of a temple, or secret or unprovoked murder, could not be atoned for by “weregild,” and were punished by confiscation of all property and loss of all rights, the criminal becoming an outlaw. A man was also outlawed if he or his family were unable to pay “weregild.”

Overton’s Plot.

An abortive conspiracy to overthrow the Commonwealth and murder Cromwell, Lambert and other leading men, in 1655. It was headed by Major-General Overton, one of the most successful of the Parliamentary generals.

Oxford Movement.

A movement, designed to bring the Church of England nearer to the Church of Rome, which took its rise at Oxford in 1841. Its leaders were Keble, Pusey and Newman, and their views were in the first instance published to the world in a series of papers called “Tracts for the Times,” whence it is also known as the Tractarian Movement. Its followers were generally called Puseyites by their opponents.

Oxford’s Assault.

The attempted assassination of Queen Victoria by Edward Oxford in 1840 is so called. He fired twice at the Queen, but missed. At his trial he was found to be insane, and was incarcerated in Bethlem Hospital, and afterwards in Broadmoor.

Oyer and Terminer.

A commission specially nominated to hear and determine specific cases, especially of high treason, in England. This legal form was extended to Scotland in 1709, after the abortive trial of the Stirlingshire Jacobites under the ordinary Scotch procedure in 1708.