g; passed through Harrow and
Oxford; entered the diplomatic service; became attache at Constantinople,
and during the Crimean War served as Oriental Secretary, acquiring the
while a profound grip of the Eastern Question, and an unrivalled
knowledge of European and Asiatic languages--Turkish, Persian, Arabic,
Slavonic, Afghan, Basque, &c.; succeeded to the title in 1855, and
henceforth resided chiefly in London; was President of the Asiatic
Society, and was considered by Freeman "our greatest English
philologist"; author of various articles on political, geographical, and
philological subjects (1825-1869).

STRANRAER (6), a royal burgh and seaport of Wigtownshire, finely
situated at the southern extremity of Loch Ryan, 73 m. W. of Dumfries;
has an interesting 16th-century castle, and a handsome town-hall and
court-house; there is some shipping in agricultural produce, and steamers
ply daily between Stranraer and Larne, in Ireland.

STRAPAROLA, GIOVANNI FRANCESCO, author of a famous collection of
stories after the style of Boccaccio's "Decameron," partly borrowed and
partly genuine folk-stories, which ranks as an Italian classic, and has
been translated into various European languages; flourished in the 16th
century.

STRAP, HUGH, a simple-hearted friend and adherent of Roderick Random
in Smollett's novel of that name.

STRAPPADO, an obsolete military punishment by drawing a culprit to
the top of a beam and then letting him drop the length of the rope.

STRASBURG (124), capital, since 1871, of Alsace-Lorraine, on the
Ill, a few miles above its confluence with the Rhine, 89 m. N. of Basel;
a place of great strategical importance, and a fortress of the first
class; is a city of Roman origin, and contains a magnificent Gothic
cathedral (11th century) with a famous astronomical clock, an imperial
palace, university, &c.; manufactures embrace beer, leather, cutlery,
jewellery, &c.; there is also a busy transit trade; a free town of the
German empire in the 13th century; fell into the hands of the French in
1681, and was captured by the Germans, after a seven weeks' siege, on
28th September 1870, after which it became finally German, as it was
originally, by the peace of Frankfort, May 1871.

STRATFORD (40), manufacturing town in Essex, on the Lee, 4 m. NE. of
London.

STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE, SIR STAFFORD CANNING, FIRST VISCOUNT, a
distinguished ambassador, born in London, son of a well-connected
merchant