Pitre________________________

became very popular, and is extensively used.
He began the Phonetic Journal in 1842.

Pitre, Giuseppe (1843-1916), Italian folk-
lorist, was born in Palermo. His huge Bibli-
oteca delle Tradizioni popolan Siciliane (18
vols., 1870-88) is his great work. He has also
compiled a valuable bibliography of Italian
folklore (1894), and was the principal editor
of the Archivio per lo Studio delle Tradizioni
popolan (1882 et seq).

Pit River Indians, sometimes spoken of
as the Palaihnihan linguistic stock, residing
along Pit River, one of the branches forming
the Sacramento in California. They are said
to have taken their name from the practice
of digging pits in the paths along the river
for catching deer.

Pitt, William (the Elder). See Chatham,
Earl of.

Pitt, William (1759-1806), British states-
man, was the second son of Lord Chatham,
and was born in Hayes, Kent. He opposed
Lord North's government, especially denoun-
cing the war with the American Colonies. In
December, 1783, the coalition government of
North and Fox ceased to exist, and Pitt was
asked to form a government. He accepted
the First Lordship of the Treasury and the
Chancellorship of the Exchequer. Pitt had
to govern the country in the face of a great
Parliamentary majority; but his debating
power and his desire to secure financial
purity gradually won the country over to
him. On March 25, 1784, an appeal was
made to the country, and Pitt came back to
power, and, with a brief interval, ruled the
nation for twenty years. When he got fairly
established, Pitt set himself to purify the gov-
ernment, and especially to introduced eco-
nomic reform. He was not long in power
before he reformed the East India Company
on a new basis, which existed till the Act of
1858. Pitt's war policy, in the opposition of
England to the French Revolution and Na-
poleon, naturally divided itself into two parts
—to break the power of France on land, and
to maintain England's supremacy at sea. In
the latter he was successful. Two days
after the news of the surrender at Ulm
reached England came the intelligence of
Nelson's splendid victory at Trafalgar on
Oct. 21. Following upon the surrender of the
Austrian army came the terrible news that
the Emperor of the French had destroyed the
combined armies of Russia and Austria at
Austerlitz. In less than a month afterward
Pitt diecl. A national funeral was accorded

3745 ___________________Pittsburgh

him, and his body was buried in Westminster
Abbey, beside that of his father. His work
did much to bring about the ultimate defeat
of Napoleon, and in many respects Pitt may
be considered England's greatest Prime Min-
ister. His title to enduring fame rests upon
the work he did in the sphere of economics.
In matters purely political he was essentially
Liberal. When regard is had to the diffi-
culties with which he was surrounded, not the
least of these being the obstinacy of George
m., Pitt deserves high praise, not only for his
enlightened views, but for the skill which he
displayed in situations of the most forbidding
nature.

Pitta, an Old World passerine bird, found
chiefly in Southeastern Asia, the type genus
of the family Pit tides. It has a thickset form,
long legs, short wings and tail, and varies
considerably in size. It is noted for its bril-
liant and varied coloring.

Pittacus, a native of the ancient Greek city
of Mitylene. He was reckoned among the
Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece.

Pittsburgh, city and port of entry, Penn-
sylvania, county seat of Allegheny co., is sit-
uated at the junction of the Monogahela and
Allegheny Rivers, which here form the Ohio
River. The city contains 41 sq. m,, and has
over 40 m. of water front. The Mononga-
hela is navigable 100 m. s. to the coal fields of
West Virginia, and the Allegheny an equal
distance n. into the Pennsylvania coal and
oil fields; while the Ohio affords connection
with the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.
Pittsburgh is a growing center of intellectual
life. Among its educational institutions are the
University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute,
Pennsylvania College for Women, Duquesne
University. The city was originally settled
by the Scotch-Irish, and the chief religious
denomination is the Presbyterian. It is the
seat of a Roman Catholic and a Protestant
Episcopal bishop. There are about 515
churches, notable edifices being the Roman
Catholic Cathedral; Cathedral of St. Paul
and Trinity and Calvary Churches (Episco-
pal) . The geographical advantages possessed
by Pittsburgh as a distributing center, and
its location in the heart of the greatest coal
fields of the continent, with vast deposits of
iron ore close at hand, made it long ago the
second city of Pennsylvania in maufactures,
commerce, wealth, and population. Later,
the rich stores of petroleum and natural gas
in the region were added to its other ad-
vantages. It early became, as Bancroft caUed