GOZLAN

gozlan, leon (1806-1866), french novelist and play-writer, was born on the 1st of september 1806, at marseilles. when he was still a boy, his father, who had made a large fortune as a ship-broker, met with a series of misfortunes, and leon, before completing his education, had to go to sea in order to earn a living. in 1828 we find him in paris, determined to run the risks of literary life. his townsman, joseph mery, who was then making himself famous by his political satires, introduced him to several newspapers, and gozlan's brilliant articles in the _figaro_ did much harm to the already tottering government of charles x. his first novel was _les memoires d'un apothicaire_ (1828), and this was followed by numberless others, among which may be mentioned _washington levert et socrate leblanc_ (1838), _le notaire de chantilly_ (1836), _aristide froissart_ (1843) (one of the most curious and celebrated of his productions), _les nuits du pere lachaise_ (1846), _le tapis vert_ (1855), _la folle du logis_ (1857), _les emotions de polydore marasquin_ (1857), &c. his best-known works for the theatre are--_la pluie et le beau temps_ (1861), and _une tempete dans un verre d'eau_ (1850), two curtain-raisers which have kept the stage; _le lion empaille_ (1848), _la queue du chien d'alcibiade_ (1849), _louise de nanteuil_ (1854), _le gateau des reines_ (1855), _les paniers de la comtesse_ (1852); and he adapted several of his own novels to the stage. gozlan also wrote a romantic and picturesque description of the old manors and mansions of his country entitled _les chateaux de france_ (2 vols., 1844), originally published (1836) as _les tourelles_, which has some archaeological value, and a biographical essay on balzac (_balzac chez lui_, 1862). he was made a member of the legion of honour in 1846, and in 1859 an officer of that order. gozlan died on the 14th of september 1866, in paris. see also p. audebrand, _leon gozlan_ (1887). gozo (gozzo), an island of the maltese group in the mediterranean sea, second in size to malta. it lies n.w. and 3-1/4 m. from the nearest point of malta, is of oval form, 8-3/4 m. in length and 4-1/2 m. in extreme breadth, and has an area of nearly 25 m. its chief town, victoria, formerly called rabato (pop. in 1901, 5057) stands near the middle of the island on one of a cluster of steep conical hills, 3-1/2 m. from the port of migiarro bay, on the south-east shore, below fort chambray. the character of the island is similar to that of malta. the estimated population in 1907 was 21,911.