LEVECHE

leveche, the name given to the dry hot sirocco wind in spain; often incorrectly called the "solano." the direction of the leveche is mostly from s.e., s. or s.w., and it occurs along the coast from cabo de gata to cabo de nao, and even beyond malaga for a distance of some 10 m. inland. levee (from fr. _lever_, to raise), an embankment which keeps a river in its channel. a river such as the mississippi (q.v.), draining a large area, carries a great amount of sediment from its swifter head-streams to the lower ground. as soon as a stream's velocity is checked, it drops a portion of its load of sediment and spreads an alluvial fan in the lower part of its course. this deposition of material takes place particularly at the sides of the stream where the velocity is least, and the banks are in consequence raised above the main channel, so that the river becomes lifted bodily upwards in its bed, and flows above the level of the surrounding country. in flood-time the muddy water flows over the river's banks, where its velocity is at once checked as it flows gently down the outer side, causing more material to be deposited there, and a long alluvial ridge, called a natural levee, to be built up on either side of the stream. these ridges may be wide or narrow, but they slope from the stream's outer banks to the plain below, and in consequence require careful watching, for if the levee is broken by a "crevasse," the whole body of the river may pour through and flood the country below. in 1890 the mississippi near new orleans broke through the nita crevasse and flowed eastward with a current of 15 m. an hour, spreading destruction in its path. the hwang-ho river in china is peculiarly liable to these inundations. the word levee is also sometimes used to denote a riverside quay or landing-place. levee (from the french substantival use of _lever_, to rise; there is no french substantival use of _levee_ in the english sense), a reception or assembly held by the british sovereign or his representative, in ireland by the lord-lieutenant, in india by the viceroy, in the forenoon or early afternoon, at which men only are present in distinction from a "drawing-room," at which ladies also are presented or received. under the _ancien regime_ in france the _lever_ of the king was regulated, especially under louis xiv., by elaborate etiquette, and the various divisions of the ceremonial followed the stages of the king's rising from bed, from which it gained its name. the _petit lever_ began when the king had washed and said his daily offices; to this were admitted the princes of the blood, certain high officers of the household and those to whom a special permit had been granted; then followed the _premiere entree_, to which came the secretaries and other officials and those having the _entree_; these were received by the king in his dressing-gown. finally, at the _grand lever_, the remainder of the household, the nobles and gentlemen of the court were received; the king by that time was shaved, had changed his linen and was in his wig. in the united states the term "levee" was formerly used of the public receptions held by the president.