LONGWY

longwy, a fortified town of north-eastern france in the department of meurthe-et-moselle, 89 m. n.n.w of nancy by rail. pop. (1906) 8523. longwy is situated on a plateau overlooking the chiers, a right-bank affluent of the meuse, near the frontiers of belgium and luxemburg. it comprises an upper and a lower town; the former, on a hill, 390 ft. above the chiers valley, commands the luxemburg road, and is strengthened by an enceinte and a few outlying fortifications. there is garrison accommodation for 5000 men and 800 horses, but the permanent garrison is small. the lower town is the industrial centre. the 17th-century church has a lofty square tower, the hotel de ville dates from 1730, and there is a fine hospital. iron is extensively mined in the district, and supplies numerous blast furnaces. several iron and steel works are in operation, and metal utensils, fire-proof ware and porcelain are manufactured. longwy (_longus vicus_) came into the possession of the french in 1678 and was at once fortified by vauban. it was captured by the prussians in 1792, 1815 and 1871. lonnrot, elias (1802-1884), finnish philologist and discoverer of the _kalevala_, was born at nyland in finland on the 9th of april 1802. he was an apothecary's assistant, but entered the university of abo in 1822, and after taking his successive degrees became a physician in 1832. but before this, as early as 1827, he had begun to publish contributions to the study of the ancient finnish language, and to collect the national ballads and folklore, a field which was at that time uncultivated. in 1833 he settled as a doctor in the country district of kajana, and began to travel throughout finland and the adjoining russian provinces in his leisure time, collecting songs and legends. in this way he was able to put together the great epic of finland, the _kalevala_, the first edition of which he published in 1835; he continued to add to it, and in 1849 issued a larger and completer text. in 1840 lonnrot issued his important collection of the kanteletar, or folk-songs of ancient finland, which he had taken down from oral tradition. the _proverbs of finland_ followed in 1842. in 1853, on the death of castren, lonnrot became professor of the finnish language and literature at the high school of helsingfors; he retired from this chair in 1862. he died on the 19th of march 1884.