| previously to the battle of the Boyne. Pop., in 1821, produce of wool, 560,000 kilogs. This dep. is distin3,588, in 1831, 3,975, being about 2-3ds of that of the en- guished by its mines and manufactures. Among the tire parish, which in 1834 contained 6,151 inhab., of former are those of iron, lead, calamine, &c., with quarries whom 458 were of the E. church, 45 P. dis., and 5,648 of slate and marble, the former the most important of R. Catholics. The town, which stands in a fertile dis- the kind in the N. of France; coal is also found, but it is trict, consists of a main street, having several lanes not worked, at least to any considerable extent. The branching from it; the dwellings, with the exception of annual produce of iron is estimated at above 4,500,000 some good houses, are mostly miserable cabins. The kilogs. bar, and above 700,000 kilogs, cast. Charleville church, built in the early part of the 13th century, and produces annually above 3,000,000 kilogs. nails: the copper originally forming part of an Augustine monastery, is a works furnish above 180,000 kilogs. sheet copper, with plain structure in good repair: the R. C. chapel is a above 110,000 kilogs, brass-wire for pins, clock-work, &c., new and spacious edifice. There are schools for both and copper for caldrons and boilers. Above 6,000 indisexes, under the endowment of Erasmus Smith; a sav- viduals are employed in the arrondissement of Mezières ings' bank, and a dispensary. In the centre of the town in the nail trade, and 600 in the manufacture of ironis another ancient castle, now fitted up as a dwelling- mongery goods. Immense quantities of slates are house, and near the entrance is a large artificial mound, quarried at Fumay, Fepin, St. Barnabé, &c. Fabrics called the Castle Guard. It was incorporated to- of superior earthenware, glass, white lead, tannerics, &c. wards the close of the reign of Edward III., and received are met with at Montherme and other places. There are additional privileges from subsequent monarchs. Its also numerous establishments for the spinning of wool; ruling charter is that of 11th Anne, under which it con- and various branches of the woollen manufacture are sists of a portreeve, 23 burgesses, and an unlimited extensively carried on at Sedan, Bethel, &c. The great number of freemen; the municipal government being manufactory of fire-arms on account of government, vested in the portreeve, 6 burgesses, and 6 freemen, who carried on at Charleville, has been transferred to Feltri hold office for life. The corporation returned 2 m. to and Chatellerault. Besides furnishing timber and other the Irish parl., and continues to enjoy a revenue of about products for exportation to the contiguous depts. and 1357. per annum. The local courts have fallen into dis- Belgium, the forests are the great source of the prouse; general sessions of the peace are held in January ductiveness of the mines, timber being the fuel used in the and June, and petty sessions every Wednesday: part of iron and copper works. The dep. returns 4 m. to the Ch. the ancient castle is used as a bridewell. The manufac- of Dep. Const. in 1837, 1,322. Public revenue in 1831, ture of malt is carried on to a considerable extent, 64,483 8,075,880 fr. Principal towns Mezières, Sedan, Charleville, bushels having paid duty in 1836: there are also flour Bethel, Givet, &c. (Hugo, France Pittoresque, art. Arand meal mills; turf is brought from a bog, about two dennes; and Official Tables.) miles, distant by the river Dee, which is here navigable for boats. A market-place for corn was built in 1710, and shambles in 1796, in which a well stocked market is held every Tuesday. Fairs, principally for live stock, are held in a large enclosed area provided by the corporation, on 1st Mar., 10th Apr., 6th June, 8th July, 20th Aug., 23d Oct., and 17th Dec.; that of October is principally for sheep. The right of tolls, which was formerly of such commercial importance that a mercantile some time matter of dispute and turbulence, has been decided in favour of the corporation. The post-office revenue amounted in 1830 to 317., and in 1836 to 5467.: a daily mail car from Drogheda to Louth passes through Ardce, carrying at an average two passengers each trip. (Railroad Report; Priv. Infor.) ARDELAN, a prov. of Persia, forming the E. division of Kurdistan. It extends 200 m. in length, from the stream Sharook to the Turkish district of Zohaub, and is nearly 160 m. in breadth. From the Sharook to Senna, cap. prov., in lat. 35° 12′ N., long. 40° E., the surface presents successive clusters of hills, heaped, as it were, on each other, on extensive table lands, covered with huts, and the flocks of tribes passing the summer months here, and migrating in winter towards Bagdad. The soil is good, and will yield abundance of wheat and barley; but the Kurds, who prefer a pastoral life, content themselves with raising only what is absolutely necessary for their subsistence. Tobacco is cultivated in small quantities; and the extensive forests of oak on the mountains W. of Senna afford abundance of timber and gall-nuts. The former is floated down the Zab in rafts into the Tigris, and the latter exported to India. Various tribes inhabit Ardelan, which are represented as robust, brave, temperate, and living to a great age; but they are averse from settled habits; war and rapine are their delight; and they scarce consider murder and parricide as crimes! They have a language of their own, and are proud of their descent, which they trace back to the most distant epochs. Some of their chiefs have great power. (Kinneir's Persia, p. 142.) ARDENNES, a dep. in the N. of France, having N. Belgium, E. dep. Meuse, S. dep. Marne, and W. dep. Aisne. Area, 517,385 hect. Pop. 306,861. It derives its name from the old forest of Ardennes, which occupies its N. division. It is divided into two portions by a mountainous ridge, a ramification of the chain of the Vosges, by which it is traversed from S. E. to N. W. Principal rivers Meuse and Aisne, connected by means of the canal of the Ardennes and the Bar. Soil of very different degrees of fertility. The N. is interspersed with mountains or high hills covered with forests and heaths, and some plains in the S. W. district are naked, arid, and barren. But it has some large and fruitful valleys, particularly that of the Aisne, one of the best corn countries in France. The extent of its principal divisions is set down as follows in the official tables, viz. cultivable lands, 314,000; meadows, 48,000; forests, 95,000; and heaths, &c., 11,000 hect. Agriculture has recently made much progress, and more corn is now produced than is sufllcient for the consumption of the inhabitants. The crop of 1831 was estimated at about 570,000 hect. while that of 1832 was estimated at 912,000. Some inferior wine is made in the S. districts. There are large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, there being among the latter, which are celebrated for their mutton, several of the long-wooled and merino breeds. Average annual ARDES, a town of France, dep. Puy-de-Dome, cap. cant. on a small river that falls into the Allier, 10 m. S. W. Issoire. Pop. 1,830. ARDGLASS, a marit. town of Ireland, co. Down, prov. Ulster, on the sea-coast, a little to the N. of St. John's Point, between Dundrum Bay and the entrance of Strangford Lough, 68 m. N. N. E. Dublin. It was forcompany from London settled here in the reign of Hen. IV., and in that of Hen. VI. its trade exceeded that of any port to the N. of Drogheda. It was also a place of considerable strength, as appears from the gallant stand made in it by Simon Jordan, at the close of the reign of Elizabeth, who maintained it successfully during a siege of three years against the earl of Tyrone; but subsequently, in consequence of its exclusive commercial privileges having been purchased up by the Crown, and transferred to Newry and Belfast, its trade declined, insomuch that it has been for many years merely a fishing station and watering-place, and the port for embarkation to a few passengers to the Isle of Man. Pop. in 1834, 1628, of whom 661 were of the E. church, 29 Prot. dis., and 938 R. Cath. It stands on the side of an elevated tract of land overlooking the sea, between two remarkable hills. The late proprietor expended a considerable sum in buildings suited to make it a fashionable bathingplace. It now consists of a long semicircular street, with lanes branching from it; a range, called the Crescent, overlooking the bay, and several detached residences. The pa, church and R. Cath. chapel are neat buildings. Schools, on the foundation of Erasmus Smith, educate 90 boys and 80 girls; there are also several private schools, in which about 100 pupils are instructed. The castle, now the occasional residence of the proprietor, consists of a range of very ancient buildings, supposed to have been stores for merchandise, converted into a castellated mansion of three stories. A manorial court holds pleas to the amount of 1007. The harbour has also been much improved. It consists of an inner cove, capable of admitting vessels of 100 tons, but nearly dry at low water, and of a large outer harbour, which, having been still farther cnlarged by a pier, extending 300 feet into deep water, admits vessels of 500 tons at any time of tide: it has a lighthouse at its extremity. A constabulary force and coast-guard are maintained here. There are no manufactures: its trade is confined to that of grain, of which consider-` able quantities are shipped. Its low state in these respects is indicated by its post-office revenue, which, in 1830, was but 907., and in 1836 was not returned. In its commercial arrangements it is considered as a creek or dependency of Killough, with which port its custom duties are consolidated. (See KILLOUGH.) The fishery is the almost exclusive occupation of the working classes; that of herrings being most followed. During the season, which continues from the beginning of June to the close of August, vessels assemble here, not only from the fishing ports on the E. coast of Ireland, but from the Isle of Man, and Cornwall. In 1834 about 300 vessels were collected, of which a third were Manx, a third English, from Penzance in Cornwall, and the remainder Irish. Besides herrings, most kinds of round and flat fish are abundant; but they are not so much sought for. The fishermen, as a body, are orderly, well conducted, willing to work, and not more addicted to the use of ardent spirits than most others of the same grade. When dis- | 108,549 tons. (New Statistical Account of Scotland, abled by age or accident, they are principally supported art. Ardrossan; Priv. Information.) by their children and friends. It is observed, that though AREBO, or ARBON, a town of Benin, on the river the takes of fish are frequently very large, the quantity Formosa, 60 m. from its mouth. Lat. 5° 58′ N., long. brought in for sale never exceeds the demand. (Fish- 5° 8' E. ery Report; Priv. Infor.) ARDJA, a town of Turkey in Asia, on the left bank of the Euphrates, 45 m. N. W. Bussorah. ARDNAMURCHAN POINT, a promontory on the W. coast of Scotland, Argyleshire, being the most westerly point in the mainland of Great Britain, lat. 56 45 N., long. 6° 8′ 30′′ W. ARDNAREE, a marit. town of Ireland, co. Sligo, prov. Connaught, 1601 m. W. N. W. Dublin, on the Moy, a bridge over which river connects it with the town of Ballina. It being, therefore, in reality a suburb of the latter, the particulars relative to it will be found under BALLINA. ARDOCH, a village of Scotland, co. Perth, pa. Muthil, 8 m. N. Dumblane, remarkable for having in its vicinity one of the best preserved Roman stations or forts in the empire. It is an oblong, 420 feet by 375 within the lines. On the W. side it is defended by the steep banks of the river Knaig, on the S. by a deep morass and two ditches, and on the other sides, where it is most exposed, by no fewer than five parallel ditches and six ramparts. On the S. side the ditches have been partially destroyed in the process of cultivation, and the W. side has been injured by carrying (unnecessarily) the military road from Stirling through Crieff to the Highlands through part of the works; but it is now luckily inclosed and protected from further depredation. The prætorium, which is well preserved, is a square, 60 feet in the side, but it is not exactly in the centre of the station. Near this strong fort are three camps of different magnitudes, one 2,800 by 1,950 feet, estimated to accommodate 25,000 men; another, 1,910 by 1,340 feet, accommodating 12,000 men; and the third and smallest, 1,060 by 900 feet, accommopating 4,000 men. Nothing certain is known as to the period when, or the general by whom, this station and camps were constructed; but they are generally supposed to have been the work of Agricola. A little to the W. of Ardoch a cairn formerly existed 182 feet in height; but it is now nearly demolished, the stones having been carried away to build houses and fences. (Roy's Military Antiquities; New Statistical Account of Scotland, art. Muthil.) ARDOYE, a town of Belgium, 14 m. S.S.W. Bruges. Pop. 5.900. ARDRA, or AYEM, a country of Africa, formerly independent, but now a prov. of Dahomey. Ardra is also the name of the capital of the above country, about 40 m. inland. ARDRES, a small but well-fortified town of France, dep. Pas de Calais, cap. cant., 9 m. S. E. Calais. Pop. 2,150. In the vicinity of this town, in June, 1520, was held the famous meeting between Francis I., king of France, and Henry VIII., king of England. The pomp and magnificence displayed on both sides, during 18 days that the meeting lasted, acquired for the place of rendevous the name of the Champ du drap d'or. The interview had no very important political result. ARDROSSAN, a parish and sea-port town of Scotland, co. Ayr, the town being 24 m. W.S.W. Glasgow, 20 m. S. Greenock, and about 1 m. N. W. Saltcoats. Pop. of parish in 1831, 3,597; of Ardrossan at present (1838) from 1,000 to 1,100. The town was founded by the late Earl of Eglintoun. His lordship's intention was to make a harbour here that should be accessible at all times of the tide; and as a project was, at the same time, set on foot for bringing a canal from Glasgow to Ardrossan, it was supposed that the latter would become the port of the former, and that the circuitous navigation of the Clyde would be avoided. In furtherance of this design, Lord Eglintoun expended vast sums on the harbour and town. The harbour is partly formed by a small islet, called Horse Isle, which shelters it on the N.W., and by a lengthened circular pier, and a breakwater. Within the extremity of the latter, there are 26 feet water at spring ebbs, shoaling gradually to 15 feet, where the pier commences. The wet docks which it was intended to construct have not been proceded with. The town is laid out on a regular and magnificent plan; there is a splendid establishment of baths; and latterly the place has been a good deal resorted to by visiters in the bathing season. The projected canal from Glasgow to Ardrossan not having been excavated further than the village of Johnstone in Renfrewshire, an act was obtained, in 1827, for constructing a railway from Johnstone to Ardrossan; but hitherto it has been only completed as far as Kilwinning. There can, however, be little doubt that a railway will, at no distant period, be carried from Glasgow to Ardrossan; and when this is done, the latter will become the point whence the steam packets will sail for Liverpool and Belfast. The shipping of coal from Ardrossan has lately increased rapidly. During the year 1836 there entered the port 1963 vessels, of the burden of ARECIFE, a sea-port town, cap. island of Lancerota, one of the Canaries, on its E. coast, lat. 28° 56′ N., long. 13° 36′ W. Pop. 2,500. The harbour, which though small is secure, is formed by several rocky islets. It has two entrances, the N. having a depth of 12, and the E. of 17 feet. at low water, with a 9-feet rise of tide. Both entrances are defended by bomb-proof forts. The inhab. are mostly engaged in the fishery on the opposite coast of Africa. (Journal Geog. Society, vi. p. 287.) ARENDAL, a sea-port town of Norway, on the Arendal, 75 m. N. E. Christiansand, lat. 58° 27' N., long. 8° 50′ 25′′ E. Pop. 1,800. It is mostly built on piles, and small vessels reach almost all parts of the town by means of the canals by which it is intersected. The harbour is protected by the opposite island of Trompe. There are iron mines and forges in the vicinity; and a good deal of trade is carried on in iron and timber. ARENDOUK, a village of Belgium, prov. Antwerp, 54 m. E. by S. Turnhout. Pop. 2,500. It has manufactures of stockings and linens, and distilleries. ARENIS DE MAR, a town of Spain, Catalonia, 26 m. N. E. Barcelona, near the sea. Pop. 5,000. It is neat and clean, has a fine parish church and a convent, fabrics of silk and cotton stockings, a school of pilotage, a yard for the building of small vessels, and anchor-forges. The women employ themselves in making lace. ARENSBURG, a sea-port town of European Russia, gov. Livonia, capital of the island of Oesel, in the Baltic, at the mouth of the Gulph of Riga, being situated on the S. side of the island, lat. 58° 15' N., long. 22° 17′ 45′′ E. Pop. 1,800. It has a castle, a Russian and a Lutheran church, a public school, and an hospital. The water in the harbour being shallow, vessels are obliged to anchor in the roads at a considerable distance from town. The articles of export consist of corn, timber, butter, cheese, tallow, hides, and seal oil. (See OESEL.) AREQUIPA, a city of S. America, rep. Peru, cap. prov. same name, in the valley of Quilca, on the Chile, at the foot of M. Omate, 7,700 feet above the level of the sea, 30 m. E. from the Pacific Ocean, and 200 m. S.S.W. Cuzco, lat. 16° 30′ S., long. 73° 11′ W. It was founded by order of Pizarro, in 1536. The houses, though low, on account of the prevalence of earthquakes, are strongly built; and the cathedral, a bronze fountain in the great square, and the bridge over the Chile, deserve notice. It has four convents, a college, a workhouse, &c.; and it has, or had, flourishing manufactures of gold and silver cloths, woollens, and cottons. Its environs, notwithstanding their elevation, are very fruitful; and by means of its port Mollendo, and of the road passing through it from Lima to the S., it is the seat of a pretty extensive commerce. It is very subject to earthquakes, from several of which it has sustained great injury. The accounts of its pop. differ very widely; but it may perhaps be estimated at about 35,000. ARETHUSA, a famous fountain of Sicily, which rises close to the sea, in the city of Syracuse. Cicero says of it, In hac insula (Ortygia) extrema est fons aquæ dulcis, cui nomen Arethusa est, incredibili magnitudine, plenissimus piscium : qui fluctu totus operiretur, nisi munitione ac mole lapidum à mari disjunctus esset. (In Verr., lib. iv. § 53.) Poetry and fable have combined to give an enduring celebrity to this fountain. It was supposed that the river Alpheus, which flows past Olympia in Greece, and falls into the Sicilian Sea, did not terminate its course there; but that it continued to flow in a subterranean channel, preserving the purity of its waters, till they again reappeared in the fountain Arethusa ; and in proof of this it was affirmed that things cast into the Alpheus were after a while thrown up by the fountain! Virgil alludes to this circumstance when he says, Sic tibi, cum fluctus subter labere Sicanos, Eclog. x. lin. 4, 5. and it is referred to by Pliny (Hist. Nat., lib. ii. § 3.), Seneca (Quæst. N., lib. iii. 26.), and other ancient authors. The poetical account of the fountain may be seen in Ovid's Met., lib. v. lin. 572. This celebrated spring is now sadly changed. The sea has made its way, probably by the agency of the earthquakes so frequent here, into the fountain; so that, instead of being sweet, the water, which also is greatly diminished in quantity, in consequence of a large portion rising in the sea, is brackish and unfit for any purpose but that of washing. Its fish have disappeared with the sacred groves and temples that adorned its banks; and this glory of ancient Syracuse is now degraded into a sort of public washing tub for the poorer classes of the modern city. (Swinburne's Two Sicilies, ii. p. 332. 4to. ed. Hughes's Travels, i. p. 41. 8vo. ed.) AREVALO, a town of Spain, Old Castile, prov. Arels, on the Adaja, 29 m. N.N.E. Avila. Pop. 4,500. Besides churches, it has two hospitals and two corn markets. AREZZO (an. Arretium), a city of Tuscany, in the rich plain of Chiana (which see), 31 m. E. by N. Sienna, lat. 43° 18′ 53′′ N., long. 12° 0′ 39′′ E. Pop. 10 000. It is surrounded by walls, has a citadel, but is neither well built nor well laid out. It is the seat of a bishop, and has a Gothic cathedral. Its finest building, le Logge, containing the custom-house and theatre, in the principal square, has a magnificent portico, 400 feet in length. It has also numerous churches, convents, and 4 hospitals. There are manufactures of woollen stuffs and pins. Petrarch was born here, on the 20th July, 1304; and this also is the native country of Vassari, Bacci, and of Leondo Bruin, called Aretin, Redi, &c. Arezzo is very ancient, having been one of the principal states of Etruria. After it became subject to the Romans, it was reckoned a post of great importance as a defence against the incursions of the Cisalpine Gauls. It was famous for its terra-cotta vases, ranked by Pliny with those of Samos and Saguntum. (Hist. Nat., lib. xxxv. §12.) The remains of the ruins of an amphitheatre are still visible. It was taken by assault by the French on the 19th of October, 1800. ARGANIL, a town of Portugal, prov. Beira, 21 m. E. Coimbra. Pop. 1,700. ARGELET, a town of France, dep. Pyrénées Orientales, 14 m. S. E. Perpignan, near the sea. Pop. 1,967. ARGENTAN, a town of France, dep. Orne, cap. arrond., on the river of that name, 22 m. Ñ. by W. Alencon. Pop. 5,772. It is agreeably situated on a hill in the middle of a large and fertile plain. The walls by which it was formerly surrounded have been demolished, and its ramparts converted into agreeable promenades. It is pretty well built, has a tribunal of original jurisdiction, with manufactures of linen, lace (called point d'Alençon), tanneries, bleaching-grounds, &c. ARGENTAT or ARGENTAC, a town of France, dep. Corrèze, cap. cant. on the Dordogne. Pop. 3,029. There are mines of coal and lead in the environs. ARGENTEUIL, a town of France, dep. Seine et Oise, cap. cant., on the Seine, 13 m. N. W. Paris. Pop. 4,536. Heloisa was educated in a nunnery in this town; and it was to the same place that she retired, in 1120, after the misfortune of Abelard, before she became Abbess of Paraclet. There is here an hospital, established by St. Vincent de Paul. ARGENTIERE, a town of France, dep. Ardèche, on the Ligne, 20 m. S. W. Privas. Pop. 3,000. It derives its name from mines of silver, wrought here in the 12th century. It is situated on a rock in a deep valley, has narrow crooked streets, and is ill-built and filthy. It has filatures and fabrics of silk. ARGENTON-SUR-CREUSE, a town of France, dep. Indre, cap. cant., on the Creuse, 16 m. S. S. E. Chateauroux. Pop. 4,319. This town is divided into two parts by the Creuse. The higher and more ancient part contained a vast Gothic castle, dismantled by Louis XIV., and of which there are now hardly any remains. The bleaching grounds for woollens at this place have been long celebrated. Argenton was called Arquitomagus by the Romans; and medals, and other remains of that illustrious people, are still found in the town and its vicinity. ARGENTRE', a village of France, dep. Ille et Vilaine, cap. cant., 5 m. S. S. E. Vitré. Pop. 2,060. ARGENTRE-SOUS-LAVAL, a village of France, dep. Mayenne, cap. cant., 6 m. E. Laval. Pop. 1,702. It has valuable marble quarries. ARGOS, a city of Greece, in the Morea, in antiquity the cap. of Argolis, the kingdom of Agamemnon, and one of the most ancient and celebrated of the Grecian cities. It is situated about 2 m. from the bottom of the Gulph of Argos (Argolicus Sinus), and about 44 m. N. W. Napoli di Romania, lat. 37° 40′ N., long. 22° 44′ E. Some fragments of its Cyclopean walls, and vestiges of the theatre, are the only remains of the ancient city that can be identified below the acropolis. The latter stood upon a pointed rock of considerable elevation, and great natural strength, which is now surmounted by a castle, built on the foundations of the ancient citadel. The town suffered much during the revolutionary struggle between the Greeks and Turks, but it is said to have since rapidly risen from its ruins; the buildings, however, are mean and poor. Pop. probably 3,000. ARGOSTOLI, a sea-port town, cap. island of Cephalonia, on the E. side of the gulph of the same name, lat. 380 10 40" N., long. 200 29 15 E. Pop. from 4,000 to 5,000. Situation low and unhealthy, and the houses mostly mean and poor; but both the appearance and police of the town, particularly the latter, have been much improved since it came under the protection of the English. The Gulph of Argostoli is about 8 m. in depth, by about 1 or 2 m. in width, and has in most parts good anchorage. ARGUIN, a very small island, in the gulph of the | same name, on the W. coast of Africa, about 54 m. S. E. from Cape Blanco. It is abundantly supplied with fresli water, and is supposed, apparently on good grounds, by D'Anville, Bougainville, Rennell, &c., to be identical with the island of Cerne, where Hanno settled a colony during his famous voyage of discovery. In modern times it has been successively possessed by the Portuguese, Dutch, and French; but has been abandoned for inore than half a century. The dangerous bank or shoal of Arguin extends S. E. a considerable distance from Cape Blanco. It has been the scene of numerous shipwrecks; among others of that of the French frigate la Méduse. ARGUNSKOI, a town and fortress of Siberia, on the Argun, 162 m. from its mouth. ARGYLE, or ARGYLL, a marit. co. Scotland consisting partly of mainland, and partly of islands, of which the principal are Islay, Mull, and Jura, having N. Inverness-shire, E. Perth and Dumbarton shires, S. the Irish Sea and the Frith of Clyde, and W. the Atlantic. Its shores are extremely irregular, consisting of lengthened promontories and deep bays and inlets. The total area is estimated at 2,054,400 acres, of which 1,446,400 are mainland, and 608,000 islands. The rivers are unimportant; but the freshwater lakes in the mainland and islands are supposed to cover 51,840 acres. Owing to its deep bays and gulphs, the sea coast of the mainland is estimated at about 600 m. A large portion of the surface consists of heathy moors, morasses, rocks, and wild rugged mountains. Ben Cruachan, the most elevated of the latter, rises 3,670 feet above the level of the sea. Woods and plantations cover from 35,000 to 45,000 acres. Lead, copper, and iron are met with, and coal is wrought near Campbelton. Good marble is found in the island of Tiree, and several other places; and the slate quarries of Easdale and Balachulish supply a large portion of the demand for Scotland. Climate mild, but wet, variable and boisterous. The entire extent of the arable land is not supposed to exceed 170,000 acres,so that grazing constitutes the main business of the farmer. Argyle is celebrated for the excellence of its native breed of black cattle; they are small, hardy, easily fed, and, when fattened in the rich pastures of the Lowlands of Scotland or England, afford the very best beef that is brought to table. The stock is estimated at from 65,000 to 70,000, furnishing a large annual supply for exportation. Sheep farming is not carried on so extensively as in some other Highland counties; but latterly it has been a good deal extended, and the breeds of sheep much improved. Property in a few hands. Farms of all sizes, extending from a few acres to many square miles. In various districts the practice of holding land in partnership, or what is called run-rig, is still kept up. Under this system, a number of persons take a farm in common, each being bound for the rent. They then divide the arable land into small contiguous portions, or ridges, as equally quantity and quality taken together as is possible; the space falling to each tenant being determined by lot, sometimes for the whole lease, and sometimes only for a single season! Ploughing and most other sorts of labour are performed in common; and if, as is usually the case, any hill pasture be attached to the low ground, it is let in common. of the low Highland districts occupied in this way, the land falling to the share of an individual does not exceed from 3 to 7 acres, and that, perhaps, is divided into some dozen or twenty patches. It is needless to enlarge on the pernicious influence of this mode of holding land. Where it prevails it is obvious there can be nothing like industry, nor any thing deserving the name of agriculture. We are, therefore, glad to have to say that, though still much too prevalent, it is rapidly declining both in this and other Highland counties, partly in consequence of the extension of the sheep farming system, and partly from many landlords having set themselves against it, and divided the lands held in common into separate possessions. Farm buildings very various : those on the largest and best farms good and substantial; but, in general, the houses of the smaller class of occupiers, and of the cottiers, are miserable hovels, sometimes without either windows or chimneys. Improved cottages are, however, begun to be introduced; and it is to be hoped that they may be universally diffused. Principal corn crops oats and barley, especially the first. Potatoes are very extensively cultivated, and form an important part of the food of the inhabitants. Average rent of land, including islands, in 1810, 1s. 11d. an acre. Kelp is made along the shores both of the mainland and islands; but the business has latterly fallen very much off. This, also, is the case with the herring fishery, which used formerly to be prosecuted to a much greater extent than at present, in Loch Fyne and other arms of the adjacent sea. In some Argyle is popularly divided into the seven districts of Argyle, Cowal, Kintyre, Lorn, Appin, Islay, and Mull; and contains 50 parishes. Principal towns, Campbelton, Inverary, and Oban. It had, in 1881, 17,146 inhab. houses, 19,252 families, and 100,973 inhab., having increased from 71,859 in 1801. It sends 1 m. to the H. of C. for the co., and Campbelton and Inverary join with Ayr and Irvine in returning a m. Parl. constituency in 1837, 1552. Valued rent, 149,5967. Scotch; annual value of real property in 1815, 227,4937. ARISPE, a town of Mexico, in the intendency of So nora, near the source of the river Yagrin. Pop. 7,600. ARKANSAS, a large river of N. America. It rises in the Rocky mountains, in about 41° N. lat., and 110° or 111° W. long.; and, pursuing an E. S. E. direction, unites with the Mississippi in lat. 33° 55′ N., long. 91° 10′ W. It has a course, following its bends, of above 2,000 m. It has several important tributaries, of which the Great Canadian, falling into it on the right, is the principal. During the periodical swell, the Arkansas is navigable to the Rocky Mountains; and at other times it may be navigated for above 600 m. from its confluence with the Mississippi. Its navigation is safe, being uninterrupted by rocks, shoals, or rapids. If the Missouri be reckoned the first in magnitude among the tributaries of the Mississippi, the second rank is due to the Arkansas, it being longer, and draining more surface than the Ohio, Mississippi, proper, or Platte. (Darby's View of the United States, p. 316.) ARGYRO CASTRO, a town of Turkey in Europe, in Albania, the principal place in the extensive and well cultivated valley of Deropuli, near the river Drino, on the lower declivity of the mountains on the W. side of the valley, at a short distance from the site of the old Roman town of Hadrianopolis or Justinianopolis, 45 m. N.W. Yannina. It has an imposing and peculiar aspect, being built on three separate ridges, divided from each other by deep chasms or ravines. The houses, which are mostly good, are not contiguous, but stand in various positions. "Some are placed on commanding eminences, others beneath projecting crags, and many on the ridges of precipices; but the greater part upon the flat surface of the rock, between its deep ravines: the whole appearance is singularly striking, and its fine effect augmented, not only by the minarets of its mosques, but by the grand castle or fortress, upon a much larger scale than any ever before constructed in this country." (Hughes, if. 360. 8vo. ed.) Pouqueville estimated the population, previously to the capture of the town by Ali Pacha, at 2,060 families, making probably from 12,000 to 13,000 inhab. (Voyage dans la Grèce, i. 339.) Mr. Hughes, who visited the town soon after its capture in 1813, states that it was supposed to contain about 15,000 inhab., which corresponds pretty closely with Pouqueville's estimate. It is probable that the pop, has not differed materially in the interval. According to Urquhart, (Spirit of the East, ii. 234.) Argyro Castro contains 2,000 Albanian and 200 Greek families. It has a good bazar, which used to be well supplied with articles of commerce. Previously to its subjugation by Ali Pacha, it was a place of considerable industry, had a pretty extensive internal trade, and enjoyed a considerable degree of independence. ARIANO, a town of Naples, prov. Principato Ultra, on a steep hill, in one of the passes of the Ap-erected into a separate territory in 1819. and into a state pennines, 17 m. E. Benevento, on the high road from Naples to Foggia and Manfredonia. Pop. circa 8,000. It is the residence of a bishop, and has a fine cathedral, with numerous churches, convents, and monts-de-piété; a seminary, an hospital, and a manufacture of earthenware. It suffered much from earthquakes in 1456 and 1732, and seems latterly to have been declining. ARICA, a sea-port town of S. America, on the Pacific Ocean, at the mouth of a small and well-watered valley, 210 m. N. W. Potosi, lat. 18° 28′ 40′′ S., long. 70° 13′ 30 W. It naturally belongs to Bolivia or Upper Peru; but it belonged in 1836, and probably still belongs, with a narrow strip of land extending as far S. as the Pavillon de Pica, to Peru. It was nearly destroyed by an earthquake in 1605; and has been ever since in a comparatively poor state. But it is the natural outlet of one of the principal mining districts of S. America, and of a large extent of country; and now that the disqualifications under which it laboured, during the Spanish régime, are removed, it will, no doubt, become a port of very considerable importance. It is a better landing place than the contiguous ports of Ilo, Mollendo, and Quilca; and it is much better situated for commerce than Lamar, that has hitherto been the principal port of Bolivia. But notwithstanding its superiority to most other ports on this part of the American coast, it is, owing to the heavy surf, at all times difficult to effect a landing, and sometimes quite impossible, unless in the balsas of the natives. These are a sort of floats made of inflated seal-skins; and so dexterous are the natives in their management, that there is not the least risk of being upset, or even wetted with the surf. On these original and apparently frail rafts, all merchandise is landed at Arica; and the specie, and other articles of export, are conveyed to the vessels in the bay, unless the sea be unusually calm, and the surf run very low. (Stevenson's S. America, iii. 323, &c.) ARIENZO, a town of Naples, prov. Terra di Lavoro, 8 m. N. Nola, and 18 m. W. by N. Naples. Pop. 11,000. It is situated on Mount Tifati, on the high road from Naples to Benevento, and has 7 parish churches, an hospital, and a mont-de-piété. ARIGNA, a place in the N. of the co. Roscommon, Ireland, on the W. side of Lough Allen, at which are coal and iron mines that have been worked at different times with various success; but generally with great loss to the parties carrying them on. The coal is of an inferior quality. The proceedings of a company formed in London, in 1824, for working the Arigna mines, were of so singular, or rather so disgraceful a character, as to give rise to an inquiry before a committee of the House of Commons. Full details as to these mines may be found in Weld's Survey of Roscommon. ARINTHOD, a town of France, dep. Jura, cap. cant., 21 m. S. Lons-le-Saulnier. Pop. 1618. *Balbi says (3d ed. p. 584.) that it contains from 4,000 to 9,000 inhab.! ARKANSAS, one of the United States of N. America, so called from the above river, by which it is traversed through its whole extent from W. to E. between 33° and 360 30 N. lat., and 89° 44′ and 94° 30′ W. long., having E. the Mississippi, by which it is divided from the states of Tenessee and Mississippi. Area about 50,000 sq.m. Pop. in 1820, 14,273; in 1835, 58,134, of whom about 7,000 are slaves. Besides the Arkansas, the principal rivers are the White River, the St. Francis, Washita, and Red River, all affluents of the Mississippi. The country is divided into three portions, viz. 1st, the E. portion, or that lying along the Mississippi, low, flat, and covered with a dense forest; 2d, the central portion, a little more elevated, and containing several extensive prairies; and the 3d, or W. portion, which, compared with the others, may be called mountainous. All descriptions of soil are met with. Cotton is raised in the S. The mineral riches of the state are very imperfectly explored: but it contains vast quantities of salt, which, indeed, render the waters of the Arkansas brackish. Arkansas was in 1836. Suffrage universal: senate, elected every 4 years, to consist of not less than 17, nor more than 33 members: house of representatives, elected biennally, consists of not less than 54, nor more than 100 members. Governor elected for 4 years; judges for 8 years. Slaves not to be emancipated without owners' consent. Cap. Little Rock, or Arkapolis, on the S. bank of the Arkansas about 80 m. in a direct line from its mouth. (Darby's United States, p. 487.; American Almanac for 1838, &c.) ARKIKO, a sea-port of Abyssinia, at the bottom of the bay of Massuah; being, according to Lord Valentia, a mere collection of miserable huts. Lat. 15° 32′ N., long. 39° 45′ E. ARKLOW, a marit. town, E. coast of Ireland, co.Wicklow, prov. Leinster, on the Ovoca, at its mouth, 39 m. S. by E. Dublin. It was taken possession of, and a castle erected by the first English settlers. In 1649 it was taken by Cromwell, and dismantled. A severe conflict took place here in 1798, between the royal forces and the insurgents; in which the latter were defeated with much slaughter, and their leader killed. Pop. in 1821, 3,808; in 1831, 4,383; being two thirds of the parish, which in 1834 had a pop. of 6,394; of whom 2,037 were of the E. church, and 4,357 R. Cath, The town, placed on the declivity of a hill on the S. side of the Ovoca, which is crossed at a short distance below by a bridge of 19 arches, is divided into the Upper Town, consisting chiefly of a main street, formed of wellbuilt houses, and of the Lower Town, called also the Fishery, from being chiefly inhabited by fishermen. The church, a handsome building in the English style, was erected in 1823. The R. Cath. chapel is also an elegant modern structure. The Methodists have a small place of worship. A male school is supported on the foundation of Erasmus Smith; two female schools by private contributions, and some others in the same manner; in which, and in private seminaries, about 550 children receive instruction. A fever hospital, with a dispensary, is in the immediate vicinity of the town. A small infantry barrack stands on the site of the ancient castle, and a coast-guard station is in the neighbourhood. Petty sessions are held every Thursday. The town is a constabulary station. The inhab. derive their support chiefly from the fisheries. There used to be an abundant summer fishery for herring and hake; but the former have deserted the coast for some years, and the winter fishery is also declining. The oyster fishery continues to be a great and constant source of employment to the fishermen; who attribute the comforts they enjoy to its continuance. The oysters are carried in boats to Beaumaris, in Anglesey, where they are laid on banks; and raised, when required, for the Liverpool market. These people build their cottages on the sandy beach; few have any kind of garden. Their exertions are much impeded by the defects of the harbour, which has a bar at its mouth, with seldom more than 5 feet water even at high spring tides. The boats when returning home are obliged to lie off Herrings Beer Imports. 548 tons. Coals Oatmeal Salt Groceries 4186 tons. 1020 cwts. 2160 bush. 1063 value. 100 barrels. - 1260 gallons. The estimated value of which, besides a few other minor articles, was: Exports, 3,6777.; Imports, 6,763. The markets are held on Thursdays; the fairs on the 11th of January, 22d of March, 19th of April, 14th of May, 28th of June, 9th of August, 25th of September, and 15th of November. The post-office revenue for 1830, was 3027.; and for 1836, 252. The mail-coach road from Dublin to Wexford passes through Arklow; and a car, conveying on an average three passengers each trip, plies between it and Dublin, six times a week. (Fishery Report; Railroad Report; and Priv. Infor.) ARLANC, a town of France, dep. Puy de Dome, cap. cant., on the Dolore, 10 m. S. Ambert. Pop. 4,198. It manufactures ribands, and articles of menue-mercerie. ARLES (an. Arelas or Arelate), a city of France, dep. Bouches du Rhone, cap. arrond., on the left bank of the Rhone, at the point where the river divides into two branches to inclose its delta, or the island of Camargue, 46 m. W. N. W. Marseilles, lat. 43° 40′ 31" N., long. 4° 37' 47" E. Pop. cant. (the largest in France, 20,04%; town, 13,342. Its situation, though pleasing, is, owing to the adjacent marshes, not very healthy; and its streets being narrow and dirty, and its houses mostly old and mean, it is indebted for its celebrity priucipally to the historical associations connected with its name, and its monuments. It was an important town on the invasion of Gaul by Cæsar, who calls it Arelate. It subsequently became a Roman colony; and was long a large, rich, and populous city. Its amphitheatre (which does not, however, appear ever to have been quite finished) is a noble monument, capable, according to Martinière, of accommodating 30,000 spectators: it is of an oval form, 1284 feet in circumference, three stories high, occupying the highest place in the city, and is older, larger, and more magnificent than that of Nismes, but not so well preserved. The obelisk of Arles consists of a single block of granite about 54 feet in height; though, unlike other monuments of the same kind, it be without hieroglyphics, it is all but certain that it has been brought from Egypt; but there are no authentic accounts with respect to it, except that, after being long buried in the ground, it was erected on the pedestal, 20 feet in height, on which it stands, in 1676. A beautiful statue of Venus, now in the museum of Paris, was discovered here in 1651; and, exclusive of the above, the ruins of an aqueduct, of two temples, of a triumphal arch, an extensive cemetery, and numerous fragments of granite and marble columns, evince the former grandeur and importance of the city. It has a cathedral, and numerous churches; and has been the seat of several ecclesiastical councils. The town-hall built by Mansard, is a handsome edifice; and it has a school of navigation, a college, a museum of antiquities, a small public library, a theatre, &c. Silk, soap, glass bottles, &c. are manufactured; and the sausages of Arles are in the highest esteem. Ta obviate the difficulties in the navigation of the Rhone and Durance, a navigable canal has been made from the city to the sea at Port Bouc, about 12 m. E. of the E. embouchure of the Rhone, and from the city to the Durance opposite to Cadenet. It is also connected with the canal of Beaucaire, and consequently with that of Languedoc; so that it has become the centre of a considerable and growing trade. After being pillaged, a. D. 270, Arles was repaired and embellished by Constantine, whose son, Constantine II., was born in it. It declined under the Merovingian kings. In 855 it became the capital of a kingdom of the same name, united in 933 to that of Burgundy. It was sacked by the Saracens in 730. In the 12th century it constituted a republic; and in 1251 it submitted to Charles of Anjou. (Martinière, Grand Dictionnaire, t. i. pp. 413-417. Hugo, Bouches du Rhone, &c.) ARLESHEIM, a village of Switzerland, cant. Bale, 4 m. S. E. Bale. It has baths and a fine botanical garden. ARLES-SUR-TECH, a town of France, dep. Pyrénées Orientales, cap. cant. 6 m. W. S. W. Céret. Pop. 2,225. It has hot mineral springs. ARLEUX, a town of France, dép. du Nord, cap. cant. on the Sauset, 6 m. S. Douay. Pop. 1755. ARLON (an. Orolaunum), a town of the low countries, duch. of Luxembourg, cap. cant., on a hill in the middle of forests, 16 m. W. N. W. Luxembourg. Pop. 3,653. It has iron works, and some manufactures of linen and woollen stuffs, and earthenware. Arlon is very ancient, and was formerly fortified, and of much greater import1785. ance than at present. It was nearly burned down in ARMA (SANTIAGO DE), a town of S. America, New Granada, on the Arma, an affluent of the Cauca, 240 m. N. by E. Popayan. ARMACAO, a small town of Brazil, on the island of St. Catherine, that was, and perhaps is, a considerable fishing station. Lat. 270 30 S., long. 48° 40′ W. ARMAGH, an inland co. Ireland, prov. Ulster, having N. Lough Neagh, W. Tyrone and Monaghan, S. Louth, and E. Down. It is about 31 m. in length from N. to S., and 20 m. across where broadest, containing 328,183 Imp. acres, of which 42,472 are unimproved mountain and bog, and 18,394 water, being part of Lough Neagh. Surface partly rugged and mountainous, but generally flat. Soil pretty fertile. Property to a great extent in the hands of the church, colleges, and corporations; but some noblemen and gentlemen have good estates. Minor estates numerous, and the tenures by which they are held such as to reduce them into the minutest portions. Farms very small, from 2 and 5 to 25 acres ; those of the latter size and up to 40 being deemed large. Of 1,500 tenants on Lord Gosford's estate, in the barony of Fews, there are not more than 60 or 70 who occupy so much as 20 acres. This is the estate on which Mr. Blacker has introduced his system of stall feeding into the smallest farms; but though a vast improvement on the old scourging plan, it is quite visionary to suppose that there can be any thing like a really good or profitable system of cultivation on such patches. Potatoes, cats, and flax are the principal crops; but a considerable quantity of good wheat is raised. There are some dairies which produce butter; and cattle of an inferior breed are reared in the mountains. Average rent of land 17s. an acre. Linen manufacture widely diffused. Cottages preferable to those in most Irish counties, with the exexception of Down and Antrim. The rivers Bann and Newry being joined by the Newry canal, there is a navigable communication between the sea at Carlingford Bay and Lough Neagh, Armagh contains 5 baronies, and 20 parishes. Principal town, Armagh. Pop. in 1821, 197,427; in 1831, 220,651. It returns 3 m. to the II. of C. viz. 2 for the co. and I for the city of Armagh. Parl. constituency of co. 1836-37, 4,041. ARMAGH, a city of Ireland, prov. Ulster, cap. of the above co., on the Callan, an affluent of the Blackwater, 70 m. N. by W. Dublin, lat. 54° 21' N., long. 6° 37′ W. It is said to have been founded by St. Patrick, A. D. 450, who is reported to have made it the seat of a college, which becamo so celebrated as to be speedily attended by above 1,000 students! Afterwards it suffered greatly from the devastations of the Danes, who were ultimately driven out in 1004. It was sacked by Edward Bruce, in 1315; and again by Sir Phelim O'Neil, in 1641; and in 1688 was pillaged by the troops under William III. Since the Revolution it has gradually increased in extent and prosperity, particularly in consequence of having been made the residence of Primate Boulter; and, subsequently, of his various successors in the see; each of whom has contributed to its improvement by liberal donations or bequests. It was originally called Druim-sailleagh and Ard-sailleagh, “the hill," or " height of sallows.' Its modern name, Ardmagha, "the field on a hill," is obviously derived from its situation on a rising ground of considerable elevation. The population in 1821, was 8,493; and in 1831, 9,470. In 1834 the total number of inhab. was 10,764; of whom 3,586 were of the E. church, 1,532 Prot. dis., and 5,546 R. Catholics. The number of houses in 1831 was 1,372, giving an average of 6-902 inhab. to a house. It is well built, chiefly of a hard reddish marble, raised in the vicinity. The streets, which are well constructed, flagged, and macadamised, diverge from the cathedral down the sides of the hill on which it is built. A plentiful supply of water is conveyed through them, in pipes, from a reservoir at some distance, and they are kept perfectly clean, and are well lighted with gas. A library, containing upwards of 20,000 volumes, was built and endowed by Primate Robinson, the great benefactor of the town, as was also an observatory, to which a fine astronomical apparatus has been supplied by him and some of his successors, particularly the present primate. Lord John Beresford. Robinson endeavoured to restore the city to its ancient rank, as the seat of a university, |