several parts of Asia, rudely fashioned into pipe-bowls | in Constantinople, and exported in large quantities to Hungary, Germany, and France, where the bowls are re-manufactured, and receive the name of meerschaums. The best tubes are formed of the stems of the cherry or jessamine tree, both of which are largely cultivated in the neighbourhood for the purpose. The rank of a person in this city being determined by his pipe, it is often adorned in a very costly manner, and the price of a tchibouque may vary from 20 paras to 20,000 piastres. The fisheries of Constantinople are by no means unimportant: the sea and harbour abound with shoals of tunny, sword-fish, &c., and the "sweet waters" with a profusion of fresh-water fish.

The foreign trade is considerable. Imports, chiefly corn, iron, timber, tallow, and furs, from the Black Sea; cotton stuffs and yarn, tin, tin-plates, woollens, silks, cutlery, watches, jewellery, paper, glass, furniture, indigo, cochineal, orpiment, &c., from England and other parts of Europe; corn and coffee from Alexandria; a good deal of coffee from Brazil and the W. Indies, in American bottoms, which traffic has latterly much increased; sugar, partly from the E., but chiefly from the W. Indies; wax, copper, drugs, gums, porcelain, overland from China (a trade which existed in the time of the Romans); and slaves, chiefly from Georgia, Circassia, and Africa. Exports comparatively trifling: chiefly silk, carpets, hides, wool, goats' hair, potash, wax, galls, bullion, diamonds, &c. The trade, which, as a whole, is less than might have been expected in a city of such size, is for the most part in the hands of English, French, Armenian, and Greek merchants, and Jew. brokers. The more wealthy Armenians (a nation constituting a considerable proportion of the pop.) are money-changers, bankers, jewellers, physicians, apothecaries, &c.; the lower classes are employed in the most laborious occupations. As chintz-printers, and muslinpainters, the Armenians here surpass most European artisans. The Greeks are much less numerous than before the Greek revolution.

Constantinople is the residence of a Greek, 'an Armenian, and a Catholic-Armenian patriarch. The first has now no authority in the newly erected kingdom of Greece. Elementary schools are to be met with in every street; and in every quarter there are Turkish freeschools for the poor, the expenses of which, as well as the board and lodging of many of the pupils, are defrayed out of the revenues of the mosques. It is asserted that altogether there are upwards of 1,000 schools in the city. (Sketches of Turkey.) Some of the medresses, or colleges attached to the mosques, have between 400 and 500 students, who are lodged and educated on the foundation, and have each several professors, the salaries of the principal among which are equivalent to about 1007. a year. In these seminaries all the members of the ulemah are educated, and no one can be admitted into the hierarchy or the law without having first graduated in one of them. The Mohammedan law had prohibited the Turks from learning European tongues; but the late sultan established a school for the instruction of native youths in French, outside the seraglio. The French and Austrian embassies have schools for the acquisition of Turkish by their members. (Elliott, i. 396, 397.) There are 13 public libraries, 9 or 10 of which are attached to the royal mosques, and contain about 2,000 manuscripts each, mostly copies of the koran and commentaries on it. The private library in the seraglio is said to be richer than any of the rest, and has been believed to contain some valuable Greek and Latin MSS. (Dallaway, p. 23.)

"Amid the novelties that strike the European on his arrival, nothing surprises him more than the silence that pervades so large a capital. He hears no noise of carts or carriages rattling through the streets; for there are no wheeled vehicles in the city, except a very few painted carts, called arabahs, drawn by buffaloes, in which women occasionally take the air in the suburbs, and which go only at a foot-pace. The contrast is still more strongly marked at night. By ten o'clock every human voice is hushed." Constantinople is not a healthy place of residence for strangers: it is subject to sudden changes of temperature; and the strong etesian or N. winds, which prevail in the summer, and do injury to trade, by preventing the access of ships from the Egean and Mediterranean, are also detrimental to public health and comfort. Earthquakes, the plague, and devastating fires, often consuming 2,000 or 3,000 houses, cause great destruction of life and property. In other respects, too, it is a most unpleasant place of residence to a European or other stranger. In many cases property is not secure, justice is notoriously corrupt, the police is bad, the place is infested with cats, rats, and, as most travellers say, with herds of wild dogs, and birds of prey, which act as scavengers. Sir J. Hobhouse states, that" Constantinople is distinguished from every other capital in Europe, by having no names to its streets, no lamps, and no post-office." The history of this renowned city for a lengthened

period is given by Gibbon. It was originally founded by Byzas, from whom it derived the name of Byzantium, anno 656 B. c.; and having been destroyed by Severus, was rebuilt A. D. 328, by Constantine, who made it the cap. of the Roman empire. On the subjugation of the Western empire by the barbarians, Constantinople continued to be the cap. of the Eastern empire. Its wealth and magnificence were celebrated during the middle ages. It has sustained numerous sieges, but has only been twice taken; first in 1204, by the Crusaders, who retained it till 1261; and, lastly, by the Turks, under Mohammed II., May 29. 1453, when the last remnant of the Roman empire was finally suppressed. (Gyllius; Wheler; Tournefort; Gibbon; Dallaway, &c., passim ; Clarke's Trav. viii. 133-185.; Andréossy, Constanti nople, &c.; Elliott's Trav. in Austria, &c. i. 344-406.; Voyages du Maréchal Marmont, vol. ii.; Hobhouse's Albania, &c. vol. ii.; Modern Traveller; Commercial Dict., &c.)

CONSUEGRA, a town of Spain, prov. La Mancha, on the Amarguillo, 38 m. S.E. Toledo. Pop. 8,000. It has 2 churches, 3 convents, a palace, and a variety of Roman inscriptions and antiquities. On a neighbouring hill are the remains of its ancient castle. Streets tolerably regular, but narrow and steep. The vicinity produces grain, wine, oil, barilla, and soda, and has quarries of azure-coloured marble, jasper, and other stones. It has fabrics of coarse stuffs, baize, and serge.

CONWAY, a town and parl. bor. of N. Wales, co. Caernarvon, hund. Isaf, on the estuary of the Conway river, 15 m. N. W. by W. from the Menai bridge. Pop. 1,245. The town, which is of a triangular shape, stands on a steep slope, and is surrounded by lofty walls, fenced with 24 round towers. The lower face of the triangle borders on the river; and at its farthest angle, on the verge of a slate rock, its magnificent castle

"Frowns o'er old Conway's foaming flood." This noble structure was built by Edward I. in 1284. "A more beautiful fortress never arose. Its form is oblong, placed in all parts on the verge of the precipitous rock. One side is bounded by the river; another by a creek full of water at every tide, and most beautifully shaded by hanging woods. The other two sides face the town. Within are two courts; and on the outside project eight vast towers, each with a slender one of amazing elegance issuing from its top, within which had been a winding staircase. In one of the great towers is a fine window, in form of an arched recess, or bow, ornamented with pillars. The great hall suited the magnificence of the founder. It extended 130 ft. in length, was 32 broad and of a fine height. The roof was supported by eight noble arches, six of which still remain. There were two entrances into the fortress, one from the river, and one from the town." (Pennant's Tour in Wales, iii. 123. 8vo. ed.) The town is poor and inconsiderable, without trade or manufacture of any sort. Much of the ground within the walls is used for gardens. The bor. is one of the contributary bors. to Caernarvon in returning a mem. to the H. of C. The limits of the bor. extend to a considerable distance beyond the walls of the town. The port dries at low water.

The old and dangerous ferry over the river has been superseded by a magnificent suspension bridge, completed in 1826. The length of the bridge between the centre of the supporting towers is 327 ft.; and it is elevated 18 ft. above high-water mark. The construction of this and the Menai bridge, and the excavations and improvements that have been made at Penmanmawr and other places, have made the road, formerly so dangerous, from St. Asaph and Conway to Bangor and Anglesea, one of the best and safest in the empire. (Boundary Report, Guide to N. Wales, &c.)

COOCH-BAHAR, or VIHAR, a rajahship of Hindostan, prov. Bengal, between lat. 260 and 27 N., long. 890 and 90° E.; having N. Bootan, and on all other sides the distr. of Rungpore, with which it is incorporated; length about 90 m.; greatest breadth 60 m. Its rajah also possesses some tracts beyond the Mogul limits of Bengal, not subject to tribute, and on which opium is extensively cultivated. The S. part of this country is fine and fertile, but N. of the cap. it is low, marshy, and interspersed with jungle, and coarse rank vegetation. The Cooch or Rajbangsi tribes eat various kinds of flesh, and are considered by the Bengalese and other Hindoos as very low and impure. Notwithstanding provisions are cheap as compared with other districts, and rents low, many of the natives, especially in the N., are so indigent as to be frequently obliged to sell their children for slaves. Hoe-cultivation is common. In 1582, Abul Fazel relates that the chief was a powerful sovereign, having Assam and Camroop under his government, and able to bring into the field 1,000 horse and 100,000 foot; in 1661 this territory was conquered by the Moguls, and devolved, with the rest of Bengal, to the British in 1765. In 1814, the tribute paid by its rajah amounted to 6,280/.; but great difficulty has always been experienced in collecting it. (Hamilton's E. I. Gaz. vol. i.)

COOKSTOWN, an inl. town of Ireland, prov. Ulster, co. Tyrone, on the Ballinderry river, 9 m. W. from Lough Neagh. Pop. in 1831, 2,883 pop. of par. in 1834, 8,693; of whom 2,228 were of the estab. church, 3,419 Prot. diss., and 3,046 Rom. Cath. It consists of one long street, planted on each side, with a transverse street crossing it. The par. church is a large Gothic structure: there are three meeting-houses for Presbyterians, two for Methodists, and near the town is a Rom. Cath. chapel. There is also a dispensary and a constabulary station. A manor court holds pleas to the amount of 51.: petty sessions are held on alternate Fridays. Linens are manufactured here, and bleached in the vicinity. Markets for grain are held on Tuesdays, and for general sales on Saturdays; fairs on the first Saturday of every month. Postoffice rev. in 1830, 4427.; in 1836, 4071. A branch of the Belfast Bank was opened here in 1835. (Stat. Survey; Railway Rep.)

COORG (Hodoogoo), an anc. rajahship of Hindostan, prov. Mysore, formerly independent, but now under the control of a British resident; for the most part between lat. 120 and 13° N., and intersected by the 76th parallel of E. long.; having N. and E. the Mysore territories, and on all other sides those of the Madras presidency length N. to S. about 70 m., breadth very irregular: area, 2,340 sq. m. Pop. (1836) 59,000. To the W. it is bounded by the W. Ghauts, parallel to which there is a succession of lofty narrow ridges, enclosing valleys of various extent. The chief elevations are, Tadiandamole 5,781 ft., and Soobramany 5,682 ft. above the sea: the principal valley is that between Markara and Naknaad, 18 m. long. by 15 m. broad, with an extremely uneven surface, in the lowest part of which runs the Cavery. The geology of Coorg strongly resembles that of the Neelgherries; the principal rocks being sienite, granite, and greenstone, and the subordinate ranges uniformly capped with the detritus of these, cemented by argillaceous earth, and coloured by oxide of iron: porcelain clay frequently occurs. The whole country, with few exceptions, is covered with forests, but not overloaded with jungle, excepting in the vicinity of the Mysore dominion; where elephants, game, and other wild animals are found. Sandal, and other valuable woods, abound. Both the botany and zoology of this region offer a rich field to observers, but have hitherto been but little studied. From the greater elevation, the temperature is much below that of either Malabar or Mysore, and remarkable for its equality. The climate is, in general, highly suitable to European constitutions; though the monsoon rains, from June to Sept., often fall with great violence. The Coorgas are a Nair tribe of martial habits; they have few towns, or even villages, of any size, preferring to live in jungles and wilds. They cultivate rice in the valleys, which are very productive, though the quantity of land under culture be very trifling. The pastures are excellent, and cattle are abundant. Manufactures limited to the blankets worn by the pop. Cotton cloths are imported. Contrary to the custom in Malabar on the other side of the Ghauts, hereditary rights and possessions in Coorg descend in the male line, and some family disputes arose in 1808, in consequence of Beer Rajendra (who had expelled the troops of Tippoo from Coorg) having left, at his death, the government of his dom. to his daughter, to the prejudice of his brother, who was ultimately established in possession by the British government. (Madras Journal, No. 13. pp. 338-343.; Hamilton's E. I. Gaz. i. 451. 2d ed.) COOTEHILL, an inl. town of Ireland, prov. Ulster, co. Cavan, on a small river of the same name, 26 m. W. by N. Dundalk. Pop. in 1821, 2,152; in 1831, 2,178: pop. of par. in 1834, 12,091; of whom 1,493 are of the estab. church, 1,074 Prot. diss., and 9,524 Rom Cath. The town consists of four broad streets, neatly laid out and well kept. It has a par. church, a Rom. Cath. chapel, two Presbyterian meeting-houses, places of worship for Moravians, Quakers, and Methodists; a market-house, a court-house, and a bridewell. General sessions are held here at Easter and in October; petty sessions every Wednesday. There is an extensive trade in grain and coarse linens. The corn markets are held on Saturdays, the general markets on Fridays; and fairs on the second Friday in every month. Post-office rev. in 1830, 3957.; in 1836, 4331. Branches of the Provincial and Ulster banks were opened here in 1836 and 1837. (Stat. Survey; Railway Rep.)

COPENHAGEN (Kiobenhavn, merchants' haven), the cap. of Denmark, a well-built city, principally on the E. coast of the island of Zealand, but partly also on the contiguous small island of Amak, the channel between them forming the port. Lat. 55° 41' 4" N., long. 12° 35′ 46 E. Pop. (1834) 119,292. It is well fortified. The ramparts, which extend for about 5 m., are flanked with bastions, and surrounded by a deep ditch filled with water. It is also defended by a very strong citadel, and by the Three Crowns battery, constructed at the entrance of the port on a bank of sand, about 1,500 fathoms from shore. city is usually divided into the old town, the new town,

The

and Christianshavn. The first is the largest and most populous, and having at different periods suffered much from fire, most part of it has been rebuilt on an improved plan, though some of the streets are still narrow, crooked, and inconvenient. In the new town the streets are straight and broad, though generally ill-paved, the squares regular and spacious, and the private houses and public buildings the finest in the city. The part called Christianshavn, from its being built by Christian IV., stands on the island of Amak. It is intersected by various canals, and communicates with the other parts of the town by bridges. Public buildings numerous, and many of them superb. Among others may be specified the castle of Christiansborg, destroyed by fire in 1795, and since rebuilt. It has a picture-gallery, comprising a complete collection of Danish pictures, with a fine collection of the Dutch school, &c.; a chapel ornamented by bas-reliefs from the chisel of Thorwaldsen; and the royal library, one of the best in Europe, containing, exclusive of manuscripts, above 450,000 volumes. The part of the new town called Amalienborg was entirely rebuilt by Frederick V. between 1745 and 1765. It consists chiefly of an octagon, divided by four broad rectangular streets, in which is the palace of the king, the crown prince, &c. In the centre is a bronze equestrian statue of Frederick V., erected by the East India Company. There are also the royal palaces of Rosenburg and Charlottenborg, appropriated to public purposes; the university, the town-house, the theatre, the exchange, and the barracks. The cathedral church of Notre Dame, nearly destroyed during the bombardment in 1807, has been rebuilt; and is enriched by statues of Christ and the apostles, by Thorwaldsen. The tower of the church of the Trinity, 115 ft. in height, is used as an observatory: it also contains the library of the university, and the great globe of Tycho Brahe. The church of Our Saviour is reckoned the finest in the town: its spire, nearly 300 ft. in height, is a masterpiece of art. The educational, literary, and scientific establishments of Copenhagen, rank with the first of their class, and reflect infinite credit on the government and the people. Besides the university, to which we have elsewhere alluded, there is a polytechnic school, a metropolitan school, a royal school of marine, a royal school for the higher military sciences, a normal school, &c. There is, also, a royal society similar to that of London, a Scandinavian society, and a society of northern antiquities. The academy of arts is and has long been in a flourishing condition. Besides the royal library in the palace of Christiansborg, the university library has above 100,000 volumes, and a large collection of manuscripts. The Classen library, bequeathed to the public by the general of that name, is mainly devoted to science and natural history; and, exclusive of these, there are several other minor but still valuable collections.

The hospitals are numerous and well conducted. The most splendid is that of Frederick V. The lying-in hospital has attached to it a school of midwifery and a foundling hospital. The royal institution for deaf and dumb admits patients, from whatever part of the kingdom they may come. Soup, made of horse flesh, is said to be supplied as an article of diet to prisoners in the house of correction. (Bremner, i. 153.)

If distillation be excepted, the manufactures of Copenhagen are neither very extensive nor important. There are about 258 distilleries, mostly, of course, on a small scale, and about 50 breweries, with sugar refineries, tobacco manufactories, soap-works, &c.: cotton and woollen goods, linens, silks, gloves, hats, &c., are also produced, but in limited quantities: there are several tanneries,

The trade of the port is said to have declined, but it is still pretty considerable. There is annually imported about 11,000,000 lbs. sugar, the half of which is supplied by St. Croix; 3,000,000 lbs. coffee, with other colonial products. Anchors, pitch, and tar, are brought from Sweden and Norway; flax and hemp, masts, sail cloth, and cordage from Russia; tobacco and rice, from the United States; wines and brandy from France; coal, earthenware, and salt, are the principal articles of direct import from England; train oil, herrings, &c. from the fisheries. In 1837 there entered the port 1,493 ships (excluding steamers), of which 164 were Swedish, 463 Prussian, 154 Norwegian, and 95 of the burden of 17,762 tons British,

The harbour is formed, as already stated, by the channel or arm of the sea running between Zealand and the opposite island of Amak. The entrance to it is narrow; but the water is sufficiently deep to admit the largest menof-war. There are dry docks, and every facility for the building and repairing of ships. Copenhagen is the station of the Danish navy. The bank of Copenhagen, founded in 1736, was remodelled in 1818: it is now a private institution. There is also an insurance company. The charge of the public health is entrusted to a commission. The police is under a special establishment; and

besides the garrison, the citizens are formed into a national guard.

The city contains a cathedral, 13 parish churches, about 40 convents, 7 hospitals, a foundling and another asylum, city-hall, bishop's palace, 3 colleges, besides other schools, &c. By far the most remarkable public edifice is the cathedral or mezquita, formerly a mosque, built by the Moors at the latter end of the 8th century upon the ruins of a Gothic church, which is itself believed to have

The environs of Copenhagen are celebrated for their beauty. Fredericksberg, a magnificent castle, the summer residence of the king, stands on a rising ground within a moderate distance of the city. Its gardens are open to the public, and are a favourite resort. Fredericksborg, another royal residence, is situated about 21 m. N. Copenhagen. It is a vast, but incongruous pile, partly brick and partly stone, and partly of Greek and partly of Gothic architecture. It has some fine pictures and a series of portraits (partly imaginary) of the sovereigns of Denmark.

COPIAPO, the most N. town of Chili, formerly the cap. of the prov. of same name, now incorporated with that of Coquimbo. It stands on the right bank of the rivulet of Copiapo, 30 m. from the Pacific, and 178 m. N.N.E. Coquimbo, lat. 27° 10' S., long. 71°5′ 15′′ W. Pop. (1830) about 4,000. (Meyen.) Most of the houses are built of sun-dried bricks whitewashed; and, the better to resist earthquakes, used to be constructed with great solidity; but in 1819 it was almost utterly destroyed by the great earthquake that caused such devastation throughout a great part of Chili. In 1822 it suffered severely from another earthquake, which phenomena are so common in this prov., that, during Dr. Meyen's stay in it, six or seven shocks commonly occurred in the twenty-four hours! though the greater number were, of course, very slight. The harbour of Copiapo on the Pacific is good; and at a small village on the shore most of the ore from the mines of the prov, is smelted, and the metal exported. (Mier's Travels, &c. i. 402–404.; Meyen's Reise um die Erde; Geog. Journal, vi. 368.; Hall's S America, ii. 25-27.)

COQUIMBO (or LA SERENA), a sea-port town of Chili, in the N. part of the republic, cap. of the prov. of same name, on the Chuapa, near its mouth, 270 m. N. N.W. Santiago, lat. 290 53′ 43′′ S., long. 71° 18′ 40′′ W. Pop. (perhaps) 10,000. (Amer. Almanac, 1839.) Town clean, and tolerably well laid out; streets intersect each other at right angles; houses mostly of sun-dried bricks, and only one story in height, but interspersed with numerous gardens of fruit-trees, evergreens, &c. It has several churches and convents, a public school, and an hospital. It is the seat of the intendent of the prov., and is the residence of many families, and in some sort the cap. of N. Chili, as well as the chief mercantile port. In 1834 83,979 marcs of silver and nearly 42,860 quintals of copper and copper ore, were exported from it. it also exports chinchilla skins, &c. The harbour or bay of Coquimbo is large, wellsheltered, and secure at all seasons. There is sufficient depth of water for ships of large burden, 9 fathoms being found 300 yards off shore, and nearly 3 fathoms close in shore. Coquimbo was founded by Valdivia in 1544. About 25 m. up the valley of Coquimbo are some singular parallel roads, of which Captain Hall has given an account. (Hall's S. America, ii. 6.; Mier's American Encyc.)

CORDOVA (an. Corduba and Colonia Patricia), a famous city of Spain, cap. prov. and kingdom of the same name in Andalusia, on the Guadalquivir, 73 m. N.E. Seville, and 185 m. S.S.W. Madrid; lat. 37° 52′ 13" N., long. 4° 45′ 53′′ W. Pop. (1826) 46,750 (Miñano), not a tenth part of what it is said to have amounted to in its most flourishing period, in the 11th century. It occupies a large oblong space of sloping ground, enclosed by walls flanked with towers originally erected by the Romans, and afterwards repaired, strengthened, and extended by the Moors. But a great part of this space is now covered with gardens and ruined buildings, and but little remains of its ancient grandeur. Streets narrow, crooked, and dirty; and few either of the public or private buildings are conspicuous for their architecture; the latter seldom exceed two stories in height. The great square, Plaza Real, or de la Constitucion, is, however, large and regular, the houses surrounding it are lofty, and furnisned with porticoes and balconies. There is a suburb of some extent on the S. bank of the river, with which the city communicates by means of a stone bridge of 16 irregular arches, 860 ft. in length, and 23 ft. in width, constructed by the Moors towards the close of the 8th century, and the approach to which is guarded by an old Saracenic castle, still maintained in a state of defence.

apparently furnished many pillars and other materials for the present building. The mezquita externally is unprepossessing, and little calculated to attract notice; but the singularity of its interior strikes every one with astonishment. It is a gloomy labyrinth of pillars, 356 ft. in length N. to S., by 394 ft. broad E. to W., and lighted only by the few doors that remain open, and some small cupolas in different parts of the roof, which latter is flat, and only 35 ft. above the pavement; being supported in most places by a kind of double arcade of horse-shoe arches. The columns supporting these arches, and which amount to several hundreds, are of jasper, marble, porphyry, granite, vert antique, and various other materials, and differ as much in their architectural as in their geological character. They are all, however, of the same height; "for the Arabs, having taken them from Roman buildings, served them in the same manner that Procrustes did his guests: to the short ones they clapped on monstrous capitals and thick bases; those that were too long for their purpose had their base chopped off and a diminutive shallow bonnet placed on their head." (Swinburne, ii. 89.) The number of aisles or naves is lengthwise 19, and transversely from 32 to 35. A considerable space at the S. end was parted off for the use of the Imans, and now serves for the chapter-house, sacristy, and treasury of the cathedral. In the front of this space is what is called the zancarron, an octagon Moorish sanctuary, 15 ft. in diameter, richly ornamented without and within, and domed over by a single block of white marble, carved into the form of a scallop-shell. Adjoining this, in 1815, another small apartment was brought to light, preserving, in a remarkable degree, its pristine decorations. The gorgeousness of this little chamber will perhaps give an idea of that of the building generally in the time of the Moors; for the splendour of almost all the rest of the mezquita has entirely disappeared; the gilding and ornaments of the roof, the arabesques and inscriptions on thewalls, and the mosaics of the pavement, have nearly all vanished; and of the 24 gates, formerly plated with brass, and curiously embossed, only 5 remain open. The sacristy contains some tolerable paintings, and the church is very rich in jewels, plate, and silks. The mezquita stands within a court planted with orange-trees, palms, and cypresses, and surrounded with a cloister, on the N. side of which a square belfry has been built.

In

The bishop's palace is a large and rather handsome building, containing a suite of state apartments, in one of which there is a large collection of portraits of the bishops of Cordova. Previously to the late civil war, 2,000 poor persons were daily supplied with food from the bishop's kitchen, which mistaken bounty accounts sufficiently, as observed by Mr. Townsend, for the swarms of beggars with which the town is infested. (ii. 300.) The famous palace of the Moorish sovereigns is now unoccupied; it had been converted into a royal stud-house, where the best horses in Spain were reared: the stables are now empty. (Scott.) The manufactures have participated in the general decay of the place; there are at present only some triding fabrics of ribands, lace, hats, baize, and leather after the Moorish fashion: the latter article was formerly very extensively manufactured; and was known in commerce by the name of cordovan, and from it the term cordwainer has been derived. 1833, a handsome quay was in the course of being erected above the bridge, but as there is now but little trade, and the river is for 9 months in the year navigable only for boats, the quay would seem, like many other public works in Spain, to be more for show than for use. Cordova is said by Strabo to have been founded by the Romans under Marcellus; but as there were several distinguished persons of that name, this leaves the epoch of its foundation uncertain. No mention is made of it before the age of Cæsar and Pompey, but it soon after attained to great distinction as a rich and populous city, and a seat of learning. (Cellarii, Not. Orbis Antiquí, i. 86.) In 572 it was taken by the Goths, and in 692 by the Moors, under whom it became the splendid cap. of the "Caliphate of the West," and subsequently of the kingdom of Cordova. In 1236, however, it was taken and almost wholly destroyed by the impolitic zeal of Ferdinand III. of Castile, and has never since recovered its previous prosperity. Cordova has given birth to some illustrious men, among whom may be specified the two Senecas, Lucan the poet, and the famous Arabic physicians, Avicenna and Averroes. (Miñano; Townsend's, Swinburne's, &c. Travels; Scott's Excursions in Ronda, &c.)

CORDOVA, an inl. town of Mexico, state Vera Cruz,

at the E. foot of the volcano of Orizaba, and on one of the roads between Vera Cruz and La Puebla, 50 m. S. W. the former, and 72 m. E.S.E. the latter city. Pop., before the revolution, about 5,000. Streets wide, regular, and well paved; houses built mostly of stone. In the centre of the town there is a large square, three sides of which are ornamented with Gothic arcades; the fourth is occupied by the principal church, an elegant structure, richly decorated within. Cordova contains two convents, each with an hospital attached; many of its edifices have domes, towers, or steeples. Cotton and woollen fabrics and leather are made here; and there are besides numerous distilleries, sugar-mills, and bee-hive farms; but the principal employment of the inhab. is the culture of tobacco and coffee; and Humboldt states that the whole of these products raised in Mexico comes from Cordova and Orizaba. The climate is moist and sultry. The vicinity is extremely fertile, and abounds in fruits, timber, game, and fish. (Humboldt, Essai sur la Nouv. Esp.; Ward's Mezico.)

COREA (called by the natives, Chaou-Seen, by the Chinese, Keaou-le, and by the Manchoo Tartars Sol-ho), a marit. country of N.E. Asia, tributary to China, consisting of a large oblong-shaped peninsula, with an adjoining portion of the continent, and a vast number of islands, which are especially numerous on the W. coast. The whole of the dominions lie between lat. 330 and 430 N., and long. 123° 50′ and 129° 30′ E.; having E. the Sea of Japan; S. the Straits of Corea; W. the Yellow Sca, and Gulph of Leao-tong; N.W. the prov. Leao. tong; and N. Manchoo Tartary. From the latter it is separated by a mountain chain, and the Thu-menKiang river, and from Leao-tong mostly by a wooden wall or palisade. Length, N. W. to S. E., 550 m.; average breadth of the peninsula, about 130 m. Total area, inclusive of islands, probably about 80,000 sq. m. Corea is generally mountainous. A mountain range runs through it longitudinally, much nearer its E. than its W. coast. The E. declivity of this range is steep and rugged; its W. one declines gradually into a fertile and well-watered country. All the principal rivers run W., and discharge themselves into the Yellow Sea; the chief is the Ya-lu-kiang in the N. W., which is navigable for large ships to about 22 m., and for small vesels for a distance of nearly 120 m. above its mouth. The coasts, as well of the islands as of the continent, are generally rocky and difficult of access; though there are some spacious and secure harbours. The climate of the N. is very rigorous; the Thu-men-kiang, for six months in the year, is thickly frozen over, and barley is the only kind of corn capable of being cultivated in that region: even the S., though in the same lat. with Sicily and Malta, is said to experience sometimes very heavy falls of snow. The climate of this part of Corea, however, must be on the whole mild, since cotton, rice, and hemp are staple products; and Gutzlaff conjectures (Voyages, &c. p. 319.), that many other plants, common to the S. of Europe, flourish. Gutzlaff observes, "In point of vegetation, the coast of Corea is far superior to that of China, where barren rocks often preclude any attempt at cultivation; but here, where the land is fertile, the inhab. do not plough the ground." (p. 337.) Agricul. ture may be better farther inland, but on the coast it is much neglected: wheat, millet, and ginseng are amongst the chief articles cultivated. Tobacco was introduced by the Japanese about the beginning of the 17th century, and potatoes, by Gutzlaff and Lindsay, in 1832. The orange, citron, hazel-nut, pear, chestnut, peach, malberry, Morus papyrifera, Fucus saccharinus, and the wild grape, are common; but the art of making wine from the latter seems to be unknown. dent liquor is, however, made from rice. The mountainous parts of the N. are covered with extensive forests: pines are very abundant on the coasts; and in the interior there is a species of palm producing a valuable gum, from which a varnish, giving an appearance little inferior to gilding, is made. Öxen, hogs, and other domestic animals common to Europe are reared: there is a spirited breed of dwarf horses not exceeding 3 ft. in height; panthers, bears, wild boars, cats, and dogs, sables (whose skins form an important article of tribute), deer, and an abundance of game, storks, and water-fowl of many sorts, are found; caymans of 30 cr 40 ft. in length are said to be met with in the rivers, and venomous serpents are not rare. In the winter, whales, seals, &c. visit the shores. The mineral kingdom produces gold, silver, iron, rock salt, and coal.

An ar

People, &c.-The pop. has been estimated at 15,000,000, but there are no real grounds for this estimate, which, we have little doubt, is greatly beyond the mark. Gutzlaff represents the coasts as thinly inhabited. We have elsewhere stated that the Coreans are superlor in strength and stature to the Chinese and Japanese, but that they are inferior to either in mental energy and capacity. (Ante, p. 191.) They are gross in their habits, eat voraciously, and drink to excess. The dress of both men and women is very similar to that of the Chinese,

though the Coreans do not, like that people, cut off their hair. Their houses are also like those of China, being built of bricks in the towns, and in the country are mere mud hovels; each house is surrounded by a wooden stockade. Their language or languages are peculiar, differ ing from those of their immediate neighbours. In writing they use alphabetic characters, though the symbolic characters of the Chinese are also understood and sometimes resorted to. They have a copious literature, and are very fond of reading, as well as of music, dancing, and festivities. Polygamy is permitted; but the women do not appear to be under such restraint as in China. (M Leod.) The religion of the upper orders is that of Confucius, while the mass of the people are attached to Buddhism; but neither appears to have much influence. Christianity, which was introduced by the Japanese, appeared to be extinct when Gutzlaff visited Corea in 1832.

Manufactures, Trade, &c.—The manufactures are few: the principal are a kind of grass-cloth, straw-plait, horse-hair caps, and other articles for domestic use; a very fine and transparent fabric woven from filaments of the Urtica japonica, cotton cloth, and a very strong kind of paper made of cotton, rice-paper, &c.: which articles, together with ginseng, skins, some metals, horses, and silk, constitute the chief exports. What trade there is, is principally with Japan, from which they import pepper, aromatic woods, alum, buffaloes', goats', and bucks' horns, and Dutch and Japanese manufactured goods. There is, however, some trade with China carried on at Fungwang-ching (the Phenix-town), beyond the Leao-tong border; but this trade is conducted with great secrecy, in consequence of the jealousy of the government of any intercourse with foreigners. This jealousy is so great, that no Chinese is allowed to settle in Corea, nor any Corean to leave his own country; Europeans are scarcely ever suffered to land, or remain any length of time on the coast; and the N. frontier is abandoned for many miles, in order that no communication should take place with the Manchoo Tartars. Little skill in ship-building is displayed by the Coreans; their junks do not carry more than 200 tons, and are quite unmanageable in a heavy sea. In the construction of their fishing-boats, not a nail is used. Metallic articles and money are rare. The only coin in circulation is of copper; but payment is often made in silver ingots.

Corea is divided into 8 provs. King-hi-tao, the cap., is placed on the Kiang river, in about 37° 40′ N. lat., and 127° 20′ E. long., or about the centre of the kingd. The gov. is said to be despotical: most of the landed property in the country belongs to the king, of whom it is held in different portions as fiefs, which revert to the sovereign at the decease of the occupier. Besides the revenues from these domains, a 10th part of all kind of produce belongs to the king. Justice is in many respects very rigid. Rebellion, as in China, is punished by the destruction of the rebel, with his entire family, and the confiscation of their property. None but the king may order the death of an official person: the master has always power over the life of his slave. For minor crimes the general punishment is the bastinado, which is pretty constantly at work. The Chinese interfere but little with the internal administration of Corea; but the king can neither assume the government, nor choose his successor or colleague, without the authority of the court of Pekin, to which he sends tribute four times a year: the tribute consists of ginseng-root, sable-skins, white cotton paper, silk, horses, silver ingots, &c. The Corean ambassador is treated at Pekin with but little consideration. There seems reason to believe, that, like some other states in Asia, Corea is tributary to the more powerful nations on either side, and that it also sends a yearly tribute to Japan, consisting of ginseng, leopards, &c., skins, silks, white cotton fabrics, horses, &c.; but for which an acknowledgment is made in gold articles, fans, tea, presents of silver to the ambassadors, &c.

History. -Corca was known to the Chinese from a very early period, and is reported to have been civilised by the Chinese sovereign Khil-su, about 1,120 years before our æra. After experiencing several revolutions, it was invaded and conquered by the Japanese in 1692, who, however, abandoned their conquest in 1698. The Coreans having called in the aid of China during that struggle, Corea has since formed a subordinate part of the Chinese empire. (Ritter's Asien Erdkunde, iii. 573–647. ; Du Halde; Klaproth; Timkowski; Gutzlaff's Three Voyages, &c.; Lindsay; M Leod, &c.; MalleBrun.)

CORELLA, a city of Spain, prov. Navarre, in a fertile plain on the Alama, 13 m. W. Tudela, 12 m. S. E. Calahorra. Pop. 5,850. It has 2 churches, 4 convents, an hospital, and some remains of an ancient castle. The inhabitants are employed in the extraction of liquorice and madder juice, and in the manufacture of brandy, oil, and flour.

CORFE-CASTLE, a market town and bor. of Eng

land, co. Dorset, Blandford div., hund. Haislor, in the Isle of Purbeck, 32 m. S. S. W. Salisbury. Pop. (1831) 960. This town is most probably indebted for its origin to its castle, on a steep rocky hill, a little to the N., formerly a place of considerable strength. But its entire importance, in more modern times, was owing to its having enjoyed the privilege of returning 2 mems. to the H. of C. from the 14th of Elizabeth down to the passing of the Reform Act, by which it was disfranchised." Sunday-schools were early established in this town and the surrounding district. The inhab. are mostly employed in the neighbouring clay-works and quarries. Marketday, Thursday.

CORFU (an. Corcyra), an island in the Mediterranean, the seat of government, and most important, though not the largest, of the Ionian Islands. It lies between lat. 39° 20′ and 39° 50′ N., and long. 19° 35′ and 20° 6′ E. ; off the S. part of the coast of Albania, from which it is separated by a channel only 3-5ths of a m. wide at its N. extremity, 6 m. at its S. extremity, and 15 m. in the centre. The shape of Corfu is elongated; the island describes a curve, the convexity of which is towards the W.; length N. W. to S.E. 41 m.; breadth greatest in the N., where it is 20 m.; but it gradually tapers towards its S. extremity. Area, 227 sq. m. Pop. (1833) 60,890. Surface hilly, particularly in the N.W., where the peak of St. Salvador rises 2,979 ft. above the level of the sea. The streams watering it are few and small, and mostly dried up in summer. Climate mild; the mean maximum temp. in the open air for the 5 years ending December, 1838, was about 88° Fahr.; and the average minimum 31° Fahr. but Corfu is subject to sudden transitions from heat to cold, owing, amongst other causes, to the proximity of the snowy mountains of Epirus. Earthquakes also are frequent. The more elevated lands are rugged and barren, but the plains and valleys are fertile, and productive of wheat, maize, oats, olive-oil, wine, cotton, flax, and pulse. Corfu yields no currants. Oil is the great staple of this isl., which has, in fact, the appearance of a continuous olive wood, a consequence partly of the extraordinary encouragement formerly given to the culture of the plant by the Venetians. There is an oil harvest every year, but the great crop is properly biennial, the trees being suffered to repose for a year. Next to oil, salt, obtained from saltpans along the shores, oranges, citrons, and other fruits, besides honey and wax, are the other chief articles produced. Corfu is divided into 7 cantons; it sends 7 mems. to the legislative assembly, and I to the senate; Corfu, the cap., is the only town worthy of mention; the rest are mere villages.

It

The city and port of Corfu, the chief in the lonian Islands, lie on the E. side of the island, on the channel between it and the opposite coast, which is here about 5 m. wide; lat. 39° 37′ 39′′ N.; long. 19° 56′ 34′′ E. Pop. about 17,000, exclusive of the military. consists of the town and citadel, both fortified; and has several suburbs, one of which is supposed to occupy the site of the ancient city of Corcyra, founded by the Corinthians about the same time with Syracuse. The citadel, separated from the town by wet ditches and outworks, and an esplanade, is built upon a rocky cape projecting into the sea, and contains the barracks, arsenal, military hospital, the residence of the lord high commissioner, many private houses, and a lighthouse erected upon a point 233 ft. above the level of the sea. The town has three gates towards the sea, and one on the land side: it is not well built; streets narrow and irregular, and houses mostly small and illcontrived; but great improvements are anticipated on the extension of the town, after the works surrounding it are demolished, a measure which has been recently sanctioned by the government. Corfu is strengthened by two other fortresses besides its citadel-Fort Neuf and Vido. The latter is built on a small island of the same name (an. Ptycha), nearly 1 m. N. from the city, and has had much pains and expense bestowed on its improvement for many years past. When the works are completed, the island of Vido, though requiring only a small garrison to defend it, will, it is supposed, be next to impregnable. (Private MS. Report.) Corfu contains a cathedral, and several Greek and Roman Catholic churches and chapels, a university, gymnasium, ecclesiastical seminary, and several primary schools. Around it there are some pleasant walks, interesting from classical associations; the esplanade is well planted with trees, and forms an agreeable promenade. The town is now well supplied with water, which is conveyed by means of iron pipes from Benizza, a distance of 7 m. Roads have been made from Corfu to most of the principal towns and villages in the island. The harbour between the island of Vido and the city is safe and commodious, and vessels anchor in from 12 to 17 fathoms water. The canal, or channel of Corfu, is a little difficult of navigation, but has deep water throughout; there is a lighthouse on the rock of Tignoso at its N. entrance, and a floating light is moored off the point of Leschimo near its S. extremity. The city of

Corfu is the seat of the parliament, and senate of the Ionian Islands, of the supreme court of justice of the republic, the chief special courts for the island. and of a Greek archbishop. In 1716 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the Turks, and did not fall into their hands until the end of last century.

Corfu is the chief seat of the external trade of the Ionian Islands. The roads in it are good, having been greatly improved since it has been under British protection. Most of the inhab. belong to the Greek church. It is believed to be the country of Phæacia, or Scheria, mentioned by Homer, on which Ulysses was wrecked, and afterwards hospitably entertained by King Alcinous. It became afterwards a celebrated colony and naval station of the Corinthians, and a quarrel between it and the mother country led to the Peloponnesian war. It was also an important naval station under the Romans. It be longed successively to the Eastern Empire, the Normans, and Venetiar s, and shared the fate of the Venetian republic in 1799. (Private MS. Report; Part. Papers, 1834; Commerc. Dict. &c.)

CORINGA (Caranga), a considerable sea-port town of Hindostan, prov. N. Circars, distr. Rajahmundry, and 33 m. S. E. that town; lat. 16° 40′ N., long. 82° 44′ E. Excepting Blackwood's Harbour, Coringa Bay contains the only smooth water to be found on the W. side of the Bay of Bengal, during the S. W. monsoon. A wet dock has been formed, and many small vessels are annually built here. In 1784, a remarkable inundation of the sea took place, destroying much property and many inhabitants. (Hamilton, i. 453.)

CORINTH (Kégbos), a famous city of Greece within the Morea (an. Peloponnesus), near the isthmus of the same name, between the gulphs of Lepanto (Corinthiacus Sinus) on the W., and of Egina (Saronicus Smus) on the E.,7 m. from the nearest point of the latter, and 2 m. from the nearest point of the former; lat. 37° 53′ 37′′ N., long. 22° 52′ 5'' E. The town is situated at the N. foot of a steep rock, 1,336 ft. in height, tne Acrocorinthus or Acropolis of Corinth, the summit of which is now, as in antiquity, occupied by a fortress. The present town, though thinly peopled, is of considerable extent, the houses being placed wide apart, and much space occupied with gardens. The only Grecian ruin at present to be found in Corinth, is a Doric temple, which had 11 columns standing when it was visited by Wheeler, but only 7 when it was visited by Mr. Dodwell. There are some shapeless and uninteresting Roman remains, supposed to have been baths; but there is nothing approaching to a well-defined building, and we may exclaim with the poet,

"Where is thy grandeur, Corinth ? shrunk from sight,
Thy ancient treasures, and thy rampart's height;
Thy god-like fanes and palaces!- Ob, where
Thy mighty myriads and majestic fair!
Kelentless war has pour'd around thy wall,
And hardly spared the traces of thy fall!""

The situation of Corinth is extremely advantageous: being placed on a narrow isthmus between the seas that wash the E. and W. shores of Greece, she could hardly fail to become an important emporium; while the Acrocorinthus, if properly fortified, would be all but impregnable, and the possession of the isthmus would enable her to command all access by land between the two great divisions of Greece. No wonder, therefore, that Corinth was early distinguished by the wealth, commerce, luxury, and refinement of her citizens. In the earlier ages of antiquity, the attempt to sail round the Peloponnesus, or to double Cape Malea, was regarded as an undertaking of the greatest hazard; and to obviate this danger, the usual practice was to land goods, coming from the W. shores of Greece, Italy, and Sicily, destined for the E., at the harbour of Lechaum (the nearest point to Corinth), on the Corinthian Gulph, and to convey them across the isthmus to Cenchrea, on the Saronic Gulph, where they were again shipped for their final destination. The products of the E. coasts of Greece, Asia Minor, the Black Sea, &c., destined for the W. parts of Greece, Italy, &c., were conveyed through the Corinthian territory in an opposite direction; so that the city early became the seat of perhaps the most important transit trade carried on în antiquity. In addition to this, Corinth at an early period founded Corcyra, Syracuse, and other important colonies; established within her walls various manufactures, particularly of brass and earthenware; had numerous fleets, both of ships of war and merchantmen; and was the centre of an active commerce that extended to the Black Sea, Asia Minor, Phoenicia, Egypt, Sicily, and Italy. In the magnificence of her public buildings, and the splendour of the chefs-d'œuvre of statuary and painting by which they were adorned, she was second only to Athens. The opulence, of which she was the centre, made her a favourite seat of pleasure and dissipation, as well as of trade and industry. Venus was her principal deity; and the temple and statue of the goddess were prominent ob jects in the Acropolis. Lais, the most famous of the priestesses of Venus, though of Sicilian origin, selected