Arabesque, or Moresque

[Fr.] After the manner of the Arabian architecture, sculpture, . -n. ( Sculp . and Paint .) A term applied to a species of capricious ornament, consisting of intricate, rectilinear and curvilinear lines, fruits, flowers, and other objects, to the exclusion, in pure arabesques, of the figures of animals, which the religion of Islam forbade. It is not to the Arabs, however, that the invention of this ornamental system ought to be attributed. It was known to the ancients, and the friezes of their monuments are frequently decorated with foliage and various inscriptive ornaments: an elegant illustration of this line of decoration may be seen on the parade of the baths of Titus at Pompeii, and on a great number of Greek ve els found at Herculaneum. The Arabs, whose religion prohibited any representation of animated beings, made naturally a great use of this kind of architectural embellishment; and hence, it is probable, was given to it the name under which it is known. It was principally during the period of the Renai ance that it became generally employed in Europe: anything more graceful and airily delicate than the works of A. executed in that epoch it is hardly po ible to conceive. Neverthele , it was reserved for the celebrated painter Raphael to bring this style of ornament to a point of perfection which has not been surpa ed. Nothing can compare with the richne and beauty of the A. executed after his designs, in the Loggia of the Vatican, at Rome. See ARABIAN ARCHITECTURE. Arabesqued, p . a . Ornamented with arabesques. (R.) Arabia, an extensive region of Asia in its N.W. quarter; which forms almost a peninsula of an irregular quadrangular form, and is so peculiarly connected with Africa by the narrow isthmus of Suez, that with equal justice it might also be said, geographically speaking, to be a peninsular offshoot of the latter continent. This country is bounded on the N. by Syria and the Euphrates; on the E. by the Persian gulf; on the S. by the Indian ocean and the straits of Bab-el-mandeb; and on the W. by the Red sea, and the isthmus of Suez, which divides it from Egypt. Lat. between 12° and 34° N.; Lon. between 32° 30 and 60° E.- Ext . A.'s greatest length on a line drawn W.N.W. from Ras-el-Had, on the sea of Oman, to Suez, may be computed at about 1,500 m.; its average breadth at about 800.- Area , as measured on D'Anville's map, about 1,200,000 sq. m.-Divisions. A. , according to the ancients, was divided into three parts: 1. A. Feliz , or the "Happy," bordering on the Persian gulf, the Indian ocean, and the S. extremity of the Red sea; 2. A. Petræa, or the "Stony," lying along the Red sea to the N. of A. Felix; and 3. A. Desert a, or the "Desert," forming the interior portion N. of the tropic of Cancer, and extending to the borders of Syria. Under these names, however, these divisions are not known to the Arabians. Their nomenclature may thus be defined that division called A. Desert a contains the countries denominated Nejd and the Djowf ; A. Petræa forms El Héjaz ; while A. Felix comprises the modern provinces called Yemen, Hadramaut, Oman , and El Achsa.- Desc. The greater part of A. presents the appearance of a vast and sterile desert, more especially as regards the interior; though even there may be found a few fertile spots or oases, some mountains of considerable height, and luxuriant valleys. Along the sea-board, from Suez to the head of the Persian gulf, a belt of low, and, for the greater part, fertile land, impinges upon the desert, varying in breadth from two days' journey to a single mile. This tract is called "Tehama," or the Low Land. The extreme S. provinces of A. , as, for instance, Hadramaut and Yemen, are more particularly distinguished for fertility of soil and rich vegetation; and to these parts, it is supposed, has been applied the poetic simile of "Araby the Blest." In all parts of this country, however, there prevails a scarcity of water.i Mountains . A range called Jebel-el-Akabah, a S. ramification of the Lebanon chain, runs S. by W. as far as the gulf of Akabah, where it is joined on the N.E. by Mount Tor, the "Sinai," and "Horeb," of Scripture. Extending from the latter to the straits of Bab-el-mandeb, are a series of mountains, which in parts of the Héjaz exhibit peaked tops of from 5,000 to 8,000 ft. In the interior lies Jebel-Shemmar, on the caravan route from Bagdad to Medina, which is said to compare with Mount Lebanon both as to elevation and extent, and also for the forest-embowered villages surrounding it. The Torik, Jebel-Kur, and El-Arad, are other mountains of A. , and comparatively but little known.- Rivers . A. has no considerable river, those known being only small streams, sometimes rising into torrents after heavy rains. The most noticeable are the Aftan, Ober, Keber, .- Lakes . None known, though it is believed that, in the Nejd, and far interior, some may be found. Climate . The climate of A. is perhaps the driest in the world, and almost insupportably hot, the tropic of Cancer pa ing, as it does, through the heart of the country. This intense heat is aggravated by the mephitic winds, called simooms , which are of frequent occurrence in the desert. In the vicinity of the mountains a more genial temperature prevails. ( Zool .) In the deserts, the panther, jackal, wolf, and hyæna have their habitat; among the mountains roam the musk-deer, the wild a , and the rock-goat; and on the more verdant plateaux, the antelope, gazelle, and jerboa. The principal and more domesticated animals are the horse and the camel; the breed of the first, as indigenous to A. , has been famous in all ages; while the latter quadruped is aptly named the "Ship of the desert," from its indispensable value for purposes of locomotion in this land of sandy wastes. Of birds, the eagle, the vulture, and varieties of hawks are common; the desert is the home of the ostrich; and the pelican stalks the shores of the Red sea. Pheasants, fowl, and small sorts of game are plentiful in Yemen and those countries adjoining the Indian ocean. Locusts swarm, and are by the natives considered edible. Various kinds of fish are abundantly found on the E. coast, which not only serve for food, but are used as manure for the soil.Prod. Dates, dhourra (a kind of millet), wheat, barley, tobacco, indigo, coffee, spices, tamarinds, balm, various gums, and fruits. Agriculture obtains only in a very limited degree. Geol . In the mountains of A. are porphyry.jasper, quartz, freestone, basalt, marble, alabaster, and limestone. Among the mineral productions are the emerald, onyx, agates, cornelian, gypsum, saltpetre, sulphur, naphtha, asphaltum, iron, lead, and copper. In Yemen, gold mines were formerly worked, but no present indications of the existence of this precious ore are found, the development of the mineral resources of A. remaining yet inactive. Rock salt is manufactured about Lohein. Manf. Woollens, linens, and silks; firearms, spear-heads, and other arms; tin and copper utensils, . Com. A. is well situated for trading intercourse with other countries. Immense quantities of merchandise are yearly transported acro the deserts by strings of camels, forming what are called in the East, caravans . Mocha, Djedda, and Lohein on the Red sea, are the great emporiums of the coffee-trade; Muscat is the entrepôt of traffic with the l'ersian Gulf, and India; and Aden, E. of the straits of Bab-el-mandeb, has become of late years a busy British settlement, and the connecting point of steam-communication between Europe, via Suez, and India.- Exp . The principal exports are coffee, spices, gums, drugs, and pearls.- Inhab . The aborigines of A. are originally of pure Caucasian race. They are pleasing in their form and physiognomy, though their physique and muscular development is on a smaller scale than that of most Europe ans. The women are generally attractive in appearance, but cannot be called strictly beautiful. The character of the Arab is peculiar. Po e ing a pa ionate temperament, and easily irritated, they are as quickly appeased. Candor. hospitality, love of independence: these are among their best traits. On the other hand are found the bad qualities of intense thirst for revenge, vanity, superstition, and pronene to thievery. The Arab is the most civilized and humane of robbers; he plunders a traveller, and then offers him hospitality and protection. Abstemious to an extreme, these people live on the simplest food, drink only water, and occasionally coffee; yet some are found who indulge in wine and ardent liquors, despite the inhibition of the Koran. Tobacco-smoking is universal, and the hasheesh is frequently used as a narcotic. The costume of the men usually consists of a turban, or caftan , shirt, drawers, and papooshes or slippers. That of the women comprises a robe and immense pantaloons of various stuffs and colors, a cloak or burnous of Indian striped cotton or silk, and half-boots, or slippers of yellow leather. On their heads they commonly wear a caftan, and when out of doors invariably cover their faces with a long linen veil called yashmak . The Arabs are bigoted adherents of the faith of Islam; their sys IMG:content-0259.jpg:[graphic][merged small] tem of government is patriarchal, and the Koran forms the sole legal code. They lead, for the most part, a wandering and nomadic life, dwelling in tents, and occupy themselves with religious duties and rapine, about equally. The most celebrated and peculiar tribe is the Bedouins, q. v. A. contains many small states, and a great number of independent tribes. Of the former, Héjaz and Yemen form the vilayet , or viceroyalty of Arabis tan, under the rule of the Sultan of Turkey; Muscat is governed by its own sovereign, the Imaum; and Mecca, by a potentate bearing the title of Sherif or Xerif. The others elect their own chiefs under various designations, as Emir, Sheikh, . Hist . See ARABIANS.-Chief towns. Mecca, the "Holy City" of the Mohammedans; Medina, Aden, Sana, Djedda, Muscat, Riad (the capital of Nejd), Heyel, and Bereydah.-Pop. Estimated at 12,000,000, about seven-eighths of which are Arabs; the remainder being Jews, Turks, Banians, Europe ans, . The first European who is believed to have penetrated and traversed the interior of A. is the English traveller Palgrave, whose valuable "Narrative of a Year's Journey through Central and Eastern Ara bia ," was published at London, in 1865. Arabia, in Ohio , a post-office of Lawrence co. Arabian, MOOR'ISH, Or SARACENIC, Architecture. Before the birth of Mohammed, the Arabs, a people e entially nomadic, did not po e a distinctive style of architecture. They had, it is true, seven temples in which were enthroned the idols of their worship, but these edifices were destroyed by the early Moslems, with the exception of that at Mecca, called the Caaba , from the name of the famous black stone which has always been an object of veneration to the followers of Islamism. This celebrated temple forms a square building of about 33 ft. in length, by 31 in width, with a height of 32 ft. It is lighted by a doorway on its E. side, and by a window. Mohammed having consecrated it to the worship of the only God, the caliphs, his succe ors, surrounded the shrine with a square yard or enclosure, and built porticos and rooms for the use of pilgrims. All know how rapid and productive were the conquests achieved by the Moslems after the death of the prophet Mohammed in A. D. 632. Contact with more civilized nations gave rise, in this people, to an active and pa ionate love for the arts and sciences. The first mosque erected by the Arabs was that of the caliph Omar, built on the site of the temple of Jerusalem. His son Walid (705-715) erected at Damascus, on the ruins of the church of St. John the Baptist, a mosque so magnificent that its cost was not le than $180,000,000. It was on this mosque that was originally placed the tall spiral shaft called the minaret , from the top of which, for the first time, the muezzins called the Faithful to prayer. Wherever Islamism penetrated, and predominated, were founded buildings consecrated to the new religion, as well as palaces, hospitals, caravans eras, .; but the ensemble of these early Arabian structures sufficiently demonstrated that their architects were Greek artists. It was in Spain that the A. style of architecture exhibited itself in all the originality of which it was susceptible. The great mosque of Cordova was begun by Abd-er-rahman-ben-Moawiah in 770, and finished by his son, near the end of the 8th century. But of all the Morisco monuments in Spain, the most marvellous and world-renowned is, without a doubt, the Alhambra , (see GRANADA.) The Alcazar of Seville , built posterior to the Alhambra, enjoys an almost equal celebrity, but in the former the A. style is only evident in its decadence. If the gratification of the eye were the sole aim and object of architecture, this would singularly place the A. school far above the great architects of other nations. It is impo ible to imagine anything more aërial, svelte , and tender in form and proportion than the Moorish type of structure as found in Spain. The system of decoration generally seen in these erections, produces upon the senses an almost undefinable impre ion; the multiplicity and minutise of detail so prominently pervading the whole, together with the harmonious contrast of the richest colors exhibited throughout, both excite and charm the imagination. The sky-opening, of starlike form, that the Arabs of Spain employed in the construction of their domes, produces, from the manner in which it conveys light into the interior halls, a truly magical effect. Notwithstanding all this, the Moorish style does not present that aspect of clearne and grandeur which is so apparent in the Egyptian, the Greek, and the Roman monumental remains. Summarily, the A. order of architecture, considered from the point of view of construction, and also at the point of sight of the general system of decoration, has obtained its salient features from the architectural systems of other nations, and more especially from the Byzantine. Its only, and grand characteristics aro, the method by Fig . 168. ARABIAN ARCHWAY, IN TARRAGON A (Spain). which the Arabs have combined other styles, the variety exhibited in the different parts of their constructions, and the extraordinary harmony which, in spite of all, is manifest in their architectural conceptions. The more distinctive points connected with the A. sys tem are, briefly, as fo'lows. Their columns are remark a ole for extraordinary lightne and variety of form, are by no means deficient in beauty, and generally support low arcades. The shafts are short and slender, either plain or ornamented with lineal carving, sometimes grooved perpendicularly, sometimes spirally. The capitals are either imitations of the Greek orders, or formed of clustered foliage covered with a plain abacus. Such was the fondne of the Arabians for columnar ornamentation, that in all their mosques and palatial residences they introduced an infinite concourse of them, disposed in clusters or rows. The arches employed were of three kinds: the crescent, the circular, and the pointed. The crescent (or horse-shoe arch) is the symbol of the Mohammedan hægira, as the cro is that of the Christian crucifixion. It was by them called the sacred arch, and is invariably found in the doorways and domes of their mosques. The round arch they borrowed from the Romans. The pointed arch is believed to have been of their own invention, suggested by some of the forms of Oriental lattice-work. Another favorite style of ornament was the intricate arrangement of compartments or panels, in which they excelled. This style was afterward imitated in the modern groining of Gothic roofs and ceilings. The open fretwork so common to A. architecture is decidedly derived from Persia. Corbels and machicolated parapets of castles, were also adoptions of the A. school. Besides the before-mentioned examples of A. structures, some of the finest are to be found in Hindostan, as the mosques of Benares and Lucknow, the mausoleum and palace of the sultan Akbar at Agra, ( Fig . 56.) and of Shah Jehan, known as the Taj-Mahal of the Great Mogul, at Delhi. Arabian Gulf. See RED SEA. Arabian Nights' Entertainments, or "THE You sand AND ONE NIGHTS," a celebrated collection of Oriental tales, which have, since their introduction to the civilized world, become the delight of all who peruse them. This collection, which had long been famous throughout the East, was brought to the notice of Europe ans by the translation of Antoine Gall and, a great French orientalist, in 1704. It speedily became translated into the other principal European languages, fixed popular admiration, and to this day retains its place in popular literature. The scheme of its conception is so well known that it would be needle here to relate it. These tales, though fabulous in substance, po e in the most eminent degree the characteristic imagery and poetical versatility of the Orientals. Numerous imitations have at times appeared, which but feebly compare with the original; perhaps the best of modern paraphrases is that of Oehlenschläger's Aladdin , which is founded on one of the well-known tales of the original series. The best editions of this work which have yet appeared are the one edited by Lane, the English orientalist, and Burton's uncompromisingly accurate translation from the original (1885-1887). and Al-Mamum, who surpa ed his predece ors, invited learned men from all countries to his capital, established academies at Bagdad, Ba ora, and Bokhara, and large libraries at Alexandria, Bagdad, and Cairo. The caliph Mota em (A. D. 841) instituted a literary rivalry between his dynasty at Bagdad, and that of the Ommiades in Spain. What Bagdad was to Asia, such was Cordova to Europe; where, during the 10th century, the A. were the chief pillars of literature. They excelled in geography, history, philosophy, medicine, physics, and mathematics. The philosophy of the A. was of Greek origin, partaking of the school of Aristotle. In poetry, excepting the dramatic, they left no style unachieved; they invented the ballad, and there can be no doubt that they exercised a powerful effect on the poetry of the early civilization of that epoch. The romantic ad ventures of chivalry, the mythical lore of Faërie-land, sorcery, and magic, all this, and more, pa ed from the A. into the poetry of Western Europe, imparting to the latter much of the imaginative spirit and refinement of character it has since developed. See ANTAR, and ARABIAN NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENTS. Arabian Sea, a large expanse in the Indian ocean, extending from the peninsula of Hindostan on the E., to Arabia on the W., a distance probably of 1,500 m. Arabic, n . The language of the Arabs, or people of Arabia. This tongue belongs to the so-called Semitic dialects , among which it is distinguished for its antiquity, richne , and softne . The A. language now forms two dialects, the ancient or literate A. of the Koran, and the A. vulgar , of which latter the purest is spoken in Yemen. The A. spoken at the present day is said to differ as much from that of the Koran, as the Italian from the Latin; but the well-educated Arabs, like the learned of the Turkish empire, still employ it in correspondence and literary composition. The number and variety of its grammatical forms is great, but its strong gutturals and deep intonation render it harsh to the ears of northern people. In harmony and energy, the A. is said to excel; and its richne in respect of words surpa es all other languages. The Arabs, indeed, represent it as so copious, that no uninspired man can become a perfect master of it; as, for instance, they allege that it has 1,000 terms to expre sword , 500 for lion , and 200 for serpent . As the language of Mohammed, the A. has been diffused over a greater portion of the earth than any other. It is studied, and understood, even if not spoken, from the shores of the Atlantic to the banks of the Ganges; and from the Tartar steppes to the countries on the Niger. In the Sunda, Molucca, and Philippine isles, it is generally spoken. Throughout the greater part of Spain also, and the whole of Sicily, it once prevailed; and on the eastern coast of Africa, as far as Madagascar, it is still spoken. This vast extension may be one cause of its copiousne , as it doubtle is the chief one of its diversity of dialects and pronunciation. The language of one province is almost unintelligible to the inhabitants of another. The dialect of the mountaineers of Yemen, owing to their little intercourse with strangers, bears the strongest resemblance to the language of the Koran. The Ismaelitic forms of the A. prevail in the N. of Arabia, the Himyaritic in the S., and the Koraitic in Mecca and the adjacent country. The idiom of the Arabs in the N.W. part of Africa is the most corrupt of any, excepting that of Malta. We po e valuable grammars and lexicons of the A. by Erpen, Michael is, Richardson, Jahn, Rosenmüller, De Sacy, Tychsen, Ewald, Roorda, Men in ski, and Freytag. The modern, or vulgar, A. has been investigated by Savary, Eichhorn, Burckhardt, and others; and of the Algerine A. several vocabularies and grammars have been published in Paris. caliphate then sensibly declined, owing to the foundation of other and independent thrones in Egypt and Western Africa, and that of the caliphate of Cordova in Spain, established by the last descendant of the Ommiades. About the commencement of the 16th century, the Turks conquered and abolished the Eastern caliphate, which from that period merged into the great Ottoman empire. See BEDOUINS, KARMATHES, and WAHABEES. II. Language. See ARABIC. Arabgir', or ARABGHEER, a town of Armenia in Asiatic Turkey, between Egin and Keban-Maden. - Manuf . of cotton goods. Distant from the Euphrates about 20 m.; from Aleppo, 270 m. Pop . 20,000. Arab-His's ar, a town of Asiatic Turkey, in Anatolia, 38 m. N.W. of Mogla. Near it are the ruins of an ancient city. Arab'ical, a. Arabian; Arabic. cacea . Arabis, n . ( Bot . ) A gen. of plants, tribe Arabida . -DIAG. Sepals erect; petals unguiculate, entire; silique linear, compre ed; valves 1-veined in the middle; seeds in a single row in each cell. Fls. white. The Sickle Pod, A. Can a dens is , found on rocky hills in the W. States, is a plant remarkable for its long, drooping pods, which re- semble a curved sword-blade; stem 2-3 ft. high, slender, round, smooth; small white flowers in June. Arabis, a river of S. Asia. Arabism, n . An idiom or phrase of the Arabic lan- guage. Arabist, n. One versed in Arabian literature. Arabis'tan, a division of the Ottoman empire in Asia, Arabis tan, ("Land of the Arabs.") A vast extent of level country of Persia, in the prov. of Khúzistan, com- prising the districts of Hawiyat, Shushter, and Dizful. Arable, a . [Fr.; Lat. arabilis , from aro ; Gr. aroo , to plough.] Applied to land fit for ploughing, or tillage. Ara'bo. See RAAB. Ar'abog, in Arabia. See RABOGH. Arabo-Tedesco. [It. Arabo , and Gr. Tedesco .] ( Arch .) A style consisting of a mixture of Arabian or low Grecian with German-Gothic. It is a term used chiefly by the Italians. An example of this style may be shown in the Baptistery of Pisa ( Fig . 169), erected by Dioti Salvi IMG:content-0260.png:[blocks in formation] (Bot.) Resembling cobweb in appearance; seeming to be covered with cobweb, in consequence of the en- tanglement of long white hairs. Araco'ma, in W. Virginia , a village of Logan co. A'rad, an island in the Persian gulf, near that of Bahrein. A'rad, OLD and NEW, two cities in the kingdom of Hun- gary, separated by the Danube. The former is a consid- erable place, the seat of a bishop and academies of learn- ing. It holds one of the largest fairs in the kingdom. NEW A. is principally known as being a fortre of the first cla in the Austrian empire, and a prison for pol it- ical offenders. Pop . of both towns (1895) 52,600. Arad'eo, a town of S. Italy in the province of Naples, 13 m. N.W. of Gallipoli. Aræ'ostyle, n. [Gr. araios , wide, and stylos , column.] (Arch.) One of the five proportions used by the ancients for regulating the intercolumniations or intervals be- tween the columns in porticos and colonnades. As Vitruvius does not determine precisely its measure in terms of the diameter of the column, Perrault proposes that the interval be made equal to four diameters, which is the interval now usually a igned to it. It is only used with the Tuscan order. Aræosys'tyle, n . [Gr. araios , wide; syn , with; stylos , a column.] A term used by the French architects to de- note the method of proportioning the intervals between columns coupled or ranged in pairs, as introduced by Perrault in the principal façade of the Louvre at Paris. and by Sir Christopher Wren in the W. front of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. Arafat', Mount, or JEBEL-EL-ORFAT, a granitic hill in Arabia, 15 m. S.E. of Mecca. It is about 200 ft. high, and is one of the holy places of pilgrimage with the Mohammedans. On its eastern side are the ruins of a mosque where Mohammed was wont to pray. It is an nually visited by the pilgrims from Mecca, and the Mo- hammedans say that at this place Adam met Eve after their expulsion from Paradise, and consequent separa- tion for 120 years. Arafu'ras, or ALFU'RAS, a savage race of people - the Alfoers and Alforese of the early navigators-inhabiting the interior of New Guinea, and the Papuan group of Islands in the S. Pacific ocean. They seem to resemble the natives of Australia in physical character and ap- pearance. Their color is a deep dirty brown, or black. Leyden, in his Asiatic Researches, says they are "ind i- genous in almost all the Eastern isles, and are sometimes found on the same island with the Papuans, or Oriental Ara'go, FRANÇOIS JEAN DOMINIQUE, a celebrated French astronomer and perpetual secretary of the Academy of Sciences of Paris, B. in 1786, at Estagel in the S. of France. He was educated at Toulouse, and thence re- moved to the Polytechnic school of Paris. He entered, in 1804, upon scientific study, and rose rapidly to distinc- tion. Joining the staff of the French Observatory, he proceeded to Spain with M. Biot, to take the measure- ment of an arc of the meridian. On his return to Paris, he was elected at the age of 23, a member of the Acad- emy of Sciences, replacing the great Lalande; and also appointed profe or of the Ecole Poly technique. From this time, he commenced upon a scientific career of the most brilliant character, sustained until his death. Without enumerating all his great discoveries, mention must be made of his determination of the diameters of the planets, afterward followed up by Laplace; the dis- covery of polarization by colors; and that of rotatory magnetism. He was also the inventor of the Polariscope. In 1830, he was nominated Director of the Observatory, and of the Bureau des Longitudes. The Annuaire des Longitudes he also directed; and founded, conjointly with Gay-Lu ac, the " Receuil des Annales de Physique et de Chimie." A., as a politician, was earnest, moderate, and consistent. Early imbued with republican princi- Ara'go, in Oregon , a cape on the Pacific ocean, about 36 m. N. by E. of Cape Blanco. Ara'go, in Nebraska , a post-village and township of Richardson co. Aragon, commonly called the kingdom of A. , a former province of Spain, bounded on the N. by the Pyrenees; E. by Catalonia; S.E. and S. by Valencia; S.W. by New Castile; and on the W. by Old Castile and Navarre. It lies between 400 and 43° N. Its greatest length from N. to S. is 200 m.; and its average breadth about 130. Area , about 17,976 sq. miles.- Desc . This country is gen- erally mountainous, skirted by the loftiest range of the Pyrenees, and by the great Sierras of Moncayo, Morella,. Teruel, . In the centre is the basin of the Ebro, which receives the waters of numerous rivers. The higher elevations are cold and sterile, and the valleys warm and fertile. The W. wind, called by the natives the fagueno , is accompanied by abundant showers, and is very favorable to vegetation.- Prod . The principal agri- cultural resources of A. are wheat, barley, oats, rye, maize, flax, hemp, and fruits, inclusive of grapes and olives of the finest quality; barilla, madder, and saffron. Excellent timber is plentiful, and the richest pastures feed quantities of cattle. Among its minerals, copper, lead, and iron are found in abundance. Cobalt, quicksilver, marble, and copperas are also plenty. Its ancient gold and silver mines attracted the Romans. Animals . Wild ones, as the bear, wolf, and lynx, inhabit the gorges of the Pyrenees. Sheep of the merino species are reared in great numbers, and their wool constitutes the main wealth of the prov. Manf . unimportant. This province is now divided into the 3 provs. of Teruel, Huesca, and Sarago a. Cap . Sarago a. - Hist . A. orig- inally was the territory of the ancient Celt i beres. In 470, it pa ed from the Romans to the Goths. In 714, it was conquered by the Moors, and subsequently governed by its own sovereigns until its fusion with the kingdoms. of Castile and Leon, by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1474. Pop . (1895) 928,700. Aragon, a river of Spain, rising in the Pyrenees, and joining the Ebro after a course of 80 m S.W. Aragona, a town of Italy, in Sicily, 8 m. N.N.E. of Girgenti. The mud volcano of Maccaluba is in its vi- cinity. Pop . abt. 6,600. Aragonite, n. ( Min .) An orthorhombic mineral; lustre vitreous; color white, sometimes gray, yellow, green, or violet; streak uncolored; transparent; trans- lucent; brittle. Comp . Carbonic acid 44, lime 56-100. Was discovered in Aragon, in six-sided prisms, with gypsum, imbedded in a ferruginous clay. Araguay, or ARAGUAYA, a large river of Brazil, which rises in about 19° S. lat., near the Parana, to about 6° S. lat., where it joins the To can tins. The united stream, after a course of 1,000 miles, falls into the delta of the Amazon in S. lat. 1o 40. Many tribes of warlike Indians dwell on its banks. IMG:content-0261.jpg:[graphic][subsumed][subsumed] into this sea are the Sihoun (the ancient Jazartes ), and the Jihout (Oxus). A. is studded with islands, whence its Tartar name Aral dingui , i. e. "Sea of isles." Its waters are salt, and are sometimes frozen in winter; the fish it contains are similar to those of the Caspian.