MOUNTAIN

(Lat. mons.) In Geography, the term applied to designate the principal elevations on the earth's surface. Mountains and hills, says Bake well, are relative terms with respect to each other; the highest elevations being denominated mountains, and the lower hills In the vicinity of Mont Blanc and Mont Rosa, which are more than 5000 yards high, the mounUins in Cumber land and North Wales would be called hills; though Snowdon rises more than HOG yards, and Skiddaw and Helvellyn more than 1000 above the level of the sea. In England, if hills rise abruptly, and are more than 400 3D 4 OF. The following are the altitudes of a few of the most elevated peaks in the four quarters of the world. The most extensive list which we have seen is given in GeAler's Physicalisches Lexicon, art. " Hcihenpunckte," where the authorities for the different measures are also stated. Europe — Mont Blanc, Alps, 15,781 ft.; Mont Rosa, \hfif,^ ft.; Ortler Spitze, Tyrol, 15,4.30 ft.; Jungfrauhorn, 13,720 ft.; St. Gothard Pa , 9,975 ft.; Hospice, Great St. Bernard, 8,040 ft.; Mont Perdu, Pyrenees, 11,283 ft.; Le Pic Blanc, do., 10,205 ft.; Monte Corno, Appenines, 9,.523 ft.; I.,omnitz, Peak of Car path i ans, 8,640 ft.; Parna us, 8,000 ft.; Mulahacen, Sierra Nevada, Spain, 11,073 ft.; ^tna, Sicily, 10,963 ft.; Sneehattan, Norway, 8,115 ft.; Snaefell, Iceland, 6,860 ft.; Helvellyn, England,- 3,055 ft.; Ben Macdui, Scotland, 4,418 ft.; Macgiliicuddy's Reeks, Ireland, 3,410. y<«V».— Dhawala-giri, Himalaya, 26,862 ft.; Jamautri, do.. 25,.500ft.; Elburz, Caucasus, 18,500 ft.; Mouna Kaah, Sandwich Islands, 18,400 ft.; Demavend, Mazanderan, 14,700 ft.; Soomoonang, Thibet, 14,500 ft.; Ophir, Sumatra, 13,842 ft.; Italitzkoi, Altai, 10,735 ft.; Ararat, Armenia, 9,500 ft.; Lebanon, 9520 ft.; Sinai, 5,000 ft.; Tan;?ai, Ural, 4.912 ft. Africa. — Mountains of Geesh, 15,000 ft.; Peak of Tenerlffe, 12,236 ft.; Atlas, 11,400 ft.; Niewveldt, Cape of Good Hope. 10,000 ft.; Gros Morne, Isle of Bourbon, 9,600 ft.; Trigo, Canaries, 7,400 ft.; Tuivo, Madeira, 5,162. America.— S,oT ., Bolivia, 2.5,000 ft.; Illimani, Peru, 24,450 ft.; Chimb or azo, Andes, 21,'<40 ft.;.\ntisana, 19,150 ft.; Catopaxi, 18,890 ft.; Vokan dc Popocateptl, Mexico, 17,716 ft.; Potosi, 16,000 ft.; Nevadode Mexico, 15,700 ft.; Lake of Titicaca, 12,000ft.; City of Rio Bamba, 10,800 ft.; White MounUins, Ma achusetts. 6,230 ft. MOURN 1 NG, may be defined generally as an external Indication or manifestation of grief for the death of a 776 MOWING. friend or relative. Certain usages in regard to mourning have been in force among all nations, barbarous and civilized, from the earliest ages; but except in the grief of which they are intended to be the symbol, no customs exhibit fewer marks of uniformity. Thus, the Chinese mourn in white; the Turks in blue or in violet; the Egyptians in yellow; the Ethiopians in grey. In ancient Rome and Lace daemon the ladies mourned in white. In Eastern countries it was regarded as a peculiar mark of affliction to cut the hair; and at Rome, on the contrary, to let it grow. The Greeks adopted the Eastern practice, and bestrewed the tombs of those for whom they mourned with their hair. The peculiarities of the ancient Jews in time of mourning are well known; and the various customs of which so minute an account is contained in the Pent a teuch are still maintained on these occasions by their descendants. From the commencement of the Christian era the general colour adopted for mourning throughout Europe has been, with very few exceptions, black. The kings of France mourn in violet. Tue duration of the period of mourning differs in different countries, but in all is usually regul.ated by the nearne of relationship between the survivors imd the deceased. Thus in France the period prescribed by usage is, for a husband, one year and six weeks; for a father, mother, wife, or child, six months; for a grandchild four months and a half; for a brother or sister two months; for an uncle or aunt three weeks; for a cousin-german fifteen days, . The rules that determine the forms and duration of court mourn i7ig emanate from the sovereign, but these do not extend beyond the court; and though on the demise of the crown or a relation it is expected, in the language of the Gazette, that the people " put themselves into decent mourning, " this is seldom generally complied with, except when the character of the deceased has been such as to secure wide popularity. (The art. " Deuil," in the Encylopedie des Gens du Monde, gives a very complete view of the chief modes of mourning in use in ancient and modern times.) See Sepultuue, Rites OF. [s. 788]