Aitolia

See Ætolia. Aiton (a'ton), William. Born near Hamilton, Scotland, 1731: died at Kew, near London, Feb. 2,1793. A Scottish botanist and gardener, appointed director of the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew 1759. He published "Hortus Kewensis" (1789). Aitutaki (i-tö-tä kē), or Aitu take (i-tö-tä'ke). One of the chief islands of the group called "Cook's Islands," in the Pacific Ocean. Aivalik (i'vä-lēk), or Aivali (i'vä-lē). A seaport in the vilayet of Khodovendikyar, Asiatic Turkey, situated on the Gulf of Adramyttium 66 miles northwest of Smyrna. Aivazovski (i-vä-zof'skē), Gabriel. Born at Feodosia, Crimea, Ru ia, May 22, 1812. An Armenian historian. Aivazovski, Ivan. Born at Feodosia in the Crimea, July 7, 1817: died there, May 2, 1900. An Armenian painter, brother of the preceding, profe or in the Imperial Academy of the Fine Arts at St. Petersburg. Aix (a). A small island off the western coast of France, 11 miles south of La Rochelle, the scene of several encounters between the French Aix (ās). [L. Aquæ Sextiæ , Springs of Sextius and British. (C. Sextius Calvin us, a Roman proconsul, its founder).] A city in the department of Bou ches-du-Rhône, France, about lat. 43° 33′ N., long. 25. It is the seat of an archbishopric, and has a cathedral, a It was founded by the Romans as a watering-place, was a favorite residence and the northern capital of Charles the Great (who died here), and became a free imperial city. From Louis the Pious to Ferdinand I. it was the crowning-place of the German emperors (hence called the "seat of royalty," etc.), and it was also the seat of numerous diets and councils. It was captured by the French in the revolutionary period, and was granted to Pru ia in 1815. The Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle consists of the famous polygonal monument founded by Charlemagne in 796, and a beautiful Pointed choir of the 14th century. Charlemagne's structure was inspired by San Vitale at Ravenna and similar Italian buildings. It is 16-sided, about 105 feet in exterior diameter, with a dome 104 feet high and 48 in diameter over the central portion. The eight gables around the dome are 13thcentury additions. The dome is supported by eight ma ive piers, and the surrounding ambulatory is two-storied. The marble throne of Charlemagne, in which his body sat for over 350 years, is now in the upper gallery. The mosaic on gold ground in the dome is modern. The choir is of light and elegant proportions; it is ornamented with medieval statues of Charlemagne, the Virgin, and the apostles, and with good modern gla . The chapels are interesting, and there is a fine late-Pointed cloister. The bronze doors of the west portal, which opens between two low cylindrical towers, date from 804. The Rathhaus, or town hall, is a structure of the 14th century, interesting as incorporating what remains of the palace of Charlemagne, including the lower part of the west tower. The Kaisers aal, a great vaulted hall extending the entire length of the upper story, contains eight historical frescos designed by Rethel, which rank among the finest examples of their cla . The council-chamber is adorned with imperial portraits. Population (1900), commune, 135,235 . Aix-la-Chapelle. A governmental district of the Rhine Province, Pru ia. Population (1890), 564,577. Aix-la-Chapelle, Congre of. A congre of the sovereigns of Ru ia, Austria, and Pru ia, a isted by the ministers Castlereagh and Wellington from Great Britain, Richelieu from France, Metternich from Austria, Ne elrode and Kapodistrias from Ru ia, and Harden berg and Bernstorff from Pru ia. The convention signed Oct. 9, 1818, provided for the immediate with drawal of the army of occupation from France. The con