Ardi'ti, Luigi

an Italian musician, conductor, and composer; was born July 16, 1825, at Crescent i no, in Piedmont, and became the leading conductor of Italian opera. Has visited America frequently in his profe ional capacity. His compositions include many popular songs and several orchestral numbers of somewhat unpretentious character, all of which are written according to the modern Italian melodic school. He has spent a great deal of time in London, engaged in musical enterprises. Ard'more, in Pennsylvania, a suburban village of Montgomery co., 6 m. N. W. of Philadelphia. It has a number of yarn factories. Pop . (1890), 2,205. Are a meter, (a-re- ăm'e - tür .) [From area , and Gr. metron , measure.] ( Surveying .) An instrument invented by Mr. James R. Maxwell for calculating cro sections of embankments and cuts. It consists (Fig. 8) of a board, e, e, with a groove, g , g , in each side. To this board is attached a piece of ordinary cro -section paper, d, d. On this the slopes of a cut, 2, 2, and embankment, 1, 1, are laid off of any required size and inclination. f,f, is a bra frame which slides in the grooves, g , g . To this frame is attached a revolving rim IMG:content-0469.png:[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors] of the same metal, graduated in degrees to correspond with the surface slopes, the line of which is represented by a thread, 8, 8, stretched acro its centre. In using it, the frame, f , f , is moved up or down in the slides until the thread, 8, s, cuts the elevation of slope or embankment at centre. The rim, p , p , is then turned until the thread corresponds to the angle of the surface of the slope. The horizontal width is then seen at the intersection of the thread with the side-slope lines of the diagram. Arecibo, ( ah - ra - the'bo ,) a seaport of Porto Rico, W. Indies, C. of a p. of same name, on the N. coast of the island. It carries on a considerable trade. Pop . 11,187. Argelander, FREDERICH WILHELM AUGUST, (ahr - ja land'ür ,) a German astronomer, B. at Memel, in Pru ia, 1799, was appointed Profe or of Astronomy in the University of Bonn, 1837. He published, about 1830, the results of his observations at Abo, viz., A Catalogue of 560 Stars, with Observations upon their Motions , a work which obtained a prize from the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. At Bonn he continued the great work of Be el, and determined principally the position of the stars found in the zone of 45° to 80o declination. The results of his labors were published in 1846, in his Observations in the Observatory of Bonn , a work which contains the positions of 22,000 stars. D. 1873. Argenteuil, a S.W. county of Canada, province of Quebec. Pop. (1898) 15,950. Argentine, in Kansas , a city of Wyandotte co. Here is a smelter employing a large number of men, and treating gold, silver, copper and lead. Street car lines extend to Kansas City, 4 m. distant. Pop . (1898) 6,100. Argon, a constituent of the atmosphere, discovered in 1895 by Lord Rayleigh and Prof. William Ramsay, through a critical investigation of atmospheric nitrogen. It was learned, as the result of an extended series of experiments, that atmospheric nitrogen had a higher specific gravity than chemically prepared nitrogen, and the suspicion arose that some other, as yet unknown, atmospheric substance gave this extra weight to the nitrogen examined. This element, which was evidently heavier than nitrogen, was finally isolated by several methods and its characteristics investigated. It was found to have a density of about 20, that of nitrogen being 14, and when examined by the method of spectrum analysis was perceived to have a spectrum different from that of nitrogen, or of any other known substance. Another marked characteristic was its remarkable chemical indifference, it refusing to combine with any substance with which it was brought into chemical contact. For this reason it was given the name of Argon, signifying idle or inactive. Bertholet, however, has caused A. to combine with benzine, under the influence of the electric spark; and the first notions as to its chemical indifference may hereafter be further modified by experiment. A. composes nearly one per cent. of the atmosphere, but performs no function in respiration. It is found in no organic ti ue, but has been detected in meteoric iron. It is easily soluble in water; liquefies at 189°C. under a pre ure of 38 atmospheres, and solidifies at 189°C. Little further is known concerning this new substance. It has been supposed that it may be a condensed condition of nitrogen, analogous to ozone, or condensed oxygen; but this idea does not seem in accordance with the facts known concerning it. The discoverers thought it might po ibly be a mixture of two or more elements. There is but one thing further, at present, to say about it. At the time of its discovery the Smithsonian Institutions had offered a prize, under the Hodgkins bequest, of $10,000 for the most important new discovery respecting the atmosphere. This prize was awarded to the discoverers of A. , as having added materially to our knowledge of the constitution of the atmosphere. Arid Region. The name given to a broad western area of the U. S. in which so little rain falls as to render it incapable of cultivation except by irrigation, and much of which is a waterle desert. This region includes the whole of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona, part of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, California, Oregon and Washington, and nearly the whole of Idaho, its total area being 1,340,000 sq. m. Irrigation from rivers, mountain streams, and artesian wells has rendered a small proportion of this great region cultivable, and by a full use of the mountain waters, through the aid of reservoirs and distributing canals, the area. open to irrigation may be greatly extended. Yet a large section of the arid region, particularly in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, must remain permanently incapable of cultivation, and is of sufficient extent to constitute one of the great deserts of the earth. See GREAT BASIN. Arkansas City, in Kansas , a city of Cowley co., on Arkansas river, the A., T. & S. Fé, Mo. Pac., and St. L. & S. F. R.Rs., 14 m. S. of Win field; has some manuf. and an extensive distributing trade. Pop . (1898) 7,550. Armaged'don, the great battle-field of the Apocalypse, in which the final struggle between the powers of good and evil is to be fought. Armenia, -Continued from SECTION I. Within the past few years Armenia has been the seat of many remarkable events, which have brought the empire of Turkey to the verge of di olution and threatened to involve the nations of Europe in a general war. These events may be held to have had their inception in the independence of Bulgaria, which roused a strong desire in the Christian population of A. to be similarly relieved from Turkish rule, and gave rise to a revolutionary agitation which has led to a most sanguinary and deplorable result. This agitation was largely carried on by Armenians in other countries, but its influence was felt in A. itself, and led to outbreaks and hostile relations which reached a bloody culmination in 1895-96. By the terms of the treaty of Berlin the Porte agreed to carry out, and without delay, certain reforms an agreement to which but little subsequent attention was paid. In 1894 an attempt was made to a a inate the Armenian patriarch at Constantinople. This aroused indignation in Armenia, a collision with the police followed, and the trouble spread till fears of an armed insurrection of the Christian population arose, leading to a conflict with a Kurdish regiment in which a body of 750 Armenians were slaughtered. Exaggerated reports of the revolt of the Armenians reached Constantinople, and orders seem to have been sent to the Turkish authorities in Armenia to sur pre it with mercile severity. These orders were carried out to the letter. For eight years previously hostile relations had existed between the Kurds and Armenians, and in August, 1894, a force of Kurdish irregulars attacked Sasun, overcame the resistance of the Armenians, pursued them into the woods and mountains, and slaughtered them without mercy. Uniformed troops followed the irregulars, who destroyed over 40 villages, while from 3,000 to 5,000 Armenians are said to have been ma acred. In January, 1895, another ma acre took place, and nearly 3,000 Armenians were seized and imprisoned in Constantinople and Asia. As the news of this reign of ma acre and outrage spread over Europe and America great indignation was excited, and some of the leading. powers intervened, insisting on a ce ation of the outrages and the adoption, in the Armenian administration, of a system of reform which would prevent their recurrence. The Porte prevaricated and protracted the negotiations, while jealousy between the powers prevented any steps of coercion being taken. In the midst of the negotiations the ma acres were resumed. In September, 1895, a body of 3,000 Armenians a embled at the Cathedral in Constantinople, and attempted to march to the palace to present a petition to the Porte. A collision with the police followed, and a riot arose in which many Armenians were killed, while others took refuge in their churches, whence they were driven by the police. When the news of this riot reached Armenia the Kurds rose again and the slaughters were resumed, 7,000 or 8,000 innocent villagers being killed. In Zeitun the Armenians broke into open revolt, and held the town vigorously against their foes, though the neighboring country was desolate and 20,000 of the inhabitants slain, while several hundred you sand were left destitute. Zeitun was evacuated on Dec. 24, 1890, but its defenders were saved from ma acre by the inter vention of the powers, whose amba adors arranged capitulation. In the spring of 1896 it was estimatec that in all no fewer than 80,000 Armenians had been slain. In Aug., 1896, a new outbreak occurred Certain members of an Armenian society seized the Ottom Bank in Constantinople, and held it for some hours as a protest against the inactivity of the European Powers, The results of this ill-advised act were deplorable. The mob rose and killed you sands of Armenians in the streets of the city, the police and troops not interfering, while in the following month the ma acres began again in Armenia. The Sultan further ordered the deportation of nearly 30,000 Armenians from Constantinople. During this long reign of slaughter the powers protested and threatened, while their fleets gathered in the waters of the Levant; but no decided action was taken, and the Sultan remained master of the situation. Mutual jealousy, fears of a general war, and other influences kept the leaders of European diplomancy inactive, and though the ma acres ceased, none of the promised reforms were instituted, and destitution and misery reigned unchecked through the desolated country. There are in all probably 2,400,000 Armenians in the world, of whom over 1,300,000 are in Armenia, in which country a Mohammedan population of nearly 4,000,000 also resides. The Christians of A. have, however, been notably reduced in number in consequence of the events described, and the embracing of Mohammedanism by many of them as a means of escaping ma acre.