82 



ST BERNARD 



ST CHRISTOPHER 



St Bernard, a breed of dogs which derives 

 its name from the hospice of St Bernard, where it 

 was first introduced for the purpose of finding t lu- 

 pus across the mountain in snow. Every morning 

 during the winter two dogs, one old and one 

 young, accompanied by one or more of the monks 

 or attendants, started from the monastery for the 

 shelter at the foot of the mountain on the Italian 

 side ; a similar party of men and dogs also 

 descended to the shelter at the Swiss end of the 

 pass. If any travellers were found there they 

 were helped on their way to the hospice, the dogs 

 going on oefore to show the road. Possibly, on rare 

 occasions, the dogs were allowed to go down to the 

 valley by themselves, but as a rule they only acted 

 as guides to the monks. Pictures and stories of 

 the dogs laden with food and clothes, and some- 

 times actually carrying a benumbed traveller, are 

 plainly due to the exaggeration of their admirers. 



The St Bernard, according to the traditions of 

 the monastery, is the result of a cross between a 

 Danish bull-bitch and a mastiff, a native lull dog, 

 though at what time effected it is impossible to 

 say. After the breed was once established it was 

 kept pure until 1812, when owin" to the severity of 

 the winter the monks were obliged, contrary to 

 their usual custom, to send out the brood bitches 

 as well as the dogs, with the result that all the 

 females succumbed to the cold, and the monks 

 found themselves without the means of continuing 

 the true breed. In this extremity a cross with the 

 Newfoundland was tried, but at first failed, owing 

 to the excessive coat of the Newfoundland, which 

 hampered the dogs in snow ; however, by breedinj,' 

 back to their own short-coated dogs, the monks 

 obtained the desired shortness of coat, though 

 occasional specimens were born with the rough 

 coats. These rough-coated specimens were sold or 

 given away to the inhabitants of the surrounding 

 valleys, who continued to breed them, so that St 

 Bernard dogs soon became general in Switzerland. 

 About 1860 these dogs first attracted the atten- 

 tion of English travellers, who imported them to 

 Britain, where they were exhibited and at once 

 excited much notice on account of their size and 



F 



St Bernard Dog, 'Scottish Pi-inn-.' 



beauty. Others were introduced, and the St 

 Bernard wa- soon established as the most popular 

 big dog, a popularity which has gone on increasing. 

 The St Bernard, as bred to modern English ideas, 

 is an immense red or orange coloured dog, marked 

 with white on muzzle, neck, chest, feet, and tip 

 of tail. The head should be massive and im- 

 posing, with a strong square muzzle, a point of 

 C'. importance. Legs should be straight, with 

 feet, and double or, at least, single dew claws. 



Hind-feet should turn out. though not sufficiently 

 to hinder the dog's movements. The coat of 

 the rough variety is of medium length ; it should 

 not be too curly. In the smooth variety the coat 

 should Ije short and wiry. Many of the finest 

 v Iternards measure over 30 inches high lit the 

 shoulder, and weigh over 150 Ib. On account of 

 his great size and weight the St Bernard often 

 moves in an awkward manner, a defect which 

 should be avoided. St Bernards, though occupying 

 a great deal of space, are so handsome that they 

 are kept as companions in great numbers ; as & 

 rule they are good tempered, though many are not 

 to be trusted. 



See Hugh Dalziel's The St Bernard (1888), and hi* 

 St Bernard Stud-book (1891). 



St Krieiic. a town of Brittany, the capital of 

 the department of C&tes du Nord, on the Uonet, 

 2 miles from its mouth in the English Channel, 

 and 93 E. of Brest. It has a port, Le Legue, at 

 the river's mouth ; a cathedral, dating from the 

 13th century; the ruined Tour de Cesson (1395, 

 blown up 1598); and a lycenni, with a library 

 of 27,000 volumes. Pop. ( 1891 ) 16,461. 



St Catherine's, a city of Ontario, chief 

 town of Lincoln county, on the Welland Canal, 

 by rail 32 miles E. by S. of Hamilton and 5 S. of 

 Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario. It has large 

 manufactures of machinery and agricultural imple- 

 ments, and some shipbuilding. Its mineral springs 

 are noted. Pop. ( 1881 ) 9631 ; ( 1891 ) 9170. 



St diamond, a town of France, dept. Loire, 

 7 miles NE. of St Etienne by rail, has manufac- 

 tures of riblmiis, stay-laces, silk, and iron, with 

 large coal-mines in the vicinity. Pop. (1872) 

 12,585 ; ( 1886) 14,383 ; ( 1891 ) 14,599. 



St Charles, capital of St Charles county, 

 Missouri, on the high north bank of the Missouri 

 Kiver, 23 miles by rail (44 by river) N\V. of St 

 Louis. It has flour-mills, a railroad-car factory, 

 and large bridge-building works. Pop. 6500. 



St Christopher, popularly ST KITTS, one of 

 the Leeward group of the West India Islands, 



lielonging to (treat Itritain, lies l.'i miles 

 N\V. of Guadeloupe. It is long (23 

 miles) and narrow (5 miles), ami is 

 traversed by a chain of rugged moun- 

 tains (Mount Misery, 4100 feet); area, 

 68 sq. in. The capital is Basse-terre 

 (q.v.), with a population of about 

 7000. Principal products are sugar, mo- 

 lasses, rum, and salt, with some coffee, 

 cocoa, tobacco, and cattle. Adminis- 

 tratively St Kins is united with Nevis 

 (q.v.) and the little island of Angnilla ; 

 the government rests with a go\ernor, 

 an executive council appointed h\ tin- 

 crown, and a legislative council oi ten 

 official and ten unofficial nominated 

 memliers, three of the latter from Nevis. 

 The imports for the three islands to- 

 gether average about 175,500 annually, 

 I not quite one-half from (ircat Britain ; 

 the exports vary between 159,970 

 ( 1 886 ) and 1 1 B,8 I ( 1896 ). Pop. of all 

 three islands (1S!)1) 47,662; of St 

 Kitts (1891) 30,876. This island, whose native 

 Carib name meant the 'fertile island,' was dis- 

 covered in 1493 by Christopher Colombo*, who 

 named it from a fanciful resemblance of its out- 

 line to statues of his patron saint, St Christo- 

 pher. Colonised by French and British settlers 

 simultaneously in" 1625, it passed wholly into 

 the possession of England in 1713, thongh the 

 French both before and after that date seized i* 

 and held it for short periods. 



