ORANGE RIVER 



OEW3OH. 



I 



fcr fluhtthn pillar* with capitals of white marble ; on such ride of 

 UM principal entrance are 9 arcade* separated by Doric pilasters. 

 Til* third story consist* of SI rank arches of beautiful workmanship. 

 Tit* fifth story pnMata row of Urge projecting square stone*, cor- 

 miiMiilliH to similar row at the top of the fourth itonr, and pierced 

 by boles intended to receive the poles which sustained the awning 

 (velaria) that eorered UM ipeetaton in the interior of the theatre. 

 The interior hai been lately cleared of rubbUh and of the hut. that 

 wen built in it, and now preaente a perfect view of the several parti 

 of a Roman theatre, bat deprive,! of all it* ornaments. (Dictiunnairc 

 sit U frame*.) 



ORANGE, RIVER, [CxrK or GOOD Hon.] 



ORANMORE. [UAUWAT.] 



ORBEC [GAXTABML] 



ORCH1ES. [Nona] 



ORCHOME'XrS, called 'the Minyean,' and afterwards 'the 

 Boeotian,' wat a city on the western tbore of the lake Copais, in 

 Bosotia In the earliest period of Grecian history it wu known as a 

 place of great power and wealth. (Homer, ' Iliad/ ix. 881.) IU 

 ancient mapineenoe U atteatod by the treasury of Minyaa in it, which 

 ii deacribed by Pauaantai ai being equal to any similar building which 

 he had awn, and by the subterranean outlets of the Lake Copais, the 

 remains of which exist to this day. [Boom.] In the earliest times 

 Orchomeaui was the chief city of the Minyans, to whom the greater 

 part of Bo-otis, including Thebes itself, was subject In the sixtieth 

 year after the Trojan war, the Julian Boeotians, who had been ex- 

 pelled from Theasaly, drove oat the Minyaus from Orcbomenns, which 

 was then with its territory added to Bowtia. (Thucyd., L 12 ; Strabo, 

 ix. 401.) About the time of the Peloponneaian war Orcho menus was 

 coa of the most powerful states of the Boeotian confederacy. Its 

 government was oligarchical After the peace of Antaleidas (ao. 887), 

 Orchomepu* was confederate with Sparta, and had in it a Lace- 

 demonian garrison. (Plutarch, -Pelop.,' 16.) In the year B.C. 368, the 

 Thebans destroyed Orchomenus, slaying the men, and selling the 

 women and children into slavery. It was rebuilt after the destruction 

 of Thebes, and is mentioned by Dictearchus about twenty yean after 

 the death of Alexander. 



Coin* of Bonus. British Muwura. Actusl iizc. 



ORCHOMENUa [ARCADIX] 

 OUClEREa [Au-M, HACTBB.J 

 ORDOBAD. jfGiOBULA.] 

 ORDUNA. [BASQUK Pnovurou.1 

 OREUKO. 



OREGON, a territory of the United States of North America, lies 

 between 42' and 48' N. lat, 110 and 125" W. long. It is bounded 

 B. by the Rocky Mountains, which separate it from the territory of 

 Nebraska ; N. by the territory of Washington ; W. by the Pacific 

 Ocean ; and & by the state of California and the territory of Utab. 

 The area is about 230,000 square miles. At the census of 1850 the 

 territory of Oregon included the country since separated from it and 

 fonnrd into the terrritory of WASHINGTON, and comprised altogether 

 an area of 841,463 square miles, with a population of 13,294, or 0"04 

 to the square mile ; but no account was taken of the native Indians 

 who in 1858 were estimated at 23,000. 



Surface and I/ydnfropky. The territory of Oregon is traversed 

 from south to north by the ranges of the Cascade ami the Blue moun- 

 tains, while a third range, that of the Rocky Mountains, forms its 



eastern boundary. The Cascade, or Coast, or as it U sometimes called 

 President's range, is a continuous and very lofty range rising at a 

 distance of 100 to 150 miles from the coast; and almost entirely 

 cutting ooMirect communication between those portions of the territory 

 which lie east and west of it. Except where the Columbia, which 

 forms here the northern boundary of the state, breaks through the 

 range, the few passes which exist are so difficult as to be of little use 

 to the traveller. The higher peaks are from 12,000 to 14,000 feet 

 above the level of the sea. The country west of this range is a good 

 deal broken by spurs from the main chain. The greater part of this 

 broken country is thickly timbered, in many parts there being dense 

 forests of fir, pine, spruce, oak, ash, and other valuable trees, with 

 close undergrowths of hazel, Ac. The valleys and plains afford much 

 excellent forming land, the soil consisting in some places of a black 

 vegetable loam, in others of clays and gravel. The uplands form good 

 pastures. The harbours along the coast are, with the exception of 

 that formed by the mouth of the Columbia, of little value ; most of 

 the other rivers have bars at their mouths, over which only vessels of 

 light draught can pass. The coast itself is formed by steep saudy cliffs 

 and beaches and is broken by projecting headlands which rise pre- 

 cipitously from the sea; the principal of these are named Cape Orford, 

 Cape Gregory, Cape Perpetua, and Capo Look-Out, but they afford 

 little shelter, and have mostly numerous rocks scattered about them, 

 while everywhere a heavy surf sets in upon the beach. 



The Blue Mountains, which traverse the middle of the territory, 

 sre more broken and irivgular than the Cascade anil llocky r 

 Oa the south-west the Blue Mountains are united with the Cascade 

 Mountains by offsets which form the valleys of the C'lamet and Uin^uu 

 rivers, while the main chain forms the valley of the Willamette. Other 

 offsets, diverging eastward, connect this range with the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. This middle section of the state differs considerably from that 

 west of the Cascade range. The hilla are barren, but in the valleys of 

 the Columbia, Willamette, and Saptin rivers the soil is generally fertile, 

 and in some places extremely rich. Much of the country in the 

 vicinity of the Columbia and Saptin rivers consists of rolliu.- prairie 

 land, and affords good pasturage. The southern portion of this middle 

 section is for the most part broken and desert, with scarcely a tree or 

 vegetable. The general elevation of the section is about 1000 feet 

 above the sea. 



The Rocky Mountains have been noticed elsewhere. [AMERICA ; 

 NEBRASKA ; HUDSON'S BAY TERRITOKIKS.] They are of great altitude, 

 and only one practicable pass has been discovered over them along 

 this territory. This, known as the Great South Pass, occurs at the 

 south-eastern extremity of Oregon, and is that crossed by the great 

 stream of overland emigration to Utah and California. The country 

 immediately west of the Hocky Mountains is everywhere broken by 

 great spurs from the main chain, and though in some places partially 

 Umbered, is for by far the greater port rocky, barren, extremely 

 variable in climate, and incapable of permanent settlement. 



The principal river of Oregon is the Columbia, which forms for a 

 considerable distance the boundary between this territory and Wash- 

 ington, and is not only common to both territories, but receive.-* all 

 the rivers of both which rise east of the Cascade Mountains. Its 

 northern and longest branch rises in the liocky Mountains near 

 80 N. lat., 116 W. long., its extreme upper course thus belonging to 

 the British territory. It then traverses Washington first in a north- 

 west, and then in a generally northern direction to its confluence with 

 the Saptin, or Lewis River, soon after which it turns to the west and 

 forms the northern boundary of Oregon. At the confluence of the 

 Saptin it is 1286 feet above the sea, and 3500 feet wide. From this 

 point to the Cascade Mountains its course is very rapid and it receives 

 numerous affluents especially from Oregon. The Columbia breaks 

 through the range of the Cascade Mountains in a series of falls and 

 rapids, which are quite impassable by boats even during floods, and 

 to avoid which portages have been constructed. The gorge of the 

 Cascade Mountains, through which the river flows is of the grandest 

 kind of natural scenery. For about 40 miles lower the navigation is 

 unimpeded, when rapids again occur. But for the remainder of ita 

 course, about 120 miles, the only impediments are the sandy shoals 

 which limit the navigation to vessels drawing 12 feet of water. About 

 20 miles from its mouth the Columbia increases greatly in width, 

 and at its outfal in the Pacific, the width between capes Adams and 

 Disappointment is 7 miles, but a sand-bar extends from each cape so 

 as to render the navigable channel both narrow and difficult. The 

 Militia, Snake, or Lewi* River, sometimes called the southern fork of the 

 Columbia, is formed by the union of many small branches which rise in 

 the Rocky Mountains between 42 and 43 N. lat., and flows first 

 west and then south through Oregon, passing into Washington near 

 117 W. long., after a very serpentine course of nearly 800 miles. 

 The Sapciu in its course through Oregon receives numerous affluents, 

 all or nearly all of which belong entirely to this territory. Of these 

 the principal are the Waptiacoos, Fayette, and Sickly, on the right, 

 and the Malheur on the left. Most of these rivers are very rapid, 

 and run in deep channels, but are of little value for navigation. 

 The Willamette, which rises on the west side of the Blue Mountains 

 near 43 - 'M' X. Lit., is one of the most important tributaries of the 

 Columbia ; it has a generally northern course and enters that river 

 nearly opposite to Fort Vancouver, considerably below where it 



