OTTAJANO. 



OVERYSSEL. 



in the neighbourhood About half a mile from the town is a well 

 in the tertiary rock, which preserves a constant level, however much 

 may be taken out of it. TbU well, which is locally called the 

 Bath of Venus, is described by Pliny. Manduria retains its ancient 

 name ; of its massive ancient walls there are considerable remains. 

 Archidamua, king of Sparta, who came to Italy to aid the Tarentines 

 Hirilrir* the Leucanians, fell in battle near Mauduria B.C. 338. Mariano, 

 midway between Lecce and Otranto, has a population of 3000. This 

 town and the neighbouring village of CaUmera are inhabited by des- 

 cendants of Albanian colonies, who still retain the Greek language. 

 Haagne, a town of 7000 inhabitants, situated in a wide plain to the 

 west of Brindisi, on the road to Taranto. Some think that this town 

 occupies the site of the ancient Mettapia. The plain between Mesagne 

 and Brindisi is naturally fertile, but it is now entirely uncultivated. 

 The hills east of Mesagne are covered with trees. Kardo, a few miles 

 N.E. from Oallipoli, on the road to Lecce, is a well-built town, with a 

 population of about 9000. The country about it is covered with olive 

 plantations; the town itself has manufactures of cotton-stuffs and 

 muff. Nanlo occupies the site of the ancient Neritum ; it gives title 

 to a bishop in conjunction with GallipolL The marshes between 

 Nardo and the sea were formerly remarkable for their phosphorescent 

 exhalations, which gave rise to many superstitious notions among the 

 peasantry. Oria, midway between Brindisi and Taranto, is an episcopal 

 city of 6000 inhabitants, built on the site of the ancient Syria, men- 

 tioned by Herodotus (vii. 170). It stands on a steep hill, crowned 

 with an old castle and surrounded by lime plantations, vineyards, 

 gardens, and orchards. The city has a considerable trade in agricul- 

 tural produce, honey, and wax. Ostuni, N.\V. of Brindisi, and about 

 four miles from the Adriatic, it a nourishing town with about 11,700 

 inhabitant*, seventl handsome churches and large convents. San Vita, 

 south of CXituui : population, 4700. Uytnto, an episcopal city of 2000 

 inhabitant*, retains the name of the ancient Uxenlum, and is situated 

 a few miles N.\V. from the Capo di Leuca, the ancient lapygiau pro- 

 montory. Near Lecce was RtuHet, the birthplace of the Itouian poet 

 Em. 



Many of the ' masserie,' or farm-houses of the province, are built 

 like forts, and occupy a considerable extent of ground, in which the 

 country people, in the case of a landing bring made by the Turkish 

 corsair*, to which they were exposed fur some centuries, could take 

 refuge with their cattle and valuable effect". A wall, high and strongly 

 built, forms a quadrangle, against one side of which tha dwelling- 

 house is built, containing two or three habitable rooms and some- 

 time* a chapel ; the granaries, stable*, and outhouses are on the other 

 side, and in the middle of the inclosure is a round or square tower 

 two stories high, standing quite alone. 



The peninnula of Otranto was anciently called by various names. 

 Properly the south-eastern part of it was called lapygia, the northern 

 Xessapia, and the southern, about Tarentum, the country of the 

 Salentini. The whole was called Calabria, from the inhabitant*, the 

 Calabri, who were most probably a branch of the great Oscan stock. 

 The Qreeks formed settlements along the coasts in early times. 



OTTAJASO. [NAPLES, Province of.] 



OTTAWA, [CANADA ; ILLINOIS.] 

 iERTOX. [DEVONSHIRE.] 



MARY, Devonshire, a market-town in the parish of 



. i pleasantly situated on the left bank of the river Otter, in 



X. la'-, 3' 17' W. long, 11 miles K. by N. from Exeter, and 



161 miles W.S.W. from London. In 1851 tho population of the town 



was 2534. The town is under the management of a Local Board of 



Health. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry and diocese of 



Exeter. 



The river Otter is here crossed by an elegant iron-bridge 80 feet in 

 span, erected in the room of a stone-bridge which was washed away in 

 1849. The church, formerly collegiate, is a large cruciform edifice in 

 the early English style (1338), with an aisle of perpendicular character, 

 and two towers for transepts. It has recently been restored. There 

 is a Lady chapel In the church are several ancient monuments, and 

 an altar-tomb with the effigy of an armed knight under a rich monu- 

 mental arch. There are chapels for Wesleyan Methodists, Independents, 

 and Plymouth Brethren ; also National, British, an I Infant schools. 

 The King's school, founded in 1546, has an endowment of about 70/. 

 a year, and bad 30 scholars in 1850. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a 

 native of the town. The chief occupations are the making of Honiton 

 lace and of silk, especially shoe-ribands and handkerchiefs. The market 

 i< on Thursday ; fairs are held three times a year. 

 IN EMPIRE, [TcRKEr.] 



1 >i;i>K. a kingdom of Hindustan, is bounded S. by Allahabad, N. by 

 Nepaul, E. by Babar, and W. by Delhi. Its greatest length south- 

 south-east to north-north-west is about 200 miles ; its greatest breadth 

 east by north to west by south is about 130 miles. The area is esti- 

 mated at 23,738 square miles. The population is estimated at about 

 3,000,000. 



Oiide was formerly a soubah, or subordinate government, of the 

 Mogul's dominions. By various treaties between successive viziers 

 and the East India Company, Oude became one of those dependent 

 states) over which the British government have supreme political 

 control. In 1819 the reigning prince renounced his nominal allegiance 

 to the Mogul, and assumed the title of King. Oude forms a portion 



of the plain of the Ganges. The general character of the country, 

 and the capital city, Lucknow, are noticed under HINDUSTAN. 



OUDENARDE. [FLANDERS, EAST.] 



OUGHTERARD, Galway, Ireland, a small market-town and the 

 seat of a Poor-Law Union, is situated on both sides of the Feogh 

 rivulet, in 53 27' N. lat, 9 18' W. long., 17 miles N.W. by N. from 

 Galway, 151 miles W. from Dublin. The population in 1851 was 982. 

 Oughtsrard Poor-Law Union comprises 14 electoral divisions, with au 

 area of 172,745 acres, and a population in 1851 of 18,896. The town 

 has a neat appearance, and contains a small pariah church, a spacious 

 Roman Catholic chapel, a National school, a court-house, an infantry 

 birrack, a dispensary, Union workhouse, and bridewell. Oughterard 

 is resorted to by invalids for its chalybeate spring. A lead-mine and 

 a quarry of very fine green variegated limestone are in the neighbour- 

 hood. The Feogh above the town forms a series of small rapids called 

 the Salmon Leaps, and below the town it passes through a natural 

 tunnel in the limestone rock. Thursday is the market-day. Quarter 

 and petty sessions are held in the town. 



OUJEIN. [HINDUSTAN.] 



OULAN ADASSI ISLAND. [BLACK SEA.] 



OULCHY. [AISNE.] 



OUNDLE, Northamptonshire, a market-town and the Beat of a 

 Poor-Law Union, in the parish of Oundle, is situated on the left bank 

 of the river Nen, in 52' 3' N. lat., 23' W. long., distant 28 miles 

 N.E. from Northampton, 78 miles N. by W. from London by road, 

 and 97j miles by the North- Western and Northampton and Peter- 

 borough railways. The population of the town in 1851 was 2689. 

 The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Northampton and 

 diocese of Peterborough. Oundle Poor-Law Union contains 37 parishes 

 and townships, with an area of 69,822 acres, and a population in 1851 

 of 15,655. 



The town is nearly surrounded by the river Nen, which is here 

 crossed by two bridges on oppositu tides of the town : the ' North 

 bridge,' over which the road to Peterborough passes, is a line bridge 

 of several arches ; connected with it is a causeway, raised on arches 

 over the atijoiuing flats. The town-hall and the new railway hotel are 

 the chief buildings. The church, which is large and handsome, 

 consists of a nave with side-aisles, chancel, large transepts, and a 

 tower and spire 200 feet high. The building dates from the 13th 

 to the 15th century. The Weuleyan Methodists, Independents, 

 Baptists, and Roman Catholics have places of worship. Sir W. 

 Laxton's Free Grammar school, founded in 1556, is under the charge 

 of a head master and seven other teachers ; it has an income from 

 endowment of 1561/. 12. a year, and had 111 scholars in 1853. The 

 Grocers' Company are the patrons. Connected with this school and 

 in the lower part of the building is Laxton's hospital for seven poor 

 men and a nurse. Latham's hospital and Blue-Coat school provides 

 almahouses for 18 poor women, and clotbing and education for 30 poor 

 boys. There are National, Infant, and British schools, a parochial 

 lending library, a young men's society, and a savings bank. Tha 

 market-day is Thursday ; fairs are held three times a year. 



OL'RKM. [ESTRKMADORA, Portuguese.] 



OURIQUE. [ALEMTEJO.] 



OUSK, RIVER. [CAMBRIDGESHIRE; CANADA; YORKSHIRE.] 



OU3EBURN, GREAT, Wt Riding of Yorkshire, a village and 

 the seat of a Gilbert Poor-Law Incorporation, is situated near the 

 head of the river Ouse, in 54" 3' N. lat, 1 18' W. long., distant 

 13 miles N.N.W. from York, and 212 miles N.W. from London. The 

 population of the parish of Great Ouseburn in 1851 was 629. The 

 living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry of Richmond and diocese of 

 Hi poo. Great Ouseburn Poor-Law Incorporation contains 40 parishes, 

 townships, and chapelries, with au area of 52,008 acres, and a popula- 

 tion in 1851 of 12,167. The village contains tbe parish church, 

 rebuilt, except the tower and part of the chancel, in 1823; an Inde- 

 pendent chapel ; and a parish school. A small obelisk here marks tbe 

 source of the Ouse. 



OVADA. [Ac<jui.] 



OVAR. [BEIRA.] 



OVER. [CHESHIRE] 



OVERTON. [FLINTSHIRE; HAMPSHIRE.] 



OVERYSSEL, a province of the kingdom of Holland, situated 

 between 52 6' and 53 52' N. lat, 5" 40' and 7 5' E. long., is bounded 

 N. by Frie&land and Drenthe, E. by Hanover and Westphalia, S. by 

 Guelderland, and W. by Guelderland and the Zuyder-Zee. The area 

 is 1282 square miles ; the population at the census of December 31, 

 1853, amounted to 227,683. It is a low level country, containing a 

 few bills, which the inhabitants call mountains. The soil is wet and 

 marshy, especially iu the eastern part, where are the extensive peat 

 moors of Echter and Hardenberg. There are likewise several sandy 

 heaths, but near the Yssel there is some rich land which yields rye, 

 buckwheat, hemp, and fruits. The chief river is the Yssel, which 

 runs along the frontier of Guelderland, and is 500 feet in breadth ; it 

 is joined at Deventer by the Schiepbeek, and falls into tho Zuyder- 

 Zee below Kampen ; other rivers are tho Zwarte- Water, the Vechte, 

 and the Liii'le. The Willemsvaert Canal unites tho Yssel and the 

 Zwarte- Water. The Yssel is navigated by steam-boats from Arnheim 

 to Kampen, and other steamers ply thence across the Zuyder-Zee to 

 Amsterdam. The province contains several small lakes. The climate 



