m 



I'lSIDIA. 



PIT(UIKN'S ISLAND. 



178 



*. and the in.urgruU offend the island to Alfuuso, the ion of 

 James II., king of Aragon. Pin made a lut rflbrt to pr.Msrvo 

 Sardinia, but wu obliged to give it up to the Aragonrae, in 152(1. In 



Atruccio Castracani, the gmt Ohibeline leader, took Pirn by 

 mirprii*, but his death oon after reetored it to freedom. In 1341 the 

 Piauw, who (till retained much of their innrtinl spirit, defeated the 

 FloreoUooa, took pnimaion of Lucca, and kept it till 1369, when 

 the emperor Charles IV. obliged them to restore Lucca to its inde- 



Pi*a wu now distracted by internal fends between the democratic 

 party and the Qhibeline noble*, the result of which waa that the city 

 wat void by one of iti tyrannical chiefs to Gi-m Oaleazzo Visconti, in 

 February, ISM. At the death of Oian Qaleazzo, in 140.1, hu natural 

 ton Gabriellu Maria had Pisa for his (hare, but not feeling himself 

 secure, he placed himself under the protection of Charles VI. of 

 France. Manual Boucicault, the representative of Charles, sold the 

 citadel and the other strongholds which he had in the territory of 

 Pisa for 806,000 florins. Oabriello Maria demanded his share of the 

 purchase money, but Marshal Boucicault rid himself of his importu- 

 nities by having him beheaded as a traitor to the French king. 



The Florentines had the citadel of Pisa, but not the town, and the 

 cjtuena soon retook the citadel They now asked pence of the 

 Florentines, offering to repay them the money which they had paid 

 to Boucicault. The Florentines however would bear of 1:0 proposal 

 except the surrender of Pisa. They accordingly blockaded Pisa for 

 about a year, and when the inhabitants were reduced to the greatest 

 distress for want of provisions, Giovanni Qambacortn, whom they had 

 recalled from exile to conciliate their enemies, secretly opened the 

 gates to the Florentines for 50,000 florins on the night of the Sth 

 November, 1406. Kather than Bubmit to the yoke of Florence, the 

 principal families of Pisa now emigrated to Sardinia and Sicily. Thus 

 ended the career of Pisa as an independent state. 



After 88 years of Florentine dominion, when Charles VIII. of 

 France came to Italy, in 1494, the people of Pisa rose in arms, drove 

 away the Florentine", and restored their republican government under 

 the protection of France. In 1499, after the French had left Italy, 

 the Florentines besieged Pisa, but were repulsed. In 1 504 the Floren- 

 tines resumed the siege, but they failed again. At last, in 1509, they 

 formed a close blockade round the town, and Pisa was obliged to 

 surrender through famine.. A second emigration then took place, the 

 wealthier families preferring exil- to the loss of independence. Since 

 that time Pisa has remained subject to Florence. 



The university of Pisa has been the chief means of maintaining 

 some life in the town. It is divided into three faculties, theology, 

 law, and medicine; it is attended by about 400 students. 



PlSl'DIA formed the northern and mountainous part of the Syrian 

 and Roman provinces of Patnphylia. [PAJIPHYI.IA.] In their moun- 

 tains, which formed a part of Mount Taurus, the I'isidians maintained 

 thrir independence under the Persian empire. Neither the Syrian 

 kings nor the Romans were able to subdue them, though the latter 

 obtained possession of FOIDC cf their towns. In the time of Strabo 

 the Pifidians were governed by petty chiefs, and principally supported 

 themselves by plundering their neighbours. 



Mr. (now Sir Charles) Fellows, who visited the western part of 

 Pisidia in 1888, says that the rocks aro generally of marble, and some 

 of common limestone with veins of marble running through them in 

 all directions. The most singular features in this district are moun- 

 tains of volcanic dust accumulated round marble rocks. This light 

 sand or dust is tufa, the dust of the pumice-stone ; the decomposed 

 lime hu in many parts mixed with this tufa and formed hills of 

 Roman cement. 



The chief towns of PisidiawereAjrnocuEiA, Sagahissus, and Selge, 



South-west of Antiochei:i was Svgalamu, or Sclgasut, the ruins of 

 which, according to Fellows, are very extensive, consisting of seven 

 or eight Umples ; three other long buildings, ornamented with cornices 

 and columns, and with rows of pedestals on each side ; and a most 

 beautiful and perfect theatre on the side of a higher hill than the rest 

 of the ruins occupy. The town has no trace of walls, but its tombs 

 are to be Men carved in the rocks for miles around, with much archi- 

 tectural ornament These ruins aro near the village of Allahsun to 

 the south of Isbarta. To the south rises a high insulated conical hill 

 with the r.-i:: :m- of the wall round its summit. On this hill stood 

 the Acropolis of Sagalaaiua. (Hamilton, * Researches in Asia Minor.') 



li-east of Kagalarsus was Stlge, the most important town in 

 Pisidia. When Alexander marched through Pisidia, the inhabitants 

 e sent ambanradors to him, and obtained favourable terms from 

 him. (Arrian, L 28.) The territory of Selge, though mountainous, 

 warn, according to Strabo, very fertile. It produced abundance of oil 

 nnd wine, and afforded pasturage for great numbers of cattle. The 

 supplied a great number of timber-trees, of which the styrax 

 wu reckoned the moat valuable. Mr. Fellows visited the ruins of a 

 larRe city, situated about 10 miles north-east of the village of lloojuk, 

 which are in all probability those of Selge. He rode (ho says) for ut 

 least 3 miles through a part of the city, which wu one pile of temples, 

 theatres, and building* vying with each other in xplendour. 



PISINll. [ISTHIA] 



IOCIO. [I5A8ILICATA.] 



TO'IA, tb- 'urivm, a town in the Tuscan province of 



Fircnzc, u situated 21 mile* by railway through Prato N.W. from the 

 city of Florence, in a plain at the foot of tin- Apennim s, and near the 

 Stella, a tributary of the Ombronc, which i- an afttuent of the Aruo. 

 Pistoia lies on the high road leading from Florence to Modma over 

 the Apennines. It is a well-built town of considerable .-!/<, but 

 rather thinly inhabited; it contain* about 12,000 inhabitants, and 

 title to a bishop. Pistorium does not appear to have been a place of 

 importance under the Romans, except that it was near one of the 

 passes leading into Cisalpine GauL Sallust mentions the Pistorian 

 territory in his account of the movements of Catiline and his insurgent 

 followers. Pistoia was a place of importance under the Longobards, 

 whoso king Desiderius inclosed it with walls. It was aft'-rwarda an 

 independent municipality, until it was subjugated by Florence, about 

 1 1 50. In the bloody feuds of the numerous branches of a distinguished 

 Pistoian family, named Cancellieri, in the latter part of the 13th century, 

 the two factions of the Bianchi and the Neri originated, which spread 

 also to Florence, and caused incalculable misery to both cities in this 

 and the following century. The Florentine Neri blockaded I'/ 

 and after terrible barbarities got it into their power by surrender, 

 April 10, 1806, when they razed the walls to the ground. 1 

 never recovered from this blow. It has continued, with some short 

 interruptions, to be subject to Florence ever since. 



There are many remarkable buildings in Pistoia, The catl, 

 which was built by the Countess Matilda, in the early part of the 12th 

 century, and restored by Niccolo di Pisa, contains some ^-ood paintings, 

 basso-rilu'vos, and monuments. The other churches worthy of notice 

 aro San-Pietro-Maggiore, L'Annunziata, San-Filippo-Xni, ,Santa-M:iria 

 dell'Umilta, San-Giovauui-Battista, San-Domenico, and Sau-Giovauni- 

 Hotondo. The palace dell Commune, or degli Anziani, dates from the 

 13th century, and contains several monuments of the middle ages. 

 The episcopal palace and the clerical seminary, both built in the 18th 

 century by Bishop Ricci, are handsome buildings. La S.ijiienz-v (the 

 public schools) has a good library. There is also at Piatoia an academy 

 of sciences and belles-lettres. The private palaces of the famili's 

 Bracciolini, Cancellieri, Rospigliosi, Tolomei, and Forteguerri, contain 

 good paintings. The chief manufactures are woollen cloth, silk, 

 leather, iron wares, and gun-barrels. The pistol is said to derive its 

 name from this city. Pistoia was the birthplace of Pope Clement IX. 



I'lTC'AlKX'.S ISLAND, a small settlement in the Pacific > 

 situated in 25 4' S. lat., 130 8' W. long., is dependent on the British 

 government, from the circumstance of ita having been > 

 by some of the mutineers of the Bounty in 1790. The first ncttler.s 

 consisted of 9 English sailors, 6 Otaheitean men, and 12 Otaheitean 

 women. The 6 Otaheiteans and 6 of the Englishmen were slain in 

 quarrels. The population in October 1854 amounted to 200, all but 

 3 of whom were boru ou the island, and nearly all are descendants of 

 the original settlers. The islanders speak both the Taheitan and English 

 languages fluently. 



l'i>i aim's Island was so named on account of its having been first 

 seen by a young gentleman of the name of Pitcairn oa the 2nd July, 

 1767, as stated in Commander Carteret's narrative of his 'Voyage 

 Round the World.' The island is about 4 4 miles in circumference, 

 about a mile and a half in its greatest length, and the highest point is. 

 100S feet above the sea. The coast is formed for the most part of 

 rocky projections, off which lie scattered numerous fragments of rock 

 rising like black pyramids amidst the surf, which on all sides rolls in 

 upon the shore. Bounty Bay is the only accessible landing-place. 

 The island has great variety of soil and aspect, is well wooded, and 

 healthy. The thermometer ranges from 59 to 89 Fahr. Cocoa-nut, 

 plantain, banana, bread-fruit, banyan, orange, and other trees flourish; 

 potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, water-melons, sugar-cane, tobacco, the 

 tea-plant, and maize are cultivated ; goats, hogs, and poultry arc 

 reared ; and fish is abundant. About a dozen vessels, chiefly whalers, 

 visit the island annually, and obtain provisions in exchange for clothing 

 and other articles which the inhabitants stand in need of. Occasionally 

 the island is visited by a British man-of-war. Rear-Admiral Moresby, 

 the British Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific, visited and spent a few- 

 days on the island in August 1852, and the accounts given by him 

 and by other visitors agree in ascribing to the islanders the highest 

 character for virtue, good order, and intelligence. John Adams, the 

 last survivor of the mutineers, died in 1829 in the 65th year of his 

 age. This man at the time of the mutiny was 28 years of age ; ten 

 years later, he found himself the only man left of those who had come 

 to the island ; of the others only one had died a natural death ; 

 of the men had been killed in quarrels fomented by the u"e of 

 spirits. The spirits were distilled from a root found mi th" i-land by 

 one who himself committed suicide in a fit of delirium tremens. Adams 

 became seriously impressed with a sense of his duty to the children 

 of his companions, and devoted himself assiduously to the instruction 

 and government of his little community. A Bible and prayer book 

 saved from the Bounty were hU only assistants; strict regulations 

 were made against making intoxicating drinks, or landing them from 

 ships; the little territory was divided first into ii, afterwards into 22 

 allotments, corresponding to the number of families ; a chief magis- 

 trate and two councillors, elected annually, were appointed to direct 

 the insular government ; and an industrious, orderly, and virtuous 

 community gradually sprang up. Four months before Adams' death 

 an Englishman named Nobl>s, who Imd been interested in the islanders 



