1009 



VERTOU. 



VICENZA. 



1310 



hosiery, wax-candles, earthenware, aud glass. There are breweries 

 and tan-yards, and a number of nursery-grounds. A small garrison is 

 kept in Versailles. 



Versailles gives title to a bishop, whose diocese is the department 

 of Seine-*t-0ise. At Versailles were born Philip V., king of Spain ; 

 Louis XVI., Louis XVII., Louis XVIII., and Charles X., kings of 

 France, Marshal Berthier, and General Hoche. Bliicher plundered 

 the town in 1815. 



VERTOU. [LoiRE-ISFERlfeUBE.] 



VERTUS. [MARXE.J 



VERVIERS. [LiiGE.] 



VERVIX3. [AlSNi.] 



VKSOUL. [SAOSE, HAUTE.] 



VESUVIUS ( Vatnu), a mountain situated east o( the bay and 

 east-south-east of the city of Naples, celebrated lot many centuries as 

 one of the principal and most active volcanoes of Europe. Its height 

 above the eea is variable, according to the condition in which eruptions 

 leave the crater; and owing to the same causes the figure of the 

 mountain, though in a general sense always conical, changes from 

 time to time. During the early part of the present century the top 

 of Vesuvius had become a rough and rocky plain, covered with blocks 

 of lava and scoriie, and cut by numerous fissures, from which clouds 

 of vapour were evolved. By the violent eruptions of October, 1822, 

 this was all thrown out, and replaced by a vast elliptical gulf or chasm 

 three miles in circumference, throe-quarters of a mile in the longest 

 diameter, and perhaps 2000 feet in depth. More than SOO feet of the 

 summit of the ancient cone were carried away by the explosions, and 

 ight of the mountain was thus reduced from 4000 to 3200 feet. 

 One of the greatest eruptions of modern times took place in 1855, 

 when vast floods of lava poured down the mountain for about three 

 weeks, destroying the village and township of Cercolo, covering a 

 great extent of vineyards and sweeping away houses and bridges. For 

 about ten miles the vast lava-stream flowed irresistibly on until it 

 almost reached the sea in the direction of the Ponte Maddaloni. The 

 eruption commenced on the 1st of May. After hurling up stones and 

 flame* for a week, the old crater broke up altogether, and in the middle 

 of the cone ten new craters were formed, whence lava poured forth 

 like a river on the side of the Cavallo and as far as the Minatore. 



Here four other craters were formed, which threw up glowing 



of bitumen pyramidal in form, and resembling gigantic fireworks. 



About the 20th the lava ceased to flow. 



The mountain called Somma, which surrounds for half a circle with 

 a precipitous escarpment the true peak of Vesuvius, is part of the 

 Mint large cnteriform cone described by the Roman historians, the 

 mimmit and part of the side of this ancient cone being destroyed by 

 the explosion of A.D. 79. No record exists of an actual eruption 

 of Vesuvius prior to the Christian era. Diodorns Siculus notices 

 (iv. 21) that it has "many signs of having been burning in ancient 

 times ; " aud Strabo infers its igneous origin from the nature of the 

 rocks; but the slopes were richly cultivated and proverbially fertile, 

 though the top was a rough, sterile, slightly concave plain, in which 

 Spartacus was besieged by the Roman army. (Floras, hi. 20.) 



In A.D. 63 the long-dormant volcano gave the first symptoms of 

 renewed agitation in an earthquake, which occasioned considerable 

 damage to many of the cities in its vicinity, amongst others to Pompeii 

 In the month of August, A.D. 79, occurred the first and perhaps the 

 greatest of all the recorded eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, described in 

 the letter of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus, which records the death of 

 Pliny the naturalist. The cities of Stabite, Pompeii, and Herculaneum 

 were overwhelmed by showers of cinders and loose fragment*, no lava 

 having been ejected on this occasion. Other eruptions succeeded in 

 >3, 472, 512, 685, 993, and 1036, which last is said to be the first 

 which was attended by an ejection of lava. Eruptions were renewed 

 in Hil'.i, 1133 (or 1139), 1306, 1500, 1631, 1660, 1(582, 1694, and 1698, 

 from which time to the present phenomena of this nature have been 

 repeated very frequently, so as seldom to leave any interval of rest 

 exceeding tn yean. Sometimes this mountain has flamed twice 

 within a few months. 



The eruption of 1737 gave forth lava currents, which passed through 

 Torre del Oreco into the pea, the solid contents being estimated at 

 83,597,058 cubic feet. In 1794 the lava followed the same course, and 

 uted to 46,098,766 cubic feel In the various eruptions of this 

 mountain, currents of melted rock, torrents of heated water, cloud* of 

 aoh'-s and scorix, and great volumes of steam and gases have at differ- 

 ent times been observed. The force with which the subterranean 

 agencies operate during their paroxysmal excitement may be judged 

 of by the height (2000 feet) to which stones have been projected, and 

 the distance to which they have been thrown. Stones of (Jibs, in 

 weight fell on I'omp'-h in the eruption of A.I). 7U, while masses of an 

 ounce weight overwhelmed Stnbiac ; and in a later eruption fine ashes 

 were transported by the wind* even to Constantinople. 



VKURDRK. LE. [ALLMB.] 



VKV.-VY. [V.VUD.] 



XIN. [NORMANDT.I 



VI./.KViUKKS. [GAUD.] 

 VIA UKUUIO. [LUCOA.J 

 VI A LAS. [Luztu.] 



VIANA. [ENTRE Due no zMlxuo; NAVAKRA.] 

 oioo. DIY. YOU iv. 



VlATKA (Wjatka, or Wiiitzk), an extensive government of Russia, 

 is situated between 55 50' and 60 5' N. lat, 55 46' and 54 E. long. 

 Its area is 52,900 square miles, and the population in 1846 was 

 1,662,800. It is bounded N. by Vologda, E. by Perm, S. by Oren- 

 burg and Casan, and W. by Kostroma. The country is covered by 

 branches of the Ural Mountains, and by vast morasses and immense 

 forests. The climate is cold and inclement, especially in the northern 

 portion of the country, but salubrious. The soil is in general clay 

 or moor, with no considerable tract of rich mould, except on tho 

 banks of the Kama, which rises in the north of the government, but 

 soon enters Perm, through which it flows from north to south. The 

 principal river is the Viitka, which rises near the source of the Kama, 

 and with various windings traverses the government from north to 

 south, and falls into the Kama at the south-western corner of the 

 province. It receives in its course the Tschepza, Metscheda, Malmy- 

 schka, Schosma, Cholumitza, and several other rivers. 



Agriculture is the chief occupation of the inhabitants. The species 

 of grain cultivated are rye, barley, oats, and a little wheat ; pulse of 

 different kimls, and flax and hemp are grown. The forests of pines, 

 oaks, elms, limes, and other trees, are a principal source of wealth : 

 they are the resort of abundance of deer and of fur-bearing animals. 

 The breeding of oxen, sheep, swine, and goats is much attended to. 

 The country-people have also great quantities of bees, and the fishing 

 iu the rivers is profitable. The minerals are copper and iron. Tho 

 inhabitants build boats, manufacture coarse cloth and linen, tan 

 leather, and make iron and wooden utensils. The Finnish part of the 

 population, as well as the Russians and Tartars, provide for almost all 

 their own wants. A good deal of brandy is distilled. The exports 

 of the government go to Archangel. 



Yiiitka, the capital of the government, is situated in 58 22' N. lat., 

 49 45' E. long., at the confluence of the Viiitka and Chlenopka. There 

 are 23 churches, all of stone, aud about one in nine or ten houses are 

 also of stone. The town is the seat of government and the see of a 

 bishop. There are a gymnasium, a seminary, and a convent, founded 

 in 1520. 



The second town in the government is Sarapol, on the Kama, 

 nearly 400 miles S.W. from Viatka. It is a well-built town, and 

 has 6000 inhabitants. Slobodikoi, on the Viiitka, has 6000 inhabit- 

 ants, who manufacture iron and copper. Voita has also about 6000 

 inhabitants who manufacture anchors and crucibles. At Itch, on the 

 river Isch, 27 miles S.W. from Votka, there are large establishments, 

 where fire-arms are manufactured for the army : the population, is 

 about 8000. 



Via [AQKK.] 



VIC-EN-BIQORRE. [PYRENEES, HAUTES.] 



VIC-FKRZKNSAC. [Geits.] 



VICSUR-ALL1ER. [Pur-DE-DoM*.] 



VIC-SUR-CEKE. [CASTAL.1 



VICENZA, a province of the crownland of Venice, in Austrian 

 Italy, is bounded N. by the Tyrol, E. by tho provinces of Belluuo 

 and Treviso, S. by the province of Padua, and W. by that of Verona. 

 It is about 50 miles long from north to south, aud 25 miles iu its 

 greatest breadth. The area is 1083 square miles, and the population 

 in 1850 numbered 340,694. The river Bacchiglione crosses the 

 province in its length. The Brenta crosses the eastern district* and 

 passns by Bossano. More than half of the area of the province is 

 occupied by mountains and hills ; the rest, which is level, is very 

 fertile in corn, maize, pulse, potatoes, and hemp. The pastures aro 

 extensive. Fruit-trees are abundant, and the chestnut-trees in the 

 mountains supply food to a part of the population. A large quantity 

 of silk is produced annually. The forests are rather extensive. So:ne 

 coal-mines arc worked. Cattle and sheep are very numerous. Tho 

 manufactures consist chiefly of woollens and silks. The province is 

 traversed by the railway from Venice to Milan, which passes through 

 the city of Vicenza. 



The principal towns are VICEXZA and BASSAXO. Citadella is an old 

 fortified town, the fortifications of which are now in ruins. Ricoaro, 

 in the mountains north of Vicenza, is celebrated for its mineral baths. 

 MunttMlo i* a Urge village on the road from Vicenza to Verona. 

 Atiago is the head town of the district called I Sette Comuni, whose 

 inhabitants speak a very corrupt and old dialect of German, is situ- 

 ated in the mountains north-west of Bosnano, has between 3000 mid 

 4000 inhabitants, and a t-ubxfemtial church. The inhabitants of the 

 Sette Comuni aro chiefly grazier* and breeders of cattle : the priu- 

 eipal manufacture of the district consists in the plaiting of strnw- 

 bats, which are exported. Timber is also exported from the forests 

 in the mountain*. The dialect of the Sette Comuni may be judged 

 by the following extract from a version of Cardinal Bellarmine'a 

 Catechism : " Baitar iart Christian ? Ja : ich pins az Oott vorgheltz. 

 Baa int ein Christian ? Ar ist dear, da ist gutofet, uu clobet, un pro- 

 fessart baz de hatiiz galiarnet Jesu Christo." 



VICE'NZA, the capital of the province of Vicenza in Austrian 

 Italy, is situated in a fine and fertile country on the river Bacchiglione, 

 39 miles by railway \V. from Venice, and has about 33,000 inhabit- 

 ants. The city is about three miles in circumference, and is surrounded 

 by walls. It is adorned with many beautiful architectural mansions 

 or palaces, many of which were built by Palladio, a native of the 

 town. The cathedral and other churches of Vicenza are rich iu 



3 I 



