21 



ABOUSIR. 



ABRUZZO. 



'-2 



nothing but brown sand, rocks, and gray clay, devoid of all 

 vegetation. 



ABOUSIR, a place in the Egyptian Delta on the site of the ancient 

 Busiris, in 30 55' N. lat., near the left bank of the Damietta branch 

 of the Nile. Like moat of the sites of ancient cities in the Delta, it 

 has preserved its name almost unchanged, and enough still remains 

 to show that a temple once existed here, as we know from Herodotus, 

 though its traces are insignificant when compared with those of San, 

 Tel Basta, and Heliopolig. 



ABRANTES, a fortified town of Portugal, in the province of 

 Estremadura, on a hill near the Tagus, 74 miles N.E. from Lisbon. 

 It has about 5000 inhabitants. The eminence on which the town 

 stands is covered with olive-plantations and gardens ; and indeed the 

 whole country along the Tagus as far as Lisbon is exceedingly fertile. 

 Abrantes has several churches and convents ; but its value as a military 

 l>osition constitutes its chief importance. Abrantes gave the title of 

 Duke to Marshal Junot, one of Bonaparte's generals. 



ABROLHOS, or Santa Barbara Islands, a small group of four unin- 

 habited islets, situated on an extensive shoal near the coast of Brazil, 

 in 17' 58' S. lat., 38 42' W. long. The islets are low, the highest 

 point rising to only about 100 feet above the sea. They are covered 

 with grass and a little brushwood. In the breeding season these 

 islands are covered with immense numbers of birds. Turtles are to 

 be found at times ; and fish abound. On the neighbouring banks or 

 shoals great numbers of garoupas, a fish resembling cod, are taken. 

 No froth water is found in the islands. To the eastward are shoals 

 which extend more than 200 miles into the Atlantic, and are very 

 dangerous to navigators, on which account they have received the 

 name of Abrolhos ('open the eyes'). The soundings on these shoals 

 are very irregular in the vicinity of the islands. Frequently there are 

 only 4 or 5 fathoms under one side of the vessel, and from 15 to 20 

 under the other. In successive casts of the lead the change from 

 30 to 10, and even to 4 fathoms, is experienced. The current near 

 the islands sets continually to the southward, varying in strength 

 from half a mile to a mile and a half an hour. 



//;/ \'n!/aye of the Adrenture and Beagle; Henderson's 

 . 



ABHUZZO, the most northern division of the continental domiuionK 

 of the King of the Two Sicilies, is bounded N. and W. by the States 

 of the Church, E. by the Adriatic, along which it extends between 

 the Trigno and the Tronto, and 8. by the provinces of Capitnnata, 

 Sannio, and Terra-di-Lavoro. It is divided into three provinces, 

 Abruzzo Citra, or Abruzzo the Nearer ; Abruzzo Ultra, or'Abruzzo 

 the Farther, I and II ; thus distinguished from their relative position 

 with regard to Naples. 



The areas, subdivisions, and population of the three provinces are 

 a* follow : 



The origin of the name Abruzzo is uncertain. Some derive it from 

 the Prsetutii, a nation that formerly dwelt near the coast. The oldest 

 form in which the word appears is Bruzio, the initial a of the modern 

 name being no efficient part of it. 



The provinces of the Abruzzi present to the Adriatic a coast about 

 80 miles in length, with hardly an indention or projection that 

 deserves notice, except the point called Penna, and not a single 

 i r for moderate-sized vessels. The northern boundary, between 

 the States of the Church and the Abruzzi, commences at the mouth 

 "f the Tronto. Running irregularly westward, and then south, it 

 strikes the river Velino near Rieti ; from this point its general 

 direction, which is south-east, follows a high mountain-range, which, 

 however, must not be considered as the dividing line of the waters 

 that fall into the Adriatic and the opposite or Tuscan sea. The 

 southern Komid;iry of the Abnizzi commences near the mouth of the 

 Trigno, on the Adriatic coast, and after a short deviation from the 

 course of this stream, follows it upwards for some distance. It thon 

 runs invgularly westward and northward, nearly parallel to the 

 course of the Sangro, and keeping along the summit of the high 

 central ridge that divides the waters of this river from those of the 

 Voltorno, it then descends into the valley of the Liris, which river it 

 crosses above Sora, where we may consider it as uniting with the line 

 just described running south-east f > 



The surface, with the exception of a narrow strip of level land 

 along the coast, is traversed in all directions by the Apennines and 

 their offrhoots. Tin; mail- ridge, whic-h enters the Ahrnzzo from the 

 north IJM tlif coii'incrt of !'. . : ;i"]"t,o, forms the wat< 



Adriatic and tin; Tuscan sea ; it runs first nearly due S. 

 lilxmrliood of Monte-Renlf., I'voni the high ground 

 which the head stream of the Tronto nmy be seen running north- 



wards, the Vomano and the Tordino eastwards, and the Aterno 

 south-eastwards through the valley of Aquila : all these are ti ibutaries 

 of the Adriatic. On the west flow respectively S.E. and N.W. two 

 streams, that by their junction form the Velino, which runs west- 

 wards to join the Salto on the western boundary, and carries their 

 united waters to the Tiber. To the south of Moute-Reale a mountain- 

 ridge runs south-eastwards along the left bank of the Aterno, con- 

 taining Monte-Corno, the highest point in the Apennines, sometimes 

 called II Gran Sasso d' Italia ' the great rock of Italy,' rising to the 

 height of 9521 feet above the sea-level. From the spring-head above- 

 mentioned the main chain turns nearly S.W., winding round the 

 head of the valley of Aquila, and then runs S.S.E. between the Salto 

 and the Aterno, and to the east of the lake Celano. This part of tin; 

 chain contains Monte Velino (8397 feet), the highest summit in the 

 main ridge of the Apennines. To the south-east of the lake Celano 

 another offshoot with numerous ramifications runs eastwards, filling 

 up the space between the Pescara and the Sangro ; its highest summit, 

 Monte Majella, an extinct volcano north-east of Sulmona, rising to the 

 height of 8500 feet. After sending forth this offshoot the main ridge 

 curves round the south shore of the lake Celano, and then resumes 

 the S.S.E. direction, separating the basins of the Garigliano and the 

 Volturno, from the basin of the Sangro, along the right bank of 

 which, and between it and the Trigno, it sends out another ridge 

 terminating in Point Penna, the only projection on this coast. 



The mountains of Abruzzo, spreading over a vast extent of country 

 60 or 60 miles in breadth, inclose many fertile and delightful valleys, 

 the residence of a numerous population. The snow rests on the 

 highlands from October to April, and on the summits much longer. 

 Monte Corno is often covered with snow all the year; vegetation 

 ceases 600 feet below its summit. The mountain-slopes are covered 

 with fine forests of oak and fir ; or with pastures, whither numerous 

 flocks and herds migrate from the plains of I'uglia on the approach 

 of summer. Many rare and medicinal plants are found in these 

 mountains. 



The inhabitants of the highlands are chiefly employed in the rearing 

 and tending of sheep. The shepherds are generally accompanied by 

 their wives and children in their yearly migrations to and from the 

 mountains, and by their large white dogs, which are very fierce to 

 strangers. The sheep's milk is used to make cheese, the wool is an 

 important article of trade, and the skins are exported in great quanti- 

 ties to the Levant. The shepherds also are clothed in them, and 

 wear sandals of untanned leather, fastened with small cords round 

 the leg : they are a quiet, frugal, and honest race. 



The valleys and lowlands are very fertile ; subject, however, in the 

 spring to the inundations of the rivers, which are suffered to sweep 

 uncontrolled over the surface, there being no embankments, nor any 

 provision for irrigation, so that vegetation almost entirely disappears 

 in the more open plains in summer, during which season most of the 

 rivers are dry. In some parts of the Abruzzi the system of terrace- 

 hiiHbandry, which has converted the arid hills of Tuscany into pro- 

 ductive gardens, has been partially adopted. Improvements in 

 agriculture, however, and especially in the method of manuring the 

 land, are little known. Numerous herds of swine are fed in the 

 extensive oak forests that cover the mountain-sides ; and the hams 

 and sausages of Abruzzo are in great request. Lamb and mutton are 

 also of excellent quality. A scarcity of fuel, consequent upon the 

 diminution of the forests, and the want of roads to convey it frr.n 

 spots where it is abundant, is felt in many places. The mountain 

 fastnesses are inhabited by bears, wolves, and wild boars. The chief 

 agricultural products are wheat, oil, almonds, wine, tobacco, saffron, 

 liquorice, silk, and fruits ; some rice is grown in the well-watered 

 lands along the coast. The chief manufactures are silks and woollens. 



The natives of Abruzzo are generally tall, robust, and healthy ; 

 they are intelligent, industrious, and brave, and furnish the best 

 soldiers in the Neapolitan service. Their cabins, however, are often 

 miserable, smoky, and filthy ; the pig and the donkey share them 

 with the family. The chief article of food consists of maize flour 

 boiled in water or milk ; wheatcn bread is a luxury ; wine, however, 

 is the common beverage. The women work in the fields as hard as 

 the men. Thousands of peasants periodically leave their mountains 

 to go and work in the vast farms < of the Roman lowlands ; and many 

 of the Abruzzi shepherds may be seen in December perambulating 

 the streets of Naples and of Rome, playing their bagpipes from house 

 to house in honour of the Christmas festivities. The natives of 

 Abruzzo speak better Italian than those of the other provinces of the 

 kingdom ; their language, especially at Aquila, and round the lake of 

 Celano, resembles that of their neighbours of the Roman States. 



Abruzzo is a very important division of the Neapolitan States, of 

 which it constitutes the chief defence oh the land side. During the 

 numerous invasions and civil wars of that kingdom, it has been often 

 the scene of protracted contests. It was at Tugliacozzo that the 

 unfortunate Corradino was defeated by Charles of Anjou. It was 

 likewise in the Abruzzi that Alfonso of Aragon recruited his party 

 and nmintaini'd himself for years, until at lost he was enabled to drire 

 away IlencS, the last of the Anjou kings, from the throne of Naplen. 

 The possession of the Abruzzi has always tended materially to decide 

 the fate of Naples. In 1799 the mountaineers strenuously opposed 

 the French troops, and assisted in the recovery of the kingdom. 



