63 



ADELAIDE ARCHIPELAGO. 



ADMIRALTY ISLANDS 



1850. Albert Town is a small straggling Tillage, about a mile from 

 the port, and is chiefly occupied by persons connected with the ship- 

 ping. Between Albert Town and Adelaide are several other villages, 

 the principal of which ia Jiindmarsh, where there is a steam-flour-mill, 

 the largest brewery in the colony, and many good shops. Within a 

 range of about 5 miles from the city are 11 villages, which may be 

 considered as suburbs of Adelaide : some of them contain excellent 

 residences. In Adelaide county there are about 40 more villages, some 

 of which are inhabited solely by German immigrants, who have erected 

 their houses in their own country fashion. The diocese of Adelaide, 

 to which Bishop Short was appointed in 1847, extends over the two 

 colonies of South Australia and Western Australia ; the chapter com- 

 prises a dean, two archdeacons, two canons, and twelve clergymen. 



The Burra Burra and other copper mines in South Australia, and 

 the export trade in wool, have rendered Adelaide and its Port very 

 flourishing. In August, 1852, gold was discovered at Echunga, 23 

 miles S.E., and subsequently on Field river, about the same distance 

 S., from Adelaide. A considerable number of diggers, have been at work, 

 and a large amount of gold has been obtained, but not in quantities 

 at all equal to the other Australian gold fields. [SOUTH AUSTRALIA.] 



ADELAIDE ARCHIPELAGO. [ARCHIPELAGO.] 



ADELSBERG, a small market-town in the Duchy of Carniola, in 

 the Empire of Austria, 22 miles S.S.W. from Laibach, and near the 

 line of railroad to Trieste, is celebrated for the great caverns which are 

 in its environs. There are two principal caverns, the cavern of 

 Adelsberg, which ia about 7500 feet long, and the Magdalena cavern, 

 which has been explored for a length of about 1200 feet. Both of 

 them are in a calcareous rock, the layers of which are broken into 

 huge square fragments, which in some places are heaped up by nature 

 BO as to resemble a Homan bridge. The most remarkable is the cavern 

 of Adelsberg, the entrance of which, near the ruined castle of Adelsberg, 

 is very narrow, but the cavern soon becomes wider, and forms several 

 spacious grottoes which are from 60 to 80 feet high. Splendid stalactites 

 hang down from the roofs and cover the walls, and present a beautiful 

 appearance when seen by the light of torches. The little river Poik 

 throws itself into the cavern, and, as it forms several cascades, the 

 interior resounds with the uninterrupted noise of the waters. In the 

 innermost corner of the cavern this river disappears through a narrow 

 fissure in the rock, and continues its subterranean course for nearly 

 eight miles, till it appears again near Malingradu-Kleinhausel, where 

 it is called Unzc. After having flowed through the valley of Planina 

 it disappears once more in the caverns of Laase, and comes again to 

 the surface near Ober-Laibach, as a navigable river, called the Laibach. 

 The Proteus is found in the subterranean waters of this river. 

 Engravings on steel of the most picturesque of the caverns near Adels- 

 berg have been published by A. Schaffenrath ; Laibach, 1839, fol. 



(Count F. von Hohenwart, Wtyaeiter far die Wanderer in der 

 beriihmten Adettbergtr Grotte, Laibach, 1832; Neaatet Contertationt- 

 Ltzifon; Hamilton, Ketrarchei in Aria Minor, voL i. ch. 1.) 



ADEN, a town and harbour on the southern shores of Arabia, in 

 12 46' N. lat, 45 10' E. long. Before the British took possession of 

 it in 1840, Aden was a miserable place, consisting of a small number 

 of mud huts covered with mats, and containing about 600 inhabitants. 

 It is now a flourishing place of trade, containing 22,000 inhabitants, and 

 surrounded with gardens and orchards. 



Aden is built at the eastern base of a mountain-mass called Jebel 

 Shamshan, which rises to 1776 feet above the sea-level, and which 

 is connected with the mainland somewhat in the manner of the rock 

 of Gibraltar. The harbours of Aden are considered the best on the 

 coast of Arabia. The smaller harbour near the town is divided into 

 two small bays by a rocky and fortified island called Sirah, which is 

 about 430 feet high, and commands the harbours and town. Of late 

 years the small creek which used to separate the island from the 

 mainland has been filled up, so that at low water it is now joined 

 to the coast. The anchorage in the bay is very regular, and a vessel 

 may choose her own position in from five to ten fathoms water. The 

 other harbour, which is called by seamen the Back Bay, and by the 

 Arabs Bander Tuwayyi, lies west of the peninsula, and has on the 

 eastern side of its entrance another mass of rocks called Jebel Hasan, 

 which rises 1237 feet above the tea. The entrance between these two 

 masses ia nearly 4 miles wide. 



Aden has long been known as an entrepot of commerce. It is 

 mentioned in the 'Periplus;' it wag eagerly straggled for by the 

 Portuguese in the 15th, and by the Turks in the 16th centuries. 

 During the 18th century it was mostly governed by native chiefs. In 

 the hands of the English it in yearly becoming more and more 

 important. The Anglo-Indian mail makes Aden oneof its chief coaling 

 stations. The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company 

 convey the mails twice a month from Southampton to Alexandria ; 

 re thence transmitted to Suez, from which place the East India 

 I I'.mpany's steamers convey them to Bombay; and the Oriental Steam 

 I' .Tnpany to Ceylon, Madras, and Calcutta; as also to Singapore, 

 Hong.Kong, and Batavia. The mails to Australia are also sent by 

 tli" Oriental Company's vessels, once every two months to Australia. 

 In 185-^ the fleet of this company in the Eastern seas amounted to 

 17, carrying from 600 to 2000 t<mn burden. For farther details con- 

 i the Eastern Mail-packet routes. Bee AUSTRALIA; BOMBAT; 

 CITLOW. 



OBOO. DIV. VOL. I. 



ADERSBACH ROCKS, an extraordinary mountain-mass in the 

 environs of Aderabach, a village in Bohemia, on the frontier of 

 this country and the Silesian county of Glaz, in a valley of the 

 Riesen-Gebirge ; it lies in the circle of Koniggratz. About 12 miles 

 N.W. of the town of Glaz the traveller reaches the mountain of 

 Heuscheuer, which forms the beginning of the rocky labyrinth. The 

 summit of this mountain, or rather winding ridge, is cut perpen- 

 dicularly like a wall to the depth of from 600 to 1200 feet, and there 

 are only a few paths by which a descent is possible into the labyrinth 

 below, which consists of masses of rock detached and laid one over 

 another in all directions. Some are as large as moderate houses, 

 and others have the size and shape of churches, pyramids, and similar 

 buildings, or at least appear so to a lively imagination. On following 

 a stream of pure water, which has its source in the centre of the laby- 

 rinth, the traveller passes by means of small crevices through a wall of 

 sandstone of stupendous height, and he then enters a chaos of isolated 

 columns, walls, towers, and other fragments of rock, of the most extra- 

 ordinary description, varying in height from 100 to 200 feet. Some of 

 these rocks are bounded at the top by irregular curve-lines, but the 

 lower parts of their sides are as perpendicular and straight as if they 

 had been cut artificially. The most remarkable is that called 'Der 

 UmgekehrteZuckerhut,' 'The Inverted Sugarloaf,' which is surrounded 

 by a number of pillars ; these are only three or four feet in diameter at 

 their base, but as high as the more massy rocks, and appear like a group 

 of lofty chimneys. The width of the paths or winding crevices between 

 the rocks varies from 2 to 20 feet ; they are in many places covered 

 with deep and light sand produced by fragments of the summits which 

 have been operated on by the atmosphere and rains ; for the sandstone is 

 generally very friable, and is often an unconsolidated mass of quartzose 

 sand. In the middle of the labyrinth there is a large opening, overhung 

 by the surrounding rocks, covered with plants and trees, and watered 

 by the above-mentioned stream, which falls in a cascade from a fissure 

 in the principal hill. On the top of this hill there stands a ruined 

 gothic castle. This remarkable spot is annually visited by many 

 travellers, and has especially attracted the attention of geologists. It 

 is generally supposed that the whole space occupied by this rocky 

 labyrinth, extending over many square miles, was originally one solid 

 mass of sandstone, which has been split by volcanic action, and after- 

 wards washed out by the waters. Similar groups, though of com- 

 paratively little importance, are found in the slate-sandstone region 

 of the Middle Weser, and especially in the district called Saxon Switzer- 

 land, where volcanic action has left many traces. 



ADIGE, the ancient Athesit, a river of the Tyrol and of Austrian 

 Italy, is formed by several small streams that rise in the Rhaetian 

 Alps, and unite their waters near Glurns. From this place its course 

 is directed from west to east as far as Miran, whence to the neighbour- 

 hood of Bolzano or Botzen the river runs to the south-east. Thus far 

 the upper Adige is called the Etsch, by which name the river is known 

 to the Germans throughout its whole course. Below Bolzano the 

 Adige receives its largest feeder, the Eisach, on its left bank, and then 

 flows nearly due south past Trent, Roveredo, and Verona, entering 

 Italy about 16 miles south of Roveredo. From Verona it sweeps 

 round to the eastward, passes Legnago, and after traversing the delta 

 between the Po and the Brenta, empties its waters into the Gulf of 

 Venice at Porto Fossone, about 5 miles south from Chioggia. 



The entire length of the Adige is about 248 miles. Between Trent 

 and Verona it flows through a fine valley three-quarters of a mile 

 broad, in a bed 290 to 330 feet wide ; lower down in the open plain 

 the width increases to 656 feet. The general depth varies from 10 to 

 16 feet ; it is 3 feet less in winter ; but in spring, when the snows 

 melt on the Alps, there is a rise of about 16 feet, and the river is only 

 prevented by the strong dykes that line its banks from inundating 

 the plains, which are in some places several feet lower than the level 

 of the river. The pressure of the water on the dykes is also relieved 

 by canals, especially by those of Castagnaro and Adigetto, which cross 

 the Polesina or plain of Rovigo, and form part of the communication 

 between the Adige and the Po. The autumn rains also frequently 

 cause disastrous floods in this river. The waters of the Adige in the 

 upper part of its course are clear, but as they descend they become 

 loaded with ddbris. The stream is very rapid, contains few fish, and 

 rarely freezes. It is navigable from Trent to the sea, but the naviga- 

 tion is dangerous. Barges are drawn up the river by horses : the 

 towing-path runs along the left bank. There are between 1 50 and 

 200 flour and rice mills on this river. The commerce on the Adige 

 between Germany, the Tyrol, and Italy is important. 



ADMIRALTY ISLAND, on the N.W. coast of North America, 

 belonging to Russia, is about 80 miles long, and, in some parts, 20 

 wide : it lies between 57 2' and 58 24' N. lat., and 134 52' and 135" 

 30' W. long. The island was circumnavigated by Vancouver. With 

 the exception of the south-east coast, the shores are bold, and afford 

 many convenient bays with fine streams of fresh water running into 

 them. The island is moderately elevated and rocky, but covered with 

 forests of pine. The natives of the island carry on some little trade 

 with Europeans. 



ADMIRALTY ISLANDS, a group of islands, consisting of one 

 larger and about forty smaller, lie between the second and third 

 degreesof S. latitude, and between 146" 18'and 147 46' K.long. They 

 were discovered by the Dutch in 1616. Captain Carterct visited them 



