137 



AGH1UM. 



AGRA. 



town in the interior, with 5000 inhabitants. It has a mining school 

 and a royal manufactory of arms and gunpowder. The silver mines 

 in the vicinity have been worked since 1623, and are the mos) 

 important in the kingdom. Laun-'ty, at the mouth of the Lauven, 

 57 miles S. by W. from Christiania, has considerable iron-mines and 

 the largest iron-works in Norway, a cannon-foundry, tobacco-factories, 

 distilleries, and 3500 inhabitants. A few miles south of Laurvig is the 

 small maritime town of Frederiktvaern, which is important for its 

 fortifications and its royal dockyards. Moss, a sea-port on the east coast 

 of th Bay of Christiauia, 33 miles south from the city of Christiania, 

 has a good harbour, from which large quantities of iron and deals 

 are exported. A rapid stream traverses the town, and drives the 

 machinery of a blast furnace and above 30 saw-mills. In the vicinity 

 are large iron-mines and extensive forests : population, 3200. Tonsberg, 

 46 miles S. by W. from Christiania, is situated at the head of the 

 little bay of Tonaberg, on the isthmus of the peninsula of Vallo, and 

 has 2200 inhabitants. The place is old-looking and ill-built, but has 

 some trade in spirite, tobacco, timber, and fish. On the peninsula of 

 Valid there are salt-works. In all the sea-port towns above-named 

 ship-building is carried on. 



AGHRIM, or AUGHRIM, a small village in the county of Galway, 

 in Ireland, only noticeable from its historical association with the 

 victory obtained in its neighbourhood July 12, 1691, by the forces of 

 King William, commanded by General Ginkell, over those of King 

 James, commanded by General St. Ruth. The latter were 25,000 

 strong, and very advantageously posted ; the former amounted only 

 to 18,000, and had to march to the attack through a bog, in which 

 they .sunk up to the middle. The result was in a great measure owing 

 to the death of General St. Ruth in the early part of the action. The 

 victors followed up their success with a terrible slaughter of the 

 defeated and flying enemy : no fewer than 7000 are said to have been 

 >yed. Only 450 prisoners were taken. The loss of the English 

 did not exceed 700 killed and 1000 wounded. This victory was 

 followed by the complete submission of Ireland. In Archdall's 

 ' Monasticon Hibernicum ' it is stated, that there was formerly here 

 a priory of canons regular of St. Augustine, which was said to have 

 been founded in the 13th century. Aghrim is situated about 4 miles 

 W. from Ballinasloe, 28 miles E. from the town of Galway, and 75 

 miles W. from Dublin. 



AGINCOURT, or AZINCOUR, a village in the department of Pas 

 de Calais, France, in the ancient province of Artois, celebrated for a 

 great victory obtained by the English, under Henry V., over a French 

 army vastly superior in numbers. The English king, in 1415, con- 

 veyed over to Normandy (the hereditary possession at one tune of 

 hi* ancestors) a considerable army, and having reduced the town of 

 Harfleur, near Havre, set out for Calais. The siege of Harfleur 

 occupied 36 days, and the loss sustained by the English, principally 

 by sickness, during this period, was immense. Upon reaching Abbe- 

 ville and Aijiiunx, Henry found the passes of the Somme guarded, and 

 the bridges broken down ; but having erected a temporary bridge at 

 a place called Nesle, he passed his army over, and pursuing his route, 

 came to an engagement with his opponents on the 25th of October in 

 the year above mentioned. The disparity of forces was very great 

 No ancient English writers make the number of the English more 

 than 10,000 ; the numbers on the other side have been stated at from 

 50,000 to 150,000. 



The previous night was passed by the English near the village of 

 Maisoncelles, in preparing their weapons, confessing themselves, and 

 receiving the sacrament ; by the French, who were posted a mile off, 

 between Ruiflnauville and Agincourt, in gaming and drinking. The 

 descriptions of Shakspere, in which these circumstances are mentioned, 

 ipported by the contemporary chroniclers. The archers, to 

 whom the victory was mainly owing, wore little armour, but, in 

 addition to their bows, they had hatchets or swords hanging from 

 their girdles ; many were barefooted and had no hats, while others 

 had leather caps crossed with iron. They had also provided them- 

 selves with long stakes, to fix in the ground before them, in order to 

 resist the charge of cavalry. The ground, being between two woods, 

 was too narrow fur the French to avail themselves usefully of their 

 superior numbers ; the volleys of arrows did fearful execution among 

 them, while the stakes of the archers enabled the English to repel the 

 attack of some cavalry on their flanks, and, after a contest of three 

 hours, the victory remained with the English. During the battle the 

 baggage of the victors was plundered by some peasants and a few 

 men at arms ; and upon a R.udden panic, produced by this circum- 

 stance, and by a supposed rallying of the French rear, Henry ordered 

 the prisoners taken to be slain. 



The loss of the respective armies is variously stated : that of the 

 French was probably 10,000, including the constable, 3 dukes, 

 H counts, and 90 barons. The victors lost probably 1200, including 

 the Duke of York, the Karl of Suffolk, and one or two other persons 

 of rank. Henry continued his march to Calais, which he reached on 

 the 29th, and from thence proceeded to Dover and London, which 

 last he entered with great pomp, on the 23rd of November. 



( Nicholas's ///.:'"/ </ <>/ iiir Jia/tle "f Ai/ineourt.) 



VA'N'O, 11 remarkable l&k* Bear Napleft, dot far from the road 

 g to l'o//noli mill ISniie. Its bed in Hii|ipom-il to have been 

 'or of a volcano. It M nl 



entirely surrounded by hills rising in the form of an amphitheatre. 

 Some antiquaries have started the supposition, that this lake was 

 originally the fish-pond of Lucullus'a villa, that wealthy Roman 

 having had a magnificent residence in this neighbourhood. The 

 banks of Agnano present a striking scene of solitude ; hardly any 

 habitation is to be seen on the slope of the hills ; the country is veiy 

 unwholesome in summer, and the malaria is increased by the practice 

 of the country people steeping large quantities of flax in the water of 

 the lake. The pestilent effluvia reach high up the hills, even to the 

 convent at the summit of Mount Camaldoli, from which there is 

 perhaps the finest view in all the neighbourhood of Naples. Tradition 

 says, there was formerly a town on the site of Agnano, which waa 

 swallowed up in some earthquake, the date of which is unknown. 

 Near the banks of the lake are the natural vapour-baths of San 

 Germane, which are beneficial in cases of rheumatism and gout. On 

 the opposite side is the famous Grotta del Cane, a small cave in the 

 rock, from the ground of which a mephitic vapour issues, which has 

 the power of depriving a dog or other animal of all sensation in a few 

 minutes. There is no mention in ancient writers either of Agnano 

 or of the Grotta, only Pliny the Elder says in his ' Natural History,' 

 that in the country about Puteoli there were vents in the ground 

 from which deadly vapours arose. Traces of ruins of mosaic pave- 

 ments, and stoves for baths, are found scattered in the neighbourhood. 

 On the western side of the lake rises the volcanic hill of Astroni, the 

 extinct crater of which, nearly 3 mile.3 in circumference, has been 

 converted into a royal park and preserve, planted with large trees, 

 and abounding in game of every description. 



AGNES, ST. [CORNWALL.] 



AGOSTA, or AUGUSTA, is a sea-port town on the east coast of Sicily 

 in the Val-di-Noto, province of Catania. The town was built in 1230, 

 by the emperor Frederick II., on a low peninsula connected with the 

 inainland of Sicily on its northern side by a long narrow causeway, 

 which has considerable salt-ponds on each side. The harbour, which 

 lies on the western side of the peninsula, is one of the safest and 

 most sheltered in the island of Sicily. This town suffered from an 

 earthquake in 1693, by which it was nearly reduced to ruins, and 

 one-third of the inhabitants perished ; during the shock, the powder 

 magazine in the citadel exploded, and the light-house was thrown 

 into the sea. It has since been rebuilt on a regular plan, and in order 

 to mitigate the evils of any similar visitation in future, the houses 

 are all low-built, which gives the place a rather mean appearance. 

 The town is slightly fortified on the land side, and is protected 

 towards the sea by three forts, built ou as many small islands at the 

 entrance of the port. The knights of Malta, during the time of their 

 prosperity, had a considerable establishment and extensive magazines 

 at this port. Off the port of Agosta the famous Dutch admiral De 

 Ruyter, in command of the united Dutch and Spanish fleet, fought 

 his last battle, April 22, 1676 ; he was defeated by the French fleet 

 under Duquesne. De Ruyter died of his wounds a week after at 

 Syracuse. The trade of Agosta is in wine, flax, olive-oil, honey, salt, 

 and sardines. The remarkable caves of Timpa are in itg vicinity. 

 The town is situated 18 miles S. by E. from Catania, and 12 miles N. 

 from Syracuse in 37 134' N. lat., and 15 13}' E. long. Population 

 about 15,000. 



AGRA. By the East India Charter Act of 1833, the Bengal Pre- 

 sidency was to be divided into two, one of which was to take the 

 name of the Agra Presidency, Ou account of unforeseen difficulties in 

 carrying out this plan, the Company was permitted, by a subsequent 

 act in 1835, to suspend the plan during pleasure : the district intended 

 to form the Agra Presidency is now called the North-Western Pro- 

 vinces, and is presided over by a lieutenant-governor. We refer, 

 therefore, to NOKTH- WESTERN PROVINCES, and to the names of the 

 provinces themselves AURA, ALLAHABAD, BENARES, DELHI, MEEUUT, 

 ROHILCUXD. 



AGRA, one of the North-Western Provinces, is bounded N. by 

 Delhi; S. by Malwah; E. by Oude and Allahabad; and W. by 

 Ajmeer. It lies between 25 35' and 28 18' N. lat. Its length 

 is about 250 miles, its breadth about 180 miles, and its area 9059 

 miles. The province is divided into five districts, viz., Muttra, 

 Agra, Furruckabad, Mynpoole, and Etaweh. There are 7254 

 townships, with about 40 considerable towns, besides villages. The 

 chief towns and fortresses are Alvar, Bhurtpoor, Deeg, Mathura 

 or Muttra, Etaweh, Gualior, Gohud, Calpy, and Narwar. The 

 ;hief rivers of the province are the Ganges, the Jumna, and the 

 Chumbul ; but the means of irrigation are insufficient for the culti- 

 vation of rice. North of the Chumbul the country is for the most 

 :iart Hat and thinly wooded ; but on the other side of that river, and 

 * the north-western quarter of the province, the surface is 

 HI inic what hilly, and more plentifully covered with trees. The vicissi- 

 tudes of temperature are considerable. The soil is in general well 

 adapted for the production of indigo, sugar, and cotton ; but their 

 iroduction was long impeded by the levy of an interior transit duty, 

 which in the case of raw cotton amounted to 5 per cent., and if manu- 

 uctural might amount to 174 P er cent. Theso were abolished in 1836. 

 The country between the Gangc.n and the Jumna, called the Dou-ab, 

 s the most fertile part of the province, and furnishes all the above 

 articles for export. Horses of a good breed arc reared. Marble and 

 copper are the chief mineral products. Coarse cloth is uiiuaifacturcd 



