AMERICA. 



AMBSBUKT. 



31 



M UMT dblfaidMd from >U otiMT AaMricu utiqaitiM by rety 

 ,,,,,,i| rt^n-**i**m The most extensive of these ruin*, and 

 certainly the most r-r *-". are those of the city of Co fin. wfcUl 

 an on UM K t. of the river of Uio me name, which join* the river 

 from the (oath. Thu city wu in existence at the time of 



the amr.1 of the Spaniards, and was destroyed by than on account 

 of iMonatMa which happMMd among the natiTM tome yean after 

 t,,T- had submitted to the foreigner*. At present no human habitation 

 found among the mm*, and the whole site of the town U over- 

 grown with Urge tree, and underwood. The ruins are dispersed 

 over a space about 1000 feet in length, and 600 feet in width, 

 and consist of the remain* of strong and high wall* constructed of 

 massive hewn stones, and of several pyramidal building* ; but there 

 are come aqnare altar*, of which one i* *culptured on the four aide* 

 aad the top ; and of a cooeiderable number of *tone idol*, moat of 

 then *till rtsn-tmr though a few hare fallen to the ground. These 

 idol* have the shape of column*, and are from 12 to 20 feet 

 Kl^fc They are mostly covered with Kulpturea on all four aide*, 

 from the bate to the top. The *culpture* are very rich, and made 

 with great art and labour. They are all of a single block of (tone. 

 Meet of them present a human figure fantastically dressed and 

 adorned, but they differ greatly in design. In a few the back* and 

 aide* are covered with hieroglyphic*. The altar* are also of a Hingle 

 block of (tone. They are in general not so richly ornamented a* the 

 idol*. The sculpture on the best preserved of these altars is in bas- 

 relief, and this is the only specimen of that kind of sculpture found 

 at Oopsn, all the rest being in bold alto-relievo. The altar is 6 feet 

 square and 4 feet high, and the top is divided into 86 tablets of hiero- 

 giyphica. The sides of this altar are covered with sculptures repre- 

 enting each four human figure* in sitting attitude*. There are perhaps 

 no ruins which show greater art and ingenuity and more labour than 

 the rain* of Copttn, and they may, in these respects, be compared 

 with the temple* of Elephanta and Elora in Hindustan. It appears 

 that other nun* of a milr description occur in this part of Central 

 America. We know at least that some idol* of stone are found at a 

 place called Quirigna, which i* situated on the banks of the river 

 kotagua, several miles east of Encuentroe, which is the place where 

 the river U reached by the great road leading from the port of Yaabal 

 to the town of Guatemala. The idol* are exactly in the same style a* 

 those of Copan, but they are two or three times as high. At this 

 place i* also found an obelisk, or rather a carved stone, 26 feet above 

 the ground, and probably 6 or 8 feet under. The side* represent 

 figure* of men, and are finely sculptured. In one of the ruined 

 temples of the Toltek* a sculptured stone has recently been 

 discovered, bearing an inscription in Greek characters, together with 

 character* supposed to be hieroglyphical, but the exact purport has 

 not been deciphered. 



It is probable that other ruins will be found in the states of Honduras 

 and Nicaragua, as these countries too, at the time of the Spanish 

 invasion, were inhabited by nation* which were not savages, but 

 acquainted with some of the art* of civilised life. In 1850 a paper by 

 M. Squier was read before the Ethnological Society of New York, 

 containing an interesting account of hi* discoveries in the islands 

 lying in the lake of Nicaragua. Few remain* of buildings were found, 

 but number* of statues, all mutilated by, as is imagined, the 

 Christian conqueror*. The character of the sculpture was simple and 

 effective, and the figures were cut with more freedom than those of 

 Mexico, though in the same style of art. Some of the itatue* ho 

 [uninissil should be forwarded to New York. Farther to the east, 

 and in the state of Costa-Rica, and on the Isthmus of Panama, no 

 snonnnssnU have yet been discovered, and it is not probable that such 

 relics will be found, a* thi* part of America was inhabited at the 

 arrival of the Spaniard* by native* who had scarcely emerged from 

 the lowest state of civilisation. There are a few ancient edifices in 

 Ecuador, on the table-land of Quito. Not far from the volcano of 

 Cotopaxi are the ruins of a large building called the Palace of the 

 Iocs*. It is a square, measuring on each side about SO yard*, and it 

 has (our door*. The interior i* divided into eight apartmenta, three 

 of which an still in tolerable preservation. Near the mountain-pass 

 of Aasuay is what i* called the Fortress of Canar, a building consist- 

 ing of s waU of very large stone*, about 6 or 8 yard* high. It has 

 aa oval form, of which the greatest axis i* nearly 40 feet long. 

 A modern traveller mention* an ancient fortress called Huikhay, 

 - J not far from the town of Jauja in Peni, which evinces cou- 

 military science, but it i* rapidly going to decay. The 

 Peruvian monuments are not, like those of Central America, 

 g"^ 1 . 1 . 1 ' 1 " 1 *T coll*"* and rich ornament*, but by solidity and 



Amiss, There-are also tho ruins of some destroyed 

 towns fa Ui* fewer country along the Pacific, but they are in such a 

 tee* that DO traveller ha* thoiwht H worth his while to iriv 



worth hi* while to give us a 



(HuaboWt, IV, 



mud 



and Yucatan ; E. G. Sqnier and Dr. 0. H. Davis, Ancinit Monumentl 

 of Ike Munuippi YaUty, 1848.) 



AMERICA, HKITISH. [BRITISH AMERICA.] 

 AMKUICA.fMTK.nsT-. MiRTll. [UNITED STATES.] 



AMEKKOTE, a town near the eastern frontier of Sinde, in 25* 20' 

 N. lat, 6* 49' E. long. ; 85 miles K. from Hyderabad Amerkote 

 wa* the birth-place of the emperor Akbar. The country by which it 

 is surrounded being barren, yields nothing to the public revenue, which 

 is derived from duties on merchandise and exactions from travellers 

 ,\ i, ; i- tl.r .li^-h. 



AMER.SFOORT-* town in the Dutch province of Utrecht, situated 

 on the navigable river Kom, which runs into the Zuider-Kee, 11 miles 

 N.E. from Utrecht, 34 mile* 8.E. from Amsterdam : |.o|nil:ition, 13,000. 

 It is prettily situated at the base of a small hill, in a district contain- 

 ing several tobacco plantations. Among the industrial products of 

 the town are tobacco, bombazeen*, cotton and woollen good*, and 

 glass ; there ia also a considerable trade in corn and dried herrings. 

 The town contain* three churches, one of which is a fine building, a 

 Jansenist college, grammar and industrial schools, and a court of first 

 instance. Large barges ply to Amsterdam. Amersfoort was taken by 

 the French in 1795. 



AMERSHAM, or AGMOKDESHAH, Buckinghamshire, a market- 

 town, municipal borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, in the 

 parish of Amersham, and hundred of Burnham, is situated in a valley 

 between wooded hills, near the river Colne, in 51 41' N. lat, 35' 

 \V. long., distant 33 miles S.E. from Buckingham, and 26 mile* 

 W.N.W. from London: the population of the town in 1851 was 

 2098. The living i* a rectory in the archdeaconry of Buckingham 

 and diocese of Oxford. Amersham Poor-Law Union contains 12 

 parishes, with an area of 45,680 acre*, and a population in 1 851 of 1 8,687. 



The town consists of one main street, long and wide, not lighted, 

 but well paved, and crossed by a smaller street. The town-hall (the 

 lower part of which is used for the market) is a brick building near 

 the centre of the town, raised upon pillars, and surmounted by a 

 lantern and clock : it was built by a Sir William Drake, who dic.l in 

 1682. The church, which is of the 16th century, stands near the 

 point of intersection of the two streets ; it is of brick covered with 

 stucco ; it consists of a nave with side aisles, transepts, chancel, a 

 monument-room for the Drake family, in which are some handsome 

 monuments, and a tower at the west end. There are two place* of 

 worship for Baptists, and one for Quakers. The grammar-school, 

 founded and endowed by Dr. Robert Challoner, rector of Amersham 

 and canon of Windsor, who died in 1621, had 24 scholar* in 

 A writing-school was endowed by Lord Newhaven (who died in 

 There are National, British, and Infant schools. An alms-house for 

 six poor widows wo* endowed by Sir William Drake, hart., who died 

 in 1669. The manufactures are chiefly of black lace, cotton, straw- 

 plait, and wooden choirs. The market is on Tuesday ; there are two 

 fair*, one on Whit-Monday, and another on the 19th September. 

 Amersham was a parliamentary borough by prescription ; but iu 

 right to send members was disused for 400 years, till in 1623 it was 

 restored on petition. Edmund Wuller, the poet, and Algernon Sidney 

 were members for this borough. It was disfranchised by the 1: 

 Act of 1832. 



(Lipscomb's liutkinylianuhirt ; Communication from Amertham.) 



AMESBURY, Wiltshire, a market-town, and the seat of a Poor- 

 Law Union, in the parish and hundred of Amesbury, is situated in a 

 valley on the river Avon, which flows past Salisbury, in 51 In' N. 

 lat, 1 47' W. long., distant 8 miles N. from Salisbury, and 7s 

 W.S.W. from London : the population of the parish in 1851 was 1 1 7'-'. 

 The living ia a perpetual curacy in the archdeaconry and diocese of 

 Salisbury. Amesbury Poor-Law Union contain* 23 parishes, with on 

 area of 61,201 acres, and a population in 1851 of 8,209. 



The town has little trade, having quite lost the posting, on whirli 

 it mainly depended, since the extension f the South-Western railway 

 to Salisbury. Even the market (which was on Friday) lias been din- 



ii-d. There ore three fairs. Amesbury consist* of two i-' 

 irregular and ill built, and not paved or ligh' im-li, built 



of stone and flints, is in part of Early English style nml .!.!-. but 

 some of it* ancient feature* have been defaced by alterations. It was 

 probably attached to the nunnery which once existed here. There is 

 a chapel for Wesleyau Methodists. Rose'* Free school, founded in 

 1677, which ha* an income from endowment of SO/., had 14 scholars 

 in 1852, of whom 6 v pnj.iln. There are National and 



Infant schools. 



Amesbury i* a place of great antiquity. Under the Saxon king 

 Edgar it wa* of sufficient importance to be the seat of a synod ; and 

 Klfriila, the widow of tint |.nn.- . f..umled here, in the latter part of 

 the 10th century, a nunnery of the Benedictine order, which not- 

 withstanding some changes lasted till the general supprot- 



in house*. Its net revenue at that time is estimated by Dugdale 

 at 495/. 15*. Id. A mansion on its site, built by Inigo Jones, has 

 given place to a large mansion erected for Sir E. Antrobus, bart 

 STONEBEXOK ii within the paruh of Amesbury. To the west of the 

 town sre the traces of an ancient encatnpmri 



larly termed Vojuiiui's camp, i* evidently of British origin. There 

 ir *J . p ' ii r . .i la 'in- nel -M -.\'.r\ .1. 



tllonir'n Wiltikirt; Communication from Ametbury.) 



