381 



ANTALO. 



ANTIGUA. 



The creek between Easter and Wester Anstruther is said to have 

 been at one time the seat of a considerable salmon fishery. A variety 

 of fish is still caught aud sent to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other 

 places ; lobsters are sent to London. Several vessels belong to these 

 small burghs ; some coarse linens are made by the people in their own 

 dwellings. The two Aiistruthers are now included in the St. Andrew's 

 district of burghs, which district returns one member to the Imperial 

 Parliament. 



Opposite to Aiistruther is the Isle of May, a mile long, and three- 

 quarters of a mile broad, which is considered an excellent place for 

 improving the fleeces of sheep kept there, though only for one season. 

 is a lighthouse on the Isle of May. 



AXTALO. [ABYSSINIA.] 



ANTAKCTIC OCEAN, a term properly applied to that part of the 

 lea that lies between the Antarctic Circle (66" 30' S. lat.) and the 

 South Pole. The word is sometimes used to express generally the 

 cold oceanic regions round the South Pole, without strict regard to 

 the limits of the Antarctic Circle. It was long considered beyond the 

 pale of navigation on account of the ice, which extends much farther 

 than it does round the North Pule. Numerous attempts at discovery 

 have been made in these high southern latitudes. The most important 

 results of these expeditions are here enumerated. In 1823 Captain 

 Weddell reached the point 74" 15' S. lat., 36 W. long., the most 

 southern point as yet attained. On February 27, 1831, in 65 57' S. lat., 

 - >' E. long., Captain Biscoe discovered land of considerable 

 extent, closely bound with field ice, but was not able to approach it 

 within 20 or 30 miles. This unapproachable land was culled 

 ^.y's Land, from the name of the owners of the vessel. On 

 February 21, 1832, Captain Biscoe landed on what is now called 

 in'ii Land, which the discoverer supposes to be of considerable 

 extent ; the highest mountain in view, called Mount William, is 

 placed in 61' 45' S. lat., 03" 51' W. long. In front of this high 

 continuous land is a range of small inland*, now called BUcoe's 

 Range. No living animals, except a few birds, were found on any of 

 them islands, though there were many birds seen a few miles to the 

 northward. The group of the Balleny Isles, the central one of which 

 is in 60 44'S. lat., 163 11' E. long., was discovered Feb. 9, 1839, 

 by Mr. John Balleny aud Mr. H. Freeman, commanders of two vessels 

 sent out on a whaling expedition to the South Seas by 

 merchants, in conjunction with tins Messrs. Euderby of London. In 

 the same year Balleny, when in 75 S. lut., 117 E. long., saw a tract of 

 land, which has been named Sabriim l.ruid. A large extent of laud in 

 !., between 136 and 142 E. long., was discovered by 

 D'Urville, a French navigator, in 1840, and called Ade'lie. Lastly, 

 Sir James Ross, in 1841, discovered Victoria Land, which he supposes 

 to be a continent, aud explored its coast from 70" to 79' S. lat. Near 

 it* northern extremity in 168 12' E. long., he places Mount F.ivlms, 

 an active volcano 12,400 feet high, and Mount Terror, which rises to 

 the height of 10,900 feet above the sea level In this expedition Sir 

 Jamea discovered the position of the South Magnetic Pole to be 

 75 5' S. lat., 154" 8' E. long. For further information respecting the 

 lands discovered in this ocean, see the articles BALLENY ISLE*, 

 SHKTLANOS, SANDWICH LAND. POLAR SEAS, 4c. 



ANTEQUERA or A.N'TIKAIUA. [SKVH.I.A.] 



ANTHUXY. FALLS < iF ST. [Mississippi.] 



ANTI-L1BAV .-i A.] 



ANTI-MILO. [MKLOS.] 



AXTI-PAXO. [PAio.l 



ANTI-TAURCS. [ASATOUA.] 



ANTIBE.S (the ancient Antipolis), a fortified town and sea-port of 

 France, on the Mediterranean, in the department of Var, very near 

 the Sardinian frontier, 440 mile.-; S. K. by S. from Paris, and about 12 

 miles fct.W. from Nice : population, 6100. 



It is a place of great antiquity, having been founded by the Greeks 

 of Massalia (Marseille) as a barrier against the incursions of the 

 Balyes and the Ligurians who inhabited the Alps. (Strabo, p. 180.) 

 It was taken from under the jurisdiction of Massalia, and placed in the 

 rank of an Italic city (Strabo) in the time of Augustus ; aud appears 

 to have liceu a flourishing place, to which the tunny fishery may have 

 contributed. The remains of a theatre, an aqueduct, and some other 

 ancient buildings attest its former importance. During the Roman 

 dominion there was a uaval arsenal here, and the town was protected 

 by fortifications, of which two strong towers yet remain near the 

 parish church. After the downfal of the Roman empire, Antibes 

 became subjected to successive nations of barbarians, Visigoths, 

 )strogoths, and Franks. It was destroyed by the Saracens in the 

 9th century, rebuilt and rcpeoplod in the 10th, and again plundered 

 by Spanish ii pirates. Francois I. and Henri IV. caused it 



to be fortified, and man . have been made to its defences since 



their time, so that th | mod almost impregnable. In 1746 



it stood a three months' siege against the Austrians, who were aided by 

 England and Savoy. It signalled itself in 1815 by shutting its gates 

 against Napoleon on his return from Elba. In the same year it suc- 

 cessfully resisted the Austrian*, wli ire is commemorated by 

 a column i-iv<:t d on the principal square of the town. 



Antibes is built on the eastern side of a small peninsula * 



roupe, which divides the gulf of Juan from the mouth of th. 

 Var, in a district fertile in wine and fruits. The harbour is small but 



safe, and deep enough for vessels drawing 15 feet of water. The 

 jetty or mole which shelters the harbour is nearly semicircular; 

 an arcade and quays run along its whole length ; on its eastern 

 extremity a small lighthouse was erected in 1834. There is also a 

 fixed light of the first-class on the peninsula of La-Garoupe in 

 43 34' N. lat., 7 8' E. long. The trade of Antibes is chiefly in oil, 

 olives, orauges, dried fruits, perfumery, and salt fish. The inhabitants 

 are very skilful in preparing anchovies. The principal buildings of 

 Antibes are the parish church, which occupies a commanding position 

 and stands on the site of a temple of Diana, the town-hall, the 

 citadel, and the fortifications. The neighbourhood of the town is laid 

 out in gardens, orchards, and vineyards ; olives, figs, oranges, and 

 tobacco all of good quality are grown, aud also a vast quantity of 

 roses and sweet-smelling flowers for making perfumery. 



ANTICOSTI, an island lying in the mouth of the river St. 



i Lawrence, between 49 5', and 49 55' N. lat., and between 61 64', 



I and 64 30' W. long. This island has no harbour. Its shore on the 



' north side is high, and the water close to the cliff is deep ; on the 



south the land is low, and the water shoal. Some rocky reefs extend 



| to a considerable distance from the shore, and are the cause of 



numerous shipwrecks. The island is swampy, sterile, covered with 



stunted forest-trees, andalmostwholly uninhabited. [NEWFOUNDLAND.] 



ANTIGUA, one of the British West India (Leeward) Islands, is 

 about 44 miles E. from Nevis, 25 miles S. from Barbuda, and 40 

 miles N. from Guadaloupe. The town of St. John, the capital of the 

 island, is in 17 10' N. lat., 61 57' W. long. Antigua was discovered 

 by Columbus in 1493. The' first settlement on the island was by a 

 few Euglish families in 1632. Thirty years from that time the 

 island was granted by Charles II. to Lord Willoughby ; in 1666 it 

 was invaded by a French force, which laid waste all the settlements. 

 A few years afterwards Antigua was again settled by Colonel 

 Codrington, who was appointed its governor, and whose family still 

 possesses considerable estates on the island. The population in 

 1844 was 36,178. 



Antigua is about 21 miles long, and is nearly of the same breadth. 

 The land in cultivation amounts to about 60,000 acres, of which 

 rather more than half is occupied by sugar plantations, the remainder 

 being employed for raising provisions. A considerable quantity of 

 cotton was formerly produced, but its cultivation was discontinued. 

 It has lately been recommenced, aud cotton wool of a superior 

 quality has been obtained. The island contains a large proportion of 

 level land, and is not in any part mountainous. The shore is in 

 i rocky, and surrounded by dangerous reefs, which make it 

 dilticiilt to approach ; but there are several excellent harbours, in one 

 of which English Harbour, situated on the south side of the island 

 is a dock-yard belonging to government, with every convenience for 

 careening aud repairing vessels ; this harbour is capable of receiving 

 the largest ships in the British navy, and here, diu-iug the war, the 

 king's ships on the West India station were usually moored during 

 the hurricane mouths. 



There is no river on the island, and the few inconsiderable springs 

 it has are so brackish, that the inhabitants are forced to collect rain- 

 water and preserve it in cisterns for domestic use. The island is 

 divided into 6 parishes, each of which has a towu or village. There 

 are also 11 districts. 



The town of St. John, on the north-west side of the island, is built 

 at the bottom of the bay of the same name, which is defended by a 

 fort, and forms an excellent harbour. The town is on the side of a 

 hill, and its streets are in some parts very steep. This town is 

 considered to be one of the most healthy in the Leeward Islands ; it 

 is exposed to the sea-breeze, and from its situation is freed from all 

 impurities by every shower that falls. 



Willoughby Bay, on the south-east side, has its entrance contracted 

 by a reef but is secure within, and affords good anchorage in four to 

 five fathoms water. 



On the north side of the island is the small town of Parham, built 

 on the south side of a spacious harbour, which however has uot depth 

 of water sufficient for large vessels. A little island, called Prickly 

 Pear, lies off the west point of the entrance to Parham harbour. 

 Falmouth Harbour is to the westward of English Harbour, already 

 mentioned. The town of Falmouth is built on the western side of 

 this harbour, which is defended by a battery on an islet withiu, and 

 aniirdx good anchorage in from three to six fathoms water. Fivo 

 Islands Harbour on the western side of the island is a large harbour, 

 so called from five remarkable islets which lie nearly in a line from 

 east to west, about half a mile off the promontory which terminates 

 the south side of the harbour. 



The executive government of Antigua is vested in a governor, whose 

 jurisdiction extends to the islands of St. Christopher, Nevis, Mont- 

 serrat, and the Virgin Islands. Its legislature consists of a council 

 nominated by the crown, and a house of assembly composed of 24 

 members, who are chosen by the freeholders of the island The 

 revenue for 1849 was 19.228A, and the expenditure 21,922/. In 1850 

 the revenue was 21,6642., the expenditure 20,643^. The military force 

 in the island in 1847 was 333. 



When slavery was abolished then: v,ara 29,537 slaves in Antigua ; 

 tho sum awarded for their emancipation was 425,866/. The Antigua 

 legislature liberated the slaves at once, without apprenticeship. 



