Ml 



ARUNDEL. 



ASAM. 



542 



though vessels of 150 tons can come up to the town, and a canal 

 unites the river on which it stands with the Wey, a feeder of the 

 Thames. A good deal of bark is shipped, and much timber for the 

 use of the dockyards. The custom-house is at Arundel ; this keeps 

 up the business of the place, which might otherwise be drawn away 

 to Little Hampton, about four miles distant, at the mouth of the river 

 Arun. There is a market on every alternate Monday, and there are 

 four annual fairs (May 14th, August 21st, September 25th, and Decem- 

 ber 1 7th), chiefly for cattle. The town -hall was erected by the late 

 Duke of Norfolk, at a cost of 9000J., and given to the town in exchange 

 for certain borough properties. 



A neat stone bridge of three arches over the Arun unites the main 

 part of the town with a smaller portion which lies on the opposite 

 bank of the river. The church is a handsome cruciform structure, 

 built partly of flint and stone, in the perpendicular style. From the 

 intersection of the cross rises a low tower. The chancel has a north 

 aisle, formerly the Lady Chapel, which contains many remarkable 

 monuments of the former owners of the castle and others. It 

 had been permitted to fall into decay, but has been partially repaired 

 by the Duke of Norfolk, whose property it is. The south transept now 

 the purpose of a chancel. This church belonged originally to 

 v of Benedictines, subject to the abbey of Seez in Normandy ; 

 but the priory wa suppressed in the time of Richard II., and a 

 chantry or college, for a master and twelve secular canons, with other 

 officers, was founded in its place. Southward from the church is a 

 range of buildings seemingly erected upon the foundation of an ancient 

 structure, which was perhaps the habitation of the above-mentioned 

 canons. It has been fitted up by the Duke of Norfolk as a Roman 

 Catholic chapel. A hospital called ' Maison Dieu ' (God's House) was 

 founded in the time of Richard II. by one of the Fitzalans, for the 

 maintenance of as many poor as its revenues would permit ; at the 

 suppression of religious nouses its income was estimated at 422. 3s. Srf. 

 per annum. The remains of it are now used as a malt-house. 



The most striking feature in Arundel is the ancient castle, which 

 gives to its possessor (now the Duke of Norfolk) the title of Earl of 

 Arundel a title now borne by his eldest son. This instance of a 

 peerage attached to the tenure of a house is now an anomaly. In 1 1 

 Henry VI. it was decided that the tenure of the castle of Arundel 

 alone, without any creation, patent, or investiture, constituted its pos- 

 sessor Earl of Arundel. (Nicolas' s ' Synopsis of the Peerage,' 27 ; 

 Cruise's ' Digest,' voL iii. 152 ; ' Report of the Lords' Committee 

 respecting Peerage,' 1820.) In 3 Charles I. the Earl of Arundel 

 obtained an Act of Parliament, entitled ' An Act concerning the title, 

 name, and dignity of Earl of Arundel, and for annexing of the castle, 

 honour, manor, and lordship of Arundel, in the county of Sussex, 

 with the titles and dignities of the baronies of Fitzalan, Clun, 

 Oswaldestre, and Maltravers, with divers other lands, tenements, and 

 hereditaments in the Act mentioned, being then parcel of the pos- 

 sessions of Thomas, Earl of Arundel and Surrey, Earl Marshal of 

 England, to the same title, name, and dignity of the Earl of Arundel.' 

 (' Report of the Lords' Committee respecting Peerage,' p. 374.) 



The castle stands on a steep and lofty circular knoll, partly natural, 

 close to the town, and commands an extensive prospect over the flat 

 country towards the sea, and as far as the Isle of Wight. It has been 

 supposed that the sea once washed the castle walls, as anchors and 

 other marine implements have been found near it. Arundel castle is 

 mentioned as early an the time of King Alfred, who bequeathed it to 

 his nephew Adhelm. After the Norman Conquest it was given by 

 William I. to his kinsman Roger de Montgomeri, Earl of Arundel and 

 Shrewsbury. Afterwards the castle passed to the family of Albini, 

 from them to the Fitzalans, and at last, by the marriage of the 

 heiress of that race with Thomas, Duke of Norfolk (in the reign of 

 Elizabeth), to the family of the Howards, by whom it is still retained. 



In the war between Charles I. and his parliament, Arundel Castle 

 was held and garrisoned by the parliamentary forces. It was however 

 taken by Lord Hopton in 1643, surrendering to him at the first sum- 

 mons ; and two months after was as suddenly retaken by Sir William 

 Waller. From that time it continued little better than a mass of 

 ruins until it was restored by the late Duke of Norfolk to its ancient 

 "magnificence. The modern parts are in imitative gothic style, intended 

 to accord with the remains of the ancient fabric. 



On the north and west sides of the castle is a deep ditch. The 

 entrance-gateway, originally defended by a drawbridge and portcullis, 

 was built by Richard Fitzalan in the reign of Edward I. This, with 

 gome of the walls and the keep, is all that remains of the ancient 

 castle. The keep is a circular stone tower, 68 feet in diameter, and 

 perhaps the most perfect in England. In the middle of it is the 

 dungeon, a vault about 10 feet high, accessible by a flight of steps, 

 and about 154 ^ ee *' by 9J feet in extent. The keep has been long 

 tenanted by some owls of large size and beautiful plumage, which 

 were sent over from America as a present to the late duke. 



Among the interior apartments of the castle may be mentioned the 

 magnificent library, built in imitation of the aisle of a gothic cathedral : 

 the ornamental parts are copied from the cloisters at Gloucester, and St. 

 George's, Windsor. It is 122 feet long and 30 feet wide. The ceilings, 

 columns, and presses aro entirely of mahogany. The great hall, called 

 the Barons' Hall, was begun in 1806 ; it is 70 feet by 34 feet, and 36 

 feet high. The roof is of Spanish chestnut, curiously wrought, and 



the plan is taken from Westminster, Eltham, and Crosby halls. There 

 is at one end a window of stained glass, representing King John signing 

 Magua Charta. In a series of thirteen stained glass windows are por- 

 trayed the figures of some of the barons from whom the late duke was 

 descended ; and there are also portraits of his family. Several other 

 rooms are very splendid, and contain many valuable pictures and arti- 

 cles of taste. The park is extensive and finely wooded, presenting a 

 great variety of picturesque scenery. 



The town which was incorporated by Queen Elizabeth has been 

 represented in Parliament ever since the 30th of Edward I. The 

 franchise was in the inhabitants paying scot and lot ; and up to the 

 passing of the Reform Act they returned two members. By the 

 Reform Act the number of representatives was reduced to one ; but 

 the boundaries of the borough remained unaltered. 



The river Arun, on which the town stands, is the property of the 

 Duke of Norfolk ; it is famous for the gray mullets which in summer 

 come up to Arundel in large shoals in quest of a particular weed, 

 the feeding on which renders them a great delicacy; it also 

 contains eels. 



(Rickman's Gothic Architecture; Neale's Views of the Seats of Noble- 

 men and Gentlemen; Dallaway's History of the Western JDivwioti of 

 Sussex; Horsfield's History of Sussex; Tierney's At*undel; Arundel 

 Guide ; Stothard's Monumental Effigies ; Communication from Arundel.) 



ARVE, a river which rises in the mountains of Savoy, flows to the 

 north-west, and falls into the Rhone just below Geneva. Its whole 

 course is about 60 miles. 



The source of the Arve is on the Col de.Balme, at the north-east 

 extremity of the valley of Chamonix ; but its waters are chiefly 

 derived from the glaciers which cover the northern face of the chain 

 of Mont Blanc. This circumstance causes a difference in the tempera- 

 ture of the river, at different distances from its source, the water 

 growing warmer the farther it flows; and leads also to a daily alteration 

 in the temperature at the same place. The melting of the snow goes 

 on faster during the day, and so produces a more abundant flow of 

 water, which is less affected by the warmth of the atmosphere than 

 when the current is smaller, and besides this water traverses the 

 lower country during the coldness of the night. These two causes 

 produce a sensible difference in the temperature of the river near the 

 mouth. From daybreak in the month of August the waters near the 

 mouth have been observed to grow colder till nine or ten o'clock in 

 the morning (the difference being about 4'5 of Fahrenheit) ; the 

 alteration is effected by the arrival at this spot of the waters formed 

 the preceding day by the melting of the snow. From nine or ten in 

 the morning the temperature rises till ten at night, and then after 

 remaining stationary for a time it falls again. The river brings down 

 in its course considerable quantities of a blackish slaty earth, which 

 the inhabitants carefully preserve and scatter over the snow, with 

 which in spring the fields are covered. The heat generated by the 

 action of the rays of the sun on the black earth melts the snow, and 

 thus the fields are left clear several weeks sooner than they would 

 otherwise be. Occasionally when the snow melts more rapidly than 

 usual, the river overflows its banks and the neighbouring country is 

 inundated. 



The current of the Arve is so rapid, that for some time after it 

 enters the Rhone its waters do not mingle with those of that river ; 

 the distinction between the clear waters of the Rh6ne and the 

 muddy torrent of the Arve being clearly perceptible for a considerable 

 distance. 



ARZAMAS, the chief town of a circle in the Russian province of 

 NisLnei-Novgorod, is situated at the confluence of the Arsha and 

 Tesha, in 57 37' N. lat., 43 12' E. long, distant 72 miles S. from the 

 city of Nishnei-Novgorod. The town contains 22 churches, besides 

 a monastery and a convent. It has a mean appearance ; the inhabit- 

 ants are however industrious and thriving, and besides manufacturing 

 large quantities of soap, Russia leather, and silver and iron wares, they 

 are extensively engaged in weaving and dyeing the krashennina, or 

 blue cloth, which is so great a favourite with the Russian women. 

 They likewise export linen, sailcloth, and other domestic products to 

 Moscow and St. Petersburg ; and the crown has a large manufactory 

 of potash in the town. Two annual fairs of some importance are held 

 in the town. Arzamas is connected with the small town of Veshna 

 by means of a bridge across the Tesha, and their united population 

 amounts to about 8000. 



ARZEW. [AwfeRiE.] 



ARZOBISPQ or BONIN ISLANDS. [BoMN.] 



ASAM, ASSAM, or TAEKHA, a country of Asia, north-east of 

 Hindustan, is a valley of great extent, stretching from the meridian 

 of 90 30' to that of 97 30' E., or upwards of 440 miles, between two 

 elevated mountain ranges ; the slopes of which, as far as they belong 

 to this valley, advance on the north to the parallel of 28 30' N. lat., 

 and on the south to 25 30' N. lat. 



Along the north side of this valley, the most eastern chain of tho 

 Himalaya Mountains extends. [HIMALAYA.] The mountains through 

 which the Brahmaputra enters Asam, lying between 97 and 98 E. long., 

 may still be considered as belonging to the Himalaya range, and as 

 forming the most eastern extremity of that extensive chain. The height 

 of these mountains is not precisely known, but probably it is not much 

 short of 20,000 feet ; they bound the valley of Asam on the east. 



