731 



AZOTUS. 



AZTECS. 



782 



s ulphuric vapours issue in abundance, and which is surrounded by 

 hills composed of pumice-stone. It is stated that these crevices were 

 formed by tlie earthquake of 1614, which was the last experienced in 

 the island, up to 1841, when the town of Pray a was completely 

 destroyed by an earthquake, and the whole island suffered much. 

 The most elevated part of the island is in the middle, and extends 

 from east to west, where it terminates with Punta Seretta. The 

 island has only three harbours, Praya on the east, Angra on the south, 

 and Biscoitos on the north-west, but the anchorage is bad, and with 

 certain winds vessels are obliged to seek the open sea. The soil ia 

 composed of volcanic ashes, pumice-stone, slags, decomposed lava, a 

 quantity of ferruginous matter, a small portion of clay or sand, and 

 a little limestone. But a large quantity of vegetable matter is mixed 

 with these materials, which imparts to the soil a considerable degree 

 of fertility. Grain is cultivated only on the more level and low tracts 

 along the coast. The interior is overgrown with trees. 



The climate is known to be very moderate, the average range of 

 the thermometer being only from 50 to 76, and rarely exceeding 

 these two extremes, the weather not being subject to great changes. 

 Showers of rain are frequent throughout the year, and as violent in 

 winter u they are in the neighbouring island of Pico. The sea 

 which surrounds the Azores is exposed to incessant gusts and gales, 

 on which account it is rather dreaded by seamen. The changes of the 

 wind are frequent and sudden, rendering the navigation between the 

 U very tedious. 



Grain and cattle are the staple articles furnished by this island. 

 The principal objects of cultivation are wheat, Indian corn, flax, 

 French and broad beans, and a little barley. A considerable quantity 

 of corn is exported to Portugal. The most common Vegetables are 

 yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and capsicums. All the fruit- 

 trees of Southern Europe succeed ; the oranges of Terceira are now 

 hardly inferior to those of St. Michael's, and are, with lemons, largely 

 exported to England. The vineyards are extensive, but the wine is 

 converted into brandy, and the wine consumed in the island is 

 imported from Fayal. The apples, pears, figs, chestnuts, and walnuts 

 are good. On the declivities there are some pine-woods and beech-trees. 

 Quantities of orchilla are collected from the rocks. Goats are 

 numerous. A few small horses are reared ; oxen and asses, which are 

 numerous, are used as beasts of burden. Hogs are very numerous, 

 and are fed on Indian corn and chestnuts. There are no wild 

 animals, except rabbits, and no poisonous reptiles. Fowls and 

 turkeys abound. There are thousands of blackbirds, woodcocks, and 

 partridges. Fish is said to be abundant. Sometimes whales are 

 seen near the island. 



The population is settled in three towns and fifteen villages. Angra 

 is the capital [ANORA]. Praya, which has about 3000 inhabitants, is 

 situated in the centre of a beautiful sandy deep bay, well defended 

 by nature and art, and has some commerce with Portugal and 

 Madeira : it exports grain and live-stock. 



Very good linen and coarse woollen cloth is made on the island for 

 home consumption. Coarse earthenware is also manufactured to a 

 considerable extent, the clay for which is imported from Santa Maria. 

 The exports consist of grain and live-stock, which go to Portugal and 

 Madeira, and of brandy, oranges, and orchilla, which go chiefly to 

 England and Hamburgh. The imports are principally coarse cotton 

 fabrics, some woollen cloth, hardware and cutlery, and cod, most of 

 which articles are brought from England. The average annual 

 amount of imports during 1836-40 was 21,715i, that of exports 

 wag 34,8311. A good deal of smuggling is carried on. 



Terceira wag discovered in 1445 ; and it then received its present 

 appellation, being the third of the Azores in the order of discovery. 

 It was then uninhabited, but it was immediately settled by several 

 families from Portugal. In 1580, when Philip II. took possession of 

 Portugal, the inhabitants declared against him, and repulsed his fleet 

 from their shores ; but in 1583 they were obliged to submit. In 1828, 

 when Don Miguel had abolished the constitutional government of 

 Portugal, and proclaimed himself absolute king, Terceira declared for 

 Donna Maria ; and in 1 829 a large fleet and army sent by Don Miguel 

 for the conquest of the island were repulsed with great loss from the 

 town of Praya. In 1831 the other islands of the group were 

 recovered for Donna Maria by a small number of troops sent there 

 from Terceira. 



(Ashe's History of the Azoret or Western hlandi ; Von Buch's 



Phyiikalische Beschreil/uny der Canariichm Inseln ; Fowler's J<* "//<// 



of a Tour in the State of ffea York, and Return to England hi/ Hie 



Western Itlamh ; Bnid'g Description of the Azores or Western hlandi; 



Geographical Journal.) 



AZOTUS. [AsHDOD.] 



AZTECS is the name of a tribe who settled last in that part of 

 America now called Mexico. They were living as a tribe about the 

 year 1160 of our era in Aztlan, a country situated to the north of 

 the Gulf of California. A man of great influence in the tribe named 

 Huilziton availed himself, as it is said, of the chirping of a bird to 

 persuade the men to leave their native abode. Having crossed the 

 Ki<> Colorado, or one of ita feeders, at a point beyond 35 N. lat., 

 they proceeded south-eastward to the river Oila, where they lived for 

 ome time, as appears from the ruing of certain ancient buildings 

 found on the banks of that river. After dwelling in several places, 



they arrived at Hueicolhuacan, or Culiacan, 24 54' N. lat., 108 1' 

 W. long. Here they remained three years, reformed their calendar, 

 and constructed a wooden image of their god Huitzilopochtli. In 

 1196 they arrived at Tula. From this place they removed in 1216 

 to Zumpauco, in the valley, where afterwards the city of Mexico was 

 founded. They were kindly received by the chief of that place, 

 Tochpanecatl ; and after wandering some years about the Lake of 

 Tezcuco, they finally settled at Acocolco, a group of islands in the 

 southern extremity of the lake. The chief of Colhuacan waged war 

 against them, and in 1314 reduced them to slavery. In this 

 wretched state they lived for nearly half a century at Tizapan. A 

 service which the Aztecs rendered to their masters in a war between 

 the Colhuacanians and the Xochimilchians was the means of 

 procuring them their liberty. Clavigero says (torn. i. p. 166) that 

 after the battle the Aztecs asked their masters for some victim to 

 offer to their god, and that they were presented with a dead bird 

 wrapped up in a piece of coarse stuff. During the night the Aztec 

 priests removed this mean offering from the altar, and placed 

 instead of it some odoriferous plants, and a knife of itzli or obsidian. 

 On the following morning they invited the Colhuacanians to the 

 festival, and bringing out four prisoners whom they had concealed, 

 the priests sacrificed them in the horrid manner ever afterwards 

 practised by the Aztecs. The Colhuacanians, horror-struck at this 

 scene of blood, ordered this cruel tribe to remove from their terri- 

 tory. The Aztecs then fixed their abode in Acatzitzintlan, but 

 wishing to separate themselves still further from their masters 

 proceeded to Yztacalco, a group of islands which were situated in 

 the western part of the lake. On one of these islands they found 

 an eagle perched upon a nopal which grew out of a rock, and they 

 selected that spot for their permanent abode, in compliance with the 

 oracle of their god, who gave them that omen as a sign of the 

 termination of their migration. They built there a wooden toocalli, 

 or temple to their idol, and encompassed it with houses, giving the 

 place the name of Tenochtitlau, that is, the place of a nopal upon a 

 rock, and also of Mexicaltzinco, from the name of their god of war, 

 Huitzilopochtli, or Mexitli, from which the present name of Mexico 

 is corrupted by the Spaniards. This event, according to the Aztecs' 

 chronology, took place in the year of the two Calli (1325 of our era). 

 They divided their city into four quarters, each of which they 

 dedicated to some particular god, to whose honour they built a 

 teocalli. 



In 1338 discord arose among them, and the tribe was divided 

 into two factions, one of which removed to a small island north-west 

 of the teocalli of Mexitli, where they built a town, called at first 

 Xaltilolco, and afterwards Tlatelolco, which was conquered and 

 united to Tenochtitlan under the reign of Axajacatl, about A.D. 1464. 



The government of the Aztecs was at first aristocratical. A body 

 of twenty men of the most distinguished in the tribe presided over 

 the affairs of the nation. About the middle of the 14th century 

 both branches adopted the monarchical form of government. On 

 the death of Huitzilihuitl, the second king of Mexico, it was estab- 

 lished as a law that four of the nobles should elect a king out of 

 the collateral relations of the deceased monarch, to the exclusion of 

 his children. This law continued till the destruction of the empire. 

 Montezuma-Ilhuicamina, the first of that name, was the great 

 legislator of the Aztecs. He also erected the great teocalli of Mexico, 

 made several important conquests, and after the great inundation, 

 which took place in ] 446, ordered the construction of a magnificent 

 dyke, 9 miles long and 16J feet wide. In a succession of wars with 

 the surrounding states, the Aztecs extended their dominion over all 

 the country comprising the modern districts of Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, 

 Puebla, Mexico, and Valladolid, an extent, according to Humboldt, of 

 from 18,000 to 20,000 square leagues. 



Until the latter times of the empire the royal authority was 

 restrained within very narrow limits. The emperors were not 

 allowed to undertake any affair of importance which could affect the 

 community, without first consulting the three supreme councils of 

 the nation. These councils were composed of the nobility. With 

 the power acquired by conquests the emperors gained every day more 

 ascendancy over the nation, until, under the emperor Motezuma II., 

 the Aztec government degenerated into a complete despotism. When 

 the king was chosen he was consecrated with many fantastic and 

 superstitious ceremonies by the high-priest, after which he was 

 compelled to fast rigidly for four days ; then he went to war in order 

 to procure prisoners-to serve as victims at the festival of the corona- 

 tion. When the king returned from this expedition he was solemnly 

 crowned. All the offices in the king's household were held by the 

 first nobility. Other nobles superintended the cultivation of the 

 lands belonging to the king, and had the usufruct of them. 



When war had been decided upon against any nation by the king 

 and his councils, an ambassador was sent to the chief of that nation, 

 to signify to him the motive of the war, and to propose the means of 

 avoiding it. If the chief submitted to the terms proposed, peace was 

 granted ; if he refused, two successive embassies were then sent, the 

 first to the most influential men in the nation and another to the 

 people. They also sent with their ambassadors an image of their god 

 Mexitli, which if the enemies placed among their own gods, that 

 nation became the allies of the Aztecs. In every nation of Auahuao 



