









hetul of the Ghibeltnes of Pisa, completely defeated tho Florentine*, 

 joined by the other Guelphs of Tuscany, at Monte < 



vole. L'guocione was succeeded in the command of the Ghibe- 

 line* of Tuscany by Cwtruooio Castracaui, lord >( Lucca, who took 

 PUtoja, and defeated the Florentine* in a pitched battle at Altopasoio, 

 new the manh<* of Bientina, in September, 1 335. Cwtmccio advanced 

 to within a mile of Florence, but the Florentine* n-ceived timely assist- 

 aooe from the Anjou king of Maple* ; while the emperor Ludovio V. 

 came into Italy to support Caitruocio and the Ohibclines, whose cause 

 however met soon after with an irreparable low by the death of Caa- 



. in September, 132;?. Charles, duke of Calabria, on whom the 

 Florentine* in their distress had conferred the signoria or lordship of 

 their city, died about the same time, and his death perhaps saved 

 them from having a muter. While they were threatened by Cas- 

 truecio, one of their principal merchant houses failed for the sum of 

 400,000 golden florins, which added greatly to their distress. In 1333 

 a great flood of the Amo carried away three bridges, part of the walls, 

 laid most of the street* of Florence under water, and caused heavy 

 damage. Some years afterwards two more commercial companies, 

 Peruzzi and Bardi, failed in consequence of the loss of 1,365,000 

 golden florins, being capital and interest of sums which they hod 

 advanced to Edward III. of England, and which he waa unable to 



These facts give an insight into the sources of the extraordinary 

 wealth and resources of the Florentines. These sources were twofold, 

 the numerous manufactures at home and the trade and banking 

 speculations carried on by Florentine merchants abroad. Among the 

 manufactures the most important were those of woollens, silks, and 

 jewellery. The citizens of Florence were classed from 1266 into 

 12 arti, or companies of trades or professions, seven of which were 

 called arti maggiori, namely 1, lawyers and attorneys ; 2, dealers in 

 foreign stuffs ; 3, bankers and money-changers ; 4, woollen manufac- 

 turers and drapers ; 6, physicians and apothecaries ; 6, silk manufac- 

 turers and mercers ; 7, furriers. The arti miuori, or lower trades, 

 were originally five smiths, shoemakers, butchers, carpenters, and 

 masons; but they were afterwards increased to 14. Every citizen 

 who wished to be eligible to office was required to inscribe 

 his name on the rolls of one of the trades. Dante hod his name 

 inscribed on the roll of the apothecaries, although he never exercised 

 that profession. Of the importance of their foreign trade, and the 

 influence which the Florentine merchants or bankers had attained in 

 foreign countries, we have a proof in the fact, that when Pope Boniface 

 VIII., after his election, received the congratulatory addresses of 

 foreign states, it was observed that no less than twelve envoys accre- 

 dited to him on the occasion were citizens of Florence. 



Their armies were chiefly composed of mercenaries and auxiliaries, 

 and commanded by a foreign captain, or condottiere. The towns and 

 districts subject to Florence retained their local statutes, and elected 

 their own magistrates, but they had no shore in the central government 

 of the republic. 



Fresh diseeusions among themselves and an unfortunate campaign 

 against Pisa made the Florentines look out again for a foreign protector. 

 Weary of feuds they elected Oaultier de Briemie, of French extrac- 

 tion, but born in Greece, who bore the title of Duke of Athens, but 

 was an officer in the service of Robert, king of Naples, lord of 

 Florence for life, in 1342. He began by putting to death or sending 

 into exile a number of citizens of the wealthier popular families who 

 had till now kept the government in their own hands, and who were 

 obnoxious both to the nobles who were excluded from office and to 

 the inferior orders who attributed to them all their troubles. Having 

 a foreign force of Frenchmen and Neapolitans at his disposal, his 

 sentences were summarily executed. In the course of ten months he 

 contrived to draw 400,000 golden florins, which he transmitted to 

 Naples. He soon incurred the hatred of all parties, and having con- 

 voked for the 26th July, 1343, a number of distinguished citizens to 

 consult with them on the affairs of state, but really for the purpose 

 of putting them to death, the people, who were already prepared, 

 rushed to the palace at the cry of ' popolo, popolo,' dispersed the 

 duke's cavalry, and obliged him to capitulate on the 3rd of August, 

 when the bishop of Florence had him conveyed safely with his men 

 ouUide of the territory of the republic. Thus Florence recovered its 

 independence, and the memory of that deliverance, called ' la Cacciata 

 del LHica d'Atene,' is still solemnised at Florence by tho display of 

 the flags of the various trades on tho 26th of July. 



It was now agreed that the grondi, or ancient nobles, should have a 

 share of the offices of the state, but as they soon assumed too much, 

 they were driven away again from the town-hall Upon this they 

 took up arms, and a battle ennued in the streets of Florence, in which 

 the grand! were defeated and their houses plundered and burnt. This 

 was the Uwt struggle of the nobles at Florence. (Machiavelli, lib. 11.) 

 Hut a few yean after a new quarrel broke out between two . 

 citizen families, the Albizzi and the Kicci, whi. h ,ih |.|. ,l th city into 

 two parties again. The Albizzi nt length preponderated, and after 

 exiling number of citizens of the opposite party, they formed a 

 government composed entirely of popplani grami, or wealthy citizens. 

 The lower trades, instigated by the Kicci and the Medici, who began 

 at that time to court notice and popularity, broke out into insurrec- 

 tion in 1878, forced the town-hall, burnt the archives, and after throe 



; i nivliy , elected a woolcomber, Michele Lando, as c: 

 to, Lando, who was a man of natural good sense, succeed 

 Bstabliihing order and checking the rioters. After several yean 

 troubles, the popolani grasni, with the Albizzi at their head, 

 mmed po < and formed a new aristocracy, \vhich suc- 



ceeded in retaining the reins of government for 62 yean, not h< > 

 without occasional tumults, conspiracies, and insurrections, until tie- 

 year 1400. From that year, Machiavelli says, the city remained 

 internally quiet till 1433, the longest period of tranquillity which 

 Florence hud ever known. The Florentines acquired pomes lion, 

 partly by force and partly by purchase, of Coi 

 (Leghorn), part of the Romagna, and lastly of Pisa, win, 

 through famine and treachery :ber 1406. 



The administration of the Albizzi was overthrown by Cosmo de' 

 Medici, a popular citizen and a princely merchant, in 1434. 



The first house of Medici respected the republican forms, aii>l 

 contented with exercising the chief influence in the state without 

 emerging from the class of citizens. But tho foreign wars which 

 desolated Italy in the loth century effected the fall of that rep 

 when a member of a lateral branch of the Medici, the line of Cosmo 

 having become extinct, was placed by Charles V. as Duke of Florence. 

 The ducal dynasty of the Medici continued to rule till the year 

 when, becoming extinct, they were succeeded by Francis of Lorraine, 

 afterwards emperor of Germany, and husband of Maria Tim 

 Austria. From this period the history of Florence merges in the 

 history of Tuscany. [TUSCANY.] 

 FLOUKNCK. [ALABAMA.] 

 K1.0UKNT, ST. [CORSICA.] 

 FLORES. [AZORES.] 

 FLORIANA. [MALTA.] 



FLO'RIDA, the most southern of the United States of North 

 America, comprehends a narrow tract of laud extending along tho 

 northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, between 83 and - 

 long., and the peninsula, 320 miles long, and in its broadest i.u-t li!" 

 miles wide, which forms tho north-eastern boundary of the Cull >! 

 Mexico : the peninsula and adjacent country as far west as the Appa- 

 lachicola lliver were formerly called East Florida, and the tract west 

 of that river West Florida, but these names are now only employed 

 as local designations. Florida lies between 25 and 31 N. Lit., and 

 80 and 87 45' W. long. It is bounded N. by the states of Ala 

 and Georgia, E. by the Atlantic Ocean, and S. and W. by the Gulf of 

 Mexico. Its area is estimated at 59,268 square miles, or about 

 square miles more than that of England. The following table I 

 the population and the proportion of free coloured persons and 

 in this state according to the decennial returns, from the first state 

 census in 1830. The total population in 



1830 was 34,730, including 644 free coloured persons and 15,501 slarcs. 

 1840 54,477, 817 25,717 



1850 87,445, 932 39,310 ,, 



The federal representative population given by this census is 71,7-", 

 in which number three-fifths of the slaves are included. This entitles 

 the state to send one representative to Congress. To tho Senate, like 

 each of the other United States, Florida sends two members. 



CotaUiue, Surface. Florida has a coast-line considerably more than 

 1000 miles in length, but so obstructed by shallows and sand-banks as 

 to afford few available harbours. The whole of the east 

 flat, and skirted by low narrow islands of sand, which lie parallel to 

 the mainland, and are separated from it by narrow and shallow 

 lagunes, which cannot be navigated even by vessels of small burden. 

 This coast has no harbours, except those formed by rivers and inlets 

 at the northern extremity, where that of St. Augustine has 10 feet, 

 St. John 15 feet, and St. Mary 20 feet water at high tides. 



Opposite the southern extremity of the peninsula there is a series of 

 small rocky islands called keys (a corruption of 'cayos') mostly 

 covered with wood. They begin on the west with a cluster of rocks 

 and sand-bonks called the Tortugos, and continue for some distance 

 eastward, but afterwards turn to the north-east and north, and 

 terminate at Cape Florida, 25" 47' N. lat. These islands, whieh arc 

 called the Florida Keys, ore skirted towards the south and coat by a 

 long narrow coral reef, called the Florida Reef, and both the Florida 

 Keys and the Florida Reef may be considered as constituting in this 

 place the loft bonk of the Gulf Stream, the beginning of which may 

 be fixed between the Tortugos and tho coast of Cuba, near the 

 Havanna. The Gulf Stream rapidly increases in velocity, and 1 

 Cape Florida and the Bernini Islands sometimes runs five mil> 

 hour. It continues with nearly the same velocity along the eastern 

 shores of Florida up to tho mouth of St. Mary's River. Tho chief of 

 the keys, Key West (a corruption of Cayo Hueso), is about six miles 

 long and two miles broad, with a spacious harbour which a 

 shelter to vessels of the largest size. Key West, long tho haunt .!' 

 pirates and smugglers, is now an important state naval station, and 

 bonds of 'wreckers' are placed here for the assistance of vessels in 

 distress, this part of the coast being extremely dangerous. Thirty 

 vessels in distress put into Key West in 1850 which had been ashore 

 on the reef. The island, which commands the Florida Channel 

 entrance into the Gulf of Mexico, is strongly fortified ; Fort Taylor 

 at the north-west angle of the island, about 1000 feet lung by 250 feet 

 deep has been constructed in the most substantial manner at a cost 



