CATAMENIA CATAPULTS. 



vince of Spain, bounded N. by France, E. and S. E. 

 by the Mediterranean, S. \V. by Valencia, and W. 

 by Arragon. Its fonn is nearly that of a triangle, 

 the base towards the Mediterranean being about 140 

 miles in length, the side towards France 120, and 

 that towards Arragon 140. The country in general 

 is mountainous, but intersected with fertile valleys, 

 while the mountains themselves are covered with 

 valuable woods and fruit-trees. Corn, wine, oil, flax, 

 hemp, legumes, and almost every kind of fruit, are 

 abundant. Here are quarries of marble of all col- 

 ours, of crystal, and alabaster ; also topazes, rubies, 

 jaspers, and other precious stones ; mines of lead, 

 tin, iron, alum, vitriol, and salt, and, formerly, of 

 i ild and silver. On the coast is a coral-fishery. 

 Catalonia is naturally much less fertile than either of 

 tJie Castiles ; but it for surjmsses both, and, indeed, 

 every other province in Spain, in the industry of its 

 inhabitants, as well as the improvements which they 

 have effected in manufactures, agriculture, and com- 

 merce. Population, 868,818 ; square miles, 12,111. 

 It has usually been divided into fifteen vigueries or 

 jurisdictions. The principal towns are Barcelona, 

 Tortosa, Tarragona, Gerona, and Villa Franca de 

 Panades. See Spain. 



CATAMENIA (derived from these two Greek 

 words, XT, according to, and pm, the month); 

 menses, the monthly discharge from the uterus of fe- 

 males, between the ages of fourteen and forty-five. 

 Many have questioned whether this discharge arose 

 from a mere rupture of vessels, or whether it was 

 owing to a secretory action. There can be little 

 doubt of the truth of the latter. The secretory or- 

 gan is composed of the arterial vessels situated in 

 the fundus of the uterus. The dissection of women 

 who have died during the time of their menstruating 

 proves this. Sometimes, though very rarely, women, 

 during pregnancy, menstruate ; and, when this hap- 

 pens, the discharge takes place from the arterial ves- 

 sels of the vagina. During pregnancy and lactation, 

 when the person is in good health, the catamenia, 

 for the most part, cease to flow. The quantity a fe- 

 male menstruates at each time is very various, de- 

 pending on climate and a variety of other circum- 

 stances. It is commonly, in England, from five to 

 six ounces : it rarely exceeds eight. Its duration is 

 from three to four, and sometimes, though rarely, five 

 days. With respect to the nature of the discliarge, 

 it differs very much from pure blood. It never coa- 

 gulates, but is sometimes grumous ; and membranes 

 like the decidua, are formed in difficult menstrua- 

 tions. In some women, it always smells rank and 

 peculiar ; in others, it is inodorous. The use of this 

 monthly secretion is said to be, to render the uterus 

 fit for the conception and nutrition of the foetus ; 

 therefore girls rarely conceive before the catamenia 

 appear, and women rarely after their entire cessation, 

 but very easily soon after menstruation. 



CATANIA (anciently Catana) ; a city of Sicily, 

 in the valley of Demona, on the borders of the valley 

 of Noto, the see of a bishop, the suffragan of Mon- 

 real ; 47 miles S.S. W. Messina, 85 E.S.E. Palermo ; 

 lat. 37 30 N.; Ion. 15 & E. The population isva- 

 riously estimated at from 40 to 80,000. It is situated 

 on a gulf of the Mediterranean, at the foot of mount 

 JEtna. This city has been repeatedly visited by tre- 

 mendous earthquakes, and was laid in ruins by one 

 in 1693, when 18,000 people were destroyed ; and 

 upon the situation which it occupied, the present city 

 is built ; the lava sen-ing, at the same time, for a 

 foundation, as well as a quarry, from which stone 

 was dug for its construction. Catania is reviving 

 with great, splendour, and has much more the fea- 

 tures of a metropolis and royal residence than Pa- 

 lermo. The principal streets are wide, and well 



paved with lava. Most of the edifices have an air 

 of magnificence unknown in other parts of the island, 

 and the town lias a title to rank among the elegant 

 cities of Europe. Here is a uiiivcr-ii\ \\iili three fa- 

 culties, much celebrated in Sicily. The inliabiwnts 

 liave always been noted for their superiority over the 

 other Sicilians in politeness. The Benedictine con- 

 vent of St Nicholas is very large. Every jiart has 

 been rebuilt since the earthquake of 1693. An ohe- 

 lisk of red granite, placed on the back of an antique, 

 elepliant of touchstone, stands in the centre of the 

 great square, which is formed by the town-hall, semi- 

 nary, and cathedral. The cathedral, dedicated to Si 

 Agatha, the patroness of the city, has suffered so much 

 by earthquakes, that little of the original structure re- 

 mains. The other religious edifices are profusely 

 ornamented, but in a bad taste. The harlxmr, tliouyii 

 one of the largest in the island, is not much fre- 

 quented ; but the trade is considerable. The exports 

 are wheat, barley, wine, oil, &c. 



CATAPLASMS, or POULTICES, are soft com- 

 pounds, intended to be applied to the surface of the 

 body. They are commonly made of meals, powders, 

 boiled pulps, &c., mixed with water, milk, or some 

 other liquid. They are called sinapisms when mus- 

 tard forms their base. 



CATAPULTS (Latin, catapult* : Greek, ****- 

 T/XTOU) ; certain machines of the ancients, for project- 

 ing missiles, chiefly large beams of wood and heavy 

 stones. Batista were engines somewliKl similarly 

 constructed, but were chiefly eonimed to the shoot- 

 ing of arrows. 



Calapulta. 



They may be described as gigantic cross-bows, the 

 most powerful of which consisted not of a single 

 beam or spring, but of two, inserted each into an up- 

 right coil of ropes, so twisted, that the ends of the 

 arms could not to be drawn towards each other, 

 without producing a most violent recoil. 



Pliny ascribes the invention of catapults to the Sy- 

 rinns ; Plutarch and Diodorus, to other nations. At 



