CIVI1 A CLAP. 



257 



nnuon, which arrives at a marked intellectual deve- 

 lopment, goes through certain stages of civilization, 

 and, after reaching the highest point which it is cap- 

 able of attaining, declines ; that, moreover, the march 

 of improvement in different nations shows itself in 

 different ways, e. g., by the progress of the fine arts 

 and philosophy among the Greeks, by the advance- 

 ment of the natural sciences and the construction of 

 great works of architecture among the Egyptians, by 

 the development of the law among the Romans, &c. 

 3. Some believe in a general progress of the intellect 

 to a certain point, after which an equally general de- 

 cline commences, thus making the race subject to 

 the same laws as the individual. 4. Some persons 

 cannot discover any regularity in the march of civili- 

 zation. However these different opinions may ap- 

 pear, when measured by metaphysical theories, the 

 second seems to be most conformable to history, with 

 this qualification, however, that the increasing com- 

 munication between nations has subjected many to 

 similar influences, so that the opinion is applicable, 

 at present, rather to families of nations than to single 

 ones. Another subject, on which much difference of 

 opinion exists, is, respecting the place where civiliza- 

 tion originated. It is usually said, in Asia : some in- 

 quirers, however, make Ethiopia its first seat, hi sup- 

 port of which opinion, various passages are cited from 

 the Greek writers. Little doubt seems to exist, that 

 the Greeks received their civilization from Egypt, Mr 

 Alexander Everett, in his work on America, goes so 

 far as to maintain that it appears, from the historical 

 sources w'e possess, that civilization commenced with 

 the blacks ; that " the blameless Ethiopians" of Ho- 

 mer were considered, by the Greeks, as superior 

 beings to themselves ; and that the Egyptians, be- 

 fore they became mingled with white races, were 

 people of colour, or negroes an opinion which the 

 learned gentleman has recently advanced again in a 

 public lecture. A further and highly important ques- 

 tion respecting civilization, is, How far was it aided or 

 produced by Christianity ? Some persons contend that 

 all the civilization which we enjoy is owing to Chris- 

 tianity, even our progress in science, &c. Others assert 

 the contrary, and say, that history shows that Chris- 

 tianity has hardly ever taken the lead in promoting 

 civilization, which, in every stage of its progress since 

 the birth of Christ, has been urged on by other causes, 

 as the revival of learning, promoted by the conquest 

 of Constantinople, the propagation of democratic no- 

 tions by the disbelieving philosophers of France, &c., 

 and that Christianity rather accommodated itself to 

 the effects produced by these causes. A third class 

 believe that Christianity had a great influence on ci- 

 vilization in former ages, but that its influence in this 

 respect has become less, as that of science has be- 

 come stronger. See Perfectibility. 



C I VITA, in geography, the Latin civitas, truncat- 

 ed in the Italian way, appears in many names of 

 cities, as Civita Lavinia. 



CIVITA VECCHIA (anciently Centum Cellee) ; a 

 seaport of the popedom, in the patrimony of St Peter, 

 27 miles N. W. Rome; Ion. 11 45' E. ; lat. 42 5' 

 N. ; population, 7,111. The port was enlarged and 

 rendered commodious by Trajan. It is one of the best 

 in the papnl dominion, and next to Ancona in commer- 

 cial importance. Here are about 6000 galley-slaves. 

 It is the capital of the delegation Civita Vecchia. 



CLACKMANNANSHIRE, a county of Scotland, 

 bounded on the south and south-west by the river 

 Forth, whicli separates it from Stirlingshire, on the 

 south-east by Fifeshire, and at every other point by 

 Perthshire. It is the smallest county of' Scotland, 

 being only about eight miles long and six and a half 

 oroad. Adjacent to the Forth, the surface of the 

 county is plain and fertile, yielding an abundance of 

 it. 



corn, agriculture having been here brought to high 

 perfection. Towards the north-east, the ground gra- 

 dually rises into the Ochil hills, which, besides afford- 

 ing excellent pasture for sheep, produce plenty of 

 coal, freestone, iron-stone and granite, and in some 

 parts silver, lead, copper, and iron-ores, with cobalt, 

 antimony, agates, pebbles, and a few specimens of the 

 topaz. The coast is indented with numerous creeks, 

 the resort of fishermen, including several secure har- 

 bours, the principal of which are Alloa, and its subor- 

 dinate port Clackmannan. The public works of the 

 county consist chiefly of breweries and distilleries. 

 The town of Clackmannan is nominally the capital of 

 the county, although Alloa (q. v.) is so virtually. Po- 

 pulation of the town in 1831, 4266; of the county, 

 14,729. 



CLAIRON, CLAIRE-JoSEPHE-Hll'POLYTE-LEGRIS 



DE LA TUDE; a celebrated French actress. She 

 evinced, when very young, a predilection for the stage, 

 and, adopting the profession, soon became the first 

 tragic performer of her age and country. Garrick, 

 when he visited Paris, became acquainted with her, 

 and afterwards testified the highest admiration of her 

 talents. She long remained without a rival, and, 

 having retired from the stage, died at an advanced 

 age, in 1803. She published Memoircs et Reflexions 

 sur la Declamation Theatrale. 



CLAN (Gaelic, a tribe or family), among the High- 

 landers of Scotland, consisted of the common descend- 

 ants of the same progenitor, under the patriarchal 

 control of a chief, who represented the common an- 

 cestor. The name of the clan was formed of that 

 of the original progenitor with the affix mac (son) : 

 thus the MacDonalds were the sons of Donald, 

 and every individual of this name was consider- 

 ed a descendant of the founder of the clan, 

 and a brother of every one of its members. 

 The chief exercised his authority by right of primo- 

 geniture, as the lather of his clan : the clansmen re- 

 vered and served the chief with the blind devotion of 

 children. The appellation of the chiefs had, gener- 

 ally, a reference to the history of their ancestors, and 

 denoted little more than that they were the descend- 

 ants of the first father of the clan ; thus the chief of the 

 Macdonnells was Mac Allister More (the son of the 

 great Allister). They were distinguished from the 

 rest of the clan by a feather in their bonnets. Each clan 

 was divided into two orders, the tenants or tacksmen, 

 the near relations of the chief, to whom portions of 

 land were assigned, during pleasure or on short 

 leases, and whose descendants were generally merg- 

 ed in the second class, or commoners, by the resump- 

 tion of the land. The tacksman usually liad a sub- 

 division of the clan under him, of which he was 

 chieftain, subject, however, to the general head of 

 the sept. The jurisdiction of the chiefs was not very 

 accurately defined, but, as is generally the case in 

 such a state of society, it was necessary to consult, 

 in some measure, the opinions of the most influential 

 clansmen, and the general wishes of the whole body. 

 The rebellions of 1715 and 1745 induced the EngHsh 

 government to break up the connexion which sub- 

 sisted between the chiefs and the clansmen. The 

 hereditary jurisdiction of the chiefs was, therefore, 

 abolished, the people disarmed, and even compelled 

 to relinquish their national dress ; and but tew traces 

 of this institution now remain. (See Mrs Grant's 

 Superstitions of the Highlanders. ) 



CLAP, THOMAS, president of Yale college, was 

 born at Scituate, Massachusetts, June 26, 1703. He 

 was graduated at Harvard college, hi 1722, and after- 

 wards commenced the study of divinity. For his ac- 

 quisitions in this and hi various other brandies of 

 knowledge, particularly mathematics, astronomy, na- 

 tural and moral philosophy, history, the civil and 



