334 



COLUMBITE COLUMBUS. 



N., within a few miles of the source of the Unijah or 

 Peace river, and, after a course of about 1500 miles, 

 flows into the Pacific ocean between point Adams 

 and cape Disappointment, Ion. 123 54' W., lat 46" 

 19' N. The three great tributaries of this river are 

 the Multnoinah, Lewis's river and Clark's river, all 

 flowing into it on the S. E. side ; the Multnoinah 139 

 miles From its mouth, Lewis's river 413, and Clark's 

 600 miles. At the point of the junction of Lewis's 

 river, the Columbia is 960 yards wide. The tide 

 flows up 183 miles, to within seven miles of the great 

 rapids. Vessels of 300 tons may reach the Multno- 

 inah, and large sloops may ascend as high as the tide. 

 Above the rapids, the navigation is good for sixty-five 

 miles, when it is interrupted by the long narrows ; 

 and six miles higher up, that is, 261 miles above the 

 mouth of the river, it is interrupted by falls of twenty 

 feet perpendicular; above the falls, the navigation 

 continues good to the junction of Lewis's river. The 

 portages around these obstructions of the navigation 

 amount, in all, to five miles. The entrance of the 

 Columbia lies between breakers, which extend from 

 cape Disappointment to a point on the southern 

 shore, over a sort of bar or extensive flat. The en- 

 trance into the river and the egress out of it are dif- 

 ficult at all seasons, and, from October to April, ex- 

 tremely dangerous ; and, in the opinion of experienc- 

 ed navigators, it cannot, at any season, be entered 

 by loaded vessels of 400 tons. The westerly wind 

 prevails on this coast, and the sea breaks on the bar 

 with great violence. The first modern navigator 

 that entered this river was Mr Grey, commander of 

 the ship Columbia, of Boston. He entered it in 1791, 

 and since that time the river has been known by the 

 name of Columbia. It was before called the Oregon 

 and River of the West. The country bordering on 

 the Columbia, towards the ocean, is covered with 

 heavy timber, consisting almost wholly of fir, of which 

 captains Lewis and Clark mention seven species, 

 some growing to a great height. The soil is fertile, 

 composed of a dark rich loam. The length of the 

 valley from north to south has never been ascertain- 

 ed. The climate is much milder than in the same 

 parallel on the Atlantic coast. 



COLUMBITE, or TANTALITE, is the name of 

 the mineral in which the metal columbium is found. 

 It occurs in single crystals, or in small crystalline 

 masses, disseminated through granite. The form of 

 its crystals is that of a rectangular prism, variously 

 terminated at one or both of its extremities. It is 

 black, opaque, scratches glass, and is possessed of a 

 specific gravity varying from 6.46 to 7. It contains, 

 according to Wollaston, oxide of columbium eighty, 

 oxide of iron fifteen, oxide of manganese five. It 

 sometimes contains, also, the oxides of tungsten and 

 of tin. Columbite was first found in Connecticut, at 

 New London, afterwards in Finland, and more lately 

 at Bodenmais, in Bavaria. It is occasionally met 

 with at Haddam,in Connecticut, and has very recent- 

 ly been discovered at Chesterfield, in Massachusetts. 

 Columbite, notwithstanding ils numerous localities, is 

 still an exceedingly rare substance. 



COLUMBIUM. This metal was discovered, in 

 1801, by Mr Hatchett, who detected it in a black 

 mineral, belonging to the British museum, which was 

 originally sent to Sir Hans Sloane by governor Win- 

 throp, of Connecticut, and was supposed to have 

 been found near New London, in that state. About 

 two years after, M. Ekeberg, a Swedish chemist, ex- 

 tracted the same substance from tantalite and yttro- 

 tantalite, and, on the supposition of its being different 

 from columbium, described it under the name of 

 tantalum.. The identity of these metals, however, 

 was established, in 1809, by doctor Wollaston. Co- 

 lumbium exists in its ores as an acid, united either 



with the oxides of iron, manganese and tin, as in the 

 columbite or tantalite : or in combination with the 

 earth yttria, as in the yttro-columbite, or yttro-tanta- 

 lite. This acid is obtained by fusing its ore with 

 three or four times its weight of carbonate of potash, 

 when a soluble columbate of that alkali results, from 

 which columbic acid is precipitated as a white hydrate 

 by acids. When this acid is exposed to the united 

 agency of charcoal and intense heat, it is reduced to 

 the metallic state. The metal is brittle, of an iron- 

 grey colour, and feebly-metallic lustre. Its specific 

 gravity is 5. 6. It is not attacked by the nitric, muria- 

 tic or nitro-muriatic acids, but is converted into the 

 acid by being heated with potash or nitre. Colum- 

 bium has hitherto been obtained in very minute 

 quantities, and has never been applied to any eco- 

 nomical purpose. Cohunbite, the ore from whence 

 it is obtained, has of late been discovered in several 

 places in New England. 



COLUMBO ; a city of Ceylon ; 70 miles, S. W. 

 Candy ; Ion. 79 47' E. ; lat. 6 58' N. ; population 

 estimated at upwards of 50,000. It is the capital of 

 the island, the seat of government, situated on tlit' 

 S. W. part. The plan of the city is regular, nearly 

 divided into four quarters by two principal streets, 

 and the town is built more in the European style 

 than most garrisons in India, though but few of the 

 houses have more than one story. Nearly all the fo- 

 reign trade of Ceylon is carried on from Columbo ; 

 but the harbour is difficult of access, and unsafe for 

 large vessels. Scarcely any place in the world dis- 

 plays a greater variety of nations, manners, and re- 

 ligions. 



COLUMBUS, CHRISTOPHER (in Spanish, Clmsto- 

 val Colon ; in Italian, Cristoforo Colombo, which is his 

 real name), one of the greatest men mentioned in his- 

 tory, was born in Genoa, about 1435, and not, as 

 some assert, at Cuccaro, in Montferrat. His father, 

 Domenico Colombo, a poor woolcomber, gave him a 

 careful education. He soon evinced a strong pas- 

 sion for geographical knowledge, and an irresistible 

 inclination for the sea, and, at Fourteen years of age, 

 he began to navigate hi the Mediterranean. We 

 afterwards find him in command of a vessel, in a 

 squadron which a relation of his had fitted out against 

 the Mohammedans and Venetians. In one of his 

 engagements with the Venetians, the vessel which 

 he commanded took fire, and Columbus saved his 

 life by swimming ashore. Portugal at that time at- 

 tracted the attention of Europe by her maritime ex 

 peditions, and Columbus repaired to Lisbon, where 

 he found relations and countrymen. Here he mar- 

 ried the daughter of Bartolomeo de Palestrello, a dis- 

 tinguished navigator, who had participated in the 

 discovery of Porto Santo, and had left many charts 

 and nautical instruments. Columbus made use of 

 these materials, and his opinion that the other side of 

 the globe contained land, belonging to Eastern Asia, 

 and connected with India, which was, as yet, little 

 known, became more and more fixed. Whilst the 

 Portuguese were seeking for it by a south-east course 

 round Africa, he was convinced that there must be a 

 shorter way by the west. He applied in vain to his 

 native city, Genoa, for assistance, and equally fruit- 

 less were his endeavours to interest John II. of Por- 

 tugal in the enterprise. He then determined to ap- 

 ply to the Spanish court. His brother Bartholomew 

 sailed for England, but was captured by pirates. 

 Columbus explained his plan to Ferdinand and Isa- 

 bella of Spain, and, after an eight years' struggle 

 with the obstacles thrown in his way by ignorance 

 and malice, he received three small vessels, with 120 

 men. Two of the vessels were light barques, called 

 caravals, like the coasting craft of modern davs, \\iih 

 forecastles and cabins for the crew, but without a 



