536 



CRCESUS CROiMLECH. 



used to pass the winter months buried in the mini, in 

 a slate of torpidity. They are still common eiionah 

 in the river Senegal, the Jaire, Joliba, &c. The 

 size to which these creatures grow is very remark- 

 able, and would lead us to believe that they live to 

 a vast age. It is stated by excellent authorities, 

 Utat individuals have been killed in Upper Egypt 

 measuring thirty feet in length. M. Cioquet, who 

 was one of the French institute engaged in explor- 

 ing that country wlu'le the armies of the republic 

 \\ ere present, saw a crocodile twenty-five feet long. 

 A little reflection upon the muscular power of such 

 a reptile will serve to convince us of its ability to 

 commit extensive ravages on the lives of other crea- 

 tures. There are numerous particulars connected 

 with the anatomy of these beings, which are very 

 i -unions and interesting. Such are the articulations 

 of the lower jaw with the upper, the joint being so 

 1; i r back as to cause almost every incidental observer 

 to believe, tliat the upper, not the lower, jaw is 

 moved in opening the mouth ; the lateral spines on 

 the vertebrae, which prevent the turning of the body, 

 except in a large circle ; the curious set of ribs 

 designed exclusively for the protection of the belly, 

 aided by two broad bones standing on the anterior 

 edge of the pelvis, which may be compared with 

 the tussa marsupialia of certain quadrupeds ; the 

 construction of the external ears ; the apparatus for 

 Uie protection of the eye, &c., &c. But for such 

 details, we are under the necessity of referring the 

 reader to treatises especially devoted to their illus- 

 tration. The species of crocodile admitted by Cuvier, 

 in the excellent researches contained in the tenth and 

 twelfth volumes of the Annales du Museum, are the 

 follunring: 1. the common crocodile of Egypt (C. 

 vulgtrif ; 2. the double-crested (C. biporcatus) ; 3. 

 the lozenge crocodile (C. rhombifer) ; 4. the two- 

 nlate crocodile (C. biscutatus) ; and 5. the Haytian 

 (C. acutus), the only true crocodile found in the new 

 world, according to his definition. The memoirs above 

 referred to contain very minute and satisfactory ac- 

 counts of the discriminating marks of these species, 

 and to that source the reader who desires such infor- 

 mation may refer with great advantage. 



CRCESUS, the last king of^Lydia, lived in the sixth 

 century before Christ. He was brave, and augmented 

 his empire by the conquest of many provinces of Asia 

 Minor. His riches, which lie obtained chiefly from 

 miii^s, and the gold dust of the river Pactolus, were 

 greater than those of any king before him ; the expres- 

 sion, " riches of Croesus," came to signify unbounded 

 wealth. Proud of his treasures, he carried his love 

 of splendour to extravagance, and thought himself 

 the happiest of men. Herodotus tells us that Solon 

 visited him at his court, and, on being asked by him 

 who was the happiest man he knew, mentioned first, 

 Tellus, then Cleobis and Biton, all three humble in- 

 dividuals of Greece, who had died in the midst of a 

 virtuous career. The story of these individuals, as 

 related by Solon, is one of the most affecting and 

 charming passages in the work of the father of his- 

 tory. Croesus manifested displeasure that the choice 

 of the sage had not fallen upon him ; but Solon re- 

 minded him that no one can be safely pronounced 

 happy until his death ; and Croesus was soon forced 

 to acknowledge the truth of the reflection, having 

 lost two beloved sons by violent death, and having 

 been conquered himself by Cyrus, against whom he 

 had waged war for the benefit of the Babylonians. 

 He was taken prisoner in his capital, Sardis, and, 

 having been placed on a pile in order to be burnt, he 

 three times exclaimed, " Oh, Solon !" Cyrus hav- 

 ing learned the meaning of his exclamation, was 

 much movedj ordered him to descend, took him as 

 his companion in his wars, and treated him well. 



The. time of the death of Croesus is not known. He 

 was alive in the reign of Cumbyses, the son and suc- 

 cessor of Cyrus. He is represented as one of the 

 most pious among the ancients, constantly labour- 

 ing to please the gods. Some historians deny the 

 interview with Solon ; others do not mention liis 

 having been sentenced to be burnt : at all events, 

 the liistory as it is told in Herodotus is equalled by 

 few narratives, true or fictitious, in toucliing simpli- 

 city. 



CROCUS. See Saffron. 



CRO1SADE. See Crusade. 



CROIX, SAINT, is the name of many rivers and 

 places, as is also Santa Croce in Italian, Santa Cruz 

 in Spanish, and the compositions with Kreux in Ger- 

 man. Among the many St Croix are : 



St Croix or Schoodic, or Passamaqu-oddy ; a river 

 of North America, which divides Maine from New 

 Brunswick, and flows into Passamaqnoddy bay. It is 

 navigable for sliips twenty-five miles. 



St Croix; a river in the North-West Territory, 

 which runs into the Mississippi ninety miles below 

 St Anthony's falls. It is navigable for boats about 

 100 miles. 



St Croix ; a river of Canada, wluch runs into the 

 river St Maurice thirty-tliree miles above Quebec. 



CROMARTY, a small county in the north of 

 Scotland, comprising a peninsula, having the North 

 Sea on the east, the firth of Cromarty on the west 

 and north, and the firth of Murray and shire of Ross 

 on the south : this is termed the Black Isle'or the 

 old shire of Cromarty, to which are to be added nine 

 detached portions situated in various parts of the 

 more extensive shire of Ross, and within the juris- 

 diction of its sheriff, who is sheriff of Ross and Cro- 

 marty. The face of the country is varied ; the east- 

 ern, and that portion bordering on the firth of Cro- 

 marty being the most fertile, while the ulterior is in a 

 great degree mountainous and moorish, producing 

 uttle but granite, freestone, porphyry, and a few 

 stones like those of Cairngorm. It lias no river of 

 any consequence, but contains numerous lakes, well 

 stocked with fish, and the fisheries on the coast are 

 carried on with great success. Pearls, too, have 

 been found near the confluence of the canal with the 

 firth. 



The town of Cromarty, formerly a royal burgh, is 

 situated almost on a level with the water at the foot 

 of a beautiful verdant hill, on the extreme eastern 

 point of the peninsula, upon which the sea has made 

 considerable encroacliments, so that what was once 

 termed the western now constitutes the eastern part 

 of the town. The harbour, however, lies within the 

 firth, which is centred between the two noted pro- 

 montories called the Sutors, a mile and a half asun- 

 der. It is commodious, and affords secure anchorage 

 for vessels of 350 or 400 tons burden, possessing a 

 fine quay, constructed in 1785, a regular ferry to the 

 opposite coast of Ross, a small custom house esta- 

 blishment, a yard for ship-building, a rope walk, se- 

 veral merchants' stores, a large brewery, nail forges, 

 and an extensive manufactory of hempen cloth. The 

 paiish is in length seven miles, and averages about 

 two and a half in breadth, but the climate being cold 

 and damp, agriculture is far from being in a flourish- 

 ing state. Population of the town in 1831, 2,901. 

 The population of the county is included in that of 

 Ross-shire. 



CROMLECH, or CROMLEH, in British antiqui- 

 ties ; huge, broad, flat stones, lying upon other stones 

 set upon end. They are common in the isle of An- 

 glesea These monuments are described by Mr Row- 

 land, Dr Borlase, &c., under the name of aree, or al- 

 tars. Mr Rowland, however, is divided in his opin- 

 ion, supposing them to have been originally tombs. 



