610 



GOSSAMER GOTHS. 



side, by a line of bastions, redoubts, &c. Here is a 

 large academy for the instruction of young men in- 

 tended for the army and navy. To the south of the 

 town stands Haslar royal hospital, for sick and wound- 

 ed seamen, a magnificent building, capable of accom- 

 modating 2000 patients. Population in 1812, 13,637. 



GOSSAMER is tin- name of a fine filmy substance, 

 like cobweb, which is seen to float in the air in clear 

 days in autumn, and is most observable in stubble- 

 fields, and upon furze and other low bushes. This is 

 probably formed by the flying-spider, which, in tra- 

 versing the air for food, shoots out these threads, 

 which are borne down by the dew, &c. 



GOSSEC. FRANCIS JOSEKI, a musical composer, was 

 born, 1733, at Vergnies, a village in Hainault. For 

 eight years of his boyhood, he was attached to the 

 choir in the cathedral at Antwerp. He never had any 

 other teacher than the scores of great musicians. Like 

 Haydn, he complained that he had no opportunity to 

 see Italy, and the schools of that country. In 1751, he 

 went to Paris, where he was leader of the orchestra 

 of M. de la Popeliniere, under the direction of the 

 great Rameau. At a later period, he was employ- 

 ed in the same capacity in the orchestra of prince 

 Conde, for whom he composed several operas. In 

 1770, he established a concert of amateurs, which 

 became famous. In 1773, he took the direction of 

 the concert spirituel, in connexion with Gavinies and 

 Le Due, until, in 1777, he was excluded by an in- 

 trigue. In 1784, he became director of the singing 

 school established by the baron de Breteuil. During 

 the revolution, he became music-master ofUhe nation- 

 al guard, and, in 1795, when the conservatoire (q. v.) 

 was founded, he, with Mehul and Cherubini, became 

 inspector of this establishment, and professor of com- 

 position. Catel, his most eminent pupil, received, at 

 the same time, the appointment of professor of har- 

 mony. Gossec, among other patriotic pieces, com- 

 posed the hymn to Reason, and that for the feast of 

 the Supreme Being, the apotheosis of Voltaire, and 

 the funeral of Mirabeau. Napoleon gave him the 

 cross of the legion of honour. Gossec composed 

 much for the opera. His best production is Sabinus 

 (1773). He laboured particularly in the sacred style. 

 His requiem of 1760, and his oratorio De la Nativite 

 are still esteemed. He wrote, in 1804, his Methode 

 de Chant du Conservatoire, and contributions, signec 

 D. C. , for Catel's Principes elementaires de Musique 

 suivis de Solfeges (1800), a work to which also Cheru- 

 bini, Mehul, Langle and Lesueur contributed. 



GOTH A; a Saxon duchy, on the north side of the 

 Thuringian forest. The rivers are the Gera, Werra, 

 Unstrat and Ilm. The dominions of the duke of Saxe- 

 Golha consisted of the duchy of Gotha, and the greate 

 part of the principality of Altenburg, and amountec 

 to 1106 square miles, with 193,000 inhabitants, o 

 which Gotha contained 615 square miles, with 84,000 

 inhabitants. The revenue amounted to 1,500,000 

 guilders ; the debt to 3,000,000 guilders. In 1825 

 Frederic IV., the last duke of Saxe-Gotha, died; and 

 according to the articles of partition of Nov. 5, 1826 

 the duchy of Gotha went to the duke of Saxe-Coburg 

 and the principality of Altenburg to the duke of Saxe 

 Hildburghausen, who is now styled duke of Saxe 

 Altenburg. The duchy of Gotha contains, at present 

 582 square miles, with 83,000 inhabitants. 



Gotha ; capital of the duchy of Gotha, on th 

 Leine, in a fine country, with 1340 houses and 13,00( 

 inhabitants; lat. 50 57' 4" N.; Ion. 10 43' 1" E 

 The museum opened in 1824, contains 150,000 vols. 

 and many valuable manuscripts, a cabinet of coins (on 

 of the best in Europe), with a fine numismatic library 



the Oriental museum (of Seezen and Anthing), 

 museum of curiosities of nature and art, and a galler 

 of f Minting*, rich in the productions of the old Ger 



ian school. The seminary for teachers is the oldest 

 i Germany. There is also a gymnasium, a Sunday 

 chool for apprentices and journeymen, and considera- 

 le manufactures and commerce. Near Gotha is 

 ituated the famous observatory on the Seeberg, 

 reeled by duke Ernest II., and endowed by him with 

 0,000 German dollars. When this institution was 

 nder the care of Von Zach and Von Lindenau, it 

 vas one of the first in Germany, 



GOTHARD, ST.; a high mountain of Switzerland, 

 n the frontier of the cantons of Tessino and Uri, 

 wenty-one leagues S. E. from Berne ; lat. 46 33' 

 . ; Ion. 8 30 E. This mountain forms a remark 

 ble point in the Alps, and unites the Lepontine 

 liain and that of Berne. The Renss and Tessino 

 ise here ; the Rhine and Rhone not far from it. Its 

 ighest points are covered with perpetual snow, as 

 he Fieudo, 10,150 feet high, the Fibia and the 

 uzendro, 10,430 feet; the Orsivro, or Peak of 

 Ursern, 10,600 feet ; and the Prosa, 9800 feet above 

 he level of the sea. They are mostly granite, and 

 contain a great variety of minerals. There are 

 many small lakes on the St Gothard, and eight 

 ^laciers. A road traverses this body of mountains, 

 connecting Germany and Italy. It existed as early 

 as 1319, and gigantic obstacles were surmounted in 

 ts construction. It is mostly ten feet wide, some- 

 imes fifteen ; part is well paved with granite. 

 Bridges of surprising boldness lead over terrible 

 >recipices. In one place, a gallery has been cut 

 hrough a rock, for the distance of more than 200 

 eet, and with a height and width of nearly thirteen 

 'eet. It is called the Urner Loch (the hole of Uri). 

 :t was pierced in 1707, at the expense of the canton 

 of Uri. The road is practicable in all seasons. In 

 winter, the snow is sometimes twenty feet deep on 

 the road, but the inhabitants of the neighbouring 

 villages are obliged to keep the passage clear; in 

 consequence of which they take toll from passengers 

 during this season. From 15,000 to 20,000 traders 

 traverse the St Gothard annually, besides the many 

 travellers whom curiosity leads over this mountain. 

 More than 400 inhabitants of the Levantine valley, 

 and that of the Reuss, subsist by transporting mer- 

 chandise and travellers, by means of mules. On the 

 top of St Gothard is an inn, where formerly was the 

 hospice of the Capuchins, with an hospital and room 

 to store merchandise. This point is 6339 feet, or 

 according to the map of Weiss, 4566, above the sur- 

 face of the sea. This group of mountains received 

 its name from a bishop of Hildesheim, who lived in 

 the twelfth century. It was, in 1799, the theatre of 

 several combats between the French and the Aus- 

 trians, united with the Russians. Several works of 

 great importance are still in progress on this 

 mountain, the most remarkable of which is the road 

 which traverses the Schallenen, in the canton of Uri. 

 It is cut through enormous masses of granite, and 

 the bridges are magnificent. There are 700 persons 

 employed in this work. See Alps, Roads over. 



GOTHIC STYLE. See Architecture. 



GOTHS (the Gothones of Tacitus, and Guttones of 

 Pliny, but not the Gothini of Tacitus, or Gotini of 

 Dio, who were of Gallic origin) ; a German tribe, 

 from the shores of the Baltic, between the Vistula 

 and the Oder. Their language approaches very 

 nearly to the ancient dialect of the Franks. Like 

 all the Germans, they suffered their yellow hair to 

 grow long, wore beards, and dressed in furs ; but, 

 contrary to the custom of the other Germans, the 

 royal dignity among them was hereditary. They 

 first appeared under the name of Goths, in 215. 

 From this time, they filled all Europe with the fame 

 of their exploits, for more than 500 years. Leaving 

 their habitations on the Baltic, they removed to the 



