540 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



treal upwards by river and lake steamers. The 

 rapids between Montreal and Lake Ontario are 

 passed by means of canals, and Niagara Falls 

 by the \Yelland Canal. The river's breadth 

 between Montreal and Quebec is from one-half 

 mile to four miles; the average breadth, about 

 tuo miles. Below -Quebec it gradually widens 

 till it enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence. From 

 the beginning of December to the middle of 

 April the navigation is totally suspended by ice. 

 In part of its course it forms the boundary be- 

 tween the United States and Canada. 



Liberty Enlightening the World. 

 This colossal statue, on Liberty Island, New 

 York harbor, was presented by the French 

 nation to the people of the United States in 

 commemoration of the centennial of their na- 

 tional independence. It was designed by and 

 constructed under the supervision of the artist, 

 Bartholdi, and the height of the statue proper 

 from base to top of torch, is 151 feet. The height 

 of the pedestal is ninety-five feet, and the total 

 height of the whole work above the waters of 

 the bay is 305 feet, eleven inches, ^he tallest 

 statue in the world. The pedestal was built by 

 popular subscription throughout the United 

 States, but the statue was the free gift of the 

 French people. In June, 1885, the colossal 

 figure, taken apart and securely packed in boxes, 

 arrived at New York on the transport Isere, and 

 was accorded a fitting public reception. The 

 work of placing the figure on its base was com- 

 pleted in 1886, and on October 28th the statue 

 was unveiled, amid imposing ceremonies, by 

 President Cleveland in the presence of the artist 

 Bartholdi and other guests. The statue weighs 

 450,000 pounds, or 225 tons. The bronze alone 

 weighs 200,000 pounds. Forty persons can 

 stand comfortably in the head, and the torch 

 will hold twelve people. The number of steps 

 in the statue, from the pedestal to the head, 

 is 154, and the ladder leading up through the 

 extended right arm to the torch has fifty-four 

 rounds. 



Lisbon (Portuguese, Lisboa), the capital of 

 Portugal, in the province of Estramadura, on 

 the right bank of the Tagus, about eighteen 

 miles from the mouth of that river. It stretches 

 for about five miles along the river side, and is 

 built on several hills rising to a considerable 

 elevation. The new royal palace, which was 

 completed in 1864, is a magnificent edifice. 

 Opposite the city the river is about six miles 

 wide, and its harbor, or roadstead, is one of the 

 finest in the world. Lisbon owes its beauty as 

 a modern city to the great earthquake of No- 

 vember 1, 1775, when it is said that 60,000 lives 

 were lost, and when a great part of the old city 

 was destroyed. Since then, the whole of the 

 modern city, or new town, has grown up. It 

 is the seat of the Patriarch, who is the head of 

 the Roman Catholic Church in Portugal; and 

 it has many museums, libraries, and other edu- 

 cational institutions. The export trade of Lis- 

 bon consists chiefly of wine, oil, fruits, and salt; 

 and it has numerous and important manufac- 

 tures. Population, 356,009. 



Liverpool is an important fortified sea- 

 port, borough, and commercial emporium of 

 England, on the estuary of the Mersey. This 



| city is the chief port of the trade between the 

 United States and England, and possesses 

 shipping interests on a gigantic scale. The fa- 

 mous docks here, nine miles in length, and un- 

 surpassed with regard to massiveness of con- 

 M ruction and extent of accommodation, were 

 constructed at a cost of $65,000,000. Popula- 

 tion, 702,047. 



London, on the Thames, fifty miles from 

 the sea, the capital of the British Empire, is the 

 most populous and wealthiest city in the world. 

 The city of London proper occupies one square 

 mile in the center, is wholly a commercial port, 

 I and is governed by an annually elected mayor 

 ; and aldermen; is the seat of a bishopric, with 

 St. Paul's for cathedral. The city of Westmin- 

 ster is also a bishopric under a high steward and 

 high bailiff, chosen by the dean and chapter. 

 These two cities, with twenty-five boroughs 

 under local officers, constitute the metropolis, 

 and since 1888 the county of the city of London, 

 and send fifty-nine members to parliament. 

 Streets in the older parts are narrow, but newer 

 districts are well built; the level ground and 

 density of building detracts from the effect of 

 innumerable magnificent edifices. Bucking- 

 ham, Kensington, and St. James's are royal 

 residences; the houses of parliament are the 

 biggest Gothic building in the world; St. Paul's, 

 built by Sir Christopher Wren, contains the re- 

 mains of Nelson and Wellington, Reynolds, 

 Turner, and Wren himself. Westminster, con- 

 secrated 1269, is the burial place of England's 

 freatest poets and statesmen, and of many 

 ings; the royal courts of justice in the Strand 

 were opened in 1882. There are many edu- 

 cational institutions, medical hospitals, and 

 charitable institutions of all kinds. London is 

 the center of the English literary and artistic 

 w r orld, and of scientific interest and research; 

 here are the largest publishing houses, the chief 

 libraries and art galleries, and museums; the 

 British Museum and library, the national gal- 

 leries, etc., and magnificent botanical and zoo- 

 logical gardens. London is also a grand em- 

 porium of commerce, and the banking center 

 of the world. It has nine principal docks; its 

 shipping trade is unrivaled, 55,000 vessels enter 

 and clear annually; it pays more than half the 

 custom duties of the kingdom, and handles more 

 than a quarter of the total exports; its ware- 

 house trade is second only to that of Manchester ; 

 it manufactures almost everything, chiefly 

 watches, jewelry, leather goods, cycles, pianos, 

 and glass. The control of traffic, the lighting, 

 and water-supply of so large a city are causing 

 yearly more serious problems. Pop., 4,536,541. 

 Los Angeles, on Los Angeles River, 480 

 miles southeast of San Francisco, is the com- 

 mercial center for Southern California. It is 

 in a region containing gold, silver, and lead 

 mines, and petroleum wells, and yielding the 

 principal grains, wines, and citrus and deciduous 

 fruits. Its fine climate has attracted many 

 people of wealth and culture to its environs, 

 and has stimulated its marvelous growth as well. 

 Population (estimated 1908), 275,000. 



Lyons, third city of France in population, 

 is situated chiefly on the peninsula between 

 the rivers Rhone and Saone, 245 -miles south- 



