552 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



the first European navigator who traversed it- 

 wide expanse, is doubtless very appropriate to 

 certain portions of this ocean; ' hut. as a whole 

 its special claims to the epithet are, at the least, 

 doubtful, though the name has by long visage 

 become too well established to be easily sup- 

 planted by any other. The greatest Length of 

 the Pacific < Hvan. from the Arctic tat Behring 

 Strait) to the Antarctic Circles is !i.L'()0 miles, 

 and its greatest width, about 10. SOU miles; 

 while its area may be roughly estimated at about 

 two-fifths of the whole surface of the earth. Its 

 surface is studded with numerous islands, either 

 scattered or in groups. The deepest sounding 

 yet found in the Pacific Ocean is LT>,850 feet, 

 or about five miles nearly equal to the height 

 of the highest mountain on the globe. The 

 ita <>t" the Pacific Ocean present a general 

 resemblance to those of the Atlantic, and the 

 similarity in the outline of the western coasts of 

 each is even striking, especially north of the 

 equator. The shore on the American side is 

 bold and rocky, while that of Asia varies much 

 in character. 'Though the Pacific Ocean is by 

 far the largest of the five great oceans, the pro- 

 portion of land drained into it is comparatively j 

 insignificant. Its basin includes only the narrow 

 strip of the American continent to the west of 

 the Andes and Rocky Mountains; Melanesia; 

 which contains few rivers, and none of them of 

 large size; the Indo-Chinese states, China 

 proper, with the eastern part of Mongolia, and 

 Manchuria in the Asiatic continent. 



The currents of the Pacific Ocean, though less j 

 marked in character and effects than those of 

 the Atlantic, are yet of sufficient importance 

 to require a brief notice. The Southern Pacific 

 current takes its rise south of Van Dieman's 

 Land, and flows east at the rate of half a mile 

 per hour, dividing into two branches about 

 longitude 98 west, the north branch, or Current 

 of Mentor, turning north and gradually losing 

 itself in the counter Equatorial Current; the 

 south branch continuing its eastern course till 

 it is subdivided by the opposition of Cape Horn 

 into two branches, one of which, the cold Cur- 

 rent of Peru, or Humboldt's Current, advances 

 north along the west coast of South America, 

 becoming finally absorbed in the Equatorial 

 Current; the other washing the coast of Brazil 

 and becoming an Atlantic Current. The ex- 

 istence of this ocean first became known to 

 Europeans through Columbus, who had received 

 accounts of it from some of the natives of Amer- 

 ica, though it was first seen by Balboa, September 

 29, 1513, and first traversed by Magellan eight 

 years afterward. Captain Cook deserves the 

 first place among the investigators of the Pacific 

 Ocean. 



Padua (pM'-u-d\ a walled city of Venetia, 

 twenty-three miles by rail west of Venice, has 

 some manufactures of leather and musical-in- 

 strument strings, but is chiefly interesting for 

 its artistic treasures; these include the municipal 

 buildings, cathedral, and nearly fifty churches, 

 innumerable pictures and frescoes, and Dona- 

 tello's famous equestrian statue of Gattamelata; 

 there is also a renowned university, library, 

 museum, and the oldest botanical garden in 

 Europe; after very varied fortunes it was held 



by Venice. 1 H>:>-17<7. then by Austria till its 

 incorporation in Italy 1S(>(>. Livy was a native, 

 as aU> Andrea Mantegna. Population, Sl'.L'M. 



Palermo (pO^Mr-tno), a handsome city of 

 Sicily, of which island it is the capital, at its 

 northwest extremity. It is built in amphitho- 

 atrical form, surrounded by mountains on three 

 sides, and contains many fine churches, and 

 other edifices. Palermo has some textile and 

 other manufactures, carries on an active foreign 

 commerce, and is largely interested in the tunny 

 fishery. The Carthaginians made of Palermo a 

 naval station, 480 B. C. ; as later also did the 

 Romans after taking it in 254 B. C. It subse- 

 quently passed into the hands of the Goths, the 

 Saracens, and the Normans, and in 1282 it was 

 the spot where occurred the massacre known 

 in history as "The Sicilian vespers." Between 

 1806 and 1814, it was the seat of the court, owing 

 to the occupation of Naples by the French, and 

 in May, 1860, surrendered to the liberating army 

 of Garibaldi. Population, 340,104. 



Palestine, a country of Southwestern 

 Asia, forming the southern portion of Syria, in 

 which most of the events recorded in Scripture 

 took place. It stretches from Mount Hermon 

 to the Desert of Arabia, and is bounded by the 

 Mediterranean on the west, and by the Syrian 

 Desert on the east. The deep valley of the Jor- 

 dan divides the country from north to south, 

 the surface on either side rising into elevated 

 plains with alternate hills and valleys. The 

 climate is mild and warm, though in the hilly 

 districts the winters are often severe, and snow 

 sometimes falls. The soil may, with care, be 

 rendered exceedingly productive, but agriculture 

 is in a backward condition. In the time of the 

 Romans it was divided into four tetrarchies or 

 presidencies, viz: Judaea, Samaria, Galilee, and 

 Persea. The first three were included in what 

 was considered Palestine proper; the last em- 

 braced the territory beyond the Jordan. There 

 was also a fifth division, Idumsea, part of which 

 lay, however, out of the borders of Palestine. 

 In the Seventh Century this country fell into the 

 power of the Mohammedans, and afterwards of 

 the Turks, which led to the wars called the Cru- 

 sades. In 1099 the city of Jerusalem was taken, 

 and was, under Godfrey de Bouillon, made the 

 capital of a Latin kingdom, which lasted for 

 above eighty years. In 1187 the country was 

 reconquered by Saladin, and in 1291 the Cru- 

 saders were finally expelled. From this time it 

 continued subject to the sovereigns of Egypt, 

 until the conquest of both Syria and Egypt by 

 Selim I., in 1517, when they were brought under 

 the Turkish sway. The country is now a portion 

 of the Turkish 'Empire. It is divided into va- 

 rious pashalics, the greater part being compre- 

 hended within the pashalic of Damascus. Of 

 late years the country has been carefully sur- 

 veyed, many hitherto doubtful sites have been 

 settled, several geographical problems have 

 been solved, and much light has been thrown 

 upon the history of the country, especially 

 as it is contained in the Bible records. The 

 area of the country is about 6.000 square 

 miles; its population is about 400,000, and 

 comprises Syrians, Turks, Arabs, and about 10,- 

 000 Jews, nearly all of whom are found in the 



