GEOGRAPHY, TRAVEL, ARCHITECTURE 



567 



of the Roman Empire. It was founded by 

 Romulus about 753 B. C. At first only a small 



on the summit of Mount Palatinus, it 

 had grown by the time of Servius Tullius, the 

 sixth of its kings, who died 534 B. C., large 

 enough to occupy the "seven hills of Rome" 

 i" Palatinus," "Capitolinus," " Quirinalis," "Cae- 

 Av. -litmus, " Viminalis," "Esquilinus"), 

 and was hence called "the city of the seven 

 hills." In the time of the Emperor Augustus, 

 the first of the emperors, who died A. D. 14, 

 the population of the city is estimated to have 

 been at least 1,300,000; and in the time of the 

 Emperors Vespasian and Trajan (A. D. 70-117), 

 it is believed to have contained nearly 2,000,000. 

 About 728 the city of Rome became independ- 

 ent under the popes, and it remained (with the 



ion of vicissitudes) the seat of the Papal 

 Court till the abolition of the temporal power of 

 the popes in 1870. Since then, Rome nas been 



I'ital of the kingdom of Italy, only the 

 Vat ican bein; under the sovereignty of the pope. 



ty is the seat of a university, founded in 

 1 J \ I. Population, 530, 179. 



Rotterdam, the chief port and second city 

 of Holland, situated at the junction of the Rotte 

 with the Maas. nineteen miles from the North 



, I forty-five miles southwest of Amster- 

 dam: the town is cut in many parts by hand- 

 some canals, which communicate with the river 

 and serve to facilitate the enormous foreign 

 commerce; the quaint old houses, the stately 

 public buildings, broad tree-lined streets, canals 

 ali\ with fleets of trim barges, combine to give 

 the town a picturesque anil animated appear- 

 Boymans' Museum has a fine collection 

 of Dutch and modern paintings, and the Groote 

 Kerk is a Gothic church of imposing appearance; 

 -o a large zoological garden; ship- 

 building, distilling, sugar-refining, machine and 

 tobacco factories are the chief industries. Pop- 

 ulation, 3v_V..-)l. 



It u mania, a European kingdom, bounded 

 by Austria-Hungary, Servia, Bulgaria, the 

 I '.lack Sea. and Russia; area, 50,760 square 

 It includes the former Danubian prin- 

 cipalities of \\alachia and Moldavia and the 

 province of tlie DobrudHha on the Black Sea. 

 Population. .->.:< in, <)<H). The capital is liukarest : 



M'-! towns are Jassy, Galatz, Braila, and 



vo. The surface is mainly occupied by 



:ing and well-watered plains of great fer- 

 tility, gradually sloping upwards to t 1 

 pathians on the north and west borders, where 

 the summits range from 2,6.~>o t 



ie kingdom is in the 



of the Danube, which has a course of 595 

 i .ruling the boundai 



irly the whole way. It 



ti tributaries an- the Olta or Aluta. Ardjis. 

 Jalomit/a. Srp-th. and Pruth (OU n-Tthwe-t 



bordrn. The Danube forms a number of 



lakes as it api>i- >il ,\;il i< _in <>t n 



I)obrud>ha. through whi< h it disehari: 

 into t Soa by the St. George, Sulina. 



. lia rhami' U Tin- dim ii more 



than at tlio same latitude in other 



IMtrts of/ Europe; the summer i- hot ai 

 CSS. the winter sudden and very intense; there 

 i- almost no -pring. but the autumn is long and 



pleasant. Rumania is an essentially agricul- 

 tural and pastoral state, fully 70 per cent, of 

 the inhabitants being directly engaged in hus- 

 | bandry. The chief cereal crops are mai/.e, 

 wheat, barley, rye, and oats; tobacco, hemp, 

 and flax are also grown; and wine is produced 

 on the hills at the foot of the Carpathians. 

 Cattle, sheep, and horses are reared in large 

 numbers. Excellent timber abounds on the 

 Carpathians. Bears, wolves, wild boars, large 

 and small game, and fish are plentiful. The 

 country is rich in minerals of nearly even' de- 

 scription, but salt, petroleum, and lignite are 

 the only minerals worked. Manufactures are 

 still in a rudimentary state. Trade is fairly 

 active, but it is almost entirely in the hands of 

 foreigners; the internal trade is chiefly carried 

 on by Jews, whose numbers and prosperity are 

 constant sources of anxiety to Rumanian 

 men, and who are in consequence subject to 

 certain disabilities. The chief exports are grain 

 (especially maize), cattle, timber, and fruit ; 

 the chief imports, manufactured goods, coal. etc. 

 Germany, Great Britain, and Austria-Hungary 

 appropriate by far the greatest share of the 

 foreign trade, the bulk of which passes through 

 the Black Sea ports. The Rumanians, who call 

 themselves Romani. claim to be descendants of 

 Roman colonists introduced by Trajan; but the 

 traces of Latin descent are in mat part due to 

 a later immigration, about the Twelfth (Vntury, 

 from the Alpine districts. Their language and 

 history both indicate that they are a mixed 

 race with many constituents. Their language, 

 however, must be classed as one of the Romance 

 tongues, though it contains a large admixture of 

 foreign elements. In Rumania there are 

 4,500,000 Rumanians, 300,000 Jews, 200,000 

 gypsies, 50.000 Bulgars, 1,500 Magyars, 20,000 

 Germans, 20,000 (,iv-k-. and l/i.iHJO Armenians. 

 Three-fourths of the population are jeasants, 

 who, till 1864, were kept in virtual serfdom by 

 the boiars or nobles. In that year upward of 

 400,000 peasant families were made proprietors 

 of small holdings averaging ten acres, at a price 

 to be paid bark to the state in fitteen years. 

 About 4.500,000 of the people belong to the 

 Greek Church. Energetic efforts are being made 

 to raise education from its present lo\\ 

 Rumania has two universities (at Bucharest and 

 Jassy), several gymnasia, and a system of free 

 primary schools. 



Russia one of the most powerful empires 

 of the world, second only in extent to the Brit- 

 ish Kmpire. and third as regards population, 

 :ti.-h Empire, ranking lirst. the rhines< 



Imp ire second. It comprehends most ot 

 ern Kun>|H> and all Nort hern Asia, and is bounded 

 north by the Arctic Ocean; west by Sweden, 

 the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic. Prussia, 

 Austria, and Rumania; south by the IUa 

 Turkey in \ Afghanistan, the I 



Empire; east by the Pacific and Bearing Strait 



d area nas been officially estim 

 ,x. 1. 1 1. 1 "M ,,|uare miles, \\hile the population is 

 as foil 



Russia in i deluding Poland 



nv ; 



1 



Caucasian Provinces. in ..'59,600 



