CAMBRIAN PERIOD 



1076 



CAMBRIDGE 



situated on the Gulf of Siam, with Siam, An- 

 num and Cochin-China surrounding it on the 

 north, east and south. It is a densely-wooded 

 territory covering an area of 67,741 square 

 miles, and is therefore considerably larger than 

 Virginia and West Virginia. Although it is 

 in the torrid zone and consists chiefly of low- 

 lying land, the climate is not as hot and 

 unhealthful as might be expected. The navi- 

 gable river Mekong is to Cambodia what the 

 Nile is to Egypt. It provides communica- 

 tion and annually overflow's, inundating and 

 fertilizing a wide territory. Rice, sugar and 

 maize are raised in large quantities, and tropical 



Siam 



LOCATION OF CAMBODIA 



fruits grow in great abundance. Gold, silver, 

 lead, copper and iron are mined. Fishing and 

 agriculture are the principal occupations, and 

 cattle are raised in great numbers. The forests 

 produce eighty kinds of valuable timber, rose- 

 wood, ebony and pine being largely exported. 

 Gamboge, a resinous gum obtained from a 

 tree native to Cambodia, is an important arti- 

 cle of commerce. Tigers, leopards and ele- 

 phants roam the forests, and there are also 

 many kinds of bright-plumaged birds. 



Although nominally governed by a king, the 

 country is administered by French officials, for 

 in 1863 Cambodia became a French protec- 

 torate and in 1884 a French possession. The 

 capital is Pnom-Penh ; previous to 1866 Oudong 

 was the capital. In 1907 a treaty was con- 

 cluded between France and Siam under the 

 terms of which Cambodia acquired certain 

 territory in exchange for other districts ceded 

 to Siam, and the boundaries of the French 

 possessions were clearly defined. Population, 

 about 1,500,000. 



CAM 'BRIAN PERIOD, the oldest division 

 of geologic timp in which well-preserved re- 

 mains of animal life are found. The rocks 



formed during this period constitute the CAM- 

 BKIAN SYSTEM. They include sandstones, con- 

 glomerates, slates and shales. The fossils found 

 in them include those of starfish, sponges and 

 a number of other species resembling some of 

 the shellfish common to-day. The system is 

 usually divided into Lower, Middle and Upper 

 Cambrian. The Cambrian System in order of 

 formation follows the Algonkian. See GEOL- 

 OGY; ALGONKIAN SYSTEM; FOSSIL. 



CAMBRIDGE, kame'brij, MASS., a city famed 

 for its historic, educational and literary associa- 

 tions, and especially as the seat of the first 

 college established in the United States, now 

 Harvard University (which see). Cambridge is 

 one of the county seats of Middlesex County, 

 Lowell being the other, and it is a suburb, and 

 practically a continuation, of Boston, on the 

 opposite side of the Charles River. It is 

 served by the Boston & Maine and the Boston 

 & Albany railroads, and by an extensive system 

 of electric interurban lines. Passenger trains 

 operate from Harvard Square, Cambridge, 

 through a tunnel to the Charles River and 

 thence over a bridge and underground into 

 the Boston subway. A number of bridges span 

 the river between the cities. The area of Cam- 

 bridge exceeds six square miles. The popula- 

 tion, which in 1910 was 104,839, in 1915 was 

 111,669. It is the fifth city in population in 

 Massachusetts. 



Different sections of the city are known as 

 Old Cambridge, which contains the grounds of 

 Harvard University; North Cambridge, becom- 

 ing a fine residential section; East Cambridge 

 and Cambridgeport, which are manufacturing 

 sections. Along the Charles River is a beauti- 

 ful waterfront park, and a dam east of the 

 city prevents a tide at the mouth of the 

 river. The chief features of the city are 

 Harvard University, Radcliffe College (for 

 women), the Protestant Episcopal Theological 

 Seminary, Andover Theological Seminary and 

 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

 There are a fine city hall, a courthouse, a Y. M. 

 C. A. building and several noteworthy churches, 

 including Christ Church (Protestant Episco- 

 pal), built in 1761. 



The total value of the manufactured products 

 annually produced in Cambridge is over 

 $44,000,000. Printing is one of the oldest and 

 most important industries, and the well-known 

 Riverside, Athenaeum and University presses 

 are established here. The chief manufactures 

 are foundry and machine-shop products, cop- 

 per, tin and sheet-iron products, canned meat, 



