﻿HECLA. 



HELMSLET. 



161 



hills do not rise to more than 300 feet. The coasts are rocky, and in 

 many ports high, especially along the western shores towards the 

 Atlantic ; except the innermost angles of the bays and inlets, where 

 they are frequently low and sandy. The shores are indented by many 

 large bays and inlets, which form harbours of every description, some 

 of which are very secure and capacious. There are numerous rivers, 

 which however are generally small ; all of them abound in salmon- 

 trout and eels. On many of the islands there are numerous lakes ; 

 the whole number of lakes being upwards of 1500. The islands of 

 Bute and Islay are considered fertile, as are also several districts in 

 the islands of Arran, Mull, and Skye. But a comparatively small 

 proportion of the whole surface is under cultivation. Of the area 

 which the islands comprehend, little more than 200,000 acres are 

 arable or meadow land ; 600,000 acres mountains, morasses, and lakes; 

 70,000 acres pasture ground, commonly on hiUs, and of little value ; 

 25,000 acres are barren sands; 22,000 acres are occupied by peat 

 mosses ; and 30,000 acres are dry at ebb-tide, and serve aB kelp-shores. 



The backward state of these islands is to be attributed to the want 

 of timber, to their distance from markets, and to the di6Bculty of 

 intercourse on account of the boisterous seas which surround them, 

 and the storms which frequently prevail nine months of the year. 

 These are produced by the south-west winds, which bring toi-rents of 

 rain almost annually from August to the beginning of March. Early 

 in March, and often also in October and >fovember, a north-east or 

 north-north-east wind prevails ; and although the coldest that blows 

 here it is generally dry and pleasant. The climate is upon the whole 

 mild. Oraases and com ripen quickly : in Uist, Lewis, and Tyrec, 

 big, or bere, is frequently cut down ten weeks after being sown. 



The great mass of the population resides within a mile of the sea- 

 shore. The traveller meets with scarcely an inhabited house 1000 

 yards from the sea-mark, or 300 feet above the level of the ocean, 

 except in the islands of Bute, Islay, and Arran. From their language 

 and customs it is evident that the inhabitants of the Western 

 Hebrides are of the same stock with those of the Highlands. In 

 most of the islands they depend on the fishing of herrings, cod, and 

 ling, with which the surrounding sea abounds, or by burning kelp. 

 There is little agricultural industry, except in Islay, Bute, and Arran. 



The Hebrides belong politically to four Scotch counties, Abotle- 

 BniRK, BCTESHIRE, iNTERNESS-SniRE, Oad Ross-SHiRE. The islands 

 are mentioned by Ptolemasus under the name of Ebuda:, and by Pliny 

 (iv. 16) uudrr that of Hebudcs. Pliny makes the Hebudes thirty in 

 number. 



(M'Culloch, Uiyhlandi and Wutcm lUandt.) 



HECLA. [ICELAKD.] 



HEDINQHAM. [Essex.] 



HEDJAZ. [Arabia.] 



HEDON. [Yorkshire.] 



HEIDELBERG, an ancient city in the grand-duchy of Baden, is 

 situated in one of the most beautiful parts of Germany, on the left 

 bank of the Neckar, over which there is a covered stone bridge of 

 nine arches, in about 49° 24' N. lat, 8° 41' E. long. ; 23 miles by rail- 

 way N.N.E. from Carlsnihe, 54 miles S. from Frankfurt-am-Main, and 

 has about 16,000 inliabitanta The town stands on a, narrow ledge 

 between wooded vine-clad hills and the river. On the south is the 

 Kiinigstuhl, or Kaiserstuhl, on the summit of which a lofty tower has 

 been erected. There is one long main street, into whjch a great 

 number of narrow and gloomy streets and lanes open. Ou a hill 

 above the town is the vast ruin of the castle of the Electors Palatine, 

 who held their courts here till 1700. In the cellar of the palace is 

 the celebrated Heidelberg tun, which contains 600 hogsheads. Heidel- 

 berg has three Lutheran churches, one Calvinist, and one Roman Catholic 

 church, and a synagogue. The interior of the church of the Holy 

 Uhost is divided by a partition wall, the Roman Catholics worshipping 

 on one side, the Lutherans on the other. The town is famous 

 fur its imiversity, which is the oldest in Germany except that of 

 l'ragu& It was founded in 1386 by the elector Ru|>recht II., and 

 soon acquired a high reputation, to which its valuable library and 

 numerous manuscripts greatly contributed. A new era for the 

 university commenced in 1802, when it was assigned, together with 

 the town and surrounding territory, to the grand-duke of Baden. It 

 has faculties of Lutheran theology, law, medicine, and philosophy ; in 

 1850^cre were 71 profesaore and teachers, and 603 students. The 

 library of the university of Heidelberg contains 150,000 printed 

 volumes and 4000 manuscripts. Heidelbei-g has also a gymnasium, 

 which had 205 pupils in 1850. There are no manufactures except on 

 a small scale. Its trade is however improving, and the great beauty 

 of the country about it (which is cultivated like a garden), and the 

 cheapness of living, have caused a great number of foreigners to 

 settle here. Heidelberg suffered terribly in the wars of the 17th 

 century; it was taken by the imperialists under Tully in 1622, eleven 

 years afterwards by the Swedes, by the French in 1674, again in 1688, 

 and lastly in 1693. 



HEIUHI.NOTUN. [DuniUM.] 

 HKILBRONN. [Neckar-Kreis.] 

 HElLKiENSTADT. [EiiroRT.] 

 HELDKK. [Holland.] 



HELE'NA, ST., an island in the Atlantic Ocean, 1200 miles W. 

 from the coaot of South Africa, and about 1800 miles E. from the 



coast of Brazil, in South America. The circumference of the island 

 is about 28 miles, and the area is 30,300 acres. The population in 

 1851 was 5490, of whom about one-third were Europeans, and the 

 rest blacks, coloured persons, and Chinese. Rugged and almost 

 perpendicular cliffs, from 600 to 1200 feet his;h, encompass the island, 

 broken in several places by deep chasms which open to the sea-shore, 

 and form narrow valleys winding up to the table-land iu the centre 

 of the island. One of the principal of these openings is called 

 James-Valley, on the north-west coast of the island ; and at the 

 opening of it to the sea is James-Town, the only town and port of the 

 island, which is defended by strong batteries, and is the residence of 

 the government estiiblishment. James-Town is in 15° 55' S. lat., 

 5° 49' W. long. In the upper part of James- Valley ia the table-laud of 

 Longwood, situated in the eastern part of the island, and consisting 

 of 1500 acres of fine land, nearly 2000 feet above the sea, sloping 

 gently towards the south-east. Longwood House was the place of 

 Napoleon's confinement from 1815 till his death iu 1821, and his 

 tomb is at a short distance from it. In 1841 his remains were 

 removed to Paris. In the centre of the island rises Diana's Peak, 

 2693 feet above the sea. A calcareous ridge, which runs across from 

 east to west, sloping abruptly on the south, divides the island into 

 two part?, the larger and finer of which is ou the north side of it. 

 The climate of St. Helena is one of the healthiest under the tropics, 

 and is found beneficial to invalids from India, and even from Europe. 

 Rain falls iu every month, but the wet season is usually from Juno 

 to August. The interior of the island is covered with a rich verdure, 

 and is watered by upwards of 200 springs. The soil of the valleys 

 is very rich, and produces all the fruits and flowers of Europe and Asia. 

 Although only about 150 acres are actually under cultivation, it 

 appears that about 6000 acres in all are capable of being cultivated to 

 advantage. Homed cattle, sheep, and goats feed on the rich pastures. 

 Pretty cottages in pictiu-esque situations are scattered about tho 

 island. Tho total revenue iu 1851 was 17,177J. ; the total expenditure 

 was 16,427i. 



The island of St. Helena was discovered by the Portuguese in 1502. 

 It was afterwards taken possession of by the Dutch, who ceded it to 

 the English East India Company in 1673, and it became a resting- 

 place for their ships between India and Europe. In 1833 it was 

 vested in the crown. It is still visited by ships returning from India, 

 who take in fresh provisions and water. The number of merchant 

 vessels which entered the port during the five years previous to 

 1852 averaged 896; in 1851 the number was 888, iu 1852 it was 896. 

 A duty of \d. per ton is levied on all ships touching at the port for 

 the support of an hospital for seamen. There is also a military 

 hospital. There are three government schools, namely, a head-school, 

 at which Latin, French, English, Mathematics, &c. are taught; an 

 under-school, and a country-school. The Benevolent society supports 

 four schools, and the Baptist Mission has four schools. The total 

 number of scholars in 1851 was 620. An inspector of schools is 

 employed by the government. 



HELENSBURGH. [Dumbartokshire.] 

 HELICE. [AcHJ^.] 

 HELIER, ST. [JER.SEY.] 



HELIGOLAND, or HELGOLAND, an island in the North Sea, ia 

 situated in the centre of a circle, the circumference of whicli at a 

 distance of about 40 miles passes through the ffistuaries of the Eyder, 

 the Elbe, and the Weser. It has an area of about 6 square miles, with 

 a population of 2500. The island consists of a cliff of red marl 170 feet 

 high, and a lowland united by a rooky isthmus 500 paces in length. 

 The ascent to the cliff is by a flight of 180 steps. The summit is a 

 tolerably level plain about 4200 paces in circumference. The low- 

 land, which is uninhabited, has two good harbours, one on the south 

 side of the island, and another on the north side. The inhabitants 

 live in a village on the cliff. They are descended from the Friea- 

 landers, and subsist chiefly by fishing for haddock and lobsters, and 

 by acting as pilots. The English took the island from the Danes in 

 1 807, and it was formally ceded to them in 1814. On the cliff are 

 four batteries which are manned by a garrison of British soldiers, 

 but no taxes are levied, nor is the internal government of the island 

 interfered with. The lighthouse which stands on the cliff near tho 

 village is in 54° 11' 34 " N. lat., 7° 53' 13" E. long. The British 

 establishment on tho island costs altogether about 1000^ a year. 



In former ages the island was of much greater extent than it now 

 is, and it is said to have been the seat of worship of a deity named 

 Hertha, or the Earth : from this circumstance most probably it 

 derives its name which means Holy Land. An island marked ou 

 some maps and called Sandy Island, was united to Heligoland previous 

 to 1770. Sandy Island has now almost entirely disappeared in the 

 wash of the sea, which is fast consuming Heligoland also. When 

 Napoleon in his wars agninst England endeavoured to exclude British 

 goods from the continent of Europe, Heligoland became of import- 

 ance, not only as a naval station, but as a smuggling depot. The 

 island is much frequented in summer for the sake of its excellent 

 sea-bathing. 

 HELLESPONT. [Dardanelles.] 

 HELMOND. [Brabant, North.] 



HELMSLEY, or KELMSLEY BLACKMOOR, North Riding of 

 Yorkshire, a market-town and tho seat of a Poor-Law Union iu the 



