﻿497 



LEMGO. 



LEON. 



E. long., in a narrow valley which winds round the southern base of 

 the Sandbei^, a hill crowned with the ruins of the old castle of 

 lowenburg. The situation is pleasant, but not suited to a great city, 

 there being no large river, but only a small stream, the Peltew, which 

 is dry in summer. The city is S68 feet above the level of the sea. The 

 population, exclusive of the military and foreign students, exceeds 

 56,000, nearly 20,000 of whom are Jews. When Lemberg belonged to 

 Poland it was a very ill-built place, consisting chiefly of wooden houses, 

 but it has been extremely improved since it came into the possession 

 of Austria. There are now many handsome buildings, broad straight 

 Btreeta, and lofty houses built of freestone, which, with the cupolas 

 and steeples of the cathedrals and churches, give the city, especially 

 when viewed at a distance, an air of grandeur. The city was formerly 

 strongly fortified, and made a successful defence in 1666 against the 

 Bussians, and in 1672 against the Turks. In 1704 Charles XII. of 

 Sweden took it by storm, and bad Stanislas Leczinski, who was a 

 native of the town, crowned king of Poland in the cathedral. Under 

 Joseph II. the fortifications were pulled down, and low ramparts 

 erected instead, which are planted with trees and laid out in public 

 walks. The city is small, and surpassed in size by any one of its four 

 suburbs — Ualicz, Krakow, Zolkiew, and Brody — which contain also 

 the largest houses. There are in Lemberg a handsome cathedral and 

 13 other Roman Catholic churches, an Armenian and a Greek cathe* 

 dral, a Lutheran chapel, 3 synagogues, and 9 convents. Besides being 

 the residence of the Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Greek archbishops, 

 of the Lutheran superintendent, and a chief rabbi, and all the chief 

 military and civU authorities of the crownland, Lemberg has a 

 university, two gymnasia, a Roman Catholic and a Greek Catholic 

 theological seminary, numerous schools, and several large hotels, with 

 many hospitals, in&rmaries, and other charitable institutions. In the 

 central market-place stands the rath-baus, or town-hall, completed in 

 1835. In the Dominican church is a monument by Thorwaldsen to 

 the Coimtess of Dunin-Borowska. The Armenian cathedral and 

 archiepiscopal palace form a handsome pile of buildings in the Krakow 

 suburb. The Jews occupy one of the suburbs exclusively, where they 

 have the finest synagogue in the Austrian empire. The University of 

 Lemberg is one of the most numerously-attended in Europe ; it has 

 4 faculties — Catholic theology, law, medicine, and philosophy, taught 

 by 35 professors : the number of students in 1850 was 4203. The 

 university library contains 50,000 volumes. The academical gymnasium 

 in the same year had 22 professors and 822 pupils, and the Dominican 

 gymnasium 21 professors and 559 pupils. There is a museum of the 

 productions of the crownland in the town; a public library of 60,000 

 Tolumee rich in Polish literature ; and a theatre. The manufactures 

 of broadcloth, cutton-goods, and leather have become much mora 

 extensive and important within these few years than they formerly 

 were. Lemberg is the most important trading town in Qalicia. The 

 oommissioD trade is very extensive, and an immense amount of busi- 

 ness is done at the annual fair called Dreikonigs Messe commencing 

 on the 6th of January, and in the six weeks beginning on the 14th of 

 January, which is called Contractazeit (' contract time '), when the 

 nobility of Oalicia and a vast concourse of strangers. Christians and 

 Jews, resort to this place. The transit-trade and the com and cattle 

 markets of Lemberg are very important. Lemberg is connected with 

 Vienna by electro-telegraphic wires. 



LEHOO. [LiPPE Detmolo.] 



LEMNOS, now STALIMfiNE, one of the northern islands of the 

 iEgean Sea, situated nearly half-way between Mount Athos and the 

 entrance of the Dardanelles, and about 22 miles south-west of Imbros. 

 Its area is about 147 square miles, and its population 8000, all Greeks, 

 with the exception of the Turkish garrison and governor. The har- 

 bours of Sant' Antonio and Paradiso, on the south and north sides of 

 the island respectively, divide it into two peninsular portions. The 

 surface is hilly. The western and more fertile part of the island 

 produces wine and com, hemp, flax, and fruits; but it is deficient 

 in timber-trees and in wood for fueL The principal harbour, called 

 Sant' Antonio, in the south-west part of the island, is lai^ge and safe. 

 The principal town, called Lemnos, or StalimtSne, is a small place on 

 the west coast with about 1000 inhabitants, ship-building docks, and 

 • castle in which the Turkish govemor and garrison reside. 



Lemnos is known in ancient mythology as the spot on which Vulcan 

 fell after being hurled down from heaven, and where he established 

 his forges. A volcano which once was burning on the island may have 

 afforded ground for the fable. The Pelasgi, being driven out of Attica, 

 •re said to have taken possession of Lemnos ; and it is also said that, 

 having stolen some Athenian women and carried them to the island, 

 the c^dren of these women despised their half-brethren born of 

 Pelasgiao women : in consequence of which the Pelasgians took the 

 resolution of murdering both the Athenian women and their children. 

 On account of these atrocities Lemnos had a bad name among the 

 ■nci^t Greeks. The Athenians, led by Miltiades, took Lemnos after 

 their conquest of the Cbersonesus. (Herod., vi 140.) A labyrinth 

 is mentioned by Pliny (' Hist. Nat,' xxxvi. 19) as having existed on 

 the island, like those of Egypt and Crete, adorned with 160 columns, 

 and with gates so well poised that a child could throw them open. 

 Pliny says that remains of it existed in his time. Lemnos had two 

 towns, Uephsstisea and Myrina : the present castle is supposed to be 

 on the site of the latter. 



UEOa. BIV. TOL. m. 



The ' terra sigillata ' of Lemnos is a kind of earthy substance which 

 was once and is still supposed by Greeks and Turks to have wonderful 

 medicinal properties. It is dug out of a hill in the island vrith great 

 ceremony and at particular times, in presence of the Turkish governor 

 and the Greek clergy, and is shaped into little balls stamped with the 

 governor's seal. It is also used for tanning leather. 



LENA, RIVER. [Siberia.] 



LENHAM. [Kent.] 



LENKORAN. [Georgia.] 



LENNEP. [Dt'ssELDOBP.] 



LENS. [Pas-de-Calais.] 



LEOMINSTER, Herefordshire, a market-town, municipal and parlia- 

 mentary borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, in the parish of 

 Leominster, is situated on the left bank of the river Lugg, in 52° 13' 

 N. lat., 2° 43' W. long., distant 13 miles N. by W. from Hereford, and 

 137 miles N.W. by W. from London. The population of the borough 

 in 1851 was 5214. The borough is governed by 4 aldermen and 12 

 councillors, one of whom is mayor ; and returns two members to the 

 Imperial Parliament. The living is a vicarage in the archdeaconry and 

 diocese of Hereford. Leominster Poor-Law Union contains 25 parishes 

 and townships, with an area of 60,271 acres, and a population in 1851 

 of 14,910. 



Leominster, locally called Lemster, has a considerable trade in 

 wheat There are some neat modem houses. The market-place is 

 old and inconveniently situated. The Butter Cross is a quaint struc- 

 ture of wood and plaster, erected about two centuries ago. The House 

 of Industry was originally part of the buildings of a priory. The 

 chureh, a handsome edifice, was rebuilt about the beginning of the last 

 century : there are chapels for Baptists and some other Dissenters. 

 The Free Grammar school, founded by charter of Queen Mary in 

 1554, is under the patronage of the corporation, who pay 201. a year 

 to the master ; but the school has been for a number of years a private 

 school. In the town are National schools and a savings bank. The 

 market-day is Friday : eight fairs are held in the course of the year. 

 A county court is held in the town. Races are annually run at 

 Leominster in the month of August. 



LEON, one of the old provinces of Spain, previously a kingdom, is 

 bounded N. by Asturias, S. by Estremadura, E. by Castilla la Vieja, 

 and W. by Galicia and Portugal. It is situated between 40° 4' and 

 43° 4' N. lat., 3° 44' and 7° 13' W. long. The greatest length north 

 to south is about 175 miles ; the greatest width east to west is about 

 155 miles, but the average width is less than 100 miles. The area is 

 20,059 square miles. The population in 1849 was 1,098,833. It is 

 now divided into five modem provinces, as follows : — 



ProTiaces. 



L«on . 

 SaUmKncm , 

 TalladoUd 

 Zunors 

 Palencla 



Total 



Area in Square Miles. 



2,894 

 8,030 

 3,239 

 3,363 

 1,733 



20,059 



Population in 1849. 



288,833 

 240,000 

 210,000 

 180,000 

 180,000 



1,008,833 



Surface. — The modem provinces of Leon and Palencia occupy the 

 northern part of the old province. The provinces of Zamora and 

 Valladolid fill up the central part (that of Zamora including the 

 district of Toro). The province of Salamanca occupies the southern 

 part. 



The province of Leon is divided from Asturias by that part of the 

 Pyrenean chain which is called the Asturian Mountains, whence seve- 

 rsd oflsets extend southward into Leon, especially one great mountain 

 range called the Sierra de los Cilleros, whicb, commencing at the Peiia 

 de PeBaranda, a summit 11,000 feet high, unites with the range of 

 Monte Teleno, and extends into Portugal, separating the basin of the 

 Mi&o (Minho) from that of the Duero (Douro). At the point, near 

 Braganza, where this mountaiu range reaches the boundary of Portu- 

 gal it divides into two branches, one of which takes a westerly direc- 

 tion through Portugal, and the other, called the Sierra de Culebra, aa 

 easterly direction, forming for some miles the boundary between the 

 provinces of Leon and Zamora. Also, at the point where the Asturian 

 Mountains enter Galicia, another mountain-range runs southward 

 &om the Pefla de Pe&amarela (9450 feet high), at first bearing to the 

 west, but afterwards to the east till it joins the Monte Teleno north 

 of Braganza. Thus, at the north-western angle of Leon there is a dis- 

 trict hemmed in by mountains forming a sort of circumvallation 

 round a central concavity, which was probably once a large lake, the 

 waters of which burst a way through the narrow gorge where the Sil 

 is joined by the Cabrera. The district inclosed by this amphitheatre 

 of mountains is called the Vierzo, and is about 40 miles in length by 

 30 miles in width. Besides this mountainous district several other 

 offsets from the Asturian Mountains enter the provinces of Leon and 

 Palencia, but they soon sink down and terminate in a lofty and exten- 

 sive plain, which is a portion of the great table-land of Castilla la 

 Vieja. This plain is not level, but imdiUating, intersected by ravines, 

 and cut by numerous river-channels. The south part of the province 

 of Salamanca is mountainous, being separated from Estremadura by 



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