﻿OLDHAV. 



OLHBT. 



IMl 



.>im1 along the oout Tha exportii include homa, oxi>n, liiion, leathrr, 

 raw bid«a, ngs, Ac, principally to Holland and the Haiiaeatio citjrs. 

 Hm rarenae, aeeordlnf to the budget tor 1354, wa«, from tha diiehy 

 of Oldenburg, 891,000 thalert; from the principality of Liibcck, 

 137,400 thaleta; and from Birkanfeld, 116,700 tbalera. The expendi- 

 tare for these three dM^dntKi in tha aame year wm eatimated at 

 979,000, 148,300, and ^ nlera reepectively. The puMio debt 



in 1853 amounted to 1. iilsn. The armed force maintained 



amounta to 3073 men. ui liio iiihabitante, who are all Qermans (with 

 the exoeption of about 1600 Jewfi^. 72,546 are Catholics, and all the 

 i«it Protestants, ohieay of the Lutheran Choroh. The Lutheran i* 

 the eatabliahed religion. 



With respect to eduoation, Oldenburg is rather backward. The 

 rarity of Tillages renders it difficult to esUblish schools. Tbo Tarions 

 branches of a learned educition are now taught in the Protestant 

 gymnasinm at Oldenbarg, tlie Roman Catholic gymnasium at Veohta, 

 and the Latin sdiools at Jever and Eutin. 



As a msmber of the Oerraan confederation, in conjunction with 

 Anhah and Sohwartburg, Oldenburg has the 16th place, or vote in 

 the aeleot oonnoil of the Diet, and one vote of its own in conjunction 

 with Kniphaoeen in the full council. The cmtingent to the army of 

 the confederation la S207 men. The constitution is monarchicaL 

 The goTemment is hereditary in the male line. 



NiMtoiy. — The houee of Oldenburg is one of tho most illustrious in 

 Etirope ; the emperor of Russia, the kingn of Denmark, and the late 

 rmral fuuily of Swedcu aro descended from it Oldenburg is the 

 original seat of the family. Christian I. founded the town of Olden- 

 bnrg in 115S, and assumed the title of count. Joseph It. gave to the 

 two counties, Oldenburg and Delmenhorst, the rank of n duchy in 

 177S, and assigned it to that family as an hereditary principality to 

 the house of Holstoin-Qottorp. In 1 803 the duchy joined tiie Rhenish 

 confederation; but Napoleon, in 1810, incorporated the duchy with 

 the French empire. After the fall of Napoleon, the duke reooyered 

 his own dominions; the eongresa of Vienna also assigned to him the 

 principUity of Birkenfeld ; he obtained from Russia the lordship of 

 Jerer, and likewise obtained some claim to the lordships of Varel and 

 Kniphausen, which was disputed by Count Bentinck, the proprietor 

 of both. 



The lonbliip of KtiiphauKn, which lies between the lordship of 

 TeTer and the Jahde, was acknowledged an independent power by 

 the Diet of the Qennanic confederation in 1826. It is the smallest 

 of the states of the confederation, ita territory measuring only 

 17 square miles. The soTercignty Tests in Count Bentinck, who has 

 his own flag, and enjoys all the rights accorded to the state under the 

 old Oerman empire, btit he furnishes his contingent to the army of 

 the oonfedi-ration indirectly through the grand-duke of Oldenburg. 

 Tha capital of the state is A'nt^Aaium, a small Tillage with a fortified 

 oaatle ; the count resides chiefly at Varel. 



(Hdtnbwrg, the capital, in 58' 20' N. lat, 8* 11' E. long., is a well- 

 bailt town on the naTigable rirer Hunte; the ramparts have been 

 coUTcrted into public walks and gardens. The population is 8000, 

 including that of the two suburbs. The palace is a Tery handsome 

 building with a fine park. There are some tanneries, distilleries, and 

 soap manufaetories in the town. Tlie public institutiona are— a 

 gymnMiam, ■ seminary for schoolmasters, a military school, an 

 oba w Tatoty, and a oolleotion of antiquities. The grand ducal library 

 contaras 60,000 volumes. 



Vartl, on a canal which joins the Jahde, and forms a harbour which 

 merchantmen can enter at high-water, has 8200 inhabit-ints. Jmr, 

 in a fertile country to tha north of Kniphanaen, on a navignllc cfinnl, 

 is a walled town with 8400 inhabitants, who mnnufnctiirc toUicco, 

 Isatber, aod spirits, and trade lanely in cattle. EtUin, which is the 

 only town in the principnlity of Litbeok, is on the bank of a lake, 

 has a palace of the grand-duke with a beautiful park, and 2800 

 inhabitants. 



OLDllAV, Lancashire, a parliamenhiry borough, manufaeturing 



and market-town, and tho seat of a Pool^-Law Union, in the parish of 

 Prestwioh-cum-Oldham, is situated on an eminence near the right 

 bank of the riTer Medlodc, in 68* 83' N. lat, -1' T \V. long., distant 

 50 miles aE. by S. from Lancaster, 191 miles N.W. by N. from 

 liondon by road, and 195^ miles by the North-Westem an<l I.Ancashire 

 railways. The population of the municipal borouijh in 1S51 was 

 62,820; that of the parliamentary borough 72,857. Tho town is 

 goTerned by commissioners appomted under tho Police Act of 1828. 

 The borough returns two members to tho Imperial Parliament. The 

 liTing ia a perpetual curacy in the archdeaconry and diooaae of 

 Manchester. Oldham Poor-Law Union contains seven townships and 

 one ohapelry, with an area of 16,873 acres, and a population in 1861 

 of 86,788. 



The rapid rise of Oldham is mainly attributable to its situation 

 near extensive coal-mines, which give employment to many of the 

 population, and to the great increase of cotton manufactures. The 

 number of steam-engines employed in the manufacture of fustjans, 

 cotton, and woollen and silk goods ia said to be upwards of 100. 

 Hat-making is a Tery important branch of the industry of Oldham. 

 There are several cxlensiTe iron- and brass foimdries, machine-making 

 factories, gas-meter manufactories, tanneries, rope-works, and other 

 establishments. The town is well supplied with water, and is lighted 

 with gas. The town-hall is a handsome structure, containing various 

 rooms for public business. B-sides the parish church, which was 

 rebuilt about 1830, Oldham possesses a chapel of ease, chapels for 

 Wesleyan, Primitive, New Coni.ezion, and Associ-ition Methodists, 

 Independents, Baptists, Unitarian!, and Roman Catholics. The Blue- 

 Coat school was founded at Oldham-Edge, from bequests of Thomas 

 Henshaw, Esq., which, with interest, amounted in 1829 to more than 

 100,000t Tho Grammar school, founded in 1811, has an income from 

 endowment of 30/. a ye.ir, and had 64 scholars in 1S58. There are 

 also National, British, and Infant schools, and schools supported by 

 the Primitive and the New Connexion Methodists ; a Ivoeum, a sub- 

 scription library, a working man's haU, and a savings bank. A county 

 court is held. Saturday is tho market-day. Fairs are held in 

 February, May, July, and October. 



OLEAROS. [Aktiparob.] 



OLEUGIO. [Nov.\u.\.] 



OLfiUON. [CHARK»TE-lNrfeBn:l'BE.l 



OLITE. [Navarra.] 



OLIVENZA. [EsTBEMADUiiA, Spanish.] 



OLLERTON. [NoTTiNGHAMsmRF-] 



OLMEDO, a town of Spain, in the ancient province of Leon and 

 mo<lem province of Valladolid, 28 miles 8. from the city of Vnllodolid, 

 ia situated on an eminence in a fertile plain, between tho Kresnm and 

 the Adftjn, two small rivers, which afterwards unite, and enter the 

 Duero by the southern bank. It is surrounded by ruined walls, and 

 contains a population of 1860. It was formerly a place of importanee 

 and strength, but is now in a state of decay. Two great battles were 

 fought here in 1446 and 1467, during the reigns of Juan II. and 

 Enrique IV., kings of Castillo. 



OLMt'TX. [MoBAvrA.] 



OLNEY, Buckinghamshire, a market-town in the parish of Olney. 

 ia situated on the left bank of the river Ouse, in 52" i)' N. lat, il° 41' 

 W. long., distent 19 miles N.E. from Buckinshom, and 56 miles N.N.W. 

 from London. The population of the parish in 1851 was 2829. Tho 

 living is a vicarage in the arclide-iconry of Buckingham and dfore»e of 

 Oxford. The church, an early En!;li8h edifice, is a spacif^- -, 



with a tower and stone spire, 185 feet high. Tho I I 



Independents have chapels. There are National, British, ami Ini.int 

 schools, and some almshouses. Over the Ouse is a bridge of four 

 arches, with several small arehes extending over the meadows, which 

 in winter are frequently flooded. Lace-making is the chief employ- 

 ment. The mai-ket-day is Thursday; three fairs are held in the 

 year. Olney was the residence of the poet Cowper, and the Rer. 

 John Newton was curate hero during the residence of Cowj or. 



BND OF VOLITMF. IH. 



sKADscav A»lk irAxi, nuxTSBi, wmrETsiiU. 



