I S I 



.318 



I S L 



lchU. offerings to the Virgin Mary, or to tutelar saints. Ma- 

 hoe Ti IP. n y nest vill.-\eo3 ar. distributed along the coast, and 

 "" Y ' detached h.iliialions (ire scattered ovrr the whole island, 

 even at an elevation where vegetation almost entirely 

 ceases. On the summit of San Nucohi, a hermitage, 

 consisting of a chapel and three cells, hns been excava- 

 trd from the volcanic rock, which are inhabited by three 

 hermits. One of the hermits always traverses the island 

 in quest of what is necessary for subsistence and the ser- 

 vice of the altar, which is willingly bestowed by the 

 inhabitants, who themselves perform an annual pilgri- 

 mage to the chapel. The island consists of three pa- 

 rishes, and contains a nunnery. It was formerly ex- 

 empt from taxes, and the King of Naples was accus- 

 tomed to come hither every year, on which occasion he 

 allotted portions for indigent young females. 



Isciiia was called Onaria, Inarima, or Pythecusa by 

 the Greeks and Romans ; according to some, from hav- 

 ing abounded in monkeys; anfl according to others, 

 with as little probability, from circumstances relative to 

 jErieas. Strabo relates, that the first inhabitants were 

 obliged to quit the island on account of its volcanic erup- 

 tions ; and it remained deserted until 450 years before 

 Christ. Hiero, King of S3'racuse, fruitlessly endeavour- 

 ed to settle a colony here ; but one was established 

 by the Romans, who retained it until the time of Au- 

 gu<tus. A great eruption happened in the year 1302, 

 by which many of the inhabitants and their cattle were 

 destroyed. The survivors escaped to other islands, 

 where they resided during the two months that it last- 

 ed. See Spallanzani's Travels in the Ino Sicilies, vol. i. 

 Pococke's Trawls, vol. ii. part 2. (f) 



ISERE is one of the eastern departments of France, 

 and derives its name from the river Isere, with which 

 it is traversed from east to west. It is bounded on the 

 north by the department of the Ain ; on the west, by 

 the departments of the Rhone, the Loire, and the 

 Drome; on the south, by the Drome and the Higher 

 Alps ; and on the east, by the departments of the High- 

 er Alps and of Mont Blnnc. The principal rivers are 

 the Romanche, the Drac, and the Isere. It contains 

 453 square leagues, and contains four districts, 44 can- 

 tons, and 558 communes. .This department is occupied 

 principally with barren and marshy plains, deep vallies, 

 and high mountains. Grain, hemp, wine, cheese, and 

 pasturage, are its principal productions. The woods of 

 this department occupy about 270,000 acres. The fo- 

 rest called Chartreuse is remarkable for the beauty of 

 its trees, owing to the scrupulous economy of its ancient 

 proprietors. It has mines of iron, copper, lead, coal, 

 quarries and mineral waters. Its annual contributions 

 were 3,54fa>09 francs, and its population 441,208. The 

 principal towns are, 



Population. 



Grenoble 2:5,500 



Vienne 10,362 



St Marcellin 3,047 



La Tour-du-Pin 1,589 



Grenoble is the capital of the department. 

 ISIAC TABLE, is the name given by antiquarians 

 to an Egyptian monument, in the form of a plate of 

 copper or brass, containing various figures in bas-relief. 

 This piece of antiquity was discovered at Rome in 

 the year 1525, when the Constable Bourbon took that 

 city. It was purchased from a soldier by a locksmith, 

 who sold it 10 Cardinal Bembo, after whose death it 

 came into the possession of the Duke of Mantua. 

 When Mantua was taken by the Imperialists in 1630, 

 it appears to have been lost, as it has never since been 



heard of. It was, however, engraved in its full size 

 l.y .-'Kneas Yico of I'arma. ^.This plate was divided in- 

 to three horizontal compartments, containing hiero- 

 glyphics and figures of gods. Antiquarians are not 

 agreed respecting the object of this piece of antiquity, 

 and there is some reason to believe that it was fabrica- 

 ted at Rome. See Banter's Mylliotogy, vol. i. p. 567; 

 Jablonski, Pantheon EgyptiaaiM ; Pignorius, Charade' 

 rca I''.!!i/):li> ; and Jablonski, Miscellanea Berolniensia. 



ISINGLASS. See ICHTHYOLOGY, vol. xi. p. 679. 



ISIS. See MASONRY Free, and MYTHOLOGY. 



ISLANDSHIRE. See DURHAM. 



ISLAY is the name of one of the Hebrides, or 

 Western Islands of Scotland. Its forn> is irregular. 

 Its greatest length, from the Mull of Oe on the south, to 

 Rmnhail on the north, is nearly 31 English miles; and 

 its breadth, from the point of Ardmore on the east, to 

 the farm of Sanaig'on the west, is about 24 miles. Its 

 superficial extent is nearly 154,000 acres, of which one- 

 seventh is in occasional or regular tillage ; two-sevenths 

 are rugged mountains, rocks, or hills ; three-sevenths 

 hill pasture, coppice woods, plantations, and natural 

 grassings impervious to the plough, and one-seventh 

 unimproved, but improveable, moors, peat mosses, anil 

 unreclaimed wastes. 



The island of Islay belongs to Argyllshire, is divided Division, 

 into three parishes, Killarow, K'lchoman, and Kildalton. 

 Killarow, frequently called Bowmore, from the name 

 of the village where the church is built, is about 18 

 miles long and 8 broad. It is watered by the river 

 Ltiggan, which runs into a bay of the same name. Its 

 population, including Kilmoy, was, in 1811, 4635. 

 Kilchoman is about 20 miles long, and six broad, and 

 is intersected by two arms of the sea, Lochgruinart and 

 Lochindaal. Its population in 1811, was 3131. Kil- 

 dalton is about 15 miles long and 6 broad. About two 

 square miles of the parish arc covered with natural 

 wood, from which all the island is supplied. Its po- 

 pulation in 1811. was 2'/i69. Hence the population of Population. 

 Islay in 1811, was 10,035. 



The coast of Islay is in general rugged, and is in- 

 dented with numerous bays and harbours, the chief of 

 which is at Lochindaal, where there is also a quay op- 

 posite the village of Bowmore.- Lochgruinart and Loch- 

 indaal, two arms of the sea, seem to have been once 

 united so as to divide Islay into two islands. The 

 highest land between them is not more than 20 feet 

 above high watermark, and the soil is a thin stratum of 

 moss lying upon rounded schistus, mixed with great 

 quantities of marine shells. Some of the mountains in 

 the east and north of the island, are nearly 1800 feet 

 high. The fresh water lakes, amounting to about 80 

 or 90, cover nearly 3000 acres. Lochguirn occupies 

 about 700 acres, and Lochfinlagan, which is about three 

 miles in circumference., has an islet of the same name 

 in the middle, strongly fortified. Three or four streams, 

 abounding in salmon, water the island. 



In this island there are nearly 48 'quare miles of Mineralogy. 

 primitive limestone, without animal exuviae, but con- 

 taining lead ore mixed with copper, which has been 

 wrought with success. Manganese and cobalt have been 

 found, and specimens of the finest iron ore were found 

 in 1808. The copper ore, when richest, yields 33 

 pounds per hundred, and 40 ounces of silver are ob- 

 tained from a ton of the metal Veins of emery, from 

 one to three feet thick, have been found on the top of 

 a hill near Portascaig, and a small quantity of quick, 

 silver has been found ; n the moors, and at the bottom 

 of wells. Inexhaustible pits of hard and soft marl oc- 



