Imatges de pągina
PDF
EPUB

of the old city and the new, or Clementcity, and is, in general, well built. There are several fine public buildings. An aqueduct, constructed by the last elector, brings the finest water from a height near Metternich, over the Moselle bridge, into all quarters of the city. The chief articles of commerce are the Moselle wines and French wines. About one mile from the city is a building, formerly a Carthusian monastery, which is well worthy the attention of travellers, on account of the view which it affords of the two rivers on which the city stands. This building is now changed into a fort called Hunnenkopf. On the other side of the Moselle fort Francis is situated. These two forts protect the city on the left bank of the Rhine, and some other fortifications are to be added. These works, with those of the strong fortress of Ehrenbreitstein (q. v.), will render Coblentz one of the strongest fortresses, and a very important defence to Germany, particularly to the Prussian monarchy. The confluence of the two rivers has always given Coblentz great military importance, even in the time of the Romans, who built a strong camp here. On the road from Coblentz to Cologne is the monument of general Marceau, mentioned by lord Byron in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

COBRA DA CAPELLO; the Portuguese trivial name of the vipera naja; the hooded snake, or viper, of the English; serpent à lunettes of the French; a reptile of the most venomous nature, found in various degrees of abundance in different hot countries of the old continent, and in the islands adjacent. The species of the viper kind are all remarkable for the manner in which they spread out or flatten the sides of the neck and head when disturbed or irritated. In the cobra da capello, the conformation necessary to this action is found in the most perfect condition, as the animal is provided with a set of ribs or bony processes, moved by appropriate muscles on the sides of the neck, which, when expanded, give the anterior part of the body the appearance of an overhanging arch or hood; on the middle of which, posterior to the eyes, is a greenish-yellow mark, resembling the rim of a pair of spectacles. From this mark the French name is derived. When disturbed by the approach of an individual, or any noise, the cobra raises the anterior part of its body, so as to appear to stand erect, expands its hood, and is prepared to inflict a deadly wound. So exceedingly poisonous is its bite, that, in numerous instances 24

VOL. III.

which are well authenticated, death has followed within a few minutes; under ordinary circumstances, a few hours is the longest term that intervenes from the infliction of the bite till the death of the sufferer, where prompt measures for his relief have not been resorted to. So numerous are these dreadful vipers in some parts of India and Africa, that they are frequently found in dwelling-houses, and, in some instances, have taken up their quarters in the beds. Death of necessity must follow, under such circumstances, should the animal be alarmed or irritated by any sudden motion. In case a bite is received from this (or, indeed, any other) venomous creature, the first thing to be done is to make a firm and well-sustained pressure beyond the wound, on the side nearest the heart. The excellent experiments of doctor Pennock, which have been already referred to, prove that a sufficient degree of pressure thus kept up will prevent the poison from affecting the system; and this is rendered evident by the good effects derived from ligatures applied around bitten limbs, above the wound, by the natives of India, though such ligatures generally act but imperfectly. The good effects of pressure, combined with the advantage of withdrawing the poison, will be obtained by applying a well exhausted cupping-glass over the wound; a substitute for which may almost always be made of a drinking glass, small bottle, &c., if proper cups be not at hand. It would be well for persons travelling or residing where these vipers are common, to be provided with a bottle of volatile alkali, or spirits of hartshorn, which, applied to the wound several times a day, and taken internally, in doses of 30 to 40 drops, repeated according to circumstances, will avert the injurious consequence of the poison. To heighten the curiosity of the multitude, the jugglers of India select these venomous reptiles for their exhibitions, and, having extracted their fangs, keep them in cages or baskets, to exhibit as dancing snakes. When the cage is opened, the juggler begins playing upon a pipe or other instrument; whereupon the viper assumes the erect attitude, distends its hood, and remains balancing itself in this position until the music is suspended. It is, however, most probable, that this viper, in common with lizards and other animals, is peculiarly affected by musical sounds. A friend, who passed a considerable time in the kingdom of Ava, informed us, that a cobra entered a room while a gentleman was playing on

the flute, and advanced gently towards him so long as the music continued; whenever it was suspended, the animal halted, and when it was entirely stopped, it gradually withdrew. This circumstance induced them to spare the viper, which uniformly made its appearance on several successive days when the flute was played. With the exception of the spectacle mark on the back of the neck, and its distensible hood, the cobra is not especially distinguished from other vipers. Its colors are dull, being a dark-greenish-brown, lighter towards the inferior parts.

COBURG; a Saxon principality in central Germany, bounded by a number of other small German principalities. The country is mostly mountainous, with fertile plains: minerals and forests abound in it. According to the law of August, 1821, regulating the constitution of the principality, there is a body of representatives, who have a voice in legislation, and particularly in the imposition of taxes. According to the law of Dec. 11, 1809, the feudal privileges were to be abolished by degrees. Coburg has one vote in the general assembly of the diet, and is bound to furnish a contingent of 800 men to the forces of the German confederation. The duke of Saxe-Coburg received, in the division of the former dukedom of GothaAltenburg (edict of Nov. 15, 1826), the duchy of Gotha, and several smaller territories; so that the dominions of the present duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha comprise 969 square miles, and 139,440 inhabitants, of which 201 square miles and 83,000 inhabitants are comprised in the principality of Coburg and its dependencies, which were subject to the duke previous to the large accession of territory just mentioned.

Coburg, the capital of the above dukedom, is situated in the beautiful Itzgrund (valley of the Itz), with 8100 inhabitants, an excellent school (gymnasium illustre), several manufactories, two fairs, and considerable trade.

COBURG. Frederic Josias, duke of SaxeCoburg, an Austrian field-marshal, was born in 1737; in 1788, took Choczim, and, in connexion with the Russian general Suwaroff, defeated the Turks at Focsani in 1789, and conquered Bucharest. In 1793, he commanded against the French, was victorious at Aldenhoven and Neerwinden, took Valenciennes, Condé, Cambray and Landrécy; but when the duke of York separated himself from the Austrians in order to besiege Dunkirk, Coburg was beaten at Maubeuge, Clerfayt at Tour

nay, and the English at Dunkirk; and, in consequence of this, Coburg was again defeated at Fleurus and Aldenhoven. He retreated over the Rhine, gave up his command, and died in his native city in 1815. COBURG, SAXE, prince Leopold of. (See Leopold, and Charlotte Augusta.)

COCAGNA; an annual public festival instituted by the government of Naples, in which food and wine in fountains and from barrels are given to the people. Hence it is said of a country of comfort and plenty, "It is the land of Cockaigne." Something similar were the congiaria of the ancient Romans.-Mats de cocagne; masts besmeared with soap for the public amusement, which those who have courage for the enterprise endeavor to climb, for the sake of a prize which is fixed on the top.

COCCEI, Henry, born, 1644, at Bremen, studied at Leyden in 1667, and, in 1670, in England; was, in 1672, professor of law at Heidelberg, and, in 1688, at Utrecht; in 1690, regular professor of laws at Frankfort on the Oder; repaired to the Hague, in 1702, without giving up his office, on occasion of the disputes as to the hereditary succession of the house of Orange ; received for his services, in 1713, the rank of baron of the empire, and died in 1719. As a lawyer, he was the oracle of many courts, and his system of German public law (juris publici prudentia) was almost a universal academical text-book of this science. Cocceii did not owe his profound juridical learning so much to skilful teachers, for he had only heard lectures on the institutes, but to his great industry, which he carried to such an extent, that he allowed but a few hours each night to sleep, lived with the utmost temperance, and even abstained several years from taking dinner. He was mild, obliging, and of an exemplary honesty and disinterestedness. His disputations Exercitationes curiosæ, and Dissert. varii Argumenti, form 4 vols. 4to.; his Consilia et Deductiones, 2 vols. in folio; his Grotius illustratus, 3 vols. in folio.-His eldest son, Samuel, baron of Cocceii, born, 1679, at Heidelberg, was, in 1702, professor at Frankfort on the Oder, and rose, through many degrees, to the dignity of grand chancellor of all the Prussian dominions. He died in 1755.— Charles Louis Cocceii, who died in 1808, in Prussia, was the last of this distinguished family.

Coccus, in zoology; a genus of insects of the order of heteroptera, family gallinsecta. Generic character: antennæ filiform, of 10 or 11 articulations in both

sexes, shorter than the body; rostrum pectorale, conspicuous only in the females; males with two large incumbent wings; females apterous, subtomentose, fixed, and becoming gall-shaped or shield-shaped after impregnation. These little insects are remarkable for many peculiarities in their habits and conformation. The males are elongated in their form, have long, large wings, and are destitute of any obvious means of suction; the females, on the contrary, are of a rounded or oval form, have no wings, but possess a beak or sucker, attached to the breast, by which they fix themselves to the plants on which they live, and through which they draw their nourishment. At a certain period of their life, the females attach themselves to the plant or tree which they inhabit, and remain thereon immovable during the rest of their existence. In this situation, they are impregnated by the male; after which, their body increases considerably, in many species losing its original form, and assuming that of a gall, and, after depositing the eggs, drying up, and forming a habitation for the young. This change of form is not, however, constant to all the species, which has given rise to a division of the genus into two sections:those which assume a gall shape, in which the rings of the abdomen are totally obliterated, are called kermes by some authors; and those which retain the distinct sections of the abdomen, notwithstanding the great enlargement of the body, are called true cocci, or cochineal. They are impregnated in the spring, after having passed the winter fixed to plants, particularly in the bifurcations, and under the small branches. Towards the commencement of summer, they have acquired their greatest size, and resemble a little convex mass, without the least appearance of head or feet, or other organs. Many species are covered with a sort of cottony down. Each female produces thousands of eggs, which are expelled by a small aperture at the extremity of the body. As soon as they are produced, they pass immediately under the parent insect, which becomes their covering and guard; by degrees, her body dries up, and the two membranes flatten, and form a sort of shell, under which the eggs, and subsequently the young ones, are found coccated. Soon after the death of the mother, the young insects leave their hidingplace, and seek their nourishment on the leaves, the juices of which they suck through the inflected_rostrum, placed beneath their breast.-But it is with a view

to their importance as an article of commerce, arising from their use in the arts, that the insects of this genus are particularly interesting. When it is considered that the most brilliant dyes and the most beautiful pigments, as well as the basis of the most useful kinds of cement, are their product, it will be acknowledged, that to none of the insect tribe, except, perhaps, to the bee and the gall insect, are we more indebted than to these singular and apparently insignificant little beings. Kermes, the scarlet grain of Poland, cochineal, laclake, lac-dye, and all the modifications of gum-lac, are either the perfect insects dried, or the secretions which they form. The first mentioned substance is the coccus ilicis. It is found in great abundance upon a species of evergreen oak (quercus coccifera), which grows in many parts of Europe, and has been the basis of a crimson dye from the earliest ages of the arts. It was known to the Phoenicians before the time of Moses; the Greeks used it under the name of KOKKOS, and the Arabians under that of kermes. From the Greek and Arabian terms, and from the Latin name vermiculatum, given to it when it was known to be the product of a worm, have been derived the Latin coccineus, the French cramoisis and vermeil, and the English crimson and vermilion. The early Jews, the Greeks, the Romans, and, until lately, the tapestry-makers of Europe, have used it as the most brilliant red dye known. The scarlet grain of Poland (coccus Polonicus) is found on the roots of the scleranthus perennis, which grows in large quantities in the north-east of Europe, and in some parts of England. This, as well as several other species, which afford a similar red dye, have, however, fallen into disuse since the introduction of cochineal. This valuable and most important material is the coccus cacti (Lin.), à native of Mexico, and an inhabitant of a species of cactus, called nopal, which was long thought to be the cactus cochinilifer (Lin.), but which Humboldt considers a distinct species. The trees which produce the cochineal are cultivated for this purpose in immense numbers; and the operation of collecting the insects, which is exceedingly tedious, is performed by the women, who brush them off with the tail of a squirrel or stag. The insects are killed by being thrown into boiling water, placed in ovens, or dried in the sun. Those which are killed by the latter method fetch a higher price, from the white powder, covering the insect, being still retained, and thus preventing, in a great measure, the adulteration of the

article. The quantity annually exported from South America is immense; the export value being not less than £500,000. Cochineal was cultivated by the Mexicans previous to the conquest, but probably not to any great extent. Cortez received orders from the Spanish court to pay attention to this valuable dye; and, from that time, the quantity increased very rapidly; but, the trade having been carried on only through Spain, it was not until lately so generally used as it is likely to be in future. Cochineal is also raised in Peru, and several other parts of Spanish America, and becomes every year an article of greater importance to the commerce of that country. The finest, however, continues to be prepared in Mexico and Guatimala. In the East Indies, a very inferior kind has been reared, which produces a coarse scarlet dye. Hayti and Brazil have tried to encourage the propagation of this insect.-The natural dye which this little animal affords in such abundance is a deep crimson; and the color called scarlet was not discovered until the effect produced by infusing the animal matter in a solution of tin was noticed by a German chemist, in 1643; after which a manufactory of this color was established in London.-Lac is a secretion from a species of coccus inhabiting India, where it is found in astonishing abundance. In its native state, not yet separated from the twig on which it has been deposited, it is called stick-lac; when separated, powdered, and the coloring matter washed from it, it is denominated seedlac; lump-lac when melted into cakes, and shell-lac when purified and formed into thin lamina. Lac-lake is the coloring matter of stick-lac precipitated from an alkaline lixivium, by means of alum.

COCHABAMBA; a town of Bolivia, in the province of Cochabamba, in a fertile valley; 90 miles N. N. W. La Plata, 140 S. W. Potosi; lon. 67° 24′ W.; lat. 18° 25' N. The province has a mild climate, and produces an abundance of grain, also sugar and cattle. Population, about 100,000. COCHIN, Charles Nicolas, engraver, born in Paris in 1688, practised painting till his 23d year, which was of considerable advantage to him in the art of engraving, to which he afterwards devoted himself. In 1731, he became a member of the academy of Paris, and died in 1754. His son, of the same name, devoted himself to etching, rather than to engraving. His productions are superior to those of his father. The collection of his works contains more than 1500 pieces, among which

there are 112 likenesses, in the form of medals, of the most renowned French scholars and artists of his time, who were almost all his friends. We have, besides his essays in the memoirs of the academy, several printed works of his, which contain interesting observations on different subjects of art, for instance, on Herculaneum. His frontispieces and vignettes are remarkable for neatness and taste. His views of 16 French seaports are of great value. His composition, in general, is rich, delicate and pleasing. He was a member of the academy, and occupied several places of importance.

COCHIN-CHINA, empire of, consists of a part of the kingdom of Kamboja (Cambodia), of Cochin-China Proper, and of Tonquin: the two last are called, by the natives, by the common appellation Annam. This empire is bounded on the west by Siam and Laos, on the north by China; the sea is the southern and eastern boundary. Cochin-China extends from 8° 25′ to about 23° N. lat., the extreme length being a little over 1000 miles; the breadth varies from 70 to 220 miles; its area is estimated at about 135,000 square miles. It is politically divided into the vice-royalties of Kamboja and Tonquin, and Cochin-China, which is administered by the king in person. The country is traversed by a lofty chain of mountains, from which numerous small rivers descend into the sea, forming numerous sand-banks along the coast. The Kamboja or Mecon, and the Song-koy or river of Tonquin, are considerable streams. The climate is healthy. In Cochin-China, the rainy season continues from October till March, and neither the heat nor cold is excessive. In Tonquin, on the other hand, the rains commence in May, and terminate in August. The heat and cold are both extreme. The gulf of Tonquin and the neighboring seas are exposed to the ravages of the typhoons, which are rarely felt below the latitude of 16° N. The forests furnish the eagle-wood, the stick-lac, and valuable timber for building and furniture. The orange and the lichi are of excellent quality. Rice, sugarcane, betel, indigo, cotton and potatoes are the principal productions of agriculture. The true cinnamon is a native of CochinChina. The mulberry is extensively cultivated for the silk-worm, and the teashrub is common in the country. Elephants, used in war, buffaloes, which are yoked to the plough, tigers, rhinoceroses, the wild boar, the horse, which is small, the ox, a small, reddish-brown animal, and

several species of deer, are the principal quadrupeds. Sheep are very rare. The poultry is numerous and very good. The seas and rivers abound with fish, which supply a great number of the inhabitants with food. Neither the flesh of the buffalo nor that of the ox is eaten by the CochinChinese, and milk they hold in abhorrence, considering it as blood. The Annam race, comprehending the CochinChinese and the Tonquinese, are a short, but active and hardy people. In the useful arts, they have made considerable progress. Their language is monosyllabic. They have no literature of their own, and receive all their books from the Chinese. In writing the Chinese characters, the elementary ones are the same, but they make considerable changes in combining them. Their manners are lively and cheerful; their character mild and docile. There are two classes, the commonalty and nobility or mandarins. The government is despotic; the chief instrument is the rod, which is freely administered. The general administration is conducted by a supreme council and six ministers of state. Beside these, there are three other superior officers, called kun-the viceroys of Tonquin and Kamboja, and the minister of elephants, who is properly prime minister and minister for foreign affairs. Every male inhabitant, between 18 and 60 years of age, is at the disposal of the state; and, in Cochin-China, every third man on the rolls performs actual service during every other three years. These conscripts are called soldiers, and wear uniforms, but are, in reality, engaged as laborers on the public works and in the menial service of the public officers. The royal guard of 30,000 men is always stationed near the person of the king. The ordinary force consists of about 360,000 troops and 800 elephants, cavalry not being at all used. The effective force, regularly armed and disciplined, is not more than 50,000. They are armed partly with muskets and partly with spears. There is no established religion in Annam. The ministers of religion are few and little respected; the temples mean and little frequented. The lower orders, in general, follow the worship of Buddha or Fo. Persons of rank are of the sect of Confucius; but the only part of the religious belief, which assumes a systematic form, is the worship of the dead. Polygamy is permitted to any extent, as the wife is a mere chattel purchased by the husband. Marriages, however, are indissoluble, except by mutual consent. The population has been

estimated, by some writers, at 22,000,000, but does not, probably, exceed 10,000,000, perhaps not 6,000,000. The direct commercial intercourse between Cochin-China and Europe and America, has been very inconsiderable, but is now on the increase. The foreign trade, by sea, is principally with China, Siam, and the British ports within the straits of Malacca. The principal places from which it is conducted are Saigon in Kamboja, Hue, the capital of the empire, in Cochin-China, and Cachao in Tonquin. The exports are cinnamon, pepper, areca, raw silk, sugar, dye-woods, cardamoms, ivory, elephant's and rhinoceros' hides, &c.-According to the Chinese annals, Annam was conquered by China, B. C. 214, and colonized by numerous bodies of Chinese. After various revolutions, in which the Chinese yoke was thrown off, and Tonquin and Cochin-China were alternately conquerors, the present order of things was established by events which took place at the. end of the 18th century. The Taysons, three brothers from the lowest ranks of the people, had rendered themselves so powerful as to obtain possession of nearly the whole country; the king had perished in the war against them. His young son, Gialong, having been intrusted to the care of the bishop of Adran, a French missionary, obtained, through his influence, the assistance of some Europeans, by whose means he formed a navy, disciplined his troops, and constructed fortifications in the European manner. He succeeded, after a struggle of 12 years, in subduing the Taysons, conquered Tonquin in 1802, Kamboja in 1809, and left the empire, on his death, in 1819, to his present majesty, Meng-meng, his illegitimate son, who, in 1821, was regularly invested with the government of Annam by the court of China. (See La Bissachère's État actuel du Tunquin, de la Cochinchine, &c., Paris, 1812; White's Voyage to the China Sea, Boston, 1823; and particularly Crawfurd's Embassy to Siam and Cochin-China, London, 1828.)

COCHINEAL. (See Coccus.)

COCHRANE, Alexander Thomas, lord; born Dec. 2, 1775; a naval officer, distinguished by his boldness and success; eldest son of the well-known chemist, lord Archibald Cochrane, earl of Dundonald; educated by his uncle, admiral sir Alex. Forester Cochrane, who, in 1814, took the capital of the U. States, and burned the public buildings. In February, 1814, lord Cochrane, the subject of this article, then a member of parliament, was accused of

« AnteriorContinua »