national representation. The constitution (art. 1, sect. 2, 3) says, "Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the congress of the U. States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct," &c. Thus we shall have, in the year 1830, another census, which will be highly interesting, on account of the rapid increase of several of the new states. (For the results of this new census, see the article United States.)

CENTAURS; an ancient barbarous people in Thessaly, on mount Pelion. According to the fable, they were the children of Centaurus, a son of Apollo, and the mares of Magnesia, or of Ixion and the cloud. (See Irion.) They are said to have been half horse and half man, and the fable is explained in this manner: The Centaurs first practised the art of mounting and managing horses. In the time of the Thessalian king_Ixion, a herd of wild bulls on mount Pelion committed great devastations in the adjacent country. Ixion offered a great reward to whoever should destroy them: in consequence of which, the Centaurs trained horses to bear them on their backs, and slew the bulls. Mythology relates the combats of the Centaurs with Hercules, Theseus and Pirithous. The latter, at the head of the Lapithæ, another Thessalian nation, their hereditary enemies, entirely defeated them, killed many, and drove them from Pelion. The Centaurs Nessus, Chiron and others are famous in ancient fable. The latter is often mentioned under the name Cen

taurus.

CENTAURY. There exist two plants of this name, used in medicine: small centaury (chironia centaurium of Lamarck), indigenous in Europe, growing abundantly every where; and American centaury (chironia angularis of Willdenow), extensively distributed throughout the United States. Both are annual plants, and esteemed as tonics and febrifuges: the latter, however, is preferred by the American physicians. It is also much used in domestic practice as a prophylactic against autumnal fevers, in strong infusions, in large and repeated doses.

CENTIARE; a French measure, the hundredth part of an are (q. v.); thus, also, according to the new French division of measures and weights, we have centigramme, centilitre, centime, centimetre, the hundredth part of a gramme, litre, franc, metre. (See French Decimal System.) CENTIGRADE. (See Thermometer.) CENTIMANI. (See Briareus.)

CENTIPED (Scolopendra, L.); a genus of insects belonging to the order myriapoda, C. They are distinguished by having antenna of 14 joints and upwards, a mouth composed of two mandibles, a quadrifid lip, two palpi, or small feet, united at their base, and a second lip, formed by a second pair of dilated feet, joined at their origin, and terminated by a strong hook, having an opening beneath its point, through which a poisonous fluid is thrown out. The body is long, depressed and membranous, each ring being covered by a coriaceous or cartilaginous plate, and mostly having one pair of feet: the last is usually thrown backwards, and elongated in form of a tail. These insects are nocturnal and carnivorous, and uniformly endeavor to escape from the light. They conceal themselves under the decayed bark of trees, the decayed timbers of buildings, among stones, lumber and rubbish, whence they sally forth at night in search of prey. The centiped is one of the greatest pests to be encountered in the West India islands, and throughout the hot parts of the American continent. The materials of which the houses are constructed, and the rapid decay to which timber is subject in such climates, afford these noxious insects excellent hidingplaces, and they multiply with great rapidity. The utmost vigilance, even in the most cleanly houses, is necessary to prevent these creatures from finding their way into the beds, which they often do notwithstanding all the care that is taken to prevent them. They always attempt to escape when a light is brought into the room. They run with considerable swiftness, but are quite ready to stand on the defensive, and bite with severity. This disposition to bite upon the slightest provocation renders them very dangerous when once they have entered a bed; the least movement of the sleeper over whom they may be crawling, and who can scarcely fail to be disturbed by their sharppointed feet or claws acting upon his skin, will ensure a venomous bite, which will be frequently repeated if the centiped be not speedily dislodged. The bite is exceedingly painful at the moment, and is

followed by a high degree of local inflammation and a fever of great irritation. Where the insect is large, and the bite severe, life is much endangered, and not unfrequently lost, especially if the sufferer be of delicate and irritable habit of body. The immediate application of a cuppingglass, or any convenient substitute, over the wound, removes the pain and danger at once. Spirits of hartshorn (volatile alkali, aqua ammonia alcoholiz), applied to the part, and doses of the same administered internally (30 or 40 drops) twice, thrice or oftener in a day, will also lessen the pain, and avert dangerous consequences. The mode of treatment first mentioned is the quickest and most certain. A popular remedy, in all places where the centiped is common, is the application to the wound of brandy or rum in which a centiped has been for some time preserved. This truly noxious insect grows to the size of six inches and more in length, and is a formidable inmate of most of the houses in tropical regions. Bishop Heber speaks of them as being very large and poisonous in different parts of India. So accustomed are the West India slaves and residents to their presence, and regardless of danger from their bite, that no particular pains are taken to lessen their numbers, or to banish them effectually. It is very probable that they might be readily destroyed by placing poisoned food within their reach; yet, while resident in the West Indies, we never heard of any one being at the trouble of the experiment, though centipeds were almost daily killed about the house. They are frequently brought to the U. States in cargoes of hides, &c.; and, a few years since, an individual, employed in unlading a vessel at Boston, lost his life in consequence of being bitten by one of these insects, brought over in this way. It is possible that the centiped is to be found in the most southern parts of the U. States, though it has not as yet been spoken of as an annoyance. Species having considerable resemblance to the centiped of the West Indies, and much dreaded on account of their bite, are often seen about extensive collections of timber and lumber at the saw-mills on the head waters of the Susquehanna, &c. A smaller, dark, reddish-brown species, known by the name of thousand legs, is common in most parts of this country, living under dead bark or among decaying timbers. The order myriapoda, to which these insects pertain, from their crustaceous covering, the formation of the mouth, &c., appears to form the

transition from the crustaceous or crablike animals to insects proper. They are the only insects which, in their perfect state, have more than six feet, and have the abdomen not distinct from the trunk. They live and grow much longer than other insects, surviving through several generations. When first hatched, they have but six feet, or, at least, fewer than they afterwards acquire. The additional feet, as well as the rings to which they are attached, become developed as they advance in age-a sort of change peculiar to this race.

CENT JOURS (French; signifying hundred days). From the 20th of March, 1815, when Napoleon a second time ascended the throne of France, to the 28th of June, when Louis XVIII again resumed the government in Cambray, just 100 days elapsed. Hence that interregnum is called le gouvernement des cent jours. None of the measures of the administration then existing have been acknowledged by the present government. Therefore the 42 numbers of the collection of laws (Bulletin des Lois) which appeared during this time, containing 313 ordinances, including the 12 resolutions of the provisorial committee of government (from the 22d to the 30th of June), have only a historical interest, and no binding power as laws. They form the sixth series (série) of this collection, which commences with the establishment of the famous revolutionary tribunal (March 11, 1793), and is still continued in the seventh series. If the facility with which Napoleon advanced from Cannes to Paris, with only 1100 men, without striking a blow, in 14 days, and the readiness with which many, who had always opposed the emperor, joined him, after their short experience of what France had to expect from the Bourbons and the old aristocracy, show how little attachment existed in France for the old dynasty; the history of the "hundred days," on the other hand, affords a proof that Napoleon himself had lost the basis of real power, the support of public opinion; or that, knowing the character of the French nation, and of his age, so well in many respects, he yet misapprehended both in other points of much importance. (For an account of his unequalled march from Cannes to Paris, see Napoleon. His Acte additionnel of the 22d of April, 1815, passing over entirely the Charte constitutionnelle of June, 1814, alters and supplies the deficiencies of the constitutions of 1799 (year 8), of 1802, which established the consulship for life, and of

1804, which established the imperial dignity. This acte sought to gain the favor of the people by the grant of more extensive privileges to the two chambers, by conferring greater independence on the courts, by a tacit abolition of the special courts and of the state prisons (prisons d'état), by granting entire liberty of the press, and totally suppressing hereditary distinctions. A general electoral assembly (champ de Mar) was convoked to gratify the taste of the people for great spectacles. But the charm, once broken, could not be renewed. With one party, Napoleon found no confidence in his promises; the other used its new independence to impose further restrictions on the government. The loss of a battle was sufficient to overthrow his ill-supported power; and Napoleon, deserted and pressed by his former adherents (Fouché, Caulaincourt, Carnot, &c.), was obliged to abdicate a second time. The ministers, during this period, appointed by a decree of the 20th of March, 1815, were Gaudin, duke of Gaëta, minister of finance; Maret, duke of Bassano, secretary of state; the duke Decres, minister of the marine; Fouché, minister of the police; Mollien, treasurer; Davoust, prince of Eckmühl, minister of war; Caulaincourt, duke of Vicenza, minister of foreign affairs; Carnot, minister of the interior; Cambacérès, duke of Parma, arch-chancellor and minister of justice. After the return of the king, by the ordinance of the 24th of July, 1815, all members of the chamber of peers of 1814 (29 in number), who had accepted places during the "hundred days," were excluded from the chamber; but they have since been restored, with the exception of two (Barral, archbishop of Tours, and count Canclaux). Of the 117 peers of the "hundred days," there are at present only 40 in the chamber. The law of the 12th of January, 1816, declared a general amnesty, with the exception of those who had voted for the death of Louis XVI, and of those who had accepted office during the "hundred days." They were condemned to perpetual banishment, were declared to have forfeited all public rights, and to be incapable of possessing estates. (See Chambre Introuvable; also the articles France and Napoleon.)

CENTLIVRE, Susanna, a dramatic writer, was born in Ireland, in 1667. Her mind having early taken a romantic turn, on being unkindly treated by those who had the care of her after the death of her mother, she formed the resolution of going to London. Travelling by herself on

foot, she was met by Mr. Hammond, father of the author of the love elegies, then a student at the university of Cambridge, who persuaded her to assume the habit of a boy, in which disguise she lived with him some months at college. At length, fearing a discovery, he induced her to proceed to the metropolis, where, being yet only in her 16th year, she married a nephew of sir Stephen Fox. Becoming a widow within a year, she took for a second husband an officer of the army, of the name of Carrol, who was killed in a duel the second year of their wedlock. This event in her singular career reduced her to considerable distress, and led her to attempt dramatic composition. Her first production was a tragedy, entitled the Perjured Husband, which was performed in 1700. This was followed by several comedies, chiefly translations from the French, which exhibited the vivacity that distinguishes her literary character, and met with some temporary success. She also tried the stage as an actress on the provincial boards, and by that means attracted the attention of her third and last husband, Mr. Centlivre, yeoman of the mouth to queen Anne, whom she married in 1706. She still continued writing for the stage, and produced several more comedies. Some of these remain stock pieces, of which number are the Busy Body, the Wonder, and a Bold Stroke for a Wife. They are diverting from the bustle of the incident and the liveliness of the characters, but want the accompaniments of adequate language and forcible delineation. They partook of the license of the age. Mrs. Centlivre enjoyed the friendship of Steele, Farquhar, Rowe, and other wits of the day. Having, however, offended Pope, she obtained a place in the Dunciad, but is introduced by no means characteristically. She was handsome in person, and her conversation was sprightly and agreeable; her disposition also appears to have been friendly and benevolent. She died in 1723. Besides her dramatic works, published in 3 vols., 12mo., 1763, a volume of her poems and letters were collected and published by Boyer.

CENTO (Latin); originally, a cloak made of patches (hence, as Lessing observes, the dress of Harlequin is called, in Apuleius, mimi centuculus). The term has been transferred to such poems as have been formed out of verses taken from other poems. It was a particular art to combine passages of different authors, on different subjects, in this manner, so as to form a regular whole. Thus

there were, in early times, Virgilian centos (centones Virgiliani), in which most of the verses were taken from Virgil; for instance, the epithalamium of Ausonius; and centos from the verses of Homer (Homerocentones).

CENTRAL AMERICA. The republic of Central America comprises the old kingdom of Guatimala. It is bounded north by Mexico and the bay of Honduras, east by the Caribbean sea and the province of Veragua (belonging to Colombia), and south-west by the Pacific ocean. It extends from 8° 46′ to 17° 51' north latitude. The population of Guatimala was stated by Humboldt, in 1808, at about 1,300,000; by Malte-Brun, in 1820, at 1,200,000; by the patriots, at 1,800,000. The rivers are numerous, but small. The largest are the Chiapa and St. Juan. The principal lakes are those of Nicaragua and Leon. The whole country is mountainous, but the particular ridges are but little known. On the western shore, the country is subject to the most tremendous convulsions of nature, which have involved, at times, whole cities in ruins, and exterminated complete tribes of people. No less than 20 volcanoes are known to exist, which are in constant activity; some of them terrific. The soil is described as exceedingly fertile, and better cultivated than most parts of Spanish America; and, according to Humboldt, this country, when he saw it, was the most populous of the Spanish provinces. It produces, abundantly, grain, cochineal, honey, wax, cotton, sugar-cane, indigo, pimento and chocolate. Cattle and sheep are abundant. The bay of Honduras is celebrated for its trade in logwood. The temperature in some parts is exceedingly hot and moist. The rains last from April to September, and violent storms are frequent. The climate is more healthy on the western coast than on the eastern. It is now divided into the states of Guatimala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, corresponding to the provinces of which it consisted before the revolution, in which it declared itself independent of Spain, in September, 1821. This region was peopled originally by a party of the Toltecas Indians, from Mexico, as sufficiently appears from their language, and other indications of their origin; and tradition preserves the name of Nimaquiche, who led the colony from Tula to their new abode. At the time of the conquest of Mexico by Cortez, a descendant of Nimaquiche, called Tecum Umam, reigned in Utatlan, the principal seat of the Quiches, or primitive

inhabitants of the country. They were subdued by Pedro de Alvarado, acting under a commission from Cortez. He set out from Mexico on this expedition in 1523, with an army of 300 Spaniards, commanded by Pedro de Portocarrero and Hernando de Chaves, with a large body of auxiliary Indians from Mexico, Cholula and Tlascala. Many desperate and sanguinary battles were fought before the invaders could effect the subjugation of the country. Most of these conflicts occurred in the districts of Suchiltepeque and Quezaltenango, where numerous traditions and local memorials of these events still remain among the aborigines. Six desperate battles took place near the river Zamala, which thus acquired, in the vicinity of the fields of carnage, the name of Xiquigel, or River of Blood. A long course of warfare ensued before Alvarado could break the spirit of the Quiches. After the death of their king, Tecum Umam, who fell in battle at the head of his subjects, they had recourse to a stratagem as bold as it was grand in conception. Their chief city, Utatlan, abounded in palaces and other sumptuous edifices, being hardly surpassed in splendor by Mexico and Cusco. It was encompassed by a lofty wall, and was capable of being entered only at two points; on one side by a causeway, and on the other by a flight of steps. Within, the buildings stood high and compact. In the hope of exterminating their enemies, the Quiches invited the Spaniards into their capital, pretending a willingness to submit. After their entrance, the Quiches set fire to the city, and, if the Indians of another tribe had not been false to their countrymen, and betrayed the secret, Alvarado and his followers would have perished. Having escaped this danger, the Spaniards pursued their victorious course until all opposition was crushed, and, in 1524, laid the foundations of the city of Guatimala. After the subjugation of the Quiches, the remaining tribes were subdued with comparative facility, and the dominion of the conquerors was permanently established. The government of this country, as constituted by Spain, was subject to the Mexican; but the dependence was far from being close. It was denominated the kingdom of Guatimala, and governed by a captaingeneral. Owing to the secluded position of the people, and their peculiar occupations and spirit, they were almost the last among the Spanish colonies on the continent to embrace the cause of independence. While an obstinate struggle was

going on around them, they remained for a long time in perfect tranquillity. At length, in September, 1821, they declared their independence of Spain; and although, for a time, Iturbide obtained the control of a large part of the country, yet, on his downfall, they recurred to their original purpose of forming a separate republic. A constituent congress was convoked, which completed the organization of the general government, Nov. 22, 1824, by the adoption of a federal constitution analogous to that of the U. States. Under the constitution, Manuel Jose Arce was elected first president of the republic. Various differences, however, of a political nature, have prevented his administration from being a tranquil or happy one. Violent factions have plunged the country into a civil war, which has continued since the beginning of 1827. It was commenced by the inhabitants of the state of Salvador, who, on account of some jealousy of the people of Guatimala, proceeded from one degree of opposition to another, until they actually levied troops, and marched into the territory of the Guatimaltecans. They were beaten by the troops of the general government under the command of Arce, and driven back into Salvador; but still the war has been protracted with various success. Besides this, disturbances of a serious character have existed in others of the states; all tending to show that the people are far from being well fitted for the delicate task of self-government. The government consists of a president, a senate, and a chamber of representatives. The Catholic is the. established religion. No other is tolerated. Slavery is abolished. The commercial regulations are on a much more liberal footing than in the other new republics. Foreigners have the same rights with the natives. Englishmen and adventurers from the U. States wander over this rich republic, and carry on a lucrative commerce with the natives, the treasures which the country offers in gold and silver being in the hands of the laboring class. The flag of the United Provinces of Central America consists of three stripes of different colors, with three volcanoes (signifying the three principal provinces-Guatimala, Nicaragua and Comayagua), under a rainbow, with the inscription, "God, concord, liberty." The principal town, Guatimala, and the province of the same name, are so called from the Indian word guanhtemali (rotten wood), the Indian term for Campeachy wood. Cortez founded the towns of Guatimala

and San Salvador. No colony cost Spain less blood than the vice-kingdom of Guatimala; but no other had so noble a governor as Las Casas. The soil is volcanic, and luxuriantly fertile. A large quantity of indigo is annually exported. The lake of Nicaragua, 121 miles in length and 41 in breadth, may become highly important in a commercial respect, as the navigable river S. Juan unites to the Atlantic ocean, and a canal has been proposed for connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, to receive its water from this lake. There are several volcanoes on its shores. The aboriginal population of the country has very much decreased. The ruins of Huehuetlapallan (q. v.) are remarkable. The converted Indians are called Ladiños; the others, Barbaros, or Bravos. Two pieces of land (Tagurgalpa and Tolagalpa), belonging to the United Provinces, have never been subjected by the European settlers, or their descendants, and are inhabited by the independent Moscos, or Mosquitos, and other tribes. That part of the coast called the Mosquito coast, and extending to cape Gracias-a-Dios, the congress at Colombia, in 1824, declared to belong to the territory of Colombia. A part of that coast called Poyais (q. v.), containing a town of the same name, was erected into a separate state by the Scotch adventurer, Mac Gregor.—Central America contains antiquities of a very interesting nature, which have been but imperfectly examined and described hitherto, and which indicate that the aboriginal inhabitants of the country had even attained a very respectable proficiency in the knowledge of the arts of life. Near the village of Palenque are the ruins of what was once a city of several leagues in circumference. Remains of temples, altars, and ornamental stones, statues of deities, and other works of sculpture, are permanent proofs of its former importance. Like remains are found near Ocosingo, in the same part of Central America. A circus, and several stone pyramids, in the valley of Copan, in Honduras, are better known than the ruins of Palenque and Ocosingo. Vestiges of the city of Utatlan, before mentioned, of Patinamit and Mixco, and of many fortresses and castles in the province of Quezaltenango, are mentioned by Juarros and other authors.-This country has attracted attention incidentally of late, owing to its geographical position, and the hope entertained by many of seeing a canal cut across the isthmus in some part of Central America, so as to unite the Pacific and Atlantic oceans by a navigable channel.