OCEANIA. ASIA. AFRICA. AMERICA. FINE ARTS.-Poussin, Vouet, Claude Lorrain, Le Sueur, Mignard, Charles Le Brun, Watteau, Vernet, Greuze, David. PHYSICAL SCIENCE.-La Place, Lavoisier, Lagrange, Lalande, d'Alembert, Buffon, Réaumur, Jussieu, Cuvier, Arago, Balbi. MENTAL SCIENCE. Descartes, Malebranche, Gassendi, Bayle, Condillac, Montesquieu, Cousin. PULPIT ELOQUENCE. -Bourdaloue, Bossuet, Fénélon, Massillon. SACRED LITERATURE. -Calvin, Beza, Pascal, Bochart, Daille, Tillemont, Le Long, Dupin, Fleury, Basnage, Saurin, Le Clerc, Calmet, Houbigant. MISCELLANEOUS. - Rabelais, Montaigne, H. and R. Stephens, Casaubon, Salmasius, Herbelot, Sévigné, Du Cange, Montfaucon, Le Sage, Fontenelle, Marmontel, Diderot, St. Pierre, Volney, de Sacy, Champollion, Chateaubriand, La Bruyère, La Rochefoucauld, Vauban, Talleyrand, Hugo, Dumas, Musset, Balsac, De Kock, Eugène Sue, Lamartine, Montalembert, &c. EXPORTS* AND IMPORTS. Exports-Cotton and silk goods, jewellery, lace, wine, brandy, liqueurs, clocks and watches, ribbons and gloves, fruits, perfumery, &c. Imports-Raw silk and raw cotton, tobacco, sugar, spices, tea, coffee, indigo, wool, coal, linen yarn, hides, timber, &c. NAVAL STATIONS. Brest (Atlantic), L'Orient and Rochefort (Bay of Biscay), Toulon (Mediterranean), and Cherbourg (English Channel). * In 1852 the tonnage of vessels cleared amounted to 1,863,406 tons; and, of vessels entered, to 2,438,203 tons. The value of exports was, in the same year, £67,280,000; and, of imports, £57,520,000. LANGUAGE.-The French language is an important member of the GrecoLatin family. The original language of the country was, in consequence of its having become subject to the Romans, misplaced by the Latin, which, in its turn, was greatly corrupted by the Franks. The Armoric or Breton is spoken in Bretagne or Brittany, the Basque or Biscayan in Béarn, which cannot be classed, in the south-west, Flemish in French Flanders, and German in Alsace. The reign of Louis XIV. (between 1643 and 1715) was the Augustan age of French literature. RELIGION. In 1846 more than 32,000,000 were adherents of the Romish church, 1,800,000 were Protestants, and 60,000 were Jews. EDUCATION.-60 per cent. of the population between seven and fourteen years of age attend the primary schools; this instruction is, however, very unequally distributed; for, in the eastern part of the country, ths of the adult community can read and write, while, in the centre and west, only ths can read and write. Every commune or parish is now compelled (by the introduction, in 1833, of a system of national education) to maintain, at least, one elementary school; and the number of children attending such places of instruction (not compulsory) in 1847, was 3,146,000. ARMY.-The standing army amounts to 500,000, which, in the time of the late Russian war, was raised to nearly 600,000. NAVY.-This consisted, in 1854, of 280 sailing-vessels, and 108 steamers, together mounting 11,773 guns. The cost of maintaining the same was 17,740,0007. PUBLIC DEBT.-In 1854, the public debt was 242,943,9067., and costs the country annually 20,000,000. REVENUE. The gross revenue for the year 1857 amounted to 68,000,000%.; of this 20,000,0007. was expended on the interest of the public debt; 20,000,000l. on the army and navy; 20,000,0007. on account of collection and public order; and 8,000,0007. in meeting the minor obligations of the government. Spain and Portugal are together called "The Iberian Peninsula," and sometimes, by way of eminence, "The Peninsula." Iberia, one of the ancient names of Spain, is taken from the Iberus, now the Ebro. Prior to the year 1833, Spain was divided into sixteen provinces. In that year it was further divided into forty-nine provinces (with the addition of the Baleares and Canaries), most of which received their names from the principal towns. The old provinces of Galicia, Navarra, Aragon, Valencia, Mencía, Granada, and Leon, were kingdoms; Asturias and Catalonia, principalities; Biscay, a lordship; the rest were provinces. *The Castle of Bivar, the Cid,1 stood only a few miles distant from the gates of Burgos "Mighty victor, never vanquished,- Mirror bright of chivalry, Ruy, my Cid Campeador." 1 The term Cid is from the Arabic said, a lord or master, the term by which Don Rodrigo was accustomed to be addressed by his Moorish vassals. |