Encyclopædia americana. A popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, a new ed.; including a copious collection of original articles in American biography; on the basis of the 7th ed. of the German Conversations-lexicon. Ed. by Francis Lieber, assisted by E. Wigglesworth ...

CALABASI-I-TREE —CALABRIA. 391
vessels, such as water-cans, goblets and are beautifullly adorned with herbage, the
cups of almost every description. So hard cinnamon rose and sage, and the hills
and close-grained are these shells, that, with strawberries and raspberries. On
when they contain any fluid, they may the coast grow the evergreen tamlarisk and
even be put several times on the fire as arbutus. With all the rich fruits of the
kettles, without any injury. When in- torrid zone, we find here some of those
tended fbr ornamental vessels, they are which belong to the north of Europe-we
sometimes highly polished, and have fig- wander amid orchards of fine apples, and
ures engraven upon them, which are vari- through green Alpine meadows, with
ously tinged with inldigo and other colors. their soft herbage. In the valleys, the
The calabash contains a pale-yellow, thorny caper mingles its bright flowers
juicy pulp, of an unpleasant taste, which with the dark-green rosemary, and the
is esteemed a valuable remedy in several laurel overshadows all the streams. From
disorders, both external and internal. the rush (sarrachio) the Calabrian manauCALABRESE; the appellation of a paint- factures his ship-tackle, his baskets, his
er, by name Jlcattia Preti, a native of Ca- mats, his ropes and his nets, in which lie
labria; born 1643, died 1699. catches the tunny. The lazy and ignoCALABRIA; a miountainous country, ly- rant inhabitant of this beautififl land has
ing on the sea-coast, about 164 miles in forgotten the Grecian mode of culture,
length, and from 20 to O0 broad, forming which produced excellent wines andl good
the southern part of the Italian peninsula. oil. le has corn and rice, saflion, anise,
It extends, in the southern part of Naples, liquorice, madder, flax and hemp. iHe
along the Apennines and the Tyrrhenian cultivates olives, figs, almonds and cotton.
sea, to the capes of Spartivento and Squil- The noble sugar-cane will cone to perlace onl the south, and to the gulf of Ta- fection here. The silk of this country is
rento in the Mediterranean sea on the good. The sheep, horned-cattle and
east. In a space of 6800 square miles, it horses are numerous. The waters concontains more than 890,000 inhabitants, tain tunnies and eels. Near Reggio a
among whom are many Arnauts. The kind of muscle is found, calledpinna maaccurate accounts of this country, so fa- rina, from whose silky beard a splendid
mlous in fable and history, but hitherto fabric is manufactured, which is as light
not very accessible to travellers, we owe as it is effectual in affording protection
to the war which the French, under Jo- against the cold. Coral is also fished up.
seph and Jerome, carried on against the The quarries and pits afford alabaster,
proud and fanatical natives, until 1810. marble, gypsum, alum, chalk, rock-salt,
In ancient times, C. was a part of Miagna lapis lazuli, and the fine copper, renownGrtecia, the residence of Pythagoras, the ed since the time of Homer. Thle
birth-place of Charonidas, of Zaleucus, condition of the people is a subject of
Praxiteles, Agathocles, and other distin- astonishment to all observers. The Caguished men. The country where the labrian, scarcely 40 leagues from the
luxurious Sybaris once flourished is now gates of the capital, is wild as a Tartar,
sunk in deep barbarism. The climate cruel as a loor, rude and ignorant as a
was much esteemed in antiquity; but, in Negro of Senegal; yet he has some good
some places, the stagnant waters, to the qualities. He is honest, hospitable, and
draining off of which no one pays any tender of his honor. The corruption of
attention, produce contagious diseases in a race of men, naturally so energetic, is
the hot season. The heavy dews pre- the fault of the governiment, the church,
serve, during the greater part of tlle year, and the feudal system now abolished. A
a delightful verdure, which is increased few rich individuals are found here among
by numerous springs and streams. Pliny a great number of miserable poor. The
extols the fertility of the dark soil, which, peasant labors little, and subsists almost
with the exception of the great plain Mar- entirely on the spontaneous productions
cesato, reselmbling an entire waste, covers of nature. His habitation resembles the
the calcarious rocks of C. Beautiful pig-sties of the rest of Europe. The feugroves of pine, fir and larch, the pitch- dal lords formerly exercised a dreadful
bearing trees of the wood of Sila, famous tyranny over their vassals, who, weary of
in ancient times, shade the sides of the suffering, fled to the mnounitains, and lived
Apennines. The evergreen-oak, the Ori- by robbery. Ignorance, love of revenge,
ental plane-tree, the Indian chestnut, the cruelty and cunning are the principal
beech, the aloe, the fig, various nut- traits in the character of the people.
trees, and others, flourish here. The Ca- Once offended, a Calabrian is irreconcilalabrian ash affords manna. The fields ble. H-ereditary hatred, therefore, divides