In the Southern part of Italy (Pl. XII.), are — The The rivers of the South of Italy are inconsiderable. principal lake is the Lago di Celano, near the Northern frontier of the kingdom of Naples. The principal Mountains are the Apennines, which extend to its Southern extremity. Near Naples, is the celebrated Volcano of Vesuvius. In Sicily is the much more stupendous Volcano of Etna, near Catania. The height of Vesuvius is only 3932 feet, and its circumference not more than 30 miles; while Etna rises 10,880 feet in height, and covers a space of 180 miles in circumference. Many of the smaller mountains in the neighbourhood of Etna exceed Vesuvius. The crater of Vesuvius is about half a mile in circumference; that of Etna never less than three, and often six miles. In the neighbourhood of Sicily, to the North, are several small Volcanic Islands, known by the general name of the Lipari Isles, the chief of which is Stromboli. South of Sicily is the Island of Malta belonging to the British. Its capital, Valetta, with a population of 60,000 souls, is strongly fortified, and has a noble harbour. The produce of Italy is silk, oil, wine, cheese, fruits, rice, flax, maize, &c. Its minerals are numerous, particularly iron from Elba, gold from Macugnaga, and sulphur from Vesuvius. It abounds in beautiful marbles, of which the mountain of white statuary marble near Carrara is the most eminent. Its manufactures are silks, velvets, corals, jewellery, and mosaics, and various elegant works of art. Spain (Pl. XIV.) is bounded on the South and East by the Mediterranean, and on the West by Portugal. The Pyrenees separate it from France on the North. Its principal cities are Eastward, below Cadiz, is the famous Rock of Gibraltar 36° 6' 5°19′ Belonging to the English, who took it in 1704. The promontory at the entrance into the Straits of Gibraltar is the ever-memorable Cape Trafalgar, where Lord Nelson defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain with immense loss, having taken no less than nineteen sail of the line, October 21. 1805, and was himself shot by a rifleman in the very moment of victory. The principal rivers of Spain are, the Ebro, which rises near Reynosa, and flows by Tudela and Saragossa, falling into the Mediterranean below Tortosa; it has a course of near 450 miles. The Guadalquivir rises in the Sierra Nevada in Granada, and flows by Cordova and Seville, falling into the Atlantic about 25 miles N. W. of Cadiz. Its course is above 400 miles. The Guadiana rises in La Mancha, near Almagro, and flowing by Ciudad Real and Badajos, falls into the Atlantic, about 30 miles E. of Cape St. Mary, having a course of about 520 miles, in the latter part of which it forms the barrier between Spain and Portugal. The Tagus rises in the Mountains of Albarracin, on the confines of Arragon and Castile, and flows by Toledo, Talavera, Almaraz, and Alcantara, and then, entering Portugal, flows by Santarem and Lisbon, below which it falls into the Atlantic, after a course of about 520 miles. The Douro or Duero rises North of Soria, on the confines of Burgos, and flowing by Zamora, enters Portugal, and falls into the Atlantic below Oporto. It has a course of about 460 miles. The principal mountains of Spain are the Pyrenees, which separate it from France and form a lofty chain parallel to the North coast. The highest, La Maladetta, is about 11,420 feet, and the Peña de Peñaranda near Oviedo is not much lower. The Sierra Toledo and the Sierra Morena have not an altitude above 5000 feet, but the Sierra Nevada in the South of Spain is much more considerable, the highest point of which, Mulhacen in Granada, is 11,650 feet, being 230 feet higher than the highest of the Pyrenees; Montserrat, a solitary mountain near Barcelona, is so high that the Islands of Majorca and Minorca, though distant about 150 miles, are said to be visible from it. The principal produce of Spain is wine, wool, oil, barilla, oranges, almonds, and nuts. Its principal mines are copper, iron, and quicksilver. It abounds in beautiful marbles. Its chief manufactures are silks, velvets, and cottons, and in the North, iron and glass, but its riches are most imperfectly developed.* According to Miñano, Spain contains English 182,708 Estimated Pop. in 1838. 13,732,000 The mountains of Portugal are not of very peculiar magnitude or importance. But some of the highest points of the Sierra de Estrella, in Estremadura, may be 8000 feet. The principal rivers are, the Tagus and Douro, already described; the Mondego, which rises near Guarda, and flows into the Atlantic by Coimbra; and the Minho, which rises in Gallicia, and forms the boundary between that Province and Portugal ; the former may have a course of near 100, the latter of about 140 miles. Portugal produces wine, oranges, lemons, cork, silk, and wool. Its manufactures are in a very low state.* The Turkish Empire in Europe (Pl. XVIII.) is divided into two great districts by the Balkan Mountains, North of which are Moldavia and Wallachia, which are nominally under the dominion of Turkey, but in reality dependent upon Russia. South of Wallachia is Bulgaria, and West of these Servia, the latter little more than in name dependent upon Turkey ; West of this are Bosnia and Croatia; South of the Balkan are Herzegovina and Monte Negro, below which are Albania Portugal contains Engl. Sq. Miles. Inhab. in 1841. |