ILFRACOMBE, a watering place of England, finely situated on the picturesque rocky coast of North Devon, on a cove or inlet of the Bristol Channel. Ilfracombe was in the 14th century a port of some consequence.
ILI (il′ē), a river of central Asia, partly in Chinese territory, but mostly in Russian. It is formed in Chinese Kuldja by two streams, the Tekes and Kunges, rising in the Thian-shan Mountains, and flows W., falling into Lake Balkash by several mouths after a course of 800 or 900 miles, half of which is navigable.
ILIAD, a celebrated epic poem in the Greek language, consisting of 24 books. Its composition is generaly ascribed to Homer. It is, however, a matter of dispute as to whether the poem is a homogeneous whole, or a series of ballads or rhapsodies on different episodes in the Trojan War, united into a continuous poem. It is said that Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens, first collected and arranged the “Iliad” and “Odyssey.” The chief subject of the poem is the wrath of Achilles, and the consequent troubles thence arising. The action is confined to the 10th and last year of the siege of Troy. See Homer.
ILICIN (ī′lis-in), a bitter principle extracted from the leaves of the holly. It has been recommended as a febrifuge, in doses of from 6 to 20 grains.
ILION, a village in New York in Herkimer co. on the Mohawk river and Erie and Barge canals. It is also on the New York Central and Hudson River and the West Shore railroads. It is an important industrial center, having manufactories of firearms, typewriters, store fixtures, knit goods, etc. There is a library and a hospital. Pop. (1910) 6,588; (1920) 10,169.
ILISSUS (il-is′us), a rivulet of Greece, famous in the classical age, but now unimportant and often wholly dry.
ILITHYIA (il-ith-ī′yä), among the Greeks the goddess who assisted women in childbirth. In aftertimes she was almost identified with Artemis (Diana).
ILIUM, or ILION, a name of Troy, in Greece, which was founded by Ilus.
ILIYATS (il′ē-yats), a nomadic race of Persia, Khiva, and Turkestan. The name Iliyat is the plural of iel (eel), a tribe, equivalent to the Arabic kabilah. The Iliyats are mostly of Turkish, Arabic, and Kurdish descent, and form an important portion of the population of Persia and adjacent countries. They live in tents and are Mohammedans of the Sunni sect.
ILKESTON, a town of England in Derbyshire. There are important manufactures of hosiery, lace, and stoneware. In the neighborhood are coal and iron works. Pop. about 32,000.
ILLE-ET-VILAINE (ē-lā-vē-lān′), a maritime French department, formed out of the N. E. portion of the old province of Brittany; area, 2,596 square miles; pop. about 625,000, mostly of the Celtic race. The cider of this district is the best in France; the butter of Rennes, the capital, is celebrated; the horses of the department are noted for their endurance, and are in great request for the army; and bee keeping is prosecuted. Iron is mined; slates are quarried; and salt is extracted. St. Malo is the principal seaport.
ILLEGITIMACY, a state of being illegitimate; state of being born out of wedlock; the state of bastardy. A state of being not genuine, or of legitimate origin.
ILLICIUM (il-lis′ē-um), a genus of Magnoliads, tribe Wintereæ. The fruit and other parts of Illicium anisatum is used by the Chinese as a stomachic and carminative, and as a spice. The fruit yields by distillation an oil like that of anise, used chiefly in the manufacture of liquors. I. floridanum is also spicy. The fragrant seeds of I. religiosum are burnt by the Chinese in their temples.
ILLIMANI (il-yē-mä′nē), one of the loftiest peaks in the Bolivian Andes, fully 21,000 feet high, and covered with glaciers.
ILLINGTON, MARGARET, an American actress; born in Bloomington, Ill., in 1881. She was educated at Illinois Wesleyan University and at the Chicago Musical College. Her first appearance on the stage was in 1900. She played for several years as a member of Daniel Frohman's stock company in New York, and following this, acted as a star in many important productions. In 1916 and 1917 she was co-star with John Drew in “The Gay Lord Quex.” In 1903 she married Daniel Frohman.
ILLINOIS, a confederacy of five tribes of North American Indians, comprising the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Tamaroa, and Michegamia. They formerly occupied Illinois and adjacent parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri.
ILLINOIS, a State in the North Central Division of the North American Union; bounded by Indiana, Kentucky,
