IRISCOPE 194 IBKUTSK In astronomy, an asteroid of the group between Mars and Jupiter, discovered by Hind in 1847. In botany, the flower-de-luce, the typi- cal genus of the order Iridacese. The species are very numerous, and are gen- erally remarkable for their large, yellow, white, or blue flowers, and sword-like leaves. They abound in Europe, but are rare in America. The rhizomes of sev- eral species are more or less purgative and emetic. Those of /. florentlna, pall- ida, and germanica possess a violet odor, and are used in perfumery for imparting an agreeable odor to the breath, and by the French especially for making issue peas. These rhizomes, dried and scraped, constitute the orris root of the shops. The roasted seeds of /. pseuda- cora, the yellow flag, have been recom- mended as a substitute for coffee, but they do not appear to have any of the valuable properties of that beverage. The genus is so named on account of the variety of colors exhibited by it. In anatomy, the anterior part of the choroid coat of the eye, with superadded muscular fibers. In jewelry, the name given by French jewelers to limpid and transparent stones, but chiefly to rock crystal when reflecting prismatic colors like opal, by means of natural internal flaws. imSCOPE (i'ri-sk5p), an instrument invented by Dr. Reade for exhibiting the prismatic colors. It consists of a plate of polished black glass, having its sur- face smeared by a solution of soap, and dried by wash leather. If the breath be directed through a tube upon the glass, the vapor will be deposited in colored rays. IRISH CHURCH, or CHURCH OF IRELAND, a popular name sometimes given, prior to 1871, to what was not an independent denomination, but was an integral part of the United Church of England and Ireland. It constituted the Established Church of the two countries. When on Jan. 1, 1871, the Act of Par- liament disestablishing and disendowing the portion of the United Church which was in Ireland, took effect, those affected by the measure, rejecting the name pro- posed by the government for the new or- ganization, adopted that of the Irish Church or the Church of Ireland. It comprehends within its pale about Vs of the Irish people. IRISH MOSS, a seaweed very common on rocky coasts, and especially abundant on the W. side of Ireland. It is used as a substitute for arrow root. IRISH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, a Presbyterian Church, formerly called the Synod of Ulster, as having its strength mainly within that province of Ireland. IRISH SEA, a body of water lying between the N. of Ireland and the N. of England, with the S. W. counties of Scotland on the N. It is connected with the Atlantic on the N. W. by the North Channel and on the S. by St. George's Channel. Between the coasts of Louth (Ireland) and Lancaster the Irish Sea has a width of 150 miles; its greatest length N. and S. is about the same. Within its boundaries lie the Isle of Man and Anglesey, with Holyhead Island. IRITIS, or IRIDITIS (I-r!'tis, I-rid-I'tis), an inflammation of the iris, accompanied by vascularity, change in color and appearance, irregularity and immobility of the pupil, with a visible and varying amount of lymph deposited in, on, and round the iris. IRKUT (er'kot), a river of Siberia, in the district of Irkutsk, rising in the mountains of Sayansk, near the frontiers of China, and after a course of 220 miles flowing into the Angara at the town of Irkutsk. IRKUTSK (er'kotsk), a government of Eastern Siberia, separated from China on the S. by the Sayan Mountains, from Transbaikalia on the E. by Lake Baikal, and bounded W. by Yeniseisk, and N. and N. E. by Yakutsk, occupies an area of 287,061 square miles. The coun- try is generally mountainous, but pro- duces rye, barley, oats, and vegetables. The most important river is the Angara or Upper Tunguzka (1,000 miles), which connects Lake Baikal with the river Yenisei. The Lena and its tributary the Vitim are the rivers that come next in size. Gold, iron, and salt figure foremost among the mineral products. Agricul- ture, cattle breeding, and the transport of goods to and from China are the chief occupations of the people. Pop. about 850,000, consisting of Buriats, Tungus, and Russians. The industries are brandy distilleries, with iron foundries and factories for salt, cloth, and pottery. Irkutsk, the capital, on the Angara, is the best-built town in Siberia. It pos- sesses a cathedral, several churches, a public library, a museum of natural his- tory, etc. Pop. about 70,000, mostly Russians and Buriats. Irkutsk was founded by a Cossack chief, Ivan Pocha- bof, in 1652, and obtained town rights in 1686. Owing to its position on the great Siberian highway between China and Russia, it is the commercial center of Siberia, especially for the tea trade; the annual value of its trade amounts to
