Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/298

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CEF—CEL

of temples. The timber-work of the roof of Cordova Cathedral, built eleven centuries ago, is composed of it. In the time of Vitruvius " cedars " were growing in Crete, Africa, and Syria. Pliny says that their wood was ever lasting, and therefore images of the gods were made of it ; he makes mention also of the oil of cedar, or cedrium, distilled from the wood, and used by the ancients for preserving their books from moths and damp : papyri anointed or rubbed with cedrium were on this account called cedrati libri. Drawers of cedar or chips of the wood are now employed to protect furs and woollen stuffs from injury by moths. Cedar- wood, however, is said by Dr Fleming to be injurious to natural history objects and to instruments placed in cabinets made of it, as the resinous matter of the wood becomes deposited upon them. Cedria, or cedar resin, is a substance similar to mastic, that flows from incisions in the tree ; and cedar manna is a sweet

exudation from its branches.

There are two sub-species or varieties of Abies Cedrus A. Deodara, the deodar, or " god tree " of the Hima layas, and A. atlantica, of the Atlas range, North Africa. The deodar flourishes in all the higher mountains from Nepal up to Kashmir, at an elevation of from 5500 to 12,000 feet ; on the peaks to the northern side of the Boorung Pass, it grows to a height of 60 to 70 feet before branching. The wood is close-grained, long-fibred, per fumed, and highly resinous, and resists the action of water. The foliage is of a grey-green, the leaves are slender, and the twigs are thinner than those of A. Cedrus. The tree is employed for a variety of useful purposes, especially in building. It is now much cultivated in England as an ornamental plant. A. atlantica has shorter and denser leaves than A. Cedrus; its wood also is hard, and more rapid in growth than is that of the ordinary cedar. It is found at an altitude above the sea of from 7000 to 9000 feet.

The name cedar is applied to a variety of trees. The Bermuda cedar (Juniperus bermudiana) and the red or American cedar (J. viryiniana) are both much used in joinery and in the manufacture of pencils ; though other woods are now superseding them for pencil-making. The Japanese cedar (Cryptomeriajaponica) is a kind of cypress, the wood of which is very durable. Another species of cypress (Cupressus thyoides), found in swamps in the south of Ohio and Massachusetts, is known as the American white cedar. It has small leaves and fibrous bark, and is much used for making fences and coopers staves. The Spanish cedar is a name applied to the Juniperus thurifera, and also to another species, J. oxycedrus. The latter was much used by the Greeks for making images ; and its empyreumatic oil, Huile de Cade, is used medicinally for skin-diseases. A species of cypress which has been naturalized in the neighbourhood of Cintra is known as the cedar of Goa. The order Cedrelaceve (which is en tirely distinct from the Conifers) includes, along with the mahoganies and other valuable timber trees, the Jamaica and th3 Australian red cedars. The cedar-wood of Guiana, used for making canoes, is a species of the Natural Order Amyridacece, Idea altissima.

The importation of woods classed as cedars into Great Britain has been free from duty since 1866, when the im ports were 5647 tons, valued at 59,224.


See Gordon s Pinetum; Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, Histoire du ctdre du Liban, Paris, 1838 ; Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum, vol. iv. pp. 2404-2432, London, 1839; Marquis de Chambray, TraM pratique des arbres resineux coniferes, Paris, 1845; Dr J. D. Hunter, Nat. Hist. Preview, Jan. 1862, pp. 11-18 ; Brandis, Forest Flora of N. W. and Central India, pp. 516-525; Lond., 1874.

CEFALU, a seaport town on the north coast of Sicily, in the province of Palermo, and 39 miles E.S.E. of the town of that name, in 38 N. lat. and 14 4 E. long. The new town, founded by Roger I. of Sicily in 1131, is situated at the base of a steep promontory 1191 feet in height, which overlooks the magnificent Bay of Cefalu. The houses are tolerably well built; and the cathedral, commenced in 1132, is distinguished for the beauty of its facade, with antique pillars and mosaics. Near it are the bishop s palace and the seminary. The harbour is good, but small; and the trade, which is chiefly in oil, manna, and sardines, is inconsiderable. The inhabitants, who number about 10,200, are actively engaged in sea-fishery. The old town derived its name of Cephalcedium or Cephalosdis from the projecting headland mentioned above, on which it stood. On the original site are to be seen a fine Saracenic castle and an ancient temple. The latter is constructed of massive stones, and part of its walls is formed by the side of the hill. At first Cephaloedium was possibly only a fortress of the Himera3ans. In 396 B.C. it entered into friendly relations with Himilco ; and after the defeat of the Carthaginian fleet, it was betrayed into the hands of Dionysius of Syracuse. In 307 B.C. it was taken by Agatho- cles, and in 254, in the first Punic war, by the Romans. In 858 A.D. the town was captured by the Saracens.

CEHEGIN, perhaps the ancient Segisa, a town of Murcia in Spain, four miles east from Caravaca. Its houses are generally built of marble from the neighbouring quarries. Its civil, religious, and educational establish ments are in a comparatively prosperous condition. It possesses a considerable trade in agricultural produce, especially wine, hemp, and oil, and has several manufac tories of paper and coarse linen. Population, 6200.

CELANO, a town of Italy, in the province of Abruzzo Ulteriore and district of Avezzano, about seven miles east of the town of that name. It is finely situated on a hill about four miles from the former bed of Lake Celano, and has an interesting mediaeval castle of the 15th century, celebrated for its connection with the unfortunate Countess Covella. Though the town never recovered from the ven geance inflicted on it in 1223 by Frederick II., it continued to be the centre of a countship which was bestowed in 1463 on Antonio Piccolomiui. The chapel of this family, in the Convent of Valle Verde, not far from the town, is worthy of notice for the paintings of Giulio Romano ; and the town itself has the honour of being the birthplace of Beato Tommaso the probable author of the Dies Tree. The population of the commune is 6673.

The neighbouring lake, known to the ancients as Lacus

Fucinus, had till the beginning of this century an area of 37,990 acres, and was remarkable for its frequent changes of level. As early as the 1st century, the Emperor Clau dius constructed a subterranean passage by which the sur plus waters found an outlet to the Liris or Garigliano. No fewer than 30,000 workmen were employed for a space of eleven years ; and the undertaking seems to have been as successful as it was bold. But in the following reign the passage was allowed to fall into disrepair ; and it has been reserved to the present generation to see the old Roman works not only restored but surpassed. From 1793 to 1810 the lake had been gradually rising till it was 30 feet above its former level ; and the attention of the Neapolitan Government was directed to the danger. Little, however, was effected till 1852, when the necessary works were undertaken by a company, under the direction of Mr C. Hutton Gregory, who proceeded to widen the emissarium and support the walls with arched work. The shares of the company were gradually bought up by Prince Giulio Torlonia of Rome, who successfully carried on the operations at his own expense till his death in 1871. About 36,000 acres of rich arable land have been reclaimed,

and the corn-crops yield a profit of from 30 to 36 per cent.