Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/229

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BADAKHSHAN BADEN without success in 16GO, and again during the war of the succession in 1705. During the French invasion it was besieged by Kellermann and Victor in 1808 and 1809, and was surren- dered to Marshal Soult March 11, 1811, by the treachery of Imaz, commander of the gar- rison. Beresford made an unsuccessful at- tempt to recover it, and it was afterward be- sieged by Wellington, and carried by assault with fearful loss on the night of April 6, 1812. The city was sacked for two days and nights by the British soldiers. Wellington's loss dur- ing the 20 days' siege was 5,000, of whom 3,500 fell in the final assault. KUHkllsiUN. a mountainous country of Central Asia, subject to the Uzbeck chief of Koondooz, situated between lat. 36 and 38 N., and Ion. 69 and 73 E., bounded N. by Khokan, E. by the table land of Pamir, S. by Chitral and Kafiristan, and W. by Koondooz; area estimated at 40,000 sq. m. ; pop. about 500,000. The country belongs to the basin of the Oxus or Amoo Darya, and is very uneven, with a gradual slope to the west. The principal valleys are those of the Amoo audits tributary the Koksha. The lower valleys and plains are fertile, but the mountains are bare and sterile. The highest central range is the Khoja Moham- med, the peaks of which reach an altitude of 7,000 ft. above the sea, or from 3,000 to 4,000 above the surrounding plains. In the east and south the mountains are higher and more rug- ged. They are composed largely of limestone, containing lapis lazuli. Rubies are found in crystal deposits. The inhabitants are Tajiks, who speak the Persian language and belong to the Shiah sect of Mohammedans. Badakh- shan was a dependency of the Mogul empire, and after its fall paid a doubtful allegiance to Cabool. In 1823 it was reduced by the Uz- becks of Koondooz. Its ancient capital, Fyza- bad, and many other cities and towns were de- stroyed, and the former still lies in ruins. A large part of the people were slaughtered or sold into slavery, and in many fertile districts the population is still very thin. The present capital, Jerm, on the left bank of the Koksha, 105 m. E. of Koondooz, is made up of several scattered hamlets, with about 1,500 inhabitants. BADEN, a grand duchy of Germany, situated between lat. 47 30' and 49 50' N., and Ion. 7 30' and 9 50' E., bounded N. by Hesse- Darmstadt and Bavaria, E. by Wurtemberg and the Prussian province of Hohenzollern, S. by Switzerland, and W. by Rhenish Bavaria and Alsace; area, 5,910 sq. m. ; pop. in 1867, 1,434,- 970, of whom 931,007 were set down as Cath- olics, 475,918 Protestants, 2,435 other Chris- tian sects, 25,599 Jews; pop. in 1871, 1,461,428. In 1816 the population was 1,005,899; it in- creased about 10,000 a year till 1846, after which, owing to emigration, there was a period of decrease till 1855, since which time there has been a gradual increase. The grand duchy is divided into the administrative districts of Constance, Freiburg, Carlsruhe, and Mannheim. The capital is Carlsruhe, which in 1871 had 36,622 inhabitants. The most important com- mercial city is Mannheim, with 39,614 inhabit- ants ; and the most renowned cities are Heidel- berg, the seat of a celebrated university, and Baden-Baden, the famous watering place. On the western side of Baden, and stretching along the Rhine, is a fertile strip of land, from which the rest of the country rises toward the east. In the southern and eastern parts is the Schwarzwald (Black Forest), extending north- ward to the Enz, an affluent of the Neckar. North of the latter river is the Odenwald mountain range, connected by ranges of hills with the Schwarzwald, but much less elevated. The highest peaks of the Black Forest are the Feldberg, 4,789 ft., and the Belchen, 4,490 ft. The highest point of the Odenwald, the Katz- enbuckel, is about 2,000 ft. high. Between the Rhine and the little river Dreisam is the Kai- serstuhl, an independent volcanic group nearly 10 m. in length and 5 in breadth ; the highest point of this group is 1,784 ft. The principal river is the Rhine, which forms the boundary of the duchy on the south and west. The other most important rivers are the Neckar, Main, and Elz. The Danube rises in Baden, on the extreme east of the Black Forest, under the name of the Brege. Near Donaueschingen it unites with the Brigach, and with another rivulet from the palace yard of Donaueschin- gen, when it takes the name of Danube. Ba- den has a number of small mountain lakes, the Mummel, Titti, &c. A part of Lake Constance belongs to Baden. In the plains and valleys the climate is mild and agreeable, but in the higher parts it is cold and moist, with snow during the greater part of the year, and with frequent- ly very sudden transitions from winter to sum- mer. But on the whole the climate is very salubrious. In the valleys and plains the soil yields wheat, maize, barley, beans, potatoes, flax, hemp, and tobacco ; in the mountainous district, rye, wheat, and oats are cultivated. The extensive vineyards produce excellent wines, and the finest fruits abound. The man- ufactures are chiefly confined to iron and hard- ware, and the spinning and weaving of cotton. The Black Forest is distinguished for manufac- tures of wooden ornaments and toys, watches, wooden clocks, musical boxes, organs, and bas- ket work. St. Blasien is an important seat of ribbon and cotton manufacture. The fab- rication of jewelry and of tobacco and cigars occupies the next rank in importance. The chiccory, paper, and cloth manufactures, the tanneries, and breweries are also noticeable. There are extensive government salt works at Dilrrheim and Rappenau. The most excellent iron mines are those of Oberwert and Kan- dern. Gold washing, formerly extensively car- ried on along the Rhine, is now little practised. Baden has more than 60 mineral springs, the most frequented of which are Baden-Baden, Badenweiler, Antogast, Rippoltsau, and Ueber- lingen. The exports are wine, timber, bread-