Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/442

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

428 ISLAM ISLE ROYALE pulsion of his order in 1767, requiring his sudden departure, gave a shock to his health from which he never recovered, and he spent the rest of his life in Bologna, The manu- script of his second volume having reached London, Baretti published it in English (1772); and complete Spanish editions soon appeared at Bayonne and elsewhere, Isla's friend Fran- cisco Lobon de Salazar, a priest at Villagarcia, in whose house he had written the work, ap- pearing as the author in the earliest and in some of the later editions to elude the censor- ship. In 1813 the work was published in Madrid in 4 vols. ; and though again interdict- ed next year, it continued to have a large cir- culation. Ticknor finds in its plan some re- semblance to " Don Quixote," and in its exe- cution he compares it to Rabelais. Isla's works also include Cicero, a satirical poem in 16 cantos. Permission to print it was de- nied, and the manuscript was presented in 1844 to the library of the Athenaeum of Bos- ton, Mass., together with some of Isla's auto- graph letters. His letters to his sisters and brother-in-law, Cartas familiares, were pub- lished posthumously in 6 vols., 1785-' 6. See Vida de J. F. de Ma; by J. I. de Salas (Madrid, 1803). ISLAM, an Arabic word, signifying full sub- mission to God. It is used by Mohammedans to designate their religion, and also the whole body of believers, or those who accept the for- mula of faith : " There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet." This for- mula or profession of faith is understood to in- clude five essential articles of religion: 1, the acknowledgment of the divine unity and of the mission of Mohammed ; 2, observance of prayer ; 3, almsgiving ; 4, keeping the fast of Ramadan ; 6, the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Shiahs, or adherents of Ali, who are dominant in Persia, add to the declaration of faith, " Ali is the vicar of God." But the Sunnis, or or- thodox Mohammedans, who form the majority of the church of Islam, reject this. ISLAND, a N. W. county of Washington ter- ritory, bounded S. and S. W. by Admiralty in- let, and W. by Rosario strait ; area, 200 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 626. It comprises Camano and Whidby islands, the last being 60 m. long, of irregular width, and noted for its fer- tile soil and salubrious climate. The chief productions in 1870 were 3,271 bushels of wheat, 4,856 of oats, 13,069 of barley, 15,043 of potatoes, 9,297 Ibs. of wool, 11,395 of but- ter, and 1,942 tons of hay. There were 214 horses, 433 milch cows, 579 other cattle, 3,099 sheep, and 1,108 swine; 1 flour inill, 1 saw mill, and 3 establishments for building and re- pairing ships. Capital, Coupeville. ISLAY, or Isla, an island of Scotland, the southernmost of the Hebrides, 15 m. from the coast of Argyleshire, to which it belongs ; length 24 m., breadth 17 m. ; area, 154,000 acres, of which 20,000 are cultivated ; pop. in 1871, 8,143. The surface of the E. part is hilly and mostly wooded, but the remainder is generally level. Some of its summits are 1,500 ft. high. It contains several small lakes and rivers, which abound with salmon and trout. Loch Finlaggan, near its centre, is about 3 m. in circumference. In this lake is an islet where the Macdonalds, the " lords of the isles," once resided, and where the ruins of their castle still are. The climate is moist, but tolerably heal- thy. The soil of the lowlands is very fertile and well cultivated. The staple manufacture is whiskey, which is of superior quality, and of which over 400,000 gallons are made year- ly. Lead and copper mines have been opened. In 1843 the island was purchased as an invest- ment by the late Mr. Morison of London for $2,225,000. Chief town, Bowmore. ISLE OF FRANCE. See MAURITIUS. ISLE OF MAN. See MAN. ISLE OF PINES. See PINES. ISLE OF WIGHT, England. See WIGHT. ISLE OF WIGHT, a S. E. county of Virginia, bounded N. E. by the estuary of James river, and S. W. by the Blackwater; area, 400 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 8,320, of whom 3,446 were colored. The surface is generally, level and di- vided between swamps, pine forests, and farm- ing lands. The soil is thin and sandy. The Norfolk and Petersburg and Seaboard and Roanoke railroads cross the county. The chief productions in 1870 were 160,733 bushels of Indian corn, 17,823 of oats, 17,957 of Irish and 30,411 of sweet potatoes, and 1,312 tons of hay. There were 829 horses, 1,226 milch cows, 2,237 other cattle, 1,510 sheep, 11,423 swine, and 6 saw mills. Capital, Smithfield. ISLE ROYALE, an island in Lake Superior, forming part of Keweenaw co., Michigan, 55 m. N. W. of Keweenaw point, 15 m. from the Canada shore, intersected by the 48th parallel and the 89th meridian ; length from N. E. to S. W. about 45 m., greatest breadth 9 m. ; area, 225 sq. m. It has no permanent population. The shores are generally rocky and broken, with several deep inlets. A large number of rocky islets are clustered about it, especially off the N. E. and S. W. extremities. Much of the island is covered with trees, and a longitu- dinal ridge rises at some points more than 700 ft. above the lake. Extensive veins of native copper have recently been discovered on this island, many of which have been worked by some ancient people, whose stone hammers and copper knives and other tools are found in great numbers in the pits. Some of the ex- cavations on the N. side extend continuously more than two miles, and are connected by underground drains, one of which was cut through rock for a distance of 60 ft., and had been covered throughout with large timbers, now broken and decayed. The stone hammers weigh from 10 to 30 Ibs., some of them hav- ing a groove for a handle, and the copper tools have been hardened by fire. The miners ex- hibited great skill in tracing the veins, and fol- lowed the deposits of sheet-like copper, re-