143 GRANADA Ometepe, on the beautiful island of Zapatera, in Lake Nicaragua. A few of the volcanoes are still active, but the most recent serious eruption was that of Masaya in 1858. Be- sides the two large lakes, there are several small ones having no visible outlet. There are no navigable rivers. The mineral pro- ductions are abundant, and many mineral springs exist. II. A city, capital of the de- partment, on the W. shore of Lake Nicaragua, 27 m. S. E. of Managua; pop. about 10,000. The streets are irregular and unpaved. There are three ancient churches. On the lake side stand the remains of the old fortifications of the city. A company was formed in 1872 for raising the water of the lake to the city by machinery, the elevation being 58 ft. The hospital is in a dilapidated condition, and one wing is used as a prison for females. The university courses are held in the halls of the ancient cloister of San Francisco. The situation of Granada is unequalled in a com- mercial point of view by any other inland town in Central America, but its trade is at a low ebb, although the products of several de- partments concentrate here for shipment by the lake steamers, which leave twice or thrice a month, and reach the Atlantic through the Rio San Juan. The town was founded in 1523, and was in the latter part of the 17th century repeatedly plundered and partially destroyed by buccaneers. The usurper Chamorro having taken refuge here, the democrats besieged the city from May, 1854, to February, 1855. After the death of Chamorro, in 1855, the filibuster William Walker took the city by surprise, burned it, and established a provisional gov- ernment which lasted till 1857, when Granada was retaken by the united arms of San Salva- dor and Guatemala. A large portion of the city has been rebuilt since that time ; but whole squares still lie in ruin, covered with vegetation. GRANADA. I* An ancient kingdom of Spain, in Andalusia, now comprising the three mod- ern provinces of Malaga, Granada, and Alme- ria, bounded S. and E. by the Mediterranean ; greatest length about 200 m., greatest breadth about 80 m. ; area, 11,063 sq. m. The surface is diversified, with lofty mountains, beautiful valleys, and extensive plains. The Sierra Ne- vada mountains traverse the territory from E. to W. ; their summits are crowned with per- petual snow, and one of them, the Cerro de Mulhacen, attains an elevation of 11,654 ft. above the sea, and is the highest mountain in Spain. The only railway of the province con- nects the city of Granada with Antequera and the railway from Malaga to Cordova. The principal riven are the Jenil, the Almanzora, and the Guadalorze. The climate of the
- in districts is cold, that of the plains
temperate, and that of the valleys sultry and
- i iy, ivsp.'rially during the prevalence of
the wind called solano, which blows periodi- cally from the Mediterranean. The soil is barren or fertile in proportion to the possibil- ity of irrigating it from the mountain streams. Agriculture is the chief business. The princi- pal manufacture is silk. The wine is generally inferior, but the tierno, muscatel, and Malaga are exceptions, and have a high reputation. The sugar cane grown in the neighborhood of Velez Malaga is deemed fully equal to that of the West Indies for size and juiciness. The foreign trade is not important, and is chiefly carried on through the ports of Alrneria and Malaga. This province formed an opulent, civilized, and powerful kingdom under a Moor- ish dynasty founded in 1238, which was over- thrown by Ferdinand the Catholic in 1492. II. A modern province, bounded N. by Cor- dova, Jaen, and Albacete, E. and S. by Al- meria and the Mediterranean, S. W. by Malaga, and N. W. by Cordova ; area, 4,937 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870 estimated at 485,000. It is al- most entirely mountainous, the only large tract of level country within its boundaries being the Vega or plain of Granada, on the Jenil, between the capital and Loja. HI. A city, the capital of the province and kingdom, on two declivities of the Sierra Nevada and on the plain between them, 34 m. from the Mediter- ranean, and 224 m. S. of Madrid ; lat. 37 13' N., Ion. 3 40' W. ; pop. about 68,000. The river Darro flows through it, and falls into the Jenil just outside the walls. The site of the city is about 2,000 ft. above the sea, and its appearance from a distance is singularly pictu- resque and beautiful. It is divided into the city proper, the Alhambra suburb, the Albaycin suburb, and the Antequeruela suburb. The first three are partially fortified, but the fourth is entirely open, and here the working classes generally reside. The streets are narrow and crooked, but the houses are well built in an- tique oriental style. There are several hand- some squares and numerous public fountains. But the public edifices and the monuments of its former splendor are the great attractions of Granada, and first among these must be ranked the Alhambra, or ancient palace of the Moorish kings. (See ALHAMBRA.) The Gothic cathedral is profusely ornamented with jasper and colored marble, and surmounted with a dome resting on 12 arches, beneath which stands the gorgeously decorated altar. The church of Nuestra Senora de las Angustias is remarkable for its altar and towers ; the church of San Jos6, a modern structure, for its ele- gance. The monastery of San Ger6nimo con- tains the tomb of its founder, Gonsalvo de Cordova ; but his bones were dug up and cast out by a mob who plundered the convent in 1836. Granada contains the unfinished palace of Charles V., the Generalife, a Moorish palace surrounded with gardens and fountains, an episcopal palace, a university, and a general hospital, as well as many conventual establish- ments for both sexes. The chief manufactures are silk, woollen stuffs, hats, paper, saltpetre, and gunpowder. The trade is insignificant, and the roads leading to the city are so wretch-
