Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/383

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

HADLEY HADRAMAUT philological association, before which he read a number of papers of value. He was one of the American committee for the revision of the New Testament now in progress. His acquisitions were all made during the regular discharge of his duties as a teacher, in which position he was most successful. He wrote the "History of the English Language" in the in- troduction to Webster's Dictionary, and was the author of a "Greek Grammar" (1860); "Elements of the Greek Language " (1869); an essay on the Greek accent, republished in German in Curtius's Studien zur griechischen und lateinischen Grammatik ; an article on the "Language of the New Testament," in the American edition of Smith's " Dictionary of the Bible ;" " Lectures on Roman Law " (1873) ; and "Essays Philological and Critical," edited by Prof. W. D. Whitney (1873). HADLEY, John, an English astronomer, died Feb. 15, 1744. The time and place of his birth, as well as the particulars of his life, are un- known. He became a fellow of the royal so- ciety in 1717, and is chiefly known as the re- puted inventor of the instrument commonly called Hadley's quadrant, of which he pub- lished an account in the "Transactions" for 1731. It is now believed, however, that Sir Isaac Newton and Thomas Godfrey are entitled to the honor of the invention. The claims of Godfrey and Hadley were investigated by the royal society, and it was decided that both were original inventors, and a prize of 200 was awarded to each. (See GODFREY, THOMAS.) HADRAMAUT, a district of S. Arabia, lying along the shores of the Indian ocean. Its lim- its are not well defined, but it is bounded gen- erally N. by the Dahna or great desert, N. E. by Oman, S. by the sea, and W. by Yemen. Its coast line extends in a N. E. direction from Ion. 45 to 56 30' E., but some author- ities limit it to less than 200 m. It is sup- posed to extend inland about 120 m. The coast is low, excepting where some spur from the mountains inland forms a projecting cape. Back of the lowlands a range of mountains, which stretches from Yemen to the regions bordering on Oman, rises in terraces to a considerable height, and behind it an eleva- ted plateau, diversified by occasional peaks and numerous valleys, descends gradually into the desert. But little was known of the in- terior until the explorations of the baron von Wrede, who visited the wady Doan in 1843. He describes this valley as a deep gap which bisects the table land, beginning about 80 m. N. W. of Makallah and ending 120 m. E. of it on the Tehama or lowland near the sea. Its length is about 150 m., and its breadth in its widest part from 25 to 35 m. It has many branches, and is studded with towns and villages throughout its extent. The slopes of the hills and most of the level tracts are well cultivated, the fields being irrigated from a small stream which runs through it. This river, though sometimes a raging flood, is 369 frequently dry. In 1870 the W. part of Ha- dramaut was visited by Capt. S. B. Miles of the British army, in company with Werner Munzinger, the German traveller, who landed at Ilisu Ghorab, about Ion. 48 30', and passed through the country between that point and Aden. The lowland about Hisu Ghorab con- sists of barren sand and rocks to the hills, about 10 m. inland. In the uplands anthracite is found, with bitumen in abundance and signs of copper. Dates are the chief product, and a little indigo is raised, but no coffee. No game was seen, excepting a few gazelles, but singing birds were numerous. The coast be- tween there and Aden is peopled by four tribes, settled in towns and villages and not nomadic, who have been independent about 100 years, having been previously subjects of the imam of Sana. The most easterly tribe, the Wa- hidi, occupy the greater part of the wady Maifah, in a sand and limestone region, which is very productive. They are the least aggres- sive of any of the tribes, and are mostly settled down as peaceful tillers of the soil. Their chief towns are Hota, with 8,000 inhabitants, and Habban, with 3,000. No coffee or cotton is cultivated, and cattle, sheep, and goats are scarce and dear. They are divided into three sections, each under the rule of a sultan, who has little more than patriarchal authority. Their founder was Abdul Wahid, a Koreish chief who conquered the territory. Next W. of them are the Deaybi, who are called by their neighbors Himyars, and claim to be the descendants of the ancient Himyarites. Their language is a dialect of the Sabaean. They oc- cupy a portion of the wady Maifah and apart of the coast to about 50 m. inland. Each of their seven divisions is ruled by an abu (father). They are said to be rapacious and marauding in their habits. The Owlaki hold about 60 m. of the coast from the Deaybi to Mugatein. They have two divisions, the Owlaki Ali Nasir and the Owlaki el-Nisab, each having a sultan. The former, who number about 15,000, hold the coast; the latter the interior. Their coun- try is w.ell cultivated, and they own numer- ous flocks of sheep, goats, and camels. They are the only tribe possessing horses, of which they have a fine breed. From Mugatein to Iwad, near Aden, about 100 in., the coast is possessed by the Fudthli, a restless, warlike, and ambitious tribe, numbering about 17,000. Their country is intersected by two wadies, the Hassan and the Bunna, which are well wa- tered. Along the sea is a thick forest of mimo- sas, and beyond, toward the hills, are fields of grass and corn. Ambergris is sometimes found on the coast. The agricultural pro- ducts are wheat, barley, millet, sesamum, and cotton. No coffee is cultivated, but it might easily be raised with proper irrigation. In- digo is grown, but not to any extent. Myrrh trees abound, and frankincense trees are found in the Himyar hills, but the gum is scarcely known to the Arabs. The E. part of the coast,