CUM^E CUMANIA 565 ony from jEolian Cyme and Euboean Chalcis. The date of its foundation is uncertain, but of its extreme antiquity there can be no doubt, for it was in the zenith of its prosperity and power, ruling over the Campanian plain and the Tyrrhenian sea, while Rome was yet in its infancy. Cumae was the mother of many fa- mous and flourishing colonies in Italy and Sici- ly; and of the extent of its commerce and opulence, before the establishment of the Etrus- can supremacy, the harbors of Diceaarchia and Misenum were splendid evidences. But as the Etruscans became powerful, the Cumaeans de- clined, first losing their maritime superiority, then the dominion of the Campanian plain, and ultimately everything without their city walls. Thus stripped of their possessions, and beleaguered both by sea and land, they applied to Hiero of Syracuse for succor, and with the auxiliaries he sent them were enabled to defeat their enemies once more (474 B. C.), and to se- Kemains of a Greek Tomb. cure themselves from attack for many years. But the warlike Samnites, after wresting all their southern conquests from the Etruscans, laid siege to Cumae, took it in 420, put most of the male inhabitants to the sword or sold them as slaves, and planted a colony of their own countrymen in the captured city. In 338 Cumae became a Roman municipium. Du- ring the second Punic war Hannibal besieged it in vain. During the wars of the Goths and Byzantines Cumae acquired a temporary im- portance as the last stronghold of the Gothic kings in Italy ; but after its capture by Norses (A. D. 553) it rapidly sunk into insignificance. Some remains of the city are still to be traced. A cavern in the rock on which the acropolis stood is still pointed out as the place where the famous sibyl resided and uttered her ora- cles. In 1853 a magnificent temple of Diana was discovered there, and over 150 tombs were explored, and many antiquarian treasures discovered. < niA. I. A state of Venezuela, bounded N. by the Caribbean sea, E. by the gulf of Paria and the delta of the Orinoco, S. by the Orinoco, and W. by the state of Barcelona; area, 17,409 sq. m. ; pop. about 76,000. It has two peninsulas on its N. coast, that of Paria separating the gulf of the same name from the Caribbean sea, and Araya, which forms the gulf of Cariaco. At the mouth of the gulf of Paria lies the British island of Trinidad. The gulf of Cariaco, which is 42 m. long and from 7 to 9 m. broad, is a fine road- stead, affording excellent anchorage. The sur- face of the province is traversed by mountain ranges, the chief of which crosses it from E. to W., parallel to the coast, and sends numerous spurs toward the S. These hills are not very high, but are generally steep and covered with dense forests, which afford many kinds of pre- cious woods. Between the ranges are fertile and well watered valleys, well adapted for pasturage or cultivation. The chief rivers are the Guarapiche, Guanipa, Tigre, and Morichal, all of which empty into the gulf of Paria, and the Cumana or Manzanares and Cariaco, af- fluents of the Caribbean sea. In the valleys of the Orinoco are numerous small streams and many lakes. The climate is very hot, but is generally healthy. The principal products are cacao, cotton, sugar, tobacco, maize, and va- nilla, and cattle and mules are raised in large numbers. Salt is made along the coasts. II. ( imiiiiia, or New Toledo, the capital of the state, situated near the mouth of the gulf f Cariaco, on the river Manzanares, about a mile from the sea, in lat. 10 27' K, Ion. 64 20' W., 190 m. E. of Caracas; pop. about 12,000. It has a very fine and capacious harbor, defended by the fortress of San Antonio, built on a rocky eminence which commands the town. The city is poorly built, the houses being generally low and flat. It has been frequently visited by earthquakes. It was entirely destroyed, Oct. 21, 1766, in the space of a few minutes; and a similar visitation, Dec. 14, 1797, laid four fifths of it in ruins. The principal trade is in mules, cattle, dried meat, hides, salted fish, and cacao. The town has three suburbs; Serritos, San Francisco, and Guayquerias, the aggregate population of which nearly equals its own. Cumana is one of the oldest cities built by Europeans in the new world, having been founded by Diego Castellon in 1523. CUMANIA, Great and Little, two districts of Hungary. GREAT CUMANIA (Hung. Nagy Kunmg in the circle beyond the Theiss, con- sists of a low plain, subject to frequent inun- dations from the rivers, and occupied to a great extent by swamps ; area, about 420 sq. m. ; pop. about 70,000, of whom the majority are Protestants. It differs from most Hunga- rian districts in having no large land owners. The inhabitants, formerly a privileged class, are a robust, plain, and patriotic people, fond of rural pursuits, and moderately wealthy. Chief town, Kardszag. LITTLE CFMANIA
