COSTA. 460 COSTA RICA. ricii on the traditions of the Ferrarese School, of whieh many consider Lorenzo Costa the founder. Consult: Jlorelli, Itulinii I'uiiitcis: Critical atiidies of Their Wurks, translated by Constance Joeelyn Ffoulkes (London, 1892-93) ; Vasari, Lives of the Fainlcrs, translated by Blashfield (!Nev York, 1897) ; Crowe and Cavalcaselle, Bis- tort/ of Painting in North Italy (London, 1871). COSTA, Sir Michael, really iliCHELE (1810- 84). -Vn Italian composer and conductor, born in Naples. He was taught by his father and Zingarelli (q.v.). When the latter"s jjsalm was to be performed at the Birmingham Festival (1828), he sent Costa, then only eighteen years old, to conduct it. Owing to a misunderstanding, Costa had, instead, to sing the tenor part, but acquitted himself of the task brilliantly, and his reception induced him to settle in England. He became conductor of Italian opera in 1830, and in 1847 assumed the same post in the Covent Garden Opera. In addition he was appointed conductor of the Philharmonic Society (1840); Sacred Harmonic Society (1848): Birmingham Festivals (1849): and Handel Festivals (1857). His principal work, the oratorio Eli, was suc- cessfully produced at the Birmingham Festival of 1855 and yaamaii in 1864. In 1809 he was knighted by Queen Victoria and also received the royal order of Frederick from the King of Wiirt- temberg. Costa wrote several ballets and operas, of which the most successful were Don Carlos and Maiek Adel. He died at Brighton, England. COSTA, Paom (1771-1830). An Italian au- thor, born in Ravenna. He was educated in Padua, and was a teacher successively in Treviso, Bologna, and Corfu. His treatise on the Dirina Com media (1819) did much to popularize Dante in Ital}-. He collaborated with Orioli and Car- dinali in a revision (1S19-28) of the Vocabolario (1012) of the Accademia della Crusca. and with Giovanni ilacchetti, translated into Italian Ho- mer's Batrachomt/omachia, and Schiller's Don Carlos. His collected works, with a sketch by Becchi, appeared in Florence in 1839-40 (4 vols. ) . Consult, also, the biography bv Mordani (Forli. 1840). COSTA CABRAL, ko'sta ka-briil', Axtonio Bebxardo da. Count de Thomar (1803-89). A Portuguese statesman. He became .judge of the Supreme Court in Oporto and in Lisbon, and in 1835 was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, where at first he was one of the leaders of the Radicals, but soon joined the Conservative Party. He was appointed Governor of Lisbon in 1838 and Minister of Justice in 1839. For the pur- pose of setting aside the Constitution of 1820 with its restrictions of the royal power, he fomented, in 1842, an insurrection in Oporto, assumed control of the army, established a cen- sorship of the public schools, suppressed the universities, and so oppressed the people with taxes that he was driven from power in 1846. Onee more appointed Prime ^linister. in 1849, he again played the dictator, to the detriment, espe- cially, of the State finances, but was compelled to resign. The Queen refused to accept his resig- nation, and a revolution was started against him under the leadership of Saldanha, which overthrew his administration in April. 1851. He fled to England, but returned the next year, and from 1859 to 1861 was Minister to Brazil. In 1802 he became a member of the Council of State and president of the Superior Administra- tive Court. COSTA RICA, ko'sta re'ka ( Sp., rich coast ) . The most southern of the Central American States, bounded by Nicaragua on the north, the Caribbean Sea on the east, Colombia ( Panama ) on the southeast, and the Pacific on the south- west (Map: Central America, E 5). Its area, after the adjustment of the boundary disputes with Nicaragua and Colombia, is estimated at about 21,500 square miles. Lake Nicaragua forms part of the nortliern boundary. TopoGRAPiiv. The interior of the country is taken up partly by the Talamanca range of mountains (a continuation of the Cordillera of ChiriquI), which runs from the southeast to the northwest as far as latitude 10° N. The Tala- manca is of volcanic origin and reaches in its highest peaks an altitude of over 12,700 feet. North of the Cartago higliland commences the sec- ond mountain range, whidi extends in the same (northwesterly) direction to the northern bound- aiy of the Republic. There are several volcanoes in this range. Of them, however, but two — the Irazfl (11,.500 feet) and Turrialba (11,350 feet) — show any signs of activity. Since 1841, when the town of Cartago was almost completely de- stroyed, no serious eruption has occurred. The At- lantic coast, which, according to the adjustment of the southern boundary in 1900, reaches only to a point a little north of the mouth of the river Teliri or Siesola, is generally low, and, with the exception of Port Limon, without any inlet. The Pacific coast, on the contrary, has a more ele- vated surface and forms the two spacious gulfs of Nicoya and Dulce, which are j)rotected by two mountainous peninsulas. There are a num- ber of smaller inlets in the northern part. The rivers of Costa Rica are short, and, although abundant in water, unnavigable. Most of them fiow into the Atlantic or the Pacific, while some join the San .luan, which forms the eastern half of the northern boundary. Geology. The interior highland region is composed of Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata, in places broken through by ancient eruptives and overlain by more recent lava-flows. Many dis- tricts are known to be mineralized; the deposits of gold are especially important and have at- tracted the attention of foreign capitalists, who are now engaged in developing this branch of the mining industry. The eastern coast of Costa Rica is an alluvial plain. Climate. In regard to its climate, Costa Rica may be divided into three zones. The torrid zone, below 3000 feet, comprising the coastlands, has an average temperature ranging from 72° to 82° F. The temperate zone, lying between 3000 and 7500 feet, has the most salubrious climate and a mean temperature ranging from 57° to 68°. Above 7500 feet the temperature is much lower and frosts are frequent, but snows rare. On the tablelands of San .lose, lying at an elevation of 3000 to 4000 feet, the climate is very agreeable, the temperature having a range of only about 5°, the mean for the year being 67°. The dry season lasts from December to Jlay, while the months of December. January, and February are the coldest of the year. Owing to the proximity of the two oceans, winds blow almost continually, and occasion considerable discomfort during the dry season. On the whole, the climate of Costa
