Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/286

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ETNA. 254 ETRURIA. able in later times are the following: the erup- tion of a.i>. 1109, when Catania and 15,000 of its inhabitants were destroyed: that of 1527. when two villages were buried and many human beings perished: that of 1669, when the How of lava was directed again toward Catania and is said to have killed 20,000 people; and the eruption of hen a still larger number of people are said to have been destroyed. A violent eruption took place in 1852, and immense quantities of volcanic dust fell over the adjacent country. Great tor- rents of lava also issued from two new fissures on the eastern flank, one of which was nearly two miles in length. The next outbreak in 1864-65 was of trifling importance. That of May, 1879, was much more violent, the clouds of smoke and showers of ashes being followed by the ejection of a stream of lava which desolated a large tract of highly cultivated land. The latest eruptions oc- curred in 1S80 and 1892. See Sicily. ETNA. A borough in Allegheny County, Pa., on the Allegheny River, opposite Pittsburg, and on the Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburg and Western railroads (.Map: Pennsylvania. B 3 ) . It is a flourishing industrial centre, and has rolling-mills, furnaces, steel-mills, gal- vanized-pipe works, and other manufactures. Population, in 1890, 3767; in 1900, 5384. ETON. A town in Buckinghamshire. England, on the left bank of the Thames, 42 miles south- southeast of Buckingham, and 22 miles west, of London (Map: London, El). It lies opposite Windsor in Berkshire, with which it is connected by a bridge over the Thames. Eton chiefly con- sists of one long, well-paved street, Is lighted by electricity, and lias a modernized sewerage sys- tem. It derives its importance from its famous historical college, Eton (q.v.). Population, in 1901, 3300. ETON COLLEGE. One of the oldest and most famous public schools in England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI. as "The College of the Blessed Mary of Eton beside Windsor." The establishment was constituted for a provost, ten priests, four clerks, six choristers, twenty five poor grammar scholars, a master, ami twenty-five poor infirm men, and was provided tor did of the royal demesne lands and the estates of certain alien priories. The whole [dan was modeled on that of Winchester, and contemplated :i eon nection between Eton and King's College (q.v.), Cambridge, such as existed between Winchester and New College, Oxford. Im 1441 a supplemen- tary charter was granted In the new foundation, and the college buildings were begun, but were not entirely finished until 1523. Tin lir-t head master of the school, later one of its most muni- ficent benefactors, was I'.ishop W.ivnllcle (q.v.). 'I'lic college has had a long and honorable history. lis roll of worthies comprises many great names, especially during the eighteenth century. It in- cludes sir Robert Walpole, Robert Barlej i Earl of Oxford), Henry Sainl John (Viscouni Boling- broke) , the elder Pitt, Lord North, CharleB James l-'ox. Horace Walpole, the Duke of Wellington, the poets Gray and Shelley, and Gladstone. The in- creasing value of the estates of the college, to with additional gift-, has made if verv wealthy. By the Public S< 1 1- Vd ol 1868, the ■ I Foundation was greatly modified. The ing i" dj i tort i i of a provosl and ten fellon . nomin ited bj an electorate, w hich in- cludes such bodies as Oxford and Cambridge universities. There are a number of scholarships besides those on the regular foundation, and the plan of connecting Eton with King's College was so far carried out that a number of scholarships at the Cambridge college are exclusively for Eton men. Scholars still reside in college, but the majority of the students, some 900 in all, live out of college. These are known as oppidans. There are two schools, an upper for the older boys, and a lower for the younger, managed by a head-master and an assistant, or lower master. The teaching force is large. Here, as at most English public schools, the education is largely classical, though here, as elsewhere, natural sci- ence, mathematics, history, the modern languages, and the like have made places for themselves in the last half century. The buildings are very beautiful. They consist of two groups, of which the older, containing the chapel, hall, and library, the apartments of the provost, master, and fel- lows, inclose two quadrangles. The boys' library and sleeping apartments form the new buildings attached to the northern side of the older group. Consult Gray, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton (London, 1747). For worthies of Eton consult Creasy, Eminent Etonians (London, 1848) , a se- ries of brief biographies of its principal members, with a sketch of the college. For general history of the school consult Maxwell-Lyte, History of Eton College (London, 1889). See also Montem Custom. ETOROFTJ, a-te/ra-foS, or ITTJRTJP, e'too- roop'. The largest of the Kurile Islands, belong- ing to Japan, situated between the islands of Kunashiri and Urupp and crossed by the meridian 148° E. Its area is estimated at over 2600 square miles. The island is of volcanic origin and contains an active volcano. ETOSA LAKE. See KJCKENE. ETOTJRDI, a'toor'de', L' (Fr.. The Unmindful One). A five-act comedy by Moliere, produced at Lyons in 1653. It is an early work, the first of his finished plays, and abounds in bright situa- tions and lively dialogue. ETRETAT, a'tre-ta'. A fashionable watering- place in the Department of Seine-Inferieure, France, on the English Channel, 18 miles north- east of Havre. It is picturesquely situated at the foot of high dill's, has a fine beach, casino, and bathing establishment, a Romanesque church, several hotels, and numerous attractive summer cottages. It is a favorite resort for literary men and artists, by whom its many beauties have been fully exploited. Population, in 1901. 1944. ETRTJ'RIA. The people called by them- selves the Rasena, by ancient writers Tyrrhcni and Tusoi, and in modern times Etruscans are among the mysteries of history. Though scat- tered al one lii hit a larger pari of Italy, the centre of their power was in the region bordered on the north by the valley of the Arno. on (he east and south by the Apennines and the Tiber. This was Etruria proper. There were also two other regions colonized by the Etruscans — the valley of the I'o in the north and the plains of Campania in the south. They formed the most advanced civilization in central Italy before the dominion of Rome. Ottiiiix wo HISTORY. Critics do not agree as to the origin of the Etruscans. One school