ital has always borne the name of the island. Towards the end of the 14th century, it came into the power of the Venetians. It was afterwards taken by the French, and ceded to them by the treaty of Campo-Formio, in 1797. In March, 1799, it was taken from them by the Russians and Turks, and united with Cephalonia, Zante, &c., to form a republic, under the denomination of the Seven Islands. (See Ionian Islands.) Homer, in the Odyssey, describes the beauty of this island of the Phæacians, celebrating the climate and the gardens of Alcinous.

CORFU (anciently Corcyra); capital of the island of the same name; lon. 20° 17' E.; lat. 39° 40′ N.; population, 15,000; the see of an archbishop. It is the seat of government of the Ionian Islands, is fortified, and defended by 2 fortresses; and has a good harbor and considerable trade. In 1818, a university was established here, under the auspices of the British government, by the earl of Guilford, who was appointed chancellor, and nominated Greeks of the first abilities to the different chairs. The number of students soon amounted to 150.

CORIANDER (coriandrum sativum, Linn.); an annual plant, native of Italy, and cultivated in other parts of Europe. The seed has, when fresh, a very unpleasant smell, like that of bed-bugs. It is, on the contrary, very agreeable and aromatic when dry. It acts in the same manner as aniseed, &c., and enters into several officinal compounds. Its infusion is occasionally employed as a sudorific. It is used, likewise, as a corrective of certain purgatives.

CORILLA. (See Improvisation.)

CORINNA; called the lyric muse; a poetess of Tanagra, in Boeotia, contemporary with Pindar, whom she is said to have conquered five times in musical contests, and therefore her image, crowned with the chaplet of victory, was placed in the gymnasium of Tanagra. According to Pausanias, who relates this fact, she was so beautifu! that her charms may have influenced, in some degree, the opinion of the judges. It is probably owing to the tenderness and softness of her songs, that she received the surname of the fly. Sappho and Erinna were each called the bee. Of the numerous poems which the ancients ascribed to her, only a few fragments have come down to us. In Creuzer's Meletem. e Disc. antiquit., vol. 2, p. 10 et seq., Welker has collected the accounts relating to her, and critically commented on them.Madame de Staël has given the name of

Corinna to the heroine of one of the most beautiful novels of our age; a work which exhibits, perhaps, more than any of her other productions, the extraordinary talents of this distinguished woman.

CORINTH, a celebrated city upon the isthmus of the same name, which unites the Morea with Livadia, lat. 37° 53′ 37′′ N lon. 22° 24' 5" E., the inhabitants of which, some years ago, amounted to about 2000; but it has been taken and retaken several times during the late revolution, and the editor found it, in 1821, with hardly any occupants except soldiers. The houses were mostly torn down; and of the 13 columns of the temple, mentioned by Dodwell and several travellers before him, he found but 8. Only a few ruins remain to attest the magnificence of the ancient city; but much might, undoubtedly, be obtained by excavation. Capitals and bass-reliefs are found, in great numbers, in the houses of the bey and other Turks formerly residing here; the latter, however, are put to the use of ordinary pieces of marble, having the figured side turned inwards. northern harbor, Lochæon, on the gulf of Corinth, is choked with sand, as is likewise the eastern harbor, Cenchrea, on the Saronic gulf. Of the shallow harbor Schoenos, on the north of the city, where was a quay in ancient times, there hardly remains a trace. All these harbors are now morasses, and corrupt the air of the city. The mosques and churches, and the palaces formerly belonging to Turks of high rank, are built partly out of the ruins of the ancient city. The Turks did nothing for the city or the harbors; they only paid a little attention to the Acrocorinthus. (q. v.) Corinth derived, in ancient times, great advantages from, its situation on the isthmus, between two bays, belonging to what may be called two different seas, if we consider the poor state of navigation in ancient times; and a great exchange of Asiatic and Italian goods took place there. The duty paid on these goods: afforded a great revenue to the state; and the citizens accumulated such wealth, that Corinth became one of the most magnificent, but, at the same time, most voluptuous cities of Greece. Venus was the goddess of the city, and courtesans were her priestesses, to whom recourse was often had, that they might implore the protection of the goddess in times of public danger; and a certain number of new priestesses were consecrated to her at the commencement of important enterprises Lais (q. v.) and several other females of

the same profession were distinguished by their great accomplishments and beauty, and the high price which they set on their charms: hence the old proverb, Non cuivis homini licet adire Corinthum. The virtuous women celebrated a feast to Venus apart from the others. The famous Sisyphus was the founder of Corinth. His family was succeeded by the Heraclides (who were dethroned after several centuries), and the government intrusted to 200 citizens, called Bacchiades. Heeren thinks that they were, at least several of them, merchants. To this oligarchy followed a monarchical form of government, which was succeeded by a constitution approaching nearer to oligarchy than to democracy. In the sequel, Corinth became the head of the Achæan league, and was conquered and destroyed by the consul Mummius, 146 B. C. Julius Cæsar, 24 years later, rebuilt it; but its commerce could not be restored: the productions of the East now took the road to Rome. St. Paul lived here a year and a half. The Venetians received the place from a Greek emperor; Mohammed II took it from them in 1458; the Venetians recovered it in 1687, and fortified the Acrocorinthus again; but the Turks took it anew in 1715, and retained it until the late revolution of the Greeks, during which it was the seat of the soi-disant Greek government. Against any enemy invading the Morea from the north, Corinth is of the highest military importance. It is described at some length in the editor's Journal of his stay in Greece, in 1822 (Leipsic, 1823). The situation of Corinth is one of the most charming that can be imagined, surrounded as it is by the beauties of nature and the charms of poetic and historical associations. The Acrocorinthus, on its picturesque and beautiful cone, seems like an observatory for surveying the whole field of Grecian glory. The waters of two bays wash the olive groves, which border the city; and from every hill in it, you can survey the noble Helicon and Parnassus, or let your eye wander over the isthmus, where, in happier ages, the Isthmian games were celebrated, even to the mountains and shores of Megara and Attica. Nero began to dig a canal through the isthmus, but his successors were ashamed to complete a work which had been undertaken by such a monster, though it happened to be a good ne. The luxury of ancient Corinth was greater than that of any other place in Greece. At the court of the Byzantine emperors, there were officers called Co

rinthiarii, who were keepers of the ornaments and furniture of the palace.-A certain mixture of various metals was called Corinthian brass, and was very dear. The story that it had its origin in the accidental melting together of different metals at the time of the conflagration of Corinth, when taken by Mummius, is a fable,' the brass having been in use long before. (For further information on the political history of Corinth, see Timoleon.)

CORINTHIAN, with some of the earlier English writers, was used to signify a person of a loose, licentious character, in allusion to the voluptuous and corrupt state of society in ancient Corinth. (q. v.) It has very recently been applied to express a person in high life, and of fashionable manners. This usage is drawn from the Corinthian capital in architecture, which is distinguished for its elegance and ornament. The latter usage, particularly when it is applied to a lady, is rather offensive to the ear of one familiar with the older application.

CORINTHIAN ORDER. (See Architecture and Order.)

CORIOLANUS; the name given to an ancient Roman, Caius Marcius, because the city of Corioli, the capital of the kingdom of the Volsci, was taken almost solely by his exertions. His valor in the victory over the Antiates was rewarded by the consul Cominius with a golden chain. Coriolanus, however, lost his popularity when, during the famine which prevailed in Rome 491 B. C., he placed himself at the head of the patricians, in order to deprive the plebeians of their hard-earned privileges, and even made the proposition to distribute the provisions obtained from Sicily among them only on condition that they would agree that the tribuneship should be abolished. Enraged at this, the tribunes commanded him to be brought before them; and, when he did not appear, they endeavored to seize his person, and, failing in this attempt, condemned him to be thrown from the Tarpeian rock. But the patricians rescued him; and it was finally determined that his cause should be brought before the tribunal of the whole people. Coriolanus appeared, and made answer to the complaints alleged against him by the tribunes (who accused him of tyranny, and of endeavoring to introduce a regal government), by the simple narra tion of his exploits, and his services to wards his country. He showed the scars on his breast, and the whole multitude were affected even to tears. But, notwithstanding all this, he was unable to revel

he accusations against him, particularly that of distributing the spoils of war among the soldiers, instead of delivering them to the questors, as the laws of Rome required; and the tribunes were enabled to procure his banishment. Coriolanus now resolved to revenge himself upon his country, and immediately went to the Volsci, the bitterest enemies of Rome, and prevailed upon them to go to war with her before the expiration of the truce. He himself was joined with Attius in the command of their army, which immediately made itself master of the cities of Latium. The Volscian camp was pitched in sight of Rome before troops could be raised for the defence of the city. The envoys sent by the senate returned with the answer, that Rome could purchase peace only by the surrender of the territory taken from the Volsci. A second embassy was of no more avail; and at length, the priests and augurs having returned equally unsuccessful, the terror of the inhabitants was extreme. Valeria, the sister of Valerius Publicola, exhorted the women to try the effect of their tears on the resolution of Coriolanus. She immediately went to the house of Veturia, his mother, whom he highly honored, where she also found Volumnia, his wife, and besought both to go with the other women to make a last experiment upon the heart of the conqueror. The senate approved of this resolution, and the Roman matrons, Veturia and Volumnia with her children taking the lead, went towards the camp of Coriolanus, who, recognising his mother, his wife and his children, ordered the lictors to lower their fasces, and received them with tender embraces. He then urged them to leave the treacherous city, and to come to him. During this time, his mother never ceased entreating him to grant his country an honorable peace, and assured him that he never should enter the gates of Rome without passing over her dead body. At length, yielding to her entreaties, he raised her from the ground, and confessed that she had prevailed. He then withdrew his army from before Roine, and, as he was attempting to justify himself in an assembly of the Volsci, was assassinated in a tumult excited by Attius. The Roman senate caused a temple to be built to female fortune upon the place where Veturia had softened the anger of her son, and made her the first priestess.

CORK; a county of Ireland, formerly a kingdom, hounded N. by the county of Limerick, E. by the counties of Tipperary

and Waterford, S. S. E. and S. W. by the sea, and W. by the county of Kerry; English miles in length and 71 in breadth The land is generally good. The principal towns are Cork, Kinsale, Youghal, Mallow, Donneraile and Bandon-bridge. Population stated, in 1813, at 523,936; by census, in 1821, 702,000. It is now above 730,000.

CORK; a city of Ireland, capital of the county of Cork, 162 miles S. W. Dublin; lon. 8° 28′ 15′′ W.; lat. 51° 53′ 54′′ N.; population, 100,658. It was originally built on an island formed by the river Lee, but is now greatly extended on the opposite banks of both branches of the river. It is 15 miles from the sea, and its harbor, or cove, 9 miles below the town, is celebrated for its safety and capaciousness. Its entrance, deep and narrow, is defended by a strong fort on each side. Cork is the second city in Ireland, and exports great quantities of salt provisions; and during the slaughtering season, 100,000 head of cattle are prepared. The other exports are butter, candles, soap, whiskey, hides, pork, rabbit-skins, linen, woollens, yarn, &c. Its manufactures are sail-cloth, sheeting, paper, leather, glue, glass, coarse cloth, &c. The approaches to the town were formerly two large stone bridges, to which three others have been added. The public buildings are generally of a plain exterior. The principal ones are a stately cathedral, exchange, market-house, custom-house, town-house, 2 theatres, several hospitals and churches, large barracks, &c. The Cork institution is an incorporated scientific establishment, in which lectures are delivered on chemistry, agriculture and botany. The houses of the city are generally old and not elegant. It sends two members to parlia

ment.

CORK is the external bark of a species of oak (quercus suber) which grows in Spain, Portugal, and other southern parts of Europe, and is distinguished by the fungous texture of its bark, and the leaves being evergreen, oblong, somewhat oval, downy underneath, and waved. The principal supply of cork is obtained from Catalonia in Spain. In the collecting of cork, it is customary to slit it with a knife at certain distances, in a perpendicular direction from the top of the trees to the bottom; and to make two incisions across one near the top, and the other near the bottom, of the trunk. For the purpose of stripping off the bark, a curved knife, with a handle at each end, is used Sometimes it is stripped in pieces the

whole length, and sometimes in shorter pieces, cross cuts being made at certain intervals. In some instances, the perpendicular and transverse incisions are made, and the cork is left upon the trees, until, by the growth of the new bark beneath, it becomes sufficiently loose to be removed by the hand. After the pieces are detached, they are soaked in water, and, when nearly dry, are placed over a fire of coals, which blackens their external surface. By the latter operation, they are rendered smooth, and all the smaller blemishes are thereby concealed; the larger holes and cracks are filled up by the introduction of soot and dirt. They are next loaded with weights to make them even, and subsequently are dried and stacked, or packed in bales for exportation. The uses of cork were well known to the ancients, and were nearly the same to which it is applied by us. Its elasticity renders it peculiarly serviceable for the stopping of vessels of different kinds, and thus preventing either the liquids therein contained from running out, or the external air from passing in. The use of cork for stopping glass bottles is generally considered to have been introduced about the 15th century. The practice of employing this substance for jackets to assist in swimming is very ancient; and it has been applied in various ways towards the preservation of life when endangered by shipwreck. The cork jacket, revived from an old German discovery by Mr. Dubourg, to preserve the lives of persons in danger of drowning, is constructed as follows:-Pieces of cork, about three inches long by two wide, and the usual thickness of the bark, are enclosed between two pieces of strong cloth or canvass, and formed like a jacket without sleeves; the pieces of cloth are sewed together round each piece of cork, to keep them in their proper situations; the lower part of the jacket, about the hips, is made like the same part of women's stays, to give freedom to the thighs in swimming; it is made sufficiently large to fit a stout man, and is secured to the body by two or three strong straps sewed far back on each side, and tied before; the strings are thus placed to enable any wearer to tighten it to his own convenience. The floats of nets used for fishing are frequently made of cork. Pieces fastened together make buoys, which, by floating on the surface of the water, afford direction for vessels in harbors, rivers, and other places. In some parts of Spain, it is customary to line the walls of houses with cork, which

renders them warm, and prevents the admission of moisture. The ancient Egyptians frequently made coffins of it. On account of its lightness, cork is used for false legs; and from its being impervious to water, it is sometimes placed between the soles of shoes, to keep out moisture. When burnt, it constitutes that light black substance known by the name of Spanish black. In the cutting of corks for use, the only tool employed is a very broad, thin and sharp knife; and, as the cork tends very much to blunt this, it is sharpened on a board by one whet or stroke on each side, after every cut, and now and then upon a common whetstone. The corks for bottles are cut lengthwise of the bark, and consequently the pores lie across. Bungs, and corks of large size, are cut in a contrary direction: the pores in these are therefore downward-a circumstance which renders them much more defective in stopping out the air than the others. The parings of cork are carefully kept, and sold to the makers of Spanish black.

CORMORANT (a corruption of the French words corbeau marin); the trivial name of a genus of aquatic birds included by Linné under pelecanus, but properly removed thence by Brisson, to form a distinct genus, denominated phalacrocorax. This term is indicated by Pliny, as being the Greek name for the cormorant, though it is not employed by Aristotle, who called the bird hydrocorax, or sea-crow, whence the French name above-mentioned. The cormorants belong to the family totipalmes of Cuvier, steganopodes, Bonap. They are aquatic birds, having the great toe united to the others by a common membrane, and their feet are thus most admirably adapted for swimming; yet they are among the very few web-footed birds capable of perching on the branches of trees, which they do with great ease and security. The genus is distinguished by the following characters:-a moderatesized, robust, thick, straight and compressed bill, having the upper mandible seamed, and rounded above, with the ridge distinct, unguiculated and hooked at the point, which is rather obtuse. The lower mandible is somewhat shorter, truncated at tip, osseous throughout, and furnished, at the base, with a small, naked coriaceous membrane, which is continued on the throat. The nostrils, opening in the furrows, are basal, lateral, linear, and scarcely visible; the tongue is cartilaginous, very short, carinated above, papillous beneath, and obtuse. The occiput is verv

protuberant; the face and small pouch are naked; the neck is rather short, and of moderate strength; the body is compressed. The feet are short, robust, and rather turned outwards; the legs are wholly feathered, and closely drawn towards the belly; the tarsus is naked, one third shorter than the outer toe, much compressed and carinated before and behind. The outer toe is the longest, and edged externally by a small membrane; the webbing membrane is broad, full and entire; the hind toe is half as long as the middle, and all are provided with moderate-sized, curved, broad, bluntish nails, the middle one being serrated on its inner edge, and equal to the others. The wings are moderate and slender, with stiff quills, of which the second and third primaries are longest; the tail is rounded, and composed of 12 or 14 rigid feathers.-About 15 species of cormorant are at present known, and are distributed over the whole world, engaged in the same office, that of aiding to maintain the due balance of animal life, by consuming vast numbers of the finny tribes. Like the pelicans, to which they are closely allied in conformation and habits, the cormorants reside in considerable families near the waters whence they obtain fish. It is scarcely possible to imagine any animal better adapted to this mode of life, since they dive with great force, and swim under water with such celerity that few fish can escape them. When engaged in this chase, they not only exert their broadlywebbed feet, but ply their wings like oars, to propel their bodies forward, which, being thin and keel-shaped, offer the least degree of resistance to the water. They swim at all times low in the water, with little more than the head above the surface, and, therefore, though large birds, might easily be overlooked by one unaccustomed to their habits. Should a cormorant seize a fish in any other way than by the head, he rises to the surface, and, tossing the fish into the air, adroitly catches it head foremost as it falls, so that the fins, being properly laid against the fish's sides, cause no injury to the throat of the bird. This precaution is the more necessary, as the cormorants are very voracious feeders, and are often found not only with their stomachs crammed, but with a fish in the mouth and throat, which remains until the material below is digested, and is then passed into the stomuch. When standing on shore, the cornorant appears to very little advantage, both on account of the proportions of its

head, neck and body, and because of its awkward manner of keeping itself erect, being under the necessity of resting upon its rigid tail feathers. But, mounted in air, these birds are of swift and vigorous flight, and, when desirous of rest, alight upon the branches of tall trees or the summits of rocks, where they delight to spread their wings and bask for hours in the sun. They select similar situations for building their nests, though sometimes they make them upon the ground or among reeds, always rudely and with coarse materials. In them they lay three or four whitish eggs.-That the services of birds, which are such excellent fishers, should be desired by man, is by no means surprising; and we are informed that the Chinese have long trained cormorants to fish for them. This training is begun by placing a ring upon the lower part of the bird's neck, to prevent it from swallowing its prey. After a time, the cormorant learns to deliver the fish to its master without having the ring upon its neck. It is said to be a very interesting sight to observe the fishing-boats, having but one or two persons on board, and a considerable number of cormorants, which latter, at a signal given by their master, plunge into the water, and soon return, bringing a fish in their mouths, which is willingly relinquished. The male and female resemble each other in size and plumage; but the young, especially when about a year old, differ greatly from the adult birds. They change their thick, close, black plumage, or moult, twice a year, acquiring additional ornaments in winter. Four or five species of cormorants are known to be inhabitants or occasional visitors of the American continent; but, with the exception of P. graculus, which is very common, and breeds in Florida (though also abundant within the arctic and antarctic circles), they are rather rare. and only seen during winter in the U. States. In some parts of Europe frequented by species of the cormorant, they commit great depredations upon the fishponds, which are kept for the purpose of supplying the tables of the proprietors; and in Holland, they are said to be especially troublesome in this way, two or three of these greedy birds speedily clearing a pond of all its finny inhabitants. From their great voracity and entirely piscivorous regimen, it will readily be inferred that their flesh promises very little to gratify the epicure. It is so black. tough, and rankly fishy, that few persons venture upon it more than once, where