were put to death, the nobles imprisoned for life, and all the citizens sold and dispersed, except Vibius and his friends, who killed themselves. The buildings were spared by the victor; and Capua was left to be a harbour for the husbandmen, a warehouse for goods, and a granary for corn. Colonies were sent to inhabit it, and in process of time it regained a degree of its importance. But Genseric the Vandal was more cruel than the Romans, for he massacred the inhabitants, and burned the town. Narses rebuilt it; but in 841 it was totally destroyed by the Saracens, and the inhabitants driven to the mountains. Since the foundation of the new city, the ancient Capua has remained in ruins. CAPUA, in modern geography, is a neat little city of Naples, in Terra di Lavoro, built on part of the site of old Capua. It owes its origin to the Lombard inhabitants of the old city, who, some time after the departure of the Saracens, ventured down again into the plain; but, not deeming their force equal to the defence of their former extensive circuit, built a smaller town on the banks of the Volturno, and on the site of the ancient Casilinum. In 856 Landulph formed here an independent earldom, and in the course of a few generations Capua acquired the title of a principality. In the eleventh century the Normans of Aversa expelled the Lombard race of princes, and Richard their chief became prince of Capua. The grandson of Tancred of Hauteville drove out the descendants of Richard, and united this state to the rest of his possessions. Capua is at present fortified according to the rules of modern art, and may be considered as the key of the kingdom; though far removed from the frontier, it is the only fortification that really covers the approach to Naples. It was, however, taken by the French, under general Championnet, on the 11th January, 1797. It is fifteen miles northeast of Naples, and 100 south-east of Rome. Long. 15° 7' E., lat. 11° 26' N. CAPUCHINS, religious of the order of St. Francis in its strictest observance; deriving their name from capuce, or capuchon, a stuff cowl, wherewith they cover their heads. They are clothed with brown or gray; always bare-footed; never go in a coach, nor ever shave their beards. They are a reform from the order of Minors, commonly called cordeliers, set on foot in the sixteenth century by Matthew Baschi, who pretended to have been advised from heaven to practise the rule of St. Francis to the letter. Pope Clement VII, in 1525, gave him permission to retire into solitude, with as many others as chose to embrace the strict observance, and in 1528 they obtained his bull. In 1529 the order was brought into complete form; Matthew was elected general, and the chapter made constitutions. CAPUEÑA, in icthyology, a fish caught in the American seas, and esteemed very delicate. It is round shaped, and usually about five inches long. CAPURA, in botany, a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the hexandria class of plants. C. purpurata, is a native of the East Indies. CAPUT, the head. See IIEAD, SKULL, and FACE. CAPUT BARONIE, the head of the barony, or CAPUT HONORIS, the head of the honor, in ancient customs, denoted the chief seat of a nobleman, where he made his usual residence, and held his court. It could not be settled in dowry; nor could be divided among the daughters, in case there were no son to inherit; but was to descend entire to the eldest daughter, cæteris filiabus aliunde satisfactis. CAPUT GALLINAGINIS, in anatomy, is a kind. of septum, or spongious border, at the extremities or apertures of each of the vesiculæ seminales; serving to prevent the semen coming from one side, from rushing upon, and so stopping the discharge of the other. CAPUT LUPINUM, a term anciently applied to an outlawed felon, who might be knocked on the head like a wolf, by any one that met him; because, having renounced all law, he was to be dealt with as in a state of nature, when every one that should find him might slay him. But now it is holden that no man is entitled to kill him wantonly and wilfully; but in so doing he is guilty of murder, unless it is done in the endeavour to apprehend him. CAPUT MORTUUM, a name given by old chemists to fixed and exhausted residuums remaining in retorts after distillations. As these residuums are very different, according to the substances distilled, and the degree of heat employed, they are by the more accurate modern chemists particularly specified. CAQUETA, a river of South America, which rises in the province of Quito, near the ancient city of Macao at the western base of the Andes, in the lat. of 2° N., from whence it runs in an E. S. E. direction towards the equator. Before it crosses the equator it communicates with another stream or channel of waters, running in a north-east direction; this channel is called the Negro, and is supposed to communicate with the Orinoco, whilst the main branch runs in a southeast direction to the Amazons, into which it falls in the lat. of 4° S.; this branch of the Caqueta is sometimes called the Japura Yupina, and some Portuguese adventurers in 1744 are said to have reached the Orinoco from the Amazons by this stream and that of the Negro; a circumstance which the Prussian traveller Humboldt has since said to have confirmed as practicable; having himself passed from one river to another in a canoe, he no doubt believes that there is a union. of the waters of those two noble rivers; but high as his authority stands, further evidence is still wanting, as the Negro after running north-east for about 160 miles, then runs east, bearing a little south for upwards of 100 miles, when it takes a course parallel with the Japura into the Amazons about eighty miles lower down, first receiving the waters of lake Parima; this branch in its south-east course is called the Great Negro, and, being far more capacious than the Japura, has probably been mistaken for the Orinoco. It is not impossible, however, but that some of the collateral streams of this branch may in the rainy season communicate with some of the collateral branches of the Orinoco in the lat. of about 3° N. From the point where the Negro branches off to the north-east, another stream diverges more to the west, and runs parallel with the CAR, CHAR, in the names of places, seems to have relation to the Britisn caer, a city. Gibson's Camden. САК, п. Lat. carrus; Fr. char; Ital. CARMAN, S. and Sp. carro; Welsh and Armor. car; Sw. karra; Ger. and Dut. karre. A small carriage of burden, says Johnson, usually drawn by one horse or two. I suspect that the word is now seldom employed in this sense in England; its diminutive, cart, being the denomination of such vehicles; though the name is still retained in the compound, car-man. In Ireland, however, car is in common use, and is applied to various sorts of conveyances; among which is the jaunting car, a kind of carriage for excursions of pleaThe word is more extensively known in its poetical meaning, that of a dignified or splendid vehicle; a war or triumphal chariot. The car of day is the solar luminary; the 'silver car' of Cynthia is the moon. Dryden gives the name of the northern car to the constellation, Charles' wain, or the bear. sure. Gay. Trivia. Gay. Now Venus mounts her car; she shakes the reins, And steers her turtles to Cythera's plains; Straight to the grot with graceful step she goes, Her loose ambrosiac hair behind her flows. And many a band of ardent youths were seen, Some in rapture fired by glory's charms; Or hurled the thundering car along the green, Or march'd embattled on in glittering arms. Beattie. CAR, in archæology, a sort of carriage drawn by beasts of burden; a war chariot. In different ancient examples, cars are represented either with two or four wheels, drawn by different animals; as horses, mules, elephants, lions, panthers, &c. The invention of cars is attributed by some to Erichthonius, king of Athens, whose distorted legs prevented his walking; by others to Triptolemus, or Trochilus. The Athenians dedicated them to Pallas. The coursing cars or chariots were also used in public festivities and games; these were in the form of a shell mounted upon two wheels, higher before than behind, and ornamented with painting and sculpture. When they were drawn by two horses, they were called bigæ, when with three trige, and quadrige when they were drawn by four horses, which were always abreast. The covered cars (currus arcuati), which were in use among the Romans, differed from the others only by having an arched covering above. Some of the eastern nations used, in their wars, cars armed with scythes and other cutting instruments on the wheels; they were drawn by strong horses, and made dreadful havoc in the army of their enemies. Triumphal cars were often executed in marble. One is preserved in the museum of the Vatican at Rome. The use of triumphal cars was introduced, according to some, by Romulus, and to others by Tarquin the elder, or Valerius Poplicola. The cars of the different divinities are drawn by those animals which are sacred to each; as that of Mercury by rams, of Minerva by owls, that of Venus by swans or doves, that of Apollo by griffins, of Juno by peacocks, and that of Diana by stags. CARA, a river of European Russia, which directs its course towards the Arctic Ocean, and forms the boundary between Asia and Europe, for the space of about 140 miles; the Arabian chain terminating so far from the sea of Caraskoi, or Karskoi. CAR'ABINE, or CAR BINE, n. CARABINIER, or CARLIN'IER, N. Fr. carabine; Ital. carabino; Ger. carabiner; Swed. karbin; diminutive, says Thompson, of carrabalistan, a field bow mounted on a carriage, attached formerly to cavalry. The carabine, called also a petronel, is a small sort of fire arm, shorter than a fusil, and carrying a ball of twenty-four in the pound, hung by the light horse at a belt over the left shoulder. It is a kind of medium between the pistol and the musket, having its barrel two feet and a half long. It is generally rifled. He with his whole troop advanced from the gross of their horse, and discharging all their pistols on the ground, within little more than carabine shot of his own body, presented himself and his troop to Prince Rupert; and immediately, with his highness, charged the enemy. Clarendon. CARABINS, otherwise called argoulets, were a species of hussars in the ancient French militia, and sometimes acted on foot. They were chosen and resolute men. All the principal officers of the army used to have them as their guards. And they were often stationed at the outposts for the purpose of harassing the enemy, guarding narrow passes, &c. In action they generally engaged in front of the dragoons, or on the wings of the first line. The term comes from the Arabian word Karab, which signifies generally a warlike instrument of any kind. CARABUS, in zoology, a genus of insects of the order of coleoptera, ar the beetle. The feelers are bristly; the breast is shaped like a heart, and marginated; and the elytra are likewise marginated. There are 324 known species of this genus, mostly distinguished by their color. The most remarkable is C. crepitans, the bombardier, with the breast, head, and legs, ferruginous or iron colored, and the elytra black. It keeps it- population of this department is about 550,000self concealed among stones, and seems to make The province of Caraccas in its climate, natural little use of its wings: when it moves, it is by a scenery, and fertility, is nowhere transcended. sort of jump; and, whenever it is touched, one is On the coasts the heat is indeed, at particular surprised to hear a noise resembling the dis- seasons, almost overpowering to Europeans,-La charge of a musket, in miniature, during which a Guayra being, according to Humboldt's observablue smoke may be perceived to proceed from its tions, one of the hottest places on the earth; but anus. It may be made at any time to play off in the mountain valleys of the interior, and beits artillery, by scratching its back with a needle. side its refreshing streams, the atmosphere is Rolandet, who first made these observations, says mild, pure, and exquisitely sweet. The soil it can give twenty discharges successively. A yields all the usual productions of the West bladder placed near the anus is the arsenal whence Indies in rich abundance, and is exceedingly it derives its store; and this is its chief defence favorable to cochineal, dye-woods, gums, resins, against an enemy, although the smoke emitted sarsaparilla, sassafras, liquorice, squills, storax, seems to be altogether inoffensive, except by cassia, aloes, and medicinal drugs: as also to causing a fright, or concealing its course. Its maize, vanilla, cotton, indigo, sugar, tobaccc, chief enemy is another species of the same genus, and coffee; but its staple article is cocoa, of a but four times larger; when pursued and fatigued, very superior quality. Immense herds of cattle, the bombardier has recourse to this stratagem, sheep, and deer, graze on the plains of the inby lying down in the path of the large carabus, terior, where also horses and mules are found in which advances with open mouth and claws to considerable numbers, and all kinds of game. The seize it; but, on this discharge of the arti.lery, forests produce every kind of useful and ornasuddenly draws back, and remains awhile con- mental wood-black, red, and yellow ebony; fused during which the bombardier conceals mahogany and cedar are very common, so that himself in some neighbouring crevice. If he the last is used for door-posts and windowdoes not find one, the large carabus returns, takes frames as frequently as deal with us. The Spathe insect by the head, and tears it off. niards first introduced cocoa-trees and indigo here; the former at an early period of their conquest; the latter in 1774. CARACALLA (M. Antoninus Bassianus), succeeded his father Severus, on the imperial throne of Rome, A. D. 211, and put the physicians to death for not despatching him as he would have had them. He killed his brother Geta; and put Papinianus to death because he would not defend his parricides. He married Julia, his father's widow. Going to Alexandria, he massacred almost the whole of the inhabitants. See ALEXANDRIA. In short, no fewer than 20,000 persons were murdered by his orders. At last, going from Edessa to Mesopotamia, one of his captains slew him in the seventh year of his reign. CARACALLA, in antiquity, a long garment, having a sort of capuchin, or hood a-top, and reaching to the heels; worn among the Romans by both men and women, in the city and the camp. Spartian and Xiphilin represent the emperor Caracalla as the inventor of this garment, and hence suppose that appellation was first given him. Others, with more probability, make the caracalla originally a Gallic habit brought to Rome by that emperor, who first enjoined the soldiery to wear it, and from whom the people also called it antoninian. St. Jerome informs us that the caracalla, with a retrenchment of the capuchin, became an ecclesiastical garment. It is described as made of several pieces cut and sewed together, and hanging down to the feet. CARACCAS, or CARACAS, a department, province, and city, of Colombia, South America. The department of Caraccas includes the provinces of Caraccas Proper and Barinas: the residence of the intendancy or departmental government being in the city of Caraccas. The La Guayra is the principal port of the province, and only five leagues from the capital, with which it communicates by a noble road. A chain of mountains, which separate it from the high valley of Caraccas, descends directly into the sea; so that the houses of La Guayra are backed with almost perpendicular rocks, and stones rolling from them frequently occasion accidents to the town. It contains but two parallel streets, running east and west, and about 7000 inhabitants. The streets are ill-paved and narrow, and the houses generally mean. The only singular objects here are the batteries, which are well disposed and kept in good order: that of Cerrocoloredo commands the roadstead. This is open to all winds, never exceeds eight fathoms in depth at a quarter of a league from the beach, and the sand so quickly buries the anchors of vessels remaining here, that they are obliged to be removed every eight days. The annual amount of its exports is said to be about £347,000, in cocoa, indigo, coffee, and hides; and the imports about 520,000, all the goods being purchased as well as sold at Caracas, and only loaded or unloaded here. The men who carry the cocoa on board the ships are remarkable for their muscular strength; and, though they frequently wade up to their breasts in the water, are never molested by the sharks that are so abundant in this part. The inhabitants say that a bishop once gave his benediction to all who should appear here, and thus tamed their nature! are indebted to colonel Hale's interesting little work entitled Colombia, for the following: We Guayra, Jan. 15, 1824 I. RETURN of the EXPORTS of LA GUAYRA, during the Year, ending January, 1824, together with their Value, agreeably to the Registers of the Custom House; also the Duties arising thereon. Note.--Over and above the foregoing articles, there have been exported 1146 bales of Varinas tobacco, weighing 108,660 lbs., which, having been sold at the tobacco warehouse, have not been valued, nor charged with duties. J. M. DE ROJAS. II. Revenue of the Port of La Guayra, from the 1st of January to the 31st of October, 1823, taken from the OFFICIAL RETURN. Dollars. 515,609 0 6,028 02 790,576 21 The city of Caraecas is situate in 10° 30′ 15′′ N. lat., and 67° 4′ 45′′ W. long., at the entrance of the plain of Chacao, which extends three leagues east towards Cauriman and the Cuesta de Auyamas, and is two leagues and a half broad. This plain, through which runs the river Guayra, is 414 toises above the level of the sea; three other rivers (very small) cross the town from north to south. Its climate has been called a perpetual spring. The temperature is generally between 20° and 26° in the day, and 16° and 18° at night. But this general mildness is connected with great fluctuations in the weather. Humboldt sometimes, among the yapors of November and December, could scarcely think himself in one of the temperate valleys of the torrid zone; but rather in the north of Germany, among the pines and the larches overshadowing the mountains of the Hartz. The following have been given as the differences of climate between Caraccas and La Guayra : : Level of 28° sonry, with frame-work, after the Roman manner, or of brick. Humboldt thought them only too high in a region so subject to earthquakes as Caraccas. Those of the respectable inhabitants are neatly and even superbly furnished. We behold in them,' says an anonymous, but respectable description of Colombia,beautiful glasses; at the windows, and over the inside doors, elegant curtains of crimson damask; chairs, and sofas made of wood, the seats of which, covered with leather or damask, are stuffed with hair and adorned with Gothic work, but overloaded with gilding; bedsteads with deep headboards, showing nothing but gold, covered by superb damask counterpanes, and a number of down pillows in fine muslin cases, trimmed with lace. There is seldom, it is true, more than one bed of this magnificence in each house, which is in general the nuptial_couch, and afterwards serves as a bed of state. The eye wanders also over tables with gilded feet; chests of drawers, on which the gilder has exhausted all the resources of his art; brilliant lustres, suspended in the principal apartments; cornices, which seem to have been dipped in gold; and rich carpets, covering at least all that part of the room where the seats of honor are placed: for the parlour furniture is disposed in such a manner, that the sofa, which constitutes the most essential article of household attire, situate at one end, with the chairs arranged on the right and left; and opposite, the principal bed of the house, placed at the other extremity of the room, in a chamber, the door of which is open, unless it be fixed in an alcove equally open, and by the side of the seats of honor. 'Except the barracks, Caraccas possesses scarcely any public edifices but those dedicated to reliLaGuayra. gion, viz. eight churches and five convents. The barracks, which will hold 2000 men, are handsome, and situate on a spot commanding beautiful views. They are storied, with a double yard, and occupied by the troops of the line alone. The militia have their barracks in the opposite part of the city. Here is also a college, founded in 1778 by the bishop Antonio Gonzalez d'Acuna, and converted into a university in 1792; and a theatre, which will hold 1500 or 1800 persons. The population in 1812 was 50,000, when, in the great earthquake on the 12th of March, 12,000 are supposed at once to have perished. The late political convulsions are supposed to have farther reduced the present population of the city to 20,000. 24 29 19 29 35 11 21 23.5 The streets of Caraccas are straight, well paved, and well built, intersecting each other at right angles, and at a distance of about three hundred feet there are eight squares, if such they may be called, five of them being very irregular enclosures; but the plaça major, occupying about 300 square feet, and the great market of the city, is a respectable collection of buillings, public and private. On the east is the cathedral, and on the same side begin the barracks, continued round to the south. In the market abundance of every kind of provision is to be found. Fruits, vegetables, meat, salted provisions, poultry, fish, game, bread, monkeys, parrots, &c. The churches of Candelaria and St. Paul are the only distinctions of the other squares worth naming. The houses of many individuals are well built, and of handsome appearance; being generally of ma • The It is divided between whites, negroes, and a few Indians. The first are either merchants, planters, professional, or military men; very proud, and disdaining all kinds of labor. women of Caraccas are seldom blondes; but, with hair of the blackness of jet, they have the white of alabaster. Their eyes, large and finely shaped, speak, in an expressive manner, that language which is of all countries. The carnation of their lips is finely softened by the whiteness of their skins, and concurs to form that ensemble which we denominate beauty. Their stature does not correspond with their shape: we see few above the middle size, many below. It would be losing time to search for pretty feet: |