Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/124

LEFT COMNENTJS 90 community of property, associated with vague theories of the emancipation of women. COMNENUS, the name of a family, originally Italian, of which many mem- bers occupied the throne of the Byzan- tine empire from 1057 to 1204, and that of Trebizond from 1204 to 1461. See Byzantine Empire, Trebizond, Alexius CoMNENUs. — Anna Comnenus, who lived in the first half of the 12th century, was a high literary as well as historical celebrity. — David Comnenus, the last representative of the imperial race in Trebizond, was executed at Adrianople in 1462, with all his family, by command of Mohammed II. COMO, a city of Lombardy, northern Italy ; at the S. W. extremity of the Lake of Como, 30 miles N. of Milan by rail. The city is surrounded by old walls flanked with towers, the gateways by which the walls are pierced being fine specimens of mediaeval military architec- ture. Among the principal buildings of Como are the cathedral (1396-1732), and the town hall, built of marble, dating from the beginning of the 13th century. The chief articles of manufacture are silk, gloves, and soap. Como, the ancient Comum, was the birthplace of Caecilius Statius, the two Plinys, of several popes, and of the physicist Volta. In 1107 it began to war with Milan, and in the course of 20 years was utterly destroyed by its antagonist. As an important head- quarters of the Ghibelline party, it was rebuilt in 1158 by Frederick Barbarossa, and remained a republic for two cen- turies, when it fell into the hands of the Viscontis, its history since that time being bound up with that of Milan. Pop., commune, about 50,000. COMO LAKE (anciently Lacus Lari- us), a lake in the N. of Italy, at the foot of the Alps; fed and drained by the river Adda, which carries its surplus waters to the Po. It extends from S. W. to N. E., 30 miles, giving off toward the middle, at the promontory where stands Bellaggio, a branch running for about 13 miles S. E. to Lecco, called the Lake of Lecco; greatest width two and a half miles, greatest depth 1929 feet. It is celebrated for the beautiful scenery of its shores. COMORO ISLANDS, a volcanic group in the Indian Ocean, between the N. ex- tremity of Madagascar and the conti- nent of Africa. They are four in num- ber: Great Comoro, Mohilla, Johanna, and Mayotta; total area, 1,050 square miles ; pop. about 70,000. The people are nominally Mohammedans, and are akin to the mixed races of Zanzibar. They COMPASS have large flocks and herds; and the coast lands are very fertile, abounding in tropical grains and fruits. Mayotta belonged to France since 1843, and in 1886 the others became a French posses- sion. Since 1914 the islands have been governed by the Governor-General of Madagascar. COMPANY, a word of various ap- plications, including: (1) A number of persons legally as- sociated for the performance of any duty or the carrying on of any business. The profits are divided among the mem- bers or shareholders in proportion to the amount of capital invested. (2) The partners in any firm whose names do not appear in the title or style of the firm ; in this use the word is gen- erally contracted to Co. (3) A society, corporation, or guild for the promotion and protection of the interests of any trade. When companies are authorized by the State or Govern- ment, they are termed corporations. In military language, the smallest com- mand of a captain of infantry. In the United States a company of infantry (full strength) numbers 100 men. In Europe it varies in strength from 48 rank and file (peace strength) to 120 (as in England), which is the limit of a dismounted officer's command, to 250 (as with the Continental armies), where the captain is mounted. It is formed in three ranks in Germany, in two ranks in other countries, with a supernumerary rank containing the captain, a lieutenant, and the sergeants. In England it forms one-eighth of a war battalion, and has little independent action; on the Conti- nent the company, which is one-fourth of the war battalion, acts almost independ- ently. War strength (English) : 3 of- ficers (captain and 2 subalterns), 5 ser- geants, 2 drummers, 5 corporals, 113 privates, 1 driver. COMPARATIVE ANATOMY, as dis- tinguished from special anatomy; the science which examines and compares the structure of two or more different kinds of animals, so as to discover their points of resemblance and unlikeness; and as such it is a most important de- partment of the science of biology. COMPASS, an instrument used to in- dicate the magnetic meridian or the po- sition of objects with respect to that meridian, and employed especially on ships, and by surveyors and travelers. Its origin is unknown, but it is supposed to have been brought from China to Europe about the middle of the 13th cen- tury. As now generally used it consists of three parts : namely, the box, the card