Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/637

Rh A L P - A L P 599 his purpose of attempting tlie conquest of Turkestan, the original seat of his ancestors. After great preparations for the expedition, he marched with a powerful army, and arrived at the banks of the Oxus. Before he could pass the river with safety, it was necessary to gain possession of some fortresses in its vicinity, one of which was for several days vigorously defended by the governor, Yussuf Kothual, a Kharizmian. He was, however, obliged to sur render, and was carried a prisoner before the sultan. Being condemned to suffer a cruel death, Yussuf became incensed, rushed upon the sultan, and stabbed him in the breast. The wound proved mortal, and Alp Arslan expired a few hours after he received it, on the 15th Dec. 1072. ALPES, the name of three departments in the south east of France, Basses Alpes, Hautes Alpes. t and Alpes Maritimes. BASSES ALPES is bounded on the N. by the department of Hautes Alpes; on the E. by the kingdom of Italy and the department of Alpes Maritimes; on the S. by the departments of Var and Bouches du Rhone; and on the ,W. by those of Vaucluse and Drome. It extends at the widest points 90 miles from N.E. to S.W., and 70 from E. to W., and contains an area of 2680 square miles. Its surface is mountainous, especially on the north-east, where offshoots of the Maritime Alps penetrate into the country, rising near the river Ubaye to an elevation of over 9000 feet above the level of the sea. With the excep tion of the south-eastern corner, which is drained by the Var, the whole department is in the basin of the Durance, which for a considerable distance separates Basses from Hautes Alpes, but eventually strikes south ward through the former. Its chief tributaries are the Buech and the Jabron on the right, and the Ubaye, the B16one, the Asse, and the Verdon on the left. The climate in the mountainous districts of the north is cold and variable. The soil there is poor, but it is cultivated with great industry producing rye, oats, barley, potatoes, and timber. In the south and south-west, however, where the country is comparatively flat, the temperature is milder and the soil more fertile; here plums, almonds, apricots, peaches, and other fruits are produced in large quantities, as well as wine of an excellent description, chiefly for home consumption. Considerable numbers of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs are reared in the Basses Alpes, besides which many flocks of sheep, from Var and Bouches du Rhone, are pastured during summer in the upper valleys of the department. Game is abundant. There are mines of lead and other metals of some value. The manufactures are few and of little importance, the chief being leather, coarse woollen cloths, cutlery, earthenware, and paper. Basses Alpes, one of the departments formed out of ancient Provence, is divided into five arrondissements Digne, in the centre; Barcelonnette and Castellane, on the east; Sisteron and Forcalquier on the west; which together contain 30 cantons and 251 communes. Digne is the capital and the seat of a bishop, whose diocese is co-extensive with the department; and among the other towns are Barcelonnette, Castellane, Sisteron, Forcalquier, and Manosque. Popu lation (1871), 139,332. HAUTES ALPES is bounded on the N. by the depart ments of Isere and Savoir; on the E. by the kingdom of Italy; on the S. by the department of Alpes Basses; and on the W. by that of Drome. It extends nearly 80 miles from N.E. to S.W., and contains an area of 2158 square miles. Its surface is very mountainous, being tra versed in all directions by the Cottian and Dauphine Alps, which, in Mont Pelvoux and other peaks, rise to an eleva tion of about 13,000 feet above the sea, the highest sum mits in France. The Drac, flowing northwards into the Isere, and the Durance, with its tributaries the Guil and the Buech, are the chief rivers of Hautes Alpes. The climate is cold in winter, and in summer variable; the soil is barren, yielding only oats, barley, potatoes, rye, and timber, except in a few favoured valleys, where wine of a fair quality and fruits of various kinds are produced. Large numbers of sheep and other domestic animals are reared or pastured in the department. Game, both large and small, is found in great abundance. The mines produce lead, copper, iron, and other metals. There are no manufactures of any commercial importance, although some leather, coarse woollen cloth, hats, woodwork, and iron wares are made. Hautes Alpes, a part of the old province of Dauphine&quot;, is divided into three arrondisse ments : Gap on the west, Embrun on the south-east, and Briancon on the north-east, with 24 cantons and 89 com munes. The capital is Gap, the seat of the bishop ; Em brun and Brianjon being the only other towns of any size. Population, 118,898. ALPES MAKITIMES, bounded on the 1ST. by Basses Alpes and the kingdom of Italy, which also forms its boundary on the E. ; on the S. by the Mediterranean Sea; and on the W. by Var and Basses Alpes. It extends at the widest points 55 miles from N. to S., and 50 from E. to- W.; and contains an area of 1517 square miles. The surface of this department, like that of the two former, is more or less mountainous, branches of the Maritimes Alpes covering the greater part of the territory. It is watered by the Roya, the Paillon, the Var (with its tributaries the Tine&quot;a and the Esteron), the Loup, and the Siagne. The climate is on the whole warm and gentle, except among the higher mountains; while the mildness of the tempera ture along the shores of the Mediterranean has made that portion of the department a favourite resort for invalids. The upper valleys and mountain slopes are chiefly devoted to pasture for sheep, being ill-suited for cultivation, although a little barley and maize is grown ; the richer districts of the south produce fruits of various kinds, tobacco, honey, and flowers, used in the making of perfumes. The other manu factures are of dried fruits, olive-oil, preserved anchovies and sardines, silk, soap, and paper. Alpes Maritimes is divided into three arrondissements Grasse and Nice on the south, and Puget Theniers on the north, containing 25 cantons and 146 communes. The arrondissements of Nice and Puget Thdniers constitute the bishopric of Nice ; Grasse belongs to that of Frejus. Nice is the capital; and among the other towns are Mentone, Villafranche, Grasse, Antibes, Cannes, and Puget Thdniers. The Marseilles, Nice, and Ventimille railway, skirting the coast, connects Cannes, Antibes, Nice, and Mentone, and joins an Italian line which affords direct railway communication with Genoa. The department of Alpes Maritimes was formed in 1860 from the territory of Nice, which had been ceded to France, together with Mentone and Roccabruna, pur chased from the Prince of Monaco, and the arrondisse- nient of Grasse, transferred from Var. It had a popula tion of 119,037 in 1871. ALPHA and OMEGA (A and O), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, frequently employed to symbolise the idea of completeness or infinity. They are used as a designation of himself by the speaker in Rev. t 8; xxi. 6; xxii. 13. In the last passage the speaker is undoubtedly Jesus Christ. In the symbolism of the early church A and O, combined with a cross or with the mono gram of Xpioro s, represented Christianity, or, more speci fically, faith in the divinity of Christ.