Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/687

649 priest and almoner to Dom Manuel, king of Portugal, was sent in 1515 as secretary to Duarte Galvao, on an embassy to David, king of Abyssinia. The expedition having been delayed by the way, it was not until 1520 that he reached Abyssinia, where he remained six years, returning to Lisbon in 1527. In 1533 he was sent to Rome on an embassy to Pope Clement VII. The precise date of his death, like that of his birth, is unknown; but it must have been later than 1540,in which year he published at Lisbon, under the king s patronage, an account of histravels, in one volume folio, entitled Verdadeira Informafam do Preste Joas das Indias.This curious work was translated in Latin, under the title of De Fide, Regione, etMoribus jEthiopum, by Damien Goez, a Portuguese gentleman; and has often been reprinted andtranslated into other lan guages. The information it contains must, however, be receivedwith caution, as the author is prone to exaggerate, and does not confine himself to what came within his own observation.

 ALVAREZ,, the foremost Spanish sculptor of modern times, was born at Priego, ill the province of Cordova, in 1768, and died at Madrid in 1827. Bred to his father s trade of a stone-mason, he devoted all his spare time to drawing and modelling. In his twentieth year he became a pupil of the Academy of Granada. A work he executed soon afterwards for a fountain in his native town attracted the notice of the Bishop of Cordova, who took the young artist into his house and maintained him for several years. In 1799 he obtained from Charles IV. a pension of 12,000 reals, to enable him to visit Paris and Rome. In the former city he executed, in 1804, a statue of Ganymede, which placed him at once in the front rank of sculptors. Shortly afterwards his pension was more than doubled, and he left Paris for Rome, where he remained till within a year of his death. The most im portant of his numerous works, executed during this period, was a group representing Antilochus and Memnon, which wascommissioned in marble (1818) by Ferdinand VII., and secured for the artist the appointment of court sculptor. It is now in the Museum of Madrid. Alvarez modelled a few portrait busts (Ferdinand VII., Rossini, the Duchess of Alba), which are remarkable for their vigour and fidelity.

 ALVAREZ,, a Spanish sculptor, was born at Salamanca in 1727, and died in 1797. He followed classical models so closely that he was styled by his countrymen El Griego, &quot; The Greek.&quot; His works, which are very numerous, are chiefly to be found at Madrid.

 ALWAR, a semi-independent state of Rajputana, and under the control of the Governor-General s agent for Rajputaml, lies between 28 13 25&quot; and 27 14 34&quot; N. lat., and between 77 15 35&quot; and 70 14 10&quot; E. long. It is bounded on the E. by the state of Bhartpur and the British district of Gurg&on, on the N. by Gurgaon district and the states of PatidlA and NabhA, on the W. by the states of Ndbha and Jaipur, and on the S. by the states of Jaipur and Bhartpur. Its configuration is irregular, the greatest length from north to south being about 80 miles, and breadth from east to west about GO miles, with a total area of about 3000 square miles. The total population of the state, as ascertained by a census taken in 1872, was 778,596, consisting of 598,333 Hindus, 180,225 Mahometans, and 38 Christians. The number of males was returned at 418,723, and females at 359,873, the proportion of males to the total population being 5376 per cent. The eastern portion of the state is open and highly cultivated ; the western is diversified by hills and peaks, which form a continuation of the Aravalli range, from 12 to 20 miles in breadth. These hills .run in rocky and precipitous parallel ridges, in some places upwards of 2200 feet in height. The Sabhi river flows through the north-western part of the state, the only other stream of importance being the Ruparel, which rises in the Alwar hills, and flows through the state into the Bhartpur terri tory.

The one attempt at road-making in the state is a line which con nects the chief town, Alwar, with Eajghar on the one side and with Tijara on the other. The greater portion of this road was metalled during the minority of the present raja, but it has been neglected since he took the management of the state into his own hands, and is now said to be almost impassable, and worse than the ordinary cart tracks. The earthwork for a road from Alwar to the Bhartpur border was thrown up, but it has never been metalled, and the line is not used for traffic. The Alwar hills are rich in minerals. Iron ore is found in large quantities close to the surface. Thirty smelting furnaces are kept at work, and are capable of turning out 390 tons a-year. They give employment to a large number of people. Two copper mines have been in operation for a number of years, but with doubtful advantage to the state. Silver, lead, and sulphur are also found in small quantities, and attempts have been made to work them, but without success. The principal agricultural products are wheat and barley during the cold weather, with grain to a less extent. Joar, bajra, and Indian corn are raised during the rains. Cotton is extensively cultivated, and exported on a considerable scale. A ten years land settlement, which was formed by a late political resident, is now expiring, and a fresh settlement for a longer term is being made. The revenue of the state has for some time been in an unsatisfactory state. &quot;When the raja attained his majority, and was invested with the full administration of his territory in 1863, the treasury contained a surplus of 205,000. Within seven years this surplus had dwindled away, and debts to the extent of 160,000 accumulated. Under these circumstances, the government found it necessary to place the administration of the state ia the hands of the political resident, assisted by a council of management consisting of five of the principal chiefs and native gentlemen of the state. In 1870-71, the first year under the new management, the revenue of the state amounted to 213,085, and the expenditure to 135,201, leaving a surplus of 77,884, part of which was devoted to the liquidation of the state debt, the remainder being kept as a working balance. An allowance of 18,000 a-year is made for the household expenses of the raja, besides an establishment of horses, carriages, and elephants maintained for his use. The educational institutions consist of a high school, attended in 1871-72 by 382 students ; a Thakur school, for the education of the sons of chiefs and native gentlemen, and attended by 51 pupils ; and sixty other schools, containing a total of 2785 pupils. Seven towns in the state are returned as containing a population of upwards of 5000 souls namely, Alwar, 52,357 ; RajgLar, 12,070 ; Tijara, 7382 ; Govindgarh, 5720 ; Eamgarh, 5581 ; Itampur, 5381 ; and Bahror, 5213. The only municipality is the town of Alwar. It derives its municipal revenue from a tax of 1 per cent, on the supposed income of the owners of houses. This tax yields about 800 per annum, out of which, with some assistance from the state, the city police, conservancy establishment, &c., are paid.

 ALYPIUS, one of the seven Greek writers on music whose works are collected and published, with a com mentary and explanatory notes, by Meibomius (Antiqiice Musical Auctores /Septem, Amstel., 1652). The time in which he flourished cannot be precisely ascertained. He is said to have written before Euclid and Ptolemy; and Cassiodorus arranges his work, entitled Introduction to Music, between those of Nicomachus and Gaudentius. The work consists solely of a list of symbols of the various scales and modes, and is therefore probably only a fragment.

 ALYPIUS, a geographer of the 4th century, who was sent by the Emperor Julian into Britain as prefect, and was afterwards commissioned to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. Among the letters of Julian are two (29 and 30) addressed to Alypius; one inviting him to Rome, the other thanking him for a geographical treatise, which no longer exists.

 ALYTH, a town on the eastern borders of Perthshire, in a parish of the same name, situated in the valley of Strathmore, 1 3 miles west of Forfar. It is tolerably well built, and contains a handsome parish church, and also Free, United Presbyterian, and Scottish Episcopal churches. The chief industrial employments are linen manufacturing and wool spinning, and there is a fair nearly every month. Alyth was created a burgh of barony by James III. Population in 1871, 2134. I. 82 