Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/659

Rh N O V N O V 601 Plate IV. heavy appearance from the outside; it is now an open modern-looking town. Part of the old citadel is used as a prison. Of the churches it is enough to mention the cathedral, originally dating from 400, but (with the excep tion of the octagonal dome -roofed baptistery, separated from the west end by an atrium) rebuilt in the Roman esque style between 1860 and 1870 after designs by Antonelli ; the church of S. Gaudenzio (so called after Bishop Gaudentius (ob. 417), who is buried under the high altar), rebuilt by Pellegrino Pellegrini Tibaldi, with its strange tower, more than 269 feet high ; and San Pietro del Rosario, in which the papal anathema was pronounced against the followers of Fra Dolcino. The city also contains handsome market -buildings erected in 1817-42, a large hospital originally dating from the 9th century, a court-house constructed in 1346, a muni cipal library of 30,000 volumes (located in the market- buildings), a theatre, a statue of Cavour by Dini (1863), and another of Charles Albert. Besides being the largest grain market in the north-west of Italy, Novara trades in silk, linen, &c., and manufactures cotton, waxcloth, pot tery, and starch. The communal population was 29,516 in 1871, and 33,077 in 1881 ; that of the city was 15,232 (or, with its suburbs, S. Martino, S. Andrea, S. Agabio, Bicocca, and Torrion, 26,206) in 1881. Novara, the ancient Novaria, according to Pliny of Gaulish, according to Cato of Liguvian origin, was a municipal city of some importance during the Roman empire. Dismantled in 386 by Maximus for siding with his rival Valentinian, it was restored by Theodosius ; but it was afterwards ravaged by Radagaisus (405) and Attila (452). A dukedom of Novara was constituted by the Lom bards, a countship by Charlemagne. In 1110 the city was taken and burned by the emperor Henry V. Before the close of the 12th century it accepted the protection of Milan, and thus passed into the hands first of the Visconti and secondly of the Sforzas. In 1706 the city, which had long before been ceded by Maria Visconti to Amadeus VIII. of Savoy, was occupied by the Savoy troops. At the peace of Utrecht it passed to the house of Austria along with the duchy of Milan ; but, having been occupied by Charles Emmanuel in 1734, it was granted to him in the following year. Under the French it was the chief town of the department of Agogna. Restored to Savoy in 1814, it was in 1821 the scene of the defeat of the Piedmontese by the Austrians, and in 1849 of the more disastrous battle which led to the abdication of Charles Albert and an Austrian occupancy of the city. Natives of Novara are C. Albucius Silus (ancient rhetorician) and Gaudenzio Ferrari (many of whose works are preserved in the city) ; and Peter Lombard was born at Lumello in the neighbourhood. The chapel-mastership has been held by some of the greatest Italian musicians, Paganini, Mercadante, La Coccia, &c. NOVA SCOTIA, originally Acadia, a province of the Dominion of Canada, lies between 43 25 and 47 N. lat. and 59 40 and 66 25 W. long., and is composed of the peninsula proper and the adjoining island of CAPE BRETON (7.^.), which is separated from the mainland by the Gut of Canso. It is bounded on the N. by Northumberland Strait (which divides it from Prince Edward Island) and the Gulf of St Lawrence, N.E., S.E., and S. by the Atlantic Ocean, and W. by the Bay of Fundy and New Brunswick, being connected with the latter province by a narrow isthmus 13J miles wide. The extreme length from south-west to north-east is 350 miles, the breadth 120 miles, and the area 20,907 square miles (13,382,003 acres). Physical Features. The province is intersected by chains of lofty hills, in most instances running parallel with the coast-line. The Cobequid Mountains, stretching in a long line from east to west and terminating in Cape Chignecto, form the chief ridge. Several of the elevations are as high as 1100 feet, and are cultivable almost to their summits. Lying on each side of this range are two ex tensive tracts of arable land which yield profitable crops. A sharply -outlined ridge of precipices runs for 130 miles along the Bay of Fundy from Briar Island at the farthest extremity of Digby Neck to Capes Split and Blomidon. Here and there masses of trap rocks, averaging from 200 to 600 feet in height and crowded with stunted firs, over hang the coasts. Beyond them lies the garden of Nova Scotia, the valley of the Annapolis, full of varied scenery, and unrivalled for its fruit, flowers, and cereals. The general slope of the country is south-easterly, in which direction there are several chains of lakes, the source of many rivers and streams of moderate length. The south eastern coast is remarkable for its harbours, twelve of which are capable of affording shelter to ships of the line, while between Canso and Halifax, a distance of 110 miles, there are fourteen ports which possess ample accommo dation for merchantmen of average size. The principal inlets are Bay Yerte, Tatamagouche, and St George s Bay in Northumberland Strait ; Chedabucto Bay at the head of the Gut of Canso ; Halifax Harbour, Margaret s and Mahone Bays on the south-east coast ; St Mary s Bay on the south-west ; Annapolis Basin, Minas Basin and Channel, and Cobequid Bay on the west. Of these the most remarkable is Minas Basin, the eastern arm of the Bay of Fundy ; it penetrates some 60 miles inland, and terminates in Cobequid Bay, Avhere the tides rush in with savage impetuosity, rising sometimes as high as 60 feet, while on the opposite coast, in Halifax Harbour, the spring tides scarcely exceed 7 or 8 feet. The principal inlets in Cape Breton are Aspy Bay, St Anne s Bay, Sydney Harbour, Mire Bay, and St Peter s Bay. All along the coast of Nova Scotia there are many small islands, the south-east shore being literally studded with them. The chief are Caribou and Pictou in Northumber land Strait ; St Paul, Scatari, and Isle Madame off the coast of Cape Breton. Sable, a dangerous and sandy island, almost barren, lies 150 miles east of Halifax, and has long been noted as the scene of fearful shipwrecks. Its length is 25 miles by about 1J miles in breadth, the eastern end being in 43 59 N. lat. and 59 45 W. long. An effective humane establishment is maintained on this island by the provincial Government. Other islands are Cape Sable, Seal, and Mud in the south, and Long Island at the entrance of St Mary s Bay. The principal capes (apart from those of Cape Breton) are Malagash, John, and St George on the northern coast ; Porcupine, Canso, Sambro Head, Pennant Point, Crown Point, and La Have on the south-east ; Sable on the south ; St Mary, Split, Chignecto, and Blomidon on the west. The interior of the country is traversed and watered by many rivers and lakes, which cover an estimated area of 3000 square miles. The rivers are, with feAv exceptions, navigable for coasting vessels for distances averaging from 2 to 20 miles. The principal are the Annapolis, Avon, Shubenacadie, East, Middle, and West, St Mary s, Musquodoboit, La Have, Mersey. The Annapolis river, which is navigable for a long distance, takes its rise in King s county, flows be tween the North and South Mountains through a fertile tract of territory and discharges into Annapolis Bay. The Shubenacadie flows from the Grand Lake in Halifax county, receives the waters of ten other streams, and, after winding through Hants county, empties itself into Minas Basin. It is navigable for craft of large size, and its banks are rich in forest trees. The East, West, and Middle rivers, also navigable for similar vessels, discharge into Pictou Harbour. The La Have empties into the Atlantic, the Avon into the Bay of Fundy, and the Mersey into Liverpool Harbour. The Medway, Shelburne, Clyde, Tusket, St Mary s, and several others have their sources in the numerous lakes which lie in the interior. The largest of the latter is Lake Rossignol, situated in Queen s county, and more than 20 miles long. Shi}) Harbour Lake, 15 miles in length, and Grand Lake are in Halifax county, College Lake is in the eastern part of XVII. 76