Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/229

Rh as is alleged to have occasionally happened. Catalepsy belongs to the class of functional nervous disorders, of which the pathology is but little understood, owing to the manner in which morbid physical and psychical conditions are mixed up. Although it is said to occur in persons in perfect health, careful inquiry will usually reveal some departure from the normal state, as is shown by the greater number of the recorded cases. More particularly is this true of females, in whom some form of menstrual derange ment will generally be found to have preceded the cata leptic affection. Catalepsy is sometimes associated with epilepsy and with grave forms of mental disease. In ordinary cases, however, the mental phenomena bear close resemblance to those witnessed in hysteria, with which disease catalepsy, though not identical, has very close alliance. In many of the subjects of catalepsy there appears to be a remarkable weakness of the will, whereby the tendency to lapse into the cataleptic state is not resisted but rather in some measure encouraged, and attacks may thus be induced by the most trivial circum stances. From whiit has been stated it follows that the successful treatment of such a disease as catalepsy must depend upon the due recognition of both its corporeal and mental relations. While the state of health will demand the attention of the physician, his skill and judgment will be no less urgently called for in dealing with the mental and moral characteristics manifested in each particular case. Dr Chambers has shown that efforts directed to obtain command of the patient s will, so as to compel her to resist to the utmost the inclination to fall into the cataleptic state, may succeed in curing even aggravated examples of this disease. See, ,.  CATALONIA (in Spanish, Catalufia), an old province of Spain and principality of the crown of Aragon, trian gular in shape, and forming the north-east corner of the peninsula, lies between 40 30 and 42 51 N. lat., and. 15 and 3 21 E. long., and is bounded on the N. by the Pyrenees, W. by Aragon, S. by Valencia, E. by the Mediterranean. The greatest breadth is 130 miles, the greatest length 185 miles ; area, 12,483 square miles. The coast, which is partly sandy, partly rocky, extends about 240 miles ; the harbours are mostly unprotected from the wind. The surface is much broken by spurs of the Pyrenees, the direction of which is generally south. Running south-west to north-east, and united on the north with one of the offsets of the Pyrenees, is the range of the Sierra Llena, which bisects the province, and forms its central watershed. The principal rivers are the Ter, the Llobre- gat, and the Ebro, which all run into the Mediterranean. None of them is navigable. The climate, in spite of frequent mists and rains, sudden changes of temperature, and occasional great mid-day heat, is healthy and favourable to vegetation. The soil is light and loamy. Amongst the rocks of the province may be mentioned granite, chiastolite schists, porphyry and lava. Xear Olot, towards the north east, is a district containing extinct volcanoes. Oolitic limestone is found in the neighbourhood of Figueras ; and in other localities, nummulitic and Miocene deposits are represented. Mining is not much prosecuted ; but copper, zinc, manganese, marble, sulphur, and coal are worked, and rock salt in abundance is procured from Cardona. The vegetation of Catalonia varies according to the altitude and nature of different regions. The dwarf -palm, orange, lime, and olive grow in the warmer tracts ; and on the higher grounds the thorn-apple, pomegranate, myrtle, esparto, and heaths flourish. There is much woodland, Taut meadows and pastures are rare. Maize, millet, rye, flax, liquorice, and fruits of all sorts especially nuts, almonds, oranges, figs, walnuts, and chestnuts are produced. Wheat sufficient for one-fourth of the population is grown, and the vine is extensively cultivated. Few cattle, but numbers of sheep, goats, and swine are reared. Game is plentiful, and ths fisheries on the coast are excellent. The exports are chiefly fruits, cork, and wines. The wines are for the most part rough and strong, though some are very good, especially when matured. They are much used to adulterate those of Oporto, or, after undergoing the operation termed compaye, are passed off as Bordeaux wines in France. The best of them, &quot; priorato,&quot; is chiefly known in England under the disguise of second or third-rate port ; it was much used in the military hospitals of America during the Civil War. The imports are chiefly textiles, coal, coke, machinery of all kinds, and salt-fish. The value of imports in 1870 was 5,996,143; of the exports, 2,884,306; the loss of the balance of 3,111,837 against Catalonia being partly borne by the other provinces of Spain, and to a great extent paid in wines, fruits, and corks. The value of exports to the Spanish American colonies in 1873 exceeded 2,220,000. The manufactures of Catalonia are cotton, silk, woollen goods, brandy, paper, cordage, and firearms. The Catalonians are a frugal, sharp-witted, and industrious people, having much national pride, and a strong revolutionary spirit. They are distinct in origin from the other inhabitants of Spain, from whorn. they differ both in their dialect and costume and in their great energy and their love of enterprize. Irrigation, careful husbandry, and railroad communication have much developed the resources of their country, in themselves excellent ; and there aro many manufacturing towns and industrial establishments. Catalonia is divided into the provinces Gerona, Barcelona, Tarragona, and Lerida. Its chief towns are the porta of Rosas, Mataro, Tarragona, and the capital Barcelona; and Tortosa, Gerona, Figueras, Lerida, and Manresa. The population, in 1867.. was 1,744,520.

1em  CATAMARCA, or, in its full form,, the capital of the province of the same name in the Argentine Republic, is situated in 28 20 S. lat. and 66 25 W. long. It is pretty regularly built, has a large square, with an obelisk in memory of the achievement of national independence, and numbers among its public buildings a small townhouse, a fort, a Franciscan monastery, and a Santa Teresa convent. The old establish ment of the Mercedarios, for some time possessed by the Jesuits, now serves as a high school. The import trade, even of European goods, is considerable, as the town is a centre of distribution for an extensive and flourishing dis trict. Dried figs, wine, brandy, and cotton are the principal articles of export ; the copper, for which the province is so well known, is from another district. The present town of Catamarca only dates from 1685, when it replaced the old town of Chacra, the ruins of which are still to be seen a short distance to the north, at a spot which was found both unhealthy and exposed to inundation. Chacra had shortly before, in 1679, been appointed capital instead 