Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/299

Rh The new tunnel is about four miles long, and has a cross section of 21 square yards. The honour of the engineer ing has been shared by Montricher, who died in 1858, Bermont, and Brisse. See Kramer, Der Fuciner See, Berlin, 1839.  CELEBES, an island of the East Indian Archipelago, separated from Borneo on the W. by the Strait of Macassar and bounded on the E. by the Strait of Molucca. It stretches from 118 30 to 125 40 E. long., and from 5 45 S. to 1 45 N. lat., and its area is approximately estimated at about 70,000 square miles. Its general out line is extremely irregular, and has been compared to that of a starfish with the rays torn off from the west side. It consists of four great peninsulas, extending from a com paratively small nucleus towards the N.E., E., S.E. and S., and separated by the three large bays of Gorontalo orTomini, Tolo or Tomaiki, and Boni. Of these bays the first is by far the largest, the other two having much wider entrances and not extending so far inwards. Most important among the smaller inlets are the bays of Amurang, Kwansang, and Tontoli on the north coast, Palos and Parre-Parre on the west, and Kendari or Vosmaer on the east. A large part of the island is but partially explored, but the general character of the whole seems to be more or less mountain ous. Well-defined ranges prolong themselves through each of the peninsulas, rising in many places to a considerable elevation. Naturally there are no great river basins or extensive plains, but one of the features of the island is the frequent occurrence, not only along the coasts, but at various heights inland, of beautiful stretches of level ground often covered with the richest pastures. The substruc- tural rocks are mainly of igneous origin, the most frequent being basalt in a state of decomposition ; but in many districts the Carboniferous strata are well developed, and give a character to the landscape. The northern peninsula differs from the others in being still highly volcanic and subject to not unfrequent earthquakes. Within the pro vince of Minahassa alone as many as eleven distinct volcanoes have been counted ; and hot springs, mud fountains, and similar phenomena occur to several other districts. Few of the rivers are navigable for any distance, and the entrance to almost all of them is obstructed by bars. Lakes, on the other hand, are both numerous and extensive. Of these the most important is the Tamp- arang-Labaya or Tempe, situated in the south-eastern peninsula in 3 37 S. lat. It has a depth of about 30 feet, and is richly stocked with wild-fowl and fish. The scenery throughout the island is of the most varied and picturesque description. &quot; Nowhere in the archipelago,&quot; says Mr Wallace, &quot; have I seen such gorges, chasms, and precipices as abound in the district of Maros ; in many parts there are vertical or even overhanging precipices five or six hundred feet high, yet completely clothed with a tapestry of vegetation.&quot; Much of the country, especially round the Bay of Tolo, is still covered with primeval forest and thickets, traversed here and there by scarcely percep tible paths, or broken with a few clearings and villages. Map of Celebes (580 miles by 530). In spite of its situation in the centre of the archipelago, Celebes possesses a fauna of a very distinctive kind. The number of species is small ; but in many cases they are peculiar to the island. Of the birds, for example, about 200 species are known ; and of these no fewer than 80 are peculiar. The mammalian species number only 14, and of these 11 belong almost entirely to the Celebesian area. Most remarkable are the Macacus niger, an ape found nowhere else but in Batchian ; the Anoa depressicornis, a small ox-like quadruped, which inhabits the mountainous districts ; and the babirusa or pig-deer of the Malays. There are no large beasts of prey, and neither the elephant, the rhinoceros, nor the tapir is represented. Wild- buffaloes, swine, and goats are pretty common; and most of the usual domestic animals are kept in greater or smaller numbers. Though they receive but little attention, the cattle are good. The horses are in high repute in the archipelago ; formerly about 700 were yearly exported to Java, but the supply has considerably diminished. The same peculiarity of species holds in regard to the insects of Celebes as to the mammals and birds. Out of 118 species of butterflies, belonging to four important classes, no fewer than 86 are peculiar; while among the rose- chafers or Cctordadoe the same is the case in 19 out of 30. Equally remarkable with this presence of peculiar species is the absence of many kinds that are common in the rest of the archipelago ; and the fact that similarities are often to be traced with species belonging to Africa and other remote regions is highly suggestive. Vegetation is, it need hardly be said, extremely rich ; but there are fewer large trees than in the other islands of the archipelago. Of plants that furnish food for man the most important are rice, maize, and millet, coffee, the cocoa- nut tree, the sago-palm, the obi or native potato, the bread fruit, and the tamarind; with lemons, oranges, mangosteens, wild-plums, Spanish pepper, beans, melons, and sugar-cane. The shaddock is to be found only in the lower plains. Indigo, cotton, and tobacco are grown ; the bamboo and the ratan-palm are common in the woods ; and among the larger trees are sandal-wood, ebony, sapan, and teak. The gemuti palm furnishes fibres for ropes; the juice of the Arenga saccharifera is manufactured into sugar and a beverage called sagueir ; and intoxicating drinks are prepared from several other palms. Except where Dutch influence has made itself felt, very little attention has been paid by the native races to any agricultural pursuit ; and their manufacturing industries are few and limited. The weaving of cotton cloth is principally carried on by women ; and the process, at least for the finer description, is tedious in the extreme. The cheap introduction of European goods is gradually lessening the amount of native stuffs. The houses are built of wood and bamboo ; and as the use of diagonal struts .has not been introduced, the walls soon lean over from the force of the winds. The most important of the mineral pro- 