Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 6.djvu/110

90 interest. Prominent among tl: ^e, at the point of conflu ence of the rivers, is the church of St Castor, built in the early Lombard style of architecture,, and surmounted by four towers. The church was originally founded in 836 by Lewis the Pious, but the present edifice is considerably less ancient. It was here that the sons of Charlemagne met in 843, when they divided the empire into France, Germany, and Italy. In front of the church of St Castor stands a fountain, erected by the French in 1812, with an inscription to commemorate Napoleon s invasion of Russia. Not long after, the Russian troops occupied Coblentz ; and St Priest, their commander, added in irony these words &quot; Vu et approuve par nous, Commandant Russe de la Ville de CoUence: Janvier ler, 1814.&quot; In this quarter of the town there is also the Liebfrauenkirche, a fine specimen of the old cathedral style, built in 1259 ; the ancient town- hall ; the Castle of the Electors of Treves, erected in 1280, now converted into a manufactory of japan-ware ; and the family-house of the Metternichs, where Prince Metternich, the Austrian statesman, was born in 1772. The more modern part of the town has open, regular streets, and many of its public buildings are handsome. The principal of these is the Palace or Royal Castle, with one front looking towards the Rhine, the other into the Neustadt, or Great Square. It was built in 1778-86, and contains among other curiosities some fine Gobelin tapestry work. Another large edifice is the Palace of Justice, where the law courts sit, and assizes are held every three mouths, Coblentz has also a gymnasium (formerly a convent of Jesuits), a hospital, managed by the sisters of charity, an orphan asylum, a valuable town library, a theatre, a casino, a picture gallery, a musical institute, and a medical school. Above the Iron Bridge are Anlagen, or pleasure-grounds, much resorted to by the town s-people. The manufactures consist chiefly of linens, cottons, japan-ware, furniture, and tobacco. Coblentz is a free port, and carries on an exten sive commerce by means of the Rhine, Moselle, and Lahn. Being in the centre of the hock wine district, a large trade in this class of produce is carried on with Great Britain, Holland, and other countries. Large exports of mineral waters are also made, about one million jars of seltzer being shipped annually. Among the products of the neigh bouring provinces which are exported from Coblentz are corn, iron, volcanic stones, potter s clay, stoneware, and bark. The population is 28,000.

1em  COBRA (Naja tripudians), a poisonous Colubrine Snake, belonging to the family Elapidce, known also as the Hooded Snake, or Cobra di Capello. In this species the anterior ribs are elongated, and by raising and bringing forward these, the neck, which otherwise is not distinct from the head, can be expanded at will into a broad disc or hood, the markings on which bear a striking resemblance to a pair of barnacles, hence the name &quot; Spectacle Snake &quot; also applied to the cobra. It possesses two rows of palatine teeth in the upper jaw, while the maxillary bones bear the fangs, of which the anterior one only is in connection with the poison gland, the others in various stages of growth remaining loose in the surrounding flesh until the destruc tion of the poison fang brings the one immediately behind to the front, which then gets anchylosed to the maxillary bone, and into connection with the gland secreting the poison, which in the cobra is about the size of an almond. Behind the poison fangs there are usually one or two ordinary teeth. The cobra attains a length of nearly 6 feet and a girth of about 6 inches, and with the exception of the markings on the hood is of a uniform brown colour above and bluish-white beneath. There are, however, many distinct varieties, in some of which the spectacle markings on the hood are awanting. The cobra may be regarded as nocturnal in its habits, being most active by night, although not unfrequently found in motion during the day. It usually conceals itself under logs of wood, in the roofs of huts, and in holes in old walls and ruins, where it is often come upon inadvertently, inflicting a death wound before it has been observed. It feeds on small quadrupeds, frogs, lizards, insects, and the eggs of birds, in search of which it sometimes ascends trees. When seeking its prey it glides slowly along the ground, holding the anterior third of its body aloft, with its hood distended, on the alert for any thing that may come in its way. &quot; This attitude,&quot; says Sir J. Fayrer, &quot; is very striking, and few objects are more cal culated to inspire awe than a large cobra when, with his hood erect, hissing loudly, and his eyes glaring, he prepares to strike.&quot; It is said to drink large quantities of water, although, like reptiles in general it will live for many months without food or drink. The cobra is oviparous ; and its eggs, which are from 18 to 25 in number, are of a pure white colour, somewhat resembling in size and appearance the eggs of the pigeon, but sometimes larger. These it leaves to be hatched by the heat of the sun. It is found in all parts of India from Ceylon to the Himalayas, where it occurs at a height of 8000 feet, and it is justly regarded as the most deadly of the Indian Thanatophidia. A large proportion of the deaths from snake bite, where the species inflicting the wound has been ascertained, is shown to be due to the cobra ; and it is estimated that fully one-half of the 20,000 deaths that annually occur in India from this cause may be attributed to this unluckily common species. The bite of a vigorous cobra will often prove fatal in a few minutes, and as there is no known antidote to tho poison, it is only in rare instances that such mechanical expedients as cauterizing, con striction, or amputation can be applied with sufficient promptitude to prevent the virus from entering the cir culation. Of late years, owing to a small reward offered by the Indian Government for the head of each poisonous snake, great numbers of cobras have been destroyed ; but only low caste Hindus will engage in such work the cobra being regarded by the natives generally with superstitious reverence, as a divinity powerful to injure, and therefore to be propitiated; and thus oftentimes when found in their dwellings this snake is allowed to remain, and is fed and protected. &quot; Should fear,&quot; says Sir J. Fayrer, &quot; and perhaps the death of some inmate bitten by accident prove stronger than superstition, it may be caught. 