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KOKOMO

1010

KOOTENAY DISTRICT

Ko'komo, Ind., the capital of Howard County, an important railway center on Wildcat River in central Indiana, 54 miles north of Indianapolis. Three railroad lines and three interurban lines traverse the city and the county, which is a productive one in an agricultural sense and largely devoted to stockraising and lumbering. The region is productive also of natural gas. It has thriving industries and manufactures and good educational institutions, churches and public buildings. Population 17,010.

Kolt'sof=Masal'ski, Princess, was a celebrated Rumanian writer. She was born at Bucharest in 1828, her maiden-name being Helen Ghike, and became a student of literature and language. When 15 she translated the Iliad into German. She traveled extensively throughout Europe from 1841 to 1848, and on her return married the Russian Prince Koltsof-Masalski and went to Russia to live, later to Italy and Switzerland. She became well known through her articles in magazines, and published a number of works. Her pen-name was Dora d'Istria. In 1867 the Greek legislature adopted her as a Greek citizen; and she was made a member of learned societies in Europe. She died at Florence on Nov. 17, 1888. Her principal works are Monastic Life in the Oriental Church, The Heroes of Rumania, Women in the Orient, On Women by a Woman.

Komura, Baron Jutaro, was born in 1854 in the province of Hiuja, a samurai. When 16 years old he met Dr. Griffis and other American teachers, with whom he studied during the next four years. He came to America at the time of the Centennial Exposition (1876), and stayed to study at Harvard, of which he is the first Japanese

faduate. He saw diplomatic service in orea in 1895, was then appointed Japanese minister at St. Petersburg and later at Washington, where he remained till 1900. He then served as minister at Pekin during the Boxer rebellion, and conducted the Japanese negotiations during the conference of the powers at Pekin, with credit to himself and his country. In 1901 he was appointed foreign minister, and had charge of the difficult negotiations with Russia concerning the evacuation of Manchuria. In 1902 he was made a baron. When President Roosevelt prevailed on the Japanese and Russians to meet at Portsmouth, N. H., it was Komura that the Japanese matched against De Witte, the Russian diplomatist. Komura was largely responsible, it is believed, for the peaceful outcome of the conference and the many real advantages the Japanese secured by the peace of Portsmouth. In person Komura is small and slight. His manner is reserved and gentle.

Kong Mountains, a range of mountainous uplands in western Africa, commencing 200 miles from the Gulf of Guinea. The height is less than a mile, and little is known about

them. The people inhabiting the district are Mohammedans; the town of Kong is noted for its manufacture of cotton cloth.

Kongo. See CONGO.

Koniggratz (ke'nig-grats'), a town on the Elbe, 75 miles from Prague. A signal victory was gained here by the Prussians over the Austrians on July 3, 1866. The Austrians named the battle Sadowa, from an adjoining village near the battlefield.

Konigsberg (ke'riigs-berg), a city in eastern Prussia, is situated on both sides of Pregel River, 360 miles from Berlin. In the castle's chapel (built in 1592) Frederick I had himself crowned king of Prussia and William I was crowned in 1861. The university at Konigsberg was founded as a Lutheran institution in 1544 and rebuilt in 1844—65. In 1907 the students numbered 1,080 and official teachers 148. Konigsberg was first fortified in 1626, and was made a modern fortress of the first class in 1843 an(i the following years. Kant the philosopher taught in the university for nearly 50 years. Population 245,853-

Koordistan (koor'dis-tan') or Kurdistan, a region of western Persia and eastern Turkey, adjacent to Armenia, comprising nearly 50,000 square miles. The number of inhabitants is estimated at 3,000,000, most of whom are Kurds. Although orthodox Mohammedans in religion, the Kurds have a different language from the Turks, and they differ from the heterodox Persians in religion; thus they are in a state of chronic warfare with the powers. They have the reputation of being wild and lawless and inclined to rob and plunder whenever they have the opportunity; but they are not generally either fanatical or cruel. They are naturally brave and hospitable, and possess crude feelings of honor.

Koot'enay, Kootenai or Cootenai. The name of a tribe of American Indians. They numbered about 1,000 in 1890, and are remarkable as having a language indicating a distinct stock among the aboriginal tribes of the United States. These Indians are now found mainly in British Columbia, although there also are small numbers of them living in Washington, Idaho and Montana. They are peaceful, and engage in rude agriculture as well as hunting and fishing. A portion are Christians nominally, while the remainder are sun-worshipers. An account of the ethnology, mythology, physical characteristics and language of the Kootenays, by A. F. Chamberlain, will be found in the report of the British Association for 1892.

Kootenay District or The Kootenay forms the southeastern portion of British Columbia west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains, and is drained by Columbia and Kootenay Rivers. Eastern Kootenay contains a large extent of agricultural land, much of which requires irrigation, but is suited to fruitgrowing and all kinds of grain