Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/718

 682 ARE was produced at Milan. In 1851 he visited Havana and the United States, and was for several seasons conductor at the Italian opera houses in New York. While in that city he com- posed an opera entitled La Spia, the plot of which was based upon incidents in Cooper's novel " The Spy." To identify it as an Ameri- can work, " Hail Columbia " was introduced as the finale. The opera was brought out at the New York academy of music March 24, 1856, but its merits did not entitle it to any great success. Shortly after this production Arditi went to London, where he became the leader of the opera at her majesty's theatre. His songs have met with a greater popularity than his more ambitious compositions. ARE (from Lat. area, a broad piece of level ground), the unit of surface in the French sys- tem of measures, equivalent to a square deca- mdtre, or 1,076-44 English square feet. Parts of an are are expressed by Latin prefixes, d6- ciare, centiare, &c., signifying one tenth, one hundredth, &c., of an are. Multiples of an are have Greek prefixes, decare, hectare, &c., sig- nifying ten, one hundred, &c., ares. AREXDAL, a town of S. E. Norway, on a river of the same name, in the province and 40 m. N. E. of Christiansand ; pop. in 1865, 7,181. It is built on piles and islands, and has been called " Little Venice " on account of its canals and picturesque appearance. The harbor is protected by the opposite island of Trom6, and there is an active trade in iron and timber. AREOLAR TISSIE. See CELLULAB TISSUE. AREOMETER. See HYDKOMETEB. AREOPAGUS, the hill (Gr. irfyof) of Ares or Mars, a craggy eminence in ancient Athens, not far from the Acropolis, famous as the spot where the celebrated council or court of the same name held its sittings. This body was, above all similar courts of Greece, distinguished by its great antiquity and high character. Its origin is carried back by ancient writers as far as the time of Cecrops ; but Solon is supposed to have framed, or at least greatly modified, the historical constitution of the Areopagus, and to have extended its functions, so that from being merely a criminal tribunal, its jurisdiction reached the general morals of society and the political alfairs of the state touched every- thing, in fact, which concerned the public weal. It is not known of how many members the Areopagus was composed, and possibly the number was unlimited, the members serving for life, and consisting of ex-archons of un- spotted character. Pericles is said to have de- prived it of a portion of its prerogatives, and later its members were made responsible to the people. Its fame was alive in the time of Ci- cero, and even as late as the emperor Theodo- sius. In the records of Christendom the hill of Mars is memorable as the spot where the apos- tle Paul commenced the delivery of a discourse, the outline of which is preserved in the bootf v of Acts. There is no intimation that Paul was brought before the council of the Areopagus. AREQUIPA AREQI'IPA. I. A S. department of Peru, bounded S. W. by the Pacific; area, about 45,000 sq. m. ; pop. about 200,000. It is divided into the provinces of Arequipa, Islay, Castella, Camana, Union, Condesuyos, and Cailloma. The eastern section is a high table land belonging to the Andes region ; the rest lies between the main range of the Andes and the Pacific. The mountains are for the most part covered with perpetual snow, from which rises the volcano of Misti or Arequipa to a height of about 20,000 ft. The west- ern section is very fertile, and is watered by the OcoCa, Camana, and other rivers, all of which flow to the Pacific. By reason of the diversity of elevation, almost every known, vegetable product of the earth is raised. Oil, wine, and brandy of good quality are made, and the fruits of the department have earned for it the title of the garden of Peru. The western portion is covered with cattle, sheep, and goats, while the mountains Volcano of Mistf or Arequipa. and plateaux abound with llamas, alpacas, gua- nacos, vicuftas, and other wool-bearing quad- rupeds. Silver, copper, tin, lead, sulphur, rock crystal, and coal are found. Earthquakes are very frequent and disastrous, and are invariably accompanied by eruptions of the volcanoes of Misti, Ornate, Tutupaca, and Ubinas. II. A town, capital of the preceding department, sit- uated 7,850 feet above the sea, on the river Chili, 40 m. from the coast, in lat. 16 30' S., Ion. 72 20' W., 480 m. S. W. of Lima, in the midst of a fertile district and near several gold and silver mines; pop. about 35,000. It was one of the best built towns in South America, having a cathedral and several other churches, 9 convents, a college, a hospital, and houses of stone solidly constructed and vaulted ; but it was almost wholly destroyed by the earthquake of Aug. 13-15, 1868, in which nearly every house was levelled with the ground and 600 persons were killed. A similar disaster had