Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/183

 IVILA AVOIRDUPOIS 163 the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar. It re- mained under Roman domination till the 5th century, when the Burgundians took possession of it. From the Burgundians it was taken by the Goths, who in turn yielded it to the Franks. The Saracens captured it twice, shortly before and after the battle of Poitiers (732), and^oth times were forced to abandon it by Charles Martel. It was a Carlovingian city for about a century and a half; then several times ex- changed its masters, became a republic under the protection of the German empire, adhered to the Albigensian heresy, and was captured by Louis VIII. in 1226, who made it the com- mon inheritance of two sons, through one of whom, Charles of Anjou, it became attached to the crown of Naples. In 1309 Pope Clement V., at the request of Philip the Fair, established himself at Avignon. The city and its depen- dencies were purchased by the supreme pontiff from Joanna of Naples, and all the popes from Clement V. to Gregory XL (1309-'77) made their residence here. The last-named pope re- stored the papal see to Rome, but during the great schism, from 1378 to 1418, several of the rival popes resided in Avignon. The 14th cen- tury was thus the period of the town's great- est splendor. It then numbered about 100,000 inhabitants. Petrarch was among its many distinguished residents. After the close of the schism Avignon with its environs, which then formed the comtat de Venaissin, was governed by the legates of the pope, till in 1791 France succeeded, after various attempts, in reclaiming it. Twenty-one councils of the church were held in Avignon, from 1050 to 1725. AVILi. I. A province of Spain, forming the S. W. part of Old Castile, and bordering on New Castile and Estremadura; area, 2,981 sq. m. ; pop. in 1867, 176,769. The northern portion of the province is generally level, of moderate fertility, and the inhabitants are en- gaged in agriculture. The southern part is in- tersected by numerous rocky mountain ranges, with verdant valleys between. Here the rais- ing of cattle is the most important branch of industry. The Alberche and the Adaja, re- spectively affluents of the Tagus and the Douro, are the principal rivers. Two centuries ago the province was wealthy and populous, but it has gradually decayed, in consequence of the burdensome manorial and feudal privi- leges, and the laws of entail and mortmain. Merino wool is the chief article of production. Besides the capital, it contains no town of importance. II. The capital of the preced- ing province, an episcopal city, situated on the Adaja, 53 m. W. N. W. of Madrid ; pop. about 7,000. It had formerly a flourishing university and extensive woollen manufactures, but its ancient prosperity has departed. The city is encompassed by a wall, still in good re- pair, with towers of great strength. It has a fine old cathedral and a Dominican convent, both of which contain some beautiful monu- ments. The church of San Vicente, without the walls, said to have been erected in 313, is an interesting object. AVLONA (anc. Avion), a fortified town of Turkey, the best seaport of Albania, in the pa- shalic of Janina, on the gulf of Avlona ; pop. about 8,000. The Christian part of its inhab- itants are chiefly employed in commerce. The Turks manufacture woollen fabrics and arms. AVOCET, or Unset (recurmrostra), a bird of the order of the grallatores. There is but one European and one American species, which are very closely connected, and would at first sight, by an unpractised eye, be pronounced identical. The bill is long, slender, and reflected upward at the extremity. The bird is webfooted, but does not swim easily or willingly, though it wades quite up to the breast, for which it is admirably qualified by its long legs, which are naked up to the head of the thigh. The pal- mated webs of its feet enable it to stand and run, without sinking, over the soft mud of the seashore. It feeds on aquatic animals, such as the smaller conchifers and mollusks, and on the spawn of fishes. The American avocet, recurmrostra Americana, is thus described by Giraud in his " Birds of Long Island " : Loral Avocet. space white ; neck and fore part of the breast reddish buff; lower parts, back and tail white; wings black, with a broad band of white formed by the tips of the secondary coverts. Lower portion of the tibia naked. Legs blue. Length 18 inches; wing, 9. A few breed at Egg Harbor, where they are known as the "blue-stocking." It builds its nest of sea- wrack and dried sedge among tufts of long grass by the edge of some salt pool. It is com- mon in all parts of the United States, especially in the fur countries. AVOIRDUPOIS (Fr. avoir du poids, to have weight ; or, possibly, as it was formerly spelled averdupois, from the old Fr. verb cmerer, to verify), a standard of weight, to which articles of merchandise sold by weight are referred, except the precious metals, gems, and medi- cines. The pound avoirdupois contains 7,000 grains; the pound troy contains 5,760. The ounces do not retain the same proportions, there being 16 to the pound avoirdupois, and 12 to the pound troy. The ounce avoirdupois is supposed to be the same as the Roman uncia, which, according to Dr. Arbuthnot, contained the same number of grains, viz., 437i ; but it