Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/772

 762 CAPTAIN CAPUA named bivalve, trivalve, quadrivalve, and mul- ti valve. The parts of a capsule are: 1, the valves, ribs, or divisions which form the out- ward shell, and shield the fruit externally ; 2, Principal kinds of Capsules. a. Three-valved Capsule, St. John's Wort. 6. Silique, Capsule of Cress, c, d. Silicle, Capsule of Shepherd's Purse (c showing distribution of seeds), e. Pyxis, Capsule of Purslane. the partition walls, which form different cells internally; 3, the axis or columella, which unites the seeds with the internal parts of the capsule ; 4, the cells occupied by the seeds ; 5, the proper receptacle of each seed ; and 6, the seeds contained within the capsule. According to the number of internal partitions in a cap- sule, they have been named unilocular, biloc- nlar, trilocular, multilocular. Capsular seed vessels are generally dry and hard when ripe ; and in this respect they are unlike the pulpy fruit of apples, plums, &c., or the juicy oranges and lemons. All fruits, however, are merely seed vessels, and the name capsule is usually applied to all dry, hard seed vessels, irrespec- tive of particular forms and families of plants. CAPTAIN, the rank designating a commander of a company in infantry, or of a squadron or troop in cavalry, or the chief officer of a ship of war. In most continental armies of Europe captains are considered subalterns ; in the British army they form an intermediate rank between the field officer and the subaltern, the latter term comprising those commissioned offi- cers only whose rank does not imply a direct and constant command. In the United States army the captain is responsible for the arms, ammunition, clothing, &c., of the company under his command. The duties of a captain in the navy are very comprehensive, and his post is one of great responsibility. In the British service he ranks with a lieutenant colonel in the army until the expiration of three years from the date of his commission, when he takes rank with a full colonel. In the naval service of the United States a captain ranks with a colonel. In the old French service he was forbidden to lose his ship under pain of death, and was to blow it up rather than let it fall into the hands of an enemy. The title of captain is also applied to masters of mer- chant or passenger vessels, and to various petty officers on ships of the line, as captain of the forecastle, of the hold, of the main and fore tops, &c. The word is of Italian origin, mean- ing a man who is at the head of something, and in this sense it is often used as synony- mous with general-in-chief, especially as re- gards his qualities for command. CAPUA, a city of Italy, in the province of Caserta, on the river Volturno, 14 m. from its mouth in the Mediterranean, and 15 m. N. of Naples; pop. about 12,000. The city is strong- ly fortified, the works having been remodelled and strengthened in 1855. The cathedral and the church of the Annunziata are splendid edifices, and contain many antique bass reliefs, and there are ancient inscriptions under the arch of the piazza de' Giudici. In 1803 the city suffered considerably from an earthquake. In 1860 it was besieged by a portion of the army of Victor Emanuel, and surrendered Nov. 3. Ancient Capua lay at a distance of 2 m. from the modern city. Its origin and early history are obscure. It was founded or colo- nized by Etruscans, according to some authori- ties as early as 800 B. C., and was originally called Vulturnum. It fell under the temporary sway of the Samnites in 423, from whom it received its present name. In 343, when threatened by the same people, the citizens called in the aid of the Romans, and were shortly afterward compelled to acknowledge the supremacy of Rome. It successfully resisted Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, but after the battle of Cannro (216) the popular party deserted Rome and opened the gates to the Carthagin- ian general. The winter spent by the Car- thaginian troops in Capua demoralized them greatly, and was considered by the Romans the main cause of Hannibal's ultimate de- feat. For the extravagance and effeminacy of its inhabitants, Capua bore a reputation similar to that of Sybaris and Sardis. It was famous for its manufacture of perfumes, with which the unguentarii or perfumers of Capua in later times supplied the whole empire of the West. It was early celebrated for its gladiatorial exhi- bitions, and from Lentulus's school of gladia- tors in tliis city Spartacus, the leader in the servile insurrection, first broke loose with YO companions. The desertion to Hannibal was punished with utmost severity by the Romans, when they again entered Capua (211). The local magistracies were abolished, and a Roman pre- fect was appointed to rule over the city. Julius Cfesar procured the passage of a law during his consulship, in 59, in accordance with which 20,000 Roman citizens were settled in the en- virons of Capua. This circumstance conferred a new era of prosperity upon the city. The barbarian invasions were fatal to old Capua. Genseric and his Vandals devastated it in A. D. 456. Narses restored it, but it sank again after the conquests of the Lombards in southern Italy. It was finally destroyed by the Sara- cens about 840, who reduced it to ashes. A few years afterward Bishop Landulphus induced the inhabitants to return and establish a new city on the site of ancient Casilinum. This was the origin of modern Capua. The ruins