Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/114

 106 HYDRA HYDRANGEA commander of the forces, and, having thus the power in his own hands, set aside the rajah with a pension of three lacs of rupees, and took possession of the sovereignty. The East India company, becoming alarmed at his in- creasing power, formed an alliance with the Mahrattas and the nizam of the Deccan against him ; but Hyder not only gained over the ni- zam to his side, but for two years waged ve- hement war on the British. By a series of skilful manoeuvres he managed to draw their force to a distance from Madras, and then at the head of 6,000 horsemen rode 120 m. in three days and appeared before the city. The outlying country being at his mercy, the gov- ernment of the presidency was compelled to come to terms, and Hyder agreed to a treaty of which the principal feature was that the British should form an alliance with him in his defensive wars. In 1770, the Mahrattas having invaded his dominions, he applied to the British for their promised aid, but could obtain from them nothing more than neutrality. By the year 1778 he had recovered from the disadvantages their defection had caused him. Being once more threatened by the same war- like people, he again invited British assistance, but with a like result. Incensed by this con- duct, he formed an alliance with the Mahrattas and the nizam, and in 1780 invaded the Brit- ish territory of the Oarnatic, which he ravaged with fire and sword, capturing many of the strong places, but avoiding battle in the open field. The desolation he brought on the coun- try during the two years' war was such that the British force, and even the city of Madras, were in danger from famine. This war elicited a remarkable display of military talent by the British general Sir Eyre Coote on the one side, and by Hyder and the French officers, of whom he had many in his service, on the other. The Mysore leader had already rejected terms of adjustment offered by Lord Macartney, the governor of Madras, when he died, and was succeeded by his son Tippoo Saib. HYDRA. See HERCULES. HYDRA. I. An island in the Grecian archi- pelago, off the E. coast of the Morea, belong- ing to the nomarchy of Argolis and Corinth ; greatest length N. E. to S. W. about 12 m., greatest breadth 3 m. ; pop. about 20,000. Its surface is rocky, sterile, and mountainous. The inhabitants are esteemed the best sailors of Greece. II. A town, capital of the island, situ- ated on a barren rugged height on the N. W. shore; pop. in 1870, 7,428. The streets are steep and uneven, and the houses substantially built. The manufactures are silk and cotton stuffs, soap, and leather. The harbor is formed by a deep bay, but is neither spacious nor well sheltered. During the war of the revolution Hydra was a place of general refuge for peo- ple from all parts of Greece. HYDRABAD, a town of British India, in the province of Sinde, situated on an eminence belonging to the Gunjah hills, 4 m. E. of the E. bank of the Indus ; pop. about 20,000. Part of it is built on an island ,15 m. long, which is formed by the Indus and an offset of that stream called the Fulailee. It is defended by a fortress of imposing appearance but no great strength, and has manufactures of matchlocks, swords, spears, and shields, and of ornamental silks and cottons. The town is connected with Kurracheo on the Arabian sea by a railway 120 m. long. Hydrabad was formerly the resi- dence of the chief amirs of Sinde, who governed the southern and principal part of the coun- try. A victory was gained over a Sindian force near here by Sir C. Napier, Feb. 24, 1843. HYDRAA'CEA (Gr. vdap, water, and ayyof, a vase), a genus of shrubby plants, to which the name was applied for no obvious reason, be- longing to the natural order srixifrayacece, and natives of Asia and of North America. The species best known (H. Sortensia the com- mon hydrangea, was introduced into England from China in the year 1790 by Sir Joseph Garden Hydrangea (n. Hortensia). Banks. Commerson, wishing to honor his friend Mme. Hortense Lapeaute, called the plant Lapeautia; but thinking the compliment not sufficiently pointed, he changed the name to Hortensia, by which it is still known in France; when it was found to belong to the old genus hydrangea, Commerson's generic name was retained for the species ; it is often incorrectly written Tiortensis. It is a smooth, dwarf, vigorous shrub, with opposite, coarsely toothed, oval leaves, and bears immense globu- lar clusters of sterile flowers, which are white, pink, or blue, according to the nature of the soil. Cuttings of the wood or of the growing stems will root without difficulty. The hydran- gea delights in an unlimited supply of water, fading at once on its being withheld. There is a variety with variegated foliage, nearly all sil- very white, which is fine in the greenhouse, but does not endure our hot sun. Specimens are mentioned in England of 30 ft. circumference,.