Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/439

 ISAURE ISERE 425 The circle of Upper Bavaria was formerly known as that of the Isar. ISAIiRE, (lenience, a French patroness of poetry, born in Toulouse about 1450, died there about 1500. She belonged to a distinguished family, according to some authorities to that of the counts of Toulouse. She was never married, and devoted her wealth to the pro- motion of poetry by restoring the floral games at the academy of Toulouse. She annually devoted large amounts to the endowment of prizes for the best poetical contributions, and the academy continues to derive from her legacy an annual income of over 10,000 francs for the still existing floral games. ISAl'RIA, in ancient geography, a district of Asia Minor, bounded by Phrygia, Lycaonia, Cilicia, and Pisidia, containing few towns, and known to the ancients chiefly by the marauding excursions of the Isauri, who dwelt in its moun- tain fastnesses. The Romans sent an army against them in 78 B. 0. under Servilius, who reduced them to submission and gained the sur- name of Isauricus. As they continued their depredations, the Romans tried with little suc- cess to check them by confining them within a circle of fortresses. In the 3d century the Isaurians and Oilicians united themselves into one nation, and one of their chiefs, Trebellia- nus, assumed the title of Roman emperor (264), but was conquered and put to death. They were formidable to the Byzantine emperors, and two of their race, Zeno (474-'91) and Leo III. (718-'41), rose to the Byzantine throne. The capital of Isauria was Isaura, at the foot of Mt. Taurus, a strong and rich city, whose in- habitants destroyed it and themselves by fire when they could no longer resist the siege of Perdiccas, shortly after the death of Alexander the Great. It was rebuilt, and again destroy- ed by Servilius. ISCHI A (anc. JSnaria and Tnarime), an island of Italy, in the Mediterranean, at the N. entrance ( :i>tl-- of Ischi;; of the bay of Naples ; area, 26 sq. m. ; pop. about 25,000. Its coasts are steep and rocky. Near its centre is the volcano of Epomeo, 2,500 ft. above the sea; its last eruption was in 1301. There are also 12 smaller volcanoes. The in- tervening valleys are of extraordinary fertility, producing corn, wine, and fruits in abundance. Its warm baths, the most celebrated of which are those of Casamicciola and Lacco, are much frequented, and, with its salubrious climate and luxuriant vegetation, make it a favorite resort in every season of the year. The chief town, Ischia, has about 6,300 inhabitants, and is the seat of a Catholic bishop. Its castle, a pic- turesque structure, stands on a high isolated rock of volcanic tufa and ashes, which rises out of the sea opposite the island of Vivara, and is connected with the mainland by a mole. It was built by Alfonso I. of Aragon in the 12th century. ISCHL, or Ischil, a fashionable watering place in Tipper Austria, on the river Traun, in the centre of five or six valleys, surrounded by picturesque mountains, 27 m. E. S. E. of Salz- burg; pop. in 1869, 7,126. In the vicinity are extensive salt works, established in 1822. It contains several churches and schools, and sul- phur, mud, and saline vapor baths. A suspen- sion bridge crosses the Traun, at the junction of the Ischl. It is a favorite resort of the Aus- trian nobility and of the present emperor. ISEGHEM, a town of Belgium, in the province of West Flanders, 7 m. N. N. W. of Courtray; pop. in 1867, 7,955. It has important manu- factories of cotton, linen, hats, thread, ribbon, and soap, breweries, and tanneries, and a large trade in cattle. isill.l V Henri Frederic, a French sculptor, born at Olairegontte, Haute-Sa6ne, about 1825. He exhibited various works in 1849, and has since produced busts of Murat and others for the museum of Versailles, " Observation," an alle- gorical bust, " The Genius of Fire," and " Eury- pylus" for the new Louvre, and other busts and statues. ISERK. a S. E. de- partment of France, in Dauphiny, bound- ed W. and N. by the Rhone, which sepa- rates it from the de- partments of Loire, Rh&ne, and Ain, and on the E. and S. bor- dering on Savoie, Hautes - Alpes, and Drome; area, 3,200 sq. m. ; pop. in 1872, 575,784. It is named from the river Isere (anc. Itara), which flows through it gen- erally S. W. from Sa- voie, passes Greno- ble, and falls into the