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 294 GUAYAQUIL excessive; epidemics are of frequent occur- rence ; and during the rainy season, from De- cember to May, noxious insects and reptiles infest the city and surrounding country. Many and important improvements were commenced in 1872, mostly of a hygienic nature. Two lighthouses were built in 1873, one on the island of Santa Clara and the other on the island of Puna. Three forts defend the town. Guayaquil is the chief commercial centre of Ecuador ; the principal articles of export are cacao, cotton, coffee, tobacco, nu^s, fruits, jipijapa (or Panama) hats, sarsaparilla, India rubber, and pearl shells. In 1872 there were shipped 181,973 quintals of cacao (the total crop of which was 187,238 quintals), 75,000 of India rubber, 58,451 of pearl shell, 22,531 of vegetable ivory, 6,600 of coffee, and 39,728 Ibs. of sarsaparilla. The value of the exports to Great Britain in 1868 was $510,505; in 1869, $1,320,000; in 1870, $692,055 ; in 1871 $1,388,- 830; in 1872, $1,219,200; total in five years, $5,130,590. The imports from Great Britain during the same period amounted to $1,422,- 045. A new road from Guayaquil to Quito is in rapid progress (1874), and a railway has been commenced over a part of the same route. A quicksilver mine and coal mines have been dis- covered near the city. Guayaquil was con- quered by Sebastian Belacazar in 1535. Of the numerous fires which have occurred since 1624, that of 1764 was the most destructive, the place having been almost entirely aban- doned for a time. In 1770 a royal order was issued for its restoration. GUAYAQUIL, a river of Ecuador, flowing whol- ly within the province of Guayas, and giving its name to the preceding city. It is formed by the union of a great number of small streams which rise among the Andes; enter,s the Pa- cific through the gulf of Guayaquil in lat. 2 27' S.; is navigable about 110 m. to Caracol; and in the upper part of its course is known successively as the Caracol and Babahoyo. It is subject to overflow, and is encumbered by a bar 12m. from its mouth, and by shifting sands. GUAYAS, a maritime province of Ecuador, bordering on the Pacific and Peru, and ori the provinces of Manabi, Asuay, Los Rios, and Loja; pop. about 37,000. It is drained by four or five rivers, of which only the Guayaquil is navi- gable to any considerable distance from the sea. The soil is extremely fertile ; rice, cacao, cot- ton, tobacco, and tropical fruits are largely produced. The northern portions are marshy ; in the southwest are vast forests affording the finest species of American precious woods and excellent building timber. The climate is ex- cessively hot, and rain falls almost incessantly from December to May. Fevers prevail. GUAYMAS, a town of Mexico, in the state of Sonora, on Yaqui bay, gulf of California, in lat. 28 N., Ion. 110 50' W. ; pop. about 3,000. It is surrounded by hills, and is hot and unhealthy. Most of the streets are narrow and dirty, and there are no buildings worthy of note. The GUDGEON port is commodious, has excellent anchorage, and is frequented by many vessels. Its foreign trade is large, as it is the port of entry for the states of Sonora and Chihuahua. The chief exports are wheat, flour, and hides. The In- dians carry on a profitable fishery in the bay. GUBBIO (anc. Igumum or Eugubium), a town of Italy, in the province of Perugia, near Mount Calvo, 30 m. N. E. of the city of Perugia, and 110 m. N. of Rome ; pop. about 6,000. It con- tains a cathedral, several churches, about 20 convents, and a theatre ; and silk and woollens are manufactured. During the middle ages it had a population of 30,000, and was the seat of a fine school of painting. It is supplied with water from a reservoir formed by a dam across the valley between Mounts Ingino and Calvo, which is one of the most remarkable specimens of mediaeval engineering. There is a museum containing many Pelasgic remains. The famous Eugubian tablets, with inscriptions in the Umbrian, Etruscan, and Latin languages, which have been variously interpreted by anti- quaries, were discovered in 1444 about 8 m. from the town. In the 14th century Gubbio became a part of the Papal States, with which it passed to the kingdom of Italy. The ancient Iguvium was considered by the Romans to be of great strategical importance, and was prom- inent in the early part of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. GUBEN, a town of Prussia, in the province of Brandenburg, at the junction of the Neisse and the Lubst, 25 m. S. by E. of Frankfort-on- the Oder; pop. in 1871, 21,423. It contains several churches and a gymnasium ; has exten- sive manufactories of cloth and tobacco, and an active trade, especially in red wines, produced on the adjoining Neisse hills. The Hussites devastated the place in 1434 and 1437, and the Swedes occupied it in 1631 and 1642. GUBITZ, Friedrich Wilhelm, a German author, born in Leipsic, Feb. 27, 1786, died June 5, 1870. He studied theology, worked as a type founder, printer, and engraver, became profes- sor of wood engraving at the Berlin academy of fine arts in 1805, and afterward engaged also in bookselling. His principal works are Gedichte (2 vols., Berlin, 1859), WirUichTceit und Phantasie (4 vols., 1862), and Erlebnisse (3 vols., 1868-'9). His most popular play is Der Kaiser und die Mullerin. As a theatri- cal critic and the founder of several periodicals devoted to dramatic literature, he contributed much to the improvement of the stage. His Deutscher Volkslcalender, which he edited for many years, became exceedingly popular, and found numerous imitations. GUDGEON, a cyprinoid fish of the genus golio (Guv.), found chiefly in the fresh- water streams and lakes of central and temperate Europe. It is characterized by a lengthened, rounded body, with short dorsal and anal fins without ser- rated rays ; a labial barbel at each corner of the mouth ; pharyngeal teeth, conical, slightly curved at the tip, and in two rows; and a