Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/648

 624: SANTO DOMINGO SAO FRANCISCO was perpetrated, Spain was at last forced to retire, and by an act of cortes, March 8, 1865, declared the independence of Santo Domingo. Large*numbers of troops were sent to the isl- and, a great proportion of whom perished in the struggle. Anarchy prevailed on the with- drawal of the Spaniards. Toward the close of 1865 Baez was recalled to the presidency, but in 1866 a conspiracy secured his overthrow, and a triumvirate consisting of Pimentel, Gar- cia, and Luperon came into power. These were succeeded by Jose Maria Cabral as presi- dent, who attempted to lease Samana bay to the United States, but the offer was declined. In 1868 Baez again became president. In 1871 three commissioners were sent by President Grant to examine into the condition of the Dominican republic, whose inhabitants had voted almost unanimously for annexation to the United States ; their report was favorable to annexation, but congress took no action upon it. On Jan. 10, 1873, the bay and pen- insula of Samana were ceded to a company formed in the United States; but on March 25, 1874, all the rights of the company were confiscated for non-payment of the stipulated annual rent. Baez was succeeded as president by Ignacio Gonzales, elected Dec. 20, 1873. SANTO DOMINGO, a city, capital of a province of the same name and of the republic of Santo Domingo, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Ozama, lat. 18 28' N., Ion. 69 55' W. ; pop. said to be 10,000, but estimated by the United States commission in 1871 at about 6,000. The town is built on a solid limestone formation, with a perceptible incline toward the river, and is surrounded by a wall, 8 ft. Cathedral of Santo Domingo. thick and 10 ft. high, built of mamposteria, a composition of earth, powdered stone, and lime; it is 4,500 yards in circumference, and is strengthened with bastions. The streets are straight, wide, and at right angles to each other. Many of the ancient houses and build- ings are still standing, but are only remarkable for their solidity. Few of the many churches which once graced the city now remain. The most noteworthy is the cathedral, in which the remains of Columbus and of his brother Bartholomew reposed for two and a half cen- turies. It was begun in 1512 and finished in 1540, and was modelled after a church in Rome. On the bank of the river are the ruins of the so-called castle of Columbus, a fortified stone house built by Diego Columbus. There are in the city a seminary, a college, and a pri- mary school, all under the care of the church, with about 800 pupils. In the college are a school of medicine and a night school for gratuitous instruction. The climate is health- ful. The trade is principally in cabinet and dye woods, which are brought down from the interior. The port is deep enough for large vessels, the river being 24 ft. deep for three miles, but there is only 18 ft. of water at the entrance. Santo Domingo city, the oldest ex- isting settlement by white men in the new world, was founded by Bartholomew Colum- bus in 1494 on the left bank of the Ozama, and was originally called Nueva Isabella. In 1502 it was destroyed by a hurricane, when its location was changed to the opposite side of the river, The walls were built in 1506. In 1586 Sir Francis Drake captured the city, but ransomed it for 25,000 ducats. In 1655 the English under Admiral Penn and Gen. Vena- bles were defeated liere. M YIOIM V See THERA. s I vroKIM. Giovanni Domenlro, an Italian anat- omist, born in Venice about 1680, died there, May 7, 1736. He stud- ied medicine at Pisa, and practised in Ven- ice, where he was pro- sector and professor of anatomy. He dis- covered and described two small cartilages, attached to the apices of the arytenoid car- tilages of the larynx, now known as the cartilages of Santori- ni. His works are : Opmcula Medico, do Structura et Motu Fibrce; DeNutritione Animali ; De Hae- morrhoidibus ; De Ca>- tameniti, &c. (Venice, 1705) ; Olservationet Anatomicce (1724) ; Istoria dm feto et- tratto delle parti de- retane (1727); Ittruzione alle febbre (1734); and Anatomica Septemdecim Tabulae, &c. (Parma, 1775). SlO FRANCISCO, a river of Brazil. See BRA- ZIL, vol. iii., p. 220.