Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/18

 10 SHURTLEFF COLLEGE b trade in jrrain, wine, silk goods, copper ware, mo^o?wa P ,andcandle 8 b -Thi8 town, on- SnaSy cklled Sharaen or Shumna, was burned to 811 by the emperor Nicephorus, and in it was besieged by Alexis Comnenus. It was taken by the Turks in 1387, and embel- lished and fortified in 1689 and the 90 years that followed, mainly by the grand vizier Has- san, whose tomb is the most remarkable mon- ument of the city. In all the wars between Turkev and Russia, it has formed the point of concentration of the Turkish army. The Rus- flians attempted unsuccessfully to take it m 1774, in 1810, and in 1828. SHrETLEFF COLLEGE, an institution of learn- ing under the control of the Baptists, at Up- per Alton, Madison co., Illinois, H m. E. of the city of Alton. It was established in 1832 under the title of Alton seminary, and char- tered in 1835 as Alton college. In 1836 its name was changed in honor of Benjamin Shurtleff, M. D., of Boston, who had given it $10,000. It was designed especially for the education of young men for the ministry, but a distinct theological department was not or- ganized till 1863. The institution now consists of an academic and preparatory department, Kendall institute for young ladies, the college, and the theological department. Both sexes are admitted to the academic and preparatory department and to the college. The latter has a classical and a scientific course, on the com- pletion of which the degrees of bachelor of arts and bachelor of philosophy respectively are conferred. Kendall institute, established in 1873, has a fine building and grounds, and is chiefly used as a home for young ladies at- tending the other departments. Tuition is free in the theological department, and several scholarships have been founded to provide for the tuition of needy students in the other departments. Additional aid is afforded to needy candidates for the ministry by the "Illi- nois Baptist Education Society." The libraries of the institution contain 7,300 volumes. The number of instructors in 1874-'5 was 14; of students, 204 (154 males and 50 females), viz. : theological department, 5; college, 53; aca- demic and preparatory department, 146. The number of graduates is 159 ; of all those who have received instruction in the institution, 3,825. The property of the institution amounts to about $180,000, the debt to $30,000. HAM, the chief kingdom of the peninsula styled Indo-China, or Further India. Siyam, from the dark color of the inhabitants or of the soil, is the ancient, and Muang T'hai, the m of the free, the modern native ap- pellation for the country ; T'hai, the free, for the people. With its Laos, Cambodian, and Malay peninsular dependencies, it lies between lat 4 and 22 N., and between Ion. 97 and E. ; greatest length 1,350 m., breadth 450 r,a estimated at about 300,000 sq. m pop. about 6,750,000. The capital is Bang- kok. Siam proper lies mainly between lat. SIAM 13 and 18 and Ion. 98 and 102, being bound- ed by its dependencies, the gulf of Siam, and the British territory of Tenasserim. Two mountain ranges, extending mamly b. E. from the Himalaya, form general natural divisions from China on the north, and partly from Anam on the east and Burmah and the Brit- ish possessions on the west. A third range, less continuous and direct, passes through the central regions ; in this is situated the P'hra Bat, or mountain of "the sacred foot" (foot- print) of Buddha, a Mecca for Buddhists. The gulf of Siam, between Siain proper and the Malay peninsula, forms a long coast line, and has numerous islands, much precipitous shore, and several ports, of which Bangkok is the chief. It is never visited by typhoons or heavy gales. The country is watered by sev- eral rivers, bearing the generic name Menam, "mother of waters," and taking the specific name or names from cities or provinces. The Menam Kong, Mekong, or river of Cambodia, 1,800 m. long, traverses in its middle course the N. E. or Laos dependencies of Siam. (See MEKONG.) The Menam Chow P'ya, Me- nam Bangkok, or simply the Menam, rises in the north and flows S. through the centre of Siam proper into the gulf of Siam. Its length is about 600 m. ; its principal tributary is the Meping from the west. Bangkok, Ayuthia, Angtong, and other towns are situated on the Menam. The Salwen flows on the border of British Burmah. These rivers, with the very numerous intersecting canals, for rowing, not tracking, are the great highways of traffic. The plains, irrigated and enriched by their annual overflow, are extensive and fertile ; the valley of the Menam equals in richness that of the Nile, and in extent half of the state of New York. The seasons are two, the wet or hot and the dry or cool. The former, opening near the middle of March, is not a succession of wholly rainy days, but resembles a New York April and August combined. The an- nual rainfall is about 60 inches. April, the hottest month, has at Bangkok a maximum of 97 F. and a mean of 84. In October the S. W. monsoon gives place to the N. E., which ushers in the dry and cool season ; this is very tine, with only a few light showers throughout. January is the coolest month; but the mer- cury rarely falls below 65. The mean annual temperature is 82, and the mean range 13. Vegetation is luxurious, fruitful, and beautiful beyond description, and the soil yields a rich return to rude and careless cultivation. Rice, sugar, pepper, cotton, and hemp are the staple products. In the abundance, variety, and ex- cellence of fruits, vegetables, and spices, Siam is unsurpassed. Many fruits, as the durian, mangosteen, and custard apple, are cultivated in large gardens or orchards, trenched, and watered by the daily tide. In the forests t are found gutta percha, lac, dammar, gamboge, catechu, gum benjamin, and the odoriferous agila or eagle wood; innumerable medicinal