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* COLON. 160 COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA. on the Caribbean shore of the Isthmus of Panama, 49 miles northwest of the city of Panama (Mai): Colombia, A 2). It is the northern ter- minus of the Isthmian Railway, and of the pro- posed Panama Canal, and has a deep harbor (Navy Bay), which is exposed, however, to violent wind-storms from the north. Its posi- tion, as the intermediary point for the Atlantic and Pacific trade, has increased its importance at the expense of its rival, Panama. Its growth has been retarded by its unhealthful site, though this has been remedied somewhat by drainage. The town received the name of Aspinwall from one of its founders, who also built the railway across the Isthnuis; but it is now better known as Colon, in honor of Columbus, to whom a magnificent statue was erected in 1870. Popu- lation, estimated, 3000. COLON (Sp., Columbus). A town in the Province of Matanzas, CHiba, about 52 miles southeast of Matanzas, connected by rail with Havana, Matanzas, Cardenas, and other im- portant cities. It is the centre of extensive sugar-refineries. Population, in 1899, 7175. CO'LON (Lat., from Gk. k6Xov, kolon). The portion of the large intestine that extends from the cfficum (q.v.) to the rectum, which is the terminal portion of the intestinal canal. It is divided into the ascending, the transverse, and descending colon, and the sigmoid flexure. See Alimentary System. The whole length of the colon, from its com- mencement in the ciccum to its termination in the rectum, is rather more than four feet. It is retained in its position by the serous mem- brane, which envelops, more or less, all the in- testinal viscera, and is termed the peritoneum (q.v.). Its structure is essentially the same as that of the rest of the intestinal canal, which is described in the article Digestion, Organs and Process of; but in consequence of a peculiar arrangement of the longitudinal muscular fibres, the interior of the colon is divided into sacculi, which sei-ve to retain its contents for a longer period than if it were a uniform tube, and thus. by extracting water from them, to reduce them to a more solid consistence, such as is possessed by normal excrement. It is also devoid of villi, and it is of much greater size than the small intestine. In some animals, as in the horse and sheep, the shape of the f.-eces is completely molded in these cells. COLON BACIL'LXrS, or Bacillus Coli Communis. A micro-organism discovered by Escherich in 1885, and since demonstrated to be a normal inhabitant of the intestinal tract in man and some of the domestic animals. It is a short bacillus with rounded ends, is somewhat motile, has a few flagella". and does not form spores. The main interest which attaches to this organism at jjresent is due to its close resem- blance to the typhoid bacillus, with which it is morphologically identical, but from which it may be distinguished by its biological peculiari- ties. Some investigations made within the last few years tend to show that this bacillus, while of normal occurrence in the healthy intestine, may, under certain conditions, migrate to other organs of the body, and there be associated with pathological processes. COLONEL, ker'ncl (originally coronal, coro- nell, from Sp. coronel, colonel. It. colonello, Fr. colonel, colonnel, from Sp. colonello, column at the head of a regiment, dim. of coloniia, col- umn, from Lat. columna, column; the first / is changed to r either through dissimilation, or through popular confusion with Lat. corona, crown). A military title, ranking in the United States Army between lieutenant-colonel and brigadier-general. The command appropriate to the grade is a regiment. In Europe the title has more of an honorary than a practical value, it being in most instances an honorary' distinction bestowed upon royal and other distinguished persouivges. In England, the custom prior to 1SS8 was to give the appointment of colonel to retired general officers as a reward for long service. Since that date no officer can obtain the rank except as a brevet, and then only for distinguished service, or on such appointments as the colonel commanding a territorial district depot. See Hank and Command. COLONEL CHABERT, Le, Ic ko'lo'nel' sha'- bar'. A story by Balzac (1832), the tale of a soldier of the Grand Army, who comes back from a German hospital to find his wife married to another. She denies his identity, and he suc- cumbs in the struggle to prove his legal rights. COLONEL JACK, History of. A novel by Defoe (1722). Beginning life as a thief, the hero goes to Virginia, and finally becomes a re- spectable planter and slave-owner. COLONIA, ko-lo'ne-a (Sp., colony). The capital of the department of the same name, Uruguay, on the Rio de la Plata, nearly oppo- site Buenos Ayres. It has a good harbor, docks, and a dry dock, and is a place of some commerce, particularly with Buenos Ayres (Map: Uruguay, F 10). Population, about 1500. Colonia was foiuidcd by the Portuguese about 1680 under the named Colonia del Sacramento. Owing to its nearness to Buenos Ayres, it gave rise to many conflicts for its possession between the Spanish and the Portuguese. In the course of one of these struggles it was almost totally destroyed in 1777. In 1806 the English, in a desperate at- tempt to secure the La Plata region, captured Colonia and held it for some months. • COLO'NIA AG'RIPPI'NA. The Roman name of Cologne (q.v.). COLONIAL CORPS. A term formerly ap- plied specifically to colonial troops of the British Empire, but now in general use as referring to similar troops of other nations. They are usually raised for service in the colony to which they belong, and not for foreign opera- tions. An exception to this rule is the use nuide of the West Indian regiments of Great Britain, ir, the frequent punitive expeditions on the west coast of Africa. Colonial corps are officered en- tirely by the regular army officers of the nation to whicii the colony is subject. English colonial corps are the British Central Africa Rifles, the West African regiments (negroes), the Hong Kong Regiment, and Chinese Regiment (at Wei- hai-wei). In the French colony of Madagascar one-half the total number of troops are colonial corps, natives of Madagascar. The Philippine Scouts served a similar purpose in the United States army. COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA, Na- tion.vl Society of the. A women's patriotic societv, organized in Wilmington, Del,, in 1892.