Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/766

* CULVERIN. 658 CUMBERLAND. CTJL'VERIN (Ft. couleuvrine, ML. colubrina, culvfiine, I'rom Lat. coluber, serpent). An early t'criu of eannon. See Ahtii.leky. CUL'VER'S PHYSIC, CULVER'S ROOT. See Leptandra. CULVERT (probably from Fr. coiiloure, drain, from coulci; to How, from Lat. colurc, to filter, from colum, sieve; influenced in termina- tion by analogy with covert). An artificial channel for carrying a small stream under- neath a canal or the embankment of a roadway or railway. For very small streams vitrified clay pipe or cast-iron pipe is used for culverts. For streams of larger size box culverts are em- ployed, consisting of two parallel masonry walls covered over with stone flagging and having a paved bottom, ^'here stone is scarce box cul- verts are sometimes built of timber, and some- times, instead of stone flagging, a roof of iron beams imbedded in a concrete slab is emploj^ed. Lariie culverts are usually built with parallel masonry side-walls, supporting a stone or brick roof-arch. A culvert, besides the passageway for the water, has wing walls at one or both ends to hold the embankment in place and protect it from the rush of the flowing water in times of freshet. A full technical description of culvert construction is given in Baker, Treat- ise on Mfisoiiry Construction (New York, 1000). CUMA'CEA. See Crustacea. CU'MM (Lat., from Gk. Kifrni, Kyme). An ancient city on the coast of Campania, founded conjointly "by colonists from Chaleis and Cyma; in Eubuj'a. " According to Strabo, it was the earliest of all Greek settlements in either Italy or Sicily, and it is probable that it was founded before the middle of tlie eighth century B.C., about the same time as the first colonies in Sicily. It soon attained to wealth and power, built sev- eral harbors or port towns of its own, including Dica-archia (Pozzuoli) and Xeapolis (Naples), and carried on an extensive trade with the in- terior. From the Chaleidian alphabet of Cumte the Etruscan and Italian alphabets seem to have been derived. Its prosperity led to wars with the Eti-uscans and other 'Italian tribes, and in B.C. 524 a great land army was routed by the CunL-eans, while in B.C. 47 -t, when Cuma; was allied with Hiero of Syracuse, the sea-power of the Etruscans was broken in a naval battle near the city. The victoiy seems to have left Cuma; d'ei>endent upon Syracuse, for its power now rapidly waned, and in B.C. 421 it was captured by the Samnites and became an Oscan community. In B.C. 3.34. along with Capua, it passed under the control of the Romans, and from this period steadily adhered to the fortunes of Rome. In the Second Punic War Hannibal tried to capture it, but was repulsed by Sem- pronius Gracchus. Toward the close of the Re- public it becanie the nnmicipal capital of the district in which the Roman nobles had their villas and seacoast residences. It continued to exist as a 'quiet' place down to the close of the Roman Empire, but reassumed a momentary importance during the wars of Belisarius and Narses. Its strong fortress, garrisoned by the Goths, was the last place in Italy that held out against the Byzantine Army. The town was finally destroyed, as an abode of pirates, by the Neapolitans in a.d. 1205. Of the ancient forti- fications considerable remains may still be traced, and both on the Acropolis and in the lower city there are fragments of architecture and scanty ruins. Underneath the Acropolis are a number of grottoes and subterranean passages of unknown origin and purpose. One of these caverns was the seat of the oracle of the Cumaean Sibyl (q.v. ). Consult Beloch, C'amponiew jot J./- ierihum (Breslau, 1800). CUM^'AN SIB'YL. The most famous of the ancient sibyls. She lived at Cumoe in the crypts under the Temple of Apollo, and has been represented pictorially by several of the great masters. The most noted examples are paintings by Jlichelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, and by Itaphael in the Church of Santa ^laria delta Pace, in Rome. CUMANA, koo-ma-na'. A tov'n in the State of r.crnuuloz, Venezuela, situated on the ilan- zanares River, near its mouth, on the Gulf of Cariaco (Map: Venezuela, El). It has a col- lege and is the seat of a United States consular agent. The town is an important commercial centre, its trade being promoted by an excellent roadstead and harbor, which are dominated by the fort of San Antonio on a hill overlooking the town. It exports cacao, sugar, coeoanuts, tobacco, pearls, and hides. Population, about 12,000; the suburbs of San Francisco, Guay- querias, and Serritos have an aggregate popula- tion Avhich equals that of the mother town. Cumana, possibly the oldest city in America, was founded in 1520 under the name of Nueva Toledo, and became in the following year capital of the newly erected Province of Nueva Anda- lucia. It has suft'ered considerably from earth- quakes, notably in 1700 and 1S53, CU'MARIN, or COUMARIN (from cou- tr'crou. t!ie Gallicized form of the native name of the Tonka bean). CfiHi /0-CO
 * I

CH = CH, The anhydride of cumaric ( ortho-o.y-cinnamic ) acid. It is a colorless, crystalline substance melting at 07° C. and boiling at 201° C. It has an exceed- ingly agreeable odor. It is found in various plants, including the Tonka bean (the seeds of tlie Dipterijx odorata and oppositifolia Willd.) ; the woodrufi' {Aspcrula odorata L.) ; the melilot (Melilofus o/jici)iaUs Dese.) ; a number of gi'asses, such as the sweet-seented vernal grass {Anthoxanthum odoratum L.) ; the faam or faham leaves (Anfirecuni fragrans), much prized among Asiatics for their vanilla-like scent; the Indian sarsaparilla (the root of Hcmidesmus In- dicus), etc. Cumarin is soluble in hot water and in alcohol and ether. It may be obtained from Tonka beans by extracting with alcohol. It has also been prepared synthetically by heating sali- cylic aldehyde with sodium acetate and acetic anhydride. Tonka beans are largely used to im- part the odor of cumarin to snuff. Cumarin is also employed in perfumer.y and in preparing the beverage well Icnown in Germany as Maitrank (May drink), which is made by adding a small quantity of pure cumarin to wine. CUM'BERLAND. A peninsula of Baffin Land, forminc the western coast of Davis Strait (Map: Can.ada. S 3). It cuts off the gulf known as Cumberland Sound.