Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/240

* VITOKIA. 192 VITTORINO DA FELTEE. on a lower level, is more open and elegant, with liner buildings and charming paseos and plazas. The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Vitoria is a twelfth-century church and fortress, and was re- stored in the fourteenth century. Its companion fortress church, San Vicente, was reconstructed in the fifteenth century. Among the secular structures the Jlunicipal Building is interesting architecturally and contains many memorials of Isabella the Catholic; the Palace of the Provin- cial Deputation, a nineteentli-century structure, is filled with mementoes of the life of the prov- ince. The poorhouse occupies the former Colegio de San Prudencio. Here was the first modern prison in Spain. The climate of Vitoria is cold and humid. The occupations of the inhabitants are dependent ipon the industries of the city, which comprise the manufacture of chairs, mirrors, picture- frames, iron bedsteads, woolens, leather, oilcloth, chocolate, }>astas, crockery-ware, malt liquors, and chemicals. Population, in 1900, 32,617. Vitoria ai)pears in history during the tenth century, when it was an important fortress with extensive local privileges. During the Middle Ages there were many fierce conflicts within its walls, between the aristocratic and democratic factions. Its part in the War of the Communes told heavily against it in loss of population and privileges. It was the scene of the decisive vic- tory. .June 21, 1813, by which Wellington drove the French out of Spain. Here, in 1833, origi- nated the Carlist struggle. VITEE, ve'tra'. The capital of an arron- dis.sement in the Department of Ille-et-Vilaine, France. 23 miles by rail east of Rennes, on the left bank of the Vilaine (Map: France, E 3). The remnants of the fortifications, into some of which the houses are built, the gloomy seven- teenth-century houses with their balconies nearly meeting over the narrow streets, and the half ruined fourteenth-fifteenth century castle with its massive restored donjon, give the town a strikingly feudal aspect. In the court of the castle, which now contains a library, a museum of natural history, and a prison, stands a collegiate chapel dating from the twelfth century. The famous Ch.lteau des Rochers, the occasional resi- dence of Madame de Sevigne, lies a short distance south of Vitn'. ' Hosiery, cloth, and goat-skin clothing are manufactured. Population, in 1001, lO.TT.x VITREOUS TEXTURE. See Tgneou.s Rocks. VITRIFIED FORTS (from Lat. vitnim, glass -f (ii((i( o make. do). The name ajjplied to ancient rude structures, a portion of whose walls shows the action of intense heat in solidi- fying the rocks by fusion. 'I'licse archa'ological enigmas are found chiefly in Scotland, but they also e.ist in Ireland, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and France. Tlicy seem to represent a first step in glass-making. VITRIOL (OF., Fr. vitriol, from ML. ritrin- lum, vitriol, neu. .sg. of mtriolus, variant of Lat. vitreohis, glassy, diminutive of vitreiis, glassy, from vitrum, glass), A name given I)y early cliemists to certain vitreous or glass-like salts, especially sulphates, including chiefly 'blue vit- riol' or copper sulphate, 'green vitriol' or ferrous sulphate, 'red vitriol' or cobalt sulphate, and 'white vitriol' or zinc sulphate. Oil of vitriol or vitriolic acid is the old name given to sul- phuric acid, wliile the name 'vitriolated soda' was applied to sodium sulphate, and 'vitriolated tartar' to potassium sulphate, 'Eli.xir of vitriol' was the name given to the aromatic sulphuric acid of the Pharmacopicia. VITRU'VIUS POL'LIO, Marcus. A distin- guished Roman architect and engineer of the first eenturj' B.C., and the author of the earliest extant work on architecture. The place and exact date, alike of his birth and death, are uncertain; but it seems most probable that he w-as born in Formitc in the first quarter of the century and died during the later years of the reign of Augus- tus (D.c. 30-14). His fame rests chiefly on his great worl<, De Archifeclura : but he was also the architect of the basilica and ,Edes August! at Fano, and probably of other buildings, and the custodian of the Imperial engines of war. He was pensioned for lite by Julius Caesar. The work Dc Architcctura Libri Decern, by which he is chiefly known, was composed in the later years of his life, and consists of disserta- tions upon a wide variety of subjects relating to architecture, engineering and sanitation, prac- tical hydraulics, acoustic vases, and the like. It was long lost, but was rediscovered in the fifteenth century in a manuscript at Saint Gall : the oldest manuscript dates from the tenth century, and much doubt has been cast upon the authenticity of certain portions of the text, which suggest the .age of Diocletian rather than of Augustus, It has been studied for the past four centuries as a thesaurus of the practice and theory of building in the Augustan age : but the tendency is now to regard it rather as the work of a theorizer and student of Greek authorities than as the product of practical experience. It was the object of special study, comment, and annotation during the period of the Renaissance. The earliest printed edition was that of Sulpitius (Rome, 1486) ; the standard modern edition is by Rose (Leipzig, 1889) ; see also Nohl, Index Viiruvianus (Leip- zig, 1876), English translaticms are bv Newton (London, 1771-91) and Gwilt (ib., 1826; re- printed 1874). VITTORIA, v6-to're-a. A to^ra in the Prov- ince of Syracuse, Sicily, 18 miles bv rail north- west of Modica (Map": Italy, .J II'). The sur- rounding district produces excellent wine, besides honey, fruit, silk, and cattle. Population (com- mune), in 1901, 32,151. Near by are the ruins of the ancient Camarina (q.v.). VITTORIA. A town of Spain. See Vitobia. VITTORIA COROMBONA, k.Vr.'.m-br/na. See WiUTE Dkvil. VITTORINO DA FELTRE, ve'tA-re'nC. di fel'tra (137S 14-16). . Italian educator, born at Feltre, His family name was Rambaldoni, liut lie took from his birthplace the name by which he is commonly known. About 1422 he became professor of rhetoric in Padua, and also opened a school for young men. In 1423 lie removed to Venice, and afterwards be- came tutor to the children of the Marche.se Gian Francesco Gonzago of Mantua. In 1425 he with his charges established himself in a, villa al- lotted for the purpose. Other noble youths were