Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/88

* VERA CRUZ. VERA CRUZ, ver'a krooz, Mex. .S/). pron. "va'ra kruos. A maritime State of Mexico, ex- tending along the Gulf of Mexico, and bounded Ijy Tamaulipas on the north, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Chiapas on the south, and Oaxaca, San Luis PotosI, Hidalgo, and Puebla on the west (Map: Mexico, K 7). Area, 29,201 square miles. The narrow strip along the coast is, in general, flat and sandy, with a gradual rise toward the in- terior. The central portion is mostly mountain- ous, with an altitude of over 18.000 feet in the volcano of Orizaba, on the borders of Puebla. In the northern part of the State the interior re- tains the general character of the coast land, while in the south it is more mountainous. The coast is lined with numerous lagoons, including the navigable Tamiahua. The State is intersected by many short rivers, mostly unnavigable. The climate is hot and unhealth- ful in the larger part of the State, and temperate only in the mountains of the interior. The natural conditions are very favorable for agriculture. The products include coffee, to- bacco, cacao, cereals, cotton, sugar, and fruits. Stock-raising is also important. Mining is of secondary jirominence. The maritime position of the State is very favorable for commerce. Popu- lation, in 1900." 960.570. of whom about one-half are mestizos. Capital, Jalapa (q.v.). VERA CRUZ. The most important port of Mexico, in the State of Vera Cruz, situated 19.3 miles (by rail 263) east of the capital of the Republic, on the Bay of Campeche (Map: ilexi- co, L 8). The city extends in a semicircle along the coast for nearly a mile, facing the fortress of San .Juan de Uliia on a rocky islet a half mile from the shore. The harbor consists of a rather narrow channel with three openings, only two of which are available for vessels of ordinarv drauglit. Recent improvements have given the harbor ample dock facilities and rendered it safe in all sorts of weather. The situation of the ■city is especially unhealthful, surrounded as Vera Cruz is by sand dunes and stagnant marshes. The climate is enervating at all seasons of the year, and because of the prevalence of yellow fever Vera Cruz is called the 'City of the Dead.' Its harbor improvements, new sew- age and water systems, the reclaiming of •waste lands, and modern pavements will do mueli to remove this reputation. Archi- tecturally the old walled city presents a pleas- ing appearance with regular streets and plazas and houses generally of two stories, with varie- gated walls and a suggestion of Moorish style. The city. is provided with an artillery school, a national school of seamanship, and a public li- brary. The Hospital Gutierrez Z;imora is one of the finest in the country. In the Pasea de la Li- liprtad there is a copy of the Bartholdi statute in New York harbor. Fisheries and commerce employ the major por- tion of the inhabitants; in addition there are manuf:ictircs of cigars, preserved fruits, confec- tionery, furniture, brooms, and toys. The im- ports in 1902. consisting largely of machinery, veil ides, hardware, raw cotton, and textiles (about one-fourth coming from the Tnitcd States), were valued at .$20,986,002, while the exports, nearly half of which went to the United States, consisting of ores, coffee, tobacco, hides. 62 VERANDRYE. dyewoods, and vanilla, approximated $26,598,- 8.90 (the value of the Mexican peso being con- sidered as $0.46), Population, in 1900, 24,085. In 1519 Cortfe established the municipality of Villa Nueva de la Vera Cruz. In 1599 the settlement was transferred to its present site, There during the period of Spanish rule Vera Cruz remained the onlj- Gulf port of New Spain. The Castle of San Juan de Uh'ia was begun in 1582 and completed at a cost of 40.000,000 pesos. The cit}' was sacked by buccaneers in 1653 and 1712. Previous to 1810 it was a centre of revolu- tionary activity, and later occupied a prominent position in the various civil wars that desolated Mexico. Because of its vigorous but unsuccess- ful defense against the French in 1838 and in 1802, and against the Americans in 1847, it gained the title 'Thrice Heroic' During the war between Mexico and the United States, Gen- eral Scott, with an army of about 12,000, landed in the vicinity of Vera Cruz on March 9, 1847, and immediately invested the city, which, together with the Castle of San Juan de Ulfla, con- tained a garrison of about 4500. On the 22d, assisted by a fleet under Commodore Perry in the harbor, he began a terrific bombardment, which continued with little intermission for four days. On the 29th the ilexicans surrcn<lered. The Amer- icans lost 11 killeil and 56 wounded, and the Mex- icans fully 1000 in killed alone. From Vera Cruz, in 1859, Benito Juarez promulgated his laws of reform, which made possible a free Church within a free State. VERAGUA, va-ra'gva, Dukes of. The title borne Ijy the successors of Columbus, bestowed originally upon Luis Colon ( Columbus ), the grandson of the discoverer. The male line be- came extinct in 1578 on the death of Diego, son of Luis, and the sviccession was settled on the de- scendants of Luis's sister, and in 1733 on those of Diego's sister. T.he present Duke of Veragua was received with great honor in the United States at the time of the World's Columbian Ex- position, 1893. VERANDA (either from OSp., OPort. varan- da, balcony, railing, from i-arri. Lat. rnra, rod, stick, from varus, bent, stretched, knock-kneed, awry). A balcony, gallery, or platform on the exterior of a building, shaded and sheltered by a roof borne on light coluums or posts: a piazza, in the American sense. The veranda originating in the necessities of a warm cli- mate, has been developed in American practice into one of the most characteristic features of siiburban and rural donu'stic architecture, of which it forms a picturesque as well as con- venient element. In European practice the vei'anda is less important, is usually of light construction, narrower than the .^me^iean 'piaz- za,' furnished with a gaily painted metal roof and 'apron' or lamlircquin, and treated as an ad- jnnct to rather than as an essential feature of the building. The term is not generally applied to the entrance-porch iiuless this is of consid- erable extent. VERANDRYE, vft'riiN'dr^'. Pierue Gautieb i)F. '.HKNM':.s ]>]■: i,.v (1685-1749). A French- Canadian explorer, born at Three Rivers, Quebec. .fter military service in I'rance he returned to Canada and becnmc distinguisheil as a pi<ineer. lie built Fort Saint Pierre, west of Lake Supe-