Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/818

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ZANTE


750


ZANZIBAR


Scripture at Wiblingen, 1796-9, at Mehrerau, 1799- 1801, at Wiblingen, 1801-3, at the Benedictine Uni- versity of Salzburg, 1803-7, at the University of Cracow, 1807-9, at the University of Prague, 1811-13, and at the University of Vienna, 1813-24. In 1821, fifteen years after the suppression of his monastery, when there was no further hope of its restoration, he obtained dispensation from his religious vows in order to accept a canonry at Vienna. On 24 April, 1824, he became Prince-Bishop of Seckau and administrator of the Diocese of Leoben. These two dioceses, with a population of 800,000, had been without a bishop for twelve years, during which time the Government had free scope to infuse Josephinistic ideas into the clergj' and the laity. The monasteries, almost without ex- ception, had relaxed in discipUne; the clergy, both secular and regular, were for the most part worldly minded and exceedingly lax as pastors of the faithful. Despite governmental opposition, Zangerle inaugur- ated a thorough religious renovation in both dioceses, reformed the existing monasteries, introduced the Rcdemptorists, Jesuits, CarmeUtes, and Vincentian Sisters, founded the School Sisters of the Third Order (1843), erected a Kiwbcnscminnr for both dioceses at Leoben, thoroughly renovated the diocesan seminary religiously and educationally, introduced annual re- treats for the clergy, and in many other ways provided for the welfare of both dioceses.

Sentzer, Roman Seha^^lian Zangerle, Furstbischof von Sekau nnd Administrator der Leobener Diocese (Graz, 1901) ; Hist. Polit. Blatter, CXXIX (Munich, 1902), 589-604, 621-632; St. Bene- dikts-Siimmen, XIII (Prague, 1899), 266-272, 302-310.

Michael Ott.

Zante (Z.\cynthos), Diocese of, in Greece, the only suffragan of the Archdiocese of Corfu, is per- manently united with the Diocese of Cephalonia. The diocese includes the Islands of Cephalonia, Zante, Ithaca, Santa Maura or Leucas, and Cerigo or Cyth- era. Among 170,000 inhabitants there are scarcely 1200 Cathohcs of the Latin Rite. The diocese con- tains 2 secular priests, 4 Capuchin Fathers, 1 brother, 3 main stations and 1 auxiliary .station, 7 churches and chapels. As early as the fourth century the Island of Zante was the see of a Catholic bishop, whose succes- sors fell away to the Greek Schism. About 1200 a Cathohc Latin diocese was again establislied in Zante, and in 1222 this was united with the Diocese of Ceph- alonia, which is also mentioned in the fourth century and later became schismatic. In 1386 both dioceses were made suffragans of the Archdiocese of Corfu. After the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece in 1863, the Cathohcs were much oppressed by the schis- matics. At the present t ime the diocese has no bishop of its own but is administered by the Archbishop of Corfu, and does not seem to increase in strength.

Le Quiek, Oriens Christianus, 11, 232, III. 878; Schmidt, Zante (Gotha, 1899); Salvator, Zante (2 vola., Prague. 1904).

Joseph Lins.

Zantedeschi, rR.wrEsro, priest and physicist, b. 1797; d. ;it P:idua, 29 March, 1873. For some time Abate Zantedeschi was professor of physics and philosophy in the Liceo of Venice; later he accepted the chair of physics in the I'niversity of Padua, which he held until 18.53, being then obliged to resign on account of failing sight. He was an ardent worker and prolific wTiter, 32.5 memoirs and communications appearing imder his name in the Riblioteca Italiana and the Biblioth^que Universelle de (Jen^ve. In 1829 and again in 1830 Zantedeschi published papers on the production of electric currents in closed circuits bv the approach and witlidrawal of a m.ignet, thereby nnticipating Fiinday's cl.issic;!] experiments of 1831. While citrrving out researches on the solar spectrum, Zantedeschi wa-s among the first to recognize the miirked absorption by the atmosphere of the red, yellow. :tnd green rays; he also tliought that he had detected in 1838 a magnetic action on steel needles of


ultra-violet light. Though this effect was not con- firmed, it is interesting to note that a connexion be- tween light and magnetism was suspected so many years before the announcement in 1867 by Clerk- Ma.xwell of the electro-magnetic theory of hght. In a tract of 16 pages, published in 1859, Zantedeschi defended the claims of Romagnosi, a physician of Trent, to the discovery in 1802 of the magnetic effect of the electric current, a discovery which is usually accredited to Oersted of Copenhagen in 1820. Zan- tedeschi's experiments and papers on the repulsion of flames by a strong magnetic field (discovered by Padre Bancalari of the Pious Schools in 1847) attracted general attention at the time. In his later years Zantedeschi dictated an autobiography which is kept in the archives of the Academy of Verona. His prin- cipal works are: "Ricerche sul termo-elettricismo dinamico" (1838) and "Trattato del Magnetismo e della Elettricita" (1843).

Brother Potamian.

Zanzibar. — At a very remote unknown period the eastern coast of Africa was colonized by Asiatic nations, notably Persians and Arabs, who inter- mingled with the native blacks and produced the race known as the Swahilis (Arabic, Sahel, coast). The best known political, commercial, and religious centre of this colonization, was, besides Lamu, Mahndi, Mombasa, and Kilwa, the island and town of Zanzi- bar, situated a little south of lat. 5° S. The neigh- bouring coast from Somaliland to Cape Delgado was often called Zanquebar. The two names are identical, being derived from Zendj, a word of Persian origin, meaning "blacks", and hara, "country". The old Arabic ^Titers spoke of Zendjihar, the "country of the blacks", as they called the land across the ocean Hinduhar, the "country of the Hindus".

The little Island of Zanzibar — called by the natives Ungudya — has an area of onh- 570 sq. miles, and a population of about 100,000, of whom more than half reside in the capital. It is comparatively healthy and well cultivated, and contains the usual inter- tropical flora, its plantations of clove trees and coco- nut trees being especially remarkable. As a rule these belong to Arabs and Swahihs; the commerce, centralized in the town, is in the hands of Hindus, Banyans of Katch and Bombay, Parsees, Goanese, and, for some years past, of Europeans. The natives are of the Bantu race, like the tribes of the adjoining portions of the mainland; they speak Swahih, a language kindred to the idioms of Equatorial Africa. In former days Zanzibar received from all the ports of the Great Land, especially Bagamoyo and Kilwa, the exports of ivory, copal, skins, grain, and sla\'es, especially the latter, who, after sale in the public markets, were dispersed all over the Mussulman terri- tories bordering on t he Indian Ocean. There also were formed the caravans that penetrated into the distant interior, as far as the Great Lakes, and even beyond, bearing the produce of Europe and Asia, cottons, gla.ss, steel, and copper ^^•ire, pickaxes, hatchets, knives, salt, powder, gims etc. Here and there httle colonies were established, on the coast or in the interior, centres of Mus.sulnian propaganda, which was carried on by every means, conmierce, slaverj', war, intrigue, unions, and alliances. In that way, little by little, the va,st regions of Eastern .\frica were falling under the influence of the Sultan of Zanzibar, when, suddenly, the European powers came upon the scene, seeking to divide Ihem up between themselves. It was towards the close of tlie fifteenth century that the first W'hites ajipeared upon these coasts. Vasco de Gnma, sailing from T,isbon on 8 July, 1497, doubled the Cape of (!ood Hojie and cast anchor before Mozambique in March, 1498. He proceeded thence to Kilwa and Mombasa, then flourishing cities, and set out for Malindi, from which port a pilot conducted