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FORMULA 176 FORT and 170 miles N. of Luzon, the chief of the Philippine Islands; length, N. to S. about 250 miles; breadth, in its center, about 80 miles; area estimated at 13,300 square miles. A chain of mountains runs through the island in its entire length, forming, in general, the barrier between the Chinese on the W., and the independ- ent natives of the unexplored country on the E. side. On many of its peaks snow remains during the most of the summer. It exhibits distinct evidence of former volcanic action, and sulphur, naphtha, and other volcanic products are abundant. Some parts of the coast present bold headlands; but all of the W. shore is flat, and surrounded with rocks and shoals. Its harbors, which were formerly good, have now become nearly useless, owing to the encroachments of the land upon the sea. Ke-lung, at its N. extrem- ity, is the only good port. Soil, highly fertile and productive. All the large plain of the S. resembles a vast culti- vated garden. The principal productions are rice, sugar, camphor, tobacco, wheat, maize, millet, truffles, vegetables, and the choicest of Asiatic and European fruits; pepper, aloes, green tea, cotton, hemp, and silk are also important articles of cultivation. The leopard, tiger, wolf, etc., are found in the more impenetrable tracts of the interior; the domestic breeds of animals, game, etc., are abun- dant. The chief mineral deposits are salt and sulphur. The trade is mostly in the hands of Chinese and British mer- chants, who also own all the shipping. The principal article of import is opium. The natives bear no resemblance to the Chinese; but they have an apparent alli- ance with the Malay or Polynesian race. The Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch have been successively masters of this island. The latter were in 1662 ex- pelled by the Chinese, and the former reoccupied it after the Chinese-Japanese War, in 1895. Pop. about 3,700,000, in- cluding resident Japanese citizens and soldiers. Capital, Taiwan City. Pop. 54,000. FORMULA, in chemistry, an ex- pression by means of symbols, especially letters and numbers, of the chemical elements contained in a compound; in medicine, a prescription. In mathemat- ics, a formula is the expression of a gen- eral rule or principle in algebraic sym- bols. For example, the equation — (a + b) {a — b)=a' — b' is a formula, being the algebraic expres- sion of the fact that the sum of two quantities multiplied by their difference is equal to the difference of their squares. If a rule or principle is translated into algebraic expressions, the result is a for- mula; conversely, if a formula is trans- lated into ordinary language, the result is a rule or principle. In Church history, a formula is a for- mal enunciation or declaration of faith or doctrine. The formula of concord was a confession of faith upon the points on which the Lutherans differed from the Calvinists, especially in connection with the Eucharist. The issue of such a docu- ment was suggested by Augustus, Elec- tor of Saxony, who employed James An- drea to ascertain opinions on the subject, and draw it out. His chief assistants were Martin Chemnitz, Nicholas Sel- necker, Andrew Musculus, Christopher Corner, and David Chytasus. The for- mula was published in 1580, all clergy- men and schoolmasters being required by the Elector to subscribe to it. It in- dorsed the opinions of Luther, and wid- ened the breach with the Swiss and other reformed Churches. The formula consensus was a formula drawn up in 1675, by John Henry Heid- egger, a celebrated divine, of Zurich, at the instance of his clerical brethren, to preserve the Calvinistic doctrine from the slight modifications of it introduced by the French divine, Amyraut, and others. It was annexed by the magis- trates to the common Helvetic formulas of religion. Its effect was found adverse rather than favorable to peace. It was abolished in the canton of Berne and the republic of Geneva in 1686, and ulti- mately became incapable of enforcement anywhere. FORREST, EDWIN, an American actor; born in Philadelphia, Pa., March 9, 1806 ; made his first appearance on the professional stage in the title role of Douglas at the Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia, in 1820. After a long tour in the West, during which he undertook several Shakespearean characters, he ap- peared as Othello at the Park Theater, New York, in 1826, where he met with remarkable success. In 1835 he went to England, and was there warmly received. Subsequently he played in Europe and the United States, but in 1871 retired from the stage. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 12, 1872. FORT, in the general sense of t'e word, a small, inclosed work, usually erected near an important fortress or fortified town, to command any of the approaches to it. Forts are also fre- quently erected on the sea coast, for the defense of certain positions. They are generally quadrilateral, with bastions or demibastions at the angles, but it de- pends mainly on the position they oc- cupy, whether they are triangular;