Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 13.djvu/621

J A P J A R 593 JAPHETII (n?.;.), son of Noah. The most natural rendering of Gen. x. 21 is that which makes Shem the elder brother of Japheth, though the opposite view of the passage in the A. V. follows the Hebrew accents. Inter preters are not agreed whether the sacred text regards Japheth as the second or third son of Noah. In Gen. ix. 24 "youngest" is an easier rendering than "younger," but the name of Ham is always placed between those of his brothers. The whole Biblical importance of the sons of Noah is geographical or ethnographical ; even in the narrative of Gen. ix. 20-27 the point lies in the blessings | assigned to the nations or groups of nations named after each. Tlie distribution of the Japhetic group is sketched in Gen. x. 2-4 from the geographical standpoint of the Levitical narrator, that is, according to the most recent criticism, of the 6th century B.C. The seven sons of Japheth are the nations lying north of the Semitic group or westward across the Mediterranean. The details are in part obscure. Madai certainly means the Medians and Javan the Ionian?, but in our passage the latter name is usel in an extended sense, not so much for the Greeks j proper a common Eastern usage of the word as for the inhabitants of the trading ports and coast-lands of the Mediterranean known to Phoenician commerce. Thus Javan includes Eli.sh.ah (probably Carthage), Tarshish j (Tartessus in Spain), Kittim (Cyprus), and Dodanim, for which we must rather read Rodanim (Rhodes), with the LXX. in our passage and the Hebrew of 1 Chron. i. 7. Tubal and Meshech appear in Ezek. xxvii. 13 as associated with Javan in exporting slaves and bronze to Tyre, and the | same nations along with Gomer occur in Ezek. xxxviii. in the great army of Magog which issues from the "extreme north" (A. V. "north quarters," vv. G, 15). Magog in j fact means the Scythians, and whatever doubt there may be as to the identification of the associated names (Gomer, Cimmerians or Cappadocians, with the subdivisions Ascanians, Paphlagonians, and perhaps Teuthranians ; Tubal, Tibareni ; Meshech, Moschi), the whole group appears to be connected with the shores of the Black Sea or to be known from Phoenician voyages in that direction. The seventh son Tiras is quite unidentified ; Thracians and Tyrsenians are mere guesses. The wide range of the Japhetic lands sufficiently explains the blessing in Gen. ix. 27, "May God enlarge Japheth." In the succeeding clause, "and let him dwell in the tents of Shem" it is disputed whether the subject is God or Japheth. In the latter case the allusion must be to friendly intercommuni cation and common settlements on equal terms, in contrast to the position of the subjugated Hamites (Canaan) under the lordship of the victorious Semites (Israel). The precise point of view from which the northern nations, and particularly those over the sea (Gen. x. 5), came to be grouped as sons of Japheth is the more obscure because the etymology of the name is quite uncertain. The resemblance in sound to the Greek Lipetos has been often noticed, but leads to nothing. Compare, in addition to Bochart s Plialcg ct Canaan and the commentaries on Genesis, Knobel, Volkcrtafcl, Giessen, 1850 ; Kiepcrt in Monatsbcr. dcr Bcrl. Ac. d. IViss., February 1859 ; Lagarde, Alhandlungcn, Leipsic, 1866 ; Stade, Javan, Giessen, 1380 ; Delitzsch, Wo lag das Parodies, p. 245 sq., 1881. JARCHI. See RASHI. JARNAC, chief town of a canton in the arrondissement of Cognac, in the department of Charente, France, is situated on the right bank of the river Charente, about 8 miles east of Cognac, and 18 miles west of Angouleme. The town is well built ; and a handsome avenue, planted with poplar trees, leads to the striking suspension bridge. The church contains an interesting ogival crypt. Brandy, wine, and wine-casks are made in the town. At the battle of Jarnac, fought in 15G9 between 2G,000 Catholics under the Due d Anjou and 15,000 Protestants under Coligny and Conde, the last was treacherously shot after surrendering. A pyramid marks the spot where he fell. In the vicinity of the town are some Roman remains. Jarnac gave name to an old French family, of which the best known member is Gui Chabot, baron de Jarnac (d. dr. 1575), who gave rise to the proverbial phrase coup de Jarnac by a sudden thrust during a duel. The population in 1876 was 4390. JAROMIERZ, a town in the department of Koniginhof, Bohemia, situated at the junction of the Aupa and Elbe. It possesses a district court, a suspension-bridge, a pretty church, and a hospital, and manufactures beet-root sugar. On June 29, 18GG, a skirmish between the Austrians and Prussians took place in the neighbourhood. The popula tion in 1869 was 5442. JARRAH WOOD is the product of a large tree (Eu calyptus marginata) found in western Australia, where it is said to be very abundant. The trees grow straight in the stem to a great size, and yield squared timber up to 40 feet in length and 24 inches in diameter. The wood is very hard, heavy (sp. gr. 1010), and close-grained, with a mahogany-red colour, and sometimes sufficient " figure " to render it suitable for cabinetmakers use. The timber possesses several useful characteristics ; and great expecta tions have been formed as to its value for shipbuilding and general constructive purposes. These expectations have not, however, been realized, and the exclusive possession of the tree has not proved that source of wealth to western Australia which was at one time expected. Its greatest merit for shipbuilding and marine purposes is due to the fact that it resists, better than any other timber, the attacks of the Teredo navalis and other marine borers, and on land it is equally exempt, in tropical countries, from the ravages of white ants. When felled with the sap at its lowest point and well seasoned, the wood stands exposure in the air, earth, or sea remarkably well, on which account it is in request for railway sleepers, telegraph poles, and piles in the British colonies and India. The wood, however, frequently shows longitudinal blisters, or lacunae, filled with resin, the same as may be observed in spruce fir timber ; and it is deficient in fibre, breaking with a short fracture under comparatively moderate pressure. It has been classed at Lloyd s for shipbuilding purposes in line three, table A, of the registry rules. JARROW-ON-TYNE, a town and municipal burgh of Durham, is situated on the south bank of the Tyne, 3 miles south-west by west of South Shields, and 7 miles south-east of Newcastle, with which it is connected by rail. The parish church of St Paul, rebuilt in 1783 and again in 1866, still retains some fragments of the original Saxon edifice founded about 685. Close by are the scattered ruins of the monastery begun by the pious Biscop in 681, and consecrated with the church by Ceolfrid in 685. Within the walls of this monastery the Venerable Bede spent his life from childhood ; and his body was at first j buried within the church, whither, until it was removed under Edward the Confessor to Durham, it attracted many pilgrims. The other chief buildings are the various chapels, the mechanics institute, and the hospital. Jarrow Slake is a river bay, 1 mile long by mile broad, in which it is said the fleet of King Egfrid found a station. On its banks are the new Tyne docks, formed at a great expense by the North-Eastern Railway Company. These with the quays and adjacencies cover about 300 acres, of which 50 are water surface with a tidal basin of 10 acres. The erection of the docks gave a great impetus to the trade of Jarrow. In 1877, 4,000,000 tons of coal were shipped thence. Iron shipbuilding (one yard employing 5000 hands), iron- founding, and the manufacture of paper and chemicals are the chief sources of wealth, in addition to coal-mining. In XIII. 75