Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/810

This page needs to be proofread.
796
CIT—CIV

patronize the youthful Raphael. The city for a long time numbered several works of this artist among its most pre cious possessions ; but they have all been removed except two of minor importance. Citta di Castello occupies the site of the ancient Tifernum Tiberinum, which was chiefly famous for its connection with the younger Pliny, who had a villa in the neighbourhood. The older city was destroyed by Totila, but numerous inscriptions have been discovered

which prove its identity. Population, 6090.

CITTÀ VECCHIA, or Città Notabile, a fortified city of Malta, situated about six miles west of Valetta, on high ground which affords a view of a large part of the island. It is the seat of a bishop, and contains an episcopal seminary and a handsome modern cathedral, which is said by tradi tion to occupy the site of the house of the governor Publius, who welcomed the apostle Paul. In the rock beneath the city there are some remarkable catacombs; and a grotto, reputed to have given shelter to the apostle, is pointed out below the church of S. Paolo. About two miles from the town is the residence of the English governor, known as the palace of St Antonio ; and at a like distance in another direction is the ancient palace of the grand-masters of the order of St John, with an extensive public garden called II Bosch etto. Citth, Vecchia was called Medina, or the City, by the Arabs, and it probably represents the town of Melita, which is mentioned by all the ancient geo graphers. It continued to be the capital of the island till the rise of Valetta in the 16th century. Population about 7000.

CITY. This word, derived through the French cité from the Latin civitas, is used in England with consider able laxity as little more than a synonym for town ; while at the same time there is a kind of traditional feeling of dignity connected with it. It was maintained by Coke and Blackstone that a city is a town incorporate which is or has been the see of a bishop ; and this opinion has been very generally adopted since. It does not correspond, how ever, with actual English usage ; for Westminster, on the one hand, is called a city though it has no corporation ; and Thetford, Sherbourne, and Dorchester are never so designated though they are regularly incorporated and were once episcopal sees. It is true, indeed, that the actual sees in the country all have a formal right to the title, and that Westminster is the only place without a bishop that has the same claim. In the United States, where the ecclesiastical distinction does not exist, the application of the term depends on the kind and extent of the municipal privileges possessed by the corporations, and charters are given raising from the rank of town to that of city. This use of the word is much more in keeping with its deriva tion, which leads the mind back to the idea of the social life and corporate action of a body of freemen ; and it also agrees better with sush classical English phrases as " a free city," an imperial city. Both in France and in England the word is popularly used to distinguish the older and central nucleus of some of the larger towns such as London and Paris. The history of the rise of cities and towns has been given in the article Borough.

CIUDAD BOLIVAR. See Angostura.

CIUDAD REAL, the chief town formerly of La Mancha, and now of the province of Ciudad Real, in Spain, 97 miles south from Madrid, on a plain between the Jabalon and Guadiana. It was built and fortified by Alphonso the Wise in 1264, to check the progress of the Moors; and portions of the walls and towers remain. It has several fine churches, and a large hospital, founded by Cardinal Lorenzana. It is one of the least commercial of the larger towns of Spain, deriving most of its trade from agriculture and an annual fair which is of great importance for the sale of asses and mules. Population, 9000.

CIUDAD REAL, the chief town of the state of Chiapas in Mexico, otherwise known as San Christobal (q. v.)

CIUDAD RODRIGO, a town of Spain, on the Agueda, in the province of Salamanca, near the frontier of Portugal. It is fortified, and has some good public buildings, including a cathedral (built in 1190), several churches and convents, an arena for bull-fights, and an episcopal seminary. In the principal square are three Roman columns brought from the ancient Malabriga; and remains of a Roman aqueduct are also extant. A bridge connects the city with the suburbs, which are surrounded by a fertile and well-culti vated district. There are manufactures of woollen stuffs, leather, and linen; and the soap is celebrated in Spain as Jabon de Piedra. During the Peninsular war the town was taken by Marshal Massena in 1810, and in 1812 by the duke of Wellington, who received from the Cortes the title of duke of Ciudad Rodrigo. Population, 5700.

CIUDADELA, a city, formerly the capital of Minorca, at the head of a deep and narrow bay on its west coast, 25 miles north-west of Mahon. It is surrounded by walls, and has a fine Gothic church. Population upwards of 5000.

CIVET ( Viverra), a genus of Carnivorous Mammals form

ing with the genet and ichneumon the family Vlverridce, and characterized by the possession of a deep pouch situated in the neighbourhood of the genital organs (divided into two sacs each about the size of an almond), into which the substance known as civet is poured from the glandular follicles secreting it. This fatty substance is at first semifluid and of a yellow colour, but afterwards acquires the consistency of pomade and becomes darker. It has a strong musky odour, exceedingly disagreeable to those unaccustomed to it, but " when properly diluted and combined with other scents it produces a very pleasing effect, and possesses a much more floral fragrance than musk, indeed it would be impossible to imitate some flowers without it " (Rimmel s Art of Perfumery}. There are three species of civet-producing Vivcrrida 1 . The Civet ( Viverra civetta) is a native of North Africa and extends as far south and west as Fernando Po. It is from 2 to 3 feet in length, exclusive of the tail, which is half the length of the body, and stands from 10 to 12 inches high. It is covered with long hair, that on the middle line of the back being longest and capable of being raised or depressed at will, of a dark-grey colour, with numerous transverse black bands and spots. It is chiefly nocturnal, and is by preference carnivorous, feeding on birds and the smaller quadrupeds, in pursuit of which it climbs trees, but it is said also to eat fruits, roots, and other vegetable matters. In a state of captivity it is never completely tamed, and is only thus kept for the sake of the civet, which is obtained in largest quantity from the male, especially when he is in good condition and is subjected to irritation. It is scraped from the pouch with a small spoon usually twice a week. The Zibeth ( Viverra zibetha) is a widely distributed species extending from Arabia to Malabar, and throughout several of the larger islands of the Indian Archipelago. It is smaller than the civet, and wants the dorsal crest. In the wild state it is exceedingly ferocious, doing great damage among poultry, and frequently making off with the young of the swine and sheep. " To the rapacity of the wolf," says Captain Williamson, "it joins the agility of the cat and the cunning of the fox." When hunted it makes a determined resistance, and emits a scent so strong as even to sicken the dogs, who nevertheless are exceedingly fond of the sport, and cannot be got to pursue any other game while the stench of the zibeth is in their nostrils. In confinement, however, it becomes comparatively tame, and civet is obtained from it in considerable quantity. In preparing this for the market it is usually spread out on

the leaves of the pepper plant in order to free it from the