of transit and distribution. About a mile to the south of the town is the tower of Baradello, famous as the place where the Torriani of Milan were confined in cages by the Visconti party, over whom they had previously tyrannized.
The population of Como is 24,350.Como is readily identified with the ancient Comum, a city of Gallic origin, situated within the territory of the Galli Insubres. Though from an early period a flourishing and important centre, it never played a very conspicuous part in ancient history. Soon after the beginning of the 2d century B.C., the people of Comum joined the Insubres in an attack on the Romans; but they were defeated, and their city fell into the hands of the conquerors, and became a Roman colony. The first colonists, however, were unable to main tain themselves against the inroads of the Rhsetian Gauls ; and additional settlers were sent down from time to time. Julius Caesar, in particular, introduced 5000, of whom a tenth were Greeks ; and the colony assumed for a short time the name of Novum Comum. On the accession of C.iesar to supreme power, Comum obtained the coinplete right of citizenship ; but though it was at this time at the height of its prosperity, it never took rank higher than a municipal town. In the early part of the Middle Ages it formed for a time, like many of the towns of Italy, an independ ent republic ; but after a considerable struggle it had to submit to Milan. Its deliverance was effected in 1158 by Frederick I. of Germany, to whom its citizens had appealed ; but in the 15th cen tury it again succumbed before the Milanese nobles. In 1520 it was captured by Charles V. During the Roman period the Pliny family were connected with the city ; and in more modern times it numbers among its celebrities Paulus Jovius, Piazzi the astronomer, and Volta the electrician. See Cantu, Storia di Como, 1829 ; and Monti, Storia di Como, 1829.
COMO, Lake of, or, in Italian, Lago di Como, known to the Romans as Lacus Larius, is, from the beauty of its scenery and the mildness of its climate, one of the most celebrated of all the Italian lakes. It is situated in the province of Como, in that part of the country which belonged to the kingdom of Lombardy , and it occupies the bottom of a great valley, which, stretching south from the neighbourhood of Chiavenna at the foot of the Spliigen, breaks up at Bellaggio into two branches which run respec tively south-east and south-west. The lake is thus divided into three basins, of which the south-western is known more particularly as the Lago di Como, and the south eastern as the Lago di Lecco. The northern part of the original basin has been silted up by the debris brought down from the valleys of San Giacomo and Bregaglia by the River Mera ; and not onlyfhas the Adda, which enters from the east, filled up the branch that in all probability once extended up the Valtelline as far as Morbegno, but it has also, by its delta, or cone of ejection, cut off from the main body of the lake the part now known as the Lago di Mezzola. Of the real form of the bed of the lake there was hardly any knowledge till 1865, when a survey was undertaken by Signor Gentilli and MM. Casella and Bernasconi. The results obtained were published by Gentilli in the second volume of the Memoirs of the Societd, Italiana di Scienze Natiirali, and by his coadjutors in a separate pamphlet entitled Cenni Orografici si/I Lago di Como. It appears that the greatest depth is 1341 feet, which was registered in a section of the Lago di Como from Torrigia to Como. From the northern extremity of the Jake the basin gradually grows deeper as we advance southwards, till it shallows towards the promontory of Bellaggio ; in the south-western branch it grows rapidly deeper again, while in the south-eastern it shallows to 390 or 290 feet. This difference of the two branches is easily explained by the fact that the Lago di Como is a closed basin except at its junction with the main body of the lake, and throughout a coast line of upwards of forty miles receives only two unimportant torrents, while the Lago di Lecco is in the direct course of the Adda, which makes its exit by the southern extremity. The total length of the lake, from Como to its northern ext emity, is about thirty
For further details, besides the publications already referred to, see Cantu, Cvmo e il suo logo (last edition, 1872); Leonhardi, Df.r Comersce und seine Umgebungen, Leipsic, 1862 ; P. A. C urti, 11 lago di Como e il piun d Erba, 1872 ; and an article by John Ball in the eighth volume of the Geol. Mag.
COMONFORT, Ignacio (1812- 1863), a Mexican soldier and politician, who. after occupying a variety of civil and military posts, was in December 1855 made provisional president by Alvarez, and from December 1857 was for a few weeks constitutional president. See Mexico.
on the east coast of Africa, discovered by Houtman in 1598, and consisting of the four main islands of Augaziya, Angazecha, or Great Comoro. Anzuan or Johanna, Mohilla, and Mayotta, and a considerable number of diminutive islets. 1. Comoro, the largest, has a length of about thirty -five miles, with a width of about twelve, and a population of 35,000. Near its southern extremity it rises into a fine dome-shaped mountain, which has a height of upwards of 8500 feet, and is visible for more than 100 miles. Eruptions are recorded for the years 1830, 1855, and 1858 ; and traces of the last of these commotions are still very distinct. The island is politically divided into various petty principalities, and maintains its own petty feuds. The natives are tall of stature and well- formed, and appear to be mainly of Arabic descent, with a mixture of Malagasy blood. The chief towns are Maroni, Itzanda, and Mouchamouli ; the first, situated at the head of a bay in 11 40 44" S. lat., being the seat of the principal sultan in the island. 2. Johanna, next in size, rises in a succession of richly wooded heights till it culminates in a central peak, upwards of 5000 feet above the sea, in 12 14 17" S. lat. and 44 27 34" E. long. The whole island is under one sultan, who resides at the town of Johanna on the north side. The natives are hospitable to foreigners, and especially to Englishmen. Domestic slavery exists, but of a very mild description. The capital, which is sometimes called Moussamondou, is substantially built of stone, surrounded by a wall, and commanded by a dilapidated citadel ; it is the seat of an English consul, and carries on a considerable trade in supplying ships with provisions. There is a small but safe anchorage at Pomony, where coal is kept for H.M. ships in the Mozambique Channel. The population amounts to about 12,000. 3. Mayotta, about 21 miles long by 6 or 7 miles in breadth, is surrounded by an extensive and dan gerous coral-reef. The principal heights on its extremely irregular surface are Mavegani Mountain, which rises in two ppaks to a maximum of 2164 feet, and Uchongin, which only falls below it by about 60 feet. The island belongs to the French since 1843, and they have established a small military and naval colony on the contiguous islet of
Zaudzi, which lies within the reef m 12 46 48" S. lat.
