Page 89 : ARAGON — ARBITRATION
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assisted by Biot; and from the measures of these two men was computed the distance from the pole to the equator of the earth. Our international standard of length, the metre, is one ten-millionth part of this quadrant. In 1809, Arago was appointed to the Paris observatory where he spent the remainder of his life. In 1816 he joined hands with Gay-Lussac in founding the great French journal, Annales de Chimie et de Physique. It was about this time that Arago "discovered Fresnel," and made it possible for the latter to carry out his investigations in optics. In this manner Arago, perhaps, did more to establish the wave theory of light than by his own experiments, which, however, were a contribution of no mean order. In 1830, he became director of the Observatory and member of the chamber of deputies. A little later he held, at the same time, the portfolios of minister of war and minister of marine. His lectures on astronomy and his eulogies on deceased members of the Academy of Sciences are models of clearness and elegance. Arago's works are published in 17 octavo volumes. The first of these opens with his Histoire de ma Jeunesse, which is already a classic among autobiographies, and should be read by everyone interested in the development of this remarkable man.
Aragon (ăr′ȧ-gŏn), an ancient Spanish kingdom, now a district of Spain, embracing the provinces of Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza (Saragossa), and through which the Ebro and Jalen Rivers flow. It embraces an area of 18,294 square miles, and has a population under a million. It is mountainous, skirted by the Sierras and the highest range of the Pyrenees. Of its many products, the grape and the olive are the finest. Aragon was conquered by the Romans, by the Goths and lastly by the Moors in 714. Later it was governed by its own kings till it became, in 1479, a part of Castile and Leon, by the marriage, in 1469, of Ferdinand and Isabella.
Araguay (ä-rä-gwī′), an affluent of the Tocantins, an important river of central and northern Brazil, which reaches the Atlantic through the Para River. Total length, including the Tocantins and the Para, 1,900 miles. In the lower reaches of the river, some 200 miles above Para, the navigation is much interrupted by rapids. About 500 miles from its source, the Araguay incloses the island of Santa Anna, about 210 miles long.
Ar′al, Sea of, next to the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water in Asia. It is 265 miles long by 145 miles broad, and is situated in Asiatic Russia. It receives several rivers, but has no outlet. Its waters are salt. It is a remarkable fact that twice, first in the Greco-Roman period and after-Ward during the i3th and i4th centuries, the present bed of the Aral is known to have become dry, while its rivers flowed to the Caspian.
Aram (ā′ram), Eugene (born 1704, died 1759), an English felon, born in Yorkshire. He had a good knowledge of a number of languages and became a schoolmaster. A man named Clark disappeared, leaving his debts unpaid, and Aram was tried as his accomplice. It was discovered later that he and another man had killed Clark. Aram made his own defense at his trial, but was convicted and hanged. He is known as the subject of a poem of Hood's and also of one of the novels of Bulwer.
Arap′ahoes, a tribe of American Indians who roamed over the country east of the Rocky Mountains; but chiefly inhabiting Indian Territory and Wyoming. The name is said to signify "tattooed people." They were noted robbers and are very cruel. They number about 5,000.
Ar′arat, a noted mountain of western Asia. It is on the boundary between Persia, Asiatic Turkey and the Russian possessions. It is called by the Persians Koh-i-nooh, or mountain of Noah. The highest peak is 17,000 feet above the level of the sea, or 14,200 above the level of the plain beneath, and is always capped with snow. It is a volcano, and its last eruption took place in 1840. Here, according to the Bible, the ark of Noah rested after the flood.
Ar′auca′nia, the name formerly applied to a part of Chile which is now nearly all included in the provinces of Arauco and Valdivia, lying between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The Araucanians are very warlike, and are so tenacious of their liberty that they maintained their independence for several centuries. They have been much reduced as a nation, and now number only about 50,000. They are humane towards their enemies, and are said to be very hospitable. They are an agricultural people, and give much attention to stock-breeding. In 1861 a French adventurer, Antoine Tounens, was elected king of the Araucanians, but the Chilean government sent him back to France. The Araucanians finally recognized the rule of Chile in 1870.
Ar′bitra′tion, a mode of determining and settling, by reference to outside, independent parties, matters in dispute or disagreement, either in commercial or industrial affairs or in the larger questions of political and international controversy. This may be done by representatives willingly chosen by the respective parties to settle the points of disagreement, or by order of a court of law, when decisions have the conclusive effect of legal proceedings. Arbitration is now being largely adopted in private commercial dealings, especially between masters and workmen; while the resort to the expedient has for many years
