Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/299

ALEWIFE four groups, as follows : 1, the Nearer (Blizh- ni) or Sasignan islands, 5 in number, which lie W. of the 185th parallel of W. longitude, and derive their name from their proximity to Kani- tchatka ; 2, the Eat (Krisi) islands, of which there are 15, situated between Ion. 185 and 180 "W. ; 3, the Andreanovski group, extend- ing from Ion. 180 to 172 W., and containing 30 islands, on one of which, Goreloi (Burnt) island, is a mountain 8,000 feet in height; and 4, the Fox (Lisi) islands, numbering 31, lying between Ion. 172 W. and the shore of the American continent, and including Unimak and Unalashka. The entire area of the islands is 6,391 geog. sq. m. Ball estimates the native population at 1,500, though it probably was not less than 10,000 when the Russians first occupied the country. The half-breeds and resident Russians do not exceed 300 in number. Unimak is the largest island of the chain and the most mountainous. Unalashka contains the greatest number of inhabitants and the finest land for agricultural purposes, and also pos- sesses the best anchorage and principal port, Iliuliuk or Captain's Harbor. Traces of the action of subterranean igneous forces are nearly everywhere apparent, and the whole archipel- ago is believed to be the result of volcanic up- heaval. Hot springs are of frequent occur- rence. Of the numerous mountains, several are upward of 5,000 ft. high, and many are volcanoes, some of which show slight signs of activity. A rolling country, with hills of mod- erate elevation, intervenes between the moun- tains and the coast, which on most of the islands is abrupt and accessible from the sea at comparatively few points. The soil in many districts is fertile, and produces turnips, car- rots, parsnips, and cabbages of fair quality, as well as a few potatoes. There is a most lux- uriant growth of wild grass suitable for cattle, of which, however, very few are kept, owing to the difficulty of housing them in winter from the scarcity of wood for building pur- poses. The islands are entirely destitute of timber. The climate is moist and equable, with an average annual temperature of from 36 to 40. The Aleuts resemble the North American Indians in color and other respects, but are variously regarded as of American and Asiatic origin. An active and formerly a cheer- ful race, their character has acquired a degree of sombreness from the forced adoption of Russian manners, customs, and religion. Their principal occupations are hunting and fishing. The Aleutian islands were discovered by Behring in 1741, and subsequently in the same, century were acquired and occupied by Russia, together with her possessions on the American mainland. In 1867 they were transferred with the latter to the United States, and now form a part of the territory of Alaska. 1LEWIFE, a fish of the genus alosa (A. tyrannus, Latrobe), also called spring herring, and in the British provinces gaspereau, or American alewife. It appears in great num- ALEXANDER 275 bers in Chesapeake bay from the south in March, on the New York and New England coasts with the shad in April, and in the Brit- ish provinces about May 1. Like the shad, it ascends the northern rivers to deposit its spawn. In the bay of Fundy the alewife is abundant ; in the gulf of St. Lawrence it is less common, and of smaller size ; the bay of Mira- michi appears to be its extreme northern limit. It ascends rivers generally to the head of the tide, and returns to the sea in July. The fishery is prosecuted with small meshed seines drawn across the streams, and so successfully that hardly a fish escapes ; the fishing lasts about six weeks, commencing as soon as the rivers are clear of ice. It prefers a soft, muddy bottom, and turbid water, and its favorite food is shrimps and the shad worm. The length of the alewife is 4 to 12 inches ; the body is com- pressed ; the head small, with golden gill covers ; the eyes large, with silvery iris and black pupil ; the mouth very large, the lower jaw slightly the longer, and the upper jaw deeply notched in its centre. The color on the back is bluish purple ; the sides are light cop- per- color, beneath silvery ; on the sides are 4, 5, or even more indistinct greenish lines pass- ing from the head to the tail ; just behind the upper angle of the gill cover is a deep black spot. The scales on the body are very large, and deciduous ; the entire abdominal edge is serrated by strong bony spines, largest between the ventrals and the vent; the dorsal fin is single, and the tail is deeply notched. Though thin, dry, and inferior to the herring and the shad, the alewife is a valuable fish. For home consumption, alewives are salted and smoked, like herring. The fishery in the British prov- inces is valuable. ALEXANDER. I. A N. W. county of North Carolina, bounded S. by the Catawba river ; area, 300 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 6,868, of whom 611 were colored. The staple products are wheat, corn, and oats. There are 19 churches, and 20 manufactories. Capital, Taylorsville. II. A S. county of Illinois, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the latter forming its S. and S. W. boundary and separat- ing it from Missouri ; area, 245 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 10,564. The face of the county is low and level, and in some parts liable to in- undation, and the soil is fertile. The staple products are corn and wheat. The southern terminus of the Illinois Central railroad is at Cairo in this county. Capital, Thebes. ALEXANDER, surnamed the Great, son of Phil- ip of Macedon and of Olympias of Epirus, born in 356 B. C., died in 323. His first tutor was a Greek, Lysimachus, and the first thing which he learned was the Iliad. At the age of 13 he received further instruction from Aristotle, and enjoyed this teaching for three years, being then warmly attached to the philosopher. During his father's lifetime he shared in his wars, and in the government of the kingdom, early showing a strong will and an imperious