Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/711

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CANE BRAKE CANEA 701 which they waived all claims on the former city ; and on their renewing hostilities in 1317 he repulsed them and seized one of their prin- cipal fortresses. His success led to his appoint- ment by the league of Lombardy (Dec. 16, 1318) as captain general of the Ghibelline forces, and to his being excommunicated in 1320 by the pope. He gained victory after victory, and forced Padua to surrender; but in 1329 he was taken ill in the streets of Treviso, while making his triumphal entry into that city, and had to be removed to the cathedral, where he died. His remains were transferred to Verona, where his tomb, executed by Boni- no di Compione, forms a species of portal to the church of Santa Maria Antica, near the piazza del Signori, and in the vicinity of the other tombs known as those of the Scaligers. His court combined military splendor with mu- nificent hospitalities to men of genius and ex- iles, and was celebrated as the most brilliant social and political centre of the period. He was especially kind to poets and artists, and wrote some poetry. Dante, after leaving Luc- ca in November, 1314, found a sympathetic asy- lum in Can Grande's palace till 1318; and he, as well as Petrarch, and in more modern times Voltaire, paid warm tributes to the podesta's character. There is no nobler passage in the Pa- radiso than that (canto xvii.) relating to Cane and the poet's long-standing and very intimate relations with him. One of the most elaborate letters of Dante is addressed to him, explana- tory of the scope of the Divina Commedia and the method of its interpretation. Cangrande was succeeded by his nephew Alberto II. The claim of the philosopher Scaliger to descent from the same family is not sustained by com- petent authorities. (See SOALA, and SOALIOEB.) CANE BRAKE, a term applied to the extensive Cane Brake Grass (Arundinaria macrosperma). growths of the arundinaria macrosperma, the most gigantic of the grasses, which occur in the southern portions of the United States, and are to be found covering vast extents of coun- try in the alluvial bottoms of Central and South America. The plant is not unfamiliar in the temperate zones, as its stalks are much used for fishing rods. In descending the Ohio river the early voyagers met with the first indications of cane at the mouth of the Big Sandy, which forms the dividing line between Kentucky and Virginia. The cane, however, has disappeared from that region, having been destroyed by the cattle and the en- croachments of civilization ; but for many years after the settlement of Tennessee and Kentucky it furnished abundant food for cat- tle, where now it is hardly known even through tradition. Cane brakes are indicative of rich land, as they are only to be found in perfection in the most fertile soils, where, hav- ing obtained a foothold, by their more rapid growth they usurp the place of the timber. In the southern portions of the United States the plant often reaches the height of 15 and 18 ft., with a base of 1 to 1J in. diameter. In more southern latitudes it is very much larger. It grows as straight as an arrow from the root, tapering off finally in a beautiful, thread-like, feathery top. Cane brakes are often many miles in extent, always lessening in density as they reach the high ground. They are very difficult to penetrate, and are favorite haunts for all kinds of game, which seek their soli- tudes either for protection or for the leaves for food. The deer and bear are particularly fond of the young green leaves, and upon them often become exceedingly fat. The cane stalks being hollow, having no pith, and being divided in- side every few inches into sections, are very combustible when dried in the sun ; and the air confined within the hollow sections, warming by the external heat, explodes with consider- able force, so that a cane brake on fire sounds like a continued roar of musketry. CANEA, or Kbania, the principal seaport of the island of Candia or Crete, on the N. coast of Candia, 30 m. W. N. W. of Eetimo and 60 m. W. by N. of Candia; pop. about 10,000, of whom 3,500 are Mohammedans. The town is surrounded by strong walls and deep ditches, which are in a very neglected condition. The harbor is not good, being exposed to N. winds, but was formerly the best of the island. It has several Greek churches, Mohammedan mosques, a Catholic church, and a Jewish synagogue. In 1869 an agricultural bank was established by the Turkish authorities, and a tract of land set apart for a model farm. There are several schools, among which is a normal school, estab- lished in 1871, under French teachers. The imports in 1870 amounted to $1,046,100, the principal articles being flour, grain, and manu- factured articles; the exports amounted to $1,596,100, consisting almost entirely of soap, olive oil, and silk. Canea is supposed to be the ancient Cydonia. It came into the posses-