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316 COPERNICUS COPIAPO masts, sail cloth, and cordage from Russia; sugar, chiefly' from the West Indies and South America ; coffee and tobacco from America ; wines and brandy from France ; coal, iron, machinery, hardware, tea, and cotton twists from England. The principal exports are corn, rape seed, butter, cheese, beef, pork, horses, cattle, wool, hides, skins, and bones. The principal manufacture is that of porcelain ; but the watches and chronometers of Jules Jurgensen are famous, being among the best in the world. The ship building is of consid- erable importance. Copenhagen was founded probably in the llth century. It was origi- nally a fishing village, but as early as the close of the 12th century it became a busy trading town, and owed its first prosperity to the famous bishop Absalon. In 1204 it obtained a city charter, and in 1443 was made the seat of government. During the wars of the Hanse towns it was frequently besieged and suffered heavily. It was several times partly destroyed by fire, and over 22,000 persons died in mi from the plague. In 1801 (April 2) the great naval action in which Nelson defeat- ed the Danes was fought near Copenhagen. In 1807 the city was bombarded by the Brit- ish under Lord Cathcart for three days (Sept. 2-5), when 350 buildings were destroyed en- tirely, 2,000 more rendered uninhabitable, and 2,000 persons killed. In 1853 the cholera carried off nearly 5,000 persons. COPERNICUS (Polish, KOPEENIK), Nikolaus, a Polish or German astronomer, discoverer of the system of planetary revolutions, born at Thorn, in Prussia, Feb. 19, 1473, a few years after the annexation of the town to Poland, died at Frauenburg, May 24 (according to others, June 11), 1543. After receiving the rudiments of a classical and scientific education in his father's house, he studied medicine and received his doctor's diploma at the university of Cracow, and also devoted himself to mathe- matics afld astronomy, to which he was incited especially by the example of Regiomontanus. He subsequently spent several years in Italy, studying astronomy under Domenico Maria. at Bologna, and afterward at Rome, where he gained a reputation rivalling that of Regiomon- tanus. He taught mathematics at Rome with eminent success, and about 1503 returned to Prussia, having previously been made canon of Frauenburg by his uncle the bishop of Erme- land. Having overcome the opposition which was made to his settlement by the conflicting claims of others, he not only attended faithfully to the duties of his clerical office, but also gave free medical advice to the poor, and at the same time prosecuted astronomical labors. Struck with the complexity of the Ptolemaic system of the universe, he sought to explain the plan- etary motions upon a more rational principle. After extending his researches over all the then known systems, he came to the following con- clusions : The sun and stars are stationary ; the moon alone revolves about the earth ; the earth is a planet whose orbit is between Venus and Mars ; the planets revolve about the sun ; and the apparent revolution of the heavens is caused by the rotation of the earth on its axis. His discoveries had attracted the atten- tion of astronomers, who were eager to see the data and proofs, while Copernicus, though he had already finished the composition of a work relating to his theories, hesitated to publish it till the most thorough investigations had satis- fied him as to the perfect accuracy of its prin- ciples and details. His six books De Orbium Ccelestium Revolutionibus were printed at Nuremberg in 1543 (later editions, Basel, 1566, and Amsterdam, 1617 and 1640), under the care of Rheticus, one of his disciples ; and the first copy of the work was placed in the hands of Copernicus on the very day of his death. Besides his principal work, he published minor treatises on morals, trigonometry, and coinage. The tower from which he made his observa- tions, and the ruins of a hydraulic machine constructed by him, still exist at Frauenburg. Monuments were raised to his memory at Cra- cow in 1822, with the appropriate inscription, Sta, Sol, ne moveare, and at Thorn in 1853 ; and a colossal statue by Thorwaldsen at War- saw in 1829, Poland claiming Copernicus as one of her sons. His life has been written by Gassendi (Paris, 1654), Westphal (Constance, 1822), Czynski (Paris, 1846), and Prowe (1853). In 1872 a prize of 500 thalers was offered for the best biography of him. The 400th anni- versary of his birth was celebrated at Posen, Feb. 19, 1873. COPIiH, a S. W. county of Mississippi, lying W. of Pearl river, which at times is navigable thus far for small boats ; former area, 960 sq. m., but in 1870 a portion was taken off to form Lincoln county; pop. in 1870, 20,608, of whom 10,370 were colored. It is watered by bayou Pierre. The New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern railroad passes through it. The name in the Indian language means screech owl. The chief productions in 1870 were 408,003 bushels of Indian corn, 17,864 of peas and beans, 55,725 of sweet potatoes, and 15,- 653 bales of cotton. There were 2, 677 horses, 2,049 mules and asses, 4,189 milch cows, 8,492 other cattle, 5,845 sheep, and 20,622 swine; 12 saw mills, 1 tannery, 1 cotton mill, 1 wool- len mill, 6 carriage factories, and 1 turning and carving establishment. Capital, Gallatin. COPIAP6, a city of Chili, capital of the prov- ince of Atacama, on the right bank of a river of the same name, about 30 m. from its mouth, 425 m. N. of Santiago ; pop. about 15,000. It is the centre of the most important mining dis- trict of Chili. The town is regularly laid out, with a large plaza, four long streets and about 20 smaller ones crossing at right angles. At the E. end is a suburb occupied by the poorer class- es, and the W. end is composed of elegant villas with beautiful gardens. In consequence of the frequency of earthquakes, the houses are of slight construction, being built mostly of wood