Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/631

GARCIN" DE TASSY GARDEN 619 the Spaniards. This work gives by far the fullest account of Peru under its native kings, and is in fact the source of almost all our knowledge upon the subject. The author was proud of his descent from the incas, and ob- tained much of the material for his history from his mother's family. His "Commen- taries " are interesting and valuable, though they contain much that is mere gossip and not a little fable. They have been translated into many languages. An English translation, in 1 vol. fol., by Sir Paul Rycaut, knight, was pub- lished at London in 1688, which, though con- taining numerous errors, is still a favorite with book collectors. GARCIN DE TASSY, Joseph Heliodore, a French orientalist, born in Marseilles, Jan. 20, 1794. He studied in Paris, and at the recommenda- tion of his teacher, Sylvestre de Sacy, a new chair was established for him in the school of living oriental languages, which he continued to fill in 1873. His principal work is Histoire de la litterature Mndoue et hindoustani (2 vols., 1837; new ed., 1873). A second edition of his Rudiments de la langue hindoustani appeared in 1863, and a 4th edition of his Poesie philosophique et religieuse chez les Per- sans in 1864. GARD, a S. E. department of France, in Lan- guedoc, bounded S. by the Mediterranean and E. by the Rhone, and by the departments of Herault, Aveyron, Lozere, Ardeche, Vaucluse, and Bouches-du-Rhone ; area, 2,256 sq. m. ; pop. in 1872, 420,131. It derives its name from the small river Gard or Gardon, which rises in the Cevennes, runs through its centre, and falls into the Rhone a few miles N". of Beaucaire. The Cevennes mountains send ramifications to its centre, while in the southeast there is a considerable extent of level country, broken by pools and marshes. Iron, argentiferous lead, antimony, zinc, and manganese are mined; coal mines are also wrought, and there are valuable salt marshes on the coast. The arable lands, which comprise scarcely one fourth of the department, are generally poor, and agri- culture is backward. The wines are highly esteemed, and olives are produced ; but the culture of the mulberry is of paramount im- portance. Other fine fruits are also abundant. This department ranks among the most indus- trious in France, and is especially distinguished for its manufactures of silk, besides which it has cotton and woollen mills, tanneries, dis- tilleries, and soap-making establishments. It is divided into the arrondissements of Nimes, Alais, Uzes, and Le Vigan. Capital, Nimes. GARD, Pont dn. See AQUEDUCT, vol. i., p. 613. GAR DA, Lake (anc. Benacus Lacus), the largest of the Italian lakes, between the provinces of Brescia and Verona, and projecting at its N. and narrowest part into the Tyrol. It is 33 m. long from N. to S., from 3 to 11 m. broad, and 226 ft. above the sea; area about 150 sq. m. The Sarca and several smaller streams dis- charge themselves into it from the north ; the Mincio flows from its S. E. extremity. The lake is about 1,000 ft. deep in many places, the water is very pure, and it is noted for its fish, especially salmon trout and sardines, the latter being an important article of commerce. The surrounding hills are planted with vines, olives, and fig trees, and several handsome vil- lages overlook the lake, among them Garda, Salo, and Maderno. The Tyrolese town of Riva is at the N". W., and the Italian fortress of Peschiera at the S. E. extremity. GARDAIA, or Ghardeia, a town of Algeria, in the province of Algiers, situated in the oasis of the Beni Mzab, on the Wady Mzab, in the Sa- hara, about lat. 32 30' K, Ion. 4 E. ; pop. about 60,000. It is well fortified, having a wall with battlements and nine large towers, each of which is capable of holding from 300 to 400 men. Ten gates give entrance to the town, which contains a mosque of vast size and five smaller ones, besides a Jewish synagogue. The chief administration rests with the French bu- reaux arabes ; the details of it are left to the native chiefs, who are generally little more than the mouthpiece of the high priest, whose advice has all the force of law. A flourishing trade is carried on with Tunis, Algiers, Bou Sada, &c., in corn, butter, groceries, oil, pot- tery, and negro slaves. The suburbs of the town contain extensive vineyards and orchards. Rain is almost unknown, but there are numer- ous wells, some of which are 900 ft. deep. On a neighboring eminence are the remains of a large tower supposed to have been built by the Romans. The oasis in which Gardaia is situated submitted to French rule in 1853. GARDEN. See HORTICULTURE. GARDEN, Alexander, a British physician and naturalist, born in Scotland in 1728, died in London in 1792. He studied philosophy in the university of Aberdeen, and medicine under Dr. John Gregory, and emigrated to South Car- olina near the middle of the century. He ac- quired a fortune by the practice of medicine in Charleston, and a high reputation by his studies in botany and other sciences. In 1754 he de- clined a professorship in the college recently established in New York city. He was a cor- respondent of Linnaeus, who gave the name of Gardenia to one of the most beautiful and fra- grant of flowering shrubs. He published ac- counts of the pink root (spigelia Marilandica), of the helesia, of the cochineal insect, of the mud iguana, or siren of South Carolina, an am- phibious animal, of two new species of tor- toises, and of the gymnotus electricm. GARDEN, Alexander, an officer of the Ameri- can revolution, in Lee's famous legion, born in Charleston, S. C., Dec. 4, 1757, died there in ] 829. He was for a time aide-de-camp to Gen. Greene. He wrote " Anecdotes of the Revo- lutionary War in America, with Sketches of Character of Persons the most distinguished in the Southern States for Civil and Military Services" (1st series, Charleston, 1822; 2d series, 1828), which is one of the authorities