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624: OMAHAS OMAN repair and construction shops of the Union Pacific railroad. There is also a pork-packing establishment. The public schools are graded and of a high character ; the average attend- ance is about 1,500 pupils. The city is the seat of the state institution for the deaf and dumb, and the United States courts for the district of Nebraska are held here. Three daily and six weekly newspapers and three monthly periodi- cals are published. There are 24 churches. . Omaha was laid out in 1854, and became the territorial capital. It was incorporated as a city in 185V. Its rapid growth dates from the construction of the Union Pacific railroad. 01IA1IAS, a tribe of American Indians of the Dakota family. Marquette represented them on his map in 1673, and about 1766 Carver found them on the St. Peter's. They formed two tribes, the Hongashano and the Ishtasunda or Gray Eyes, divided into 13 clans, one of which preserved a sacred shell in a rude tem- ple constantly guarded. They cultivated corn, beans, and melons. Among their customs was one prohibiting a man from speaking to his father-in-law or mother-in-law. About 1800 they made a lasting peace with the Pawnees and Poncas. In 1802, from a tribe able to send out 700 warriors, they were reduced by small- pox to 300 ; they then burned their village, and became wanderers. The Sioux pursued them relentlessly then as now. In 1805 Lewis and Clarke found them on the Quicoure, number- ing 600. Treaties were made on July 20, 1815 ; Sept. 23, 1820, ceding lands at Council Bluffs; Oct. 6, 1825 ; and July 15, 1830, ceding lands for an annuity, a blacksmith, and agricultural implements. The Sioux frequently drove them to the Elkhorn, but in 1843 they returned to their village and made peace with some Sioux bands. A mission begun in 1839 failed, and one established in 1846 has had but little suc- cess. By a treaty of March 16, 1854, more of their lands were ceded. Their great chief, Logan Fontanelle, was killed by the Sioux in 1855. Since then they have devoted them- selves exclusively to agriculture, and their con- dition has rapidly improved. In 1873 they numbered 1,001, and had a good church and three schools. Their property was estimated at $75,000, and their reservation contained 345,000 acres, in the N. E. part of Nebraska, between the Elkhorn and the Missouri. OMAN, a country of S. E. Arabia, comprising the coast from Abu Debi, on the Persian gulf, Ion. 54 40' E., to the vicinity of Merbat on the Indian ocean; area, about 80,000 sq. m. ; pop. estimated in 1873 at 1,598,000. Its boun- dary inland is limited only by the great des- ert. It has also a nominal jurisdiction over the coast of the Persian gulf from Abu Debi to the bounds of Nedjed, including Bahrein and the other islands of the gulf eastward, the Persian coast opposite Ras Musandum from Ras Jashk to Bunder Abbas, and the islands of the Indian ocean, including Socotra. The peninsula which constitutes Oman proper, ex- tending from Ras el-Hadd to Ras Musandum, is about 350 m. long. The coast line between these two points is nearly a crescent. A range of mountains, following generally the same curve, traverses the country from its S. E. to its N. extremity, throwing off in its course a branch which extends to Ras el-Khaimah on the Persian gulf. The average height of these mountains is about 4,000 ft., but in their high- est ridge, called Jebel Akhdar, they reach an elevation of 6,000 ft. Limestone is the pre- vailing rock, but near Muscat, where the cliffs rise abruptly from the coast, serpentine pre- dominates; and at the N. extremity of the chain, around Ras Musandum, are steep walls of basalt or trachyte, which show many evi- dences of volcanic action. In the neighbor- hood of Ras el-Hadd are rich lead mines, and copper mines are worked in the interior. Iron is found in many localities, and gold is said to exist in Jebel Akhdar. Rock salt is abundant, and is worked largely for exportation. The principal mines are on the island of Ormuz and near Bunder Abbas on the Persian coast. The sea throws up amber in considerable quantities, and pearls are found in the Persian gulf. Only one pearl fishery is now carried on, at the island of Ormuz. Gold, pearls, amber, and salt are government monopolies. The soil of Oman near the sea is poor, but in the interior it is very fertile when irrigated. There are a few streams, which are generally dependent on the rains, but several are said to be permanent. Rain is abundant from Octo- ber to March in the highlands, whence torrents descend to the plains. Irrigation is practised extensively, the water being collected and led through the cultivated tracts in subterranean canals, which extend sometimes many miles. Wheat, maize, barley, durra, and other grains grow in abundance ; and cotton, sugar, tobacco, indigo, and coffee are raised to some extent. The coffee is inferior to that of Yemen, and the sugar cane is of poor quality. Cotton would do well if properly cultivated. The climate of the plains is hot, and the fruits are those of India, but in the valleys of the highlands the apricot, grape, and fig grow to perfection. Ex- cellent wine, resembling that of Shiraz, is made in large quantities. The camels and asses of Oman are celebrated, and the latter are largely exported. Horses are few and are generally inferior, but occasionally good ones are im- ported from Nedjed. The cattle are of the humpbacked Indian variety. Sheep and goats are raised in vast flocks, and common fowl are numerous. Delicious fish are caught on all the coasts, and the ports are sometimes almost blocked with sardines. Dried and salted fish are put-up in large quantities, and exported to India, Morocco, and even to Australia. In some of the larger towns, particularly in Sharja, Muttra, and Sohar, there is considerable manu- facturing of gold and silver filigree, for the ornamentation of arms, belts, seats, pipes, &c. Other manufactures are coarse woollen and