748 OVIEDO OWEN tary by Arthur Palmer (London, 1873). Of translations of his works nearly every Euro- pean language possesses an abundance. The most esteemed metrical version of the Meta- morphoses in English is that " translated by the most eminent hands," including Dryden, Addison, Congreve, Eowe, Gay, Ambrose Phil- lips, and others (fol., London, 1717), of which many editions have appeared. The version of George Sandys (fol., London, 1626), translated on the banks of James river in Virginia, de- serves mention as the first work of any note composed in America. The Ars Amatoria and Heroides have in like manner been versified by several translators. Sir Thomas Overbury paraphrased the jRemedia Amoris, and a trans- lation of the Fasti by J. Gower was published j at Cambridge in 1640. A literal prose trans- lation of all the poems, by H. T. Riley, forms 3 vols. of Bohn's " Classical Library." OVIEDO, a city of Spain, capital of a prov- ince of the same name (see ASTURIAS), 15 m. S. W. of the seaport Gijon on the coast of the bay of Biscay, and 230 m. N. W. of Madrid, near the Nalon river and on the Leon rail- way; pop. about 13,000. It has a cathedral and a large number of monasteries and church establishments, a considerable university with a library of 12,000 volumes, many charitable institutions, and an especially fine hospital. The town is well though irregularly built, contains ten public squares, and has several of the most ancient churches in Spain. A fine aqueduct of freestone, supported on 41 arches, supplies the city with water. The manufac- tures are few (linens and woollens, hats, arms, &c.), and the trade is insignificant. According to some authorities, Oviedo was founded by Froila I., grandson of Pelayo, about 760 ; ac- cording to others, it is of more ancient origin. It was the capital of the kingdom of Oviedo till 914, when Ordofio II. transferred his residence j to Leon. It was the scene of repeated con- j flicts during the middle ages; and the church establishments attracted so many prelates to j it for refuge, that it became known as the city of the bishops. Later it was for a short time | the seat of an archbishopric. It was pillaged by Ney's troops in 1809, and afterward by those of Bonnet and others. OVIEDO Y VALDES, Gonzalo Fernandez de, a Spanish chronicler, born in Madrid in 1478, died in Valladolid in 1557. He was educated at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, as one of the pages of Prince Juan. In 1513 he was sent to Santo Domingo as supervisor of gold smeltings, and passed there almost the whole of his subsequent life, holding various offices and occasionally revisiting Spain. Having been appointed historiographer of the Indies, with authority to demand from the Spanish Amer- ican governors whatever documents he needed, he composed his Historia general y natural de las Indias Occidentales, in 50 books, 21 of which were published in Seville in 1535 (trans- lated into Latin, Basel, 1555; German, 1579). A summary of the work had been published ten years earlier (new ed., Madrid, 1850). This work was denounced by Las Casas as little better than fabulous ; but Las Casas was a bitter enemy of the author, whom he ac- cused of rapacity and cruelty in his govern- ment. In his 79th year Oviedo finished his valuable work entitled Las quinquagenas, in which he gives under the form of dialogues a full, gossipping, and anecdotical account of all the principal persons of Spain of his time. It is still in manuscript in the royal library at Madrid. He also wrote chronicles of Ferdi- nand and Isabella and Charles V. ; and a life of Cardinal Ximenes is attributed to him. His description of Nicaragua forms vol. xv. (His- toire de Nicaragua) of H. Ternaux-Compans's Voyages, relations et memoires originaux pour sermr a Vhistoire de la decouverte de VAmerique (Paris, 1840-'41); and the chief part of his Historia general forms vol. iii. of Ramusio's Delle navigazioni e maggi (Venice, 1583, fre- quently republished). OWEGO, a town and village, capital of Tioga co., New York, on the Susquehanna river, here crossed by a bridge 240 ft. long, at the mouth of Owego creek, on the Erie and Southern Central railroads, and at the terminus of the Ithaca branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western railroad, 140 m. S. W. of Albany ; pop. of the town in 1870, 9,442 ; of the village, 4,756. It is surrounded by a fine farming country, with which it has an important trade. The village is pleasantly situated on a level at the base of a high hill, and is handsomely built. The principal streets are bordered by wide sidewalks, and shaded with rows of maples. It contains two grist mills, two founderies, two shoe factories, two soap factories, a piano manufactory, four tanneries, four planing mills, two carriage factories, two marble factories, the Erie railway bridge shops, three banks, six hotels, an academy, six schools, three weekly newspapers, and seven churches. Steamers convey excursion parties to points on the river. Glenmary, on Owego creek near the village, was formerly the residence of N. P. Willis. OWEN. I. A N. county of Kentucky, bounded W. by the Kentucky river and N. by Eagle creek ; area, about 300 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 14,309, of whom 1,176 were colored. It has an undulating surface and a fertile soil. The Louisville, Cincinnati, and Lexington rail- road passes along the N. border. The chief productions in 1870 were 57,248 bushels of wheat, 21,439 of rye, 695,680 of Indian corn, 53,085 of oats, 28,584 of potatoes, 187,200 Ibs. of butter, 32,491 of wool, 2,890,670 of tobac- co, and 3,857 tons of hay. There were 5,589 horses, 3,074 milch cows, 4,690 other cattle, 11,104 sheep, and 26,399 swine ; 1 manufactory of woollen goods, 2 distilleries, and 5 saw mills. Capital, Owenton. II. A S. W T . county of Indiana, drained by the W. fork of White river and several smaller streams ; area, about 400 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 16,137. Its soil is
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