Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/641

SARDICA. 575 SARDINIA. some scholars, such as Baronius and Mansi, an ecumenital character has been attributed to it, but this is denied by the great majority. SARDINE (Lat. sanliiia, sanla, from Gk. aapdrivr;, adpSa, sardine, from Xapdii, SiirdO, .Sar- dinia ) . One of the small fishes of the herring family (Clupeidae) which are preserved in oil and canned: properly, the European Clupea pilcliar- dus, very common in the ilediterranean and ad- joining ocean, appearing in great shoals, ilany young fishes of related species, however, arc also utilized in the same way and mixed with theni. In curing sardines they are first carefully eviscerated, washed, and then exposed to the sun or to a current of air under cover. They are next put into boiling oil in which tlicy remain for a short time, then taken out, drained, and put into square tin boxes. The boxes packed with sardines are filled up with oil, the lid is soldered on. and the}" are placed for a short time in boiling water or exposed to hot steam. In the south of France sardines are sometimes cured in red wine, and then known as 'sardines anchoisSes.' A FOSSIL SARDINE. Several species of small Clupeidfe much re- sembling the sardine are found in various parts of the world, and are used in the same way as the sardine of the ilediterranean. The Califor- nia sardine (Clupea cwruleus) closely resembles the European sardine, gets about 12 inches long and is an excellent food-fish, but is not canned. The sardine fisheries are very extensive, botli in America and Europe. (See Fisherie.s.) In the Eastern States the young of several small fishes have been put up in oil, like sardines, especially young menhaden, and sold under various trade names. They are cheap and acceptable, but not so good as true sardines. Consult: Goode, Fishery Industries, section i. (Washington, 1884). Compare Anchovy. See Pilchard; and Plate of Herring and Shad. SARDINIA (It. Sardegna, Gk. SapSii, SardO ) . An island belonging to Italy, next to Sicily the largest island in the ilediterranean Sea. It is situated between latitudes 38° 52' and 41° 16' N., and between longitudes 8° 8' and 9° 49' E., south of Corsica, from which it is separated by the Strait of Bonifacio, nine miles wide (Map: Italy, C 7). The nearest point of the Italian mainland lies 115 miles northeast of the northeastern extremity of the island. Sardinia has roughly the shape of an oblique parallelogram with an extreme length of 168 miles and a width of 89 miles. Its area is 9294 square miles, including the small islets along the coasts. The greater part of the island is mountainous, especially along the eastern coast, but it is less elevated than Corsica. The highest point is Monte Gennargentu. near the centre of the island, ■with an altitude of 6.365 feet. The southwestern mountain group, containing the richest mineral deposits, is separated from the remaining high- land by the low plain of Campidano, running with a breadth of 12 miles between the Gulfs of Cagliari and Oristano. The rivers of Sar- dinia arc all unimportant. The climate is mild, like that of the other Mediterranean lands, and very warm in summer. I'lu' average annual rainfall is oidy 17 inches, and the summers are very <lry. Large portions df llie island are sub- ject to malaria. In spite of the drought, the vegetation is rich, and forests still cover about one-fifth of the area. The date palm is here in- digenous. Geologically the island consists almost wholly of crystalline rocks with granite pre- dominating. The plain of Campidano is covered with Tertiary deposits, and there are small areas of older sedimentary rocks. The chief mineral veins are found in the porphyritic flows in the southwest. Some of the mines were worked by the Car- thaginians and the Romans. Mining was re- sumed in the nineteenth century and has assumed extensive proportions. It now gives employment to about 12,000 persons. The principal minerals are lead, silver, zinc, copper, magnesium, anti- mony, lignite, granite, and salt. The last is a State monopoly. The value of the annual min- eral output is over $3,000,000. Sardinia is, like Sicily, an agricultural coun- try with a fertile soil, but the agricultural con- ditions difler greatly in the two islands. The minute holdings of Sardinia present a striking contrast to the extensive estates and the large proportion of the landless class of Sicily, while the gradual adoption of modern methods in the former island compares favorably with the back- wardness prevailing in the latter. The raising of cereals shows a downward tendency, while the area under vineyards is constantly increas- ing, amounting in 1900 to more than 200.000 acres, and yielding an average annual output of about 5,000,000 gallons of ne. Viticulture has attained a very high state of development in Campidano, in the Province of Cagliari. Olives are cultivated on the western coast. Stock-rais- ing is al.so progressing, and the native breed of cattle is being improved by importations from abroad. The tunny fisheries are showing signs of decline. Sardinia exports principally minerals, wine, olives, salt, fish, and charcoal, and imports cot- ton and woolen goods, coal, iron products, and various manufactures. Since the conclusion of the Franco-Italian treaty in 1898 the commerce is growing. The island is well provided with transportation facilities and has a considerable coastwise shipping. It is divided into two prov- inces, Cagliari and Sassari. Eihication is at a low ebb, although considerable progress, espe- cially in technical instruction, has been made of late. There are universities at Cagliari and Sassari. The population was 682.002 in 1881, and 791,754 in 1901. The capital is Cagliari (q.v.) . Ethnology. Owing to their isolation, the Sardinians are one of the most homogeneous ethnic groups in Europe. They have the shortest stature, many of them measuring only 50 to 60 inches, the brownest eyes and hair, less than one per cent, being fair-complexioncd. and the longest heads of all the Italian populations. The height of Sardinian soldiers is given as 1.619 meters (63.5 inches). .An older, dwarfish race is revealed by ancient graves, the skulls from which measure only 1150 cubic centimeters.