Fate, får, fåll, fât; mẻ, mêt; pine or pine, pin; n3, nỗt; õõ, as in good, the residence of the grand-duke. This library contains 70,000 printed vols. and 1,500 manuscripts; among others, the correspondence of Machievelli and Galileo. There is another library in the Palazzo Vechchio* (på-låt/-so vek'-ke-o) or the town-house, which was anciently the seat of the government of the Florentine republic, containing 150,000 printed vols. and 12,000 manuscripts. In the same building there is contained one of the richest existing collections of sculptures, paintings, medals, and other works of art. Florence holds a conspicuous place in the history of modern Italy. It was founded by a colony of soldiers, sent out by Octavius, afterwards the first Roman emperor. It does not appear to have attained to any very great importance till in the early part of the 12th century, when, like the other towns of Tuscany, it began to govern itself as an independent republic. Soon after it became distinguished as the principle theatre of the famous contest between the Guelphs and Ghibelines. It remained in the enjoyment of a precarious and turbulent liberty, interrupted occasionally by temporary subjection to some of the more powerful neighbouring states, till about the year 1434, when the house of Medici began to exercise the chief authority in the commonwealth. The republican forms, however, continued to be respected during the administration of the first house of Medici; but the foreign wars, which desolated Italy in the 16th century, at length effected the fall of the Florentine republic; and the first line having become extinct, a member of a lateral branch of the Medici was placed by Charles V. as duke of Florence. The Observatory of Sante Giovanni (sån/-to jo-vån/-ne) is in 43° 46′ 41′′ N. Lat., and 11° 15′ 54" E. Lon. The pop. of Florence, including the whole commune, amounts to 95,927. (P. C.)—Adj. and inhab. FLOR/-EN-TINE, (It. FIORENTINO, fe-o-rên-tee/-no).

FLO-RES, an i. belonging to the Azorian group, intersected by the parallel of 39° 36' N. Lat., and the meridian of 31° 7′ W. Lon. It is about 13 m. long, and 7 m. wide. Its name is derived from the multitude of flowers with which it abounds.

FLORES, Sometimes called EN-DE, an i. of Malaisia, situated between 8° and 9° 20'S. Lat., and 119° 30′ and 123° E. Lon. It is above 200 m. long, and about 50 m. wide. Little is known to Europeans respecting the aboriginal inhabitants. The coast is mostly colonized by the Bugis and Malays.

FLOUR, SAINT, SN floor', (rhyming with poor,) a t. of France, in the dep. of Cantal. Lat. 45° 2 N., Lon. 3° 6' E. Pop. in 1832, 5,813. (P. C.)

FLOR/-I-DA, lately a territory, but admitted during the present session of Congress (1844-5) into the Union as a sovereign state, is situated between 24° 40' and 31° N. Lat., and 79° 56′ and 87° 46′ W. Lon., bounded on the N. by Alabama and Georgia, E. by the Atlantic, and

• Literally, the " old palace."

ou, as in our; th, as in thin; TH, as in this; N, nearly like ng. S. and W. by the Gulf of Mexico; it contains 21 counties.* Its length, from N. to S., from Cape Sable to the mouth of St. Mary's r., is about 400 m.; breadth of the northern part, 354 m.; greatest breadth of the peninsula, 172 m. The area is estimated at 55,000 sq. m. Pop. 54,477, of whom 27,943 are whites, 817 free coloured, and 25,717 slaves. Ponce de Leon discovered this country in 1512, on Palm Sunday (called in Spanish Pasqua Florida), and from this circumstance bestowed upon it its present appellation. During a great part of the 16th century, the name was applied indefinitely to the S. E. coast of N. America, but was finally restricted to what now constitutes the state of Florida. That portion which lies W. of the r. Appalachicola, was formerly designated West Florida; the remainder, including the peninsula, East Florida.

FLOYD, a co. in the S. S. W. part of Va., bordering on the Blue Ridge. Pop. 4,453. Seat of justice, Floyd c. h.

FLOYD, a co. in the N. W. part of Ga., bordering on Alabama. Pop. 4,441. Co. t. Rome.

FLOYD, a co. near the E. extremity of Ky., intersected by the W. Fork of the Sandy r. Pop. 6,302. Co. t. Prestonsburg.

FLOYD, a co. in the S. S. E. part of Ind., bordering on the Ohio r. Pop. 9,454. Co. t. New Albany.

FLUSH-ING (Dutch Vlis/-sing-en), a fortified seaport t. of Holland, in the prov. of Zealand, on the S. side of the i. of Walcheren, remarkable for its harbour, its extensive dock-yards, and its fine basins, one of which is sufficiently deep to receive the largest ships of war. Lat. 51° 27 N., Lon. 3° 35′ E. Pop. above 6,000. (P. C.)

FLU-VAN-NA, a co. in the E. central part of Va., bordering on James r. Pop. 8,812. Co. t. Palmyra.

FÖHR, or FÖHR-DE, a Danish i. on the W. coast of Sleswick, with an area of 25 sq. m. and 5,000 inhabitants. (P. C.)

FOGGIA, foj-ja, an important commercial t. of Naples, the cap. of the prov. of Capitanata, situated in the midst of a vast plain, 78 m. N. E. of Naples. Lat. 41° 27' N., Lon. 15° 30′ E. Pop. about 21,000. (B.)

Foix, fwå, a t. of France, the cap. of the dep. of Ariège, and the ancient residence of the counts of Foix, is situated on the r. Ariège. Lat. 42° 58′ N., Lon. 1° 36′ E. Pop. 5,000. (B.)

FOND DU LAC, a co. in the E. part of Wisconsin, at the S. extremity of L. Winnebago. Pop. 139.

FONDI, fon'-de, (Anc. Fun'di,) a t. of Naples, in the prov. of Terra di Lavoro, remarkable for its antiquities. Parts of the pavement of the celebrated Appian Way (via Appia), which forms the principal street of Fondi, are here preserved in their primitive state. Lat. 41° 21 N., Lon. 13° 25′ E. Pop. 5,000. (B.)

FONTAINEBLEAU, fön`-tane`-blō', a t. of France, in the dep. of Seine

Alachua, Calhoun, Columbia, Dade, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Jackson, Jefferson, St. John's, Leon, Madison, Monroe, Mosquito, Nassau, Santa Rosa, Walton, Washington.

Fåte, får, fåll, fåt; mẻ, mêt; pine or pine, pin; nỏ, nôt; ōō as in good: and Marne, 35 m. S. S. E. of Paris, situated in the midst of a noble forest, (called, from the name of the town, the Forest of Fontainebleau,) which occupies an extent of more than 41,000 acres. Here is a magnificent royal château, erected by Francis I., and considerably embelished by succeeding princes. Lat. 48° 24′ N., Lon. 2° 42′ É. Pop. about 8,000. (B.)

FONTARABIA, fon`-ta-ra/-be-a, (Sp. Fuenterabia, fwen'-th-rå-bee/-å,) a small fortified t. of Biscay, in Spain, situated at the mouth of the river Bid-as-so-å, which forms a part of the boundary between France and Spain. It is chiefly interesting on account of its historical associations. Lat. 43° 22′ N., Lon. 1° 47′ W.-Adj. FON-TA-RA/-BI-AN.

FONTENAY, font-na', the largest and most commercial t. in the dep. of Vendée, in France, is situated on the r. Vendée. Lat. 46° 29′ N., Lon. 0° 47′ W. Pop. in 1832, 6,388. (P. C.)

FOO-LAH (or Foulah). The Foolahs are a nation widely spread along the W. coast of Africa, occupying the countries N. of C. Palmas as far as the banks of the r. Senegal. Their principal kingdoms are Foota Toro, Bondoo, Fooladoo, Kaarta Ludamer, and Casson. The Foolahs, especially those who inhabit the countries which border on the Moorish territories, approach nearer to Europeans in their complexion and general features, than any of the other tribes of W. Africa, except the Moors. Those of Bondoo are described as being of the middle size, well made, and very active, with hair less short and woolly than that of the negroes. In speaking of the negro nations, they always rank themselves with the white people.

FOR-FAR, a t. of Scotland, cap. of Forfarshire, situated in the great valley of Strathmore, 15 m. N. by E. from Dundee. Lat. 56° 39′ N., Lon. 2° 50′ W. Pop. 8,362.

FOR-FAR-SHIRE, a co. in the E. part of Scotland, bordering on the sea and the Frith or Tay. Pop. 170,520.

FORLI, fOR-lee', (Anc. Forum Liv/ii,) a t. of Italy, in the Papal State, cap. of a prov. of the same name. Lat. 44° 13' N., Lon. 12° 3' E. Pop. 16,000. (B.)

FORMENTERA, FOR-men-tål-rå, (Anc. Ophiu'sa,) one of the Balearic islands, lying S. of Ivica, from which it is separated by a channel 5 m. broad. Its length is about 14 m.

FOR-MO-SA (called, by the Chinese, Taï-wan or Taywan, ti-wån/), a large i. in the Chinese Sea, lying between 21° 50′ and 25° 30′ N. Lat., and 120° 20′ and 122° E. Lon. Its length is about 250 m.; its greatest breadth about 70 m. It is important, on account of its fine harbours, its timber, and other productions. On the W. coast is the Chinese town of Taï-wan; the eastern part is inhabited by independent savages.

FORSYTH, for-siTH', a co. in the N. part of Ga., bordering on the Chattahoochee. Pop. 5,619. Co. t. Cumming.

FORTAVENTURA. (See FUERTAVENTURA.)

FORTH, a r. of Scotland, which rises in the mountains between Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond, and, flowing in an easterly direction, falls

ou, as in our; th, as in thin; TH, as in this; N, nearly like ng. into the Frith of Forth. Its length, following all its sinuosities, is stated to be above 60 m.

FORTH, FRITH OF. After the r. Forth is joined by the Devon, on the N. it begins to widen, and gradually assumes the appearance of a bay. This bay, called the Frith of Forth, is about 50 m. long, and, where widest, is near 15 m. broad.

FOSSANO, fos-sa-no, a walled t. of Piedmont, situated near the r. Stara, on the Naviglio Nuovo (nå-veel/yo noo-o/-vo), or new canal, which connects the Stura with the Po. It has a royal academy of Belles Lettres. Lat. 44° 36′ N., Lon. 7° 51′ E. Pop. 12,500. (P.C.)

FOUGÈRES, foo-zhane, a manufacturing t. of France, in the dep. of Ille and Vilaine, 160 m. W. by S. of Paris. Pop. in 1832, 7,446. (P.C.) FOULAH. See FOOLAH.

FOUNTAIN, a co. in the W. part of Ind., bordering on the Wabash r. Pop. 11,218. Co. t. Covington.

FOURCHE. See LA FOURCHE.

FOWEY, foy, sometimes written FAWEY, a small r. of England, in Cornwall, which flows into the sea.

FOWEY, a fortified seaport of Cornwall, situated on the above r., near its mouth. It was anciently a place of much greater importance than at present. Fowey furnished more ships to the fleet of Edward III., when he was besieging Calais, than any other port in England. Lat. 50° 20′ N., Lon. 4° 37′ W. Pop. 1,643.

Fox ISLANDS. See ALEUTIAN ISLANDS.

FOYERS, often written, and always pronounced FV-ERS, a small r. of Inverness-shire, in Scotland, which flows into Loch Ness, remarkable for its stupendous fall of 207 ft. in perpendicular height. From the top of the adjoining rocks to the surface of the water in the abyss below the fall, the depth is 470 ft.

FOYLE, LOUGH, loн foil, a bay on the northern coast of Ireland, about 15 m. long, and 8 m. wide in the middle, which is connected with the sea by a strait, less than a mile in breadth. The r. Foyle, which flows into its southern extremity, is navigable for vessels of 400 tons as far as Londonderry.

FRANCE (Anc. Gallia or Gaul; Fr. La France, lå frånce); one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms of Europe, occupying the W. part of the continent, is situated between 42° 20′ and 51° 5' N. Lat., and 4° 49′ W. and 8° 16′ E. Lon. Bounded on the N. W. and N. by the English Channel and the kingdom of Belgium, E. by Germany, Switzerland, and the Sardinian states, S. by the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, which separate it from Spain, and W. by the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic. Its extreme length, from S. E. to N. W. is about 680 m.; its greatest breadth, from N. E. to S.W. is about 630 m. The area is computed at 200,925 sq. m., and if we include the Island of Corsica, which is now incorporated with France, it will amount to about 204,711. The entire population, according to the census of 1836, was 33,540,908. (B.) France is divided into 86 departments or prefectures, which are again divided into 363 sub-prefectures or arrondissements;

Fåte, får, fåll, fât; mẻ, met; plne or pine, pîn; nò, nôt; õõ, as in good;

these are still further sub-divided into cantons and communes. Each department is under the administration of an officer called a prefect (prefet, prà`-fa/); the arrondissements are under sub-prefects (sous-préfets, soo-pra-fa). The government of France is a limited monarchy. The legislative power belongs to the king, jointly with the two great national assemblies, named the Chamber of Peers and the Chamber of Deputies. The peers are not hereditary, but appointed by the king, who, however, in choosing them, is under certain restrictions fixed by law. The deputies are appointed by electors chosen by the people. Paris is the seat of government. The name of France is derived from the Franks (i. e. freemen), a confederacy of various German nations, who overran Gaul, on the decline of the Roman power, and who afterwards were united under one head by Clovis, about the beginning of the 6th century.-Adj. FRENCH; inhab. FRENCH-MAN.

FRANCE, ISLE OF, (Fr. Ile de France, eel deh frånce :) formerly a prov., is now divided into the deps. Aisne, Oise, Seine, Seine and Oise, and Seine and Marne. It received its appellation from the circumstance of its being almost surrounded by the rivers which give name to the above deps., and by some other smaller streams.

FRANCIS, ST., a r. which rises in the E. S. E. part of Mo., and, flowing southerly into Ark., joins the Mississippi, near 34° 40′ N. Lat.

FRANCIS, ST., a co. in the E. N. E. part of Ark., bordering on the above r. Pop. 2,499. Co. t. Madison.

FRANCIS, ST., a co. in the E. S. E. part of Mo., on the sources of the r. St. Francis. Pop. 3,211. Co. t. Farmington.

FRAN-CIS-CO, ST., a large r. of S. America, in Brazil, which rises near 20° S. Lat., and 47° W. Lon., and, flowing at first south-easterly, and then easterly, falls into the Atlantic, in about 10° 30′ N. Lat., and 36° 20′ W. Lon. Length above 1,360 m. It is navigable to Caninde (că-neen'-da), more than 150 m. from its mouth; above this point there are a number of falls, the most considerable of which is said to be 50 ft. in perpendicular height.

FRANCHE COMTÉ, frånsh koN'-tà, or UPPER BURGUNDY, a former prov. of France, now divided into the deps. of Doubs, Jura, and Upper Saône. FRAN-CO-NI-A (Ger. Franken and Frankenland, frånk/-en-lånd`, i. e. the "land of the Franks"), formerly a circle of the German empire, intersected by the r. Main. Nearly the whole of it has been transferred by various treaties to the crown of Bavaria.

FRANEKER, från/-ek-er, a manufacturing t. of Holland, in Friesland, on the canal from Leeuwarden to Haarlingen, formerly the seat of a university, which was suppressed some years since, and replaced by an athenæum, or high school. Lat. 53° 11' N., Lon. 5° 30' E. Pop. 4,200. (P. C.)

FRANKENSTEIN, frånk'-en-stine`, a walled t. of Prussia, the cap. of a circle of the same name. Lat. 50° 36' N., Lon. 16° 50′ E. Pop. 5,500. (B.)

FRANKENTHAL, frånk'-en-tåål', a t. in the Bavarian circle of the