DANUBE (anc. Danubius, or, in its lower course, Ister; Ger. Donau), the largest river of Germany, and, next to the Volga, of Europe. It is formed by the confluence of two streams, the Brege and Brigach, rising in the grand duchy of Baden, on the S. E. slope of the Black Forest, the former, which is considered the principal source of the river, in lat. 48° 6' N., Ion. 8° 9' E., about 24 m. from the Rhine, at an elevation of about 2,850 ft. above the level of the Black sea. In an air line the distance from the sources to the mouth of the Danube is nearly 1,020 m., while the length of its course is 1,820 m. The river system of the Danube and all its tributaries drains an area of 300,000 sq. m. In its course it traverses nearly 22° of longitude and 51° of latitude. The elevation of its surface above the level of the sea at Ulm, the head of steam navigation, is about 1,500 ft., at Ratisbon 1,100, at Vienna 500, at Presburg 425, at Buda 350, and at Moldova 200. Three principal divisions of the river basin are indicated by the character of the adjacent country, and the river itself: the upper course, terminating at Passau; the middle, at Kladova; and the lower, at the mouth. In its upper course the Danube, flow

a number of other churches, several synagogues, foundling and orphan asylums and hospitals for the sick, a lunatic asylum, a theatre, and many institutions of learning and art. The port of Dantzic is Neufahrwasser, at the mouth of the Vistula, which has been built since 1841, when the river changed its course and formed a new outlet, reducing the depth of the main channel. Of late years, however, a canal with 15 ft. of water has been excavated, and large vessels now come up to the town as in former times. In 1869, 1,388 vessels entered with cargoes, and 415 ́ in ballast; total tonnage, 428,888. In the same year 1,753 vessels sailed from the port with cargoes, and 98 in ballast; total tonnage, 446,679. Three steamers and 125 sailing vessels were owned here. The exports by sea in 1869 included 4,057,768 bushels of wheat, 1,323,344 of rye, 697,752 of barley, and 520,000 tons of timber. In 1870 nearly 8,000,000 bushels of grain were exported. The other chief articles of export are liqueurs, beer, wool, flax, hemp, pitch, tallow, leather, potash, salt, saltpetre, starch, and chiccory. The great staple is grain, particularly wheat, which is chiefly Polish, and is noted for the fine quality of the flour made from it. The imports are princi-ing in an easterly direction, skirts the southern pally iron, iron nails, coal, coffee, rice, herrings, cotton, guano, lead, and dyewoods. The exports in 1869 amounted to 25,693,310 thalers, the imports to 29,257,910 thalers. The manufactures are chiefly brandy, beer, tobacco, starch, oil, refined sugar, potash, woollen and linen cloths, ship biscuit, and various articles of metal. Amber is also wrought to a considerable extent, supporting a large number of workmen. It is collected on the beach of the Baltic, where it is thrown up by the sea, and large quantities are annually exported to France in the crude state. Dantzic contains 40 beer breweries, 25 distilleries, and 80 establishments where the liqueur known in commerce as Danziges Goldwasser is made. It is connected by railway with Berlin, Stettin, and Königsberg. There was a considerable town on the site of Dantzic before the end of the 10th century, but its early history is involved in obscurity. It was captured by the Poles in 1294, and in 1310 it fell into the hands of the Teutonic knights, and became a German city among a Polish population. In 1454 it placed itself under the supremacy of the king of Poland, who made it a free city with important privileges. In 1793, on the second partition of Poland, it fell under the dominion of Prussia. It was besieged, bombarded, and taken by the French under Marshal Lefebvre in 1807, and was retaken by the Prussians in 1814, after the famous defence of 12 months made by Gen. Rapp, when the town was half destroyed and the inhabitants were reduced by famine and pestilence to the deepest distress. Dantzic has now partially regained its ancient importance. It is one of the four naval ports of the German empire.

base of the sterile table land of the Rough Alps (Rauhe Alp), the rapidity of its current being 5 ft. a second, or about 3 m. an hour. Its breadth having increased to 250 ft., and its current slackened, it becomes navigable at Ulm. There, sweeping to the N. E. through the fertile Bavarian plain, it forms a curve, of which the northern apex is Ratisbon, and the eastern base Passau. On the N. side the Ludwigscanal connects it with the Main and Rhine rivers. Near Passau the Bavarian forest on one side, and the northern ranges of the Noric Alps on the other, approach the Danube, narrowing its bed in some places to less than 1,000 ft., while in others it expands to a breadth of 5,000 ft. From Passau to Linz the fall is 24 ft. in a mile; from there to Vienna only 14 ft. In this portion of its course the scenery of the Danube fairly rivals that of the Rhine, and even excels it in sombre grandeur. Nearer Vienna the mountains recede, and the river enters a large plain, which, being but scantily protected by dikes, is subject to terrible inundations. The measures heretofore adopted for preventing these inundations having been found wholly inadequate, the Austrian government in 1864 appointed a committee, consisting of representatives of the monarchy and of the crownland of Lower Austria and the city of Vienna, to regulate the course of the Danube at and near Vienna. The plan of the committee, which involves the leading of the river into a new channel, was approved in 1868. The cost of the work is estimated at 24,600,000 florins, of which one third is to be paid by the monarchy, one third by Lower Austria, and one third by Vienna. The principal portions of the work are to be completed during 1874.

Passing again between two mountain ranges, | to the navigation of the Danube. Narrowed the Leitha on the southern and the lesser Car- down to less than one half its former breadth, pathians on the northern bank, the Danube the river forms in seven places between Alibeg emerges into the fertile region of western Hun- and Kladova rapids and whirlpools, of which gary. There, spreading out in several branches, those in the so-called Iron Gate, below Old it forms a great number of islands, among which Orsova, are the most violent. There it pours the Great Schütt (50 m. long) and the Little through a defile 7,500 ft. long and 650 wide, Schütt (27 m. long) are the largest. Through with a fall of 16 ft., and a rapidity of 10 to 15 a defile, formed by the Nógrád branch of the ft. a second, over a number of reefs and ledges. Carpathians and the Bakony Forest, the Danube After having been a terror to navigators for enters the great Hungarian plain, turns abrupt- centuries, the Iron Gate has at last been renly S. near Waitzen, and slowly winds through dered navigable for steamers, a channel having vast level bottom lands and marshes, until it been cut through the ledge, by which vessels meets the Sirmian range, and, having received ply from Vienna to Galatz without a portage. the waters of the Drave, is again deflected In ancient times this portion of the river course toward the southeast. It then skirts the plain was avoided by a canal, of which some vestiges on the south till near Moldova, where it passes still remain. Near Kladova the Danube enters through the Transylvanian granite hills and the Bulgaro-Wallachian plains. From Tcherthe Servian limestone range. This pass (Kli-netz to below Widin it runs nearly S., then turns sura), 80 m. long, offers the greatest obstacles E. Slowly rolling its muddy waters round the

extreme spurs of the Balkan, and forming numerous islands, it reaches a point only 32 m. from the sea, where it suddenly bends N. and flows upward of 100 m. to the junction with the Sereth; thence again eastward; at last, joined by the Pruth and divided into several branches, which sluggishly wind through a low and dreary alluvial country (the delta of the Danube), it empties into the Black sea by three principal channels, the Kilia, Sulina, and St. George, and four lesser ones.-The most important tributaries of the Danube are, on the right or southern bank, the Iller, Lech, Isar, Inn, Traun, Enns, Leitha, Raab, Sárviz, Drave, Save, and Morava; on the left bank, the Brenz, Warnitz, Altmühl, Naab, Regen, Ítz, March, Waag, Neutra, Gran, Eipel, Theiss, Temes, Aluta, Arjish, Yalomitza, Sereth, and Pruth. The principal towns on its banks are: in Wür

temberg, Ulm; in Bavaria, Ratisbon and Passau; in Austria proper, Linz and Vienna; in Hungary, Presburg, Comorn, Gran, Buda, and Pesth; in the Military Frontier, Peterwardein and Orsova; in Servia, Belgrade; in Bulgaria, Widin, Nicopolis, Rustchuk, Silistria, and Hirsova; in Roumania, Giurgevo, Braila, and Galatz.-The Danube has through all history been of great political importance. For the Huns, the Avars, Bulgarians, Magyars, and Tartars, the Danube valley was the scene of efforts to subdue the Occident. While the progress of the barbarians was somewhat checked by the other great European_rivers flowing N. and S., the Danube served as a highway to the west. The western nations having at last established their supremacy, the human current was reversed for the conquest of the Orient by the crusaders; and during suc

in that direction were abandoned, with the intention, it was said, of diverting the Danubian trade into the Kilia branch for the advantage of the harbor of Ismail. The bar of the Sulina continues 1,000 yards outside of the mouth; it has a width of 2 to 3 m., and a depth of water varying from 10 to 14 ft. The energetic efforts of the Austrian government immediately after the retreat of the Russians (1854) at last succeeded so far as to obtain an available average depth of 10 ft., while under Russian rule the depth had been reduced to 7 ft. By the treaty of Paris an international committee was appointed for the regulation of the mouths of the Danube. The majority of this committee concluded that it would be feasible to suppress or cut off two of the principal outlets, and, by leading their waters into the third, increase the volume and power of the current sufficiently to sweep away the mud and sand banks. special committee, appointed by Austria, reported in 1857 that the St. George channel, if restored to its former condition, would in all respects offer the shortest and safest outlet, and that the cost of this improvement would not exceed 3,700,000 florins, nor the cost of keeping it in repair 65,000 florins per annum. The Danube and its principal tributaries (the Inn, Drave, Theiss, and Save) are navigated by steam vessels for an aggregate length of 2,400 m. The Bavarian Danube steam navigation company was established in 1838, and in 1862 was merged in the Austrian company, which was organized in 1830. In 1870 the latter company employed 155 steamers and 547 transports. The voyage from Vienna to Constantinople is now performed in seven days.

A

ceeding centuries the countries bordering on the Danube were frequently the theatre of conflict between the Christians and the Turks. The Germans occupy the entire upper basin, and portions of the middle and lower; the Slavs parts of both banks of the middle course of the river; the Magyars the central portion of the valley, and the Roumanians the lower regions. The commercial use of the Danube has scarcely begun to be developed. The rapidity of the current in its upper course, the reefs, rapids, whirlpools, and sudden changes of the channel and banks, its shallowness where it passes through the Hungarian plains, and its numerous windings, offered so many impediments to navigation, that up to a comparatively recent period it was limited to the scantiest intercourse between the provinces immediately adjoining the river. The application of steam in 1830 inaugurated a new era in the history of the Danube. Then the governments, becoming aware of the importance of the river, adopted a system of improvements. Reefs were removed, flats deepened by narrowing the channel, and canals and cut-offs constructed. By the treaty of Paris (1856) the entire freedom of the navigation from tolls and dues was stipulated for; and in pursuance of this, the governments of the states through which the river flows agreed upon a convention (Nov. 7, 1857), by which vessels of all nations were allowed to ascend the Danube from its mouth to any point above, while the navigation between different points on the river was reserved to the subjects of the riparian states. The provisions of the treaty of Paris were partially modified by the treaty of March 13, 1871, which authorizes the riparian states, DANVERS, a town of Essex co., Mass., 15 m. in case of their agreement as to the removal of N. N. E. of Boston; pop. in 1870, 5,600. It the remaining obstructions at the Iron Gate, to contains a carpet factory, a rolling mill, six levy a provisional tax on all commercial ves- tanneries, six brick yards, manufactories of sels availing themselves of its advantages, until boots and shoes, a national bank, and two the expenditure shall have been repaid. The weekly newspapers. It is connected by rail principal drawback to the importance of the with Boston and Newburyport. In 1852 Danube as a channel of commerce is the shal- George Peabody, a native of this town, gave lowness of its mouths. The three outlets en- $20,000 (afterward increased to $200,000) "for closing the delta (or rather the flat islands the promotion of knowledge and morality Tchetal, Leti, and Moïshe, the highest elevation among the inhabitants. With this donation of which is not more than 6 or 7 ft. above the the Peabody institute was founded, and enlevel of the sea), the Kilia Boghasi, Sulina Bo- riched with a library. He also gave $50,000 ghasi, and Kediskeh Boghasi (St. George chan- to establish a branch in that part of the town nel), have a length of 72, 53, and 55 m. respec-known as North Danvers. Until 1756 Danvers tively, and according to the report of E. De- formed a part of Salem. In 1855 it was divided jardins, submitted to the prince of Roumania by the incorporation of South Danvers, now in 1867, convey the waters of the Danube in Peabody, as a separate town. the respective proportions of 17, 24, and 2 of the volume of the river. Formerly the St. George's channel was used almost exclusively; but having been choked with sand by the simultaneous occurrence of a strong freshet in the river and a violent gale from the sea, it was abandoned, and the Sulina channel resorted to. The Turkish government took good care to keep this channel open; but when, by the treaties of 1812 and 1829, the mouths of the Danube passed under the control of Russia, all efforts

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DANVILLE. I. A borough and the capital of Montour co., Pennsylvania, on the N. branch of the Susquehanna_river, 12 m. above Sunbury, and 50 m. N. E. of Harrisburg; pop. in 1870, 8,436. Montour's ridge, extending nearly 21 m. along the river, abounds in excellent iron ore, and in limestone, which is used as a flux in smelting. Rich mines of anthracite coal have also been opened in the vicinity, and the northern branch of the Pennsylvania canal affords means of transportation. The Cata

wagon manufactories, 2 planing mills, car and locomotive works, and other industries. Danville is surrounded by a rich and densely settled agricultural region, with an abundance of timber, building stone, and water.

DAPHNE, a wood nymph or water nymph of Grecian mythology. It seems doubtful whether there were not three distinct characters of the name in Greek legend. The best known and received version of her story relates that Apollo became enamored of her, and pursued her when she fled from him. As she was about to be overtaken, she besought her mother Ge (Terra) to help her. The earth opened and received her, and as a compensation to Apollo for her loss created the laurel, which was always afterward sacred to him. According to Ovid, Daphne herself was transformed into a laurel tree. Another legend is that Leucippus, a prince of Pisa in Elis, introduced himself disguised as a young girl into the nymph's society; but Apollo caused his discovery, and Daphne and her companions put him to death.

DAPHNE, the ancient name of a place near Antioch in Syria, containing a large and beautiful grove of laurels and cypresses, and a magnificent temple of Apollo, which was built by Antiochus Epiphanes. The most licentious scenes were enacted here, and the Roman general Cassius would not allow his soldiers to visit the place. When the emperor Julian came to Antioch the temple was almost deserted, and before he left the city it was consumed by fire, set probably by some Christian incendiary. It was never rebuilt.

wissa and the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg | flouring mills, 2 founderies, 5 carriage and railroads also pass through Danville. It is chiefly noted for its iron manufactures, containing eight blast furnaces, with an aggregate capacity of 50,000 tons of pig iron per year, and five rolling mills, employed in the manufacture of railroad iron, which produce about 70,000 tons of finished rails annually. A muck bar mill, worked on the coöperative plan, is in successful operation. There are also two large steam planing mills, several flour mills, &c. The town has 15 graded public schools, a semiweekly and two weekly newspapers, and 23 churches of different denominations. II. A town of Pittsylvania co., Virginia, on the Dan river, about 120 m. W. S. W. of Richmond; pop. in 1870, 3,463, of whom 2,065 were colored. It is pleasantly situated on high ground, near the head of navigation, and has an active trade. The surrounding country is fertile, and abounds in coal, iron, and limestone. The canal built around the falls at this place furnishes good water power. There are several churches, academies, and banks, iron founderies and mills, and two weekly newspapers. The Richmond, Danville, and Piedmont railroad passes through the town. After the abandonment of Richmond, April 2, 1865, Danville became for a few days the confederate capital, and here on April 5 Jefferson Davis issued his last proclamation. III. A town and the capital of Boyle co., Kentucky, on a small branch of Dick's river, 42 m. S. of Frankfort; pop. in 1870, 2,542, of whom 1,210 were colored. It is noted as the seat of Centre college (Presbyterian), founded in 1819, which in 1872 had 12 professors and instructors, 150 students, and a library of 5,000 volumes; and of the state deaf and dumb asylum, containing 97 inmates. The Danville theological seminary (Presbyterian), founded in 1853, has two endowed professorships, 200 alumni, a library of 7,000 volumes, and an endowment of $177,391. A branch of the Louisville and Nashville railroad passes through the town. IV. A city and the capital of Vermilion co., Illinois, on the Vermilion river, 16 m. N. W. of its confluence with the Wabash, 125 m. S. of Chicago, and 4 m. W. of the Indiana state line; pop. in 1870, 4,751; in 1873, about 7,000. It was settled in 1828, and its rapid growth and importance are due to its situation on the N. E. outcrop of the central (bituminous) coal field (see COAL, vol. iv., p. 739), the mining of which is its chief source of wealth. It is also an important railroad centre, connecting with Chicago by the Chicago, Danville, and Vincennes railroad; with Toledo, St. Louis, Quincy, and Hannibal, Mo., by the Toledo, Wabash, and Western; with Terre Haute and Evansville, Ind., by the Evansville, Terre Haute, and Chicago; with Indianapolis, Peoria, Rock Island, and St. Paul, by the Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Western; and with Vincennes and Cairo, by the Paris, Danville, and Vincennes. There are 12 churches, a high school, 6 ward schools, 4

DAPHNE, a genus of ornamental plants, natives of the more temperate parts of Europe and Asia. Some are cultivated for beauty and fragrance, as the D. odora; others for their vivid green foliage, as the Ď. laureola of Brit

Daphne mezereum.

D. me