The snow then continues upon the ground for about ten months, from August 18th of one year, to June 23d of the year following, being 309 days out of 365; so that while the three seasons of spring, summer, and autumn, are together only fifty six days, or eight weeks, the winter is of forty-four weeks' duration in these countries. YEAR AND A DAY. A space of time, in law, that in many cases establishes and fixes a right, as in an estray, on proclamation being made, if the owner does not claim it within the time, it is forfeited. The term arose in the Norman law, which enacted that a beast found on another's land, if unclaimed for a year and a day, belonged to the lord of the soil. It is otherwise a legal space of time. YELLOW FEVER, THE, visited the city of New York in the years 1741, 1742, 1791, 1795, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1803, 1805, 1819, and 1822. The deaths by that disease were as follows: 732 in 1795; 2086 in 1798 (population, 55,000); 670 in 1803; 280 in 1805; 23 in 1819; 366 in 1822. In 1805, 37,000 of the inhabitants (out of 76,000, the whole population) fled from the city. In 1804, 40 persons died with it at Brooklyn, but New York escaped. Philadelphia was nearly desolated by it in 1793, and again in 1798. 4041 persons died in 1793, and 17,000 fled from the city (population, 50,000). In 1798, the mortality was great, and 50,000, out of 70,000 inhabitants, fled. Several thousand died, and the greatest number of deaths in one day was 117. Baltimore suffered from this disease in 1798, 1819, and 1821. New Orleans and Havana have it annually. In several of the islands of the West Indies in 1732, 1739, and 1745. It broke out in Spain in Sept. 1803. The yellow fever was very violent at Gibraltar in 1804 and 1814; in the Mauritius, July 1815; at Antigua, in Sept. 1816; and it raged with dreadful consequences at Cadiz, and the Isle of St. Leon, in Sept. 1819. The yellow fever rages more or less every year or two at Charleston, New Orleans, and other southern cities of the United States. It first appeared at Rio Janeiro in 1849-50, where it proved fatal to many thousands. YOKE. The ceremony of making prisoners pass under it, was first practised by the Samnites towards the Romans, 321 B. c. This disgrace was afterwards inflicted by the Romans upon their vanquished enemies.-Abbé Lenglet, Dufresnoy. YORK. The Eboracum of the Romans, and one of the most ancient cities of England. Here Severus held an imperial court, A. D. 207; and here also Constantius kept a court, and his son Constantine the Great was born, in 274. York was burnt by the Danes, and all the Normans slain, 1069. York received its charter from Richard II., and the city is the only one in the British kingdoms, besides London and Dublin, to whose mayors the prefix of lord has been granted. YORK, ARCHBISHOPRIC OF, the most ancient metropolitan see in England, being, it is said, so made by king Lucius, about A. D. 180, when Christianity was first, although partially, established in England. But this establishment was overturned by the Saxons driving out the Britons. When the former were converted, pope Gregory determined that the same dignity should be restored to York, and Paulinus was made archbishop of this see, about A. D. 622. York and Durham were the only two sees in the north of England for a large space of time, until Henry I. erected a bishopric at Carlisle, and Henry VIII. another at Chester. York was the metropolitan see of the Scottish bishops; but during the time of archbishop Nevil, 1464, they withdrew their obedience, and had archbishops of their own. Much dispute arose between the two English metropolitans about precedency, as, by pope Gregory's institutions, it was thought he meant, that which ever of them was first confirmed, should be superior; appeal was made to the court of Rome by both parties, and it was determined in favor of Canterbury; but York was allowed to style himself primate of England, while Canterbury styles himself primate of all England. York has yielded to the church of Rome eight saints, and three cardinals; and to the civil state of England, twelve lord chancellors, two lord treasurers, and two lord presidents of the north. It is rated in the king's books, 39 Henry VIII., 1546, at 16097. 19s. 2d. per annum.-Beatson. YORK CATHEDRAL, ENGLAND. This majestic fabric was erected at different periods, and on the site of former buildings, which have again and again been destroyed by fire. The first Christian church erected here, which appears to have been preceded by a Roman temple, was built by Edwin, king of Northumbria, about the year 630. It was burnt for the third time in 1137, along with St. Mary's Abby, and 39 parish churches in York. Archbishop Roger began to build the choir in 1171, but it was by many hands, and with the contributions of many families, and of multitudes who were promised indulgences for their liberality, that this magnificent fabric was completed, about 1361. It was set on fire by Jonathan Martin, a lunatic, and the roof of the choir and its internal fittings destroyed, Feb. 2, 1829; the damage estimated at 60,000., was repaired in 1832. YORK AND LANCASTER, WARS OF THE HOUSES or. The first battle between these houses was that of St. Albans, fought May 22, 1455. The last was that of Tewkesbury, fought May 4, 1471. In these battles the Yorkists, or White Roses, were victorious against the house of Lancaster, or the Red Roses. But in the sixteen years between these two dates, more than thirty great battles were fought with different success, and half the country was depopulated, and nearly the whole of the nobility exterminated. See Roses. YORKTOWN. A village in Virginia, memorable for the surrender of the British army under lord Cornwallis, consisting of 7000 men, to the Americans and their allies under Washington and count Rochambeau, Oct. 19, 1781. This event decided the contest for independence in favor of the Americans. YUCATAN, adopted a constitution as a republic (having declared its independence of Mexico), May 16, 1841. Z. ZAMA, BATTLE OF, between the two greatest commanders in the world at the time, Hannibal and Scipio Africanus. It was won by Scipio, and was decisive of the fate of Carthage; it led to an ignominious peace_which was granted the year after, and closed the second Punic war. The Romans lost but 2000 killed and wounded, while the Carthaginians lost, in killed and prisoners, more than 40,000; some historians make the loss greater; B. C. 202. ZANTE. This island, with the rest of the islands now forming the Ionian republic, was subject to Venice prior to the French Revolution; but the whole group were ceded to France by the treaty of Campo Formio (which see), October 17, 1797. They were taken by a Russian and Turkish fleet, and were erected into an independent republic by the name of the Seven Islands, in 1799. They fell into different hands in the course of the succeeding year, and were surrendered to the French by the Russians, together with Ragusa, August 14, 1807. They submitted to the British army, October 3, 1809. In the arrangements at the congress of Vienna, in 1815, they were put under the protection of Great Britain. The treaty was ratified at Paris for that purpose, between Great Britain and Russia, November 5, 1815. The new constitution was ratified by the prince regent, February 22, 1817. ZANZALEENS. This sect rose in Syria, under Zanzalee, A. D. 535; he taught that water by baptism was of no efficacy, and that it was necessary to be baptized with fire, by the application of a red-hot iron. The sect was at one time very numerous.-Ashe. ZE, ZOW, ZIERES. For ye, you, and yours. The letter z was retained in Scotland, and was commonly written, for the letter y, so late as the reign of queen Mary, up to which period many books in the Scottish language were printed in Edinburgh with these words, A. D. 1543. ZEALAND, NEW, IN THE PACIFIC. Discovered by Tasman in 1642. He traversed the eastern coast, and entered a strait where, being attacked by the natives soon after he came to anchor, he did not go ashore. From the time of Tasman, the whole country, except that part of the coast which was seen by him, remained altogether unknown, and was by many supposed to make part of a southern continent, till 1770, when it was circumnavigated by captain Cook, who found it to consist of two large islands, separated by the strait. The introduction of potatoes into New Zealand has saved many lives, for the natives give this root a decided preference to human flesh, under every circumstance, except that of wreaking vengeance on a chief of the foe whom they have taken in battle. Captain Cook, in 1773, planted several spots of ground on this island with European garden-seeds; and in 1777, he found a few fine potatoes, greatly improved by change of soil. ZELA, BATTLE OF, in which Julius Cæsar defeated Pharnaces, king of Pontus, son of Mithridates. Cæsar, in announcing this victory, sent his famous dispatch to the senate of Rome, in three words: " Veni, vidi, vici"-"I came, I saw, I conquered," so rapidly and easily was his triumph obtained. This battle concluded the war; Pharnaces escaped into Bosphorus, where he was slain by his lieutenant, Asander; and Pontus was made a province of Rome, and Bosphorus given to Mithridates of Pergamus, 47 B. C.Sue. Cæs. ZELICHOW, BATTLE OF, between the Polish and Russian armies, one of the most desperate and bloody battles fought by the Poles in their late struggle for the freedom of their country. The Russians, who were commanded by general Diebitch, were defeated, losing 12,000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners; and Diebitch narrowly escaped being taken in the pursuit of his flying army, April 6, 1831. ZENO, SECT or, founded by Zeno. This sect also took the name of Stoic, from a public portico, so called, from which the philosopher delivered his harangues. It was the most famous portico in Athens, and was called by way of eminence, Eroa, the porch. See Stoics. In order to form his own school of philosophy, and to collect materials for a new system, Zeno had attended the schools of various masters, and among others he offered himself as a disciple of Polemo. This philosopher, aware of Zeno's object, said, "I am no stranger, Zeno, to your Phoenician arts. I perceive that your design is to creep slily into my garden, and steal away my fruit." He taught about 312 B. C. ZINC. The discovery of this metal, so far as the fact is known, is due to the moderns. It is said to have been long known in China, however, and is noticed by European writers as early as A. D. 1231; though the method of extracting it from the ore was unknown for nearly five hundred years after. A mine of zinc was discovered on lord Ribbledale's estate, Craven, Yorkshire, in 1809. Zincography was introduced in London shortly after the invention of lithography became known in England, in 1817. See Lithography. ZODIAC. The obliquity of the zodiac was discovered, its twelve signs named, and their situations assigned them in the heavens, by Anaximander, about 560 B. C. The Greeks and Arabians borrowed the zodiac from the Hindoos, to whom it has been known from time immemorial.-Sir William Jones. The invention of geographical maps, and of sun-dials, belongs also to Anaximander.-Pliny. ZOE, REIGN OF. This extraordinary woman, daughter of the emperor Constantine IX., married Romanus, who, in consequence, succeeded to the throne of the Eastern empire, A. D. 1028. Zoe, after intriguing with a Paphlagonian money-lender, caused her husband Romanus to be poisoned, and afterwards married her favorite, who ascended the throne under the name of Michael IV., 1034. Zoe adopted for her son Michael the Fifth, the trade of whose father (careening vessels) had procured him the surname of Calaphates, 1041. Zoe and her sister, Theodora, were made sole empresses by the populace; but after two months, Zoe, although she was sixty years of age, took for her third husband Constantine X., who succeeded to the empire in 1042. See Eastern Empire. ZOOLOGY. The animal kingdom was divided by Linnæus into six classes, viz:-Mammalia, which includes all animals that suckle their young; Aves, or birds; Amphibia, or amphibious animals; Pisces, or fishes; Insecta, or insects; Vermes, or worms; A. D. 1741. From this period the science of zoology has had many distinguished professors, the most illustrious of whom was the baron Cuvier, who died in Paris, May 13, 1832. The Zoological Gardens of London were opened in April 1827; the society was chartered March 27, 1829. ZUINGLIANS. The followers of Ulricus Zuinglius. This zealous reformer, while he officiated at Zurich, declaimed against the church of Rome and its indulgences, and effected the same separation for Switzerland from the papal dominion, which Luther had for Saxony. He procured two assemblies to be called; by the first he was authorized to proceed, and by the second the ceremonies of the Romish church were abolished, 1519. Zuinglius, who began as a preacher, died in arms as a soldier: he was slain in a skirmish against the Popish opponents of his reformed doctrines, in 1531. The reformers who adhered entirely to Zuinglius were called after his name and also Sacramentarians. ZURICH. It was admitted to be a member of the Swiss confederacy, of which this canton was made the head, A. D. 1351. Cession of Utznach, 1436. This was the first town in Switzerland that separated from the church of Rome, in consequence of the opposition given by Zuinglius to a Franciscan monk sent by Leo X., to publish indulgences here, 1519, et seq. A grave-digger of Zurich poisoned the sacramental wine, by which eight persons lost their lives, and many others were grievously injured, Sept. 4, 1776. The French were defeated here, losing 4000 men, June 4, 1799. The Imperialists were defeated by Massena, the former losing 20,000 men in killed and wounded, Sept. 24, 1799. See Switzerland. LITERARY CHRONOLOGY. [From the Companion to the British Almanac, with additions.] THE following Chronological List of Authors is in extension of the Catalogue furnished in the Companion of 1831, differing from it by adding to the name of each author the title of his most important production, or some word expressive of the nature of his works. In order to show the various literary charactor of each age the catalogue is divided into three columns: the first containing those authors who have drawn chiefly from their own sources, as poets and novelists; the second those who treat on matters of fact, as history and geography; and the third, the philosophic and scientific writers. Where an author has written in different styles, his name will be found in the column to which his most distinguished productions appertain. The Hebrews having, almost without exception, treated on speculative subjects, the triple division does not extend to them. The dates of birth and death are appended to each name, where they could be ascertained. In other cases, the situation of the name will show nearly the time when each author has flourished. HEBREW. (The words in italics between parentheses are the familiar appellations of the preceding persons; they are formed from the first letters of each word composing their names. For example, the Jews call Maimonides Rambam, from the four initial letters of his full name, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon. Jym Tof, in like manner, is called Ritba, from the words Rabbi Yom Tof bar Abraham..] B. C. 100 Nechoniah ben Hakkanah, Sepher habbahir,' the illustrious book. The most ancient of Rabbinical books. Cabbalistic. Jonathan, Targum,' or Chaldee paraphrase of the Bible. A. D. 0 Onkelos, Targum.' Josephus, b. 35. 100 Akiba, d. 120. The Mishna has been incorrectly attributed to him. Shimeon ben Jochai (Rashbi). The 'Zohar,' Jose ben Chilpheta, 'A History of the Nathan of Babylon, 'Pirke aboth,' the say. Eliezer, Pirke Eliezer,' the sayings of Judah Hakkadosh, Mishna,' the oral tradi- |