D A I R EL RAMAlt-DALMATICA.

Africa, behind the Slave Coast. The country is verylittle known to Europeans. The parts which havebeen visited are very beautiful and fertile, and rise,for about 150 miles, w r ith a gradual slope, but withoutanv great elevation. The soil is deep rich clay, yield-ing maize, millet, and Guinea corn in abundance. Theinhabitants are warlike and ferocious. The govern-ment is an absolute despotism. The ferocity whichprevails among this nation almost surpasses belief.Human skulls form the favourite ornament in theconstruction of the palaces and temples. The king’ssleeping-chamber has the floor paved with the skulls,and the roof ornamented with the jaw-bones, of chiefswhom he has overcome in battle.

Daik el Ramar. A town in Syria. It is built onthe declivity of a hill, at the foot of which flows abranch of the river Damouna. It occupies a largeextent of ground, and the palace, which is the propertyof the prince of the Druses, is a large but ruinousbuilding. It contains about 1800 inhabitants, of va-rious denominations, Greeks, Catholics, Maronites,and Druses.

Dal. A Swedish wmrd, signifying, like the Ger-man Thai, valley, as in Dalecarlia.

Dal. A large river in Sweden. It rises in themountains on the Norwegian frontiers, and aftervassing in a south-eastern direction through Dalecar-ia, falls into the gulf of Bothnia.

Dalecarlia. A province of Sweden. See Sweden.

Dalen. A town in the kingdom of Saxony. Ithas a population of 1300 persons, and is twenty-sevenmiles E. of Leipsic. Lon. 13° 4' E., lat. 51° 25' N.

Dalen. A town in the Prussian states. It issituated on a gentle eminence, and the surroundingcountry is remarkably beautiful. The populationamounts to about 4000 persons, and is twelve milesS. E. of Ruremond. Lon. 6° 12' E., lat. 51° 6' N.

Dalkeith. A large town in the county ofEdinburgh. Its situation is remarkably dry andhealthy. The inhabitants are principally employedby the numerous collieries, and many in agriculturalpursuits. In its immediate neighbourhood stands thecastle; it was once a place of great strength and im-portance, being built on the edge of the high bankwhich overlooks the North Esk. This castle belongedto the wife of the Duke of Monmouth, who kept up thestyle of a princess, believing that her husband had alegal claim to the British throne. Dalkeith has a popu-lation of 5586 persons ; the annual value of the realproperty is 11,911 A Six miles S. S. E. of Edinburgh.

Dalmatia. An Austrian kingdom, including fourcircles—Zara, Spalatro and Macarsca, Ragusa, Cat-taro—lying on the Adriatic sea, bounded by Croatia,Bosnia, and Albania, and having several islands be-longing to it. Since 1814, with the exception of someTurkish provinces, it has been entirely subject to theemperor of Austria. It contains 5800 square miles,and 320,000 inhabitants. Dalmatia, formerly an im-portant kingdom, was, after many unsuccessful attempts,subjected by the Romans under Augustus. After thedecline of the Western Empire, it was first under thedominion of the Goths, then under that of the Easternemperors. In the first half of the seventh century, itwas conquered by the Sclavonians, who erected itjnto a kingdom, which lasted till 1030, when it w'as,>n part, united with Hungary, under king Ladislaus ;another part placed itself under the protection of thethen powerful republic of Venice, for security againstthe attacks of the Turks, who, however, afterwards

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took a part from the Venetians. By the peace ofCampo Formio (Oct. 17, 1797), the Venetian part ofDalmatia, as well as Venice itself, was made over toAustria ; but, by the treaty of Presburg, in 1805,Austria ceded it to the French emperor, who firstunited it with the kingdom of Italy, and in 1810, with'Illyria.

The causes of the small population of this fertilebut poorly cultivated country, are the excessive useof spirituous liquors, the noxious exhalations of themarshes in various districts, the frequent emigrations,and the habit of private revenge, which extends evento the third and fourth generations. It contains im-penetrable forests, and regions covered with marshes.The Dalmatians are a handsome race, bold seamen,and good soldiers, if they are well commanded. Theformer military power of Venice rested entirely uponthis province. The Dalmatians, in general, are ac-cused, and probably not unjustly, of deceitfulness andrapacity : the desire of independence is almost uni-versal. A peculiar feature of their character is, thatmany of them prefer the heroic death, (as they termit), by the spear, to a natural and peaceful death inthe midst of their family. They speak a Sclavonicdialect. The Morlachians, who dwell in the interiorof the country, and among the mountains, and in theTurkish government of Herseck, constitute but a partof the nation. They are excellent soldiers, but have astrong inclination to robbery and drinking ; yet theyare hospitable, benevolent, and faithful in their pro-mises. Averse to every kind of restraint, they live ina sort of natural condition. They have always madethe most powerful resistance against the attacks of theTurks.

The inhabitants of the islands are principally em-ployed in fishing, and are servants on the continent,or sailors in merchant ships. The islands are not veryproductive. Several have good harbours, and affordmuch timber for ship-building. The inhabitants ofthe continent are employed in agriculture, and thebreeding of cattle. They have some commerce, anddevote themselves chiefly to the sea. As long as theirsoil produces no more than it does at present, theirtrade and industry cannot be important, more parti-cularly since the great commons, according to theancient Dalmatian custom, are not separated, and theovergrown landed estates of individuals are not dividedon their decease. The Dalmatians export tallow, hare-skins, (which latter are brought from Bosnia,) someoil, figs, wine, brandy, wax, and salt fish, from differentports ; and receive, in exchange, linen, cloth, coffee,and sugar, but only in small quantities, so that themoney-balance is on their side. There are gold, iron,and coal mines in the country, but they remain un-wrought. Zara, the capital, and the peat of thegovernor, has 5,000 inhabitants, and Spalatro has6,800 inhabitants. The district of Cattaro, which isunder the dominion of Austria, is sometimes comprisedin Dalmatia, but properly belongs to Albania, and liesin a semicircular form round the gulf. The thirteencelebrated inlets (Bocche di Cattaro), form the safestharbours on the Adriatic sea, and present some fineprospects. The inhabitants of the district are esti-mated at 30,000. They are excellent seamen. Byland, their resolution and boldness render them themost formidable enemies of the Turks in that quarter.The steep, rough, and barren heights of Montenegrosurround this province in a semicircular form.

Dalmatic a. A long, white gown, with whiteM M 2