Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

GUERNSEY (Fr. Guernesey)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 672 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

GUERNSEY (Fr. Guernesey) , one of the Channel Islands, belonging to See also:Britain, the second in See also:size and westernmost of the important members of the See also:group. Its See also:chief See also:town, St See also:Peter See also:Port, on the See also:east See also:coast, is in 2° 33' W., 490 27' N., 74 M. S. of See also:Portland See also:Bill on the See also:English coast, and 30 M. from the nearest See also:French coast to the east. The See also:island, roughly triangular in See also:form, is 94 m. See also:long from N.E. to S.W. and has an extreme breadth of 5.1-1 M. and an See also:area of 15,691 acres or 24.5 sq. m. Pop. (1901), 40,446, the See also:density being thus 162 per sq. m. The See also:surface of the island rises gradually from See also:north to See also:south, and reaches its greatest See also:elevation at Haut Nez (349 ft.) above Point Icart on the south coast. The coast scenery, which forms one of the See also:principal attractions to the numerous summer visitors to the island, is finest on the south. This coast, between Jerbourg and Pleinmont Points, respectively at the south-eastern and south-western corners of the island, is bold, rocky and indented with many exquisite little bays. Of these the most notable are See also:Moulin See also:Huet, See also:Saint's, and See also:Petit Bot, all in the eastern See also:half of the south coast. The cliffs, however, culminate in the neighbourhood of Pleinmont.

Picturesque caves occur at several points, such as the Creux Mahie. On the See also:

west coast there is a See also:succession of larger bays—Rocquaine Perelle, Vazon, and Cobo. Off the first lies Lihou Island, the Hanois and other islets, and all three bays are sown with rocks. The coast,' however, diminishes in height, until at the north-eastern extremity of the island the See also:land is so See also:low across the Vale or Braye du Val, from See also:shore to shore, that the See also:projection of L'Ancresse is within a few feet of being isolated. The east coast, on which, besides the town and See also:harbour of St Peter Port, is that of St See also:Sampson, presents no See also:physical feature of See also:note. The interior of the island is generally undulating, and gains in beauty from its See also:rich vegetation. Picturesque glens descend upon some of the See also:southern bays (the two converging upon Petit Bot are notable), and the high-banked paths, arched with foliage, which follow the smaP rills down to Moulin Huet See also:Bay, are much admired under the name of See also:water-lanes. The See also:soil is generally See also:light sandy See also:loam, overlying an angular See also:gravel which rests upon the weathered See also:granite. This soil requires much manure, and a large proportion of the See also:total area (about three-fifths) is under careful cultivation, producing a considerable amount of See also:grain, but more famous for See also:market-gardening. Vegetables and potatoes are exported, with much See also:fruit, including grapes and See also:flowers. Granite is quarried and exported from St Sampson, and the See also:fisheries form an important See also:industry. For administrative purposes Guernsey is See also:united with See also:Alderney, See also:Sark, Herm and the adjacent islets to form the bailiwick of Guernsey, See also:separate from See also:Jersey.

The See also:

peculiar constitution, machinery of See also:administration and See also:justice, See also:finance, &c., are considered under the heading CHANNEL ISLANDS. Guernsey is divided into the ten parishes of St Peter Port, St Sampson, Vale, Catel, St Saviour, St See also:Andrew, St See also:Martin, See also:Forest, St Peter du Bois and Torteval. The See also:population of St Peter Port in 1901 was 18,264; of the other parishes that of St Sampson was 5614 and that of Vale 5082. The population of the bailiwick of Guernsey nearly doubled between 1821 and 1901, and that of the island increased from 35,243 in 1891 to 40,446 in 1901. The island roads are excellent, Guernsey owing much in this respect to See also:Sir See also:John See also:Doyle (d. 1834), the See also:governor whose See also:monument stands on the promontory of Jerbourg. Like Jersey and the neighbouring See also:part of See also:France, Guernsey retains considerable traces of See also:early habitation in cromlechs and menhirs, of which the most notable is the cromlech in the north at L'Ancresse. As regards ecclesiastical See also:architecture, all the See also:parish churches retain some archaeological See also:interest. There is See also:good See also:Norman See also:work in the See also:church of St See also:Michael, Vale, and the church of St Peter Port is a notable See also:building of various periods from the early 14th See also:century. Small remains of monastic buildings are seen at Vale and on Lihou Island. GUERRAllI, See also:FRANCESCO DOMENICO (1804–1873), See also:Italian publicist, See also:born at See also:Leghorn, was educated for the See also:law at See also:Pisa, and began to practise in his native See also:place. But he soon took to politics and literature, under the See also:influence of See also:Byron, and his novel, the Battagli di See also:Benevento(1827), brought him into See also:notice.

Mazzini made his acquaintance, and with Carlo Bini they started a See also:

paper, the Indicatore, at Leghorn in 1829, which was quickly suppressed. Guerrazzi himself had to endure several terms of imprisonment for his activity in the cause of See also:Young See also:Italy, and it was in Portoferrato in 1834 that he wrote his most famous novel Assidio di Firenze. He was the most powerful Liberal See also:leader at Leghorn, and in 1848 became a See also:minister, with some See also:idea of exercising a moderating influence in the difficulties with the See also:grand-See also:duke of See also:Tuscany. In 1849, when the latter fled, he was first one of the triumvirate with Mazzini and See also:Montanelli, and then See also:dictator, but on the restoration he was arrested and imprisoned for three years. His Apologia was published in 1852. Released from See also:prison, he was exiled to See also:Corsica, but subsequently was restored and was for some See also:time a See also:deputy at See also:Turin (1862-187o), dying of See also:apoplexy at Leghorn on the 25th of See also:September 1873. He wrote a number of other See also:works besides the novels already mentioned, notably See also:Isabella See also:Orsini (1845) and See also:Beatrice See also:Cenci (1854), and his Opere were collected at See also:Milan (1868). See the See also:Life and Works by Bosio (1897), and See also:Carducci's edition of his letters (i88o).

End of Article: GUERNSEY (Fr. Guernesey)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
GUERNIERI, or WERNER 		[next]
GUERRERO

Site © 2006 - Net Industries