CABALA

Lauderdale; the initials of whose names happened to compose the word cabal. This term (which existed long before, and was derived from cabala) is applied to any junto united in some close design, usually to promote their private ends by intrigue. Cab'ala, or CAB'BALA, a mysterious kind of science or knowledge among Jewish rabbins, pretended to have been delivered to the ancient Jews by revelation-specifically to Moses on Sinai-and transmitted by oral tradition, serving for the interpretation of difficult passages of Scripture. This science consists chiefly in understanding the combination of certain letters, words, and numbers which are alleged to be significant. Every letter, word, number, and accent of the law is supposed to contain a mystery, and the cabalists pretend even to foretell future events by the study of this science.

Caballero (ka-ba-lyer'ō), FERNAN, pseudonym of Cecilia Böhl von Faber, the chief modern Spanish novelist, daughter of a German settled in Spain and married to a Spanish lady; born 1797, died 1877. Her first novel, La Gaviota, appeared in 1849, and was followed by Elia, Clemencia, La Familia de Alvareda, &c., as well as by many shorter stories. The chief charm of her writings lies in her descriptions of life and nature in Andalusia. She was three times left a widow; her last husband's name was De Arrom.

Cab ́anis, PIERRE JEAN GEORGES, French physician, philosopher, and littérateur, born 1757, died 1808. He became acquainted with Madame Helvetius, and through her with Holbach, Franklin, and Jefferson, and became the friend of Condillac, Turgot, and Thomas. He professed the principles of the revolution, and was intimately connected with Mirabeau. His Rapports du Physique et du Moral de l'Homme is his most important work. It displays considerable power of analysis, and advocates the most extreme materialistic doctrines. He afterwards changed his opinions and adopted theistic views.

Cabatuan', a town on the island of Panay, one of the Philippines. Pop. 23,000.

Cabaze'ra, a town in the island of Luzon, Philippines. Pop. 15,000.

Cabbage, the popular name of various species of cruciferous plants of the genus Brassica, and especially applied to the plainleaved, hearting, garden varieties of B. oleracea, cultivated for food. The wild cab

CABBALA.

bage is a native of the coasts of Britain, but is much more common on other European shores. The kinds most cultivated are the common cabbage, the savoy, the broccoli, and the cauliflower. The common cabbage forms its leaves into heads or bolls, the inner leaves being blanched. Its varieties are the white, the red or purple, the tree or cow cabbage for cattle (branching and growing when in flower to the height of 10 feet), and the very delicate Portugal cabbage. The garden sorts form valuable culinary vegetables, and are used at table in various ways. In Germany pickled cabbage forms a sort of national dish, known as sauer-kraut.

Cabbage-bark. See Andira.

Cabbage-butterfly, a name given to several species of butterfly, especially Pontia or Pieris brassica, a large white butterfly, the larvæ of which destroy cruciferous plants, particularly of the cabbage tribe.

Cabbage-fly (Anthomyia brassica), a fly belonging to the same family (Muscida) as the house-fly and the same genus as the turnip and potato flies. Its larvæ or maggots are destructive to cabbages by producing disease in their roots, on which they feed.

Cabbage-moth, the Mamestra or Noctua Brassica, a moth measuring about 1 inch across the open fore-wings, which are dusky brown, clouded with darker shades, and marked with dark spots, as also various streaks and spots of a yellowish or white colour. The caterpillar is greenish-black, and is found in autumn feeding on the hearts of cabbages.

Cabbage-palm, a name given to various species of palm-trees from the circumstance that the terminal bud, which is of great size, is edible and resembles cabbage, as the A rēca oleracea, a native of the West Indies, the simple unbranched stem of which grows to a height of 150 or even 200 feet. The unopened bud of young leaves is much prized as a vegetable, but the removal of it completely destroys the tree, as it is unable to produce lateral buds.

Cabbage-rose, a species of rose (Rosa centifolia) of many varieties, supposed to have been cultivated from ancient times, and eminently fitted for the manufacture of rose-water and attar from its fragrance. It has a large, rounded, and compact flower. Called also Provence Rose.

Cabbage-tree, a name given to the cabbage-palm, and also to a tree of the genus Andira (which see).

Cab'bala. See Cabala,

Cabeiri. See Cabiri.

CABEIRI

Ca'ber, the undressed stem of a tree, 20 or more feet long, used at Highland games as a trial of strength, being held upright by the smaller end and tossed so as strike the ground with the other end and turn over.

Ca'bes, or KA'BES, a town and port of Tunis, with a small trade. The Gulf of Cabes (Syrtis Minor), at the head of which the town is situated, lies between the islands of Kerkenna and Jerba.

Cabin'da, a Portuguese seaport and territory, north of the Congo mouth, bounded by the Atlantic, the Congo State, and the French Congo territory. The town carries on a considerable trade, and its people are noted for their shipbuilding and other handicrafts. Pop. 10,000.

Cab'inet, the collective body of ministers who direct the government of a country. In Britain, though the executive government is vested nominally in the crown, it resides practically in a committee of ministers called the cabinet. Every cabinet includes the first lord of the treasury, who is usually (not always) the prime-minister or chief of the ministry, and therefore of the cabinet; the lord-chancellor, the lord-president of the council, the chancellor of the exchequer, the first lord of the admiralty, and the five secretaries of state. A number of other ministerial functionaries, varying from two to eight, have usually seats in the cabinet, and its members belong to both houses of parliament, but usually adhere to that political party which predominates for the time being in the House of Commons. Its meetings are secret, and no minutes of the proceedings are taken. In the United States government the cabinet consists of the secretaries of state, treasury, war, navy, and interior, the attorney-general, postmaster-general, and the secretary of agriculture. They meet whenever desired by the president, but not publicly. No minutes are kept of their proceedings. The president presides.

Cabi'ri, CABEI RI, deities or deified heroes worshipped in the ancient Greek islands of Lemnos, Imbros, and Samothrace, and also on the neighbouring coast of Troy in Asia Miner.

Cable, a large strong rope or chain, such as is used to retain a vessel at anchor. It is made usually of hemp or iron, but may be made of other materials. A hemp cable is composed of three strands, each strand of three ropes, and each rope of three

CABOT.

twists. A ship's cable is usually 120 fathoms or 720 feet in length; hence the expression a cable's length. Chain-cables have now almost superseded rope-cables. Although deficient in elasticity, heavier, and more difficult of management, yet their immunity from chafing and rotting, their greater compactness for stowage, and the fact that from their greater weight the strain is exerted on the cable rather than on the ship, more than counterbalance these drawbacks.-A submarine telegraph cable is composed of one or more copper wires embedded in a compound of gutta percha and resinous substances, encircled by layers of gutta percha or india-rubber, hemp or jute padding, and coils of iron wire. There are now (1893) ten cables laid across the North Atlantic ocean: two start from Brest, France; six from the west coast of Ireland; and two from Land's End, England. There are in the world 135,000 miles of cables, of which Great Britain owns 91,000 miles; France, 20,000; and United States, 10,000.

Cab'ct, SEBASTIAN, navigator, was born at Bristol about 1474, died about 1557. He was the son of John Cabot, a Venetian

cial treaties with native princes, and then returned to Europe.

Cabre'ra, a small Spanish island, one of the Balearic Isles, used as a place for receiving convicts.

Cabul, CABOOL, KABUL (kä-bul), capital of the kingdom of Afghanistan, 165 miles from the Indian station and fort of Peshawur, 600 from Herat, and 290 from Candahar. It stands on the Cabul river, at an elevation of 6400 feet above sea-level. The citadel, Bala-Hissar, contains the palace and other public buildings, the fort, &c. Cabul carries on a considerable trade with Hindustan through the Khyber Pass. It was taken by the British in 1839 and in 1842, and on the occasion of a subsequent war with the British in 1879 Cabul was twice taken by their troops. Pop. 75,000.The Cabul river rises in Afghanistan at the

height of about 8400 feet, flows eastward, passes through the Khyber Pass into India, and falls into the Indus at Attock. Length 300 miles.

Caca'o, or Co'cos, the chocolate-tree (Theobroma Cacão), nat. order Byttneriacea, and also the powder and beverage made with it obtained from the fruit of this tree. The tree is 16 to 18 feet high, a native of tropical America, and much cultivated in the tropics of both hemispheres, especially in the West India Islands, Central and South America. Its fruit is contained in pointed, oval, ribbed pods 6 to 10 inches long, each inclosing 50 to 100 seeds in a white, sweetish pulp. These are very nutritive, containing 50 per cent of fat, are of an agreeable flavour, and used, both in their fresh state and when dried, as an article of diet. Cocoa and chocolate are made from them, the

CACERES

former being a powder obtained by grinding the seeds, and often mixed with other substances when prepared for sale, the latter being this powder mixed with sugar and various flavouring matters and formed into solid cakes. The seeds when roasted and divested of their husks and crushed are known as cocoa nibs. The seeds yield also an oil called butter of cacao, used in pomatum and for making candles, soap, &c. The term cocoa is a corruption of cacao, but is more commonly used in commerce: cocoa-nuts, however, are obtained from an entirely different tree.

Caceres (kä'the-res), a town of Western Spain, Estremadura, capital of a province of same name, with an episcopal palace, an old castle, and the largest bull-ring in Spain. Pop. 14,204. Pop. of province, 325,953; area, 8013 sq. miles.

Cachalot (kash'a-lot). See Sperm-whale. Cachar', an East Indian district in Assam; area, 3750 sq. miles. Pop. 313,858, entirely engaged either in rice cultivation or on the tea plantations.

Cache (kash; Fr.), a hole in the ground for hiding and preserving provisions which it is inconvenient to carry: used by settlers in the western states of America and Arctic explorers.

Cachet (kä-sha), LETTRE DE, a name given especially to letters proceeding from and signed by the kings of France, and countersigned by a secretary of state. They were at first made use of occasionally as a means of delaying the course of justice. but they appear to have been rarely em ployed before the 17th century as warrants for the detention of private citizens, and for depriving them of their personal liberty. During the reign of Louis XIV. their use became frightfully common, and by means of them persons were imprisoned for life or for a long period on the most frivolous pretexts. They were abolished at the Revolution.

Cachexy (ka-kek'si), CACHEXIA (Gr., 'evil habit of body'), a morbid state of the bodily system, in which there is great weakness, with or without the local manifestation of some constitutional disease. It is not a disease of itself, but the result of disease.

Cachoeira (kä-sho-a'i-ra), a town of Bra zil, in the province and 62 miles N.W. of Bahia. Pop. 15,000.

Cacholong (kash'o-long), a mineral of the quartz family, a variety of opal, and so often called Pearl-opal, usually milk-white, some

CACTUS.

times grayish or yellowish-white, opaque or slightly translucent at the edges.

Cacholot. See Cachalot.

Cachou (ka-shö'); a sweetmeat in the form of a pill, made from the extract of liquorice, cashew-nut, gum, &c., used by smokers to sweeten the breath.

Cachuca (ka-cho'ka), a Spanish dance performed by a man and woman to a lively, graceful air in triple time and with a strongly marked accent.

Cacique (ka-sek'), in some parts of America the title of the native chiefs at the time of the conquest by the Spaniards.

Cac'odyle. See Kakodyle.

Cac'olet, a contrivance somewhat resembling a double arm-chair, or in other cases like a bed, fixed on the back of a mule or horse for carrying sick persons or travellers in mountainous countries.

Cacon'go, or MALLEMBA, a district on the west coast of Africa, immediately north of the Congo river. The chief town is Kinguela.

Cactus, a Linnæan genus of plants, now used as a name for any of the Cactaceae, a natural order of dicotyledons, otherwise called the Indian fig order. The species

1, Echinocactus centeterius. 2, E. oxygonus. are succulent shrubs, with minute scale-like leaves (except in the genus Pereskia, treecactus, with large leaves), and with clusters and spines on the stems. They have fleshy stems, with sweetish watery or milky juice, and they assume many peculiar forms. The juice in some species affords a refreshing beverage where water is not to be got. All the plants of this order, except a single species, are natives of America. They are generally found in very dry localities. Some are epiphytes. Several have been introduced into the Old World, and in many places they have become naturalized. The fruits of some species are edible, as the prickly-pear