[1] Writing in the _Geographical Journal_, March 1894, on "Evolution
of Indian Geography," he says: "The plants of Indian and African coal
measures are without exception identical, and among the few animals
which have been found in India one is indistinguishable from an
African species, another is closely allied, and both faunas are
characterized by the very remarkable genus group of reptiles
comprising the Dicynodon and other allied forms (see _Manual of
Geology of India_, 2nd ed. p. 203). These, however, are not the only
analogies, for near the coast of South Africa there are developed a
series of beds containing the plant fossils in the lower part and
marine shells in the upper, known as the Uitenhage series, which
corresponds exactly to the small patches of the Rajmahal series along
the east coast of India. The few plant forms found in the lower beds
of Africa are mostly identical with or closely allied to the Rajmahal
species, while of the very few marine shells in the Indian outcrops,
which are sufficiently well preserved for identification, at least
one species is identical with an African form. These very close
relationships between the plants and animals of India and Africa at
this remote period appear inexplicable unless there were direct land
communications between them over what is now the Indian Ocean. On the
east coast of India in the Khasi Hills, and on the coast of South
Africa, the marine fossils of late Jurassic and early cretaceous age
are largely identical with, or very closely allied to each other,
showing that they must have been inhabitants of one and the same
great sea. In western India the fossils of the same age belong to a
fauna which is found in the north of Madagascar, in northern and
eastern Africa, in western Asia, and ranges into Europe--a fauna
differing so radically from that of the eastern exposures that only a
few specimens of world-wide range are found in both. Seeing that the
distances between the separate outcrops containing representatives of
the two faunas are much less than those separating the outcrops from
the nearest ones of the same fauna, the only possible explanation of
the facts is that there was a continuous stretch of dry land
connecting South Africa and India and separating two distinct marine
zoological provinces."
ETHYL, in chemistry, the name given to the alkyl radical C2H5. The
compounds containing this radical are treated under other headings; the
hydride is better known as ethane, the alcohol, C2H5OH, is the ordinary
alcohol of commerce, and the oxide (C2H5)2O is ordinary ether.
ETHYL CHLORIDE, or HYDROCHLORIC ETHER, C2H5Cl, a chemical compound
prepared by passing dry hydrochloric acid gas into absolute alcohol. It
is a colourless liquid with a sweetish burning taste and an agreeable
odour. It is extremely volatile, boiling at 12.5 deg. C. (54.5 deg. F.), and is
therefore a gas at ordinary room temperatures; it is stored in glass
tubes fitted with screw-capped nozzles. The vapour burns with a smoky
green-edged flame. It is largely used in dentistry and slight surgical
operations to produce local anaesthesia (q.v.), and is known by the
trade-name kelene. More volatile anaesthetics such as anestile or
anaesthyl and coryl are produced by mixing with methyl chloride; a
mixture of ethyl and methyl chlorides with ethyl bromide is known as
somnoform.
ETHYLENE, or ETHENE, C2H4, or H2C:CH2, the first representative of the
series of olefine hydrocarbons, is found in coal gas. It is usually
prepared by heating a mixture of ethyl alcohol and sulphuric acid. G.S.
Newth (_Jour. Chem. Soc._, 1901, 79, p. 915) obtains a purer product by
dropping ethyl alcohol into syrupy phosphoric acid (sp. gr. 1.75) warmed
to 200 deg. C., subsequently raising the temperature to 220 deg. C. It can also
be obtained by the action of sodium on ethylidene chloride (B. Tollens,
_Ann._, 1866, 137, p. 311); by the reduction of copper acetylide with
zinc dust and ammonia; by heating ethyl bromide with an alcoholic
solution of caustic potash; by passing a mixture of carbon bisulphide
and sulphuretted hydrogen over red-hot copper; and by the electrolysis
of a concentrated solution of potassium succinate,
(CH2.CO2K)2 + 2H2O = C2H4 + 2CO2 + 2KOH + H2.
It is a colourless gas of somewhat sweetish taste; it is slightly
soluble in water, but more so in alcohol and ether. It can be liquefied
at -1.1 deg. C., under a pressure of 421/2 atmos. It solidifies at -181 deg. C.
and melts at -169 deg. C. (K. Olszewski); it boils at -105 deg. C. (L.P.
Cailletet), or -102 deg. to -103 deg. C. (K. Olszewski). Its critical
temperature is 13 deg. C., and its specific gravity is 0.9784 (air = 1). The
specific gravity of liquid ethylene is 0.386 (3 deg. C.). Ethylene burns
with a bright luminous flame, and forms a very explosive mixture with
oxygen. For the combustion of ethylene see FLAME. On strong heating it
decomposes, giving, among other products, carbon, methane and acetylene
(M. Berthelot, _Ann._, 1866, 139, p. 277). Being an unsaturated
hydrocarbon, it is capable of forming addition products, e.g. it
combines with hydrogen in the presence of platinum black, to form
ethane, C2H6, with sulphur trioxide to form carbyl sulphate, C2H4(SO3)2,
with hydrobromic and hydriodic acids at 100 deg. C. to form ethyl bromide,
C2H5Br, and ethyl iodide, C2H5I, with sulphuric acid at 160-170 deg. C. to
form ethyl sulphuric acid, C2H5.HSO4, and with hypochlorous acid to form
glycol chlorhydrin, Cl.CH2.CH2.OH. Dilute potassium permanganate
solution oxidizes it to ethylene glycol, HO.CH2.CH2.OH, whilst fuming
nitric acid converts it into oxalic acid. Several compounds of ethylene
and metallic chlorides are known; e.g. ferric chloride in the presence
of ether at 150 deg. C. gives C2H4.FeCl3.2H2O (J. Kachtler, _Ber._, 1869, 2,
p. 510), while platinum bichloride in concentrated hydrochloric acid
solution absorbs ethylene, forming the compound C2H4.PtCl2 (K. Birnbaum,
_Ann._, 1868, 145, p. 69).
ETIENNE, CHARLES GUILLAUME (1778-1845), French dramatist and
miscellaneous writer, was born near Saint Dizier, Haute Marne, on the
5th of January 1778. He held various municipal offices under the
Revolution and came in 1796 to Paris, where he produced his first opera,
_Le Reve_, in 1799, in collaboration with Antoine Frederic Gresnick.
Although Etienne continued to write for the Paris theatres for twenty
years from that date, he is remembered chiefly as the author of one
comedy, which excited considerable controversy. _Les Deux Gendres_ was
represented at the Theatre Francais on the 11th of August 1810, and
procured for its author a seat in the Academy. A rumour was put in
circulation that Etienne had drawn largely on a manuscript play in the
imperial library, entitled _Conaxa, ou les gendres dupes_. His rivals
were not slow to take up the charge of plagiarism, to which Etienne
replied that the story was an old one (it existed in an old French
_fabliau_) and had already been treated by Alexis Piron in _Les Fils
ingrats_. He was, however, driven later to make admissions which at
least showed a certain lack of candour. The bitterness of the attacks
made on him was no doubt in part due to his position as editor-in-chief
of the official _Journal de l'Empire_. His next play, _L'Intrigante_
(1812), hardly maintained the high level of Les Deux Gendres; the
patriotic opera _L'Oriflamme_ and his lyric masterpiece _Joconde_ date
from 1814. Etienne had been secretary to Hugues Bernard Maret, duc de
Bassano, and in this capacity had accompanied Napoleon throughout his
campaigns in Italy, Germany, Austria and Poland. During these journeys
he produced one of his best pieces, _Brueys et Palaprat_ (1807). During
the Restoration Etienne was an active member of the opposition. He was
seven times returned as deputy for the department of Meuse, and was in
full sympathy with the revolution of 1830, but the reforms actually
carried out did not fulfil his expectations, and he gradually retired
from public life. Among his other plays may be noted: _Les Deux Meres,
Le Pacha de Suresnes_, and _La Petite Ecole des peres_, all produced in
1802, in collaboration with his friend Gaugiran de Nanteuil (1778-1830).
With Alphonse Dieudonne Martainville (1779-1830) he wrote an _Histoire
du Theatre Francais_ (4 vols., 1802) during the revolutionary period.
Etienne was a bitter opponent of the romanticists, one of whom, Alfred
de Vigny, was his successor and panegyrist in the Academy. He died on
the 13th of March 1845.
His _Oeuvres_ (6 vols., 1846-1853) contain a notice of the author by
L. Thiesse.
ETIQUETTE, a term for ceremonial usage, the rules of behaviour observed
in society, more particularly the formal rules of ceremony to be
observed at court functions, &c., the procedure, especially with regard
to precedence and promotions in an organized body or society.
Professions, such as the law or medicine, observe a code of etiquette,
which the members must observe as protecting the dignity of the
profession and preventing injury to its members. The word is French. The
O. Fr. _estiquette_ or _estiquet_ meant a label, or "ticket," the true
English derivative. The ultimate origin is Teutonic, from _sticken_, to
post up, stick, affix. Cotgrave explains the word in French as a billet
for the benefit or advantage of him that receives it, a form of
introduction and also a notice affixed at the gate of a court of law.
The development of meaning in French from a label to ceremonial rules is
not difficult in itself, but, as the _New English Dictionary_ points
out, the history has not been clearly established.
ETNA (Gr. [Greek: Aitne], from [Greek: aitho], burn; Lat. _Aetna_), a
volcano on the east coast of Sicily, the summit of which is 18 m. N. by
W. of Catania. Its height was ascertained to be 10,758 ft. in 1900,
having decreased from 10,870 ft. in 1861. It covers about 460 sq. m.,
and by rail the distance round the base of the mountain is 86 m.,
though, as the railway in some places travels high, the correct
measurement is about 91 m. The height cannot have been very different
in ancient times, for the so-called Torre del Filosofo, which is only
1188 ft. below the present summit, is a building of Roman date. The
shape is that of a truncated cone, interrupted on the west by the Valle
del Bove, a huge sterile abyss, 3 m. wide, bounded on three sides by
perpendicular cliffs (2000 to 4000 ft.). Its south-west portion, which
is the deepest, was perhaps the original crater. There are also some 200
subsidiary cones, some of them over 3000 ft. high, which have risen over
lateral fissures. On the slopes of the mountain there are three distinct
zones of vegetation, distinguished by Strabo (vi. p. 273 ff.). The
lowest, up to about 3000 ft., is the zone of cultivation, where
vegetables, and above them where water is more scanty, vines and olives
flourish. Owing to its extraordinary fertility it is densely populated,
having 930 inhabitants per sq. m. below 2600 ft., and 3056 inhabitants
per sq. m. in the triangle between Catania, Nicolosi and Acireale. The
next zone is the wooded zone, and is hardly inhabited, only a few
isolated houses occurring. The lower part of it (up to about 6000 ft.)
consists chiefly of forests of evergreen pines (_Pinus nigricans_), the
upper (up to about 6800 ft.) of birch woods (_Betula alba_). A few oaks
and red beeches occur, while chestnut trees grow anywhere between 1000
and 5300 ft. In the third and highest zone the vegetation is stunted,
and there is a narrow zone of sub-Alpine shrubs, but no Alpine flora. In
the last 2000 ft. five phanerogamous species only are to be found, the
first three of which are peculiar to the mountain: _Senecio Etnensis_
(which is found quite close to the crater), _Anthemis Etnensis,
Robertsia taraxacoides, Tanacetum vulgare_ and _Astragalus siculus_. No
trace of animal life is to be found in this zone; for the greater part
of the year it is covered with snow, but by the end of summer this has
almost all melted, except for that preserved in the covered pits in
which it is stored for use for cooling liquids, &c., in Catania and
elsewhere. The ascent is best undertaken in summer or autumn. From the
village of Nicolosi, 9 m. to the N.W. of Catania, about 7 or 8 hours are
required to reach the summit. Thucydides mentions eruptions in the 8th
and 5th centuries B.C., and others are mentioned by Livy in 125, 121 and
43 B.C. Catania was overwhelmed in 1169, and many other serious
eruptions are recorded, notably in 1669, 1830, 1852, 1865, 1879, 1886,
1892, 1899 and March 1910.
According to Lyell, Etna is rather older than Vesuvius--perhaps of the
same geological age as the Norwich Crag. At Trezza, on the eastern base
of the mountain, basaltic rocks occur associated with fossiliferous
Pliocene clays. The earliest eruptions of Etna are older than the
Glacial period in Central and Northern Europe. If all the minor cones
and monticules could be stripped from the mountain, the diminution of
bulk would be extremely slight. Lyell concluded that, although no
approximation can be given of the age of Etna, "its foundations were
laid in the sea in the newer Pliocene period." From the slope of the
strata from one central point in the Val del Bue he further concluded
that there once existed a second great crater of permanent eruption. The
rocks erupted by Etna have always been very constant in composition,
viz. varieties of basaltic lava and tuff containing little or no
olivine--the rock type known as labradorite. At Acireale the lava has
assumed the prismatic or columnar form in a striking manner; at the rock
of Aci it is in parts spheroidal. The Grotte des Chevres has been
regarded as an enormous gas-bubble in the lava. The remarkable stability
of the mountain appears to be due to the innumerable dikes which
penetrate the lava flows and tuff beds in all directions and thus bind
the whole mass together.
From the earliest times the mountain has naturally been the subject of
legends. The Greeks believed it to be either the mountain with which
Zeus had crushed the giant Typhon (so Pindar, Pyth. i. 34 seq.;
Aeschylus, _Prometheus Vinctus_, 351 seq.; Strabo xiii. p. 626), or
Enceladus (Virgil, _Georg._ i. 471; Oppian, Cyn. i. 273), or the
workshop of Hephaestus and the Cyclopes (Cic. _De divin._ ii. 19; cf.
Lucil., _Aetna_, 41 seq., Solin, 11). Several Roman writers, on the
other hand, attempted to explain the phenomena which it presented by
natural causes (e.g. Lucretius vi. 639 seq.; Lucilius, _Aetna_, 511
seq.). Ascents of the mountain were not infrequent in those days--one
was made by Hadrian.
See Sartorius von Waltershausen, _Atlas des Aetna_ (Leipzig, 1880); E.
Chaix, _Carta Volcanologica e topographica dell' Etna_ (showing lava
streams up to 1892); G. de Lorenzo, _L'Etna_ (Bergamo, 1907).
ETNA, a borough of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in the
western part of the state, on the W. bank of the Allegheny river (about
5 m. from its junction with the Monongahela), and about 2 m. N. of the
city of Pittsburg, of which it is a suburb. Pop. (1880) 2334; (1890)
3767; (1900) 5384 (1702 foreign-born); (1910) 5830. It is served by the
Pennsylvania railway and by electric lines. Among its industrial
establishments are rolling mills, tube and pipe works, furnaces, steel
mills, a brass foundry, and manufactories of electrical railway
supplies, boxes, asbestos coverings, enamel work and ice. The city's
industrial history dates from 1820, when a small factory for the
manufacture of scythes and sickles was set up. Natural gas, piped from
Butler county, was early used here as a fuel in the iron mills. Etna,
formerly called Steuart's Town, was incorporated as a borough in 1869.
ETON, a town of Buckinghamshire, England, on the north (left) bank of
the river Thames, opposite Windsor, within which parliamentary borough
it is situated. Pop. of urban district (1901) 3301. It is famous for its
college, the largest of the ancient English public schools. The "King's
College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor" was founded by Henry VI. in
1440-1441, and endowed mainly from the revenues of the alien priories
suppressed by Henry V. The founder followed the model established by
William of Wykeham in his foundations of Winchester and New College,
Oxford. The original foundation at Eton consisted of a provost, 10
priests, 4 clerks, 6 choristers, a schoolmaster, 25 poor and indigent
scholars, and the same number of poor men or bedesmen. In 1443, however,
Henry considerably altered his original plans; the number of scholars
was increased to 70, and the number of bedesmen reduced to 13. A
connexion was then established, and has been maintained ever since,
though in a modified form, between Eton and Henry's foundation of King's
College, Cambridge. One of the king's chief advisers was William of
Waynflete, who had been master of Winchester College, and was appointed
provost of Eton in 1443. Among further alterations to the foundation in
this year was the establishment of _commensales_ or commoners, distinct
from the scholars; and these under the name of "oppidans" now form the
principal body of the boys. The college survived with difficulty the
unsettled period at the close of Henry's reign; while Edward IV.
curtailed its possessions, and was at first desirous of amalgamating it
with the ecclesiastical foundation of St George, Windsor Castle. In 1506
the annual revenue amounted to L652; and through benefactions and the
rise in the value of property the college has grown to be very richly
endowed. In 1870 commissioners under an act of 1868 appointed the
governing body of the college to consist of the provost of Eton, the
provost of King's College, Cambridge, five representatives nominated
respectively by the university of Oxford, the university of Cambridge,
the Royal Society, the lord chief justice and the masters, and four
representatives chosen by the rest of the governing body. By this body
the foundation was in 1872 made to consist of a provost and ten fellows
(not priests, but merely the members of the governing body other than
the provost), a headmaster of the school, and a lower master, at least
seventy scholars (known as "collegers"), and not more than two chaplains
or conducts. Originally it was necessary that the scholars should be
born in England, of lawfully married parents, and be between eight and
sixteen years of age; but according to the statutes of 1872 the
scholarships are open to all boys who are British subjects, and (with
certain limitations as to the exact date of birth) between twelve and
fifteen years of age. A number of foundation scholarships for King's
College, Cambridge, are open for competition amongst the boys; and there
are besides several other valuable scholarships and exhibitions, most of
which are tenable only at Cambridge, some at Oxford, and some at either
university. The teaching embraces the customary range of classical and
modern subjects; but until the first half of the 19th century the
normal course of instruction remained almost wholly classical; and
although there were masters for other subjects, they were unconnected
with the general business of the school, and were attended at extra
hours.
The school buildings were founded in 1441 and occupied in part by 1443,
but the whole original structure was not completed till fifty years
later. The older buildings consist of two quadrangles, built partly of
freestone but chiefly of brick. The outer quadrangle, or school-yard, is
enclosed by the chapel, upper and lower schools, the original scholars'
dormitory ("long chamber"), now transformed, and masters' chambers. It
has in its centre a bronze statue of the royal founder. The buildings
enclosing the inner or lesser quadrangle contain the residence of the
fellows, the library, hall and various offices. The chapel, on the south
side of the school-yard, represents only the choir of the church which
the founder originally intended to build; but as this was not completed
Waynflete added an ante-chapel. The chapel was built upon a raised
platform of stone, as was the hall, in order to lift it above the
flood-level of the Thames. It contains some interesting monuments of
provosts of the college and others, and at the west end of the
ante-chapel is a fine marble statue of the founder in his royal robes,
by John Bacon. A chantry contains the tomb of Roger Lupton (provost
1503-1535), whose most notable monument is the fine tower between the
school-yard and the cloisters to the east; though other parts of his
building also remain. The space enclosed by two buttresses on the north
side of the chapel, at the point where steps ascend to the north door,
is the model of the peculiar form of court for the game of fives which
takes name from Eton, with its "buttress" (represented by the projecting
balustrade), the ledges round the walls, and the step dividing the floor
into two levels. From the foundation of the college the chapel was used
as the parish church until 1854, and not until 1875, after the
alteration of the ancient constitution had secularized the foundation,
was the parish of Eton created into a separate vicarage. The chapel does
not accommodate the whole school; and a new chapel, from the designs of
Sir Arthur Blomfield, is used by the lower school. The library contains
many manuscripts (notably an Oriental and Egyptian collection) and rare
books; and there is also a library for the use of the boys. The college
in modern times has far outgrown its ancient buildings, and new
buildings, besides the lower chapel, include the new schools, with an
observatory, a chemical laboratory, science schools and boarding-houses.
In 1908 King Edward VII. opened a fine range of buildings erected in
honour of the Old Etonians who served in the South African War, and in
memory of those who fell there. The architect was Mr L.K. Ball, an old
Etonian. The buildings include a school hall, a domed octagonal library,
and a classical museum.
The principal annual celebration is held on the 4th of June, the
birthday of King George III., who had a great kindness for the school.
This is the speech-day; and after the ceremonies in the school a
procession of boats takes place on the Thames. In the sport of rowing
Eton occupies a unique position among the public schools, and a large
proportion of the oarsmen in the annual Oxford and Cambridge boat-race
are _alumni_ of the school. Another annual celebration is the occasion
of the contest between collegers and oppidans at a peculiar form of
football known as the wall game, from the fact that it is played against
a wall bordering the college playing-field. This game takes place on St
Andrew's Day, the 30th of November. The field game of football commonly
played at Eton has also peculiar rules. The annual cricket match between
Eton and Harrow schools, at Lord's ground, London, is always attended by
a large and fashionable gathering. A singular custom termed the
_Montem_, of unknown origin, but first mentioned in 1561, was observed
here triennially on Whit-Tuesday. The last celebration took place in
1844, the ceremony being abolished just before it fell due in 1847. It
consisted of a procession of the boys in a kind of military order, with
flags and music, headed by their "captain," to a small mound called Salt
Hill, near the Bath road, where they levied contributions, or "salt,"
from the passers-by and spectators. The sum collected sometimes exceeded
L1000--the surplus, after deducting certain expenses, becoming the
property of the captain of the school. The average number of pupils at
Eton exceeds 1000.
See E.S. Creasy, _Memoirs of Eminent Etonians, with Notices of the
Early History of the College_ (1850); _Sketches of Eton_ (1873); Sir
H.C. Maxwell Lyte, _History of Eton College from 1440 to 1875_ (1875);
J. Heneage Jesse, _Memoirs of Celebrated Etonians_ (1875); _The Eton
Portrait Gallery_, by a Barrister of the Inner Temple (1875); A.C.
Benson, _Fasti Etonienses_ (1899); L. Cust, _History of Eton College_
(1899).
ETRETAT, a watering-place of France, in the department of
Seine-Inferieure, on the coast of the English Channel, 161/2 m. N. by E.
of Havre by road. Pop. (1906) 1982. It is situated between fine cliffs
in which, here and there, the sea has worn archways, pinnacles and other
curious forms. The small stream traversing the valley, at the extremity
of which Etretat lies, flows underground for some distance but rises to
the surface on the beach. A Roman road and aqueduct and other Roman and
Gallic remains have been discovered. The church of Notre-Dame, a
Romanesque building, with a nave of the 11th century and a central tower
and choir of the 13th century, is a fine example of the Norman
architecture of those periods. Fishing is carried on, though there is no
port and the fishermen haul their boats up the beach; the old hulks
(_caloges_) serve as sheds and even as dwellings. Etretat sprang into
popularity during the latter half of the 19th century, largely owing to
the frequent references to it in the novels of Alphonse Karr.
ETRURIA, an ancient district of Italy, the extent of which varied
considerably, and, especially in the earliest periods, is very difficult
to define (see section Language). The name is the Latin equivalent of
the Greek [Greek: Turrenia] or [Greek: Tursenia], which is used by Latin
writers also in the forms _Tyrrhenia, Tyrrhenii_; the Romans also spoke
of Tusci, whence the modern Tuscany (q.v.). In early times the district
appears to have included the whole of N. Italy from the Tiber to the
Alps, but by the end of the 5th century B.C. it was considerably
diminished, and about the year 100 B.C. its boundaries were the Arnus
(Arno), the Apennines and the Tiber. In the division of Italy by
Augustus it formed the seventh _regio_ and extended as far north as the
river Macra, which separated it from Liguria.
_History_.--The authentic history of Etruria is very meagre, and
consists mainly in the story of its relations with Carthage, Greece and
Rome. At some period unknown, prior to the 6th century, the Etrurians
became a conquering people and extended their power not only northwards
over, probably, Mantua, Felsina, Melpum and perhaps Hadria and Ravenna
(Etruria Circumpadana), but also southwards into Latium and Campania.
The chronology of this expansion is entirely unknown, nor can we recover
with certainty the names of the cities which constituted the two leagues
of twelve founded in the conquered districts on the analogy of the
original league in Etruria proper (below). In the early history of Rome
the Etruscans play a prominent part. According to the semi-historical
tradition they were the third of the constituent elements which went to
form the city of Rome. The tradition has been the subject of much
controversy, and is still an unsolved problem. It is practically
certain, however, that there is no foundation for the ancient theory
(cf. Prop. iv. [v.] 1. 31) that the third Roman tribe, known as Luceres,
represented an Etruscan element of the population, and it is held by
many authorities that the tradition of the Tarquin kings of Rome
represents, not an immigrant wave, but the temporary domination of
Etruscan lords, who extended their conquests some time before 600 B.C.
over Latium and Campania. This theory is corroborated by the fact that
during the reigns of the Tarquin kings Rome appears as the mistress of a
district including part of Etruria, several cities in Latium, and the
whole of Campania, whereas our earliest picture of republican Rome is
that of a small state in the midst of enemies. For this problem see
further under ROME: _History_, section "The Monarchy."
After the expulsion of the Tarquins the chief events in Etruscan history
are the vain attempt to re-establish themselves in Rome under Lars
Porsena of Clusium, the defeat of Octavius Mamilius, son-in-law of
Tarquinius Superbus, at Lake Regillus, and the treaty with Carthage.
This last event shows that the Etruscan power was formidable, and that
by means of their fleet the Etruscans held under their exclusive control
the commerce of the Tyrrhenian Sea. By this treaty Corsica was assigned
to the Etruscans while Carthage obtained Sardinia. Soon after this,
decay set in. In 474 the Etruscan fleet was destroyed by Hiero I. (q.v.)
of Syracuse; Etruria Circumpadana was occupied by the Gauls, the
Campanian cities by the Samnites, who took Capua (see CAMPANIA) in 423,
and in 396, after a ten years' siege, Veii fell to the Romans. The
battle of the Vadimonian Lake (309) finally extinguished Etruscan
independence, though for nearly two centuries still the prosperity of
the Etruscan cities far exceeded that of Rome itself. Henceforward
Etruria is finally merged in the Roman state.