The cathedral was reconstructed in 1733 in the baroque style, and scanty traces of the original building of the 12th century exist (see D. Scano in L’ Arte, 1901, p. 359; 1903, p. 15): and also in Storia dell’ arte in Sardegna dal XI. al XIV. secolo, Cagliari-Sassari, 1907). Some statuettes and sculptured slabs partly belonging to its pulpit, perhaps the work of Andrea Pisano, have been found; upon the reverse side of two of the slabs are still older reliefs of the 8th or 9th century; so that the slabs perhaps originally came from Tharros. In the sacristy is some fine silverwork. The church of S. Francesco also dates from the end of the 13th century, but has been altered. A fine statue by Nino, son of Andrea, is preserved here. Two m. south of Oristano is the village of S. Giusta, with a beautiful Romanesque church of the Pisan period dedicated to this saint (D. Scano, Bollettino dell’ arte, Feb. 1907, p. 8), containing several antique columns. It was once an independent episcopal see. The lagoons on the coast are full of fish, but are a cause of malaria. The environs are fertile, and a quantity of garden produce is grown; while good wine (vernaccia) is also made, and also ordinary pottery in considerable quantities, supplying most of the island. The bridge crossing the river Tirso, a little to the north of the town, over 300 ft. long, with five arches, took the place, in 1870, of an old one which is said to have been of Roman origin. A m. south of the mouth of this river is the landing-place for shipping. The large orange groves of Milis lie 13 m. N. of Oristano at the base of Monte Ferru, where they are sheltered from the wind. The finest belong to the Marchese Boyl, whose plantation contains some 500,000 orange and lemon trees. The inhabitants of Milis manufacture reed baskets and mats, which they sell throughout Sardinia.
Oristano occupies the site of the Roman Othoca, the point at which the inland road and the coast road from Carales to Turris Libisonis bifurcated, but otherwise an unimportant place, overshadowed by Tharros. The medieval town is said to have been founded in 1070. It was the seat from the 11th century onwards of the giudici (judges) of Arborea, one of the four divisions of the island. Almost the last of these judges was Eleonora (1347–1403); after her death Oristano became the seat of a marquisate, which was suppressed in 1478. The frontier castles of Monreale and Sanluri, some 20 and 30 m. respectively to the S.S.E., were the scene of much fighting between the Aragonese government and the giudici and marquises of Arborea in the 14th and 15th centuries. (T. As.)
ORIYA (properly Oṛyā), the Aryan language of Ōḍra or Orissa in India. It is the vernacular not only of that province but also of the adjoining districts and native states of Madras and of the Central Provinces. In 1901 it was spoken by 9,687,429 people. It is closely related to Bengali and Assamese, and with them and with Bihari it forms the Eastern Group of the Indo-Aryan vernaculars. See Bengali.
ORIZABA (Aztec, Citlaltepetl, “star mountain”), an extinct or dormant volcano, on the boundary between the Mexican states
of Puebla and Vera Cruz and very nearly on the 19th parallel.
It rises from the south-eastern margin of the great Mexican
plateau to an elevation of 18,314 ft., according to Scovell and
Bunsen's measurements in 1891–1892, or 18,250 and 18,209 ft.
according to other authorities, and 18,701 (5700 metres) by the
Comisión Geográfica Exploradora. It is the highest peak in
Mexico and the second highest in North America. Its upper
timber line is about 13,500 ft. above sea-level, and Hans Gadow
found patches of apparently permanent snow at an elevation of
14,400 ft. on its S.E. side in 1902. The first ascent of Orizaba
was made by Reynolds and Maynard in 1848, since when other
successful attempts have been made and many failures have been
recorded. Its last eruptive period was 1545–1566, and the volcano
is now considered to be extinct, although Humboldt records that
smoke was seen issuing from its summit as late as the beginning
of the 19th century.
ORIZABA (Indian name Ahuaializ-apan, pleasant waters), a city of Mexico in the state of Vera Cruz, 82 m. by rail W.S.W. of the port of Vera Cruz. Pop. (1900) 32,894, including a large percentage of Indians and half-breeds. The Mexican railway
affords frequent communication with the City of Mexico and Vera Cruz, and a short line (412 m.) connects with Ingenio, an
industrial village. Orizaba stands in a fertile, well-watered,
and richly wooded valley of the Sierra Madre Oriental, 4025 ft.
above sea-level, and about 18 m. S. of the snow-crowned
volcano that bears its name. It has a mild, humid and healthful
climate. The public edifices include the parish church of San
Miguel, a chamber of commerce, a handsome theatre, and some
hospitals. The city is the centre of a rich agricultural region
which produces sugar, rum, tobacco and Indian corn. In
colonial times, when tobacco was one of the crown monopolies,
Orizaba was one of the districts officially licensed to produce it.
It is also a manufacturing centre of importance, having good
water power from the Rio Blanco and producing cotton and
woollen fabrics. Its cotton factories are among the largest
in the republic. Paper is also made at Cocolapan in the canton
of Orizaba. The forests in this vicinity are noted for orchids
and ferns. An Indian town called Ahuaializapan, subject to
Aztec rule, stood here when Cortes arrived on the coast. The
Spanish town that succeeded it did not receive its charter until
1774, though it was one of the stopping-places between Vera
Cruz and the capital. In 1862 it was the headquarters of the
French.
ORKHON INSCRIPTIONS, ancient Turkish inscriptions of the 8th century A.D., discovered near the river Orkhon to the south of Lake Baikal in 1889. They are written in an alphabet derived from an Aramaic source and recount the history of the northern branch of the Turks or Tu-kiue of Chinese historians. See Turks.
ORKNEY, EARL OF, a Scottish title held at different periods by various families, including its present possessors the Fitzmaurices. The Orkney Islands (q.v.) were ruled by jarls or earls under the supremacy of the kings of Norway from very early times to about 1360, many of these jarls being also earls of Caithness under the supremacy of the Scottish kings. Perhaps the most prominent of them were a certain Paul (d. 1099) who assisted the Norwegian king, Harald III. Haardraada, when he invaded England in 1066; and his grandson Paul the Silent, who built, at least in part, the cathedral of St Magnus at Kirkwall. They were related to the royal families of Scotland and Norway.
In its more modern sense the earldom dates from about 1380, and the first family to hold it was that of Sinclair, Sir Henry Sinclair (d. c. 1400) of Roslin, near Edinburgh, being recognized as earl by the king of Norway. Sir Henry was the son of Sir William Sinclair, who was killed by the Saracens whilst accompanying Sir James Douglas, the bearer of the Bruce's heart, to Palestine in 1330, and on the maternal side was the grandson of Malise, who called himself earl of Strathearn, Caithness and Orkney. He ruled the islands almost like a king, and employed in his service the Venetian travellers Nicolo and Antonio Zeno. His son Henry (d. 1418) was admiral of Scotland and was taken prisoner by the English in 1406, together with Prince James, afterwards King James I.; his grandson William, the 3rd earl (c. 1404-1480), was chancellor of Scotland and took some part in public affairs. In 1455 William was created earl of Caithness, and in 1470 he resigned his earldom of Orkney to James III. of Scotland, who had just acquired the sovereignty of these islands through his marriage with Margaret, daughter of Christian I., king of Denmark and Norway. In 1567 Queen Mary’s lover, James Hepburn, earl of Bothwell, was created duke of Orkney, and in 1581 her half-brother Robert Stewart (d. 1592), an illegitimate son of James V., was made earl of Orkney. Robert, who was abbot of Holyrood, joined the party of the reformers and was afterwards one of the principal enemies of the regent Morton. His son Patrick acted in a very arbitrary manner in the Orkneys, where he set the royal authority at defiance; in 1609 he was seized and imprisoned, and, after his bastard son Robert had suffered death for heading a rebellion, he himself was executed in February 1614, when his honours and estates were forfeited.
In 1696 Lord George Hamilton was created earl of Orkney (see below). He married Elizabeth Villiers (see below), and he was succeeded by his daughter Anne (d. 1756), the wife of
