EL ROSARIO, a town of Mexico, in the state of Xinoloa, 55 miles east of Mazatlan. At one time its gold and silver mines attracted a large number of diggers, but they are no longer wrought, and it is now of importance chiefly as a depôt for the trade with Mazatlan and the interior. Population about 5000.
ELSINORE, or Elsineur (Danish, Helsingör), a sea-port town of Denmark, is situated in the district of Frederiksborg, on the east coast of the island of Seeland, 56° 2′ N. lat, 12° 38′ E. long. It stands at the narrowest,part of the Sound, opposite the Swedish town of Helsingborg, which is only about three miles distant, and with which the means of intercourse are ample. The town is well built, but its streets are somewhat irregular. Until 1857, Sound dues were paid to it by all foreign vessels, except those of Sweden, going to or from the Baltic. Its harbour is small, but the roadstead affords excellent anchorage, which is largely taken advantage of by shipmasters detained by adverse winds. Its import and export trades are gradually increasing, coal comprising the chief portion of the former, and the latter being principally the supply of provisions to passing ships. Elsinore was raised to the rank of a town in 1425. In 1522 it was taken and burnt by Lübeck, but in 1535 was retaken by Christian II. It is celebrated as the scene of Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet, and it was the birth-place of Saxo-Grammaticus, from whose history the story of Hamlet is derived. A pile of rocks surrounded by trees is yet shown to travellers as the grave of Hamlet, and Ophelia's brook is also pointed out, but both are of course mere inventions. On a tongue of land east of the town stands the castle of Kronberg or Kronenberg, a magnificent, solid, and venerable Gothic structure built by Frederick II. towards the end of the 16th century. It was taken by the Swedes in 1658, but its possession was again given up to the Danes in 1660. Its strength has been increased greatly by modern fortifications, and it has accommodation for 1000 men. From its turrets, one of which serves as a lighthouse, there are fine views of the straits and of the neighbouring countries. Within it the principal object of interest is the apartment in which Matilda, queen of Christian VII. and sister of George III. of England, was imprisoned before she was taken to Hanover. North-west of the town is Marienlyst, originally a royal chateau, but now a hotel and bathing establishment. The population of Elsinore in 1870 was 8891.
ELVAS (the ancient Helvas), a fortified frontier city of Portugal, in the Portalegre district of the province of Alemtejo, is situated near a sub-tributary of the Guadiana, on a hill belonging to the mountain chain of Zoledo, 105 miles east of Lisbon and 10 miles west of the Spanish town of Badajoz, with which towns it is connected by railway. Its streets are winding, narrow, and dirty, and many of the Moorish buildings which gave the town a somewhat venerable aspect are fast crumbling to ruins. It is the seat of a bishopric, and has four parish churches, one of which is a cathedral, seven conventual buildings, a theatre, an arsenal, and a hospital. It is supplied with water by means of a large Moorish aqueduct. It carries on a large contraband trade with Spain, especially in articles of English manufacture: and has also manufactories for hardware and jewellery. The surrounding country is very fruitful, and affords large supplies of oil, wine, and vegetables. Elvas is the largest and strongest fortress of Portugal. It is defended by seven bastions which surround the town, and by two forts—Santa Luzia and Nostra Senhora da Graça— which command the whole neighbourhood. Elvas was a place of great importance during the Peninsular war. It was taken by Marshal Junot in March 1808, and held by the French till August, when it was given up in terms of the convention at Cintra. The population in 1869 numbered 11,088.
Arms of Ely Bishopric.
870 it was pillaged and destroyed by the Danes, and it remained in ruins till 970, when it was restored by Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester. In 1107 Ely was erected into a bishopric by Henry I., and after the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII. converted the conventual church into a cathedral. This edifice displays a singular mixture of various styles of architecture, and has an unfinished appearance, but taken as a whole it is a noble structure. The nave, which is Late Norman, was probably completed about the middle of the 12th century, and the western tower and the transepts were built by Bishop Ridal (1174–1189). The Galilee or western porch, which is Early English, was erected by Bishop Eustace (1198–1215). The choir was originally Early Norman, but its Norman apse was destroyed, and the church extended eastward by six more arches, by Bishop Northwold, about the middle of the 13th century. The addition is Early English, and its carving is very elaborate and beautiful. The beautiful lady-chapel was begun by Bishop Hotham,
Ground-plan of Ely Cathedral.
