1900, 11,683. Though trading stations had been established here very early, the permanent settlement dates from 1754, when the Plymouth Company built here a fort, called Fort Western. Settlers began to come in 1762, and the place was known as Cushnoc (from the Indian village formerly situated there) until 1771, when it was incorporated as Hallowell. Out of part of Hallowell a new town was created in 1797 and called at first Harrington, and then, several months later, Augusta. It became the capital of the State in 1831, and was incorporated as a city in 1849. Consult North, History of Augusta (Augusta, 1870).
AUGUSTA (Lat. fem. of Augustus, majestic, venerable). An honorary name bestowed upon women of the Roman Emperor's household as their greatest possible distinction. Livia was the first to receive it. It was sometimes even given to the Emperor's concubines. See Constantine; Augustus.
AUGUSTA, Ger. pron. ou-gụs′tā̇ (Fem. of Augustus, venerable), Marie Luise Katharina (1811-90). Queen of Prussia and German Empress, the daughter of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar. She was brought up at the court of her grandfather, Charles Augustus, where she was intimately acquainted with Goethe. On June 11, 1829, she married William, Crown Prince of Prussia, afterwards the Emperor William I. She was admired for her culture and beloved for her benevolence.
AU′GUSTA′LIA. Games in honor of Augustus, held on August 1, September 23 (the birthday of Augustus), and October 3-12.
AUGUSTA′NA COL′LEGE AND THE′OLOG′ICAL SEM′INARY. Founded at Chicago, in 1860, by the Swedish Augustana Synod of the Lutheran Church. It removed to Paxton, Ill., in 1863, and to Rock Island in 1875. The institution is co-educational except in the theological department. The library contains 18,000 volumes. The number of students, distributed among the various departments is as follows: Theological 69, collegiate 126, academic 79, normal 33, business 178, and music and art 214. President (acting), C. W. Foss, Ph.D.
AUGUS′TAN AGE. The period of highest literary activity in Rome, under the patronage of Augustus and his adviser Mæcenas. At that time the Latin language was in its perfection, and men of letters were held in the highest honor. It was the period of Vergil, Horace, and Ovid. [See Sellar, Roman Poets of the Augustan Age (Oxford, 1886).] The term ‘Augustan Age’ is also extended to apply to other periods of literary brilliancy, as the age of Addison, Swift, and Steele, in England, and Louis XIV.'s reign in France.
AUGUSTAN BAND, The. See Augustus's Band.
AUGUSTAN HIS′TORY (Lat. Historia Augusta). The usual title of a collection of biographies of Roman emperors and usurpers from Hadrian to Numerianus (A.D. 117-284), written by six authors, late in the Third or early in the Fourth Century. The memoirs are important for matters of fact, but the literary character is poor. A great deal of curious anecdote and much unauthenticated scandal are collected in these lives. Best edition by H. Peter (Leipzig, 1884); an old translation by Bernard (London, 1740).
AUGUSTA TAU′RINO′RUM. Anciently, the capital of the Ligurian Taurini; the modern Turin.
AUGUSTA TREV′IRO′RUM. The modern Treves (Ger. Trier); in ancient times the capital of the Treviri.
AUGUSTA VINDEL′ICO′RUM. The name bestowed by Augustus upon the chief seat of the Vindelici; the modern Augsburg.
AUGUSTE, ou-gụs′te, VICTORIA (1858—). German Empress and Queen of Prussia. She was born at the castle of Dolzig, the eldest daughter of Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, and of Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She was married to Prince William of Prussia—afterwards William II. of Germany—February 27, 1881. She is a patroness of many charitable enterprises, and has published a book entitled Erinnerungsblätter an die Palästinafahrt (1898), which contains a record of her memorable journey through Palestine in company with Emperor William in 1898.
AU′GUSTINE—often called Austin—Saint (?-604) . First archbishop of Canterbury. He was originally a monk in the convent of Saint Andrew at Rome, and became its prior. In 596 he was sent, along with other monks, by Pope Gregory I., to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, and establish the authority of the Roman see in Britain. They got as far as Aix in Provence, and there, terrified by the reports they heard about the wildness of the Britons, desired to turn back, and dispatched Augustine to Rome for permission to do so; but Gregory sent him with a firm but kindly letter to rejoin his company, and ordered them to continue on their journey. At the same time he wrote to the Frankish clergy and rulers to share in the enterprise. So, in the spring of 597. Augustine and about forty companions, including Franks, landed on the Island of Thanet, in the extreme southeast of England, but at which point is uncertain. The missionaries were kindly received by Ethelbert, King of Kent, whose wife, Bertha, daughter of Charibert, King of Paris, was a Christian, and had Liudhard, Bishop of Senlis, in her suite as chaplain. A residence was assigned to them at Canterbury, then called Durovernum, where they devoted themselves to monastic exercises and preaching. The conversion and baptism (Whitsunday, June 2, 597) of the King contributed greatly to the success of their efforts among his subjects. There is abundant testimony to the fact that a marked improvement in the life and manners of the Anglo-Saxons followed the evangelistic labors of Augustine and his companions.
In 597 he went to Aries, by direction of the Pope, and was there consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury and Metropolitan of England. On his return, he dispatched a presbyter and a monk to Rome to inform the Pope of his success, and obtain instruction on certain questions. Gregory's directions with regard to the propagation of the faith are admirable. Thus, instead of destroying the heathen temples, Augustine was recommended to convert them into Christian churches, by washing the walls with holy water, erecting altars, and substituting holy relics and symbols for the images of the heathen gods.
