Liquid

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a fluid; a material substance the particles of which have a perfect freedom of motion, without any sensible tendency to approach to or recede from one another, except by the action of some external power. Liquidity, as a condition of matter, is therefore comprehended in the condition of fluidity. The particles of a liquid are held together with considerable force, notwithstanding their freedom of motion, since a small quantity of a liquid has a tendency to take a spherical form when at a distance from any substance for which its particles have greater affinity than for one another. This is particularly apparent in mercury, oil and water. The form of the dewdrop is also another familiar instance. LIQUID AIR. See LIQUEFACTION OF GASES. LIQUOR TRAFFIC. See PROHIBI- TION. LISBON (Portuguese, Lisboa; ancient Olisipo), the capital of Portugal, province of Estremadura, on the Tagus, near its mouth. The city is partly built on the shores of the Tagus, and on sev eral small hills, and presents a magnificently picturesque appearance from the river. The most beautiful part is called the New Town, stretching along the Tagus, and is crowded with palaces. The principal public squares are, the Praça do Commercio, 565 feet long; and the Praça do Rocio, 1,800 feet long. The churches are profusely decorated, and built of marble. of them some are Among other architectural curiosities the most important is the Alcantara aqueduct, which supplies all the public fountains and wells of the city. Its course is partly underground, but as it crosses the deep valley of the Alcantara near Lisbon, it is carried over 35 marble arches for a length of 2,400 feet. Lisbon contains a large number of educational and scientific institutions, among which are the Royal Academy of Sciences, founded in 1778, a naval academy, and an academy of engineering. The harbor, or road, of Lisbon, is one of the finest in the world; and the quays, which extend nearly 2½ miles along the banks, are at once convenient and beautiful. The exports comprise wine, oil, fruit, and salt; among the imports are woolens, cottons, silks, metals, colonial produce, and furs. The manufactures of Lisbon are inconsiderable, consisting chiefly of silk fabrics, jewelry, paper, and soap; there are also sugar refineries, tanneries, and potteries; and its jewelers and goldsmiths are among the most expert in Europe; but its backwardness is owing principally to a want of energy and industry. The climate of Lisbon is variable, but, on the whole, healthful and genial. Pop. about 436,000.