ANCO'NA, the capital of a province in Italy of the same name, lat.43' 38' n., and long. 13° 35' e. It is situated on a on-moat/in, of the Adriatic coast. And. risine. in the form of an amphitheater, presents a picturesque appearance from the sea. It is the seat of a bishop, and contains (1872) 35,110 inhabitants, of whom above 5000 are Jews. The harbor, once famous, seems likely to be filled up with mud. The commerce is much less considerable than it once was, though, in that respect, it is still one of the most impor tant places on the Adriatic. Corn, and woolen and silk goods, oils, cordage, bacon, fruits, etc.; are the chief exports. Value of imports (1874), £063,698: of exports, £436, 933. A mole of 2000 ft. in length, built by the emperor Trajan, and a triumphal arch of the same emperor, are the most notable monuments of antiquity. There are some fine public buildings. One of the most venerable of these is the cathedral of St. Cyriac, built in the 10th c., and possessing the oldest cupula in Italy. But the houses are in general mean, and the streets narrow. A. is supposed to have been founded by Syracu sans who had fled from the tyranny of Dionysius the elder. It was destroyed by the
Goths, rebuilt by Nurses, and again destroyed by the Saracens in the 10th century. It after wards became a republic; but in 1532, pope Clement VII. annexed it to the states of the church. In 1798, it was taken by the French; but in 1799, gen. Meunier was obliged to surrender it to the Russians and Austrians, after a long and gallant defense. Since 1815, the citadel has been the only fortification. When the Austrian troops in 1831 occupied the Roman frontiers, whose inhabitants were then in a state of insurrection, the French ministry determined to neutralize the influence of Austria. A French squad ron appeared before the harbor, and landed 1500 men, Who took possession of the town on the 22d Feb., 1832, without any resistance, the citadel capitulating on the 25th. It remained in their hands till 1838, when both French. and Austrians retired from the Papal states. In 1849, a revolutionary garrison in A. capitulated after enduring a siege by the Austrians of 25 days.