SMUT, the popular name of certain small fungi of the section coniomyeetes, and group or family uredinem, parasitical on plants, particularly on grasses, and notable for the great abundance of lark-colored spores which they throw off. The name smut, although somewhat variously used, is now very, generally limited to the genus ustilago, in which the character just mentioned, of the profusion of dark-colored spores, is very remark able. The name smut is often given to ust&zgo segetutn, or uredo segetum, also called DUST-BRAND, a species very common and destructive, parasitic on wheat, barley, oats, and rye (see ERGOT), at the base of the germen and glumes, causing the death of the inner parts of the dower, and then converting the whole into a sooty dusty mass. At first, a line mycelium alone is seen, which ere long produces spores. There is no dis agreeable smell, as in some of the allied fungi. A remarkable kind of smut infests maize, swelling the ears to an enormous size, sometimes even a foot in length. No remedy or preventive is known for smut. It does not seem to be communicated through infected grains; but perennial plants attacked by fungi of this kind remain diseased in, subsequent years. Some kinds of smut iitmek other parts of plants than those chosen by ustilogo 'rile reeds of the fenny districts of England are often much affected by a species (urstilugo typhoides), which much impairs their quality for all purposes, and has the more remarkable property of greatly affecting the health of the laborers employed in cutting and sorting them, producing not only a sense of oppression, but swelling of the head, the formatit:n of vesicles, and inflammation of the bowels. besides other symp toms, such as are often produced by eantharides. Mr. Berkeley says: "The subject is worth attention, not only as curious in itself, hut because it is very possible that, like the ergot, the fungus may afford it vidualde addition to the SITYR.q1A, one of the most ancient and important cities of Asia Minor, and the only one of the Greek cities on the western coast which has retained its name, and impor tance to the present. day. The early history of Smyrna is very obscure: varying accounts represent it either as originally an Ionian colony, or as having been at first an A,'olian city, which, by an act of treachery, fell into the hands of Coloplionian (Ionian) exiles, and subsequently, about 700 n.c., formed part of the great Ionian league. This earliest city of Smyrna, known the Greeks as "Old Smyrna," was situated on the banks of the little river Moles, on the me. side of the liermaean gulf, now time gulf of Smyrna, and claimed the honor of being the birthphtee of Homer; and here, near the source of the river, a grotto was shown, in wh.ch lie was said to have composed his poems. This old city of Smyrna was destroyed, we are told, by the Lydian king AlyM tes, and the place remained deserted and in ruins till after the Macedonian conquest, when the city was rebuilt at the distance of between 2 and 3 m. s. of its original site. This city of "New Smyrna" was founded by Antigonus, and enlarged and embellished by Lysinemehus; it was laid out with great magnificence, and adorned with several fine buildings, among which was the llothereum, where the poet was worshiped as a hero. The city had an excellent harbor; and from its admirable situation, soon became one of the finest mid most flourishing in the world. In the early history of Christianity,
Smyrna holds a distinguished place as one of the seven churches addressed in the Apoca lypse, and as the scene of the labors and martyrdom of its first bishop, Polycarp. After various vicissitudes during the middle ages, it fell finally into the hands of the Turks, in whose possession it has since remained—the most flourishing city of the Levant. • The modern city of Smyrna (Turkish Izmir) occupies the site of New Smyrna. being built partly on the plain at the head of the gulf, partly on the declivity of a hill, the ancient Mons Pagus, and, from the sea, has an attractive appearance There are some good quays, :aid sonic handsome buildings of stone; hut the greater part consists of low wooden houses, for the most part of one story high; and the streets. with a few excep tions, are ill-paved, narrow, crooked, and dirty. The city, however, in these respects is better than most other Turkish towns, and improvements have of late years been made. The pop. is estimated at 150,000; of whom 80,000 are Turks, 40,000 Greeks, 15,000 Jews, 10,000 Armenians, and 5,000 Franks. As is usual in Turkish towns, each people has its separate quarter. Smyrna contains several Greek, Armenian, Homan ' Catholic, and Protestant churches, and about 20 mosques. There are six journals pub lished here in five different languages. The harbor is excellent; ships of large burden anchor close to the quays; and the trade is most important and extensive. A railway, 81 in. long, constructed mainly with English capital and by English engineers, has been recently opened to Aidin, an important inland commercial town, and is now in opera tion. Another railway. extending 61 m. inland (to Cassaba), was finished in 1866, and afterward extended to Philadelphia (Alasher). The chief imports are woolen, cotton, and silk fabrics, iron, tin, lead, copper, steel, zinc, glass. and hardware goods, coffee to the amount of 6,000,000 lbs. annually, sugar, spirits, spices, indigo, cochineal, etc. The exports consist of wool, cotton, silk, carpets, hides, opium, copper, valonia, olive-oil, drugs, and gums, figs, raisins, and many other articles. In 1874, 2,553 vessels (of which 355 were British), of 1,375,749 tons, entered and cleared the port; and the imports for that year amounted to £4,490,000; the exports to £3,940,000. Smyrna is regularly visited by the ships of the French, Austrian, and Russian steam-navigation companies, and by traders from Great Britain and other countries. It suffered severely from tire in the swimmers of 1841 and 1845, and has been often ravaged by earthquakes and the plague. The city and its territory are governed by a pasha. Of the ancient Cities, not much remains. Sonic slight ruins mark the site of 91d Smyrna. Of New . Smyrna some remnants of the massive walls on the hill s.e. of 'the city are still to be seen; the site of the stadium in which Polycarp is supposed to have suffered martyr dom, is pointed out; there are some fragments of the ancient theater, and columns belonging to a tcmjille; and numberless architectural fragments have been built into the walls of the 'Turkish town, or used in the construction of graves in the large Turkish cemetery.