CAVOUR, COUtit CAMILLA BENSo DI, a distinguished Italian statesman of the 19th c., the descendant of a noble and wealthy family of Piedmont, was b. at Turin, Aug. 10, 1810. He was educated for a military career, but his liberal tendencies being likely to prove an insuperable barrier to his promotion, he retired during the stirring events of 1830-31, and devoted himself to agriculture, in which Ile introduced great improve ments. He was the first to use guano in Piedmont; and, at his instigation, a national agricultural society was formed. During a residence in England, he made himself inti mately acquainted with the political organization of the country, and also with its indus trial institutions; knowledge of which he made good use on his return to his own coun try in 1842. In conjunction with Count Cesare Balbo, be in 1847 established a political daily journal, in which he advocated the interests of the middle classes—a representa tive system, somewhat after the pattern of the English constitution, as opposed alike to absolutism on the one hand, and mob rule on the other. On his suggestion, the king was petitioned for a constitution, which was granted in Feb., 1848. As a member of the chamber of deputies, during the stormy period which succeeded Charles Albert's declaration of war against Austria in Mar., C. strenuously opposed the ultra-democrats, and counseled an alliance with England as the surest guarantee for the success of the Italian arms. In the marquis d'Azeglio's ministry, formed soon after the fatal battle of Novara, C. was successively minister of agriculture and commerce, minister of marine, and minister of finance; and in 1852 he was appointed to succeed d'Azeglio as premier. From this time until his resignation in 1859, in consequence of the conclusion of the peace of Villafranca, C. was the originator as well as the director of the Sardinian pol icy. Taking upon himself at different times, in addition to the premiership, the duties of the ministers of finance, commerce, and agriculture, and latterly of home and foreign affairs, he greatly improved the financial condition of the country, introduced free trade, consolidated constitutionalism, weakened clerical influence, and made Sardinia a. power of some account in Europe, by bringing her into alliance with England and France against Russia. The dispatches which C. penned in reply to those of Austria, prior to the outbreak of the Italian war, are on all hands acknowledged as master pieces of astute diplomacy. In Jan., 1860, C. was again called upon to preside over
the Sardinian government, the duties of foreign minister likewise devolving upon him, and temporarily those of the minister of the interior also. He continued to direct the Sardinian policy until his death, June, 1861.
CA'VY (cavia), a genus of quadrupeds of the order rodentia, regarded as the type of a family, eavidce, differing from the hare family (leporida), in the complete want of clav icles, in the want of growing roots to the molar teeth, and in having the incisors situated as in other quadrupeds generally, and not in the peculiar manner so characteristic of the hares. There are four molar teeth in each jaw, and in the genus C. these are compound; and the genus is further characterized by four toes on each of the fore-feet, and three on each of the hind-feet, by the feet not being webbed, by the females having only two teats, and by the want of a tail. One species, curia cobaya, has been long well known as a domesticated animal, and has been a common pet and plaything of children in Europe, ahnost from the time of the discovery of America. It is sometimes called the Commox C. or IlEsmEss C., but much more frequently receives the name of GUINEA PIG, although it is neither nearly related to pigs, nor a native of Guinea. Perhaps Guinea, in this name, may be a corruption of Gutana, the cavies, and indeed the whole family of the cavida', being exclusively South American. The colors which the domesticated C. exhibits have never been seen in any of the wild cavies of South America; and as it is known to have exhibited the same variations of color from about the time of its intro duction into Europe, it is supposed to have been long domesticated bysome of the South American tribes. The Guinea-pig multiplies with a rapidity exceeding that of any other known quadruped, producing young ones when only two months old, and afterwards at intervals of two mouths, and from four to twelve in a litter. This extraordinary fecun dity is probably not so much the result of domestication, as a provision for the preserva tion of the race in a wild state, the little animal being very defenseless and destitute of means of escape, the ready prey of every carnivorous beast and bird.—The other species of C. much resemble the Guinea-pig. l.-,ome of them are very numerous in some parts of Smith America, and are sought for food, although no such use is made of the domes ticated cavy. The agouti (q.v.) and the capybara (q.v.) are ranked among the eavidce.