AB'NEY, Sir WILLIAM DE WIvELESLIE (1844—). An English astronomer and physi cist. He was horn at Derby, and was educated at the royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was made a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in 1861 and a captain in 1871. From 1893 to 189S Ile served as president of the Royal Astro nomical Society, and in the latter year lie became president of the Physical Society of London. Subsequently he was appointed the principal assistant secretary of the Science and Art. De partment of the Board of Education. He is well known for his researches in photography and spectroscopy, and has published a num ber of important books on these subjects. including Instruction in Photography (1870): Treatise on Photography/ (1875); Colour Vision, Colour .lIeasn re m en t and Mixtu re (1893) ; Thebes and its Fire Great Temples (1870 ; and. with C. D. Cunningham. The Pioneers of the Alps (1888). Captain Abney was knighted in 1900 in recognition of his scientific work.
ABO, The most ancient city and former capital of Finland, now ,the chief town of the Russian Government of situa ted on the River Aurayoki. near its embouchure in the Gulf of Bothnia, 128 miles west by north from Helsingfors (flap: Russia, B 2). Its streets are broad and lined with ratheE low stone build ings. Owing to its antiquity, Abo has a number of buildings of historical interest, among them the cathedral. containing a magnificent sarcopha gus erected in 1865 for the unfortunate Queen, Catharine Monsdotter, who died in 1512. In one of its suburbs is the spring of St. Henry. in which, according to tradition, the first Finns embracing Christianity were bap tized. It is in regular steamship communication with St. Petersburg, Stockholm, and other ports
on the Baltic. visited annually by some 700 vessels, whose aggregate tonnage reaches about 200,000 tons. Shipbuilding is an important industry here, many of the Russian warships having been constructed in this city. The great Crayton works supply the Russian fleet with torpedo boats. It has a number of cotton mills. tobaceo factories, sugar refineries, and machine shops. Of its educational institutions, the School of Navigation and the School for Deaf mutes deserve special attention. In addition to these it has a number of gymnasiums, a technical institute. a commercial school. and a normal training school. The United States is repre sented by a consular agent. Population, 1888, 27,000; 1897, 35,000, 54% being Finns and nearly Swedes. The town grew up around a castle (which is still in existence, and is used as a prison at present) founded in 1156 by Eric IX., and became an important place in the following century. It was repeatedly attacked and de stroyed by the Russians in their many wars with the Swedes, and finally fell into their hands in 1808; since then it has remained a Russian possession. It was the capital of Finland until 1819. In the year 1827 a great part of the town, including the university build ings, was destroyed by fire, and the university was removed to Helsingfors, now the capital. The Peace of Abo (1743), between Sweden and Russia, gave Russia control of the southern part of Finland as far as the hymen River and put an end to the war commenced by Sweden, under French instigation, in 1741.