Porter, Katherine Anne (b. May 15, 1890, Indian Creek, Texas, U.S.—d. Sept. 18, 1980, Silver Spring, Md.) U.S. writer. She worked as m a journalist in Chicago and Denver, Colo., before leaving in 1920 for
Mexico, the setting of several of her stories. Her collections include Flow¬ ering Judas (1930), her first and most popular; Pale Horse, Pale Rider m (1939), a set of three novellas; and Collected Short Stories (1965, Pulitzer
Prize, National Book Award). Her stories have a richness of texture and complexity of character delineation usually achieved only in the novel. Ship of Fools (1962) is her only novel.
portico Colonnaded porch or entrance to a structure, or a covered walk¬ way supported by regularly spaced columns. The portico is a principal feature of Greek temple architecture and thus a prominent element in Roman and all subsequent Classically inspired structures.
Portillo, Jose Lopez See Jose Lopez Portillo
Portland Seaport city (pop., 2000: 64,249), southwestern Maine, U.S. First settled in 1633, it was raided by Indians in 1676 and by French and Indians in 1690. It was incorporated as a town in 1786 and was the state capital 1820-31. A fire destroyed much of the city centre in 1866, but Portland was again rebuilt. The state’s largest city, it is the hub of a met¬ ropolitan area that includes the cities of South Portland and Westbrook and many towns. It is built largely on two hilly peninsulas overlooking Casco Bay. The city’s diversified manufactures include semiconductors, food products, stainless steel, and printed materials. Ship modernization and commercial fishing also are important. It was the birthplace of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Portland City (pop., 2000: 529,121) and port, northwestern Oregon, U.S. Situated on the Willamette River, southeast of its confluence with the Columbia River, Portland was settled in 1829 on the site of an early Indian campground. It was laid out in 1844 and incorporated in 1851. Early growth was stimulated by gold rushes and the flow of immigrants along the Oregon Trail. It is the state’s largest city and principal port. Exports include lumber, aluminum, and wheat. Shipbuilding and meat-packing are important industries. It is the site of many educational institutions, includ¬ ing Lewis and Clark College (1867) and Reed College.
Portland cement Binding agent of present-day concrete. It is a finely ground powder made by burning and grinding a limestone mixed with clay or shale. Its inventor, Joseph Aspdin (1799-1855), patented the pro¬ cess in 1824, naming the material for its resemblance to the limestone of the Isle of Portland, England. The cement combines chemically with the water it is mixed with, then hardens and strengthens.
Portland Vase Roman vase (1st century ad) of dark-blue glass deco¬ rated with white figures, the finest surviving Roman example of cameo glass. It came into the possession of the duke of Portland in the 18th cen¬ tury. The vase has been extensively copied, particularly in the Victorian period. The most accurate copies were made in jasperware with white figures in relief (by Josiah Wedg¬ wood, 1790) and in glass (1876). In 1845, while in the British Museum (where it still resides), the original vase was smashed, necessitating painstaking restoration.
Porto \'por-tu\ Portuguese Oporto Seaport city (pop., 2001 prelim.: 262,928), northwestern Por¬ tugal. On the right (north) bank of the Douro River, Porto was called Portus Cale in Roman times and was earlier a flourishing settlement on the Douro’s south bank. Held succes¬ sively by the Alani, Visigoths,
Moors, and Christians, it became an important port in the 14th century. Henry the Navigator was bom there in 1394. It was the site of a British victory over the French in the 1809 Pen¬ insular War. World-famous for its port wine, Porto is Portugal’s second largest city and the region’s commercial and industrial centre.
Porto Alegre Vpor-tu-a-Ta-gre\ Port and city (pop., 2002: city, 1,342,900; metro, area, 3,765,500), southern Brazil. Located along the Guafba River near the Atlantic Ocean coast, it was founded c. 1742 by immigrants from the Azores. It was first known as Porto dos Casais. It received many German and Italian settlers in the 19th century. It is a cen¬ tre of inland navigation and is the most important Brazilian commercial city south of Sao Paulo; exports include rice, tobacco, and hides. Indus¬ tries include shipbuilding and the manufacture of textiles, pharmaceuti¬ cals, and chemicals. It is also an educational centre.
Porto-Novo \,p6r-t6-'n6-v6\ City (pop. 2004 est.: 234,300), seaport, and capital of Benin, on the Gulf of Guinea, western Africa. Situated on a coastal lagoon in the southeastern part of the country, it was probably founded in the late 16th century as the centre of the kingdom of Porto- Novo. The Portuguese established a trading post in the 17th century, and it became a centre of the Atlantic slave trade. It became a short-lived French protectorate in 1863 and attained that status again in 1882. The ruins of old African palaces remain, and there are many colonial-style buildings, including the old Portuguese cathedral. Porto-Novo was estab¬ lished as the official capital of the country by the constitution, but only the legislature is found there; the president, most government ministers, and the judiciary reside in Cotonou.
Portsmouth Vport-smotIA City and unitary authority (pop., 2001: 186,704), geographic and historic county of Hampshire, southern England. The seaport city is a major naval base and, with Southsea, a popular holi¬ day resort. Located on the island of Portsea in the English Channel, Ports¬ mouth was founded and received its first charter in 1194. A naval dockyard was established in 1496 and greatly expanded after 1698. Covering more
David Dixon Porter, photograph; in the Mathew Brady collection
COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Portland Vase, Roman cameo glass, 1 st century ad; in the British Museum
COURTESY OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Portsmouth ► positivism I 1533
than 300 acres (120 hectares), the dockyard is the city’s main source of employment. Portsmouth suffered extensive damage from German bomb¬ ing in World War II. Important industries are shipbuilding and aircraft engineering. The city was the birthplace of Charles Dickens.
Portsmouth City (pop., 2000: 100,565) and seaport, southeastern Vir¬ ginia, U.S. Located on the Elizabeth River opposite Norfolk, with Nor¬ folk and Newport News, Portsmouth makes up the Port of Hampton Roads. Founded in 1752 and named after Portsmouth, Eng., it was occupied by both British and American troops during the American Revolution. It was incorporated as a city in 1858. During the American Civil War the U.S. Navy Yard was evacuated by Union troops, allowing Southern troops access to stores of equipment; Portsmouth was recaptured in 1862. It is part of the U.S. military complex at Hampton Roads. Shipbuilding and ship repair are the main economic activities, augmented by various manu¬ factures.
Portsmouth, Treaty of (1905) Peace settlement that ended the Russo- Japanese War. It was mediated by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt and signed at the U.S. naval base near Portsmouth, N.H. By its terms, Russia recog¬ nized Japan as the dominant power in Korea and ceded its leases to Port Arthur (now Lushun) and the Liaodong Peninsula, as well as the south¬ ern half of Sakhalin, to Japan. Both powers agreed to restore Manchuria to China.
Portugal officially Portuguese Republic Country, on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula, southwestern Europe. Area: 35,580 sq mi (92,152 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 10,513,000. Capitaclass="underline" Lisbon. Most of the