Arauca´ria, a genus of trees of the coniferous or pine order, indigenous to Australasia and South America. The species are large evergreen trees with pretty large, stiff, flattened, and
generally imbricated leaves, verticillate spreading branches, and bearing large cones, each scale having a single large seed. The species A. imbricāta (the Chile pine or monkey-puzzle), with hard, sharp, pointed leaves, was introduced into Britain in 1796. It is a native of the mountains of Southern Chile, where it forms vast forests and yields a hard durable wood. Its seeds are eaten when roasted. The Moreton Bay pine of New South Wales (A. Cunninghamii) supplies a valuable timber used in house and boat building, in making furniture, and in other carpenter work. A species, A. excelsa, or Norfolk Island pine, abounds in several of the South Sea Islands, where it attains a height of 220 feet with a circumference of 30 feet, and is described as one of the most beautiful of trees. Its foliage is light and graceful, and quite unlike that of A. imbricata, having nothing of its stiff formality. Its timber is of some value, being white, tough, and close-grained.
Arau´co, a province of Chile, named from the Araucanian Indians; area, 2189 sq. miles; pop. 73,260; capital, Lebu.
Araval´li Hills, a range of Indian mountains running N.E. and S.W. across the Rajputána country, which they separate into two natural divisions—desert plains on the N.W. and fertile lands on the S.E.; highest point, Mount Abu (5653 feet).
Araxes. See Aras.
Ar´băces, one of the generals of Sardanapälus, King of Assyria. He revolted and defeated his master, and became the founder of the Median Empire in 846 B.C.
Ar´balist. See Cross-bow.
Arbe´la (now Erbil), a place in the vilayet of Bagdad, giving name to the decisive battle fought by Alexander the Great against Darius, at Gaugamela, about 50 miles distant from it, 1st Oct., 331 B.C.
Arbitrage (a˙r´bi-tra˙zh), or Arbitration of Exchanges, an operation or calculation by which the currency of one country is converted into that of another through the medium of intervening currencies, for the purpose of ascertaining whether direct or indirect drafts and remittances are preferable.—Arbitrageur (a˙r´bi-tra˙-zheur) is one who makes calculations of currency exchanges. See Stock Exchange.
Arbitra´tion, the hearing and determination of a cause between parties in controversy, by a person or persons chosen by the parties. This may be done by one person, but it is common to choose more than one. Frequently two are nominated, one by each party, with a third, the umpire (or, in Scotland, sometimes the oversman), who is called on to decide in case of the primary arbitrators differing. In such a case the umpire may be agreed upon either by the parties themselves, or by the arbitrators when they have received authority from the parties to the dispute to settle this point. The determination of arbitrators is called an award. By the law of England the authority of an arbitrator cannot be revoked by any of the parties without the leave of the court or of a judge.—Bibliography: Russell, Arbitration; Redman, Arbitration; Scots Law, see Bell, On Arbitration; American Law, see Morse, Law of Arbitration; R. G. Morris, International Arbitration.