s the Latin princeps (primus-capio), a word used originally to denote the princeps senatus of the Roman state. Originally, he was custos of the city; subsequently the name became a title of dignity, and he was called by the censors. Augustus and his successors adopted the title of princeps, and it was employed henceforward to denote the master of the Roman world. By and bye the term prince came to be applied to individuals having personal pre-eminence, such as the old princes of Wales, who enjoyed the same right and exercised the same power which belong to kings. Of a somewhat different kind were the powers enjoyed by the heads of certain German states comprehended in the Germanic confederation. The term is employed in a somewhat arbitrary manner on the Continent, possessing none of the definiteness which belongs to such words as king, duke, marquess, &c., but rather to denote persons of eminent rank. In England the term is almost entirely restricted to persons of the blood-royal. The eldest son of the sovereign is made Prince of Wales by creation.

PRINCE'S METAL, Prince Rupert's Metal, or Pinchbeck, an alloy of copper and zinc, which has a resemblance to gold.

PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND (called by the natives Pulo Penang.—i.e., "Betel-nut Island"), an island belonging to Great Britain, in the Strait of Malacca, off the west coast of the Malay peninsula, lying between N. Lat. 5° 16' and 5° 30', E. Long. 100° 9' and 100° 25'. Its form is an irregular oblong; its length 15 miles, breadth at the northern extremity 12, and at the southern 8; area, 160 square miles. The island presents a beautiful and picturesque appearance, the coasts, which are generally bold, being everywhere skirted with groves of cocoa-nut trees, while groups of the graceful betel-nut palm are everywhere scattered over the country, and the hills in the centre are covered with luxuriant forests to within a few hundred feet of their bare summits; and the whole of the country, where not cultivated, is densely wooded. A chain of hills traverses the island from N. to S., rising to the height of 2000 or 2500 feet above the sea. On each side of this chain there are fertile and well-cultivated plains extending to the coast. That on the east, which is known under the name of the Valley, is the more populous of the two, the western plain being swampy and less densely inhabited. In its geological character, Prince of Wales Island belongs to the primitive formation. The mountains are for the most part granitic; mica and quartz are also found in some places. No mineral of value has been obtained from the island, though the mountains are said to be rich in tin ore, which has never been wrought. There are no rivers of any size in the island, but the country is watered and fertilized by many small streams and rivulets. The climate is very healthy, especially in the higher regions, where it is somewhat like that of Madeira. The rainy and dry seasons are not so distinctly marked here as in most tropical countries, for showers fall during almost every period of the year excepting January and February, which are dry months. In the hills the mean temperature of the year is about 70°, and the annual range not more than 10°, while in the valley the heat varies from 76° to 90°. The air is clear and bracing; and this, along with the varied beauty of the scenery, makes Penang a frequent and agreeable resort for invalids.

The island generally possesses a fertile soil, which is for the most part a light black mould mixed with gravel or clay, and in many parts sandy. It is chiefly formed from the decayed leaves of trees, from which originated a fine vegetable mould, the whole island having been for ages covered with immense forests. This has in some degree disappeared as the woods were cleared and the surface exposed to the weather; but the soil in the interior is still very rich. The eastern portion of the island is almost entirely employed in the raising of rice, for which it is very well suited; the south-western side is occupied by plantations of spice and pepper plants. Cloves are grown on the tops of the hills, and tea, cotton, and tobacco on their sides. Coffee, sugar, nutmeg, and many kinds of fruit are also produced here. The forests which are found in this island abound in excellent timber for ship-building and for other uses.

The island contains many buffaloes and cattle, a few goats and sheep, and numerous hogs. The principal wild animals are the Malayan elk, deer, monkeys, wild cats, and snakes. Fish abound in the surrounding seas, and pearly banks have recently been discovered on the east coast. The people of Prince of Wales Island are of very various origin, and there is probably hardly another tract in the world of equal size that is occupied by so many distinct races. The original inhabitants were a few Malays; but after the island was settled by the British, many people from China, India, Siam, Burmah, &c., resorted hither to enjoy the British protection. An active trade is carried on here, as the island is advantageously situated for being an emporium between the countries of China, the East Indian Archipelago, India, and Great Britain. The total value of the exports and imports of Prince of Wales Island in 1854 was L581,240. This island, along with Province Wellesley, a strip of land on the opposite shore of the Malay peninsula, Malacca, and Singapore, form the Eastern Straits settlements, of which the seat of government is Georgetown, on this island. This town is built on the most easterly point of the island, and has a population of 20,000, chiefly Chinese. When first visited by Europeans, the island was an almost uninhabited waste, overgrown with forests. In 1785 the King of Quedah, to whom it then belonged, gave the island to Captain Light, who had married his daughter; and the East India Company being then desirous of establishing a port on the straits, acquired possession of it on condition of paying annually to the King of Quedah 6000 Spanish dollars, or about L1,275 sterling. Captain Light was appointed superintendent of the settlement, and under him the land was rapidly cleared and improved. Until 1805 Prince of Wales Island formed part of the presidency of Bengal; but in that year it was made a separate presidency; and in 1830 it was united with the other settlements in the straits, and again placed under the government of Bengal. Finally, in 1851, the dependency on Bengal was removed, and the governor declared subordinate only to the government of India. Pop. (1855) 39,589.