This volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica opens with a rich biographical collection detailing the lives and achievements of remarkable historical figures across several centuries. Among the notable subjects are the famous French actor Benoît Constant Coquelin and his theatrical family, whose dedication to the stage shaped modern drama, along with accounts of prominent Protestant divines like the Coquerel family. The work further explores the Flemish painter Gonzalez Coques, tracing his artistic apprenticeship and his development under the influence of Van Dyck within the Antwerp school.
Moving beyond biography, the text provides geographical and historical accounts of such regions as the Coquet River valley in Northumberland, and the Chilean city and province of Coquimbo. The historical narrative details early fortifications, Roman remains, and maritime commerce, illustrating the expansion of settlements and trade routes. Extensive entries are dedicated to the ancient British fishing boat known as the coracle, detailing its construction from canvas and interwoven rods, and its survival as a unique link to remote Celtic antiquity.
The volume also contains extensive scientific and geological treatises, most notably on coral and coral reefs. The formation of fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls is meticulously examined through the conflicting theories of Charles Darwin and Sir John Murray. Darwin's subsidence theory is contrasted with modern deep-sea soundings and boring experiments at Funafuti, which demonstrated thick organic limestone formations indicative of subsidence.
Further historical sketches follow, detailing the life and patriotic efforts of Adamantios Coraës, who fought for Greek independence and the purification of the modern Greek language. The legal and social development of institutions is touched upon in discussions of the corban, the corbel in medieval architecture, and the historical trial and execution of Charlotte Corday for the murder of Jean-Paul Marat during the French Revolution.
The text continues with geographical descriptions of Corbridge and its Roman station of Corstopitum, detailing recent archaeological discoveries of granaries and military structures. Biographies of Roman generals, such as Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo and his campaigns in Armenia, provide insight into imperial frontier administration and military strategy under Nero.
The volume concludes with exhaustive entries on cordite, the smokeless propellant used in the British army and navy, detailing its chemical composition, manufacture, and stability tests. Biographical accounts of the great Spanish general Gonzalo Fernandez de Córdoba, known as the Great Captain, illustrate the tactical evolutions of Renaissance warfare in Italy, while detailed descriptions of the city of Córdoba explore its Roman origins and its golden age under Moorish rule.
