Artillery
Artillery. The Various Meanings Given To This Word Render It Desirable That The Reader Should Know Under What Headings Hi The _encyclopedia To Look For Information On The Subject. Sometimes A. Means Large Cannon Or Ordnance Of Every Kind; Sometimes It Includes The Shot And Shell As Well As The ...
Artillery
Artillery (ante). The History Of A. May Be Said To Date From The Discovery Of Gunpowder, Which Is Popularly Attributed To Roger Bacon And Barthold Schwarz, Two Monks Of The 13th C., Although A Mixture Of Niter, Charcoal, And Sulphur, Was Used For Explosive Purposes By The Chinese During The ...
Artillery Corps
Artillery Corps. Referring To Cannon For A History Of Large Pieces Of Ordnance, We Here Treat Of The Organization Of The Artillery Service. The Larger Weapons, Before The Invention Of Gunpowder, Were Sometimes Called Engines Of War, Sometimes Artillery, And Were Worked By Strong And Rough Soldiers. Who Needed No ...
Artocarpacee
Artocarpa'cee, A Natural Order Of Dicotyledonous Plants, Of Which The Bread-fruit (artocarpus Ineisa) Is The Type; Very Nearly Allied To That Of Moracem (mulberries, Figs, Etc.), And, Like It. By Many Botanists Regarded As A Sub-order Of Urticaeras (nettles, Etc.). The Botanical Distinction Between Artocarpacew And Moraceae Lies Chiefly In ...
Artvin
Artvin', A T. Of Asiatic Turkey, In The Vilayet Of Trebizond, 100 M. E. From The T. Of Trebizond. The Inhabitants, About 0500 In Number, Mostly Belong To The Roman Catholic Church. . A Genus Of Monocotyledonous Plants, Belonging To The Natural Order Arace® Or Aroidecs. This Order Consists Of ...
Arundel Marbles
Ar'undel Marbles, Part Of A Collection Of Ancient Sculptures, Formed About The Beginning Of The 17th C. By Thomas Howard. Earl Of Arundel. And Presented In 1667 To The University Of Oxford, By His Grandson, Henry Howard,. Afterwardsduke Of Norfolk. The Principal Portion Of It Is The "parian Chronicle," Consisting ...
Arval Brothers
Arval Brothers, A Priesthood Of 12 Members Anciently Elected For Life From The Highest Ranks In Rome, And Including The Emperor When There Was One. Their Duty Was To Offer Yearly Public Sacrifice For The Fertility Of The Fields. And The Custom Is Said To Have Originated With Acca Larentia, ...
Arx0r Plates
Arx0r-plates, The Employment Of Thick Slabs Of Iron To Protect The Sides Of Ships Of War And The Fronts Of Fortifications, Is Quite A Recent Invention; Or Rather, The Modern System Is The Practical Realization Of Plans Suggested Long Ago By Itlersenne And Others. In 1842, Mr. Baltuano Of New ...
Arzigna No
Arzigna No, A T. Of North Italy, 11 M. W. By S. From Vicenza, In A Plain Surrounded By Hills. It Manufactures Woolens, Leather, And Silk Twist. Pop. '71, 2706. As Was The Designation Both Of A Roman Weight (called Also Libru) Corresponding Very Nearly To An English Pound (q.v.), ...
Asbestits
Asbestits, A Mineral Very Closely Allied To Tremolite. Actinolite, And Hornblende, And Which, Along With Tremolite And Actinolite, Is Often Ranked Among The Varieties Of Horn Blende. It Consists Chiefly Of Silica, Magnesia, Lime, And Oxide Of Iron, And Is Of A Fine Fibrous Character, The Fibers Sometimes Combined Together ...
Asbury
Asbury, Pitancis, B. England. 1745. D. Va., 181g; The First Bishop Of The Methodist Episcopal Church Ordained In The United States. Ile Obtained Rudimentary Education In A Village School; At The Age Of 38 Was Converted; At 14 Was Apprenticed To A Trade; At 16 Became A Local Preacher; At ...
Ascabis
As'cabis, A Genus Of Entozoa, Or Intestinal Worms, Of The Order Nematmilea Of Zedar, Cuvier, Etc., And Of The Division Sterelmintha Of Owen. The Ascarides Have A Body Approaching To Cylindrical, But Thickest In The Middle. They Inhabit The Intestines Of Animals. The Species Are Numerous. One Of The Best ...
Asceticism
Asceticism. Among The Greeks, Ct.4k.e..ti.4 Denoted The Exercise And Discipline Prac Ticed By The Athletes Or Wrestlers, Who Had To Harden Their Bodies By Exertion And To Avoid All Sensual And Effeminating Indulgences. In The Schools Of The Philosophers, Especially Of The Stoics, The Same Word Signified The Practice Of ...
Ascid Ia
Ascid Ia, A Linnwan Genus Of Marine Mollusca, Now Much Restricted As A Genus, But The Type Of A Family Called Aseidiadce. The Name Ascidians Is Also Commonly Employed To Designate All Those Tuuicated Mollusea Which Form The Order Sambranchiata Of Owen, Or In Which Respiration Is Carried On By ...
Asgill
Asgill, Jonn, An Eccentric English Lit*ateur, B. About The Middle Of The 17th Century. Ile Studied For The Bar, And At Intervals During The Whole Of His Checkered Life Transacted Legal Business In Some Form Or Other; But Having Early Displayed A Predilection For Writ Ing Political Pamphlets, He Soon ...
Ashburton
Ashburton, Lord Alexander Riunca, B. In 1774, A Younger Son Of Sir Francis Baring, Bart., Was, In Early Life, For Many Years Commercially Engaged In The United States And The Canadas, In The Service Of The Great London Mercantile House Founded By His Father. On The Death Of The Latter, ...
Ashes
Ashes, The Remains Of Animal And Vegetable Bodies After Burning. It Is Not Strictly Correct To Speak Of The Ashes Of A Mineral. When Lead, For Instance, Is Exposed To Heat, It Turns To Dross, Which Has The Appearance Of A., But Is Merely The Lead Combined With Oxygen. In ...
Asia
Asia, The Largest Division Of Land On The Globe, Generally Regarded As The Birthplace Of The Human Race. And The Most Ancient Seat Of Civilization. Its Superficial Area, In Cluding Islands. Has Been Estimated At From 16 To 20,000.000 Sq.m., And Its Pop. At 800,00o,000. This Enormous Mass Of Continent ...
Asopus
Asopus, The God Of The River A., Married To Nethope, By Whom He Had Two Sous And From 12 To 20 Daughters. These Daughters Were Carried Oft From Time To Time By The Gods; But When Zeus Took Away Yegina, A. Rebelled And Proposed To Fight The Abductor; Whereupon Zeus ...
Asparagus
Asparagus, A Genus Of Plants Of The Natural Order Lillaceer, Having An Almost Hell Shaped Six-partite Perianth Upon An Articulated Stalk, Six Stamens, One Style, With Three Recurred Stigmas, And The Cells Of The Berry Two-seeded. The Species Of This Genus Are Herbaceous Or Shrubby Plants. Natives Chiefly Of The ...
Aspasia
Aspa'sia, One Of The Most Remarkable Women Of Antiquity, Was The Daughter Of Axiochus, And Born At Miletus. The Circumstance That In Athens All Foreign Women, Whatever Their Character, Were Equally Esteemed, Or Rather Disesteemed, And That Their Children, Even When Begotten In Wedlock, Were Held Illegitimate, Has Originated The ...
Asphyxia
Asphyxia (gr.) Means Literally A Cessation Of The Pulsation From Any Cause, But Is Usually Applied To The Condition Resulting From The Blood In The Body No Longer Being Brought Into The Proper Relations To The Atmospheric Air By Respiration, So As To Allow A Sufficiently Free Exchange Of Carbonic ...
Asphyxiants
Asphyxiants. Chemical Substances Inclosed In Shells Or Other Projectiles, And Which Act By Producing A Suffocating And Poisonous Effect. The French Secretly Made Experiments With Asphyxiating Shot At Brest In 1851. The Principle Of These Missiles Seems To Have Been To Carry Into An Enemy's Ship The Means Of Generating ...
Aspropota310
Aspropot'a310. See Aciamous, Ante. Ass, Equus Asinus, A Well-known Quadruped, Usually Referred By Naturalists To The Same Genus With The Horse (q.v.), But Which It Has Recently Been Attempted To Make The Type Of A Distinct Genus (asinus), Including All The Solid-hoofed Quadrupeds (solidangula Or Equida, See House) Except The ...
Assai
Assai, A Beverage Very Much Used At Para And Other Places On The Amazon, And Which Is Prepared From The Fruit Of Certain Species Of Palm Nearly Allied To The Cabbage Palm Of The West Indies. See Areca And Cabbage Palm. The A. Palms Are Remark Ably Slender Trees; The ...
Assam
Assam', A Province At The N.e. Extremity Of British India, Stretehing In N. Lat. From 22' To 28', And In E. Long. From 90' To 98°, And Containing, In '72, 4,132,019 Inhabitants I On An Area Of 53,856 Sq. Miles. In 1874 It Was Formed Into A Separate Administration (including ...
Assassins
Assassins, A Military Order, A Branch Of The Secret Sect Of The Ismaelites The Secret Doctrines Of These Ismaelites, Who Had Their Head-quarters In Cairo, Declared The Descendants Of Ismael, The Last Of The Seven So-called Imaums, To Be Alone Entitled To The Califate; And Gave An Allegorical Interpretation To ...
Assessors
Assessors May Be Defined As Persons Who Are Sometimes Associated With Judicial Functionaries, To Assist In The Argument And Procedure Before Them, And To Advise Their Judgments. They Are Called •., Because, According To The Latin Derivation And Literal Meaning Of The Word, They Sit Side By Side With Others. ...
Assets
Assets. This Is One Of Those Terms In The Law Of England Which In Itself Bears Evidence Of A Norman Origin. It Is Derived From The French Word Assez, Or More Exactly. In Norman-french, Assetz, "enough" Or " Sufficient," Signifying The Property Of A Deceased Person, Which Is Sufficient In ...
Assignation
Assignation Is A Legal Term In Scotch Conveyancing, Analogous To The English Word Assignment (q.v.), By Means Of Which The Holder Of Any Right, Or The Creditor In Any Obligation, Or The Proprietor Of Any Subject Not Properly Feudal (see Feudal System), Transfers His Right Or Estate To A Third ...
Assignats
As'signats. After Appropriating To National Purposes The Land Belonging To The Church, The French National Assembly (see Assembly, National), Instead Of Bringing It Into The Market At A Time Of Insecurity, When Its Value Was Depreciated, Issued Bonds On The Security Of It, Which Were Called Assignals, As Representing Land ...
Assignment
Assignment, In The Law Of England, Is The Name Given To A Conveyance By Which The Party Making The A. Transfers Or &rants Over, For A Sufficient Consideration, A Right In Expectancy, In Reversion, Or Other Right Not In Possession, Such As A Bond, A Debt, Or Other Chose In ...
Assignment_2
Assignment (ante), In American Law, A Transfer Or Making Over (in Writing Usu Ally) To Another Of Property In Possession Or In Action, Or Of Any Right Therein; Or The Transfer Of One's Interest In Property. Almost Any Valuable Thing, Present Or Prospect Ive, May Be Assigned; But There Are ...
Assize
Assize. This Word, Literally Signifying A "sitting" Or "session," Is A Term Used In The Principal European Legal Systems, And Very Much In The Same Sense, Or Rather Senses, In All, For It Has More Than One Distinctive Meaning. As Is Common With Regard To Most Of Our Ancient Legal ...
Association Of Ideas
Association Of Ideas. This Is A Phrase Of Great Importance In The Philosophy Of The Human Mind, As Expressing The Most Pervading Fact At The Foundation Of Our Intelli Gence. By Giving, Therefore, A Somewhat Full Exposition Of This Subject, We Are Able To Explain, At Once, A Considerable Number ...
Assyria
Assyria (called Athura On Persian Cuneiform Inscriptions, And Assura On The Median) Was The Northernmost Of The Three Great Countries That Occupied The Plain. It Was Bounded On The N. By The Niphates Mountains Of Armenia; On The S., By Susiana And Babylonia; On The E., By Media; And On ...
Ast1trias
Ast1trias, A Northern Province Of Spain, Bounded On The E. By Santander, On The S. By Leon, On The W. By Galicia, And On The N. By The Bay Of Biscay. The Low Hills Of Leon And Old Castile Rise Gradually To The Mountain-chain Which Forms The S. Boundary, And ...
Aster
Aster (gr. A Star, From The Form Of The Flowers), A Genus Of Plants Of The Natural Order Composite, Which Lindley Has Therefore Chosen To Call Asterame. The Ray And The Disk Are Of Different Colors. The Genus Contains A Great Number Of Species, Both Herba Ceous And Shrubby, Which ...
Asthma
Asthma Is A Disease Characterized By The Breathing, Previously Natural, Becoming Difficult, And Accompanied By Wheezing And A Distressing Sense Of Tightness In The Chest. A. Generally Appears At First After Some Inflammatory Affection Of The Respiratory Mucus Membrane, And More Especially In Those Who Have Led Dissipated Lives. In ...
Astor Library
Astor Library, In The City Of New York, Founded By John Jacob Astor, And Largely Increased By His Son, William B. Astor. The Edifice On Lafayette Place Is Excel Lently Adapted To The Purpose, And Occupies Nearly The Whole Of A Lot 235 By 120 Ft. It Is Of Brick, ...
Astrocaryijk
Astroca'ryijk (from The Gr. Astron, A Star, And Karyon, A Nut), A Genus Of Palms, Of Which About Sixteen Species Are Known, Natives Of Tropical America, Remarkable For The Abundance Of Acute And Formidable Spines—in Some Cases A Foot Long—with Which Almost Every Part—stem, Leaves, Spathe, And Fruit-stalk—is Armed. They ...
Astrology
Astrology Meant Originally Much The Same As Astronomy, Knowledge Of The Stars," But Was At Length Restricted To The Science Of Predicting Future Events, Especially The Fortunes Of Men, From The Positions Of The Heavenly Bodies. This Was Considered The Higher, The Real Science; While The Mere Knowledge Of The ...
Astronomy
Astronomy (gr. Astron, A Star, Nomos, A Law) Teaches Whatever Is Known Of The Heavenly Bodies. A. May Be Properly Divided Under Three Heads. 1. Geometrical Or Mathematical A., Including The Exact Determination Of The Numerical And Geometrical Ele Ments Of The Heavenly Bodies—that Is, Their Distances, Shapes, Magnitudes, The ...
Asylum
Asylum, A Place Of Refuge. In Ancient Times, Sacred Places, Especially The Temples And Altars Of The Gods, Were Appointed As Asylums To Which Criminals, As Well As Perse Cuted Individuals, Might Flee For Refuge; And To Molest Them In Such Places Was Regarded As An Impiety. An Analogous Institution ...
Atahualpa
Atahualpa, The Favorite Son Of Huayna Capac, Inca Of Peru, Who Died In 1525, About Seven Years Before Pizarro's Arrival In Peru. The Mother Of A. Not Being Of The Pure Inca Blood, Her Son Was Formally Excluded From Inheriting The Throne; But His Handsome Figure, Bold Spirit, And Quick ...
Ataxy Locomotor
Ataxy Locomo'tor, A Nervous Disease Showing Itself In Disordered Movements Of The Limbs Of Locomotion. It Is Not Paralysis, But Loss Of Power To Order Harmoni Ously The Muscles That Move The Body And Maintain Equilibrium. It Begins Insidiously And Grows Slowly. The Earlier Symptoms Are Disorder Of Vision, Uneasiness ...
Athanasian Creed
Athanasian Creed, The Third Of The Three Ecumenical Symbols, Derived Its Name From Its Composition Being Attributed To Athanasius; It Is Also Known, From Its Initial Words In Latin, As The Creed Quicunque Vial. The First Part Of This Creed Contains A Detailed Exposition Of The Trinity; The Second, The ...
Athanasiiis
Athanasiiis, Primate Of Egypt, Was B. In Alexandria About The Year 296 A. D. There Are No Particulars On Record Of His Lineage Or His Parents. Alexander, Then Officiating As Primate Or Patriarch Of Alexandria, Brought Him Up In His Own Family, And Superin Tended His Education, With The View ...
Athawaric
Athawaric, A King Of The Western Goths, Whose Settlements Lay On The N. Bank Of The Lower Danube, In The 4th Century. Having Taken Advantage Of The Weakness Of The Roman Empire When The Imperial Armies Were Engaged In Suppressing The Rebellion Of Procopius, War Was Declared Against Him By ...
Atheism
Atheism, A Word Of Modern Formation, From Gr. Atheos, "without God," Signifies The Doctrine Of Those Who Deny The Existence Of A God. The Term Atheist Conveys Such Terrible Associations To Almost All Minds, That There Is Perhaps No Reproach From Which Men Shrink More; And Yet It Has Been ...
Athens
Athens, The Capital Of The Ancient Attica, Is Said To Have Been Founded By Cecrops, About 1550 B.c., And Staled Cecropia; But Even The Ancients Themselves Doubted This Tradition. Equally Uncertain Is The Story That It Was First Styled A., In Honor Of Athene, During The Reign Of Erichthonius. The ...
Athlete
Athlete (gr. Athleo, To Contend), The Name Given To A Combatant, Pugilist, Wrestler, Or Runner, In Ancient Greece. Athletics Were Studied In Greece As A Branch Of Art, And Led To Several Useful Rules Of Diet, Exercise, Etc., Applicable To Ordinary Modes Of Life. Bodily Strength And Activity Were So ...
Athos
A'thos, O'nos, Or 31on're San'to, I.e., The Holy Hill, The Principal Moun Tain Of A Chain Extending, In A Peninsular Form, From The Coast Of Macedonia Into The .ze.gean Sea, Between The Gulfs Of Contessa And Monte Santo, And Connected With The Mainland By A Narrow Isthmus. The Length Of ...
Ativadis
Ativadis, A Much-used Heroic Name In Chivalric Poetry. At The Head Of Those Heroes Of Romance, Stands A. Of Gaul, Called The Lion Knight, From The Device On His Shield, And Also Beltenebros, Or The Darkly Beautiful. The Other Amadises That Figure In Romance Are Represented As Descendants More Or ...
Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean, So Called Either From Mt. Atlas, Or From The Fabulous Island Of Atlantis, Is That Part Of The Ocean That. Divides The Old World From The New. Its Extreme Breadth Is About 5000 M., And Its Narrowest Part, Between Cape St. Roque, In Brazil, And The Nearest Point ...
Atlantic Telegraph
Atlantic Telegraph. Referring To Other Articles For Details Concerning The Scien Tific And Mechanical Principles Of Electro-telegraphy, The Atlantic Cables May More Espe Cially Be Described Here. The Possibility Of Laying An Electric Cable In The Atlantic, From Europe To America, Was Suggested By Prof. Morse So Far Back As ...
Atlas
Atlas, A Mass Of Mountain-land In The Western Part Of North Africa. Herodotus Mentions A Smoking Mountain Of This Name Situated On The S.w. Of The Little Syrtis, And Twenty Days' Journey Westwards From The Garamantes, Styled By The Natives The " Pillars Of Heaven." By Later Writers, After The ...
Atmosphere
Atmosphere (gr. Atmos, Vapor, Ipliaira, Sphere) Is The Name Applied To The Gaseous Envelope Which Surrounds The Earth. The Existence Of An A. Is To Us A Matter Of Vital Importance. We Owe To Its Influence The Possibility Of Animal And Vegetable Life, The Modifying And Retaining Of Solar Heat, ...
Atmospheric Electricity
Atmospheric Electricity. Franklin Was The First To Establish The Identity Of The Lightning Of The Heavens With The Electric Spark. By His Famous Kite-experiment, He Ascertained That The Thunder-cloud Assumes An Electrical Condition Precisely Similar To That Of The Conductor Of An Electrical Machine, And That The Same Mechanical And ...
Atmospheric Influence
Atmospheric Influence, The Power Of The Air Over Inorganic Bodies To Affect Them Chemically, Varying In Degree With The Constituents And Condition Of The Air Itself. .normally, 1000 Parts Of The Air Contain 203 Parts Of Oxygen And 792 Of Nitrogen; But Many Other Gases Are Taken Up, So That ...
Atmospheric Railway
Atmospheric Railway, A Railway On Which The Locomotive-power Is Supplied By The Pressure Of The Atmosphere More Or Less Directly On The Carriages Themselves. The Idea Of Producing Railway Locomotion In This Manner Has Been Successively Prosecuted By Lewis, Medhurst, Valiance, And Pinkus; And Latterly With A Greater Prospect Of ...
Atoll
Atoll', The Name Given By The Malays To A Coral Reef Which Forms An Annular Island, Inclosing A Lake Of Water Which Is Connected With The Sea By An Open Strait. Some A. Are Nearly 100 M. In Circumference, And Have From 15 To 60 Fathoms Of Water. They Make ...
Atomic Theory
Atomic Theory. Analysis Shows That Compound Bodies Contain Certain Ele Ments (see Chemistry) In Certain Proportions. These Proportions Have Been Minutely And Carefully Examined By Many Chemists Since The Time When The Balance Was First Applied To Chemical Investigation, And It Has Been Proved That The Respective Quanti Ties Of ...
Atonement
Atonement. Sin Violates The Ground Of Union Which The Persona] Creature Has, By Nature, With The Holy God. The Net Of Sin Is One Of Separation; The Act Begets The State Of Sin, The State Confirms And Repeats The Act. The Doctrine Of The A. Treats Of The Mediation Necessary ...
Atrato
Atra'to, A River Of Colombia, More Important From Its Position Than From Its Magnitude. It Has Already Been Mentioned Under The Head Of America In Connection With The Scheme Of Opening A Communication By Water Between The Atlantic And The Pacific. The Main Stream Falls Into The Gulf Of Darien ...
Atreus
A'treus, In Greek Legend, Son Of Pelops And Hippodamia, Grandson Of Thyestes And Nicippe, Whose Fortunes And Misfortunes, With Those Of His Family, Were The Favorite Themes Of Grecian Writers And Artists. A. Married Cleola, By Whom He Was The Father Of Pleisthenes; His Next Wife Was Aerope, Widow Of ...