by a cheerful, because a Christian
spirit. Quotations from his works:-
An inconsistent sceptic, 8.
The universal effects of heat, 112.
Adelsberg or Adelberg, description of
its grotto, 51.
Admiral, the title of a naval officer of
high rank, derived from the Arabic
word emir, a ruler or prince, 12.
Adonis, the fabled lover of Venus, the
Grecian goddess of beauty, 238.
Aeronaut, from the Greek words aer,
the air or atmosphere, and nautes, a
sailor, that is, an aerial sailor, or an ad-
venturer in a balloon. See BALLOON.
Affghánistán is a country of Asia, ex-
tending from the Indus on the east, to
Persia on the west, having a popula-
tion of fourteen millions, 153.
Africa is one of the quarters of the globe.
It is a peninsula of vast extent, but
only its shores have been explored by
Europeans. On the north it is se-
parated from Europe by the Mediter-
ranean sea, along the shores of which
lie the Barbary states and Egypt; on
the east the Red Sea and the Indian
Ocean part it from Asia; the western
coast, on which are many European
settlements, is washed by the Atlantic,
which divides Africa from America:
and the extreme south is occupied by
the Cape of Good Hope, and its Eng-
lish colony. The interior of Africa
is quite unknown.
African Lion, 141.
Aga, a Turkish title of honour, answer-
ing to our Lord, 4.
Agra, a city and province in the north
of Hindustan. The city was once the
capital of the Mogul empire, 239.
Albatross. The Wandering Albatross
described, 101.
Alburnum, in Botany, a soft white sub-
stance between the inner bark and
the wood of trees.
Alderney. An island in the English
Channel, about seven miles from Cape
La Hogue, in Normandy, on the coast
of France. Population in 1831 was
1045. The inhabitants embraced the
Protestant religion about the time of
the Reformation in England.
Description of the Alderney cow,
148.
Aleppo, a city of great trade in Syria, 171.
Alexandria. A city of Egypt, founded
by Alexander the Great, 332 B.C.
It is situated at the western extremity
of the modern Egyptian coast, is the
only port of that country, and contains
about 25,000 inhabitants.
Alfred the Great, born 849, died 901.
This illustrious king of England will
ever be held in remembrance for his
learning, wisdom, justice, modera.
tion and benevolent piety. The per-
vading moral force of one great and
good man has seldom exceeded that
which is said to have influenced all
classes of his subjects during his me-
morable reign, for life and property,
though unguarded, were held sacred
through respect to his justice, which
disarmed the robber of his licentious
habits.
Alfred the Great learning to read, 2.
Algiers, formerly the most considerable
of the piratical Barbary states, lies
west of Tunis. In 1830 it was con-
quered by the French, and is still in
their possession.
Alkali. Chemists define an alkali to be
a substance with an acrid taste, which
melts in water, bubbling up when
mixed with acids, and changing vege-
table blues to green, yellows to brown,
and certain reds to blue. The term,
however, is usually limited to potash,
soda, and ammonia. Fixed alkalies
are those which resist a red heat with-
out evaporation, 246.
All for the best, or an example of calm
Christian resignation, 3.
Allegory. An allegory, or parable, using
this word in its scriptural sense, is
a continued metaphor; a metaphor
being the representation of one object
by another. Thus, in the 80th Psalm,
the people of Israel are represented
under the metaphorical figure of a
vine, and from the varying conditions
peculiarly applicable to the vine is
drawn out an allegorical picture of
the condition of the Israelites. This
picture is of surpassing beauty.
Allonville, a village near Yvetot, 20
miles from Rouen, in Normandy, 219.
Alp. Its true signification, in the
note, 73.
Alpha. The first letter in the ancient
Greek Alphabet, corresponding to the
English a, 279.
Alps. The highest range of mountains
in Europe, the loftiest points of which
are in Savoy and Switzerland; from
thence branches diverge in all di-
rections. They divide Italy from the
more northern countries of France,
Switzerland, and Germany. Their
length is from 600 to 700 miles, and
their breadth very various. The iso-
lated Alp Mont Blanc in Savoy, is
the most lofty peak in Europe, being
15,732 feet above the level of the
sea; and is seen at a distance of 140
miles, 73.
Amazon, one of the largest rivers in the
world, formed by a number of sources
which rise in the Andes, but the two
head branches rise in Peru. It flows
into the Atlantic under the Equator,
after a course of 4000 miles, and pours
more water into the sea than all the
rivers of Europe together, 205.
America, a vast continent, discovered by
the Genoese navigator Columbus, in the
year 1492, and often thence called the
New World. It is separated from the
rest of the world by the Polar, the
Atlantic, and the Pacific Oceans, is
about 10,000 miles in length, and is
divided into two great portions termed
North and South, which are united by
a narrow belt of land called the Isth-
mus of Darien.
In the northern part of America are
found Hudson's Bay, Canada, Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, and the island
of Newfoundland, which belong to
the kingdom of Great Britain as colo-
nies; the United States, which were
formerly colonies of Great Britain
also, and Mexico, once belonging to
Spain, but these latter are now inde-
pendent.
Further south and beyond the Isth-
mus of Darien, are the states of Ve-
nezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador,
once called Colombia; Bolivia, Peru,
Chile, on the eastern side, and Para-
guay, and Buenos Ayres on the west,
all formerly colonies of Spain, but
now independent republics. On the
west is also the vast kingdom of Brazil,
once belonging to Portugal, and the
English colony of Guiana, Cayenne,
belonging to France, and Surinam to
Holland.
Amsterdam, the capital city of Holland,
is situated on the Zuyder Zee, which
is a large gulf in the northern shore of
Holland. The harbour of Amsterdam
will contain a thousand vessels; three
of its principal streets have canals
running through them with a row of
trees planted on either side: its popu-
lation is about 200,000.
An Infant's peril, 73.
Analogy. A likeness or resemblance
between things with regard to their
form or qualities; their circumstances,
or effects.
Anchovy described, 198.
Andes, the, called by the Spaniards, the
Cordilleras, or the Great Chain, are a
great ridge of mountains that run along
the western coast of South America to
the extent of 4600 miles. Of these
Chimborazo is 21,000 feet in height,
being the most lofty mountain in Ame-
rica.
Anecdote, a detached incident of an in-
teresting nature.
List of Anecdotes contained in this
volume, 1.
Anglesey, one of the counties of North
Wales. It is an island with rocky
coasts, much frequented by sea birds,
115.
Animal Electricity. What electricity
is, is not known; whether it be a ma-
terial agent, or merely a property of
matter, but it can be traced from cer-
tain fixed sources, and many of its
operations are understood. Its sources
are mechanical, chemical, calorific,
magnetic, and animal actions.
regards the last, it has not yet been
proved to be the cause of the muscular
action of animals during life, although
dead animals may be convulsed through
its agency, and involuntary twitchings
of the limbs are produced upon us
while alive by an electric shock; but
apart from these considerations, there
are certain animals which develop
electricity at will, as a means of de-
fence, and for entrapping food. Of
these there are probably only four
known at present; the Torpedo or
Electric Ray, which was known to the
ancients; the Gymnotus or Electric
Eel, first described in 1677; the Si-
lurus Electricus, or Trembleur, less
perfectly known; and lastly, a large
and very hairy Caterpillar of South
America is also said to possess the
power of communicating the electric
shock, 205.
Animalcule, a little animal; usually one
so small as not to be visible to the
naked eye.
Animals. Anecdotes of, 153.
Assistance rendered each other, 119.
Coverings of, 134.
Cruelty to animals, 148.
Fitness of their forms to their habits
of life, 113.
List of the birds described in this
volume, 90.
List of the beasts, 129.
List of the insects, reptiles, and
fishes, 167.
Local distribution of animals, 159.
Modes of capturing wild animals, 146.
Natural affection of animals, 134.
Paradoxical animals, 161.
Southey on animal instinct, 137.
Turner on the beautiful balance of
the various races of animals, 111.
A.D. or Anno Domini, year of our Lord,
affixed to dates, signifying so many
years from the birth of our blessed
Saviour.
Anomaly. Any irregularity or devia-
tion from a law.
Anson, George, Lord. This noble sea-
man was born 1697, and having chosen
the navy as a profession, the com-
mand of an expedition to attack the
Spanish American settlements was
given to him in 1742. He was after-
wards raised to the peerage, and was
first commissioner of the Admiralty
for several years. He died 1762.
Anecdote of the figure-head of his
good ship Centurion, 31.
Antarctic. See ARCTIC.
Antennæ; horns or feelers projecting
from the heads of insects.
Antrim; a county in the province of
Ulster at the N.E. extremity of Ire-
land, 136.
Ants. Solomon calls these insects ""
ceeding wise," for, though a race not
strong, yet they prepare their meat in
the summer. He therefore sends the
sluggard to these little creatures to
learn wisdom, foresight, care and dili-
gence.
Chasseur ants of Trinidad, 191.
Latreille's observations upon their
antennæ, 186.
Various authors upon the function"
of their antennæ, 172.
Antwerp. A strong fortified city and
port of Belgium, 25 miles in a direct
line from Brussels. In the sixteenth
century its commercial importance
was such that 2,000 vessels entered its
port, and its population numbered
200,000. In 1831, however, it was
only 77,199, and in consequence of its
separation from Holland its trade and
inhabitants have since fallen off, 23.
Apennines, a long chain of mountains,
which traverse Italy from north to
south, 259.
Apologues, from the Greek word apologos,
fables or stories tending to some good
and moral end.
An apologue by Bishop Heber, 45.
List of those contained in this vo-
lume, 32.
Apostle spoons. A set of twelve spoons,
the handles being representations of
the heads of the Apostles, was in
former days a common present from
godfathers and godmothers, 68.
Arabia, a large country of Asia, lying
between the Red Sea and the Per-
sian Gulf. It is often mentioned in
the Bible, as its inhabitants the Arabs
are descended from Ishmael, a son of
Abraham, and have always been wan-
dering tribes, dwelling in tents amid
the trackless deserts which cover a
large portion of their country. Those
of the Arabians were called Saracens
who followed Mohammed, the self-
constituted and false prophet who
forced his artificial creed upon his
own and the adjoining countries in
the seventh century. See MoнAM-
An anecdote of an Arab, 4.
Arabs and their horses, 4.
Arabs and the date trees, 65.
Hospitality of an Arab, 56.
Trained goats of Arabia, 151.
Arabia Petrea, or Stony Arabia, is the
northern part of Arabia; it has re-
cently been visited and described, by
M. Laborde, a French traveller, 223.
Archdeacon, a clergyman who assists a
bishop in the superintendence of his
diocese.
Archipelago, a sea with many islands;
as the Grecian Archipelago, in the
Mediterranean, the Indian Archipel-
ago, between India and China, 153,
Arctic, Northern. The arctic and the
antarctic circles comprise the extreme
northern and southern parts of the
earth's surface, and are nearly un-
inhabited, 52.
Armenia, a country of Asia, lying be-
tween Russia and Persia north and
south, and Turkey and Russia west
and east. Its inhabitants are a civi-
lized Christian people, who are known
all over the world for their industry
and integrity, 65.
Arts and Sciences. The arts are divided
into fine arts, and mechanical arts. To
the former belong music, painting,
sculpture, engraving, modelling, cast-
ing, &c.; and the latter include all
those processes in trades and manu-
factures whereby useful articles are
produced. Different arts have often
attained to a considerable degree of
perfection long before they could be
said to form parts of general science.
The chemical arts of glass-making,
working in metals, dyeing, and many
others, were known to the ancient
Egyptians, who, probably, were quite
ignorant of the principles of the science
of chemistry. Two things are re-
quired to form a science; observation
of things without, and an inward effort of thought. It should be the aim of the student then, not merely to load his memory with facts, but rather to obtain clear ideas of the laws, or principles, that govern these facts, and he will thus have within his hand a key wherewith to open others. Asia, one of the quarters of the globe, of all others the most interesting to the Christian, from being the scene of the wonderful dealings of God with man, as recorded in the Bible.
Asia is the largest of the divisions of the globe, extending 7000 miles from east to west, and 4000 from north to south. Of this space, about onethird belongs to Russia, being the northern portion; south of which lies the Chinese empire, of about equal extent; while the remainder is divided into the great countries called Siam, Burmah, India, Persia, Affghanistan or Caubul, Arabia, Syria, and Asia Minor. To the south-east of India lie the great islands of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, the Philippines, and numerous smaller groups.
Europeans have settlements in most of these countries; but the majority of the inhabitants are still either Pagans or Mohammedans. Asia Minor, is the north-west part of Asia, bordering on the Mediterranean. This is the country called Asia in the New Testament. See Acts vi. 9; 171.
Ass. History and description of the wild species, 151.
Sagacity of an ass, 154. Assyrian empire. This empire arose in very early times beyond the Tigris, but was afterwards spread over western Asia. Several of its monarchs are mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, as Pul, Sennacherib, and Nebuchad
Astrachan, a large city of Asiatic Russia, on the Wolga, a river which falls into the Caspian. Population 400,000. 235.
Astrology. A word signifying a knowledge of the stars. This used to be regarded as a science under the supposition that the stars and planets had some particular influence on the health and happiness, fortune and destiny, of man. But this idea has long since been discarded. All that we can know of the planets, and the heavenly bodies generally, must be looked for in astronomy. Astrology is now only em
ployed as a kind of fortune-telling, by persons who profit by the weaknesses of others.
On the folly of a belief in astrology, 86.
Astronomy is the science by which we learn the size, distances, and movements of the heavenly bodies, 19. Atheist, is one who madly denies the existence of a God. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." Psalm Liii. 1. 5.
Athens, a famous city of Greece, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. It was the capital of the state of Attica. and was renowned for the learning and refinement of its inhabitants. It is the capital of the modern kingdom of Greece, but the ruins of ancient edifices with which it abounds, form its chief attraction, 54.
Athos. A famous mountain in Macedonia, now called Monte Santo, or the Holy Mountain, from the number of monasteries upon it, 55. Atlantic Ocean. This ocean has Europe and Africa on the east, and America on the west. It is divided by the equator into the North and the South Atlantic, and is about 3000 miles in breadth, 115.
Atmosphere, the, is that fluid which surrounds the earth, and consists of air and vapour of water. The air is composed of two gases, oxygen and nitro.gen, mixed in the proportion of one of the former to four of the latter. Nitrogen is a little lighter than the air: when separated from oxygen animals cannot live in it, and flame cannot burn in it. Oxygen is a little heavier than the air: it is a powerful supporter of animal life, and flames burn in it with increased power: these active properties of oxygen are greatly moderated by the nitrogen. The atmosphere is everywhere present on the earth; vessels, said to be empty, are, in fact, full of air. See BAROMETER. Attar, or otto of roses, 238.
Attar is derived from an Arabic word signifying quintessence of any thing. It is usually applied to the oily aromas extracted from flowers.
Audubon. Born in America, educated in art at Paris under the French painter David, and in nature amidst the wilds of the West, Audubon became one of the first naturalists of the present age. After a long sojourn in the forests of America he returned to civilized man laden with sketches fresh
from nature, and with descriptions as
graphic as those were true. A sud-
den accident destroyed the fruits of
all his labours. Once more he started
with his gun, note book and pencils,
and in three years had shot and sketch-
ed upon the spot almost every North-
American bird. He had explored un-
known paths in their vast forests, and
came to England, where his drawings
were first exhibited and then publish-
ed. In the magnificent engravings
from his drawings each bird is repre-
sented of its natural size. The follow-
ing are passages from his works:
On the great black woodpecker, 108.
On the passenger pigeon of Ame-
rica, 108.
On the sense of smell of birds of
prey, 93.
Aurora Borealis, 259.
Austerlitz, a city of Moravia; Moravia
being a German province of the Aus-
trian monarchy. Austerlitz contains
about 2200 inhabitants. In 1805
England united itself with Russia,
Austria, and Sweden, to break the
power of Napoleon, who immediately
marched into Germany, entered Vi-
enna, and gained a complete victory
over the allied troops at Austerlitz on
2d Dec. 1805. 73.
Austria, a large empire in the centre and
south of Europe, reaching from the
Mediterranean to the Black Sea, with
a population of 32,000,000. It has,
Turkey to the south, and Poland,
Prussia, and Germany to the north.
Avalanche. A name given to the enor-
mous masses of snow that sometimes
give way, and roll down alpine moun-
tains. It differs from an eboulement,
which consists of a mass of ice.
An account of an avalanche, or,
more properly, a land-slip, that oc-
curred in the United States, 262.
Axis of rotation, is the straight line,
real or imaginary, passing through the
centre of a body on which it turns,
266.
Azara, Felix d', born in Spain 1746,
was a famous naturalist and traveller,
and author of a Natural History of
Paraguay. He is quoted on the Pu-
ma, 137.
Baber, emperor of the Moguls, and
conqueror of Hindustan. He died
1530, and his line retained imperial
power over India for more than two
centuries. A note on the rhinoceros
written by Baber, 159.
Babylon, a city of the ancient Assyrian
and present Turkish empire, situated
on the river Euphrates, 48 miles south
of Bagdad.
Bacon, Francis, Lord, was born 1561,
He held the office of High Chancellor
under James the First, for which he
showed himself morally unfit. As
having divested his mind, to a re-
markable degree, of the false systems
of learning then in use, and in bring-
ing the mental faculties into immediate
relation with the object of inquiry, in-
stead of vaguely reasoning on far-off
causes, considered in this light, he
was, perhaps, the greatest philosopher
that ever lived; but his life teaches
the great moral lesson, that the tree
of knowledge is not the tree of life.
Immeasurably above all his fellows
in the grasp of his intelligence, yet he
sank beneath thousands in honesty of
purpose and integrity of heart, 244.
Bactria, now Bokhara, is a country in
central Asia, to the north of Persia.
See BALK.
Bactrian camel described, 130.
Bagdad, or Bagdat, is the capital of a
Turkish pashalic of the same name,
which lies chiefly on the eastern bank
of the river Tigris. The province
contains about 70,000 square miles,
and 650,000 inhabitants. The city is
about 200 miles in a direct line above
the junction of the Tigris with the
Euphrates, and 300 miles above the
point where the main stream enters
the Persian Gulf, 4.
Baiæ. An ancient watering place on
the shore of the Bay of Naples,.238.
Balk, or Balkh. A town of the kingdom
of Bokhara, Bokhara being a country
of central Asia. It is situated 1,800
feet above the level of the sea, and
contains about two thousand souls.
There is a white marble in it, which
is pointed out as the throne of Cy-
rus, 38.
Balloons are of two sorts, fire and air,
In the former, a large globular vessel is
prepared of any light material, such
as paper: an opening is left at the
bottom, where a fire is lighted; the
heat rarifies the inclosed air, and ex-
pels a portion of it, thereby making
the balloon lighter than its own bulk
of the surrounding air; it therefore
ascends for the same reason that a cork
ascends through water to the surface.
An air-balloon is formed of a large
bag of varnished silk: this is filled
with a gas called hydrogen, which be-
ing very much lighter than common
|