pnugues/EB7 huggingface dataset:
ALPHERY, Mxkipher, an English divine, was born in Russia, and of the imperial line. When that country was distracted by intestine commotions in the latter end of the 16th century, this gentleman and his two brothers were sent over to England, and recommended to the care of Mr Joseph Bidell, a Russia merchant. Mr Bidell, when they were of age fit for the university, sent them to Oxford, where the small-pox unhappily prevailing, two of them died of it. We know not whether this surviving brother took any degrees or not, b,ut it is very probable he did, since he entered into holy orders, and in the year 1618 was presented to the rectory of .Wooley in Huntingdonshire, a living of no very considerable value, being rated under L.10 in the king’s books. Here he did his duty with great cheerfulness and alacrity; and although he was twice invited back to his native country by some who would have ventured their utmost to have set him on the throne of his ancestors, he chose rather to remain with his flock, and to serve God in the humble station of a parish priest. Yet in 1643 he underwent the severest trials from the rage of the fanatics, who, not satisfied with depriving him of his living, insulted him in the most barbarous manner. Having left Huntingdonshire, he came to Hammersmith, where he resided till

• the Restoration put him in possession of his living again. He returned on that occasion to Huntingdonshire, where he did not stay long; for being upwards of 80, and withal very infirm, he could not perform the duties of his function. Having, therefore, settled a curate, he retired to his eldest son’s house at Hammersmith, where soon after he died, much honoured and respected, and affording a remarkable instance of the vicissitudes of the world.
ALPHONSIN, in Surgery, an instrument for extracting bullets out of gunshot wounds. This instrument derives its name from the inventor, Alphonso Ferri, a physician of Naples. It consists of three branches, which are closed by a ring. When closed and introduced [7:2:552] into the wound, the operator draws back the ring towards the handle, upon which the branches opening take hold of the ball; and then the ring is pushed from the haft, by which means the branches grasp the ball so firmly as to extract it from the wound.
ALPHONSUS TOSTATUS. See Tostatus.
ALPISTE, or Alpia, a sort of seed used to feed birds with, especially when they are to be nourished for breeding. The alpiste seed is of an oval figure, of a pale yellow, inclining to an isabel colour, bright and glossy. It is an article of the corn-chandlers and seedmen’s trade.
ALPUJARRAS, a mountainous district in the province of Granada, in the south of Spain, to which the Moors of the capital were banished after the destruction of their kingdom under Ferdinand and Isabella. It is a range parallel to the Sierra Nevada, but separated from it by the river Grande, which runs to the Mediterranean by Mo-tril. The mountains are composed of a clayey slate highly favourable to the culture of the vine, and produce the wine called Pedro-Ximenes, so highly prized in Spain. The declivity of this range is very rapid to the north, but on the south the descent towards the Mediterranean Sea is very gradual, and the inclined planes are highly prolific. The highest part of the range is the Sierra de Luxar, which has an elevation of 6550 feet, and is covered with snow eight months of the year.
ALQUIER, a liquid measure used in Portugal to measure oil, two of which make an almond.
ALQUIFOU, or Arquifou, is a sort of lead ore, which, when broken, looks like antimony. It is used by the potters to give a green varnish to their works, and thence is called potters ore. It is met with in Cornwall, &c. The potters mix a small portion of manganese with the alquifou, and then the varnish or glazing on their ware is of a blackish hue.
ALREDUS, Alured, or Aluredus, of Beverley, one of the most ancient English historians, was born at Beverley, in Yorkshire. He wrote in the reign of Henry I.; but no circumstance of his life is known with any degree of certainty. It is generally believed that he was educated at Cambridge, and that he afterwards became one of the canons and treasurer of St John’s at Beverley; and we learn from a note of Bishop Tanner’s, that, for the sake of improvement, he travelled through France and Italy, and at Rome became domestic chaplain to Cardinal Othoboni. He died in the year 1128 or 1129, leaving behind him the following works :—1. The Annals of Alured of Beverley, published at Oxford in 1716, by Mr Hearne, from a manuscript which belonged to Thomas Rawlinson, Esq. It contains an abridgement of our history from Brutus to Henry I., written in Latin, and with great accuracy, elegance, and perspicuity. 2. Libertates Ecclesiae S. Johannis de Beverlac, &c. a manuscript in the Cottonian library. It is a collection of records relative to the church of Beverley, translated from the Saxon language.
ALRESFORD, a market-town in the north division of the county of FIants, 7 miles from Winchester, and 58 from London. It consists of two parishes, having been in past ages a place of more consideration than of late years, as the river Itchen, on whose banks it is built, has long ceased to be navigable. In 1801 the population was 1132; in 1811, 1429; and in 1821, 1264.
ALSACE, before the Revolution, a province of France, bounded on the east by the Rhine, on the south by Switzerland, on the west by Lorraine, and on the north by the palatinate of the Rhine. It was formerly a part of Germany, but was given to France by the treaty of Munster. It is one of the most fruitful provinces in Europe, abounding in corn, wine, wood, flax, tobacco, pulse, fruits, &c. The mountains which divide it from Lorraine are very high, and generally covered with fir, beech, oak, and hornbeam. Those on the side of Switzerland are lower, and furnished with all sorts of wood, as well for fuel as for building. The country itself is diversified with rising hills and fertile vales, besides large forests; but that between the rivers Ill, Hart, and the Rhine, as far as Strasburg, is inferior to the rest, on ac [7:2:564] count of the frequent overflowing of the Rhine. In High Alsace there are mines of silver, copper, and lead. There are iron works in several parts of Alsace, and particularly at Betford. At Sulzbach, near Munster, in High Alsace, there is a mineral spring, which is in great reputation for the palsy, gravel, and weakness of the nerves. The original inhabitants of Alsace are honest and good-natured, but wedded to their own manners and customs. The fruitfulness of their country renders them indolent and inactive; for the Swiss make their hay and reap their corn, as well as manage the vintage of High Alsace. The common language is the German, but the better sort of people in the towns speak French; and even in the country they speak French well enough to be understood. The number of inhabitants since the peace in 1814 has been computed at 915,191. By the late division of France, this province forms two departments, viz. those of the Upper and Lower Rhine; the capital of the former being Colmar, and that of the latter Strasburg.
ALSEN, an island of Denmark, situated in the Little Belt, or entrance into the Baltic Sea, between Sleswick and Funen, 100 miles west of Copenhagen. It extends in length six leagues, and about two in breadth. The soil is fertile, producing abundance of fruit and variety of grain, with large crops of aniseeds, a carminative much used in seasoning food, and mixing with the bread, over all the Danish dominions. Long. 9. 55. E. Lat. 55. 12. N.
ALSFELD, a bailiwick in the grand duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, containing two cities and 25 other towns and villages, the inhabitants of which amount to 8700, in 1452 houses.

Alsfeld, a city, the capital of the bailiwick of the same name. It is a manufacturing town, in which much coarse woollen cloth is made. It stands on the river Schwalm, has 500 houses, and 3019 inhabitants.
ALSHASH, a very beautiful city in Bukharia, supposed to be the same with that which is now called Tasheant, the capital of the eastern part of Turkestan, possessed by the Kassats. It is situated on the river Sihon, now Sirr, and had a well-watered garden for every house; but was ruined by Jenghis Khan, who took the city, and caused a great number of its inhabitants to be massacred.
ALSHEDA, a parish in the province of Smaland, in Sweden, where a gold mine was discovered in 1738.
ALSIRAT, in the Mahometan Theology, denotes a bridge laid over the middle of hell, finer than a hair, and sharper than the edge of a sword, over which people are to pass, after their trial, on the day of judgment. To add to the difficulty of the passage, Mahomet affirms, that the Alsirat, narrow as it is, is beset with briers and thorns; none of which, however, will be any impediment to the good, who shall fly over it like the wind, Mahomet and his Mussulmans leading the way; whereas the wicked, by the narrowness of the path, the entangling of the thorns, and extinction of the light which directed the former to paradise, shall soon miss their footing, and tumble headlong into hell, which is gaping beneath to receive them.
ALSO-KUBIN, a market-town in the palatinate of Arva and province of Hither Danube, in Hungary, with a Catholic and a Lutheran church, and a Jewish synagogue. Long. 19. 24. 45. E. Lat. 49. 14. 30. N.
ALSTAHOUG, a city of Norway, the seat of a bishop, containing 4990 inhabitants, on the island Alster, in the bailiwick of Nordland and province of Drontheim, or, in the Norwegian dialect, of Tronheim.
ALSTED, a barony in the bailiwick of Soroe and diocese of Zealand, in Denmark. It comprehends 17 parishes, contains 6000 inhabitants, and extends over 95 square miles.
ALSTEDIUS, John Henry, a German Protestant divine, and one of the most indefatigable and voluminous writers of the 17th century. He was some time professor of philosophy and divinity at Herborn, in the county of Nassau. From thence he went into Transylvania, to be professor at Alba Julia, where he continued till his death, which happened in 1638, in the 50th year of his age. His Encyclopoedia, the most considerable of the earlier works of that class, was long held in very high estimation. It was published in 1630, in two large folio volumes. His Thesaurus Chronologicus is by some considered as one of his best works, and has gone through several editions. He also wrote Triumphus Blblicus, to show that the principles of all arts and sciences are to be found in the Scriptures. He was a Millenarian, and published, in 1627, a treatise De Mille Annis, in which he asserted that the reign of the saints on earth was to begin in 1694.
ALSTON, Charles, Μ. D. a botanical and medical writer, was born in the west of Scotland in the year 1683. He began his studies at the university of Glasgow; and about this time he had the good fortune to be taken under the patronage of the duchess of Hamilton, which afforded him an opportunity of pursuing the bent of his inclination, by attaching himself to the study of physic. About the age of 33, along with his friend and companion the celebrated Alexander Monro, he went to Leyden, and studied three years under Boerhaave. On their return to their native country, they, in conjunction with Rutherford, Sinclair, and Plummer, undertook departments in the college of Edinburgh, and by their abilities and industry laid the foundation of that school of physic. The branches of botany and materia medica were long the favourite studies of his life, consequently he undertook that department, and continued to lecture on them with increasing reputation until his death, which happened in November 1760, at the age of 77 years. His talents appear to have been naturally strong, which he improved and strengthened with great assiduity and industry, and employed successfully in the service of science. In the year 1753, his dissertation on the sexes of plants, in which he combats the doctrine of Linnaeus, was published m the first volume of the Edinburgh Physical and Literary Essays. The general plan of the work is conducted with much ingenuity, supported by some strong experiments; and although, in the opinion of the learned, it has failed in its principal design, yet it must be acknowledged to be one of the best argued pieces on that side of the question. An asperity of language is sometimes used, very unsuitable to a scientific topic; but it is proper to remark, that Linnaeus had given some reasons for this conduct, by the nature of some of his descriptions. In the fifth volume of the Edinburgh Medical Essays, we have a short paper by Dr Alston, on the efficacy of the powder of tin to destroy or expel worms from the bowels. He informs us that he received the prescription from an empiric, who was renowned for his skill in curing persons afflicted with that disease. The patient received, the first morning, one ounce of tin reduced to powder, and half an ounce each on the two following mornings, and was then purged with the infusion of senna and manna. He speaks with great confidence of the efficacy of this medicine, which certainly has considerable power in these cases, and may be given to the most delicate subjects with perfect safety. Dr Alston also engaged in a chemical controversy respecting quicklime with Dr Whytt. But the most valuable of all his works are his lectures on the Materia Medica, which were published in the year 1770, in two volumes 4to. The number of curious and useful facts contained in this book will tend to secure its reputation, although considerable additions and improvements have been made since that period in this branch of science.
ALSTON-MOOR. See Aldston-Moor.
ALT, in Music, a term applied to the high notes in the scale.
ALTAI Mountains, an extensive range of mountains, which forms the northern barrier of the great plateau or central table-land of Asia, the southern barrier being formed by the Himalaya Mountains. This immense mountainous chain traverses, in a semicircular direction, the whole breadth of the Asiatic continent, from 68° E. longitude to East Cape in 170° of E. longitude. It extends, under different names, about 5000 miles. The Ural Mountains may be said to be its commencement on the west, being the western boundary of Siberia. From thence the chain passes above the head of the Irtysch, when it takes a rugged and precipitous course, clothed with snow, and rich in minerals, between the Irtysch and Obi: it then proceeds by the lake Telezkoi, the rise of the Obi; after which it retires, in order to comprehend the great rivers which form the Yenesei, and are locked up in these high mountains: finally, under the name of the Sainnes, it is uninterruptedly continued to the lake of Baikal. A branch insinuates itself between the sources of the rivers Onon and Ingoda, and those of Ichikoi, accompanied with very high mountains, running without interruption to the northeast, and dividing the river Amur, which discharges itself into the east, in the Chinese dominions, from the river Lena and Lake Baikal. Another branch stretches along the Oleema, crosses the Lena below Yakoutsk, and is continued between the two rivers Tongouska to the Yenesei, where it is lost in wooded and marshy plains. The principal chain, rugged with sharp-pointed rocks, approaches and keeps near the shores of the sea of Okhotsk, and, passing by the sources of the rivers Outh, Aldan, and Maia, is distributed in small branches, which range between the eastern rivers which fall into the Icy Sea; besides two principal branches, one of which, turning south, runs through all Kamtschatka, and is broken, from Cape Lopatka, into the numerous Kurile Isles, and to the east forms another marine chain, namely, the Aleutian Islands, [7:2:566]which range from Kamtschatka to Ariierica; most of which, as well as Kamtschatka itself, are distinguished by volcanoes, or the traces of volcanic fires. The last chain forms chiefly the great Cape Tschutski, with its promontories and rocky broken shores.

The summits of the highest of the Altai Mountains are covered with perpetual snow. The loftiest range of this extensive chain is composed of granite. Another range of inferior height consists of schistos, which lies on the sides of the granite mountains. Besides these rocks, there are strata of chalkstone, limestone, and marble. The Altai Mountains abound in metallic ores. Gold, silver, and lead mines, have been discovered in them, with great abundance of copper and iron. The two latter have been wrought to a considerable extent, and have been found productive. The Altai Mountains form the southern boundary of Siberia, as far as longitude 130° E., when they bend towards the north, and penetrate deeper into the country.
ALTAMONT, a very handsome town of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, in Calabria Citerior, 15 miles northwest of Basigniano. Long. 16. 22. E. Lat. 39. 40. N.
ALTAMURA, a city of the kingdom of Naples, in the province of Bari. It is the seat of a royal governor, and confers the title of prince on a noble family. It contains 10,780 inhabitants, a great part of whom are Greeks.
ALTAR-THANE, or Altarist, in old law-books, an appellation given to the priest or parson of a parish, to whom the profits arising from the altar or altarage belonged.
AL-TAYEFF. See Tayf.
ALTDAMM, a fortified city in the circle of Randow, government of Stettin, and Prussian province of Pomerania. It is built in a strong situation at the point where the river Plone discharges its waters into the lake Damische; and contains 268 houses and 2177 inhabitants. It is in long. 14. 58. 47. E. and lat. 53. 24. N.
ALTDORF, a bailiwick in the circle of Rezat, in the kingdom of Bavaria. Its extent is 118 square miles, or 75,520 acres. It contains one city, onje market-town, 72 villages, and 11,493 inhabitants. The face of the country is undulating. It is watered by the rivers Schwartzach and Rottenbache, and produces hops and garden fruit in great abundance. Some iron-stone is raised, and the metal extracted.

Altdorf, a city and capital of the bailiwick of the same name in Bavaria. It contains 205 houses, and 1800 inhabitants, among whom is a colony from Salzburg, who make many curious articles of wood-ware. It is in long. 11. 27.13. E. and lat. 49. 23. 22. N.

Altdoiif, a town on the Schmeidebach, in the bailiwick of Ettenheim, and circle of Kenzig, in the duchy of Baden. It contains 1127 houses, and a palace belonging to the family of Von Turkheim, with a good library and a botanical garden.

Altdorf, a large handsome town in Switzerland, and the chief of the canton of Uri. It is situated below the lake of the Four Cantons, in a plain, at the foot of a mountain whose passages are difficult, and serve instead of fortifications. It has four churches and two convents: St Martin’s church and that of the Holy Cross are the finest. The town-house and the arsenal are also worth seeing. Long. 8. 30. E. Lat. 46. 50. N.
ALTEA, a town of Spain, in the department of Dénia, and province of Valencia. It is situated on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and contains 4800 inhabitants, who follow the fisheries and cultivate some cotton.
ALTELAND, a district in the province of Bremen, in the kingdom of Hanover, denominated a royal justiceship, henigliche Gerichte. It is situated on the banks of the Elbe, and is divided into three portions by the small rivers Schwinge, Este, and Lube, which cross it. The extent is 'θ square miles, or 50,560 acres. The soil is peculiarly fertile, and produces bountiful crops of corn, rapeseed, flax, garden and orchard fruits; and on the meadows large herds of cattle are depastured. The inhabitants amount to 14,125, mostly living on separate farms, in prosperous circumstances, and enjoy some peculiar privileges. By means of the rivers which cross this narrow strip of land there is a communication with the Elbe, which affords easy access to the large cities on that river.
ALTENA, or Altona, a sea-port town of Germany, in the duchy of Holstein, in Lower Saxony. It is a modern town, built by the king of Denmark, and was burnt by the Swedes in 1712, but has since been beautifully rebuilt. The number of inhabitants is about 30,000, and it has a considerable trade. Long. 10. 0. E. Lat. 53. 51. N.

Altena, a circle in the government of Arenburg and Prussian province of Westphalia. Its extent is 138 square miles, or 88,320 acres. The chief rivers are the Lenne, which receives the waters of the Nette and the Erse, and the Wipper, both of which run to the Rhine. The agriculture is bad, and in many parts can scarcely produce oats. It has some pasture land, and, besides, yields wood, game, iron, marble, and good stones for building. Its population, which amounts to 27,996, depends almost wholly on the several manufactures which are spread over the whole circle. These comprehend almost every species of iron goods, which, though clumsy in form, are very substantial, and find .a ready sale.

Altena, a city, the chief of the circle of the same name, in Prussia. It contains 598 houses, and 3420 inhabitants, who trade in the several kinds of goods made in the vicinity. It is situated on the Lenne. Long. 7.4L 23. E. Lat. 51. 15. 36. N.
ALTENBERG, a bailiwick in the circle of Erzgebirg, in Saxony. It is a lofty and woody district, in which no corn but oats can be grown. It yields, however, tolerable crops of potatoes. The chief objects of labour are the mines of tin. It has three small cities, a markettown, and ten villages, with 3800 inhabitants.

Altenberg, a city, capital of the bailiwick of the same name in the kingdom of Saxony. It contains 1390 inhabitants, who depend on the mines, and on the passage through it into Bohemia; whilst the females are employed in making bone lace.
ALTENBRUCH, a market-town on the Werne, in the principality of Verden, in the kingdom of Hanover. It contains 366 houses and 2319 inhabitants; and has a small harbour, from whence it carries on trade in corn, fruit, and cattle. It is in long. 8. 51. 3. Έ. and lat. 53. 50. 5. N.
ALTENBURG, a duchy forming a material portion of the dominions of the duke of Saxe-Gotha, and which gives him a part of his title. Some parcels of this duchy are surrounded by the dominions of other sovereigns, and some of their territories are encircled by this part of the dominions of Saxe-Gotha. The extent is 544 square miles, or 358,160 acres. It is a well-cultivated and productive district, and more than maintains its own dense population from the fruits of its own soil. It contains nine cities, three market-towns, 566 villages and hamlets, and 105,200 inhabitants. It is divided into three bailiwicks or jurisdictions, in which are included 158 partrimonial circles of justiceship, where the hereditary judges administer the law to their peasantry according to the more ancient feudal system; a system in more primitive force in this district than in any other of the north of Germany.

Altenburg, a city, the capital of the duchy of the same name, and the seat of a Lutheran superintendent, and of the courts of revenue and justice. It is on the river Pleisse, and has broad streets, though irregularly built, from its hilly position. The ducal castle is an ancient building, surrounded by picturesque scenery. The city contains 1279 houses, and 10,160 inhabitants, who are industrious[7:2:568] and frugal, and who make some silk and more woollen goods, tapes, pottery, tobacco, brushes, starch, carriages, and musical instruments. There are several institutions for education, for the poor, and for the sick. Long. 12. 18. 17. E. Lat. 51. 0. 11. N.

Altenburg, a small fortified town of Hungary, in the territory of Moson, near the Danube, about fifty miles from Vienna. Long. 17. 20. E. Lat. 48. 15. N.

Altenburg, or Owar, a small but strong town of Hungary, seated in a marsh, with wide streets. It is near the river Danube, and is surrounded by deep ditches. It is 15 miles south of Presburg, 40 southeast of Vienna, and 65 south-west of Buda. Long. 17. 56. E. Lat. 46. 50. N.

Altenburg, a town of Transylvania, 17 miles southwest of Weissenburg, and 35 south of Clausenburg. Long. 23. 5. E. Lat. 46. 25. N.
ALTENHEIM, a city near the Rhine, in the bailiwick of Offenburg and circle of Kinzig, in the duchy of Baden. It contains 280 houses and 1329 inhabitants.