ELATERIN. 



ELECTION. 



77 



eiuidiameten of the earth, at which height the density must be 

 inconceivably mull; and since it if not neoeemry to suppose that the 

 etherul fluid l- ; ... : ,.l tho atmosphere of the earth U more dense or 

 more elastic than the atmosphere at that height, it may readily be 

 admitted, that whatever may be the effect of such a fluid in rousting 

 the motion of a comet, it can produce no aenaible retardation of the 



Tto.erapuoular Ejhtwhich haa been obterred atUe cup of Venu, 

 and the change* which take place on the apparent di*cs of Man and 

 Jupiter, afford* indication* that those planet* have atmosphere*, though, 

 with our instrument* uch atmospheres may not bo rendered sensible by 

 their action on transmitted light If, about a planet, an atmosphere 

 were formed in consequence of the attraction exercised by the planet 

 on the etherial fluid supposed to fill all space, since that fluid may 

 hare no mater density and clastic power than the atmosphere of the 

 earth at the height of fire semidiameters of the latter above it* surface, 

 the attraction of th planet may be incapable of rendering it suffi- 

 ciently dense to produce any sensible effect in refracting light to the 

 earth. Again, the height and the law of the variation* in the density 

 of the strata in an atmosphere which may be formed about a planet 

 by the vapour* arising from water* *iting on it* surface, would 

 depsnd on the temperature ; and this we have no means of knowing : 

 but miiiming it to be equal to the mean temperature at the surface of 

 the earth, the height of such atmosphere would be very small com- 

 pared with that of the existing atmosphere about the earth. An 

 atmosphere of either of tho kinds here indicated would serve to 

 account for the rare occurrence of remarkable refractions in the 

 phenomena of the immersions and emersion* of Jupiter's satellites, or 

 the Decollation of stars by the moon. 



Kl.ATKKIX (CnoHyO,.), a vegetable principle extracted from tho 

 wild cucumber (J/uworrfi'ra Elatrrium). To obtain it the evaporated juice 

 of the fruit is to be treated with water, and the residue with alcohol 

 of specific gravity 0*825; the solution is to be evaporated to the 

 consistence of a syrup ; the elaterin then crystallizes ; more is after- 

 wards obtained by adding potash to the mother water ; the matter 

 obtained is to be purified by means of ether. Another process consists 

 in pouring water into the concentrated tincture of elaterium, by which 

 tho eUteriu is precipitated in the state of small silky crystals. 



Elaterin has a bitter and somewhat styptic taste. It is insoluble 

 in water, and in dilute acid and alkaline solutions ; it is soluble in five 

 part* of cold alcohol and two parts of boiling alcohol, and also in ether 

 and fixed oils. It melts at a few degrees above 212, and at a higher 

 temperature it is volatilised in very acrid white vapours. 



Concentrated acids decompose it : nitric acid converts it into a 

 yellow gummy mass ; sulphuric acid dissolves it, and assumes a deep 

 blood-red colour. 



Elaterin acts strongly as an emetic or purgative, in doses of 1-1 2th 

 or 1-lOth of a grain. 



ELATHIN. A chemical product of uncertain composition, obtained 

 by acting upon acetone with sulphur and ammonia. 



ELAYL. [ETIIYLEXE.] 



ELAYL-OXALIC ACID (C.H.O,,2HO). An acid, isomeric with 

 succinic acid. It has hitherto been little studied. 



EL DORA'DO, literally tho golden country, was the name given by 

 the Spaniards in the 16th century to an imaginary region somewhere 

 in the interior of South America, south of the Orinoco and between 

 that and the Amazon river, where gold and precious stones were sup- 

 posed to be as common as rocks and pebbles in other countries, and to 

 be had for merely picking them up. The first notion of this story was 

 communicated by an Indian Cacique to Gonzalo I'izarro, brother of the 

 conqueror, who sent his companion, Francisco Orellana, down the 

 Amazon river to discover this wonderful land. Orellana followed the 

 course of the Amazon down to the sea ; but though he did not find 

 El Dorado, still he countenanced the report of its existence. The 

 temper of mind of the Spanish conquerors and discoverers of America 

 seems to have been singularly fitted for credulous belief in all won- 

 derful reports. The story of El Dorado continued to be accredited ; a 

 Spanish adventurer was said to have reached tho capital of this en- 

 chanted region, called Mauoa, and wonderful tales were told of its 

 oplcmlour and it* wealth, far surpassing those of Peru. The Spanish 

 governor of Ouiana was also styled governor of El Dorado, because the 

 latter country was reckoned to belong to his jurisdiction. Raleigh was 

 o persuaded, or pretended to be persuaded, of the existence of this 

 wonderful country, that he fitted out several expeditious for the 

 purpose of discovering and conquering it for England ; his last attempt 

 in 1 ; 1 7 involved him in hostilities with the Spaniards of Ouiana, which 

 uHi:r.r.tely led to his death on the scaffold. [RALEIGH, SIR WALTER, 

 in LIOG. Dry.] 



.ATIC PHILOSOPHY has its name from Elea (called by the 

 Tomans, Veda), a Grecian colony on tho western coast of Lower Italy, 

 where ^cuophanes of Colophon settled in his old age (about 530 B.C.), 

 nd founded a school distinguished by its bold attempt to construct a 

 cvstem of the universe upon metaphysical principles. The theory 

 a* brought to perfection by Parmenid**, but it also reckons among 

 :',* members Zeno, Melissus, and Empedocles, who, however, only gave 

 a further development to particular principles; the labour of Melissils 

 being mainly confined to the defence of those positions which were 

 opposed to the Ionian physics, whilu Zcuo and Empedocle* exhibit the 



opposite aspect* of the theory, the former confining himself to it* 

 doctrine of the supn-*cnaiblo, the latter to a detailed application of 

 it* physiological view*. 



In it* formation it was subsequent to the Ionian and Pythagorean 

 schools, and was so far a consequence of them a* it thought necessary 

 to submit to investigation the legitimacy of the principle* upon which 

 they had proceeded. The problem which they had proposed to them- 

 selves was, assuming the possibility of a beginning of motion and of 

 production and decay, to determine the first ground or grounds f all 

 that come* into being. This assumption the Eleateo attacked as irre- 

 concilable with that idea of the reason which involve* the law of 

 casuality, the Eleatic expression for which was "out of non-being 

 being cannot come," and its later and more general formula, " ex 

 uihilo nihil ; " and as no distinction had as yet been made between tho 

 rlliririit and material causes, they necessarily arrived at the conclusion 

 that the world had not a beginning. 



Parmeuide* drew a strong distinction between the idea* obtained 

 through our reason and those derived from our sense* ; or between 

 truth and opinion ; but with him religious considerations predominated, 

 .iii.l in urdcr to nTiiU- the unworthy conceptions of the Deity to wliicli 

 polytheism had given rise, he showed from the very notion of God 

 that he is necessarily one. The notion of Deity, he argued, implies 

 his infinity and eternity, but there cannot be many infinite beings ; 

 the eternal and infinite God is therefore one. But from tho denial of 

 production it followed that the world is eternal. Now an ctmi.il 

 world would equally limit the eternal God : the co-existence there- 

 fore, of tho two, separately and independently of each other, is impos- 

 sible ; consequently the world and the Deity are one. This result is 

 the foundation of the so-called error of Pantheism ; but it was only 

 by such an error that man could arrive at a right and worthy con- 

 ception of the Deity, which it is the merit of the Eleataj to have 

 distinctly propounded. 



From the position that God or the world is one, it necessarily 

 followed that our conceptions of sensible things singly are imperfect 

 and insufficient to bring us to a knowledge of the All or of God. Man, 

 consequently, is placed in a painful situation, desiring on the one hand 

 to know God, on the other to look to individual phenomena. Attention 

 was thus awakened to the opposition which exists between the pure 

 truth and the sensible appearance, and the Klcatac were the first to 

 advance a systematic theory of human knowledge ; and although it* 

 object was to deny the validity of the testimony of sense and expe- 

 rience, and to ascribe to the reason exclusively the merit of arriving 

 at the truth without any attempt to reconcile appearance and reality, 

 it nevertheless constituted a most important advancement of the 

 philosophy of the period, and so completed ita edifice as a system by 

 contributing the dialectical or logical portion ; the lonians and the 

 Pythagoreans having respectively constructed the physical and moral 

 parts. 



In conclusion, we must observe that the history of this as well as of 

 the other early schools of Grecian philosophy is both obscure and im- 

 perfect, since of the written works of its several members we only 

 possess a few and unconnected fragments. And it must be carefully 

 observed that though Plato in his ' Parmenides," pays a high tribute 

 to his dialectical talents, we must not take his representation of the 

 opinions held by Parmenides. 



ELECAMPANE. [INULA.] 



ELECTION (LaV electio), in divinity, is a doctrine which, on tho 

 authority of Scripture, and as a consequence of the omniscient and 

 prescient attributes of God, teaches that from all eternity the destiny 

 of every individual of mankind was determined by an immutable 

 decree, some (the elect) being ordained to eternal salvation, while 

 others (the reprobate) ore left to inevitable and eternal damnation. 

 The term election is often considered as but another name for the 

 doctrine of predestination, both implying that man is subject to a 

 certain predetermined fate. This doctrine in modern times is asso- 

 ciated constantly with the name of Calvin, though similar notions 

 were maintained or opposed among the philosophical and religious 

 sects of the ancient Gentiles, Jews, and Christians. The Essenes were 

 believers in absolute preordination. The Sadducees rejected it, and 

 adopted the doctrine of moral freedom. The Pharisees, in a theory of 

 syncretism, endeavoured to reconcile and combine the two extremes. 

 (Josephus, ' Antiq. Jud.') The Stoics insisted upon the doctrine of 

 predestination or necessarianism ; while the rival sect of Epicureans 

 maintained that of the perfect free agency of man and the contingent 

 nature of events. The Gnostics taught that human souls, according 

 as they emanated from the good or bad principle, were destined to 

 happiness or misery. In the system* of Mane* (Manich&ism), Marcion, 

 Cordon, and others of the 2nd century, similar doctrines were enforced 

 concerning the fixed inevitable fate of men. Throughout the first 

 four centuries the pagan philosopher*, especially those of the Stoical 

 school, opposed the dogmas and miracles of Christianity by alleging 

 the principle of necessity as exhibited in the immutable series of cause* 

 and effects, or antecedent* and consequents, in the physical and mental 

 phenomena of nature, and the ignorant populace were confirmed be- 

 lievers in the influence of fortune and fatality. Justin Martyr, Iremcus, 

 and most of the Greek fathers, in defending the Christian system, 

 resorted therefore to arguments tending to establish anti-predestinarian 

 doctrines. Origen, in the 3rd century, had taught that man, in hi* 



