XAGUA XANTHUS. 



131 



quires it. The Italians never use it, on account of 

 its guttural character, which is hostile to the spirit 

 of their language. When it occurs between two 

 vowels, they supply its place by ss, as in Alessan- 

 dro : when it immediately precedes c, they substi- 

 tute another c for it, as in eccellente. In Spanish, 

 the letter x had formerly two very different sounds, 

 one like that of s or cs, derived from the Latin, 

 and another strongly guttural, derived from the 

 Arabian. At present, however, it is pronounced 

 like s when it is followed by a consonant, and like 

 ks when it comes between two vowels. The gut- 

 tural sound formerly represented by x, is now re- 

 presented by j before a, o and u, and by g before e 

 and i ; so that it is no longer necessary to put a 

 circumflex over the vowel following the x, when 

 the latter is to be pronounced like As. The Germans, 

 in words belonging to their language, have generally 

 resolved the x into ks, gs, or chs ; and only when 

 the derivation of the word containing the x is un- 

 certain, so that it Cannot be determined into what 

 letters the x ought to be resolved, this character is 

 retained. In French, x has also all the various pro- 

 nunciations of s, cs, gz, and z, according to circum- 

 stances. In many cases, it is not pronounced at all, 

 and only indicates the plural number to the eye. 

 The Latins call x a semivowel and one of the letters 

 termed double. The Greek characters for this let- 

 ter were sand|; and the character which we now 

 use to designate X, was their guttural. From the 

 circumstance that this guttural is the initial letter 

 in XPI2T02 (Christ), the letter x of the Latin al- 

 phabet the same in figure, but different in sound, 

 acquired much importance at an early period, par- 

 ticularly in the monogram X, composed of the two 

 first Greek letters of the word Xgirro;. Constan- 

 tine the Great used it both on his coins, and mili- 

 tary ensigns. Several other emperors imitated his 

 example j and this monogram came into common 

 use with the Christians, as on lamps, and other 

 utensils, on tombs. &c. Constantine, however, did 

 not invest this monogram, but merely gave it the 

 Christian meaning. It is found on ancient medals, 

 and coins ; and its precise meaning there is not as- 

 certained. As persons who are unable to write are 

 accustomed to put a cross instead of their signature, 

 or, at least, to touch the pen of him who makes the 

 cross for them, such crosses, when the signatures 

 are printed, are represented by an ^ , long strings of 

 which may be found at the end of treaties concluded 

 between the United States and the Indian tribes. X, 

 with the Romans, denoted ten, being composed of 

 two Vs. thus X- (See V.~) In this position, i*! , 

 it signifies a thousand, and with a dash over it (x), 

 ten thousand. X enters largely into the Roman 

 system of notation. When it stands before a letter 

 designating a larger number than itself, it must be 

 subtracted ; when after, it must be added : thus 

 XC is equal to ninety; CX to a hundred and ten. 

 X, y, z, are commonly used in mathematics, to de- 

 note variable quantities, whilst the letters at the 

 beginning of the alphabet are used for the constant 

 quantities. St Andrew's cross, so called, has the 

 shape of an X.the legend of this saint representinghim 

 as having been crucified on such a cross. See Cross. 

 XAGUA BAY ; a large bay on the south coast 

 of Cuba; Ion. 81 20' W. ; lat. 22 10-' N. This 

 is one of the best ports in the West Indies, and is 

 fifteen miles in circumference, surrounded with 

 mountains, which break the force of the winds. 

 XALAPA; a town of the Mexican republic, in 



the state of Vera Cruz ; 52 miles north-west 

 of Vera Cruz ; Ion. 96 55' W.; lat 19 30' N. ; 

 population, 13,000 ; a bishop's see. The sky at 

 Xalapa, during the summer is beautiful and se- 

 rene, but from December to February, has a me- 

 lancholy aspect. The sun and stars are frequently 

 invisible for two or three weeks together. The 

 wealthy merchants of Vera Cruz have country 

 houses at this town, where they enjoy a cool and 

 agreeable retreat, while the coast is almost uninha- 

 bitable, from the mosquitoes, the heat, and the yel- 

 low fever. The elevation of this town above the 

 sea is 4264 feet. This town gives name to the 

 purgative root called jalap, or Xalap. See Jalap. 

 XALISCO. See Guadalaxara. 

 XANTEN (Santen), a town in the Prussian 

 province of Cleves-Berg, in the government of Diis- 

 seldorf, not far from Rheims, with 2650 inhabi- 

 tants, has some manufactures, and is remarkable on 

 account of the Roman antiquities which are found 

 in its neighbourhood. It is supposed that Ulpia 

 Castra stood here, and Cetera Castra in the neigh- 

 bourhood. The foundations of an amphitheatre 

 are yet visible. Some also think that the traces of 

 the prcetorium of Quintus Varus are to be seen on 

 the Vorstenberg, and in the neighbourhood of the 

 old castle, those of the Colonia Trajana. 



XANTHIC OXIDE, is the name given by Dr 

 Marcet to a very rare species of calculus. It is of 

 a reddish or yellow colour, soluble both in acids am! 

 alkalies, and its solution in nitric acid, when evapo- 

 rated, possesses a brilliant yellow tint, from which 

 (^atiffa;, yellow) it derives its name. 



XANTHIPPE; the scolding wife of Socrates, 

 whose name, like so many others, has come down to 

 posterity only by being associated with that of an il- 

 lustrious character. According to what we are told 

 of her it required the patience of a sage like Socrates 

 to endure her humours. When Alcibiades asked 

 Socrates how he could live with such a wo- 

 man, he answered, " Because she serves to exer- 

 cise my patience, and makes me able to bear 

 all the injustice of others towards me." Xe- 

 nophon makes Socrates, in the well-known philoso- 

 phical banquet, defend his wife against the uncivil 

 attacks of Antisthenes. On one occasion, when 

 Alcibiades sent an excellent cake to his philosophi- 

 cal master, she snatched it out of the basket in 

 which it had been brought, and trod upon it. 

 " Thou wilt now not be able to eat of it," was all 

 the remark which Socrates made. Xanthippe, 

 however, did justice to the incomparable character 

 of her husband : she publicly acknowledged that 

 she had always seen him calm, even in the mosS 

 trying circumstances. This trait might lead us to 

 suspect that the character of Xanthippe was inten- 

 tionally thrown too much into the shade, in order 

 to make the contrast with that of Socrates the 

 greater. However this may be, her name has be- 

 come synonymous with that of a scold, who imbit- 

 ters the life of her husband. 



XANTHOGEN, (from |^, yellow, and ymaa/, 

 to generate,} is the name given by M. Zeise to the 

 radical of a hydracid, which he calls hydroxanthic 

 acid. The acid is a compound of carbon, sulphur, 

 and hydrogen, and the radical he supposes to be a 

 sulphuret of carbon. 



XANTHUS; see Scamander ; also a town of 

 Lycia, on the river of the same name, at the distance 

 of about fifteen miles from the sea-shore. The in- 

 habitants are celebrated for their love of liberty and 

 national independence. Brutus laid siege to their 

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