806 



EGG EGLANTINE. 



coming into possession of the great estates of the 

 family, resolved to complete the plan of his father, 

 and succeeded, by the help of Brindley (q. v.), a self- 

 taught man of remarkable genius. To effect his 

 object, lie limited his personal expenses to i'400 a- 

 yeur, and devoted all the rest of his income to his 

 great undertaking. The canal, which bears the 

 name of the duke, was completed in five years, after 

 the expenditure of immense sums,, and enabled him 

 to supply Manchester and the neighbouring towns 

 with coal. He afterwards extended his canal to the 

 Mersey, so as to bring Liverpool into the line of his 

 navigation. The success of his undertaking was so 

 great, that canals were now projected in every direc- 

 tion. Brindley formed the grand idea of establish- 

 ing a water communication between London, Bristol, 

 Liverpool, and Hull, and completed it in part, as the 

 duke, in 1766, began the grand trunk navigation, so 

 called, whereby the rivers Trent and Mersey were 

 united. This canal, which is ninety miles long, was 

 finished in 1777, and connects Liverpool and Hull. 

 The duke of Bridgewater died unmarried, in 1803. 

 See Canal, and Brindley. 



EGG. Birds, reptiles, fishes, bisects, and worms 

 bring forth eggs ; birds, indeed, without any excep- 

 tion. The eggs of fishes are called roe or spawn. 

 They contain the germ of the young animal, and, in 

 this respect, resemble the seeds of plants. Seeds 

 require heat and moisture to develope them ; and a 

 great part of their substance serves for the nourish- 

 ment of the germ. So it is with eggs, which have, 

 in addition, the necessary moisture in themselves, 

 and, therefore, only need external heat for their de- 

 velopment. The bird's egg consists (1.) of the shell. 

 Immediately beneath this hard, porous covering lies 

 firmly enclosed (2.) the external membrane, which is 

 also a little porous. Next comes (3.) the white of 

 the egg, and, lastly, (4.) the yolk. In the yolk is 

 seen a small, lens-shaped speck, in which is found a 

 little oval sack, of a grayish colour. This is the 

 place where the young animal is developed. The 

 form of the eggs of birds is generally more or less of 

 an oblong round. It is different in other oviparous 

 animals. Amongst reptiles, the crocodile, for in- 

 stance, has a cone-shaped egg. There is a great 

 variety of shades in the colours of birds' eggs, though 

 they are confined chiefly to white, blue, and green. 

 The spots, points, or stripes, with which many are 

 marked, run in countless degrees and shades, from 

 red into gray, ash-coloured, &c. The eggs of birds, 

 especially of hens, are a pleasant and nutritive food. 

 Among reptiles, turtles produce eggs which are good 

 for eating. The roe of fishes is also eaten, and 

 caviar is composed wholly of the eggs of fish. The 

 white of hens' eggs is used for applications in com- 

 plaints of the eyes. It is also made use of for clarify- 

 ing certain liquors, whey, sugar, &c. (See Clarifica- 

 tion.) The simple white of eggs also furnishes a 

 shining varnish for many works of art, especially 

 paintings and playing-cards. Mixed with powdered, 

 fresh-burnt lime, with brick-dust, clay, meal, and 

 other substances, according to circumstances, it forms 

 a very strong cement. To preserve eggs for any 

 length of time, they must be kept from the air. They 

 are covered with varnish or oil, set on the small end, 

 upon a perforated board, or, which is still better, 

 they are placed hi layers, upon the small end, in 

 very dry ashes, in chopped straw, &c., enclosed in 

 tubs and boxes, and put in a dry place, protected 

 from severe cold in winter, but at the same time, not 

 too warm.* See Hatching. 



EGG-PLANT (solanum melongena') ; an herbaceous 



* It happens not very rarelv, that a mall egg is found 

 williui out of common jize. See Albumen. 



annual, from a foot to eighteen indies high, a 

 little branched, and more or less covered with a sub- 

 stance resembling cotton : the leaves are oval, 

 sinuate, and petiolate ; the flowers large, white, or 

 purplish, lateral, and frequently solitary ; but some- 

 times two or three are situated upon a common 

 divided peduncle ; the calyx and peduncles are fur 

 nished with a few short prickles ; the fruit is very 

 large, smooth, and shining, and generally of a violet 

 colour, but sometimes yellow or white. It is culti- 

 vated in the warm parts of both continents, and the 

 fruit is much used as an article of food, when cooked, 

 which is done in various ways : in India, it is gene- 

 rally served up with sugar and wine, or simply 

 sugared water ; in the south of France, with olive- 

 oil. There are several varieties, one of which bears 

 a white fruit, exactly resembling a pullet's egg, and 

 has been sometimes confounded with another species, 

 which is acrid and poisonous. 



EGIL SCALLAGRIM ; an Icelandic bard or 

 poet of the tenth century, who distinguished lu'mself 

 by his warlike exploits in predatory invasions of Scot- 

 land and Northumberland. Having killed in com- 

 bat the son of Eric Blodox, king of Norway, he was 

 doomed to death on being subsequently taken pri- 

 soner by that prince. Egil demanded permission to 

 redeem his life by giving a specimen of his powers as 

 an improvisatore. This was granted, and he im- 

 mediately composed and recited a poem in praise of 

 Eric, entitled Egil's Ransom, which procured him his 

 life and liberty. This piece is still extant, and a 

 Latin version of it was published by Olaus Wormius, 

 in his Literatura Danica Antiqnissima, from which 

 doctor Percy translated it into English, and printed 

 it in his Northern Antiquities. 



EGINA. See Mgina. 



EGINHARD (EINARD), born in the Odenwalden 

 at first the companion of Charlemagne, then his pri- 

 vate secretary and chaplain, and general superinten- 

 dent of the emperor's houses. His talents and learn- 

 ing gained him the love and confidence of Charle- 

 magne, in whose court he was educated, and induced 

 him to bestow on Eginhard his daughter Emma, or 

 Imma, in marriage. It is a common story, the truth 

 of which, however, is much doubted, that she once 

 admitted the fair young German to a nightly inter- 

 view in her own room ; the snow fell during the 

 night, and Emma carried her lover from the castle on 

 her shoulders, to save him from detection ; the 

 emperor, who had risen early, saw them from the 

 window, and, instead of punishing, united them in 

 marriage. On the death of the emperor, Eginhard 

 left his wife, entered the order of Benedictine monks, 

 and became first abbot of the monastery at Seligen- 

 stadt, in Darmstadt, where he died, 839. Eginhard 

 is the oldest German historian ; and we have from 

 him a full and well written history of the life of 

 Charlemagne, which was published by Schmink, 

 1711, in 4to, with illustrations and a biography. An 

 edition was published by Bredow (Hefmst. 1806). 

 Eginhard's Annals of the Franks, from 741 to 829, 

 appeared also in 1711, in 4to, at Utrecht. His let- 

 ters, which are of much importance as contributions 

 to the history of his age (Frankfort, 1714, fbl.), are 

 still extant. A plan is likewise ascribed to him of 

 uniting the German ocean with the Mediterranean 

 and the Black seas, by two canals, one of which was 

 to form a connexion between the Moselle and Saone, 

 and the other between the Rhine and the Danube. 



EGIS. See JEgit. 



EGISTHUS. See Agamemnon. 



EGLANTINE; one of the names of the sweet- 

 brier (rosa rubiginosa) ; but there is a good deal of 

 confusion in its application, and it is often given in- 

 discriminately to other species of rose. 



