ALA 



A L A 



AKSA, a fiver of Georgia in Afia, that nins into tVie 

 Gafpi-.m Scs, ncarZitrach or Tcreck. 



AKSCHINSKA, a town and foiti'.-fs of Ruffia, 16 

 li;agin;s foiitii of Doroninfl;. 



AKSERAI, a town of Natolia, in Afiatic Tmkey, 20 

 leagues eaft-north-eaft of Konieh, or Cogni. N. lat. 38" 

 26'' E. lon(T. •^4"' 14'. 



AKSHEDSHAR, a town of Natolia, nine leagues 

 fouth-well of r.regri. 



AKSHEHR, a town of Natolia, 23 leagues welt of 

 Konieh. N. lat. 38° 26'. E. long. 31=" 36'. 



AKSU, a province of Little Bukharia, to the north of 

 Kalhgnr, and well of the province of Turfan, about 350 

 miles long, and 70 in brcacUh. Its chiff town, of the fame 

 name, lies on thi: north lide of a fmall river, which runs 

 fouth-eall, and lolcs itfclf in the fands. N. lat. 42° 30'. 

 E. long. 83° 26'. 



AKULA, an ancient city of Afia, fituate on the eaftern 

 bank of the Tigris. 



AKITN, Akvn'ok, and Akutan. See Fox IJlands. 



AKURA, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in the govern- 

 Tiient of Tarabuc, or Tripoli of Syria ; feven or eight 

 leagues from mount I/ibanus. It has a Maronitc bifliop. 



AL, an Arabic particle, prefixed to words, to exalt, or 

 give them a more cmphalical fignification — As, in y//koran, 

 ^^/gebra, &c. 



AL, or Ald, in our Anc'ieiil Writings, fignifies as mucli 

 as old, ancient. — This being prefixed to the names of places, 

 expreffes their antiquity ; as v//r/ borough, y/A/gate, S:c. 



ALA, a Latin term, literally fignifying wing, ufed, in 

 Aiiatnmy, for feveral parts of the body, which bear fome 

 refemblance to the figure of a wing. 



Thus, tl'.e lobes of the liver are fometimes called alse. 



The foft fpongious bodies in x\\i. pudendum mul'ithre, ufually 

 ealled the iiymphir, are denominated aire. 



The two cartilages of the nofe, which form the noftrils, 

 are called alae. 



And the fame denomination is given to the tip of the 

 AURICLE ; and to the whole cartilaginous part of the ear, 

 liy way of diftlnftion, from the tip and pendent part below, 

 called the lobe. It is alfo applied to the procefs of the os 

 fpbcnotdes. 



The tenn alas is fometimes applied to the arm-pits, other- 

 wife called axilltf. Thcfe parts abound with glands, and are 

 great receptacles of humours ; whence a rank fmell fome- 

 times exhales, called fdlrjr alarum. 



Ala, in Botany, a name given by the Latin writers of 

 Medicine, in the later ages, to the helenlum, or elecam- 

 pane. 



Ala is alfo ufed in Botany, for the angle which the 

 leaves, or the ftalks, or pedicles of the leaves, form with 

 the ftem, or branches of the plant from which they arife. 

 This angle is ufually acute, and always is direfled upwards. 



Ala is fometimes alfo applied to the angle formed by the 

 branches themfelves with the flem, which is alfo obferved 

 to be very regular and uniform. 



Ala has feveral other different fignifications. It moft 

 frequently is ufed to exprefs the hollow of the ftalk of a 

 plant, which either the leaf or the pedicle of the leaf, makes 

 with it ; or it is that hollow turning, or Jinus, placed be- 

 tween the ftalk, or branch of a plant, and its leaf, from 

 whence a new ofFspring is wont to put forth. Sometimes 

 it is taken alfo for a little branch, as when we fay, a ftock, 

 or ftem of a plant, is armed with many a/if ; becaufe thefe 

 fmall branches ftand out from it, in form of fo many wings. 



Al;e is alfo ufed to fignify thofe petals, or leaves of the 

 papilionaceous flowers, placed between thofe others which are 



called the vexillum and the carina, which make the top and 

 bottom of the flower. Inftances of flowers of this ftruc- 

 turc are feen in the flowers of peas and beans, in which the 

 top leaf or petal, is the vexillum, the bottom tiie carina, and 

 the fide ones the ate. 



A.\.K. is aUo ufed for thofe extremely flcndcr and membra- 

 naceous parts of fome feeds, which appear as wings placed 

 on them, as in the plumeria, the fruit of the trumpet-flower, 

 the fruit of the maple, and the hke, which arc called by 

 botanifts alated feeds. 



Al;e is finally ufed alfo for thofe membranaceous expan- 

 fions, which run all the way along the ftems of fome plants, 

 and are therefore called alaled ftalks. 



Kiijc, in the Military Art, the two wings or extremes of 

 an army ranged in form of battle. 



An ala of horfe, amongft the Romans, confiited of 300 

 horfemen, and was divided into turmic and decuriac ; each 

 turma confifting of 30 men, and, each decuria of ten ; fo 

 that tiiere were in every ala ten turma:, and in cvei"y turma 

 three decurix. 



Ala, in Geography, a town of Japan, in the province of 

 Satzuma. 



Ala, or Al, a town of Arabia, 21 leagues north-eaft of 

 Hagiaz. 



Ala-Miliarensis, in Ancient Geography, an epifcopal 

 city of Africa, in the Mauritania Csefarienfis. 



Ala-Nova, a town of Pannonia, according to Antonine. 



ALABA, a fmall ifland in the Indian ocean, near Ta- 

 probana, according to Ptolemy. 



Alaba, or Alava, in Geography, a fmall diftritl or 

 province of Spain, extending along the river Ebro, from 

 the mountains of Bifcay to the frontiers of Navarre, and 

 comprehending about feven or eight leagues in length, and 

 fix or feven leagues in breadth. The foil is fruitfid in r)'e, 

 barley, vines, and feveral forts of fruits ; and the iron mines 

 of the country furnifli materials for the manufafture of arms 

 and other utenfils, which furnifli articles of commerce. The 

 chief town is Victoria. 



Alaba, a large kingdom of Africa, fonning a part of 

 Monemugi, is fituate to the eaft of Cambate, and extends 

 to the coaft of Zanguebar. It is inhabited by a cruel peo- 

 ple, called Gallas. 



ALABAGIUM, in Ancient Geography, a promontoiy 

 of Afia, in Carmania, upon the borders of the Ichthyophagi, 

 according to Ptolemy. 



ALABAMA, in Geography, a confiderable river of 

 America, in Eaft Florida. 



AIjABAMA, an Indian village, delightfully fituate on 

 the banks of the Mifliflippi. The inhabitants are the re- 

 mains of the ancient Alabama nation, w'nich inhabited the 

 eaft arm of the great Mobile river, that ftill bears their name, 

 now pofteftcd by the Creeks, or Mufcogulges, bywhomthe^ 

 were conquered. 



Alabama is alfo the name of a river in America, which 

 is formed by the junftion of the Coofee or High-town river, 

 and Tallnpoofee river, at Little Tallafee, and runs in a 

 fouth-weft direftion, until it meets Tombigbee river from 

 the north-weft at the great ifland which it there fonns, 90 

 miles from the mouth of Mobile bay, in the gulf of Mexico. 

 Tills beautiful river has a gentle current, pure waters, and 

 excellent fifli ; and its banks abound with valuable produc- 

 tions in the vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Travellers 

 have failed down this river in boats, in the month of May, 

 in nine days from Little Tallafee to Mobile bay, a diftance 

 of about 350 miles. 



ALABANA, a town of Arabia Felix, placed by Pto- 

 lemy in long. 74'^ 30'. and lat. 20° 15.' 



ALABANDA, 



