ALB 



dro'.iffTit. Tlie rainy fcafon is from the month of Decern. 

 bcT to March ; the autumn in general being very dry. 

 However tlie ablencc of rain is conipcnlatetl by dews, 

 which ferve to fupply, in fome meafure, the want of 

 jnoifture from running ftreams, wliich are few. Tlie cli- 

 mate at the fL-ttlemcnts is, upon the whole, healthy ; the 

 foil is of a light and fandy nature, generally fertile, and 

 capable of improvement ; but in fome places it is I'o barren 

 and unproductive, that good mould has been brought from 

 a dillance, to places wliere they wiflied to ellablifli miflions. 

 Tiie Spaniards have not turned to any iolld advantage 

 even the niofl fertile part. They have excellent fheep and 

 poultry in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, which is tlie mofl 

 barren part ; and the fta affords an ample fupply of good 

 fith. The neighbourhood of Buena Ventura furnifhes 

 fruit in great abundance, and of excellent quality. The 

 fruit conliUs chiefly of apples, pears, plums, figs, oranges, 

 grapes, peaches and pomegranates, together with the 

 plantain, banana, cocoa-nut, fugar-canc, indigo, and a 

 great variety of the molt: ufefnl kitchen herbs, plants, and 

 roots. The pueblos differ from the miflions and pvefidios, 

 and may be better expreffed by the term villages. They 

 are compofed of about 30 or 40 old Spanifli foldlers, or 

 Creoles, who, having fervid in the mifTions or prefidios, are 

 exempted from any farther military duty ; and they plant 

 colonies in fome of the mod fertile fputs of the country. 

 The number of the natives, at this period, who have em- 

 braced the Roman Catholic religion, under the Francifean 

 and Dominican mifTionaries in New Albion, and through 

 the peninfula of California, amounts to about 20,000, and 

 they are cftimated at about an eighth or tenth of the whole 

 native population ; and their progrefs towards civilization 

 is very flow. The number of the military does not 

 exceed 400 men. Mr. Vancouver fays, that the natives 

 neilher are, nor can be tributary ; becaufe they pofTefs no 

 tribute to offer. But this declaration feems to undervalue 

 a country, which has, in many parts of it, a peculiarly 

 fertile foil, and the coafl of which abounds with fea-ott;rs. 

 The labour of the natives is fubjedl to the direftion and 

 controtil of the Spanifh mifTionaries, who are abfolutely 

 under the authority of the Spanifli government ; and we 

 learn from the unfortunate navigator M. de la Pcroufe, 

 that it was the plan of the viceroy of Mexico, to referve 

 for government the exclufive trade of fca-otter fliins ; and 

 that the Spanifh fettlements furnilh 10,000 annually, and 

 are capable, if duly collefted, of fupplying 50,000 an- 

 nually. Vancouver's Voyage of Difcovery to the north 

 Pacific Ocean, &c. — three vols. 4to. 1798. 



ALBIREO, in jff/ronomy, a flar of the third or fourth 

 magnitude, in the conllellation of Cygnus. 



ALBIS, in Ancient Geography, now the Elbe, ran 

 through the middle of Germany, and marked the limit 

 of the knowledge of the Romans, with regard to this 

 country. The only Roman, who paffed tliis river with 

 his army was L. Domitius Ahenobarbus, A. II. C. 744 ; 

 and though he made no further progrefs, the pnffage of the 

 Albis was deemed worthy of a triumph. See Tacitus, 

 Annal. iv. c. 44. Drufus and Tiberius were the only 

 Romans who had advanced to this river. In the latter 

 period of the Roman ilate, the Albis became the boundary 

 of Germany to the north ; the Sarmatae having poffelfed 

 themfelves of that part which lay beyond it, called Tran- 

 falbin Germany. See Elbe. 



Albis, in Geography, a town of Switzerland, in the 

 canton of Zurich, three miles fouth-wcfl of Zurich. It 

 is alfo the name of a mountain in the fame canton. 



ALB 



ALBISOLA, a town of Italy, in the Rate of Genoa* 

 having in its vicinity the country houfes of the Gcnocfe no- 

 bility, and alfo a mamifaftiire of porcelain. This town was 

 bombarded by the Englilh in 1745. N. hit. 44° 15' E. 

 long. %^ 20'. 



ALBI6TRUM, or Abistrum, in ytnclcnt Geography, 

 a town placed by Ptolemy, in Magna Grccia. 



ALBIUM Ingaunvm and Intemelium. Sec Al- 

 BiNGAUNUM and Albintemelivm. 



ALBIUS MoNS, was the name given to one of the 

 mountains of the Alps, on the fide of Rh«tiu and Cariiia. 



ALBIZI, or Barthelimi of Pifa, in Biography, a 

 Francifean of the 14th centur)', who, in a book intitled, 

 " The Conformities of St. Francis with Jcfus Chrill," at- 

 tempts to exalt his favourite faint not only above all the other 

 faints, but to an equality with Jefus Clirifl. It has been 

 often printed, and much fought after as a curlofity. It was 

 printed at Cologne, in 1 632, with alterations, under tin; 

 title of " Antiquitates Francifcanse." Another calligated 

 edition was printed by Marof-us, at Liege, in 1658. 



ALBO, in Geogriiphy, a river on the eallern boundary o£ 

 the Gold Coafl of Africa. 



ALBOCELLA, in ylvcienl Grogmfihy, a town of Spain, 

 which, according to Ptolemy, belonged to the Vaccxi. 



ALIjOCENSIS, a town of l>acia, the inhabitants of 

 which were denominated Albocenfii. 



ALBOGALERUS, in Roman Antiquity, a facerdotul 

 cap, or ornament worn by the flamen dialis ; otherwife called 

 galerus. ■ . 



ALBOIN, in Biography and Hlflory, king of the Lom- 

 bards, was the fon of Audoiu, under whofe conduiS they 

 obtained leave of the emperor Juilinian to fettle in Pannonia, 

 and i'ucceedcd his father in the kingdom. Whilil he waj 

 fighting under his father's flandard, he encountered and (lew 

 the fon of Turifund, king of the Gepidie ; and in confe- 

 quence of this aft of youthful heroifm, the Lombards una- 

 iiimoufly folicited that his father would admit him to take 

 his feat at the royal feaft which was kept in celebration of 

 the viftory. But according to the cuftom of the country, 

 no prince was permitted to fit at table with his father, till 

 he had been invelled with arms by a foreign fovereign. For 

 this purpofe Alboin, with 40 feleft companions, villted the 

 court of Turifund, who, according to the ufual laws of 

 hofpitality, entertained even the murderer of his fon. At 

 the banquet, when Alboin occupied the feat of the youtli 

 whom he had flain, Turifund, the father, could not dif- 

 femble his agitation ; Cunimund, his furviving fon, and tlie 

 Gepidae who were prefent perceived it ; and determined to 

 be revenged. They prepared for the aflault by contemptuous 

 and reproachful language : " the Lombards," faid they,. 

 " refenible, in figure and in fmell, the mares of our Sar- 

 matian plains ;" referring by tliis coarfe alhifion, to the 

 white bands which envelopes their legs. As foon as thefe 

 infulting words were pronounced, the Gepidie darted from 

 their feats, and Alboin, with his 40 companions, laid their 

 hands on their fwords. Turifund, however, appealed the 

 tumult, faved the life of Alboin, and difmiffed him with 

 the bloody arms of his murdered fon. On his fuccefTlon to 

 the crown, Alboin, though previoufly contrafted %o the 

 grand-daughter of Cloris, aff<ed in marriage the beautiful 

 Rofamond, the daughter of Curimiind, who, upon his fa- 

 ther's deaths afeended the throne of the Gepida-. His 

 requefl was refufed, and he prepared to obtain by force of 

 arms the objetl of his wifhes. With this view he' engaged 

 the fupport of the Avars on very lucrative conditions, and 

 with their ;ifiiilan«e he utterly dellroyed the kingdom of the 



Gep:die 



