A L C 



A L C 



cuftom amongfl the oriental nations is veiy ancient, and has 

 gLMieral'.y prevailed. This powder has been alfo iilVd as an 

 ;i|l;rinjreiit, for the purpofe of dryirio^ ulcers of the gums, 

 and for removing tlie fa'tid finell of the feet ; and nvmy 

 other virtues are afcribed to it by Rumj)liius. It is feldom 

 met with in the fhops, but may be iifed without injury. 

 The root of tlic Anchusa tlnfiona is fubdituted for it, 

 principally for giving a red colour to tincflures, decoflions, 

 and ointments. Murray. Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 112. 1:9. 



From the berries of Alcanna an oil is extrafted of a veiy 

 agreeable fmell, and which has been of fome ufc in phyftc, 

 as a calmer, called oil of Cyprus, a name which is fometimes 

 alfo given to the plant. Phil.Tranf. abr. vol. x. pt. ii. p. 741. 



ALCANTARA, in Gcogmphy, a fmall but ftrongly 

 fortified town of Spain in Ellremadura, fituated in a fertile 

 courtry on the banks of the river Tagus. It takes its name, 

 wliich fignifies a ftone-bndge, from an old bridge, erefted 

 in the time of the emperor Trajan over the Tagus, at the 

 expence of feveral Lufitanian nations. This bridge was 

 200 feet high, 670 in length and 28 broad ; and on account 

 of the bridge the Moors built the city. A chapel hewn out 

 of a rock at the entrance of the bridge, was dedicated by 

 the ancient Pagans to Tnijan, and by the Chriftians to St. 

 Julian. It was taken from the Moors in 1 2 14, by Al- 

 phonfo IX. king of Caitile, and given to the knights of 

 Calatrava, who aftenvards alhnned the name of Alcantara. 

 In April 1706, it was taken by the Portuguefe and the 

 earl of Galloway, and retaken by the French in the Novem- 

 ber following. It is 43' leagues weft-fouth-weft from Ma- 

 drid, and 38 weft from Toledo. N. lat. 39° 32'. \V. long. 

 7" 12'. 



Ar.cANTAKA, or Alcamtarili-A, a town of Spain in 

 Andalufia, near the Guadalquiver, five leagues from Seville. 



Alcantara, adillriclof Portugal, about a league from 

 I-,i[bon. On a hill in this dillridl there is a remarkable mine 

 of faltpetre. 



Alcamtara, one of the m.ift confiderable rivers of 

 Sicily, rifes on the north fide of mcimt ^tna, and marks 

 out the boujidary of the mountain for about 60 miles. In 

 many places its courfe has been interrupted by the eruptions 

 of the volcano ; and in, others, its current, which \i veiy 

 rapid, has worn down the fohd lava to the depth of 50 or 

 60 feet. Its rife is attributed to the melting of the fnows 

 on the mountain ; as its waters refemble by their whitifh 

 colour thofe that ran from the Glaciers amongll the Alps. 

 Erydone's Tour, vol. i.' p. 119. 



Alcantara, O/v/fr 0/", an ancient mihtary order of Spain, 

 which took its name from the city above-mentioned. The 

 prccife year of its inftitution is not fettled among antiquaries. 



The knights of Alcantara make the fame vows as thofe 

 of Calatrava, and are only diilinguifhcd from them by this, 

 that the crofs fleur de lis, which tliey bear over a large 

 white cloak, is of a green colour : they polTefs 37 com- 

 manderies. 



By the terms of the furrender of Alcantara to this order, 

 it was ftipulated, that there ftiould be a confraternity be- 

 tween the two orders, with the fame praftice and obfervances 

 in both ; and that the order of Alcantara (hould be fubjeft 

 to be vifited by the granj-mafter of Calatrava. But the 

 former foon rtlcafed themfclves from this engagement, on 

 pretence that their grand-mafter had not been called to the 

 cleftlon of that of Calatrava, as had been likewife ftipu- 

 lated in the articles. 



After the expulfion of the Moors, and the taking of 

 Granada, the fovereign of the order of Alcantara, and that 

 of Calatrava, was fettled in tUe town of Caftile, by Ferdi- 

 nand and Ifabclla. 



. In r540, the knights of Alcantara fucd for leave to 

 marry ; whicli was granted them. 



Tl'.e hiftory of this order was chiefly taken up in expe- 

 ditions againil the Moors, and broils wiili their neighbours. 

 See Calatrava. 



ALCAR^KZ, in Geography, a town of Spain, in the 

 canton of la Mancha in New Cafliic, fituated on' an emi- 

 nence near the river Guardamena, in a very fertile country, 

 defended by a ftrong caftle, and rrmaikablc for an ancient 

 aquedudl. It is famous for a breed of fmall horfes tliat arc 

 very fleet and ftror.g. It is ten leagues north of the coniinci 

 of AndiJufia, 43 fouth of Ciien/.a, and 55 fouth-eail of Ma- 

 drid. N.lat. 38- 28'. \V. long, z^ 3'. 



ALCARIZ, a town of Spain, in the province of Galli- 

 cia, on the river Arnoya, eight miles fouth of Orenfc. 



ALCARRAZAS, in I'ollc-y, aie a kin.l of vefliels ufej 

 in Spain for cooling water. What diftinguifiics them ef- 

 ftutially from other kinds of earthen ware is their porofity : 

 this is fo confiderable as to allow the liquor to ooze flowly 

 through, and iland in fmall drops on the outfide ; hence 

 there is a conftant evaporation from their furface wjicn im- 

 merfed in a current of warm air, by «hich means the wa- 

 ter remaining in the jar continues at a temperature much 

 lower than that of the atmofpherc. 



Thefe veftels appear to have b?en firft introduced into 

 Spain by the Saracens ; and their ufe has fiiice been ex- 

 tended into all the Spanish colonies in America and India. 

 They have alfo been known from time immemorial in 

 China, Hindoilan, Perfia, Arabia, Egypt, and Syria. 



The moft celebrated manufactory of this kind in Spain, 

 is at Anduxar in Andalufia, the beft earth for the purpof,; 

 being found in the neighbourhood, on the bank of the 

 little river Tamuforo. This is a kind of white marl, con- 

 fifting principally of carbonated lime, with about 30 per 

 cent, of filex, and a little alumine, and oxyd of iron. 



The procefs of the manufafture is very fiinple, and is 

 as follows. The fredi dug eurtli is firft dried in t!ie fun 

 till it becomes pulveri/.able ; and when beaten to powder 

 it is paffed through a fine fieve, in order to fcparatc with 

 accuracy all the ttones and coarfe fand that may be mixed 

 with it : being then put into a wooden or copper vcffel 

 with water, it is tjcmpered by hand to the confiftencc of 

 a foft uniform paJle. In this ftate it continues twelve 

 hours, and is then fpread upon bricks, previoully covered 

 with wood adics, till the appearance of cracks upon its 

 furface, owing to the draining off of part of the moifture. 



This firft preparation being completed, the tempered 

 earth is v/eighed and put into a broad (liallov.- ve/Tel, where 

 it is trodden with the naked feet, and at the fame time 

 mixed with fait, in the proportion of feven pounds for 

 every 150 of eaith, to be made into large jars, and of 

 half the above quantity of fait for the manufafture of 

 jugs and other fmall articles. The reafim of this difference 

 is obvious : the greater the vefTcl is, the thicker mufl its 

 fides be, to give it the necefiary A length ; but as its po- 

 rofity would be diminirtied in the fame proportion, a greater 

 quantity of fohible matter mufl be mixed with the earth. 

 After this a lufficicnt mafs of the material being put on a 

 potter's wheel, it is fiiaped in the ufual maimer into a jar 

 or other veCTel ; being then gradually dried, it is baked in 

 a common pottery oven for 10 or 12 hours, according to 

 the heat, care being taken that the fiilt be not i'o far de- 

 compofed as to become infoluble in water. 



There is fcarcely a houfe in Spain where Alcarrazas are 



not in conflant ufe. Being filled ft-ith water, and cxpofed 



for a few hours to a current of air, a very fmall poitioii 



of the fluid is loft by evaporation, and the remainder will 



4 A 2 ha«e 



