A I- E 



Taid to be of a nitrous and aluminous nature, and was 

 aniially employed in metalluvpy as a flux. Probably, how- 

 ever, it was a native fixed alkali, as the terms nitrous and 

 alum'incus were formerly applied in a very loofe manner 

 to fijjnify any thing of a faline nature, and the artificial pre- 

 pai aliens of alembroth fait, piveii by the old writers of 

 jihamiacT, all contain a fixed alkali. 



Alembroth Salt is Hill retained in chemical nomen- 

 clature, and is now employed exclufively to exprefs that 

 compound fait which arifes from the union of con-ofive 

 mercurial muriat with muriated ammonia. The amnumia- 

 cal fait remarkably iiicreafes the folubility of the nuicurial, 

 and a folulion of the alembroth fait is generally the form 

 in which the corrofive fublimatc is given internally in dif- 

 cafes which require the ufe of this adive medicine. See 

 Mercvry, (inurialeof.) 



ALEMDAR, an officer in the court of the Grand 

 Gcignior, who bears the green ftandard of Mahomet, 

 v.\\en the fultan appears in public on any folemn occafion. 



ALEMETH, ia Scripture Geography, a city in the 

 tribe of Benjamin. 



ALEMPIGON, in Geography, a lake of North Ame- 

 rica in Canada, north of lake Superior. 



ALEN, in Geography Sec Aalen and Ahlen. 

 Ai.E>j, a river of North Wales, which runs into the Dee, 

 rear Wrexham. Alcn is alfo a river of Germany in Lower 

 Saxony, in the diilritl of Calenberg, which rifes in mount 

 Soelling, in the dillrift of Corvey, and i-uns into the fea. 



Ales, Van, or Oolen, John, in Biography, a painter 

 of fowls, landfcape, and ftill life, was born at Amilerdam 

 in 1 65 1, and died in 1698. He had no ready talent for 

 invention, but he poffeffcd a very extraordinary imitative 

 genius, fo that, in the touch and peculiar tints of colour, 

 he could mimick the work of any mafter in any ftylc ; and 

 as the works of Mclchior Hondekoeter were in the great- 

 ell repute, he applied himfclf particularly to imitate and 

 copy his works, which he did fo exaftly, that connoifTeurs 

 vere at a lofs to determine, whether any pifture was Van 

 Alen's or Hondekoeter's. By this practice he gained both 

 money and reputation. Pilkington. 



ALENBY, in Geography, a town of Norway, 50 miles 

 fouth of Drontheim. 



ALENCON, a city of France, and capital of the de- 

 partment of Orne, fituate on the river Sarte, in an cx- 

 tenfive and fruitful plain, which abounds ^vith all forts of 

 corn and fruit, hemp and pafturc. It has a well-fortified 

 -caftle, and feveral public buildings. The number of in- 

 habitants was fome years ago computed at 10,000. Its 

 -commerce confifts of linen, lace called point d'jileticon, 

 ferges, fluffs, leather, &c. ; and it has three markets every 

 week. In its vicinity are ftones fit for building, and others 

 called flints of Alen<;on. It is eight leagues north of Moris, 

 25 fouth-wefl of Rouen, and 35 fouth-weft of Paris. 

 N. lat. 48° 25'. Long. 0°. 



Alencon is alfo a fmall town of Dauphine, in the ge- 

 nerahty of Grenoble. 



ALENDIN, a town of Africa in the empire of Mo- 

 rocco. 



ALENIO, Julius, in Biography, was born at Brefcia, 

 in Venice, travelled into the Eallern countries, and ar- 

 rived at Maca, in 1610, where he taught mathematics. 

 From thence he went to China, where he\vas employed for 

 ;?6 years in the propagation of Chri'.lianity. He is "faid to 

 have been the firll who planted the Chriftian faith in Xanfi, 

 and to have built feveral churches in the province of Fokien. 

 He died in 1649, and left feveral works in the Chinefe lan- 

 guage. Biog. Dia. 



ALE 



ALENQUER, in Geography, a town of Portugal, in 

 Eftiemadura, fituate on an eminei;ce near a fmall river, 

 which falls into the Tagus. It is faid to have been built 

 by the Alans, being anciently called Alenher rana, i. e. the 

 temple of the Alans. It contains about 2500 inhabitants, 

 is a marquifite, and has 13 pariflies belonging to its diilricl. 



ALENSTEIG, a town of Germany, in the archduchy 

 of Aullria ; four miles fouth of Bohmilh Waidhoven. 



ALENT, a town of the archduchy of Auilria, four 

 miles wcll-north-weil of Baden. 



ALENTAKIE, or Alentak, a province of Eftthonia, 

 upon the gulf of Finland ; the capital of which is Narva. 



ALENTEJO, or Alemtejo, one of the largell but 

 leaft populous provinces in Portugal, fituate between the 

 rivers Tagus and Guadiana, and extending from the moun- 

 tains of Algarve on the fouth, to the frontiers of Eilrema-- 

 dura on the north, and from the fea and Tagus on the weft, 

 to the borders of Spanifli Eftremadura and Andalufia on 

 the call. Its length from north to fouth is computed at 36 

 leagues, and its breadth from eaft to weft is nearly the fame. 

 It is called Alemtejo, /. e. alem do no Tejo, q. </. beyond the 

 river Tagus, becaufe it lies in that direftion with regard to 

 Eftremadura and the countries further north. It contains 

 four cities, the chief of which is Evora, 105 towns, 358 

 parifhes, and about 339,355 inhabitants. The towns are 

 very populous ; but there is a fcarcity of villages, which 

 contribute moft to cultivation ; and another caufe of it& 

 fcanty population is its always having been the theatre of 

 war between Spain and Portugal. It contains a great num- 

 ber of fortreffes, maintains ten regiments of infantry and 

 four of cavaliy, which are conftantly recruited here, and 

 form a fourth part of the military eftablifliment of the whole 

 countr)'. The lands in this province are far from being well 

 cultivated, being fown only once in three years ; though 

 fome of our geographers reprefent it as a fertile province, 

 and call it the granary of Portugal. Its principal produfts 

 are wheat and barley, and in many places it alio affords 

 grapes, olives, and other fruits, as well as game and iilh. 

 Some parts yield marble and gems. In this province there 

 are three kinds of foil, vi'z. fertile black folid fat earth, 

 which is found in the red clay of Elvas, Campomayor, Oli- 

 ven^a, Fronteira, Eftremoz, Beja, and Serpa ; a lighter 

 earth mixed with a little land, which foiTns the foil round 

 Evora and Arrayolos, where the bad kinds of wheat, barley 

 and rye, fucceed very well, and cork trees and evergreen 

 oaks alfo grow ; and a fandy barren foil, which forms the 

 heaths of Cantarinho, Ponte de Sor, Monte Argil, Tanccs 

 and Vendas Novas, a tract of couatiy about 30 leagues in 

 circumference. At prefent thefe heatlis, which afford beau- 

 tiful varieties of heath plants and evergreen fhrubs, ferve 

 only as pafture for goats ; though the clayey foil is very 

 capable of cultivation ; as are alfo marfhy tradls which might 

 be drained. The rivers in Alemtejo, particularly in winter, 

 are very rapid, and do much damage. There is a fmall 

 chain of mountains in this province, about feveu leagues 

 long, and two and one-half broad, which runs between the 

 city of Evora and the town of Eftremos, and which in 

 reality belongs to the chain of Toledo. The commons arc 

 generally covered with ciftus, which is ufed in fome parts 

 for heating ovens, and in other parts as pafture for cattle. 

 The whole province is full of vagabond beggars, who beg 

 or fteal by day, and at night fleep in the huts of the liul- 

 bandmen. The nobility keep large herds of flieep and goats, 

 and thus prevent the heaths from being cultivated. The 

 profperity of this province is impeded alfo by the luxury of 

 the peafantiy, by the number of faft-days, and of religious 

 Jio.ufes, and by the badnels of the roads. The Upper 

 6 Alemtejo 



