EMP 
E M E 
The beryl is of a mountain-green colour, 
and sometimes blue, yellow, and even white; 
sometimes different colours appear in the 
same stone. It is found in Ceylon, different 
parts of India, Brazil, and especially in Sibe- 
ria and Tartary, where its crystals are some- 
times a foot long. A specimen of beryl, 
analysed by Vauquelin, contained 
69 silica 
13 alumina 
1 oxide of iron 
0.5 lime 
83.5 
It was by analysing this stone that Vau- 
quelin discovered the earth which he called 
glucina. 
Our jewellers distinguish emeralds into two 
kinds, the oriental and occidental: the eme- 
ralds of the hast Indies are evidently finer 
than those of any other part of the world ; 
but our jewellers, seldom meeting with these, 
call the American emeralds the oriental, and 
usually sell crystals accidentally tinged with 
green, under the name of occidental emeralds’: 
these being also the most common, there has 
grown an opinion among the lapidaries, that 
the emerald is no harder than the crystal ; 
because what they take to be the emeralds, 
are in general only crystals. The genuine 
emerald, in its most perfect state, is perhaps 
the most beautiful of all the gems; it is found 
of various sizes, but usually small ; a great 
number of them are met with of about the 
sixteenth part of an inch in diameter, and 
they are found from this size to that of a wal- 
nut. 
EMERSION, in astronomy, is when any 
planet that is eclipsed begins to emerge or 
f etout of the shadow of the eclipsing body. 
t is also used when a star, before hidden by 
the sun as being too near him, begins to re-ap- 
pear or. emerge out of his rays. See Astro- 
nomy. 
EMERY, in natural history, a rich iron- 
ore found in large masses, of no determinate 
shape or size, extremely hard and very 
heavy. It is usually of a dusky brownish-red 
on the surface, but when broken, is of a line, 
bright, iron-grey, but not without some tinge 
of redness, and is spangled all over with 
shining specks, which are small flakes of a 
foliaceous talc, highly impregnated with iron. 
It is also sometimes very red, and then usu- 
ally contains veins of gold. It is imported 
from the island of Naxos, where it exists in 
great abundance. It is opaque and brittle ; 
its specific gravity is about four. From the 
analysis of Mr. Tennant, it appears that 
emery, when freed as much as possible from 
iron, is composed of 
80 alumina 
3 silica 
4 iron 
87. 
This analysis corresponds very nearly with 
that of the imperfect corundum. 
Emery is prepared for the manufacturers 
by grinding in mills, and the powder is se- 
parated into parcels of different degrees of 
ripeness by washing; these are called the 
first, second, and third sort ; the first being 
that which remains longest suspended in wa- 
ter, the others, such as sink sooner from the 
same liquor, and from which it is poured, 
while yet turbid, to settle for the liner kind. 
Yo£. I. 
These several sorts are of great use to va- 
rious artificers in polishing and burnishing 
iron and steel works, marble, cutting and 
scalloping glass, &c. The lapidaries cut the 
ordinary gems on their wheels, by sprinkling 
the wetted powder over them, the wheels 
they use being usually of lead, with a small 
admixture of pewter, that their softness may 
admit the emery the better. It will not cut 
diamonds. 
EMETIC, a medicine which induces vo- 
miting. See Pharmacy. 
EMINENCE, in the military art, a high 
or rising ground, which overlooks and com- 
mands the low places about it; such places 
within cannon-shot of a fort are a great dis- 
advantage; for if the besiegers become mas- 
ters of them, they can thence fire into the 
fort. 
EMIR, a title of dignity among the Turks, 
signifying a prince, which was first given to 
the caliphs, but when they assumed the title 
of sultans, that of emir remained to their 
children, as that of Ca:sar among the Ro- 
mans. At length the title became attribut- 
ed to all who were judged to descend from 
Mahomet by his daughter Fatimah, and who 
wear the green turban instead of the white. 
The Turksj also call the viziers, bashaws, or 
governors of provinces, by this name. 
EMOLLIENTS, in medicine and phar- 
macy, are such remedies as sheath and soften 
the asperity of the humours, and relax and 
supple the solids at the same time. See 
Materia medica. 
EMPEROR, imperntor, a title of honour 
among the antient Romans, conferred on a 
general who had been victorious, and now 
used to signify a sovereign prince, or su- 
preme ruler of an empire. 
The title of emperor adds nothing to the 
rights of sovereignty; it only gives pre- 
eminence above other sovereigns. The em- 
perors, therefore, pretend, that the imperial 
dignity is more eminent than the regal. It 
is disputed whether emperors have the po\? er 
of disposing of the regal title; however this 
may be, they have sometimes taken upon 
them to erect kingdoms : thus it is that Bo- 
hemia, Prussia, and Poland, are said to have 
been raised to that dignity. In the East the 
title of emperor is more frequent than with 
us ; thus the sovereign princes of China, the 
Mogul empire, &c. are called emperors. In 
the West, the title has been for a long time 
restrained to the emperors of Germany. The 
first who bore it was Charlemagne, who was 
crowned by pope Leo III. in 800 ; and it is to 
be observed, that there was not a foot of land 
or territory annexed to the emperor’s title. In 
the year 1723, the czar of Muscovy assumed 
the title of emperor of all the Russias. The 
kings of France were also called emperors 
when they reigned with their sons, whom 
they associated in the crown; thus Hugh 
Capet was called emperor, and his son Ro- 
bert, king. The kings of England were an- 
tiently stiled emperors, as appears from a 
charter of king Edgar. The emperor of 
Germany is a limited monarch in regard to 
the empire, though he is an absolute sove- 
reign in most of his hereditary dominions. 
We do not think it necessary under this ar- 
ticle to give any account of the present 
French usurper, who has lately assumed this 
title, because it is to be hoped and expected 
E M P 017 
that his unjust domination will not be loi § 
endured 
EM PET RUM, berry-bearing heath, a ge- 
nus of the triandria order, in the moncecia 
class of plants. In the natural method this 
genus is ranked by Linnanis under the 54th 
order, miscellanea; and likewise among those 
of which the order is doubtful. The male 
calyx is tripartite; the corolla tripetalous ; 
the stamina long; the female calyx is tripar- 
tite; the corolla tripetalous ; the styles nine; 
the berry nine-seeded. There are two species; 
one of which, viz. the nigrum, bears the crow- 
crake berries, and is a native of Britain. It 
grows wild on boggy heaths and mountains. 
Children sometimes eat the berries ; bift when 
taken in too great quantity, they are apt to oc- 
casion a head-ache. Grouse feed upon them. 
When boiled with alum, they afford a dark 
purple dye. Goats are not fond of the plant ; 
cows, sheep, and horses, refuse it. The album, 
is a native of Portugal, and bears white berries. 
EMPHYSEMA, in surgery', a windy tu- 
mour, generally occasioned in a fracture of 
the ribs, and formed by the air insinuating 
itself, by a small wound, between the skin 
and muscles, into the substance ofjlhe cellu- 
lar or adipose membrane, spreading itself 
afterwards up to the neck, head, belly, and 
other parts, much after the manner in which 
butchers blow up their veal. See Surgery. 
EMPHYTEUSIS, in the civil and canon 
law, the letting out of poor barren lands for 
ever, or at least for a long term of years, on 
condition of the tenant’s cultivating, melio- 
rating, or mending them, and paying a 
certain- yearly consideration. Emphyteuses 
are a kind of alienations, differing from sale, 
in that they only transfer the dominium utile, 
the benefits of the ground, not the properly, 
or simple fee. Among the Romans they 
were at first temporary, afterwards perpe- 
tual. 
EMPIRE, in political geography, a large 
extent of land, under the jurisdiction or go- 
vernment of an emperor. See Emperor. 
The most antient empire we read of is that 
of tin? Assyrian, which was subverted throu gh 
the effeminacy of Sardanapalus; the Persian 
empire was destroyed through the bad con- 
duct of Darius Codomannus; the Grecian 
empire, by r its being dismembered among, 
the captains of Alexander the Great ; and the 
Roman empire, through the ill management 
of the last emperors of Rome. Empire, or 
the empire, used absolutely, and without any 1 - 
addition, signifies the empire of Germany, 
called also in juridical acts and laws, the 
holy Roman empire. Authors are at a loss 
under what form of government to range this 
empire. Some consider it as a monarchical 
state, as all the members are forced to ask 
the investitute of their states of the emperor, 
and to take an oath of fidelity to him. Others 
will have it an aristocratic state, because the 
emperor cannot determine any thing without 
the concurrence of t he princes: and, lastly, 
others regard the empire as a monarcho- 
aristocratic state. 
EMPIS, in zoology, a genus of insects be- 
longing to the order diptera, of which the 
characters are these: the proboscis is of an 
horny substance, bivalve, reflected under 
the head and breast, and longer than the 
thorax. There are five species. These mi- 
nute insects live by sucking out the blood 
and fluids of other animals. 
