OLD 
OLI 
OLD age. See Longevity. 
OLDENBURG, (Henry), in biogra- 
phy, who wrote his name sometimes Gru- 
bendol, reversing the letters, was a learned 
German gentleman, and born in the duchy 
of Bremen, in Lower Saxony, about the 
year 1626, being descended from the counts 
of Aldenburg in Westphalia; whence his 
name. During the long English Parlia- 
ment, in the time of Charles I., he came to 
P2ngland as consul for his countrymen ; in 
■which capacity he remained at London in 
Cromwell’s administration. But being dis- 
charged of that employment, he was en- 
gaged as tutor to Lord Henry O’Bryan, an 
Irish nobleman, whom he attended to the 
University of Oxford ; and in 1656, he en- 
tered himself a student in that university ; 
chiefly to have the benefit of consulting the 
Bodleian Library. He was afterwards ap- 
pointed tutor to Lord William Cavendish, 
and became intimately acquainted with 
Milton the poet, During his residence at 
Oxford, he became also acquainted with the 
members of that society there which gave 
birth to the Royal Society ; and upon the 
foundation of this latter, he was elected a 
member of it ; and when the society found 
it necessary to have two secretaries, he was 
chosen assistant to Dr. Wilkins. He appli- 
ed himself with extraordinary diligence to 
the duties of this office, and began the 
publication of the “ Philosophical Transac- 
tions,” with Number 1, in 1 664. In order to 
discharge this task with more credit to him- 
self and the Society, he held a correspon- 
dence with more than seventy learned per- 
sons, and others, upon a great variety of 
subjects, in different parts of the world. 
This fatigue would have been insupportable, 
had he not, as he told Dr. Lister, managed 
it so as to make one letter answer another; 
and that, to be always fresh, he never read 
a letter beforehe was ready immediately to 
answer it; so that the multitude of his let- 
ters did not clog him, nor ever lie upon his 
hands. Among others, he was a constant 
correspondent of Mr. Robert Boyle, and 
he translated many of that ingenious gentle- 
man’s works into Latin. 
About the year 1674, he. was drawn into 
a dispute with Mr. Hook, )i(ho complained, 
that the Secretary had not done him jus- 
tice, in the History of the Transactions, 
with respect to the invention of the spiral 
spring for pocket-watches : the contest was 
carried on with some warmth on both sides, 
but was at length termiftated to the honour 
of Mr. Oldenburg ; for, pursuant to an 
open representation of the affair to the 
Royal Society, the Council thought fit to de- 
clare, in behalf of their Secretary, that they 
knew nothing of Mr. Hook having print- 
ed a book entitled “ Lampas,” &c. , but 
that the publisher of the “ Transactions ” 
had conducted himself faithfully and ho- 
nestly in managing the intelligence of the 
Royal Society, and given no just cause for 
such reflections. 
Mr. Oldenburg continued to publish the 
“ Transactions” as before, to Number 13S, 
June 25, 1677; after which, the publica- 
tion was discontinued till the January fol- 
lowing, when they were again resumed by 
his successor in the secretary’s office, Mr. 
Nehemiah Grew, who carried them on till 
the end of February, 1678. Mr. Oldenburg 
died at his house at Charlton, between 
Greenwich and Woolwich, in Kent, August 
1678, and was interred there, being fifty- 
two years of age. 
He published, besides what has been al- 
ready mentioned, twenty tracts, chiefly on 
theological and political subjects ; in which 
he principally aimed at reconciling differ- 
ences and promoting peace. 
OLDENLANDIA, in botany, a genus 
of the Tetandria Monogynia class and or- 
des. Natural order of Stellatae. Rubia- 
ceae, Jussieu. Essential character : calyx 
fastened to the pericarpium with four awl- 
shaped teeth at top ; corolla one petalled, 
four cleft ; capsule inferior, two-celled ; re- 
ceptacle free, fastened to the partition by 
the base only. There are sixteen species. 
OLEA, in botany, olive, a genus of the 
Diandria Monogynia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Sepiari®. Jasmine®, Jus- 
sieu. Essential character: corolla four- 
cleft, with sub-ovate segments ; drupe one- 
seeded. There are seven species, of which 
the O. longifolia, long-leaved European 
olive, is chiefly cultivated in the south of 
France, from which they make the best oil. 
O. latitblia, broad-leaved European olive, is 
principally cultivated in Spain, where the 
trees grow to a much larger size than the 
preceding ; the fruit is nearly the size of a 
Provence olive ; but of a stronger flavour, 
for which reason it is not so grateful to an 
English palate. The olive seldom becomes 
a large tree ; two or three stems frequently 
rise from the same root, from twenty to 
thirty feet in height, putting out branches 
almost their whole length, covered with a 
greyish bark. 
The olive, in all ages, has been held in 
peculiar estimation, as tlie bounteous gift 
