ALK ALK 
not exceeding twelve months for the se- to all bodies that possess the following pro- 
cond ; at the expiration of which, he shall perties : they change vegetable blue colours, 
depart within a time to he limited : and if as that of an infusion of violets, to green : 
such alien be found therein after such time 
so limited, he or she shall be transported for 
life. 
ALIMENTARY duct, a name by which 
some call the intestines, on account of the 
food’s passing through them. See Aw\- 
TOMY. 
ALIMONY, alimonia, in law, denotes 
the maintenance sued for by a wife, in case 
of a separation from her husband, wherein 
she is neither chargeable with elopement 
nor adultery. 
ALIQUANT parts, in arithmetic, those 
which will not divide or measure the whole 
number exactly. Thus, 7 is an aliquant part 
of 16, for twice 7 wants 2 of 16, and three 
times 7 exceeds 16 by 5. 
ALIQUOT part , is such part of a num- 
ber as will divide and measure it exactly, 
without any remainder. For instance, 2 
is an aliquot part of 4, 3 of 9, and 4 of 16. 
To find ali the aliquot parts of a number, 
divide it by its least divisor, and the quo- 
tient by its least divisor, until you get a quo- 
tient not farther divisible, and you will have 
all the prime divisors or aliquot parts of that 
number. Thus, 60, divided by 2, gives the 
quotient 30, which divided by 2 gives 15, 
and 15 divided by 3, gives the indivisible 
quotient 5. Hence the prime aliquot parts 
are 1, 2, 2, 3, 5; and by multiplying any 
two or three of these together, you will find 
the compound aliquot parts, viz. 4, 6, 10, 
12, 15, 20, 30. 
Aliquot parts must not be confounded 
with commensurable ones; for though the 
former be all commensurable, yet these are 
not always aliquot parts : thus 4 is commen- 
surable with 6, but is not. an aliquot part of it. 
ALISMA, greed water plantain, in bota- 
ny, a genus of the Hexandria Polyginia 
class of plants, the calyx of which is a peri- 
composed of three oval, hollow, 
perm« nen t leaves; the corolla consists of 
three, laig*. roundish, plane, and very pa- 
tent petals ; tVs fruit consists of capsules, 
arranged together Ik a roundish oi: trigonal 
form: the seeds are siugw a ,,,j sma!!- There 
are nine species. 
ALKAHEST, or Alcahest, aiit»»g c jj e . 
mists, denotes au universal menstruum cap*, 
ble of resolving all bodies into their ens ini- 
mum, or first matter ; and that without suf- 
fering any change, or diminution of force 
by so doing. See Alchemy. 
ALKALI, in chemistry, a word applied 
they have an acrid and peculiar taste : they 
serve as intermedia between oils and wa- 
ter: they are capable of combining with 
acids, and of destroying their acidity : they 
corrode woollen cloth, and, if the solution 
be sufficiently strong, reduce it to jelly : 
and they are soluble in water. The alkalies 
at present known are three ; viz. ammonia, 
potash, and soda : the two last are called 
fixed alkalies, because they require a red 
heat to volatilize them ; the other is deno- 
minated volatile alkali, because it readily 
assumes a gaseous form, and is dissipated 
by a very moderate degree of heat. Ba- 
rytes, strontian, lime, and magnesia, have 
been denominated alkalies by Fourcroy; 
but as they possess the striking character of 
earths in their fixity, this innovation does 
not seem entitled to general adoption. 
Since writing the above, some discove- 
ries of great importance, on the subject of 
alkalies, have been made known to the phi- 
losophical world by Mr. Davy, Professor of 
Chemistry at the Royal Institution. We 
shall in this place give a sketch of the two 
papers which he has just laid! before the 
Royal Society, referring to some subse- 
quent articles for further particulars. In a 
former discourse read before this learned 
body, Mr. Davy, in speaking of the agen- 
cies of electricity, suggested the probabi- 
lity that other bodies not then enumerated 
might be decomposed by the electric fluid. 
In the course of the last summer, this cele- 
brated philosopher was employed in making 
a number of experiments with this particu- 
lar view, and by means of very powerful 
galvanic troughs, consisting of a hundred 
pair of plates, six inches square, and one 
hundred and fifty pair four inches square, 
he has succeeded in decomposing potash 
and soda. A more brilliant discovery has 
not been made since those which have im- 
mortalized the names of Priestley and Ca- 
vendish. This was effected by placing 
moistened potash, or soda, on a plate of 
platina, and exposing it to the galvanic cir- 
cle. Oxygen was disengaged, and the alka- 
lies reduced to their primitive base, which 
is found to be a peculiar and highly-inflam- 
mable matter, and which assumes the form 
appearance of small globules of mer- 
cury. These globules are, however, lighter 
than water, and when potash is used, they 
are in the proportion of 6 to 10. At the 
freezing point they are hard and brittle ; 
