ELD 
?rax like those on the abdomen of the glow- 
worm are highly luminous, difiusing through 
the night a brilliant splendour, by which the 
smallest print may be read, and eight or 
ten of them in a phial will afford a light 
equal to that of a common candle. Many 
species of the elater are natives of our own 
country ; but they are seldom distinguished 
by any brilliancy of colour, and are fai’ in- 
ferior in size to the exotic ones. E. tesse- 
latus, so called from the manner in w hich 
it is marked, is not uncommon in the fields 
during the middle of summer. The lar- 
vae of these insects are of a slender form, 
and devour the roots of the grasses. That 
insect, so destructive to newly sown French 
beans, the wire-worm, is thought to be the 
larv® of the E. obscurus. 
ELATERIUM, in botany, a genus ' of 
the Monoecia Monandria class and order. 
Natural order of Cucurbitace®. Essential 
character : male, calyx none ; corolla sal- 
ver-shaped. Female, calyx none ; corolla 
salvei-shaped ; capsule inferior, one-celled, 
two-valved. There are two species. 
ELATINE, in botany, a genus of the 
Octandria Tetragynia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Immdat®. Cai’yophyll®, 
Jussieu. Essential character : calyx four- 
leaved ; petals four ; capsule four-celled, 
four-valved, flatted. There are two species. 
These are annual aquatic herbs, very low 
and spreading; the flowers axillary and small. 
ELDERS, among the Jews, were per- 
sons of great age, experience, and wisdom : 
the denomination is known in the Pres- 
byterian discipline. They are officers 
who, with the ministers and deacons, com- 
pose the sessions of the kirk. The el- 
der’s business is to assist the minister in 
visiting the congregation upon occasion, 
to watch over the morals of the people 
pf his district, and to give them private 
reproof in case of any disorder ; but if the 
scandal be gross, or the person obstinate, 
he lays the thing before tlie session. The 
elders are chosen from among the most 
substantial, knowing, and regular people, 
by the session or consistory of the kirk. 
There is a ruling elder in every session : he 
should be a man of spotless charaeter, and 
of principal consideration and interest in his 
parish ; he is chosen out of the kirk session : 
the congregation is to approve of the choice : 
the minister ordains him before the con- 
gregation ; he may be chosen to assist in 
any church judicatory, and in all manner of 
government and discipline, has an equal 
.vote with the minister. 
ELE 
ELECTION, in law, is where a person 
has a choice of one or more things which 
happen upon several occasions; as where 
he has by law two remedies, and must take 
only one : thus, a creditor, in cases of bank- 
ruptcy, may either prove his debt under 
the commission, or proceed at law ; but in 
this case he is compelled to make his elec- 
tion : w'here also a person having obtained 
a judgment, is entitled to execution, he 
may either take his remedy against the 
goods or the person of his debtor ; but if 
he proved against the person in tlie first in- 
stance, he cannot afterwards have recourse 
to the goods ; but if hp take the goods, and 
these should be found inadequate to his de- 
mand, he may afterwards take the body. 
Election of bishops. See Bishops. 
Election of ecclesiastical persons. If any 
person, having a voice, take any reward for 
an election in any church, college, school, 
&c. it shall be void ; and if any such socie- 
ties resign tlieir places to otliers foy reward, 
they incur a forfeiture of double the sum ; 
and the party giving, and the party tak- 
ing it, are thereby rendered incapable 
of such place. 31 Eliz. c. 6. See Bishops. 
Election of members of parliament. 
Qualification of the candidates. A mem- 
ber cannot sit in parliament until twenty- 
one years of age : and must not be alien 
born ; nor one of the tw'elve judges, who 
sit in the lords, as attendants upon the 
house ; but persons who have judicial 
places in the other courts, ecclesiastical or 
civil, are eligible ; the clergy are not eligi- 
ble, because they might sit in tlie convoca- 
tion; nor persons attainted of treason or 
felony. 
By the 30 Charles II. st. 2. c. 1, and 
1 Geo. I. c. 13, in order to prevent papists 
from sitting in either house of parliament, 
no person sliall sit or vote in either house 
till he hath, in the presence of tlie house, 
taken the oaths of allegiance, supremacy, 
and abjuration ; sherifts of counties, and 
mayors and bailiffs of boroughs, are not eli- 
gible in their respective jurisdictions, as be- 
ing returning officers ; but a sheriff of one 
county may be chosen knight of another. 
By several statutes, no persons concern- 
ed in the management of any duties or 
taxes, created since 1692, except the com- 
missioners of the treasury ; nor any of the 
officers following, viz. commissioners of 
prizes, transports, sick and wounded, wine 
licenses, navy and victualling; secretaries 
or receivers of prizes ; comptrollers of the 
army accounts; agents for regiments; go- 
