vjz ALE 
Alexander II. king of Scotland, fucceetfed his father 
William in 1213, at fixteen years of age. He made an 
expedition into England, to oppofe the tyranny of king 
John; who returned the vifit, and w,as offered battle by 
Alexander, but refufed it. He took the city of Carlifle 
from Henry . 111 . which was afterwards exchanged for 
Berwick. Alexander died in 1249, in the fifty-firft year 
of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign ; and left for 
his fuccelfor Iris fon Alexander III. who was crowned 
king of Scotland in 1249. The Cummings, lords of 
Scotland, took arms againft him; and, taking him prifon- 
er, confined him at Striveling; but he was afterwards re- 
leafcd by his fubjects. He married the daughter of Hen¬ 
ry III. king of England; and was killed by a fall from 
his horfe, on the 10th of April 1290, after having reign¬ 
ed forty-two, or according to others thirty-feven, years. 
ALEXANDERS,i/I in botany. See Smvrnium. 
ALEXANDRETTA, by the Turks called Scande- 
rOon, a town in Syria, at the extremity of the Mediterra¬ 
nean lea. It is the port of Aleppo, from which it is dif- 
tant twenty-eight or thirty leagues. It is now, properly 
fpeaking, nothing elfe but a village, without walls, in 
which the tombs are more numerous than the houfes, and 
which entirely owes its exiftence to the road which it com¬ 
mands. This is the only road, in all Syria, where veffels 
anchor on a folid bottom, without their cables being lia¬ 
ble to chafe; but in other refpedls it has many inconve¬ 
niences. It is infefted, during winter, by-a peculiar wind, 
called by the French failors le Raguier, which, rufliing 
from the fnowy lummits of the mountains* frequently for¬ 
ces Ihips to drag their anchors feveral leagues. And, when 
the fnow begins to cover the mountains which furround 
the gulph, tempefluous winds arife which prevent veffels 
from entering for three or four months together. The 
road alfo to Aleppo by the plain is infefted by the Curd 
robbers, who conceal themfelves in the neighbouring 
rocks, and frequently attack and plunder the ftrongefi; ca¬ 
ravans. But the word: circumftance is the extreme un- 
wholefomenefs of the air, occafioned here by ftagnant 
waters and mephitic exhalations. It may be affirmed that 
this every year carries off one-third of the crews of the 
veffels which remain here during the fummer; nay, Ihips 
frequently lofe all their men in two months. The feafon 
for this epidemic diforder is principally from May to the 
end of September. It is an intermitting fever of the moil 
malignant kind; and is accompanied with obftrudlions of 
the liver, which terminate in a dropfy. To this baneful 
epidemic, Aiexandretta, from its fituation, feems to be 
irremediably condemned ; for the plain on which the town 
is built is fo low and flat, that the rivulets, finding no de¬ 
clivity, can never reach the fea. When they are fwelled 
by the winter rains, the fea, fwelled likewife by tempefls, 
hinders their difeharging themfelves into it; hence their 
waters, forced to fpread themfelves, form lakes in the 
plain. On the approach of the fummer, the waters, be¬ 
coming corrupted by the heat, exhale vapours equally 
corrupt, and which cannot difperfe, being confined by 
the mountains that encircle the gulph. The entrance of 
the bay befides lies to the weft, which in thofe countries 
is the moft unhealthy expofure when it correfponds with 
the fea. 
A few years ago, M. Volney informs us, the merchants 
of Aleppo, aifgufted with the numerous inconveniences 
of Aiexandretta, wiftied to abandon that port and carry 
the trade to Latika. They propofed to the pacha of Tri¬ 
poli to repair the harbour at their own expen.ee, provided 
he would grant them an exemption from all duties for ten 
years. To induce him to comply with their requeft, the 
agent they employed talked much of the advantage which 
would, in time, refuit to the whole country:—“ But what 
fignifies it to me (replied the pacha) what may happen in 
time ? I was yefterday at Maracii; to-morrow, perhaps, I 
fhall be at Djedda. Why ftiould I deprive myfelf of pre- 
fent advantages, which are certain, for future benefits I 
cannot hope to partake ?” The European failors were 
ALE 
obliged therefore to remain at Scanderoon. The only cu- 
riofity which they have to amufe ftrangers with confifts in 
fix or feven marble monuments, fent from England, on 
which you read: Here lies fuch a one, carried off in the 
flower of his age, by the fatal effefts of a contagious air. 
The fight of thefe is the more diftrefiing, as the languid 
air, yellow complexion, livid eyes, and dropfical bellies, 
of thofe who fiiew them, make it but too probable they 
canhot longefcape the fame fate. 
ALEXANDRIA, now Scanderia, by Atbemeus called 
X^vcr/i ; a city of Lower Egypt, and for a long time its ca¬ 
pital. Thiscity was built by Alexander the Great, fooa 
after the overthrow of Tyre, about 333 years before 
Chrift. It is lituated on the Mediterranean, twelve miles 
weft of that mouth of the Nile anciently called Canopicum ; 
and lies in E. ion. 30.19. N.lat.31.10. Alexander is faid 
to have been induced to build this city, on account of its 
being conveniently lituated for a fine port; and fo fudden 
was His refolution, that after he had directed where every 
public firuflure was to be placed, fixed the number of 
temples, and the deities to wham they ftiould be dedicated, 
&c. there were no inftruments at hand proper for mark¬ 
ing out the walls, according to the cuftom of thofe times. 
Upon this, a workman advifed the king to co;le< 5 t what 
meal was among the fojdiers, and to lift it in lines upon 
tire ground, whereby the circuit of the walls would be fuf- 
ficiently marked out. This advice was followed; and 
tire new method of marking out the walls was, by Arif- 
tander, the king’s foothfayer, interpreted as a prefage of 
the city’s abounding with all the neceffaries of life. Nor 
was he deceived in his predidtion; for Alexandria foon 
became the ftaple, not only for merchandife, but alfo for 
all tiie arts and fciences of the Greeks. 
Alexandria was a league and a half long by one-third 
in breadth^ which made the circumference of its walls 
about four leagues. Lake Mareotis bathed its walls on 
the fouth, and the Mediterranean on the north. It was 
interfeffted lengthwife by ftraight parallel ftreets. This 
diredlion left a free paffage to the northerly wind, which 
alone conveys coolnefs and falubrity into Egypt. A ftreet 
of 2000 feet wide began at the gate of the fea, and termi¬ 
nated at the gate of Canopus. It was decorated by mag¬ 
nificent houfes, by temples, and by public buildings. In 
this extenfive range, the eye was never tired with admir¬ 
ing the marble, the porphyry, and tiie obeliiks, which 
were deftined at fome future day to embelliih Rome and 
Conftantinople. This ftreet, the handfomeft in the uni- 
verfe, was interfered by another of the fame breadth, 
which formed a fquare at their junction of half a league in 
circumference. From the middle of this great place, the 
two gates were to be feen at once, and veflels arriving un¬ 
der full fail from the north and from the fouth. 
A mole of a mile in length ftretched from tiie continent 
to the ifle of Pharos, and divided the great harbour into 
two. That which is to the northward preferved its name. 
A-dyke, drawn from the ifland to the rock whereon was 
built the Pharos, fecuredit from tiie wefterly winds. Tiie 
other was called Eunojhis, or the Safe Return. Tiie for¬ 
mer is called at prefent the new, the latter tiie oid, harbour : 
a bridge, that joins the mole to the city, ferved for a com¬ 
munication between them. It was railed on lofty pillars 
funk into tiie fea, and left a free paffage for ftiips. The 
palace, which advanced beyond the promontory of Lochias, 
extended as far as the dyke, and occupied more than a 
quarter of the city. Each of the Ptolemies added to its 
magnificence. It contained within its inclofure, the mu- 
feurn, an afylum for learned men, groves and buildings 
worthy of royal majefty, and a temple where the body of 
Alexander was depolitedin a golden coffin. The infamous 
Seieucus Cibyofadles violated this monument, carried off’ 
the golden coffin, and put a glafs one in its place. In the 
great harbour was the little ifland of Anti-Rhodes, where 
flood a theatre, and a royal place of refidence. Within 
the harbour of Eunoftus was a fmaller one, called Kihotos, 
dug by the hand of man, which communicated with Lake 
' Mareotis 
