Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/122

 A L V

ALU

iudes by the barometer.— [ d De la Meth. d obferver exaae- ment fur Mer la Hauteur des Aftres, Pans 1729. 4(0. Jour. des Scav T. 90. p. 287. c Obfcrv. des Hauteurs Men- dienes du Soleil, au SoUtice d'Ete, 1721. in Mem. Acad. Sc'ienc. 1721. p. 218. feq. f Sur la Hauteur de l'Atmo- fphere, ext. in Mem. Acad. Scienc. 1713. p. 71; feq- An extract; of it is given by Fontenelle in Hilt. Acad. Scienc. 1713- p. 7. feq. t A propofal for meafuring the Height of Places by help of the barometer, in Phil. TYanf. N°. 366. p. 116. feq. h A Method of meafuring the Height of Mountains, Phil. Tranf. N\ 405. p. 537. ' Voyage du Mont-Ventoux pour determiner la Hauteur de cette Montagne, ext. in Mem. de Trev. 1714. p. 895. k Obferv. de~la Hauteur de diverfes Montagnes d'Auvcrgne, &c. in Suite des Mem. de l'Acad. de Scienc. 1718. P. 1. c. 10. p. 135.] See Mountain and Atmosphere.

Altitude, in aftrology, denotes the fecorid of the five eflen- fial dignities, which the planets acquire in virtue of the figns they are found in. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 29. In this fenfe, Altitude is otherwife called Exaltation.

ALTOLIZOIM, among fome chemifts, denotes the htum Paracelft, well beaten, calcined, and boiled to the form of an oil, called alfo/?/ terra ; becaufe it is a bitter fait. Helm, de Lithias. c. 7. p. 22. Cajl. Lex. Med. in voc.

ALTUMAL, a term ufed to denote the mercantile ftyle, or diale£l.

In this fenfe, we meet with Altitmal cant, to denote the lan- guage of petty traders and tars. . Medl. n. 18. p. 186.

ALVAH, the wood wherewith Mofes fweetened the waters of Marah. Exod. c. xv. v. 25.

The name of this wood is not found in fcripture, but the Mahometans give it that of Alvahj, and pretend to trace its hiftory from the patriarchs before the flood a. Jofephus, on the contrary, fays, that Mofes ufed the wood, which he found next lying before him b .— [ a Du Herbel. Bibl. Orient, p. 105. & 1022. b Calm. Diet. Bibl. in voc]

ALVAR1D, among the Spanith Moors, denoted a judge. Du Cange, GloiT. Lat. in voc.

The word is alfo written Alvarihis. — In this kn(e, Alport- dus amounts to much the fame with what is otherwife called Akaid. See Alcaid.

ALVARISTS, in church hiftory, a feet or branch of modern Thomifts, denominated from Alvares, whofe method and principles they follow.

The Alvarijls differ from the antient Thomifts, in that the former are aflertors of fufficient grace, the latter of effica- cious grace. The former come near to the Jefuits, the latter to the Janfenifts. V. Mem. de Trev. 1725. p. 1251.

ALUCO s in zoology, the name by which authors have called the common white owl, or, as we commonly call it, the barn owl 4 or church owl. Rafs Ornithol. p. 67. See Owl;

ALUDEL, in chemiftry, a name given to a particular kind of furnace, with two, or even four* copels of glafs, or earthen ware. Cajlel. Lex. Med. in voc. See the table of chemical veflels, &c. N,°. 20.

ALVEARIUM (Cycl.) properly fignifies a bee-hive.

The word is Latin, formed of Ahcus, a channel, or cavity ; in alluvion to the alveoli, or cells, in bee-hives. Some of the antients alfo ufe the word Alvearium for a bee- houfe, more ufually called among us, apiary,

Alvearium is fometimes alfo ufed figuratively, to denote a collection.

In which fenfe, Alvearium amounts to much the fame with what we otherwife call tbefaurus, cornucopia, or the like. Vine. Boreus has published an Alvearium of law. Alvearium Juris Mellifluum, Lugd. 4(0. 1650. Lipen. Bibl. Jur. p. 16.

ALVEHEZ1T, among Arabian writers, denotes what we or- narily call falling-Jlan, or jlar-fiot. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 29. See Star-Shot.

ALVEOLI, in anatomy, the fockets wherein the teeth are fixed.

In fome perfons the teeth are fo fait inferted into the Alveoli, by feveral roots, that in drawing them, the latter break and are torn away with them. Journ. des Scav. T. 87. p. 378.'

Some writers fpeak of teeth growing without Alveoli. Pliny a mentions a perfon who had a tooth in his palate. Euftachius b relates, that he faw a man who at fixty had a tooth growing out of the middle of his fauces. Holler gives an inftancepf a perfon, whofe teeth were of a piece with his jaws, without any i'nfertion into Alveoli c. — [ a Hift. Nat. L 2. c. 27. b De Dentib, c. 29. c Blaf. Coram, ad Veiling, c. 13, p. 203. Cajl. Lex. Medic]

Alveoli is more efpecially ufed, among naturalifts, for thofe waxen cells in the combs of bees, wherein their honey is de- pofited. See Hive, Honey, &c.

The Alveoli are all 'of a hexagonal figure, eompofed of three rhombus's, flanked with fix fides. The advantages of which conftruction are very great. See the article Bee. Naturalifts obferve feveral things wonderful in the method of building, or forming the Alveoli, which is done with great affiduity and artifice, and in the connecting them together into proper ranges, with fpaces between, tg afford paiTage for

the bees. What is remarkable is, that in each comb there are three orders of rhombus's, in three different planes, yet fo uniformly conducted, that many thoufands of rhombus's belonging to the fame range fall all exactly in the fame plane. The wonder is, that fo many thoufand infects mould be em- ployed at the fame time, in the feveral parts of this work, yet all co-operate, by mere natural inftinct, to finifh a thing fo difficult in itfelf, with fo much nicety and exactnefs. A comb, fix inches wide and a foot long, contains about four thoufand Alveoli, which they will compleat in a day, if things prove favourable. Each bale confifts of three rhombus's, and on each fide of thefe three, is a plane, which ferves as a fide to the oppofite Alveolus, and, at the fame time, makes a fup- port for the bafe of the oppofite one. V. Mem. Acad. Scienc. 1712. p. 402 — 407;

The Alveoli ferve for divers ufes ; firft, as ftore-houfes, wherein to depofite the honey for their winter fupport ; fe- condly, as nidus's* or lodges, wherein their little ones are hatched.— It may be added, that the wax prepared for future ufes, is alfo preferved in the Alveoli. V. Hift. Acad. Scienc. an. 1712. p, 10.

There are a kind of Alveoli perceivable in the gum lacca, which difcovers it not to be a gurn^ but a kind of comb, be- longing to fome infect. The figure and ftructure of thefe, is defcribed by M. Geoffroy : they have not near the conve- niences of thofe of bees. Mem. Acad. Scienc. an. 1714. p. 158. See Lacca.

ALVEOLUS, in natural hiftory, the name of a marine body^ found frequently foffile, fometimes lodged in the Cavity, at the end of the belemnitEe, and fometimes loofe ; and in this! laft cafe, often fo large, that we cannot fuppofe any bele- mnita ever to have exifted fo large as to have been able td contain it. We do not meet with thefe at this day in their recent ftate, but what we find of them foflile, are ever larger at one end, and tapering to a point at the other, and are compofed of feveral hemifpheric cells, like fo many bee-hives jointed into one another, and having a fiphunculus, or pipe of communication, like that in the thick nautilus. Thefe are fometimes found perfect and whole, but much more fre- quently truncated, or wanting a part of their fmaller end. Klein, de Tubul. Marin.

ALUESEN, in botany, a name ufed, by fome, for the peuce- danum, or hogs-fennel. Ger. Emac Ind. 2.

ALVEUS properly denotes a channel.

Alveus is applied, by fome anatomifts, to the tumid lacteal branches anfing from the rcceptaculwn cbyli under the dia- phragm. BartboL Anat. Libel, 1. c. 3. App. 2. p. 615. Cajl. Lex. Med. in voc.

Alveus is alfo ufed, in antiquity^ to denote a fmall vefiel, or boat, made out of the trunk of a fingle tree, by boring or cutting it hollow. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 77. Such was that wherein Romulus and Remus are faid to have been expofed. Ovid. Faft. xi. 407.

ALUM, (Cycl.) Alumen, in natural hiftory* is defined to be a fait found moft frequently lodged in extremely fmall and difleminated particles in Hones and earths,- as metals in their ores, but fome- times alfo pure and unmixed, either in form of an eiftoref- cence, or of a fhapelefs fait warned out of its ore by watery and afterwards deferted by it.-

Alum bears a near affinity to vitriol,- in refpect of the faline principle, i. e. the acid fpirit, which is the fame in both ■. It differs from vitriol, as this latter is found to have a metal- line bafis, e. gr. iron or copper* whereas the bafis or matter of Alum, wherewith the faline part is united, is an alcalious or chalky earth, or ftone, refembling lime-ftone, as ap- pears from the origin and preparation of Alum, and from the ftony fediment it depofits by folution b .-r-[ a Hoffm. Ob- ferv. Phyf. Chym. 1. 3. Obf. 8. p. 299. b Burggr. Lex. Med. T. 1. p. 482.] See Vitriol. Alum alfo bears a near conformity with fulphur, as both are formed from the fame faline fpirit ; which, if it meet with a ftony fubftance, forms Alum, with a bituminous one, fulphur. Tournef. Voy. au Levant. Let, 4. p. 60.' See Sulphur. Alum then is formed of the universal acid, or fluid fait com- bining with a chalky earth. — The fame acid with a mercu- rial earth forms common fea fait, and with a moift rocky, or clay earth, Sal Gemma. Stabl, Phil. Princ. Chem. P. 1. Sec. 1. p. 17. feq.

This fyftem is confirmed, by what naturalifts have obferved concerning the origin of the native Alum in the ifle of Chio. That ifland is a hollow fpungy rock, penetrated on all parts by the fea- water. M. Tournefort confiders the whole as a natural laboratory, wherein the fea-water undergoes much the fame action in it as in our retorts. By this means, an acid fpirit is feparated from it, which; penetrating the fubftance of the rocks, dhTolves and incorporates with them, and forms mines of Alum. This feems. hardly to be doubted, inafmuch as by pouring fpirit of fait on common ftones, or chalk, alu- minous concretions are readily formed. The fame fpirit mixing with a bitumen under-ground, forms fulphur. V. Tournef. Voy. Lett. 4. p. 60. See Sulphur. Some attribute the origin of Alum chiefly to a fulphureous principle acting on, corroding of, and coagulating with a mi- neral fubftaocej ufually of a. terrene and ftony, rather than

metallic