Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/649

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the flower. The antheras are fimple. The germeri of the pifHI is large, and of a globofe, but fomewhat comprefled fi- figure. The ftyles are of the length of the ftamina, they are four in number, and ftand erect, and are of equal length. The ftigmata^re fimple. The fruit is a large capfule, of a comprefied orbicular figure, and is compofed of four valves, and contains four cells. The feeds are numerous, and of a lunated figure, they ftand erect, and furround the receptacle in a circular direction. Linnm Gen. Plant, p. 173. Bux- baum, ap. Act. Petrop. VaUlant Bot. Bans 1. f. 6. Elatine, in medicine, is greatly recommended as an ape- rient, refolvent, and vulnerary. Its fimple water has been ufed for the fame purpofes, though it retains very little of the virtues of the plant. The infufion is much better, and the exprefled juice preferable ftill. It is praifed by fome in leprous and fcrophulous cafes ; alfo externally for cancrous and other eating ulcers. An ointment is made of it for thefc purpofes. At prefent, however, it is very little ufed. Hill's Hift. Mat. Med. p. 377. ELATITES, Fir Stone, in natural hiftory, a name given by authors to that fort of petrify'd wood which fhews the linea- ments of the fir tree wood, and has been originally either that or fome wood of a like kind. Elatites was alfo a name ufed by the antients for an iron ore, efteemed a fpecies of haematites ; it was of a yellowifh white colour, and was more ufually called Xanthus. Hill's Theophr. p. 98. See Xanthus. ELUTHER1I Cortex, in the materia medica, a name by which fome authors have called the Caj car ilia, or Cortex Tburis, called Indian bark. Schroder. Vol. 4. p. 166. ELAWANDUM, in zoology, the name of a remarkable fpe- cies of monkey, common in the ifland of Ceylon ; its, hair is whitifli, or of a pale grey, and it has a long and beautiful black beard hanging from its chin. Ray's Syn. Quad. p. 188. ELDRIENE, in zoology, a name by which fome call the fmall iifli, known in Englilh. by the name of the Minnow, and cal- led by authors Varius, from the various colour of its fides and belly. iVilhghby's Hift. Pifc. p. 269- See the article Va- mus, ELEATIC Phikfopby, among the antients, a name given to that of the Stoics, becaufe taught at 'E*b«, in Latin Velia, a town of the Lucanu Hofman. Lex. in voc. See Stoics, Cycl. ELECAMPANE, Heknium, See Helenium. ELECTARIUM, the fame as Ek&uarium. The latter has been the ufual way of fpelling the word j but the late London pharmacopoeia has adopted the manner of fpelling it without the (u) as Caelius Aurelianus, who is the firft author that ufes the word, always fpells it in that manner. Pemberton's Lond. Difp. p. 233. See Electary. Electarium e Scammonio, a new name given, in the Lon- don pharmacopoeia, to the compofition commonly called E- lecluarinm Caryocojlinum. The compofition is alfo fo much al- tered, that inftead of an ounce, a dram and half is now a • common dofe. The prefcription for it is this : Take fcam- mony an ounce and half, cloves and ginger, of each fix drams, oil of caraway-feeds, half a dram, honey, half a pound : Mix all into an electuary. Pemberton's Lond. Difp.

P- 33 6 - ELECTARY {Cycl)— To make Ehtlar'm in perfection, where a fyrup is the bafis of the compofition, as in the E le- ft ary of faflafras, and the like, the fyrup fhould be prepared in a clofe veflel, that none of the virtues of the ingre- dients may be loft; the powders, to be afterwards added to this> fhould be frefh, and very finely fifted ; the gums, when there are any in the compofition, mould be well cleanfed and diflolved in their proper mcnftxuums, and the whole muft be reduced to a fmcoth mafs of fuch a confiftence as will nei- ther be fubjedt to candy nor ferment.

Where fyrups are ufed only to bring Eleclaries into form, care mult be taken that they are not boiled too high, for that will fubject them to candy in the Eleclary, and fpoil the whole, as the being too low boiled, or thin, will leave them fubject to ferment in hot weather, and afterwards grow four, fo as to change, invert or deftroy the nature of the medi- cine.

EleStarits, made of the pulp of fruits, are lefs difpofed to keep than others, on account of the great tendency thefe fub- jects have to ferment and putrefy. Hence lenitive Eleftai;y can never keep long, efpecially it made too thin. Juft the contrary of this is the cafe, however, with the capital EUftaries, as Venice treacle, mithridate, and the like, for thefe require to be fome time made, that the ingredients may digeft or ripen, as it were, and grow mellow together, as the gums and fpices that are in that compofition keep it from any decay, provided the honey do not candy, which fome prevent by ufing it unclarify'd ; and if thefe Elrftaries prove too dry, they are to be moiftened with Canary wine, and thus they improve by keeping. This, however, is not the cafe with the diafcordium, which lofes of its aftringency as the ingre- dients become mellow together ; and this is much better made up with fugar of rofes, or fyrup of diacodium, inftead of J*oney. Shaw's Lectures, p. 209, Svppl. Vol L

The way of powdering and fifting the ingredient; for Ehfia* ries is liable to lofe their finer and lighter parts, in form of a light duft, and that of grinding them in an horfe-mill has the fame inconvenience, with the additional one of a great quan- tity of ftony matter mixing itfelf from the mill-ftones with the powder. The belt way would certainly be, by means of two iron rollers moving againft one another in a clofe box, as in the making of chocolate, and to grind together all the ingre- dients, with the honey and wine, and bringing all at once to a proper confiftence. Perhaps, indeed, a much better way than all, though a very troublefome one, would be to get out the full virtues of all the ingredients feparately, in the form of extracts and eflential oils, &c. and mix thefe with a proper quantity of honey, and, by this means, to concentrate the medicine, fo that it might be given agreeably in very fmall dofes. ELECTI, in church hiftory, a feet of heretics who neither eat

flefh, nor married. See Hofm, lex in voc. ELECTION {Cycl)— Election of a Clerk of Statutes Mer- chant, in law, a writ that lies for the choice of a clerk affign- ed to take ftatutcs merchant. It is granted out of chancery, on fuggeftion that the clerk, formerly ailigned, is gone to dwell at fome other place, or is under an impediment to attend the duty of his office, or that he has not lands fufficient to an- fwer his tran fgreffions, if he fhould act amifs. Fitz. Herb. Nat. Brev. 164. Election of Ecclefiajllcal Perfons, Elections for the digni- ties of the church ought to be free, according to the Stat. 9 Ed. 2. c. 14. If any perfons, that have a voice in Ele- ctions, take any reward for an Election in any church, col- lege, fchool, (ffc. the Eleilion fhall be void. And if any perfons of fuch focicties refign their places to others for re- ward, they incur a forfeiture of double the fum ; and both the parties are rendered incapable of the place. Stat. 3 1 Eliz. c.6. Election of a Verderor of the Forejl, (Ekiliom V'tridariorum Forcftes) in law, a writ that lies for the choice of a verderor, where any of the verderors of the foreft are dead, or removed from their offices. This writ is directed to the Sheriff, and the verderor is to be elected by the freeholders of the county, in the fame manner as coroners. New Nat. Brev. 366. ELECTORS of Members of Parliament, See Vot£. ELECTUARY. See Electary.

ELEEMOSYNARIUS, in our old writers, is ufed for the almoner, or peculiar officer who received the ele$- mofynary rents and gifts, and diftributed them to pious and charitable ufes. There was fuch an officer in all religions houfes. The bifhops alfo ufed to have their almoners, as now the king has. Linn. Provinc. Lib. 1. tit. 12. See alfo Du Cange, Gloff. Lat. ELEGJ.A, in botany, a name given, by fome authors, to the Arundo Scriptoria, or writing reed common in Greece and Italv. Park. Theatr. p. 121 r. ELEMENT {Cycl)— Sec Principle. ELENCHUS, in antiquity, a kind of ear-rings fet with large

pearls. ELEOSELINUM, in botany, a name by which fome au- thors have called the paludapium or fmallage. Ger, Emac. Ind. 2. ELEPHANT, EJephas, in the Linnsean fyftem of zoology, the generical name of a diftinct genus of the jumenta j it in- cludes the Elephant and Rhinoceros. The characters which thofe creatures have in common, and which make the diilin- ction of this genus, are, that they have two paps placed on their breaft s have no denies inctfores, or cutting-teeth, and the canine, or dog-teeth, of the upper jaw, very long. The Elephant this author diftinguifhes by his fnout. The rhino- ceros he calls Ehphas nafo comigcro,- the Elephant, with the horn on his nofe. Linn. Syftem Natur. p. 40. Taming of E'LEvn ants. The method of taking and taming this creature, in the ifland of Ceylon, is as follows ; The na- tives pitch upon a proper place for a warren, or park, which is broad at the entrance, and grows narrow farther in, till, at the end, it is fo narrow, that an Elephant. cannot torn himfelf, and it runs on of this narrownefs fo far, that twenty Elephants may ftand in it one behind another. When the enclosure of this warren is finifhed, all the people of the neighbouring places afiemble, and make a circumference round the woods, where they know there are Elephants, which takes in, per- haps, fixty miles. The men now ftand at twenty-five yards diftance, and kindle fires between them, and make all the noife they can, by fhouting, blowing horns, beating drums, and the like, and, by degrees, approach nearer and nearer the warren. The Elephants run from the fires and noife, and confequently can go no where but towards the warren, the men, who every way furround them, except on the warren fide, follow upon them in this manner, till they come toge- ther, and make a ring, and the Elephants are driven into the enclofure. When thefe creatures perceive that they are thus taken, they make refiftance, and often turn upon the men, but there are always near the warren fences of poles, lying flat upon the ground, which the hunters need only raife up, and they keep in the prey, fo that they can neither efcape, nor injure them, they then puifue the Elephants with fire- brands, 10 E and