Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/97

 ALG

Alexlpkarmh fcorzonera b, the origin of the AUxlpharmic virtue of bezoar % which fome afcribe to the animals feeding on contrayerva, and other plants of the fame tendency. The reafon why Akxipbarmics deftroy worms ", c^.—Perlmus 1, and others, have treatifes exprefs on AlexipharmUs . Nican- der ', an antient Greek poet, has a work ftill extant on the fame fubjefi, written in verfe ; tho' Plutarch t difputes it the title

of a poem, as being a plain narrative without fiction [•'■ Pclif

Myrrhol. Seft. I. c. 7. p. 21. 'Ephcm. Acad. N. C. Dec. 2. an. 1. obf. 181. c Phil. Tranf. N°. 305. p. 2202. ' Kong. in Ephem. Acad. N. C. dec. 2. an. 5. obf. on. c Lipen Bibl. Med. p. 11. ' V. Fabric. Bibl. Grxc. 1. 3. c. 26. §. 3. * Plut. de Audiend. Poet. p. 16.] See Myrrh,

ScORZONERA, BEZOARD, &C

Jtudfharmia are deemed proper correaors of opium, when it produces ficknefs, naufeas, &c. See Opium. ALEXITERIAL, (Cycl.) in medicine, fomething that has the nature, or does the office of an amulet. Wolf. Scrutin. Amulet. c i Giorn. de Letter d'ltal. 1690. p. 164. Sec Amuht, Cycl. and Suppl.

Mexiterial is more particularly ufed for a remedy againft poi- fons. Gorr. Def. Med. p 20. Cafl. Lex. Med p. 31 Blanc. Lex. Med. p. 26. Burggr. Lex. Med. T. r. p. 407. voc. Alexipharmaca.

Quincy ■ fays, the name is ordinarily applied to medicines given in fevers ; which is confounding Alexiterics with Alexi- pyrttics b ._ [» Lex. Med. p. 16. * Burggr. Lex. Med

r. 1. p. 410.]

ALFAQUES, among the Spanifh Morifcoes, were the clergy,

or thole who inftruaed them in the Mahometan faith. Gold.

Mifc. Traas, T. 1. p. m.

The Alfaquis differed from the Morabites, who anfwered to

monks, or religious, among Chriftians. Mem. de Trev

1704. p. 523. ALFDOUCH, a name given by the Moors to a fort of ver-

michelli, which they make of flour and water, and are very

fond of in their entertainments. ALFECCA, in aftronomy, a name given to the ft ar commonly

called Lucida corona. ALGA, in botany, the name of a genus of plants growing

under water, and of the fame kind with the fea fucus's, but

that they are compofed of very long and narrow grafly leaves,

or of long capillaceous filaments.

The fpecies of Alga, enumerated by Tournefort, are thefe.

I. The common narrow leaved Alga. 2. The fmall grafly

leaved Alga. 3. The very narrow leaved, naked Alga.

4. The branched, feeding, narrow leaved, grafly Alga.

5. The fea Alga, with extremely narrow leaves. 6. The grafly river Alga, with extremely long leaves. 7. The green capillaceous leaved Alga. 8. The black capillaceous leaved Alga. And, 9. the ycllowifh capillaceous leaved Alga.
 * Tourn. Inft. p. 569.

The Alga's are fome marine, or growing in the fea ; others

fluyiatile, or produced in rivers ; others fontal, growing in

fprings; and fome again grow on ftones at the bottom of the

water ; others on fhells by the more ; others even float on the

furface of the water.

One of the moft conflderable of the tribe of Alga's, is the

common, called Alga marina ; fometimes alfo° Alga an-

guftifolia mtriariorum, as being ufed in the glafs-works like

kali.

Its aflies afford great plenty of fixed fait.

Some fpeak, of its medicinal properties as aperient, vulnerary,

and denccative. Lemery, T'r. des Dro°\ p. 25.

Alga is popularly known in Englifh by the name of wrick,

as being generally conceived rather as excrefcences, than as

regular plants.

Alga gramlnea, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, which grow in the fea, and are of an herbaceous, not ftony texture, have long and narrow grafly leaves, and produce their feeds in the joinings of their feveral leaves. It is com- monly called in Englifh grafs-wreck, and is common on all our fhores. Ray, Meth. Acuta, p. 4. Diofcorides recommends it in the gout and inflammations.

ALGALI, a name given, by fome of the old chemical writers, to nitre.

ALGAROT (Cycl.)— The word is othetwife written, Algaroth, Algcrcth, Algarcl, and Algenl. Some will have it not of Ara- bic, but Italian origin, deriving it from a phyfician of Ve- rona, named Algaroth, who firft invented the preparation. There are divers ways of preparing Algarot, as by precipi- tating the butter, or by diftilling antimony, together with the fweet fublimate, or white precipitate of mercury. Le- mery, Treat, de 1'Antimoine, P. 3. p. 172. feq. Mem. de Trev. 1707. p. 1161. feq. It. p. 2092. feq. Lc Mart. Coll. Chym. Leid. c. 57. proc. 3. & 4. Cajlel. Lex. Med. p. 31.

ALGAVAREIA, the language antiently fpoken by the Morif- coes in Spain. Gedd. Mifc. Traa. T. I. p. 23. The Algavareia was a fort of Arabic, and flood contradiftin- guifhed from the Aljame'ia. See Aljameia.

ALGEBRA (Cycl.) has often been accufed of obfeurity; and the geometrical methods of the antients have by many, efpecially in England, been preferred to the modern ufe of Suppi. Vol. I.

A L I

Algebra in geometry. But, on this occafion, a great mairef of both methods has very juffly obferved, that the modern improvements made either in geometry, or in philofophy, are, m a great meafure, owing to the facility, concifcncfs, and great extent of the methods of computation, or algebraic part. it is for the fake of thefe advantages, that fo many fvmbols are employed in Algebra, the number and complication of which (together with the greater care there has been taken in treating of geometry, after the excellent models left us by the antients) have contributed more to occafion the prefe- rence that is often afcribed to geometry, in refpedt to perfpi- cuity and evidence, than any eiTential 'difference that can be luppoied to be between them. Algebra is a general kind of arithmetic, which is the very thing that renders its ukfulnefs fo univerfal ; nor can this be fuppofed to derogate from its evidence, for we have no ideas more clear or diftinct, than thofe of num- bers j and hence often acquire more fatisfactory and certain knowledge from computations, than from conftru&ions. It may have been employed to cover, under a complication of fymbols, abftrufe dodtrines, that could not bear the light fo well in a plain geometrical form ; but, without doubt, obfeurity may be avoided in this art, as well as in geometry, by defining clearly the import and ufe of the fymbols, and proceeding with care afterwards. Vid. Mac Laurin's. Flux. B. 2. See Negative-/^.

ALGEBRAISM, or Algebrism, is affectedly ufed, in fome writers, for algebra itfelf. In which fenfe, we read of the application of Jlgebraifm. Mem. de Trev. 1722. p. 1193.

ALGIABARII, a Mahometan feci: of predeftinarians, who at- tribute all the actions of men, good or evil, to the agency or influence of God.

The Algiabarii ifand oppofed to the Alkadarii. See ALKA- DARII.

They hold abfolute decrees, and phyfical premotion. For the juifice of God in punifhing the evil he has caufed, they refolve it wholly into his abibhite dominion over the crea- tures. Abutyharag. Hift. Dynaft. ap. Lehman. Obferv. Budd. Inft. p. 195.

ALGOIDES, in botany, a name given, by Vaillant, to a genus of plants, called by Micbeli and Linnseus, zannicbellia. Vaill. a. J, 1719. T. 1. F. 1. See Zannichellia.

ALGONQUIN, one of the chief American languages, fpoken efpecially in Canada, or New France. The Algonquin is one of the two principal languages fpoken in the Northern Ame- rica, the other is the Huron,

It takes its name from an antient people of the fame deno- mination, now almoir. extinct, the Troquuis being the only remains.

The Algonquin tongue is fpoken, with fome diverfity of dia- lects, by moll: of the natives from the river St. Laurence to that of MhTiffippi. Lafiteau, Parall. des Moeurf. ap. Nouv. Mem. de Litter. T. 1. p. 254.

The baron la Hontan a has given a little dictionary of the Algonquin language. Reland b has alfo given a glofs on feve- ral words of the fame. — [• Mcin. de l'Amer. Septent. Hag. 1703. b Diff. Mifc. P. 3. dill'. 2. Aa. Erud. Lipf. 1708.

ALGOR is ufed, by fome medicinal writers, to denote a pre- ternatural coldnefs or chilnefs in a part. Muys fpeaks, in this fenfe, of an Algor of the arm,, attended with an atrophy.

ALGORAB, a fixed ftar, of the third magnitude, in the right wing of the conilellation Corvus. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 21.

ALGOSAREL, in botany, a name ufed by Avicenna, and fome other authors, for the common wild carrot, or Daucus Syhejlris. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2,

ALHABOR, among the Arabian aftronomers, is that ftar com- monly called Sirius. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 22. feq.

ALHEN, in natural hiftory, a name by which Dr. Shaw, and others, have called a genus of plants, fmce named by Lin- naeus Lawfonia, See Lawsonia.

ALHIRTO, in aftronomy, a fixed ftar, of the third magni- tude, in the conftellation Capricorn. This is otherwife called Rojlrum Galling. Near this ftar, in the year 1600, ap- peared a new ftar, which lafted twenty-one years, and then difappeared again. Vital. Lex. Math. p. 22.

ALI gives the denomination to a feci:, or divifion, among the Mahometans, who adhere to the right of fucceflion of Alt) the fourth caliph, or fuccefTor of Mahomet, and the reform of mulTelmanifm introduced by him. Vid. Mem. de Trev. 1720. p. 1618. feq. Sale, Prelim. Difc. to Koran, fee. 8. p. 178. D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient, in voc. The fectaries of AH are more particularly called Schiiies, an& ftand oppofed to the Swinites, or fe£t of Omar, who adhere to the law, as left by Mahomet, Abubeker, and Omar. Alt was coufin of Mahomet, and fon-in-law of that prophet, having married his daughter Fatimab. After Mahomet's death, great difputes arofe about the fucceflion ; many flood for Ali, but Abubeker was preferred, and elected the firft kaliph. Ali took his turn, after the death of Othman. The Perfians are the chief adherents to the feet of Ali, whom they hold to have been the legitimate fuccefTor of Mahomet, and Abubeker an ufurper. On the contrary, the Turks are of the feet of Omar, and hold Ali in execra- tion, having raifed a furious civil war among the muiTulmen. 2 A Mem.