Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/507

Rh A L A L C 460 sentiments and opinions on familiar subjects in refined and elegant language, yet without any very apparent incon sistency. The new Attic comedy being the principal source from which Alciphron derived his information, these letters are valuable as delineating the private life of the Athenians at that period. The best editions are by Bergler, Lips. 1715, and Wagner, Lips. 1798. ALCIRA, probably the Scetabicula of the Romans, a Spanish town, on an island in the river Xucar, 25 miles S.W. of Valencia, in the province of that name. It is surrounded by walls, and has two fine bridges. There is a remarkable stalactite grotto in the vicinity. The prin cipal productions are silk, rice, and oranges, which are largely exported. Population, 15,400. ALCMAN, sometimes also called ALCM.EON, one of the most ancient, and, in the opinion of the Alexandrian critics, the most distinguished of the lyric poets of Greece. According to one account he was by birth a Lydian, while others state that he was a native of Sparta, where, at any rate, he lived from a very early age. The time at which he flourished is uncertain, but it is generally assumed that it embraced the period between the years 670 and 630 B.C. Alcrnan may in some respects be regarded as the father of lyric poetry among the Greeks, and it was probably for this reason that the Alexandrian critics put him at the head of their lyric canon. His poems, which seem to have formed a collection of six books, are known to us only from a number of small fragments. Many of them were of an erotic character, but others were hymns and didactic pieces. All were written in the vigorous broad dialect of the Dorians. The best collection of these fragments was published by F. G. Welcker, Giesen, 1815, 4to; they are also contained in Bcrgk s Poctce Lyrici Greed, 1852, 8vo. ALCMENE, the daughter of Electryon, king of Mycenae, and wife of Amphitryon. She was the mother of Hercules by Jupiter, who assumed the likeness of her husband during his absence, and of Iphicles by Amphitryon. ALCOCK, JOHN, doctor of laws, and bishop of Ely in the reign of Henry VII., was born at Beverley in York shire before 1440, and educated at Cambridge. He was made dean of Westminster and master of the rolls in 1462. In 1470 he was appointed ambassador to the court of Castile, and in 1471 was consecrated bishop of Rochester. In 1477 he was translated to the see of Worcester; and in 1486 to that of Ely. He was a prelate of great learning and piety, and so highly esteemed by King Henry that he appointed him lord president of Wales, and after wards lord keeper of the Great Seal. Alcock founded schools at Kingston-upon-Hull and Beverley, and built the spacious hall belonging to the episcopal palace at Ely. He was also the founder of Jesus College in Cam bridge, for a master, six fellows, and as many scholars. This house was formerly a nunnery, dedicated to St Radi- gund ; and Godwin says that the building being greatly decayed, and the revenues reduced almost to nothing, the nuns had all forsaken it, except two ; whereupon Bishop Alcock procured a grant from the crown, and converted it into a college. But Camden and others tell us that the nuns of that house were so notorious for their incontinence, that King Henry VII. and Pope Julius II. consented to its dissolution. Bishop Alcock wrote several pieces, among which are the following: 1. Mons Perfectionis; 2. In Psalmos Pcenitentiales ; 3. Homilice Vulgares; 4. Meditationes Pice. He died at Wisbeach, October 1, 1500, and was buried in the chapel built by himself in Ely cathedral. ALCOHOL, a volatile organic body, constantly formed during the fermentation of vegetable juices containing eugar in solution. It is extracted from spirituous liquors of different kinds by successive distillations or rectifica tions ; the alcohol being more volatile than water, gradually accumulates in the first portion of each distillate. After a few operations the spirit obtained is as strong as it can be made by this process, and further repetition does not enable us to separate more water from it. In commerces the strongest spirit is known as spirit of wine, and contains about 90 per cent, of alcohol. The remaining 10 per cent, of water must be removed by some chemical agent that will combine with water and retain it at the boiling-point of the spirit, and be without any specific action on tho alcohol. The dehydrating substances in general use are certain anhydrous salts, such as carbonate of potash, acetates of potash, or sulphate of copper. These rapidly absorb water at low temperature, and part with -it at a red heat; so that they may be used over and over again. The most efficient dehydrating agent is caustic lime or caustic baryta. Lime is generally used in making the absolute alcohol of commerce. For this purpose the caustic lirno is broken into small pieces about the size of a walnut, and placed in a retort ; spirits of wine is now poured into the vessel, just sufficient to cover the lime, and the whole 13 left to digest for a night. During this time the limo gradually slakes from the absorption of water, and tho anhydrous alcohol is left, ready to distill off at the tempera ture of the water-bath. Absolute alcohol is a very mobile colourless liquid, having a high refractive power, and possessing a feeble agreeable smell and an acid burning taste, which, however, diminishes as it is diluted with water. The caustic taste is in great part due to tho rapidity with which it takes water from any living tissue with which it comes in contact, producing coagulation if the fluids are albuminous. Alcohol has a specific gravity of 0-794 at a temperature of 60 Fahr, and boils at 173 l Fahr., barometer being at 30 inches. It does not conduct electricity, and has never been obtained in the solid state, although at very low temperatures it becomes viscid. For this reason alcohol is always used to fill thermometers for registering low temperatures, as mercury freezes, and can not be employed as an index of temperature below - 39 Fahr. Its high co-efficient of expansion makes alcohol a very sensitive fluid for thermometric purposes. Alcohol has a great tendency to absorb water from the atmosphere, and must be kept in thoroughly sound vessels. It mixes with water in all proportions, arid during the dilution there is a considerable amount of heat evolved. When alcohol and water are mixed, a contraction of volume occurs, which augments until 100 parts of alcohol are mixed with 116 23 parts of water; 103 775 volumes of alcohol and water mixed in that ratio contracting to 100. Addition cf water beyond the proportion given above causes less and less contraction, and finally no diminution of volume can be observed. As alcohol is diluted with water its volatility and its power of dilatation diminish, whereas the specific gravity increases, continually approaching that of water. Next to water, alcohol is the substance most generally employed as a solvent. It dissolves many organic sub stances, and is especially used in the arts for the manu facture of varnishes. In medicine it is invaluable as a solvent of the active principle of many substances that are insoluble in water, and would soon decompose in aqueous solution. These alcoholic solutions are generally called tinctures. Alcohol is an excellent antiseptic agent. As a pre servative of animal structures it is generally used in the impure state known in commerce as methylated spirit. This is spirits of wine mixed with 10 per cent, of com mercial wood spirits, which does not interfere with its preservative or solvent powers, although it renders it unfit for use as a beverage.