Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/364

 340 ALMA ALMAGRO all, may not in one sense be so very extrava- gant ; for according to the researches of Ehrenberg, the ochreous particles, under the microscope, prove to be portions of an organic body of extreme minuteness, which is now be- lieved to be a plant. ALMA, a small river in the Crimea, running from the high ground in the neighborhood of Bakhtchisarai in a westerly direction to Kala- mita bay, between Eupatoria (or Kozlov) and Sebastopol. The southern bank of this river was selected during the Crimean war by Prince Mentchikoff, the Russian commander, as a de- fensive position in which to receive the onset of the allied armies just landed in the peninsu- la. The battle was fought Sept. 20, 1854, and resulted in a victory of the allies and the open- ing of the road to Sebastopol. The Russian force numbered 36,000 men with 96 guns ; the English, under Lord Raglan, 28,000 men with 24 guns ; the French, under St. Arnaud, 28,- 000 men and 72 guns ; and the Turks, 6,000 men. ALMACK'S, a suite of assembly rooms situated at No. 26 King street, St. James's, London, so called after Almack, a tavern-keeper, whose original name was M'Call, and who founded the establishment in 1765. They are now called Willis's rooms after Frederick and Charles Wil- lis. Here take place concerts, charity balls, and select public meetings. The annual balls, how- ever, which are held during the season, consti- tute the chief claim to the prominence of Al- mack's. They are managed by a committee of ladies, and the only mode of admission is by vouchers or personal introduction. The exclu- siveness of the lady patronesses, great as it is now, was incomparably greater at the time of the opening of the rooms. Down to about 1830 Almack's retained a great deal of its an- cient prestige, but since that time it has been gradually declining. The name of Almack's has been given to similar places of entertainment in European watering places. A gambling club of the same name, opened under the auspices of the same proprietor in Thatched House tavern, 85 St. James's street, was rather notorious toward the end of the 18th century, the play there having been deeper than either at White's or Brookes's. Before Brookes's club house was built, the whig party used to meet at Almack's, where a regular book was kept of the wagers laid by the different members. The following are specimens : "March 11, 1775. Lord Boling- broke gives a guinea to Mr. Charles Fox, and is to receive 1,000 from him whenever the debt of this country amounts to 171,000,000 ster- ling. Mr. Fox is not to pay the 1,000 till he is one of his majesty's cabinet." "Aug. 7, 1792. Mr. Sheridan bets Lord Lauderdale and Lord Thanet 25 guineas each, that parliament will not consent to any more lotteries after the present one, to be drawn in February next." ALMADEN, or Almaden del Azogue (the mine of quicksilver), a town of Spain, in the prov- ince of Ciudad Real, about 50 m. N. of C6rdova ; pop. about 9,000. It is simply one long street, built on a ridge of quartz rock, which is rich in cinnabar. The quicksilver mines here are perhaps the richest and most ancient hi the world. They were wrought by the Romans, who had a town here called Sisa- pona Cetobrix. In the 16th century the Fug- gers of Augsburg rented the mines and worked them for some years. They were subsequently operated by the Spanish government, and until the early part of the present century the labor- ers were all convicts, but free persons are now employed. The product of the mines is deliv- ered at Seville, and since 1836 has been by con- tract monopolized by the house of Rothschild. The principal mine is directly under the town, and the great adit is close to the houses, the ascent and descent for the men being by lad- ders, while the mineral is drawn up a stone shaft by mules. The depth of the workings is about 1,000 feet, and the cinnabar is found in three principal veins several feet thick. The lowest portions of the mine are the richest. Virgin quicksilver is found in pyrites and horn- stein and in a grayish conglomerate, and in some places may be seen running down the face of the rock. The galleries and permanent works are all splendidly built of stone, and there are extensive storehouses and manufacto- ries of everything needed for carrying on the operations of the mine. The annual yield of quicksilver is from 15,000 to 25,000 quintals, though the proportion of mercury to the ore is only about 10 per cent. ; and the mines are apparently inexhaustible. There is a smaller mine near the principal one, and another, called Alinadenejos, or Little Almaden, about five miles distant. The number of hands em- ployed is about 4,000. They work day and night during the winter, and in summer the mines are closed, the heat then rendering the mercurial exhalations too dangerous. The mi- ners suffer a great deal from salivation and par- alytic affections, but the summer's rest generally restores their health. The government derives an annual profit of about $1,250,000 from the mines. A practical mining school has been es- tablished in the town. ALMAGEST (Arab. aZ, the, and Gr. fieylar^ greatest), a name given by the Arabians to Ptolemy's compend (abvral-ig) of astronomy, written at Alexandria in the 2d century, trans- lated from Greek into Arabic in the 9th, and translated from Arabic into Latin in the 13th. A better Latin translation from the original Greek was published at Basel in 1541. The Greek text with a French translation was pub- lished at Paris in 4 vols. (1813-'28). ALMAGRO, a city of Spain, in the province and 12 m. E. S. E. of Ciudad Real; pop. about 11,000. It is celebrated for its laces, in the manufacture of which thousands of women are engaged in the town and its vicinity. Al- magro was founded in 1214 by Archbishop Roderic of Toledo. ALMAGRO, Diego de. I. One of the associates of Pizarro in the conquest of Peru, born of un-