ERIC on the river Gera, formerly a fortress with two citadels, now given up as such. It has a fine cathedral dating from the 13th century and several handsome Gothic churches. The university, founded in 1378 and suppressed in 1816, was long an important institution. There are still a Royal Academy of Science and a Royal Library with 60,000 volumes The monastery (now an orphanage) was the residence of Luther from 1501 to 1508. Prior to the World War the indus- tries were varied, including clothing, ma- chinery, leather, shoes, ironmongery, chemicals, etc. The horticulture of the environs enjoyed a high reputation, plants and seed being produced in great quantities. Pop. in 1919, 129,646. ERIC, the name of several Danish and Swedish kings. ERIC VIL, King of Denmark; born in 1382, the son of Duke Wratislaw of Pomerania, was selected as her successor by Queen Margai-et of Den- mark, and in 1412 mounted the throne of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, united by the treaty of Calmar. Cruel and cowardly in character, he lost Sweden in 1437 through a revolt of the peasants of Dalecarlia, and in 1439 was deposed also in Denmark. He died in Rugenwald in 1459. Eric IX., the Saint, became King of Sweden in 1155, did much to extend Christianity in his dominions, and to improve the laws, and fell in battle with the Danes in 1160. Eric XIV., the last of the name who reigned in Sweden, suc- ceeded in 1560 to the throne of his father, the great Gustavus Vasa, and at once began to exhibit the folly that disgraced his reign. His flighty matrimonial schemes reached even Elizabeth of Eng- land, till at length (1567) his roving fancy found rest in the love of a Swedish peasant-girl, who acquired an influence over him which was ascribed by the superstitious to witchcraft. His capri- cious cruelties and the disastrous wars alienated his subjects, who threw off their allegiance in 1568, and elected his brother John to the throne. In 1577 he ended his miserable life by a cup of poison. His story has been worked into dramatic form by Swedish poets; in Ger- man by Kruse in his tragedy, "King Erich" (1871). ERICA (-rlTca), the heath, a large genus of branched rigid shrubs, type of the natural order Ericacese, most of which are natives of south Africa, a few being found in Europe and Asia. The leaves are narrow and rigid, the flowers are globose or tubular, and four-lobed. Five species are found in Great Britain. ERICSSON. JOHN, an American in- ventor; born in Langbanshyttan. Sweden, 40 ERIE July 31, 1803; entered the Swedish army in 1820; was promoted captain; resigned in 1827. He soon became known as an inventor. In 1828 he made the first appli- cation to navigation of the principle of condensing steam and returning the water to the boiler; later he brought out a self-acting gun-lock by means of which naval cannon could be automatically dis- charged at any elevation without regard to the rolling of the ship. In 1833 he de- signed a caloric engine; and in 1836 in- vented the screw propeller, which revolu- tionized navigation. Ericsson came to the United States in 1839 and two years later built the screw-propelling warship "Princeton" for the government. This vessel was the pioneer of modern naval construction and the foundation of the steam marine of the world. The achieve- ment, however, which made him famous in the United States was the construction in 1861 of the ironclad "Monitor," which arrived in Hampton Roads just in time to defeat, on March 9, 1862, the Confed- erate ironclad "Merrimac." A fleet of monitors was soon built and did impor- tant service during the remainder of the war. Ericsson died in New York City, March 8, 1889. After his remains had been paid marked honor, they were sent back to Sweden on the new cruiser "Baltimore," and interred with imposing ceremonies. ERIDANUS (e-rid'a-nus) , in Greek legend, the name of the river Po. In astronomy, one of the 15 ancient S. con- stellations. It winds like a river through the sky from the star of the first mag- nitude, Achernes, in the constellation Phoenix, past the feet of Cetus, to the star Rigel in Orion. ERIE, city, port of entry, and county- seat of Erie co., Pa., on Lake Erie, and on the Lake Shore, the Pennsylvania, the Erie, and several other railroads; 85 miles S. W. of Buffalo; 100 miles N. E. of Cleveland. Erie is on a bluff, having a grand view of the lake, is laid out with broad streets at right angles with each other, and has several large and attractive parks. It is lighted with gas and electricity, and has a bountiful supply of water from the lake. The peculiarly advantageous location of Erie has given it high rank as a ship- ping and manufacturing point. It has the largest land-locked harbor on Lake Erie. The harbor has been greatly im- proved. Presque Isle, lying directly in front of the city, furnishes means of ample protection; three lighthouses stand at the entrance to the harbor, and substantial wharves, where merchandise is transferred directly from vessels to cars, extend along the entire front. The
