A L C
A L C
Albumina are ufed for bums % and in fome mixtures with bole armeniac, &c. for confolidating frefh wounds, and under bandages, and comprefles to prevent the luxation of bones after reduction b . A late writer recommends them as a fecret in the jaundice c . — ['JnncL Confp. Therap. Tab. 13- P' 379- " £&'!>"• Difpenf. r. 2. Sec. 12. p. 204. c Ephem. Germ. dec. 3. Am 2. Obf. 35. p-43-] Befides medical, the whites of eggs have alfo their chemical ufes, e. gr. for the clarifying of liquors ; to which purpofe, being mixed, and incorporated with the liquors to be clarified, and the whole afterwards boiled, the whites of eggs are by this means brought together, and hardened, and thus carry off the grofs parts of the liquor along with them. ALBURN, (Cycl.) the Englilh name of a colour partaking of red and white.
Skinner derives the word in this fenfe, from the Latin Albus, . and the Italian Burno, from Bruno, brown. Skin. Etyin. Angl. in voc. ALBURNUM, in phytology, the exterior part of the wood of a tree, next the bark. Pfra.Hift. Nat. 1. 16. c. 38. DoBon. Hilt. Stirp. Pempt. x> 1. 1. c. I. Cajl. Lex. Med. p. 29. See the article Bark.
The word Is formed from Albus^ white, on account of its co- lour.
The Alburnum is the fofteft, frefheft part of the wood, an- fwering to what fome call Blea. Pliny compares it to the fat in men. ALBURNUS, in zoology, the name of afrelh water fifh, com- monly known in Englilh by the name of the bleak. It is a fmall filh, commonly of the length of ones finger, and never exceeding five or fix inches. Its body is fomewhat comprefled and broad, and its head very fmall. It is covered with very fmall fcales of a fine filvery white, which readily fall off; its back however is a little greenilh. It is com- mon in our rivers, and in thofe of Germany and elfewhere, and is efteemed a well tailed fifh. It is moft in feafon in Sep- tember. Gefner, de Aquat. p. 93. Alburnus Lacujlris, in ichthyology, a name given by the writers who have copied Gefner's errors, to the Ballerus of the antients, or the Pallerus, or Plevjla of the moderns. It is a fpecies of the fame genus with the Alburnus, but has no right to be named from it, being of a very difFerent figure, more refembling the bream than the Alburnus, tho' neither very greatly. It is called by Artedi the Cyprlnus of a very broad and thin fhape, with forty rays in the Pinna Ant. Mr. Ray thinks the Alburnus Lacujlris, to be the fame with the common Carajfius. V. Ray's Ichth. p. 249. ALBUS Pifcis, the white fill], in ichthyology, a name by which Salvian has called the filh more ufually called the Capita La- ■ cujiris ; and feeming the fame with the blue chub, or as it is more frequently called, the jentling. Willughby, Hilt. Pifc. p. 257. See Jentling.
This filh is a fpecies of the eyprinus, called by the Italians Alba. See Cyprinus. ALCAID, (Cycl.) in matters of policy, an officer ofjuftice among the Moors, Spaniards and Portuguefe. The word is alfo written Alcade, Alcalde and Alcayd. Some- times alfo Alvacich.
It is originally Arabic, compounded of the particle Al, and the verb Kad, or Akad, to rule, govern, adminifter. The emperor of Morocco's court confifts chiefly of feven or eight Alcaids, his devoted Haves.
In fome places the Alcaids are little elfe than the emperor's tax-gatherers. Jour. desScav. T. 22.p. 641, and 645. Bibl. Angl. T.i 3. p. 145.
Alcaid, among the Spaniards, effr. is a kind of inferior judge, or minifter of juftice, who takes cognizance of caufes in the firft inftance.
The Spanifh Alcaid anfwers in good meafure to the French prevoft, and the Englilh juftice of peace. V. Cbcvign. Scienc. de Perf. de Cour. T. 3. p. 180.
They had alfo their Alcaid of the whores, who took cogniz- ance of cafes of whoredom, and adultery. This officer was otherwife called Alcaid of honour. Du Cange, Gloff. Lat. in voc. ALCANNA, or Alcana, (Cycl;) a dying drug, brought from Egypt and the Levant, being the leaves of a plant, called by botanifts Ligujlrum ALgyptiacum, or the Egyptian privet. — The Egyptians call it Elle hanne.
The colour drawn from thefe leaves is either red or yellow, according to the manner of the preparation ; yellow when fteeped in common water, and red when infuied in vinegar, or allum- water.
The people of Cairo, make a confiderable traffic of thefe leaves ; which they reduce to a powder called Archenda, much ufed by the women to dye their nailes, and hair of a golden yellow hue a . — From the berries of Alcanna an oil is ex- tracted, of a very agreeable fmell, and fome ufe in phyfic, as a calmer, called oil of Cyprus, a name which is fometimes alfo given to the plant b — [< Trev. ~Di&. Univ. T. 1. p. 262. b Savar. Dict.Comm. T. 1. p. 65.] Alcanna is alfo a denomination given by fome to ifinglafs, or Icthyocolla. Savar. Dicf . Conlm. T. 1. p. 65. SeelCTHYO- I
COILA,
ALCANTARA (Cycl.) — The Spanifh antiquaries vary much in their accounts of this order. The Jefht Mendo fixes its origin in 1156, Barbofa in 1 176. The chronicles of the or- der relate, that Ferdinand king of Leon took it under his protection in 1176 ; that pope Alexander III. confirmed it the year following ; that Lucius III, in 1 184, gave it the order of St. Benedict ; and that Nugnez Ferdinand, in 1 21 8, gave it the city Alcantara, from whence it took the name. Carro de Forres, and Franc, de Bades affirm, that it was at firft called the order of St. Julian del Pereyro, from the name of the city where it was founded ; but that the precife year of its inftitution is not known. Trev. Di&. T. 1. p. 262. The knights of Alcantara make the fame vows as thofe of Calatrava, and are only diftinguilhed from them by this, that the crofs fleurdelifce which they bear over a large white cloak, is of a green colour : they poffefs thirty feven cornmendaries. By the terms of the furrender of Alcantara to this order, it was ftipulated, that there fhould be a confraternity between the two orders, with the fame pradices and obfervances in both ; and that the order of Alcantara, fhould be fubjecf. to be vifited by the grand mafter of Calatrava. But the former foon got free from this engagement, on pretence that their grand mafter had not been called to the eleflion of that of Calatrava, as had been likewife ftipulated in the articles. The hiftory of this order is chiefly taken up in expedi- tions againft the Moors, and broils with their neighbours. V. Helyct. Hift. des Ord. Monaft. T. 6. Mem. de Trev. an. 1720. p. 150. feq. See Calatrava, Cycl.
ALCE, the elk, in zoology. See Elk.
ALCEA, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the charac- ters of which are the fame with thofe of the mallow, but that this has always deeply divided leaves. SccMalva. The fpecies of Aliea, enumerated by Tournefort, are thefe.
1. The common larger vervain mallow with red flower's,
2. The common larger Alcea with whitifh flowers. 3. The common Alcea with hairy coverings to the feeds. 4 The rounder leaved jagged Alcea. 5. The cinquefoii, or hemn- leaved Alcea. 6. The larger tall Alcea. 7. The hairy Alcea. 8. The white flowered hairy Alcea. 9. The little Sicilian Alcea with fmall flowers. 1 0. The flender curled leaved Alcea. 11. The fmall procumbent fea Alcea, with leaves like the ge- ranium, 12. The great fig-leaved garden rofe Alcea.
13. The white flowered great fig-leaved garden rofe Alcea.
14. The yellow flowered great fig-leaved garden rofe Alcea.
15. The violet flowered great fig-leaved garden rofe Alcea. 16; The purple flowered great fig-leaved garden rofe Alcea.
17. The pale red flowered great Sg-leavcd garden rofe Alcea.
18. The black flowered great fig-leaved garden rofe Alcea.
19. The great fig-leaved garden rofe Alcea, with black rouilv flowers. The eight laft are ufually ranked among the holly- oaksj or rote-mallows. 20. The very hairy American Alcea. Taurnef. Inft. p. 98.
The word Alcea, <.Juis«; is Greek, ftrmed of ato, auxilium, help.
The Alcea is a medicinal herb : the officinal kind of it is called Alceavulgaris majer; by fome, bcrba Simeenis, canabis fyhej/ris, herba hungarica,ttAmalvawbena, in Englifh, vervain mallow. Its virtues are much the fame with thofe of the mallow, only a degree weaker than either of them. It is ufed as an emolli- ent. Diofcoridcs mentions the root drank with wine, or wa- ter, as a remedy againft dyfenteries and ruptures Lemery Trait, des Drog. p. 22. Burggr. Lex. Med. T. 1. p 4.00. feq. See Malva.
Alcea Veficaria, the Bladder- Alcea, in botany, the name of a fpecies of Ketmia. See the article Ketmia.
ALCEDO Vacalis, in zoology, a name by which Bellonius, Al- drovandus, and fome others, have called the reed fparrow. Al- dravand. 1. 20. c. 62. See the article Jun Co.
ALCHEMIST, a perfon who praflifes or profeffes Alchemy. The word is alfo written Akhymijl fometimes Alchimili or even Archimijl.
Alchemifts are otherwife called iroinroi, Poeta,, q. d. Ma- kers, and jce"™*"w«'>go!dmakers; fometimes /frj$«, popularly foufleurs, or blowers, adepts, goldmakers, goldfiuders. Nouv Rep. Lett. T. 35. p. 554.
The office of Alchemijls, as affigned by fome authors, is of great extent : to them it belongs to explain the principles, the properties, and qualities of all metals, and the fevcral alter- ations thefe are capable of; to teach the manner of converting impure and grofs metals into gold and filver ; to <*ive even to precious ftones the degree of perfection they want ; to preferve the human body in perfect vigour, and cure the moft danger- ous and defperate defeafes incident thereto. Nouv Ren Lett. T. n. p. 1 178. '
Adam, Enoch, Noah, Cham, Mofes, John the Evan^elift and other Patriarchs, and Apoftles, are ranked in the number of Alchemijls.
There is an ipocryphal book ftill extant afcribed to Miriam, fifter of Mofes, on the praftice of the philofopher's ftone The fages make that prophetefs a moft expeditious operatrix • it is faid fhe could finifh the whole affair in three days, nay in three hours, according to the verfe, Maria lux raris lham ligat tribus haris. Schmid. Pfudo Vetus Teftam. ap Nov Liter. Germ, 1708. p. 362. feq.
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