50 K E R K E R
century this insect formed an ingredient in the "confectio alkermes," a well known medicine, at one time official in the London pharmacopœia as an astringent and corroborant in doses of 20 to 60 grains or more. Syrup of kermes was also prepared. Both these preparations have now fallen into disuse, the latter being replaced by the syrup of cochineal.
To dye spun worsted with kermes, the material is first boiled for half an hour with bran in water, and then for two hours in a fresh bath containing one-fifth of Roman alum and one-fifth of tartar, to which "sour water" is commonly added. It is then taken out and laid in a linen bag for some days in a cool place. In order to obtain a full colour it is then put in a warm bath as at the first boiling, the bath containing as much kermes as is equal to three-fourths or even the whole weight of the worsted used. For cloth one-fourth less of the salt and kermes was required. The colour imparted by kermes has much less bloom than the scarlet made with cochineal, hence the former has fallen into disuse.
Mineral kermes is an amorphous tersulphide of antimony, prepared by a variety of processes, and containing a variable proportion of teroxide of antimony and sometimes a little alkaline antimonite. The oldest method consists in boiling the finely powdered sulphide with a solution of an alkaline carbonate and leaving the hot filtered solution to cool, the kermes being deposited on cooling. In another method dilute nitric acid was added to the alkaline solution to precipitate the kermes mineral. Mineral kermes is a brown red powder becoming blackish-grey when washed with boiling water. By fusion and slow cooling it is converted into a clay-like mass devoid of crystalline structure, in which it differs essentially from the pure amorphous sulphide.
See G. Planchon, Le Kermes du Chêne, Montpellier, 1864; Watts's Dictionary of Chemistry, i. p. 330-33, iii. p. 446; Gmelin, Handbook of Chemistry, iv. p. 340-49; Lewis, Materia Medica, 1784, pp. 71, 365; Memorias sobre la grana Kermes de España, Madrid, 1788; Adams, Paulus Ægincta, iii. 180 ; Beckmann, History of Inventions.
KERNER, Justinus Andreas (1786-1862), a German
poet and medical writer, was born in Ludwigsburg, Wür-
temberg, on the 18th of September 1786. He received
his early education in the Latin school of Ludwigsburg and
in the cloister school of Maulbronn. After the death of his
father, who was an upper bailiff and government councillor
in Ludwigsburg, Kerner was obliged to accept a position
in a cloth manufactory; but in 1804, aided by Pastor
Conz, who had some reputation as a poet, he was able to
enter the university of Tübingen, where he studied medicine.
At Tübingen he made the acquaintance of Uhland, who was about his own age; and the two young men encouraged each other in their first efforts in poetry. Having completed his studies in 1809, Kerner spent some time in travel. In 1815 he received a medical appointment in Gaildorf, and in 1819 was transferred to Weinsberg, where he spent the rest of his life. Weinsberg is a pretty little town in Würtemberg, and was formerly a free imperial city. Here the emperor Conrad III. is said to have besieged the castle of Count Welf; and, according to the well-known legend, the women, having obtained permission to retire with their most valuable possessions, stumbled out, each with her husband on her back. Kerner built a house under the shadow of the castle ("Weibertreue"); and through his exertions measures were taken for the preservation of the ruins and the laying out of the surrounding grounds in public gardens. He also occupied himself with the history of the town, and published a work in two volumes describing The Storming of Weinsberg in 1525. He was troubled with an affection of the eyes, and becoming almost blind he resigned his office and medical practice in 1851. He died on the 21st of February 1862. Kerner takes rank as one of the best of the Swabian school of poets, who had in some respects a close affinity to the Romantic school, but aimed at greater simplicity and clearness.
He attracted attention by his Reiseschatten von dem Schattenspieler Lux (1811), and co-operated with Uhland, Schwab, and other writers in producing the Poetischer Almanach (1812) and the Deutscher Dichterwald (1813). In 1826 he issued a collection of his poems, to which he added many new lyrics in subsequent editions. He also published two other volumes of poetry, Der letzte Blütenstrauss (1852) and Winterblüten (1859). His lyrics are remarkable for the intermingling of quaint humour and delicate pathos, while in his ballads, which are written with great spirit and in a thoroughly popular tone, he prefers to represent such scenes of horror and mystery as the romantic school delighted in. He devoted much study to abnormal conditions of the brain, and wrote several popular works on animal magnetism and kindred subjects. Of more importance than these labours were his investigations on the influence of sebacic acid on animal organisms, and his work Das Wildbad im Königreich Würtemberg. In his Bilderbuch aus meiner Knabenzeit he gave a vivid and interesting description of the circumstances of his youth. See K. Mayer in the Album Schäbischer Dichter, and D. Strauss, Kleine Schriften.
KERRY, a maritime county of Ireland, in the province
of Munster, between 51 41 and 52 23 N. lat., and
between 9 7 and 10 30 W. long., bounded on the W.
by the Atlantic Ocean, 1ST. by the estuary of the Shannon,
which separates it from Clare, E. by Limerick and Cork,
and S.E. by Cork. Its greatest length from north to south
is 60 miles, and its greatest breadth from east to west 58
miles. The area comprises 1,159,358 acres, or 1811
square miles.
Geology. – Kerry, with its combination of mountain, sea, and plain, possesses some of the finest scenery of the British Islands. The portion of the county south of Dingle Bay consists of mountain masses intersected by valleys formed by narrow bands of carboniferous rocks. These masses are composed chiefly of red and green sandstones, grits, and slates, with beds of conglomerate in which are some times found pebbles of bright red jasper. The formation is almost entirely unfossiliferous, but on the Geological Survey maps it is marked as Old Red Sandstone. At one time the mountains were covered by a great forest of fir, birch, and yew, which was nearly all cut down to be made use of in smelting iron, and the constant pasturage of cattle prevents the growth of young trees. In the north-east, towards Killarney, the formation rises abruptly from the Carboniferous Limestone rocks into the rugged range of Macgillicuddy's Reeks, the highest summit of which, Carntual, has a height of 3414 feet. The next highest summit to Carntual is Caper, 3200 feet, and several others are over 2500 feet. Lying between the precipitous sides of the Tomies, the Purple Mountains, and the Reeks is the famous gap of Dunloc. A small portion of country at the south-west of the Dingle promontory is occupied by Upper Silurian strata, which in the middle of the promontory are covered by vast strata of grits, slates, and sandstones known as the Dingle beds, but of unknown age. This formation attains at Brandon Hill a height of 3127 feet. Resting unconformably on these beds are the Old Red Sandstone strata which occupy the remainder of the promontory and also a small tract of country at Kerry Head. The remainder of Kerry is occupied by the Coal-measures which are separated from the mountain masses of Old Red Sandstone by a narrow and irregular band of Carboniferous Limestone or Carboniferous Slate, which abounds in fossils. The Coal-measures, which rest conformably on the Carboniferous Limestone, form a succession of undulating hills rising sometimes to a height of over 1000 feet. All the three measures of coal are represented, but the seams of coal are very thin, and the workable portions are outside the limits of the county. In the upper part of the Kenmare valley
