ALMA, iil'in;i. A livpr in the Crimea, rising on llic northern woody slope of the Yile, south of the Tcliatir-Dajjh. It flows at first in a north- erly direction, then turns to the west, and emp- ties into a small bay on the Black Sea, about 20 miles north of Sebastopol. It is about 4(! miles long. The vale of the Alma is renowned for the beauty of its scenery and its many mag- nificent fruit gardens. On the steep banks of this stream, through the channel of which the British troops waded amidst a shower of bullets, a Inilliaht victory was won on September 20. lS.j4, by the armies of Britain, France, and Turkey, under Loid Raglan and itarshal St. Ar- nand. over the Russian army, conunanded by Prince Mentchikoft'. After five hours of stubborn fighting, the Russians were forced to retreat in disorder upon Sebastopol, 17 per cent, of the Russians ( numbering 3.3,000, against (i2,000 of the allies) having been killed and wounded. The Turks took no active part in the battle.
AL'MA. A city and county seat of Wa-
baunsee Co., Kan,, 35 miles west of Topeka, on
Mill Creek, and on the Atchison. Topeka and
Santa Fe and the Chicago. Roi'k Island and
Pacific railroads (Jlap: Kansas, F 2). It is
the centre of an agricultural and stock-raising
district, and has good water power and a large
flouring mill. Pop., ISOO, 112.3; 1900, 966,
ALMA. A village in Oratiot Co., Mich., 36
miles west of Saginaw, on Pine River, and on the
Ann Arbor and Pere Marcjuette railroads (Map:
Michigan, J .5). The most important manufac-
tures are beet sugar, flour, and products of lum-
ber. Alma owns and operates its water works
and is lighted by electricity. It is the seat of
Alma College (Presbyterian), founded 18S7, and
of the Alma Sanitarium, an institution which
has more than local reputation. Alma was
settled in 1853, incorporated in 1872, and is
governed under a State law of 1883. The mayor
is elected annually, and the council is com-
posed of six memtJcrs. Pop,, 1880, 456; 1890,
1655: inOO, 2047.
ALMA. A city and county seat of Buffalo
Co., Wis,, 25 miles northwest of Winona, Minn.,
on the Mississippi River and on the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Railroad (Map: Wiscon-
sin. B 4). It is in an agricultural region, is
connected by steamboat with ports on the river,
and has some manufactures. Pop., 1890, 1428;
1900, 1201.
ALMA. In Spenser's Faerie Queene, the per- sonification of the human soul, the queen of "I'.oily Castle."
ALMA. A pseudonym of Charlotte Yonge, the novelist.
ALMACK'S, al'maks. A suite of assembly rooms in King Street. Loudon, built in 1765. They took their name from that of their builder, or, rather, that assumed by him. It is said he was originally a poor Scottish Highlander named McCall, and that as a preparatory step to rising ^nto importance in London, he inverted the syllables of his patronymic. The name of Almack's is chiefly associated with the balls which were held there for many years under the management of a committee of ladies of high rank. The glory of Almack's belongs to a period earlier than the middle of the nineteenth century, but the name has become synonymous with aris- tocratic exclusiveness. The London club now known as Brooks's, formerly Almack's, was started by Almack in Pall ilall some time before 1763. Consult: Timbs, Clubs anil Club Life in London (London, 1873) ; Walford, Greater Lon- don (London, 1883-84).
ALMADA, I'llniii'di. A seajjort town of Por- tugal, in the province of Estremadura, on the south bank of the Tagus, opposite Lisbon, and distant from it less than two miles (Map: Por- tugal. A 3). It is picturesquely built at the foot of a height, on the summit of which is a strong castle. It is a great wine depot, and has long been celebrated for its figs. Near it is the gold mine of Adissa. Pop., about 7000.
ALMADEN, or ALMADEN DEL AZOGUE, al'ma-Dan' del a-thd'gA (Ar., mine of quicksilver). A town in Spain, 5U miles southwest of Ciudad Real, situated between two mountains in the chain of the Sierra Morena (Map: Spain, C 3). It is famous for its exceedingly rich quick- silver mines. It is a pretty, bustling town, with a ruined Jloorish castle and a sehoolof mines. It owes all its importance to the quicksilver depos- its, which belong to the Spanish government. In the sixteenth century they were leased to the Fuggers of Augsburg. In 1645 they reverted to the crown. During part of the nineteenth century they were worked by the Rothschilds of London. They consist of five stages or galleries, the lowest being 1150 feet beneath the surface. The mercury is found in many combinations, but about 10,000 tons of ore are annually raised, 10 per cent, of which is pure metal. Employment is given to 4000 miners. Pop., 1000, 74.59.
ALMADEN, iil'ma-den'. A township in Santa Clara Co., Cal. Population, 1890, 1932; 1900, 1599 (Map: California, C 3). It is noted for rich deposits of quicksilver, which were discov- ered at an early d:ite by the Indians, who used the crude cinnabar for paint. The mines began to be worked before 1850, and for several years ranked first among American mines in the amount of production. The greatest amount, 47,194 flasks, was obtained in 1865; since that date there has been a decline.
ALMAGEST, al'raa-jest. The greatest work of Claudius Ptolemseus (see Ptoleiiy) bore the title Meyu.?.?i ^vvra^t^, Megale Syntaxis (great system). The admirers of Ptolemy changed fieyMri, megale, gi-eat, to neyiari], meg'iste, gi-eat- est, and the Arabian translators added the Arabic article al. producing al-majisti, whence «as derived the common media'val title almagest. The work contains Ptolemy's important contriliu- tions to trigonometry and mathematical astron- omy.
ALMAGRO, al-mii'gro. A town of New Castile, Spain, in the province of Ciudad Real, 12 miles east-southeast of Ciudad Real (Map: Spain, D 3). It is situated in a high, arid plain, but is very well built, with wide paved streets and a fine square. Brandy, soap, and earthenware are manufactured, and lace-making gives employment to a large number of women in Almagro and the neighboring villages. The surrounding country is celebrated for its beautiful vineyards and olives. The vine of this region yields the well-known red wine Valdepenas. Pop., inoO, 8015.
ALMAGRO, DiEoo DE (1475-1538). A Spanish adventurer, said to have been a foundling in the Spanish town whose name he bore. He came
