treason or murder by 54 Geo. III., chap. 145; and by 33 and 34 Vict., chap. 23, attainder and corruption of blood were abolished, while forfeiture and escheat were limited to judgment of outlawry.
The Constitution of the United States provides that "The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason; but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or for- feiture, except during the life of tlie person at- tainted" (Art. III, See. 3). Similar provisions are embodied in some of the State constitutions. In other States, not only the corruption of blood, but all forfeitures of property consequent upon criminal judgments against the owners, are abol- ished. The United States Supreme Court has declared that the constitutional provision quoted above was introduced for the benefit of the chil- dren and heirs alone. It was a declaration that the children should not bear the iniquity of the fathers. Accordingly, if a traitor's property is confiscated by the United States, no interest is left in him that he can convey by deed, and his heirs take the inheritance at his death. Attain- der consequent upon legislative enactments will be considered under Bill of Attainder. Consult: Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England; Stephen, New Commentaries on the Laws of England (13th edition, London, 1899); and the authorities referred to under the titles Criminal Law; Forfeiture; and Constitutional Law.
ATTAINDER, Bill of. See Bill of Attainder.
ATTAINT', Writ of (for derivation, see Attainder). A proceeding in the nature of an appeal from a judgment entered upon the verdict of a jury. Under this writ, a jury of twenty-four was summoned to determine whether the first jury gave a false verdict. After the right of jurors to return a verdict according to their own consciences was established by Bushell's Code in 1670, and motions for new trials came into use, this proceeding was seldom resorted to. In 1717 Lord Mansfield said: "The writ of attaint is now a mere sound in every case." It was abolished in 1825 by 6 Geo. IV., chap. 50, sec. 60, except as to jurors guilty of embracery (q.v.). Consult Blackstone. Commentaries on the Laws of England (Oxford. 1765-68).
AT'TALE'A (named from the gorgeousness of its growth; see Attalus III.). A genus of palms, comprising about 20 species, natives of the tropical parts of South America. They have in general lofty cylindrical smooth stems, but there are some stemless species. The leaves are large and pinnate. The fruit has a dry fibrous husk, inclosing a nut with three cells and three seeds. The leaves of some species are much used for thatching, and are woven into hats, mats, etc. The nuts of Attalea excelsa and of Attalea speciosa are burned to dry the india-rubber obtained from the Siphonia elastica, which acquires its black color from their smoke. The leaf-stalks of Attalea funifera, which is found in the southern maritime provinces of Brazil, and there called Piassaba, yield a fibre much used for cordage. The ropes made of it are very strong, and extremely durable in salt water. The Piassaba palm of the northern parts of Brazil, however, is totally different, and much of the Piassaba fibre imported into Great Britain is obtained from it. The fruit of Attalea funifera, known by the name of Coquilla-nut, is as large as an ostrich's egg, and supplies a kind of vegetable ivory, used for making umbrella handles, etc. The fruit of Attalea compta, the pindóva or indajá palm, is of the size of a goose's egg, and the kernels are eatable. It is a stately and beautiful tree, with a wide-spreading crown. Attalea cohune is a native of Honduras, where the oil of its fruits is used for soap-making and is exported for the same purpose.
AT'TALI'A (Gk. 'ATTaela, Attaleia). A city
of ancient Paniphylia, on the south coast of Asia Minor, now called Adalia, at the head of the Gulf of Adalia. It was founded by Attalus II., King of Pergamon (B.C. 159-38). In Roman times it was an important seaport, being situated on the great trade and military route connecting the northwestern districts of Asia Minor with its southern coast. The Apostle Paul sailed from Attalia to Antioch, of Syria, on his return from his first missionary journey (Acts xiv. 25). Unlike many of its neighbors, Attalia has maintained its relative importance to the present time.
AT'TALUS (Gk. Ἄτταλος, Attalos). Uncle of Cleopatra, the wife of Philip II. of Macedon, and general under Philip. At Philip's wedding he insulted Alexander, the son of Olympias, and thereby helped bring about a separation between father and son. After the death of Philip, he undertook to oppose Alexander, but was finally dispatched by the latter's order.
ATTALUS I., called Soter (B.C. 269-197). King of Pergamon from B.C. 241 to 197. Just before he became king, or in the first year of his reign, he gained a decisive victory over the Galatians, and by B.C. 226 he had made himself master of the whole of Asia Minor west of Mount Taurus. He soon, however, lost most of his conquests. Later he became an ally of Rome against Philip V. of Macedon. Attalus was a wise and just ruler and a friend of the arts and sciences.
ATTALUS II., surnamed Philadelphus (B.C. 220-138). King of Pergamon. Before coming to the throne he gained distinction as a brave and able military leader, and was on several occasions sent as ambassador to Rome. He succeeded his brother Eumenes, B.C. 159. He founded Philadelphia, in Lydia. and Attalia, in Pamphylia, and was a generous patron of the arts.
ATTALUS III., called Philometor (B.C. 171-33). The son of Attalus II. and Stratonice, wife of Eumenes II. He was adopted while still a boy by Eumenes. He became King of Pergamum in B.C. 138. As a king he is known to us chiefly for the extravagance of his conduct and the murder of his friends and relatives. On the other hand, he is represented as a dilettante in literature and art. He was sunstruck while supervising the erection of a monument to his mother, and died of fever. His will made the Roman people his heirs, whence his name became proverbial for munificence and splendor.
ATTALUS, Flavius Priscus. A personage who for one year (409-10) was Emperor of the West. He was the first to be raised to that office solely through barbarian influence, being proclaimed by Alaric and his Gothic army after the second surrender of Rome, when Honorius was
