ALMANACS-ALMODOVAR DEL CAMPO ALMANACS, AMERICAN. In 1637 there was issued from the press of William Bradford, Philadelphia, what is believed to have been the first general almanac published in the United States. From 1726 to 1775 was issued an almanac from Dedhamn, Massachusetts, commenced in the former year by Nathaniel Ames (q.v., in these Supplements), which was conspicuous for its astronomical calculations. In 1732 Benjamin Franklin began his famous Poor Richard's Almanac, which, on account of its thrifty philosophy, achieved widespread fame. It was continued for twenty-five years. The next almanac of importance was The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, commenced in 1828, and issued from Boston. It survived until 1861. It was revived as The National Almanac, with issues in 1863-64. In 1849 was commenced, by Lieutenant (afterward Rear-Admiral) Charles Henry Davis, of the navy, The American Ephermis and Nautical Almanac, which became the official authority in navigation. The first volume, computed for the year 1855, was published in 1853. In 1878, A. R. Spofford, librarian of Congress, commenced the issue of his American Almanac and Treasury of Facts, Statistical, Financial and Political. This compilation was continued for ten years. Many of the leading newspapers have published almanacs for a number of years. Those published by the New York journals cover a wide range and are excellent reference manuals. Of these the best known are The World Almanac, The New York Herald Almanac, and The Sun Almanac. The last is strong in its political statistics, while the first is of general utility as a year-book. These almanacs circulate all over the country. The ecclesiastical almanacs form an important class. They contain the statistics, each of its own denomination, with clerical lists and an account of educational and benevolent institutions. The sporting and dramatic interests are well served by yearly compilations of events and matters of statistical and other nature. The manufacturing industries have also followed in this line, publishing and circulating condensed almanacs, accompanied by special information relating to their products. The vendors of patent medicines have very largely adopted this means of advertising their remedies. So thoroughly have they developed this field that they issue these almanacs in all languages, making them in many instances household necessities. All these almanacs have calendars which are based upon the great Nautical for their astronomical data. For ageneral history of their origin and development, see ALMANACS, Vol. I, p. 590. ALMANDINE. See MINERALOGY, Vol. XVI, p. 411; also GARNET, Vol. X, p. 82. ALMANSUR OR ALMANZOR, four caliphs. See MANSUR, Vol. XV, p. 500. ALMA-TADEMA, LAWRENCE, an English artist, was born at Dronryp, in the Netherlands, Jan. 8, 1836, of a very ancient family. In 1852 he entered the Academy of Antwerp, and subsequently studied under Baron Henry Leys. Having settled permanently in England, he became a British subject in 1873. His works are distinguished for their careful composition, accuracy of design, and 137 the beauty and finish of their coloring. There is a preponderance among them of classical subjects. The following may be mentioned as a few of the works embodying the general characteristics of his art: Entrance to a Roman Theatre (1866); A Roman Amateur (1868); The Vintage (1870); The Mummy (1872); The Way to the Temple, for which he received the diploma of the Royal Academy (1883); A Reading from Homer (1885), exhibited at the World's Fair; The Roses of Heliogabalus (1888); A Dedication to Bacchus (1889), and At the Close of a Joyful Day. In 1876 Alma-Tadema exhibited a series of three pictures at the Grosvenor Gallery, entitled, respectively, Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting; and at the same gallery, in 1883, there was a special exhibition of his works. He was elected A.R.A. in 1876, and R.A. in 1879. In 1878 he was made an officer of the Legion of Honor, and he has also received the decorations of several continental orders of knighthood. His two daughters, by his first wife, have already distinguished themselves by their artistic productions. His second wife-a daughter of Dr. George Epps-has secured notice, also, as an artist, having exhibited works at the Royal Academy and other galleries. LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA, ALMEH OR ALMAH, the name given to a professional female singer of the higher class in Egypt. The awâlim sing by appointment before the guests of the rich, being paid for their services. They must be distinguished from the ghawazis, who are a common class of dancers. ALMEIDA, a seaport in the province of Espirito Santo, Brazil, founded in 1580 by the Jesuits. It is situated at the mouth of the Reis-Magos, 20 miles N. of Victoria. Population, 4,000. ALMEIDA-GARRETT, JOÃO BAPTISTA D', a Portuguese statesman and poet, born at Oporto, Feb. 14, 1799. He became minister of public instruction in 1820, holding the position until compelled to leave the country in 1823, on account of the political situation. Passing his exile in France, he there imbibed the ideas of the Romantic school, which led, on his return to his native country in 1832, to his making his remarkable collection of the folk-lore and ballads of Portugal. He was thus the founder of a national literature, pure and independent of foreign influence. Besides this collection, called Romanceiro (3 volumes), he published a Historical Sketch of Portuguese Literature; Adozinda, a romance in verse; and Camöens, an epic poem. He attempted to found a national drama, Auto de Gil-Vicente, the first of that class produced in Portugal (1838). After having been appointed minister to Belgium in 1834, and holding other offices at home, he was made a peer in 1852. He died in Lisbon, Dec. 9, 1854. ALMODÓVAR DEL CAMPO, a town of Ciudad Real, Spain, 22 miles S.W. of the city of that 138 ALMODOVAR-ALMSHOUSES | name. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in amygdalin. The volatile principle is not originally silver mining. Population, 10,362. present in the bitter almonds. It does not contain a trace of the oil already formed, so the oil is purely the product of the fermentation of amygdalin, 100 parts of which yield 47 of crude oil. Commercial oil of the bitter almond has a golden color, but can be purified until almost colorless. The crude oil is very poisonous, owing to the prussic hydrocyanic acid (chem. com. H C N) dissolved therein. ALMODOVAR, ILDEFONSO DIAZ DE RIBERA, COUNT, born at Granada, Spain, 1777; distinguished himself in the war against the French upon their invasion of Spain in 1808-14, for the purpose of establishing Joseph, the brother of the French emperor, on the Spanish throne. On the restoration of Ferdinand VII, Almodovar, being suspected of favoring the Liberal party, was confined in the dungeons of the Inquisition. Securing his freedom during the revolution incited by the Spanish Liberals in 1820, he retired to France in 1823, on the restoration of the Spanish king. On the death of Ferdinand VII | in 1833, the count returned to Spain, and became for a time minister of war, which office he relinquished in 1843. He died Jan. 26, 1846, at Valencia. ALMONTE, a town in Lanark County, northeastern Ontario, on the Mississippi River (a feeder of the Ottawa River), on the Canadian Pacific railroad, 35 miles S. W. of Ottawa. It has considerable woolen manufactures and an iron foundry. Population 1895, 3,072. ALMONTE, JUAN NEPOMUCENO, a Mexican statesman, born at Valladolid, Mexico, in 1804. He received his education in the United States, and returned to Mexico, obtaining a position on the staff of Santa Anna. He served in the Texan cam ALMONACID DE TOLEDO, a Spanish town in the province of Toledo, 13 miles S. E. of the city of that name, noted as the place where King Joseph (brother of Napoleon Bonaparte) defeated the Span-paign, and was made prisoner at the battle of San iards in 1809. Jacinto (1836). On regaining his liberty he was made secretary of state under Bustamente, the Mexican president, and quelled a rebellion in 1840. He was minister at Washington when the annexation of Texas was resolved upon. Demanding his passports, he returned home, and in 1845 was an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the Mexican republic. Later he became minister of war under Paredes, who appointed him minister to Paris, but he returned to Mexico before reaching his destination, on hearing of the restoration to power of Santa Anna. He took part in the war with the United States in 1847, and was present at the battles of Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo and Churubusco. He was again an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency, but was appointed minister at Paris, from which post he returned to Mexico with the French in 1862. The French commander, declaring Juarez deposed, appointed Almonte in his place, but the latter was unable to organize his government. Subsequently he was made one of the triumvirate to whom the French intrusted the management of the affairs of the country. Under Maximilian he was appointed lieutenant of the empire, and then marshal. On the fall of the emperor he retired to Paris, and died there, March 20, 1869. ALMOND, a name applied to the stone or kernel of the fruit of Prunus communis, a genus of Rosacea. The plant is closely related to the peach, and by some believed to be its ancestral form. The almond fruit has a hard and fibrous "flesh," which has become pulpy and luscious in the peach. The kernel of the stone is the edible part. The almond tree grows to the height of 20 or 30 feet, and is thought to be a native of the Mediterranean region and Western Asia, but has now become completely wild in the entire south of Europe. It appears to have been cultivated from a very early period, and is mentioned in the Old Testament. It was introduced into Britain before the middle of the sixteenth century as a fruit-tree, but it is only in the most favored situations of the south of England that it ever produces good fruit. In California it is being extensively and very successfully cultivated. The wood of the almond tree is of a reddish color, and hard, and is used by cabinet-makers, etc. Almonds are of numerous varieties, but they can all be grouped as sweet or bitter. The bitter appear to be the original kind, and the sweet a variety improved by cultivation. Large quantities of almonds are annually imported into Britain and America from France, Spain, Italy and the Levant. See ALMOND, Vol. I, p. 594. ALMONDS, OILS OF. A fixed greasy oil exudes when almonds are subjected to pressure. Either bitter or sweet almonds may be employed; the former are generally used, and are not so expensive as the sweet. One hundredweight of the almonds generally yields from 48 to 52 pounds of the fixed oil. It has a specific gravity of 918, and solidifies when reduced to 13° F. It has no odor. It is used as medicine, and possesses a mild laxative property when administered in large does. The cake which is left after the expression of fixed oil from the bitter almonds is valuable in the preparation of the essential oil. It contains, among other matters, a portion of two substances, called amygdalin and emulsion. When the cake is made into paste with water, the synaptase, as a ferment, acts upon the ALMSHOUSES, termed poorhouses in Scotland and workhouses in England. They are institutions for the benefit of the sick and poor. In London, almshouses were established in the reign of William and Mary, and in Ireland in 1838. Compulsory labor for all paupers able to work was introduced in 1600. In the United States, almshouses are maintained by municipal or tained by municipal or county authorities, and town farms are attached in several states. Blackwell's Island in New York, Tewksbury and Deer Island in Massachusetts, and Philadelphia County Almshouse in Pennsylvania are among the celebrated institutions of this character. The problem involved in the treatment of the pauper class is one of the most difficult among social studies. The system in force is one of the miserable contemplations of civilization. Whoever fail to be immediately committed as vagrants, or to be sent to the houses of ALMUCANTAR-ALOES-WOOD 139 ALMUCANTAR. See ALMACANTAR, in these Supplements. ALMY, JOHN J., American naval officer, born in Rhode Island, April 25, 1814. He entered the navy as midshipman, and rose through all the successive grades to be rear-admiral in 1873. He saw much active service, and commanded the gunboats South Carolina, Connecticut and Juniata. While commanding the seccnd-named he captured four blockade-runners with valuable cargoes, also destroying others. He was retired April 24, 1877, and died May 16, 1895. correction, find a ready asylum in the almshouses | 1,899 were illegitimate, 1,508 were said to have and learn to depend upon them, becoming chronic been abandoned by their parents, and 1,369 were refugees, whom nothing will seduce from such re- born in the institution. Of these children, 2,132 pose, or arouse to efforts of personal exertion for had their parents living, 2,666 had been surrentheir own support. Another deplorable phase of this dered to the institution, and 322 were foundlings. question is the treatment of idiots, epileptics and Of the causes of pauperism, 20,121 were classed as others afflicted similarly, constitutionally and incur- aged and infirm; 10,373 as being crippled; 4,094 ably. To these the doors of the almshouses have as drunkards, and 72,722 as having no other home. been open. The more this tendency can be Of the total number, 29,521 were able-bodied. And checked, the simpler would be the general problem. as to the state of health, 22,695 were in good health, The distribution of this class of chronics among 13,236 were sick, 16,440 were insane, 7,811 were special hospitals and homes should be more system- idiots, 880 were crippled, and 3,983 blind and deaf; atically undertaken. In such an environment as is the rest being classed as paralytics, epileptics, etc. to be found in an almshouse, no children should be The total number of insane patients in asylums was reared. The congregation of such miscellaneous 58,866. Of the total number, 20,684 had no occuclasses cannot fail to be prejudicial to the chil- pations, and 35,422 claimed residence in the states dren of misfortune who have to be reared therein. to which the institution belonged. Of the total The more effective localization or settlement of number, 73,007 were maintained at the public cost, the poor in places wherein they have become iden- 761 at the cost of the institution, and 311 at the tified is another of the chief means of dealing satis- expense of their friends. A comparison of the factorily with the problem. By this means proper figures shows that, among the larger cities, Philaidentification can be perfected, the tracing of wan- delphia maintained, in 1890, 2,965 paupers; Chiderers made easy, and imposture rendered impossi- cago (Cook County) had 2,070; New York County ble. Uniformity of treatment is an important ele- (Blackwell's Island, etc.), 1,834; and King's County ment of success, that should be secured as far as organi- (Brooklyn), 1,036. zation and co-operation can accomplish. While nearly every county has its poorhouse, the systems of different states, and even of the several counties of one state, are not uniform. The following particulars furnish some interesting information on points which have been dealt with statistically. The total number of paupers in the almshouses of the United States in 1890 was 73,045; of which number 40,741 were males and 32,304 were females. Of the total number, 6,467 were colored,-3,354 males and 3,113 females. In 1850 the total number of paupers was 50,353; but the ratio to the million of population was, in 1850, 2,171; while in 1890 the ratio was only 1,166 to the million. Of the total number, there were 4,529 whose parents (either one or both) were born abroad, and 10,608 whose parents (one or both) were unknown to them; 27,648 were foreign-born, and 2,274 did not know the country of their birth. The preponderating nationality represented is Irish, 16,246 fathers and 16,173 mothers of the total number having been born in Ireland. From Germany came 7,836 fathers and 7,793 mothers. Of 16,991 male foreignborn paupers, 8,094 were aliens, and 11,252 claimed to have resided ten years or more in the United States. As to the literacy of the total number, 66,590 could speak English, 27,085 were illiterate, and 40,441 could read and write. Of the 5,871 children under sixteen years of age, 4,058 were taught neither in the institution nor in the public schools. As to the marital relations of the total number, 39,278 were single, 11,571 were married, 18,421 were widowed and 711 divorced; the balance were not classified. Of the total number 2,555 were under 5 years of age, 1,783 were 5 and under 9, 1,289 were 10 and under 14, and 1,623 were 15 to 20. There were 68 inmates over 100 years of age, the oldest recorded age being 123, attained by a pauper in Georgia. Of 15,460 paupers, 9,828 had children; and of the 5,871 children under 16 years of age, ALMY, WILLIAM, American philanthropist, born in Providence, Rhode Island, Feb. 17, 1761. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and became able to indulge his charitable inclinations on his marriage with an heiress. Among his important charities was the establishment of the New England yearly boarding-house, where he educated 80 young persons at his own expense. He died Feb. 5, 1836. ALNWICK CASTLE. See ALNWICK, Vol. I, p. 596. ALOE, AMERICAN. See Agave, under ALOE, Vol. I, p. 597. ALOES, a drug which is the inspissated juice or extract of several species of the genus Aloë, one of the Liliacea, and a native of tropical regions; a stimulating and purgative drug of bitter taste, and much used in medicine, combined with other cathartics. The various kinds known in commerce are named from their geographical source (Socotrine aloes, Zanzibar aloes, Barbadoes aloes, Cape aloes, Natal aloes, etc.), and are mostly obtained from different species. ALOES-WOOD is the heart-wood of Aquilaria Agallocha, a tree of the family Thymeleaceae, native of the tropical parts of Asia, and supposed to be the lignaloes of the Bible. Aloes-wood contains a dark-colored, fragrant, resinous substance, much esteemed in the East as a medicine and for the 140 ALOFSEN-ALPINE CLUB pleasant odor it diffuses in burning, and especially | eastern Michigan, situated on the shore of Lake by the Chinese as an incense in their religious ceremonies. Named also Agallochum. ALOFSEN, SOLOMON, historian and bibliophile, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Nov. 22, 1808. He came to the United States in early manhood, in the diplomatic service. Liking the country, he resolved to make it his home, marrying an American lady, and became connected with the railroad business. He pursued the study of history and ethnology, and was an assiduous book-collector, especially of Americana, which became particularly rich in works relating to the Civil War. He died in Arnheim, Holland, Oct. 10, 1876. ALOGI, a religious sect that came into existence during the second century. The Alogians denied the doctrine that Jesus is the Logos, or divine "Word," and rejected the gospel of St. John and the Apocalypse. They also considered that the gift of miracle mentioned in the New Testament had ceased to be operative. ALOMPRA, a Burmese king. See BURMAH, Vol. IV, p. 556. ALOPECIA. 121. See SKIN DISEASES, Vol. XXII, p. ALORA, a town of Spain, in the center of the province of Malaga. It is 24 miles N.W. of Malaga, on the Guadalhorce. Oil-pressing and soap-| manufacturing are its chief industries. It contains the ruins of an ancient castle. Population, 10,014. ALOSA, a genus of fishes of the Clupeida or herring family. The name was originally given by Pennant to the allice-shad (A. communis). The genus contains two British species, the one just named, and the A. finta, or twaite shad; one American species, the A. scepidissima, or white shad; and one Chinese species, the A. reevesi. They are characterized by compressed bodies, trenchant abdomens, terminal mouths and broad submaxillaries. They are anadromous, like salmon, ascending rivers in spring, for spawning. The American shad is prized as a food-fish. It is found naturally all along the Atlantic coast, and has been propagated artificially in the larger rivers of the Gulf and Pacific coasts. Their roes are also regarded as a delicacy. ALOYSIUS, LUIGI GONZAGA, SAINT, an Italian churchman, canonized in 1726 by Benedict XIII (calendar day, June 21st). He was born March 9, 1568, being a son of one of the most noble families in Italy. His mother imbued him with the spirit of early piety, which developed in him to a remarkable | degree as he grew into manhood, his self-denial and mortification of the body, even while suffering severely under the effects of wasting disease, being conspicuous. He commenced his novitiate with the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew's, Rome, Nov. 25, 1585, and took his vows two years later. In 1591, on the outbreak of a terrible epidemic, he fell sick of the distemper and his life was despaired of; but he recovered, and fell into an ecstasy, during which he realized the approach of his own death, which occurred, as he had foretold, June 21, 1591. He was buried at the Church of the Annunciation, a rich memorial chapel being there built under his name. ALPENA, county seat of Alpena County, north Huron, at the head of Thunder Bay and the mouth of Thunder River. It is on the Detroit and Mackinaw railroad, 105 miles N.E. of Alger, the junction of the railroad named with the Michigan Central, and which point is 148 miles N. and W. of Detroit. Alpena has three lines of passenger steamers. A United States fish-hatchery is located here. The harbor is an excellent one; the annual manufacture of lumber is about 130,000,000 feet. The city is the headquarters of an extensive trade in extract of hemlock. Population 1894, 12,139. ALPHAND, JEAN CHARLES ADOLPHE, a French civil engineer, born at Grenoble, Oct. 26, 1817. Having received his training at the technical and engineering schools of Paris, and being assigned to Bordeaux, he was appointed, in 1843, engineer of bridges and highways of that neighborhood. In this position he came under the notice of the prefect, Baron Haussman, who, on his becoming prefect of the Seine, called Alphand to his assistance as engineer of the improvements of the city of Paris. This work gave Alphand full scope for the development of his genius, and to him are due those marvelous creations that transformed the old into the new Paris. After the Franco-Prussian war he was appointed by President Thiers, and also by President MacMahon, to fill the chief offices of the city's special services. No work in the city or the prefecture of the Seine could be undertaken without Alphand's approval. He exhibited great ingenuity in obliterating the traces of the siege of Paris by the Germans and the destructive work of the Commune. Having had an important share in the work of the exposition of 1878, he was chosen as the director-general of works of the exposition of 1889, with which he combined other offices connected therewith. In this year he was promoted to the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. He found time during his busy career to write two important works: Les Promenades des Paris, and Arboretum et Fleuriste de la Ville de Paris, which he treated in a general and interesting manner. He died Dec. 6, 1891. ALPHARETTA, capital of Milton County, northcentral Georgia, five miles N.E. of Roswell, the terminus of a short spur from the main line between Charlotte and Atlanta. Population 1890, 256. ALPINE, capital of Brewster County, southwestern Texas, on the Southern Pacific railroad, 223 miles S. and E. of El Paso by rail, and 20 miles S.E. of Fort Davis. Population 1895, 396. ALPINE CLUB, THE, was formed in 1857, in London, England, for the promotion of mountainclimbing, which was at first confined to a few scientists. With the gradual accumulation of knowledge, more concerted efforts were suggested, resulting in the formation of this club, its actual origination being due to William Mathews. Its first president was John Ball, who had been famed for his exploits in mountaineering, and who later published, in connection with the club, three volumes dealing with the western, central and eastern Alps. The chief social events of the club are two annual banquets, given, one during the summer and one during the winter, at the club's rooms, 23 Saville Row, London, ALPINE PLANTS-ALSATIA W. The Alps were the scene of the first determined attempts in mountaineering. Horace Benedict de Saussure had, in 1760, offered a premium for the discovery of a practicable route to the summit of Mont Blanc. This premium was secured by Jacques Balmont, a guide, who reached the long-sought point, Aug. 8, 1786, accompanied by Dr. Paccard. The following year Saussure himself accomplished the adventure, August 3d. Thus to the famous French physicist truly belongs the title of "Father of Mountaineering." See SAUSSURE, Vol. XXI, p. 324. The following is a summary of first ascents accomplished by members of the club: The Matterhorn, by Whymper (1865); the Schreckhorn, by Stephen (1861); Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, in the Andes, by Whymper (1880); Mount Cook, in New Zealand, by Greene (1882). The members of the club maintain a periodical, established in 1863, and issued quarterly, as the Alpine Journal. Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Germany followed the example of England by establishing Alpine clubs; and in America is the Appalachian club, whose home is in Boston. ALPINE PLANTS, an appellation given to plants which are found at elevations above timber-line in the Alps of central Europe, or in mountainous regions in any part of the world, whose natural place of growth is near snows that are never melted. The small spaces clear of snow in the highest regions have a very characteristic flora, the plants of which are distinguished by a low, diminutive habit, and an inclination to form thick tufts; the stems are often partly or altogether woody, and their flowers are in proportion large and brilliantly colored. With these flowering plants are associated a number of delicate ferns and beautiful mosses. A remarkable similarity exists among the Alpine plants of the most widely separated regions, and also between Alpine plants and those of Arctic regions. In ascending a mountain to the region of perpetual snow the same plantzones are traversed as those passed over in traveling from the lower latitudes to the Arctic region. It is held, therefore, that Alpine plants are but stranded Arctic plants, indicating a former very wide extension of Arctic conditions. See Arctic-Alpine and Antarctic Alpine Floras, DISTRIBUTION, Vol. VII, pp. 287-289. ALPINUS OR ALPINI, PRospero. See ALPINI, Vol. I, p. 619. ALPŇACH, a village in the canton of Unterwalden, Switzerland, situated near Mount Pilatus, and some miles S.W. of Lucerne. It was famous for its wooden "slide," a trough by means of which timber cut on Mount Pilatus was transported a distance of eight miles to the edge of that portion of the lake of Lucerne called Lake Alpnach. Water was allowed to trickle continually into the trough to prevent the effects of friction. The slide is now in disuse, the timber being brought down by horses and oxen. Population, 1,679. ALRANNEN OR ALRUNÆ, were priestesses among the ancient German tribes. The word was also applied to the diminutive images cut from wood to represent these women. The images were worshiped as household divinities, and used also as idols in the ceremonies of their religion. ALSACE-LORRAINE. 141 For the earlier history and the narrative of the transfer of this "Reichsland," or imperial land, from France to the German empire, see ALSACE, Vol. I, pp. 636, 637. The laws under which the country is governed were voted by the German Reichstag, June 9, 1871; June 20, 1872; June 25, 1873; May 2, 1877; July 4, 1879; and Sept. 28, 1885. By the law of June 9, 1871, it is enacted that "the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, ceded by France in the peace preliminaries of Feb. 26, 1871, under limits definitely fixed in the treaty of peace of May 10, 1871, shall be forever united with the German empire." The constitution of the German empire was introduced in Alsace-Lorraine on Jan. 1, 1874. The administration is under a governorgeneral, bearing the title of "Statthalter." Accord The present incumbent (1896) is Prince von Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Count von Gleichen. ing to the constitutional law of July 4, 1879, the emperor of Germany appoints the statthalter, who exercises power as the representative of the imperial government, having his residence at Strasburg. A ministry, composed of three departments, with a responsible secretary of state at its head, acts under the statthalter, who also is assisted by a council of state, comprising the statthalter as president, the secretary of state at the head of the ministry, the chief provincial officials, and eight to twelve other members appointed by the emperor, of whom three are presented by the landesausschuss, or provincial committee. This committee, which attends to local legislation, consists of 58 members. The Reichsland has an area of 5,601 English square miles. It is administratively divided into three bezirke, or districts, called OberElsass,' Unter-Elsass, and Lothringen, the first of which is subdivided into six and the other two each into eight kreise, or subdivisions. The population in 1890 was 1,603,506. The budget estimates of public revenue of Alsace-Lorraine for the year 1895-96 amounted to 50,909,323 marks, the estimates of expenditure amounting to the same sum. There was, also, an extraordinary revenue of 4,190,517 marks, and an expenditure of the same amount. More than half of the total revenue is derived from customs and indirect taxes, while one of the largest branches of expenditure is for public instruction. AlsaceLorraine has a debt consisting of three-per-cent rentes in circulation to the amount, for the year 1894-95, of 740,286 marks. The farms support a population of 627,800, of whom 302,593 were actively engaged in agriculture. Alsace-Lorraine yields the usual cereals, and it is also a great wine-producing country. Of the 1,700 communes, 1,028 have vineyards. In 1893-94, 1,126 hectares were planted with tobacco, and yielded 2,801 metric tons of dried tobacco. The cotton manufacture is the most important in Germany; woolens are produced on a smaller scale. In 1894, minerals to the value 16,343,644 marks were raised in the Reichsland. There were 1,005 miles of railway in Alsace-Lorraine in 1894, of which 922 belonged to the state. ALSATIA, a cant name applied to the Whitefriars district of London, adjoining the Temple, Strand, between Fleet Street and the Thames, which, on account of the existence therein of a convent of |