Eden, on the east side of it, below the confluence of the lesser rivers, which emptied themselves into it, about 27° N. lat., now swallowed up by the Persian Gulf, an event which may have happened at the Universal Deluge, 2348 B.C. The country of Eden extended into Armenia.-Calmet. The Almighty constructed Eden with a view to beauty, as well as usefulness: not only every plant that was good for food, but such also as were pleasant to the eye, were planted there.-Genesis ii. 8, 9. EDGEHILL, BATTLE OF, also called Edgehill Fight, between the Royalists and the Parliament army, the first engagement of importance in the civil war; Charles I. was personally present in this battle. Prince Rupert commanded the royalists, and the earl of Essex the parliamentarians. The earl of Lindsay, one of Charles's generals, who headed the foot forces, was mortally wounded, and taken prisoner. The king's army lost 5,000 dead on the field of battle, with vast numbers of wounded and prisoners; but, owing to the great loss on the other side also, the action produced no decisive consequence to either party, and neither could fairly claim the victory, though the parliament army did, Oct. 23, 1642. EDICT OF NANTES. This was the celebrated edict by which Henry IV. of France granted toleration to his Protestant subjects, in 1598. It was revoked by Louis XIV., Oct. 24, 1685. This bad and unjust policy lost to France 800,000 Protestants, and gave to England (part of these) 50,000 industrious artisans. Some thousands, who brought with them the art of manufacturing silks, settled in Spitalfields, where their descendants yet remain: others planted themselves in Soho and St. Giles's, and pursued the art of making crystal glasses, and various fine works in which they excelled; among these, jewellery, then little understood in England.—Anderson's Orig. of English Commerce. EDICTS. Public ordinances and decrees, usually sent forth by sovereigns, as in the preceding case: they originated with the Romans. The PERPETUAL EDICT: Salvius Julianus, of Milan, a civilian at Rome (the author of several treatises on public right), was employed by the emperor Adrian to draw up this edict or body of laws for the Prætors, A.D. 132. EDILES. These were Roman magistrates, like our mayors, and there were two ediles at a time. They had the superintendance and care of public and private works and buildings, baths, aqueducts, bridges, roads, &c.; they also took cognizance of weights and measures, and regulated the markets for provisions; they examined comedies before they were acted, and treated the people with games and shows at their own expense. The duties of ediles have suggested similar offices in our own polity, and served in many instances as models for our magistracy.—Pardon. EDINBURGH. The metropolis of Scotland, and one of the first and finest cities of the empire. It derives its name-in ancient records Dun Edin, signifying "the hill of Edin"-from its castle, founded or rebuilt by Edwin, king of Northumbria, who, having greatly extended his dominions, erected it for the protection of his newly-acquired territories from the incursions of the Scots and Picts, A.D. 626. But it is said the castle was first built by Camelon, king of the Picts, 330 B.C. makes a conspicuous appearance, standing at the west end of the town, on a rock 300 feet high, and, before the use of great guns, was a fortification of considerable strength. The early accounts of this city are not authentic. It EDINBURGH, BISHOPRIC OF. This see was created by Charles I., when that monarch was in Scotland, in 1633; and William Forbes, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, was made first bishop. The king allotted the parishes of the shires of Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Haddington, and a part of Berwick and of Stirlingshire, to compose the see. The sixth and last prelate was Alexander Ross, who was ejected on the abolition of episcopacy, at the period of the Revolution, in 1688. The bishopric of Edinburgh is now one of the six existing bishoprics of Scotland. EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY. A college was commenced by the town-council of Edinburgh, for which queen Mary had given the site of ancient religious houses, 1745 . 1753 Railway between Edinburgh and Glasgow opened . Feb. 21, 1842 1754 . 1761 Her public entry Victoria visits Edinburgh Her Majesty holds her court at Dalkeith .Aug. 31, 1842 Sept. 3, 1842 1769 . 1771 Palace, Sept. 5, 1842 . Sept. 15, 1842 1843 . 1844 and Robert Reid, bishop of Orkney, the funds, 1581. The University was founded by James VI., afterwards James I. of England, in 1582. The first principal was appointed in 1585. The foundation stone of the new buildings was laid by Francis, lord Napier, grand master of the masons of Scotland, Nov. 16th. 1789. In 1845, the library contained upwards of 80,000 volumes, besides numerous curious and rare MSS. and documents. This university has long been celebrated throughout the world, particularly for its medical school, which is entitled to the first rank. Some of the most learned men, the most profound writers, and ablest physicians, have been produced by this university. EGALITE'. Equality. The surname assumed by Philip Bourbon Capet, the infamous duke of Orleans, to ingratiate himself with the republicans, on the abolition of monarchy in France, Sept. 11, 1792. He voted for the death of Louis XVI. his relative; but this did not save him from a like doom. He was guillotined Nov. 6, 1793. EGYPT. The dynasty of its Pharaohs or kings commenced with Mizraim, the son of Ham, second son of Noah, 2188 3.c. The kingdom lasted 1663 years; it was conquered by Cambyses, 525 B.C. In A.D. 639, this country was wrested from the eastern emperor Heraclius, by Omar, calif of the Saracens. The famous Saladin established the dominion of the Mamelukes, in 1171. Selim I. emperor of the Turks, took Egypt, in 1517, and it was governed by Beys till 1799, when a great part of the country was conquered by the French, under Buonaparte. In 1801, the invaders were disposssessed by the British, and the government was restored to the Turks. See Turkey, for modern events. Joseph the Israelite is sold into Egypt as 1728 . 1715 1706 1618 He interprets the king's dreams 1492 1485 Psammittichus the Powerful reigns This canal abandoned, after costing the lives of 120,000 men (Herodotus) Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon deposes . 825 781 737 660 647 610 609 581 . 571 The philosopher Pythagoras comes from 524 *The epoch of the reign of Sesostris is very uncertain; Blair makes it to fall 133 years later. As to the achievements of this monarch, they are supposed to have been the labours of several kings, attributed by the Egyptian priests to Sesostris alone, whose very existence, indeed, is doubted. . 117 128 He murders his son by his new queen; 82 51 332 283 . Ptolemy Euergetes overruns Syria, and He repudiates his wife, and marries her . EGYPTIAN ERA. The old Egyptian year was identical with the era of Nabonasser, beginning February 26, 747 B.C., and consisted of 365 days only. It was reformed, 30 B.C., at which period the commencement of the year had arrived, by continually receding, to the 29th August, which was determined to be in future the first day of the year. To reduce to the Christian era, subtract 746 years, 125 days. ELBA, Isle of, taken possession of by the British, July 6, 1796; but it was abandoned the next year. Elba was conferred upon Napoleon (with the title of emperor continued) as the place of his retreat upon relinquishing the throne of France, April 5, 1814. He secretly embarked from this island with about 1200 men in hired feluccas, on the night of Feb. 25, 1815, and landed in Provence, March 1, to recover the Imperial crown.-See Buonaparte, and France. After having been quitted by Buonaparte, Elba was taken possession of by the Grand Duke of Florence, July 1815. ELEATIC SECT. Founded by Xenophanes, the philosopher of Colophon; he had been banished to Sicily on account of his wild theory of God and nature, and his sect originated there. This theorist supposed that the stars were extinguished every morning and rekindled at night; that eclipses were occasioned by a partial extinction of the sun; that there were several suns and moons for the convenience of the different climates of the earth, &c., about 535 B.C.-Strabo. ELECTIONS, BRIBERY AT. Various statutes have been enacted against it from time to time. The principal acts relating to elections commenced with the 7th of Henry IV., 1409. Elections were made void by bribery, in 1696, et seq. Messrs. Sykes and Rumbold were fined and imprisoned for bribery at an election, 1776. An elector of Durham was convicted in a penalty of 5001. in July, 1803. Mr. Swan, M. P. for Penryn, was fined and imprisoned, and sir Manasseh Lopez sentenced to a fine of 10,000, and to two years' imprisonment, for bribery at Grampound, in October 1819. The members for Liverpool and Dublin were unseated, in 1831. Among other elections which have lately been made void, were those of Cambridge and Ludlow, in May 1840.-See Bribery. ELECTORS. Those for members of Parliament for counties were obliged to have forty shillings a year in land, 39 Henry VI., 1460.-Ruffhead's Statutes. Among the recent acts relating to elections are the following: act depriving excise and cus tom-house officers, and contractors with government, of their votes, 1782. Act to regulate polling, 9 George IV., 1828. Reform in Parliament bill (see Reform Bill), 2 and 3 William IV., 1832. County Elections act, 7 William IV., 1836. ELECTORS OF GERMANY. Originally, all the members of the Germanic body made choice of their head; but amidst the violence and anarchy which prevailed for several centuries in the empire, seven princes who possessed the greatest power assumed the exclusive privilege of nominating the emperor.-Dr. Robertson. An eighth elector was made, in 1648; and a ninth, in favour of the duke of Hanover, in 1692. The number was reduced to eight, in 1777; and was increased to ten at the peace of Luneville, in 1801. The electorship ceased on the dissolution of the German empire, and when the crown of Austria was made hereditary, 1804, 1806. -See Germany. ELECTRICITY. That of amber was known to Thales, 600 B.C. Electricity was imperfectly discovered A.D. 1467. It was found in various substances by Dr. Gilbert, of Colchester, in 1600; he first obtained the knowledge of its power, of conductors, and non-conductors, in 1606. Ottoguerick found that two globes of brimstone contained electric matter, 1647. The electric shock was discovered at Leyden, 1745, and hence the operation is termed the "Leyden phial." Electric matter was first found to contain caloric, or fire, and that it would fire spirits, 1756. The identity of electricity and lightning was proved by Dr. Franklin, about this period. The electricity of the Aurora Borealis was discovered by means of the electric kite, in 1769. ELECTRO-GALVANISM. It owes its origin to the discoveries of Dr. L. Galvani, an eminent Italian philosopher, in 1789. Volta pursued the inquiries of this good man (for he was alike distinguished by his virtues and genius), and discovered the mode of combining the metals; constructed what is very properly called the Voltaic pile; and extended the whole science into a system which should rather be called Voltaism than Galvanism. ELECTRO-MAGNETISM. Analogies between electricity and magnetism were discovered by Oersted of Copenhagen, in 1807. This analogy was established in 1819, and was confirmed by subsequent experiments in England, France, and Germany. ELEPHANT. This animal, in the earliest times, was trained to war. The history of the Maccabees informs us, that "to every elephant they appointed 1000 men, armed with coats of mail, and 500 horse; and upon the elephants were strong towers of wood," &c. The elephants in the army of Antiochus were provoked to fight by showing them the "blood of grapes and mulberries." The first elephant said to have been seen in England, was one of enormous size, presented by the king of France to our Henry III., in 1238.-Baker's Chron. ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES. A great festival under this name was observed by the Athenians and other nations: these mysteries were the most celebrated of all the religious ceremonies of Greece, and were instituted by Eumolpus, 1356 B.c. They were so superstitiously observed, that if any one revealed them, it was supposed that he had called divine vengeance upon him, and he was put to death. The mysteries were introduced from Eleusis into Rome, and lasted about 1800 years, and were at last abolished by Theodosius the Great, A.D. 389. ELGIN MARBLES. These admirable works of ancient art were derived chiefly from the Parthenon, a temple of Minerva in the Acropolis at Athens, of which temple they formed part of the frieze and pediment, built by Phidias about 500 B.C. Lord Elgin began the collection of these marbles during his mission to the Ottoman Porte, in 1802; they were purchased of him by the British government for 36,000, and placed in the British Museum, in 1816. ELL. An English measure containing a yard and a quarter; it was so named from ulna, the arm, and was fixed to this precise length by Henry I., in 1101.—Stowe's Chron. This sovereign fixed, at the same time, the measure of the yard to the length of his arm.-Idem. ELOPEMENT. A married woman who departs from her husband, loses her dower by the statute of Westm. 2, c. 14-except that her husband, without coercion of the church, shall become reconciled to her, 13 Edward I., 1284.-Viner's Statutes. Earlier laws punished elopement with great severity, and in cases wherein adultery followed from it, it was punished with death. |