their entire destruction. His oppressions and persecutions excited an insurrection of the Moriscos in Granada, (1571,) after the suppression of which, over one hundred thousand of them were banished. Philip III., in the same fanatic spirit, completed their expulsion, and nearly a million of them emigrated to Africa. As they were the most ingenious and industrious inhabitants of Spain, they were a great loss to the country. Agriculture speedily fell into decay, and their expulsion is regarded as one of the leading causes of the decline of Spain."

Mooted, discussed; argued upon a supposed case.

Mosses, morasses, or boggy places.

Mount Lebanon, the highest mountain in Syria; very often mentioned in the Bible.

Mull, one of the western islands of Scotland.

Muriatic acid, spirit of salt; an acid composed of chlorine and hydrogen.

Nantz, (or Nantes,) Edict of, an edict or proclamation of Henry the Fourth, King of France, A. D. 1598, in favor of the Protestants; so called from its being issued from Nantz, a maritime city of France, situated upon the coast of the Mediterranean. The revocation of this edict, by Louis the Fourteenth, A. D. 1685, inflicted a fatal blow upon the manufacturing interests of France, by driving from the kingdom the great body of Protestants, many of whom were manufacturers.

National Institute, see Institute.

Natolia, (more properly Anatolia,) a province of the Turkish empire, extending over the western part of Asia Minor.

Neapolitan, belonging or relating to Naples, a city of Italy, in a kingdom of the same name.

Newton, Sir Isaac, see Index.

Niger, a great river of central Africa, the source of which is in the western part of the Continent. Its course and termination have alike been matter of doubt and uncertainty, till within a few years. Many expeditions have been made, from time to time, to ascertain its course; but, till lately, without success. It is now found to discharge itself, into the Gulf of Benin, on the coast of Guinea, and to pursue a course, the length of which cannot be far from twenty-five hundred miles.

Nile, the only river of Egypt. It is formed by the union of two large rivers from the interior of Africa, which unite in Nubia, and, flowing through Egypt, empty into the Mediterranean Sea. It annually rises to a sufficient height to overflow the surrounding country, and the mud and slime brought down from the mountains by its waters, and thus deposited over the land, imparts to the soil a wonderful fertility. The whole length of this river is probably not far from two thousand miles.

Nilometer, a pillar erected in the middle of the Nile, on which are marked degrees, measuring the ascent of the water.

Nitric acid, an acid composed of oxygen and nitrogen.

Nitrogen, or azote, a simple, invisible, aeriform substance, or gas, which composes four fifths of the atmosphere, and is a constituent

part of nitric acid, ammonia, &c. It does not support respiration nor flame.

Nitrous oxide, a compound of nitrogen and oxygen gases, which, on being respired, produces an exhilaration or excitement, like the early stages of intoxication.

Novum Organum Scientiarum, a new method of employing the reasoning faculties in the pursuit of truth; the title of a work by Lord Bacon.

Nubia, a country of eastern Africa, south of Egypt, bordering on the Red Sea, and having the Desert on the west. It contains about one hundred thousand inhabitants.

Old Jewry, a street in London.

Oman, or Omaun, a territory extending along the eastern coast of the Arabian peninsula, at the entrance of the Persian gulf. Mascat is the principal place.

Omar, a famous Khalif of the Saracens, the second after Mohammed, and one of the most rapid conquerors in modern history. He was assassinated, A. D. 643, in the sixty-third year of his age. Opus Majus, greater work; a collection of the principal writings of Roger Bacon, made by himself, at the request of Clement the Fourth, Pope of Rome.

Oriental, eastern. Orpheus, a fabulous poet and musician of antiquity, who is said to have had so much skill in music, that he moved savage beasts to forget their wildness, and all Nature seemed charmed with his song. He was the husband of Eurydice, and his descent into the grave to seek her has already been mentioned. (See Eurydice.) It is supposed, by some, that this fable originated in the circumstance that Orpheus was greatly skilled in medicine, and by that skill preserved the life of Eurydice, or, in other words, snatched her from the grave. Ottoman, the title given to the empire of the European Turks, from the name of the founder of the empire, Othman, or Osman. The proper national appellation is Osmanli.

Oxford, a city of England, the seat of a celebrated university, the most richly endowed literary institution in the world.

Oxide, any substance combined with oxygen, in a proportion not sufficient to produce acidity; example, rust of metals.

Oxidize, to combine oxygen with a body without producing acidity. Oxygen, vital air; a simple and very important substance, which exists in the atmosphere, and supports the breathing of animals and the burning of combustibles.

Oxygen gas, oxygen converted into gas by combining with caloric. Palatinate, the territory of a count palatine.. The name is particularly applied, in this Volume, to two provinces of Germany, called the Upper and Lower Palatinate, bordering on Switzerland and France.

Palatine, possessing royal privileges..

Palestine, unquestionably the most memorable and interesting country on the face of the whole earth; the land most sacred to our recollection, as men and as Christians; at once the most favored and the most guilty country under heaven; which was, between

two and three thousand years, the only portion of the world where the worship of the true God was maintained; the scene of nearly all the important events recorded in the Bible; where the Lord of glory lived, and taught, and suffered; to which the banished Jew looks, as to his long-lost home; and the devout Christian, for the completion of prophecies yet to be accomplished ;-this. most interesting country is a small canton in the southwest part of Syria, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. It is also called the Holy Land, the Land of Judea, Israel, Canaan, &c. Jerusalem is its capital,-a city which was founded about the year B. C. 2023, and which, having survived the revolutions of more than four thousand years, is still an important city, in our own day. Parliament, the appellation by which the Legislature of Great Britain is ordinarily designated. It is composed of the House of Lords, and House of Commons.

Parsees, a colony of ancient Persians, in and near Bombay and Surat, in India, who took refuge there when their country was conquered by the Mohammedan Arabs. They pay worship to the sun, moon, and stars, and to fire, as visible images of the invisible Deity.

Pasha, a Turkish viceroy, or governor of a territory called a pashalik.

Patent, an abbreviated expression, signifying letters-patent, or open letters, or grants of the government, under the great seal thereof, granting some right, privilege, or property, to a person, who is thence called the Patentee. Thus, the government grants the public lands, by a patent, to the purchaser. So, a copyright in a book, or an exclusive right to an invention, is granted by a patent. When the word patent is used in conversation, it is ordinarily limited to a patent-right for an invention.

Pedestrian, on foot; one who journeys on foot.

Pehlwi, Pehlvi, Pehlevi, Pehlo, or Pehluwan, an ancient dialect of the Persian language. The name signifies, the language of heroes.

Pericles, a celebrated Grecian statesman, who was for forty years at the head of the Athenian government. He was born about five hundred years before Christ, and died in the seventieth year of his age. During his life, the arts and sciences were in their most flourishing condition in Greece, and this period of history is frequently termed the Periclean age.

Persepolis, a royal city of Persia, in the time of Alexander the Great, who set fire to the palace, at the instigation of one of his licentious female favorites. The supposed remains of this palace are still to be seen. Thirteen pillars are yet standing, and vast masses of shattered columns and fragments are scattered over an extensive area, the sculptures on which are of the highest interest and historical value.

Persian Gulf, a large bay on the southwest border of Persia, connected with the Indian Ocean. The river Tigris, having been joined by the Euphrates, empties into the northern part of this gulf.

It was

Perth, a city of Scotland, in a county of the same name. formerly a royal residence. Petard, a metallic pot, or instrument of warfare, almost in the shape of a hat, fixed upon a strong, square plank. When charged, it is fixed, by an iron hook, to a gate or barrier, and on being discharged, breaks every thing about it, and thereby makes an opening to enter the place. Phænicians, inhabitants of Phoenicia, a territory in Syria, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, and northwest of Palestine, the principal cities of which were Tyre and Sidon. The Phoenicians were early celebrated as adventurous mariners, and the invention of letters is attributed to them. They planted colonies on the shores of the Mediterranean, particularly Carthage, Hippo, Marseilles, and Utica, and their manufactures acquired such a superiority over those of other nations, that among the ancients whatever was elegant, great, or pleasing, either in apparel or domestic utensils, was called Sidonian. In the time of Solomon, it is said, there were 66 none who were skilled how to hew timber like the Sidonians; the navy of Tyre was greater than that of any kingdom in the world, and her "merchants were princes."

Piazzetta, (Italian, diminutive of Piazza, a square,) the little Piazza; the name of a small square in Venice, adjoining the Piazza, or large square of St. Mark's.

Plato, a celebrated Greek philosopher, born about 429 B. C. He died on his eighty-second birthday. His name was given him, (from a Greek word, signifying broad,) on account of the breadth of his chest and forehead.

Polish, relating, or belonging, to Poland, a country of Europe, consisting of a vast plain, extending from the Carpathian Mountains, which separate it from Hungary, to the Prussian territory on the north, having Russia on the east, and Germany on the west. No country in Europe has undergone so many changes as this. Its national character is now fast disappearing, under the dominion of the Russians; and the Polish name will probably soon be extinct, except in history, from which, the record of splendid and chivalrous achievements by the Poles, their learning and literature, cannot be effaced. Copernicus was a Pole.

Potash or Potass, an alkali, composed of oxygen and potassium. Potassium, a light and very inflammable metal discovered by Sir Humphrey Davy, in potass.

Precogitate, to consider beforehand.

Principia, first principles; the title by which Newton's great work on the first principles of mathematics and natural philosophy is usually known.

Proclus, an eminent philosopher, born at Constantinople, A. D. 410. He was the Rector of the Platonic School at Athens, where he died, A. D. 485. He wrote a vast number of works.

Protégé, favorite, fondling, dependent; a person protected and patronised.

Ptolemy, a celebrated geographer, mathematician, and astronomer, born in Egypt, in the year 70. He is considered the first astrono

mer of antiquity, and was the earliest writer who sought to fix the situation of places by their latitude and longitude.

The Pyramids are very large structures in Egypt, erected by the ancient Egyptians, many thousand years ago, and still standing. The largest one is now nearly five hundred feet high, above the sands by which it is surrounded, and about seven hundred feet square, at the ground. The stones, of which the pyramids are built, are very large, some of them being four feet in thickness. Quadrant, the quarter of a circle; an instrument for taking the altitude or elevation of the heavenly bodies, invented by John Hadley, Esq., and called Hadley's Quadrant.

Quaker, one of a religious sect of professing Christians, called also Friends.

Quhair, (the King's,) a beautiful allegory, written by King James I., of Scotland, while he was a prisoner in Windsor Castle, England. It is said to be "the finest poem that had then been produced in the English language, with the exception of Chaucer's." Rabbi, or Rabbin, a doctor in the Jewish law.

Rabbinical, relating to the doctrines of the Rabbins.

Rambler, the title of a work by Dr. Samuel Johnson, author of the English Dictionary.

Ratio, proportion; the relation which one thing has to another. Red Sea, an extensive gulf, or arm of the sea, dividing Africa from Asia, and Arabia from Egypt and Abyssinia. It is also called the Arabian Gulf, being connected with that part of the Indian Ocean called the Arabian Sea. It was anciently called the Erythrean Sea, from a king named Erythros; and as this word, in the Greek language, signifies red, it has, by some, been supposed, that the name Red Sea was given to the gulf from this circumstance. It is about fourteen hundred miles in length, and about two hundred in breadth, at the widest part. The place where the Children of Israel crossed it, (see Exodus xiv.,) was at the northern extremity of the northwestern arm of the gulf.

Reflection, the act of throwing back; a motion of the rays of light, by which, when they strike upon any body, they are thrown back, as from a mirror.

Reflecting telescope, see Telescope.

Reformation, The, that event in the history of the Christian Church, when Protestants separated from the Church of Rome. Reformation of the calendar, see Calendar.

Refraction, a deviation from a straight course. When rays of light pass through a lens, or from one medium to another, as from air into water, and the reverse, instead of continuing on in a straight line, they are said to be refracted, or bent out of their course. Refracting telescope, see Telescope.

Refrangible, capable of being refracted.

Refugee, one who flies to a shelter or protection.

Republican party, a party in England, at the time of the Revolution in that country, A. D. 1688, who were desirous of placing the government in the hands of the people.

The Restoration, in English history, the return of King Charles the