ou, as in our; th, as in thin; TH, as in this; N, nearly like ng. periodicals, among which the "Edinburgh Review" is especially distinguished, appear fully to justify the appellation of "the modern Athens," which has frequently been bestowed upon the Scottish capital. The name of Edinburgh is supposed by some to be derived from Edwin, a king of Northumberland, in the time of the Heptarchy. This derivation is supported by the fact that the town was anciently called EDWINESBURG or EDWINESBURCH. The castle of Edinburgh was long called by the name of Castellum or Castrum Puellarum, i. e. the "maidens' castle," in consequence, it is said, of its having been the residence of the daughters of the Pictish kings. Lat. of the Observatory, 55° 57′ 23′′ N., Lon. 3° 10′ 54" W. Pop. of the city and suburbs, 138,182.

EDINBURGH OF MID-LOTHIAN, mid-lo-Tнe-an, a co. in the S. E. central part of Scotland, bordering on the Frith of Forth. Entire pop. 225,454.

ED-IS-TO, a r. of S. C., which flows into the Atlantic, through two channels, called the S. and N. Edisto inlets The former, which is the principal one, joins the sea in Lat. 32° 27′ N. Edisto Island is situated between these two arms of the r. Edisto.

ED-MOND-SON, a co. in the S. W. central part of Ky., intersected by Green r. Pop. 2,914. Co. t. Brownsville.

EDWARDS, a co. in the S. E. part of Ill., intersected by the Little Wabash. Pop. 3,070. Co. t. Albion.

EF-FING-HAM, a co. in the E. part of Ga., bordering on the Ogeechee and Savannah rivers. Pop. 3.075. Co. t. Springfield.

EFFINGHAM, a co. in the S. E. central part of Ill., intersected by the Little Wabash. Pop. 1,675. Co. t Ewington.

EG-ER (Ger. pron. à/-cer), a r. of Bohemia, which flows into the Elbe.

EGER (in Bohemian Cheb, Keb), the third t. in point of pop. in the kingdom of Bohemia, on the right bank of the river of the same name. It contains a gymnasium, and several other institutions for education. About 3 m. from this place are some warm mineral springs, and an establishment for bathing, which are much frequented during summer. Many thousand bottles of the water are annually exported. The celebrated Wallenstein was assassinated in Eger, in 1634. Lat. 50° 5′ N., Lon. 12° 24′ E. Pop. above 9,000. (B.)

E-GYPT (Gr. Avyvяros; Lat. Ægyp'tus; Hebrew, Mizr or Mizraim; Arab. Måsr or Musr; Coptic, Cham or Khem); a country occupying the N. E. part of Africa, situated between 24° 8′ and 31° 32′ N. Lat., bounded on the N. by the Mediterranean, E. by the little r. El Arish, on the border of Palestine, the desert of Idumea and the Red Sea, S. by Nubia, its southern limit, from the oldest time, having been fixed at the cataracts of Asswan (Assouan), and W. by the Libyan desert. Its length, from N. to S., is about 520 m.; its breadth is difficult to determine; if it be considered to extend from the Red Sea to the most westerly of the oases belonging to Egypt, it will amount to between 300

P

Fåte, får, fåll, fât; mẻ, m't; plne or pine, pin; nò, nåt; õõ as in good; and 400 m. Egypt may be regarded as essentially consisting of the valley of the Nile and the Delta, as these are the only parts, except the oases, where there is a settled population. Following the windings of the river, the length of the valley of the Nile, from Asswan to the southern extremity of the Delta, is about 500 m. The breadth varies considerably, but it is seldom more than ten miles, and in many places, especially in Upper Egypt, is not two, including the breadth of the river, which varies from 2,000 to 4,000 ft. This valley is bounded on both sides by a ridge of rocky hills, which rise in some places more than 1,000 ft. above the level of the river. The cultivable land does not extend on either side of the Nile to the base of this ridge. Between the narrow tract, which is fertilized by the overflowing of the river, or by artificial irrigation, and the neighbouring mountains, there is a strip of drifting sand, which, in many places, appears to encroach upon the cultivated ground. The mountain ridges, which enclose the Nile, as above described, separate near Cairo; the eastern one leaves the valley first, and, turning off abruptly, runs towards the N. extremity of the Red Sea. Afterwards the r. enters a wide and low plain, which, from its triangular form, received from the Greeks the name of Delta. (See DELTA.) Here the Nile divides into two branches, that of Rosetta and that of Damiat. Anciently the right side of the Delta was formed by the Pelusiac branch, which detaching itself from the river higher up, flowed to Pelusium, at the E. extremity of Lake Menzalch. This branch is now, in a great measure, choked up, though it still serves partly for purposes of irrigation. The river at Rosetta is 1,800 ft. wide, and at Damietta (Damiat), about 800. The extreme length of the Delta, from N. to S., is about 100 m.; the distance from Rosetta to the Damiat mouth is about 84 m. The Delta, however, must be regarded as extending in breadth considerably beyond these limits, and may properly be said to include all that tract below the termination of the valley of the Nile, which is irrigated by that river, or by the various canals which are connected with it.

Egypt is commonly divided by geographers of the present day inte three regions; viz., Bahari (bảн/-ree), or Maritime, VOSTANI (Vos-tålnee), or WUSTANEE, or Middle, and SAID (så`-eed'), or Upper Egypt. Bahari corresponds with the division ordinarily called Lower Egypt, which comprises the whole of the Delta, including Cairo and its environs. Vostani or Middle Egypt is understood to extend from the neighbourhood of Cairo to near 27° 30' N. Lat.; while Said comprehends all the remainder of the country, as far S. as the cataracts of the Nile. The entire area of that portion of Egypt which is susceptible of cultivation, is computed at 17,000 sq. m. The climate of this country, during the greater part of the year, is salubrious. The exhalations, however, which rise from the soil after the inundations, render the latter part of autumn less healthy than the other seasons of the year. Rain is a very uncommon occurrence in Middle and Upper Egypt; the only supply of water for the animal and vegetable kingdoms which can be relied on, being derived from the Nile. In Lower Egypt, along the

1

ou, as in our; th, as in thin; TH, as in this; N, nearly like ng. Mediterranean coast, showers are not unfrequent during the winter

season.

Without attempting to give even an outline of the history of this country, the most ancient abode of civilization respecting which we have any distinct and satisfactory information, and which holds so important a place in the history of all the more powerful nations of antiquity, we will merely state, that Egypt was conquered by the Saracens, under the caliphate of Omar, about the year 638; afterwards, in 1517, it fell into the hands of the Turks, to whom it was subject, at least nominally, till the French invasion in 1798. Bonaparte took possession of the country, under the pretence of delivering it from the tyranny of the Memlooks. These constituted a sort of inilitary aristocracy, formidable to their Turkish rulers, and most oppressive towards the common people. After the French were expelled by the English, in 1801, Egypt again came into the possession of the Turks, and again. the Memlooks displayed their insubordination, and exercised their tyranny. At last the present pasha, Mehemet Ali, contrived to collect most of the beys, with their principal officers, within the citadel of Cairo, under pretence of an entertainment, where he had them all massacred, in March, 1811. The power of the present ruler, though founded in perfidy and violence, has, on the whole, been exercised with justice and wisdom. That ambition and those abilities which have raised him to the independent sovereignty of Egypt and the neighbouring parts of Asia, have been laudably directed towards the political and intellectual amelioration of his people. He is said to administer impartial justice to all his subjects, without regard to race or religion. He has established regular judicial courts and a good police, has done away with torture and other barbarous punishments, and has promoted instruction, by establishing schools and colleges for the arts and sciences, and for military and naval tactics. He has endeavoured, with some success, to remove the prejudices of his subjects against the arts and learning of Europe, and to introduce the European improvements in manufactures and machinery. The government of Egypt, however, is still absolute, in the strictest sense of the word, though the present pasha has chosen to govern, for the most part, according to forms and regulations which he himself has established. The pop. is estimated at 2,000,000. (P. C.) Cairo is the capital.-Adj. and inhab. EGYPTIAN, e-jip-shun; (Arab. Mus'-ree.)

EHRENBREITSTEIN, A-ren-brite'-stine, an important and celebrated fortress of Germany, in the Prussian prov. of the Lower Rhine, situated on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite to Coblentz, on the summit of a rugged and precipitous rock, which rises 772 ft. above the level of the river. At its base stands the little t. of Thal-Ehrenbreitstein (tảảl à'-ren-brite'-stine); i. e. the "Ehrenbreitstein of the valley," with a pop. of 2,400. (B.) Ehrenbreitstein is connected with Coblentz, by a bridge of boats, and is usually regarded as one of the suburbs of that city.

EICHSTÄDT, Ike/-stett, a walled t. of Bavaria, situated on the Alt

Fåte, får, fåll, fåt; m', m't; p'ne or pine, p'n; n3, nôt; õõ as in good : mühl. It is said to have been founded in the iniddle of the eighth century, by St. Willibald, who, in order to erect the cathedral and the adjacent dwellings for his clergy, cleared an area covered with oaks; whence the name of Eichstädt, or Oaktown.. Lat. 48° 53′ N., Lon. 11° 10' E. Pop. 7,000. (B.)

EILENBURG, il-len-bŏŏRG`, a t. of Germany, belonging to Prussia, situated on the Mulde (mõõl'-dçh). Lat. 51° 28′ N., Lon. 12° 37′ E. Pop. 5,000. (B.)

EIMBECK, ime/-bek, a walled t. of Germany, in Hanover. Lat. 51° 48' N., Lon. 9° 51′ E. Pop. 5,000. (B.)

EISENACH, i-zen-åк, a walled t. of Germany, cap. of a principality of the same name, belonging to the grand-duchy of Saxe-Weimar: it has a gymnasium and several other institutions for education. Lat. 50° 59 N., Lon. 10° 20′ E.

EISENSTADT, i-zẹn-stått`, (Hung. Kis-Mártony, kish måår-toǹ,) a royal free t. of Hungary, about 26 m. S. E. of Vienna, remarkable for the handsome palace of Prince Esterhazy, and for its magnificent botanic garden, one of the finest in the world. Lat. 47° 50′ N., Lon. 16° 32′ E. Pop. about 3,000. (B.)

EISLEBEN, ice-là-ben, a t. of Prussian Saxony, formerly the cap. of the earldom of Mansfeld, situated about 40 m. W. N. W. of Leipsic. Luther was born here, in 1483, and died here, in 1546; but neither his parents nor himself had a permanent residence in this place. Lat. 51° 33′ N., Lon. 11° 32′ E. Pop. 7,000. (B.)

EKATARINBURG, k-ål-tå-reen-boong, (Catharine's burg,) an important t. of Russia, in the government of Perm, founded by Peter the Great, in 1723, and named in honour of his consort. It is on the high road from Russia into Siberia. In the neighbourhood of this town are situated a great number of gold mines, which, together with those of the government of Orenburg, yield a greater quantity of this precious metal than the mines of any other country in the known world. (B.) Considerable quantities of platinum are also found in these regions. Ekatarinburg is fortified and regularly built, though the houses are mostly of wood; it has several literary and scientific institutions, and a number of handsome stone edifices. Lat. 56° 50′ N., Lon. 60° 48′ E. Pop. about 11,000. (P. C.)

EKATARINOSLAF, êk-a-tå-reen -os-låf, an archiepiscopal t. of Russia, cap. of a government of the same name, situated on the right bank of the Dnieper. The first stone was laid by the empress Catharine II., in 1787. Lat. 48° 27′ N., Lon. 35° E. Pop. 12,000. (P. C.)

ELATMA, êl-åt/-må, or Yêl-åt/-må, a t. of European Russia, in the government of Tambof, situated on the r. Oka. In its vicinity are extensive iron works. Lat. about 54° 50′ N., Lon. 41° 20. Pop. about 6,000. (P. C.)

EL-BA (the Ilva of the Romans), an i. in the Mediterranean, near the coast of Tuscany, situated between 42° 43′ and 42° 52′ N. Lat., and between 10° 6' and 10° 27′ E. Lon. Length about 18 m.; greatest breadth about 10 m. This island is remarkable for having been the

ou, as in our; th, as in thin; TH, as in this; N, nearly like ng. residence of Napoleon, after his first abdication, from May, 1814, to February, 1815. Elba belongs to the grand-duchy of Tuscany. The pop. is about 13,500. (P. C.) Porto Ferrajo (fer-ri/-o), on the Ñ. coast, the cap. of the island, is a strongly fortified town, and has about 2,000 inhabitants. (B.) Lat. 42° 49′ N., Lon. 10° 20′ E.

ELBE (Ger pron.ell-beh; Anc. Albis), a r.of Germany, which rises in the Riesengebirge or Giant Mountains of Bohemia, and, flowing in a general north-westerly direction, falls into the North Sea, in about Lat. 54° N., and Lon. 8° 40′ E. Its whole length is about 710 m., and it is navigable about 470 m. The average breadth is computed at 900 ft.; near its mouth, however, it is several miles wide.

ELBERFELD, el-ber-felt, the cap. of a circle of the same name, and one of the most flourishing manufacturing and commercial towns in the Prussian dominions, is situated on the Wupper, a tributary of the Rhine, 25 m. N. by E. from Cologne. Among its public institutions, we may mention a gymnasium, a museum, a society of the arts and sciences, &c. Lat. 51° 15' N., Lon. 7° 10' E. In the middle of the last century, Elberfeld was an insignificant place; at present it contains a pop. of about 24,200. (P. C.)

EL-BERT, a co. in the N. E. part of Ga., bordering on the Savannah r. Pop. 11,125. Co. t. Elberton.

ELBEUF, el-buf, a t. of France, in the dep. of Lower Seine, on the r. Seine. Lat. 49° 17′ N., Lon. 0° 59′ E. Pop. 11,000. (B.)

EL-BING, a commercial t. of W. Prussia, cap. of a circle of the same name, is situated on the r. Elbing, about 6 m. S. of its entrance into the Frische See, and 32 m. E. S. E. of Dantzic. This town was founded by the Teutonic knights about the year 1229; and in the 14th and 15th centuries it was a member of the Hanseatic league. Lat. 54° 9′ N., Lon. 19° 23′ E. Pop. above 20,000. (B.)

ELCHE, el-ch3, (Anc. Il'ici,) a t. of Valencia, Spain. Lat. 38° 15′ N., Lon. 0° 44′ W. Pop. 19,000. (B.)

EL-E-PHAN-TA, a small i. on the W. coast of Hindostan, between Bombay and the Mahratta shore, remarkable for a colossal image of an elephant, cut out of the solid rock. This image has been split, in two, apparently by means of gunpowder. At some distance from it, a cave has been discovered, which is, in fact, a temple cut out of the rock. At what time, or by whom these works were executed, is not known.

ELG-IN, a t. of Scotland, cap. of Elginshire, situated near the little r. Lossie, about 5 m. above its influx into the German Ocean. Lat. 57° 39 N., Lon. 3° 22′ W. Pop. 3,911.

ELG-IN-SHIRE OF MORAYSHIRE, a co. in the N. E. part of Scotland, bordering on Moray Frith. Pop. 35,012.

ELISABETGRAD, à-liz`-å-bêt-gråd', or Yel-is`-a-vet-gråd', a t. of European Russia, in the prov. of Kherson, cap. of a circle of the same name, important on account of its fortifications and arsenal. Lat. 48° 30′ N., Lon. 32° 28′ E. Pop. about 12,000. (P. C.)