Encyclopædia Americana: A Popular Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature, History, Politics and Biography, Brought Down to the Present Time; Including a Copious Collection of Original Articles in American Biography; on the Basis of the Seventh Edition of the German Conversations - Lexicon, Volume 9Francis Lieber Carey, Lea & Carey, 1832 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
according acid afterwards ancient animals appeared appointed army Austria battle beautiful became birds body born called celebrated century character church civil coast colonies color command common contains court death died distinguished duke Dutch earth east Egypt emperor England English eral Europe father feet France French German Greece Greek guilders inhabitants island Italy king kingdom lake land language latter Louis Louis XIV Louis XVIII ment miles mountains Naples Napoleon nation nature Netherlands Nibelungenlied nitric acid northern obtained opera origin painting paper Paris peace period persons poems poet port possession prince principal province published received religious revolution river Roman Rome Russia Russian ship Sicily society soon Spain species square miles Sweden tained tion town ture vessels vols whole
Popular passages
Page 274 - With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you ; I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable.
Page 422 - The lowest and most level parts of the earth, when penetrated to a very great depth, exhibit nothing but horizontal strata composed of various substances, and containing almost all of them innumerable marine productions. Similar strata, with the same kind of productions, compose the hills even to a great height. Sometimes the shells are so numerous as to constitute the entire body of the stratum.
Page 296 - ... peculiar thrilling in the extremities — a sensation perfectly new and delightful. For many hours after this experiment, he imagined that his taste and smell were more acute, and is certain that he felt unusually strong and cheerful. In a second experiment, he felt pleasure slill superior, and has since poetically remarked that he supposes the atmosphere of the highest of all possible heavens to be composed of this gas.
Page 89 - ... thicknesses. The head was the object of particular attention; it was sometimes enveloped in several folds of fine muslin; the first was glued to the skin, and the others to the first; the whole was then coated with a fine plaster. A collar of cylindrical glass beads of different colors, is attached to the mask which covers the head, and with it is connected a tunic of the same material.
Page 107 - ... of vocal and instrumental music as coeval. Perhaps the first instrument invented was the pipe of the shepherd, who, in his life of leisure, heard the wind whistle among the reeds. It seems probable that shepherds first cultivated music as an art, while warriors may have made use of the exciting war-cry and war-song before.
Page 169 - Almanac, for the noon of each day ; by correcting it for the time anticipated or elapsed, according as the sun comes first to him or to the first meridian, by his position east or west of it, the observer obtains the declination for noon at his own position. This declination applied to the zenith distance, by adding when the sun is on the same side of the equator, by subtracting when on the opposite side, gives the true latitude. A daily and accurate knowledge of his latitude is, then, to the mariner...
Page 182 - The master was ordered to put the helm to port, and the Victory ran on board the Redoubtable, just as her tiller ropes were shot away. The French ship received her with a broadside; then instantly let down her lower deck ports, for fear of being boarded through them and never afterwards fired a great gun during the action. Her tops, like those of all the enemy's ships, were filled with riflemen.
Page 534 - In the house of lords, if the bill begins there, it is (when of a private nature) 'referred to two of the judges, who examine and report the state of the facts alleged, to see that all necessary parties consent, and to settle all points of technical propriety.* This is read a first time, and at a convenient distance a second time; and after each reading the speaker opens to the house the substance...
Page 123 - The machine has a rapid reciprocating motion, and cuts off at every stroke a wedge shaped piece of iron, constituting a nail without a head. This is immediately caught near its largest end, and compressed between gripes. At the same time a strong force is applied to a die at the extremity, which spreads the iron sufficiently to form a head to the nail. Some nails are made of cast iron, but these are always brittle, unless afterwards converted into malleable iron by the requisite process.
Page 422 - ... of various substances, and containing almost all of them innumerable marine productions. Similar strata, with the same kind of productions, compose the hills even to a great height. Sometimes the shells are so numerous as to constitute the entire body of the stratum. They are almost everywhere in such a perfect state of preservation, that even the smallest of them retain their most delicate parts, their sharpest ridges, and their finest and tenderest processes.