580 ESCURIAL-ESPINASSE. vent, belonging to the Infantes. The monks are very liberal, and allow any person, of decent dress and demeanor, free access to the library and all its books. The royal family used to pass six weeks here every year, before king Ferdinand's reign; it is now scarcely ever visited by his majesty or his brothers. The number of monks is now (1830) 140 or 150. ESCUTCHEON, in heraldry, is derived from the French écusson, and that from the Latin scutum. It signifies the shield whereon coats of arms are represented. ESKI; a Turkish word, signifying old, contained in several geographical names; as, Eski cheher, old city. ESKIMAUX. (See Esquimaux.) ESMENARD, Joseph Alphonse'; a poet, born in 1769, at Pélissane, in Provence. After having finished his education at Marseilles, he made a voyage to St. Domingo, and, on his return, formed an acquaintance with Marmontel, which developed his literary tastes. At the begin ning of the revolution, he belonged to the club of Feuillans, and on its downfall was obliged to leave the country. He travelled five years in England, Germany and Italy, and, on his return from Constantinople, settled in Venice, where he formed the design of his poem La Navigation. He returned to France, was again banished for his political writings, returned after the revolution of the 18th Brumaire, and labored with La Harpe and Fontanes on the Mercure de la France. He accompanied Le Clerc to St. Domingo, and, after his return, received a place in the ministry of the interior. His Navigation appeared in the year 1805. He is blamed for many defects, but his talent for describing scenes on the ocean is universally admired. In 1808, he brought upon the stage an opera, entitled Trajan, and was banished once more by Napoleon, after having been assailed by numerous enemies, and made a member of the institute. After three months, he returned from exile, and died in 1811. ESMERALDAS; a province of Colombia, on the coast of the Pacific ocean, abounding in wax, copal, balsams, manilla, indigo, tobacco and excellent cacao. Its mountains are covered with rare and valuable woods, and contain gold mines. Fine emeralds are also found in this province.-Esmeraldas is likewise the name of a river and a seaport of this province. ESNEH, ESNE, or ASNA (called, by the Egyptians, Sné, or Sna); a city of Upper Egypt, in the Thebaid, on the left bank of the Nile, about 27 miles S. of the ruins of Thebes, and 350 S. S. E. of Cairo ; lat. ESOP. (See Esop.) ESOTERIC (Greek; secret, revealed only to the initiated). In the mysteries or secret societies of the ancients, the doctrines were distinguished into the esoteric and exoteric, the former for the initiated, who were permitted to enter into the sanctuary itself (the Esoterics), and the latter for the uninitiated (the Exoterics), who remained in the outer court. The same distinction is also made, in philosophy, between those doctrines which belong peculiarly to the initiated, and those which are adapted to the limited capacities of the unlearned. ESPAGNOLETTO. (See Spagnoletto.) ESPALIERS; rows of trees planted about a garden, and trained up regularly to a lattice of wood-work, in a close hedge, for the defence of tender plants. ESPINASSE, Julie Jeanne Eléonore. This amiable lady, who united the most brilliant talents to a heart susceptible of ESPINASSE-ESQUIMAUX. the warmest love, was born at Lyons, 1732. She was an illegitimate child, but passed for the daughter of a citizen, whose name she bore. She was selected as a companion by the marchioness du Deffand, whose offers she gladly accepted, being in a state of extreme indigence. At first, the two ladies lived together in the greatest harmony; but the superior attractions of Julie, which captivated even d'Alembert, a most devoted admirer of du Deffand, soon made the marchioness regard her as a dangerous rival, and their connexion was broken off. Mlle. l'Espinasse, however, had already made many friends, and the king, by the recommendation of the duke de Choiseul, granted her a pension. From this time, she shone in the great world, surrounded by a brilliant circle of admirers. D'Alembert endeavored in vain to obtain her affections; he only succeeded in obtaining her esteem. The marquis of Mora, a young Spanish nobleman, loved her, and was loved in return; but was soon superseded in her affections by colonel Guibert, celebrated for his connexion with Frederic II. Her letters show the strength of her sensibility and the caprices of her love, which was blindly lavished without regard to reciprocation. She died in 1776. ESPIRITU SANTO, or SPIRITU-SANTO (the Spanish for Holy Ghost); a name of ten occurring in geography. For instance, it belongs to a place on the island of Cuba; to a bay of Florida; to an island in the gulf of California; to a bay of Mexico, &c. ESPLANADE, in fortification; the sloping of the parapet of the covered way towards the open country; the same with glacis. ESPRÉMÉNIL, James Duval d', a native of Pondicherry, counsellor of the parliament of Paris, and deputy from the nobility to the states-general in 1789, was distinguished for talent and virtue. D'Espréménil had entertained the project of restoring to France the statesgeneral; and, at the session of the parliament, Nov. 19, 1787, he spoke with energy in favor of that scheme, and in opposition to the measures of the ministry. He renewed his animadversions, May 3, 1788, in consequence of which he was seized and banished to the isle of St. Margaret. Being recalled to Paris in 1789, he was nominated a deputy to the states-general, when he defended the monarchy against innovators with as much warmth as he had before opposed the despotism of the ministry. He made a speech 581 against the union of the different orders, and, when he saw the minority of the nobles about to leave the chamber of session, he exclaimed, “We are on the field of battle: the cowards desert us: but let us close our ranks, and we are still strong enough." In opposing the establishment of paper money, in September, 1790, he made the singular proposition to reestablish the monarchy in the full plenitude of its power. He afterwards endeavored in vain to curb the revolutionary fury, to which he was destined to fall a victim. On the 27th of July, 1792, he was assailed by a band of armed men, by whom he was badly wounded, and narrowly escaped being killed. His friends then entreated him to leave France; but he refused, saying he ought to await the consequences of a revolution of which he had been one of the prime movers. He was at length condemned by the revolutionary tribunal, and perished on the scaffold in 1793. D'Espréménil was 48 years of age at the time of his execution. ESPRIT, in French, signifies spirit. In English, the phrase esprit de corps is not unfrequently used in the sense of attachment to the class or body of which one is a member. ESQUIMAUX an Indian nation of North America, occupying nearly all of the northern part of the continent, from Prince William's sound along the coasts of the Icy sea and of Hudson's bay to the borders of the Atlantic on the Labrador coast. Those to the N. W. of Hudson's bay are of a larger size than those of Labrador, but they are all dwarfish. Their origin is uncertain; but they are evidently different from the aborigines generally diffused over the country, in language, character, habits of living, complexion and stature. Their features are harsh and disagreeable, their cheek bones prominent, their noses small and flat, their eyes small and black, and their lips thick. They are clothed in the skins of marine animals, which constitute their principal subsistence. Besides taking seals and whales, they hunt the reindeer, the bear, wolves, and other wild beasts. Their domestic animals are a large kind of dogs, which they use for draught and the chase, and which they prefer to the reindeer. Their arms are bows and arrows, spears and knives. Their canoes are composed of a frame of wood or whalebone, covered with seal skins. The smaller kind, capable of containing only one person, are called kayaks. They sometimes use a larger kind. called oomiak, for transport 582 ESQUIMAUX-ESSENTIAL OILS. ing luggage and removing their families, which afford accommodations for twenty persons. There is no authentic account of their numbers. They are represented as being without any kind of government, and nothing is known of their religious notions. They wrap up the dead in skins, and deposit the body, with the arms of the deceased, in the hollow of a rock. In 1764, the Moravian Brethren from Greenland established a mission in Labrador. They have induced the Esquimaux within their influence to abolish the custom of putting to death widows and orphans, and that of abandoning the aged who were incapable of procuring their own subsistence. The missionaries are of opinion that the Esquimaux originated from Greenland, on account of the great similarity of their manners and customs, and of their language, to those of the Greenlanders. ESQUIRE; anciently, the person that attended a knight in the time of war, and carried his shield. Those to whom the title of esquire is now due in England, are, all noblemen's younger sons, and the eldest sons of such younger sons; the eldest sons of knights, and their eldest sons; the officers of the king's courts, and of his household; counsellors at law, justices of the peace, &c., though the latter are only esquires in reputation: besides, a justice of the peace holds this title no longer than he is in commission, in case he is not otherwise qualified to bear it; but a sheriff of a county, who is a superior officer, retains the title of esquire during life, in consequence of the trust once reposed in him. The heads of some ancient families are esquires by right of prescription. Ess, Charles van, born in 1770, at Warburg, in the bishopric of Paderborn, entered the Benedictine abbey of Huysburg, near Halberstadt, in 1788, where he subsequently became prior; but, on the suppression of the abbey, in 1804, he became a parish preacher at this place. In 1811, the bishop of Paderborn appointed him episcopal commissioner, with the full powers of vicar-general in the departments of the Elbe and Saal. In this situation, he evinced a great predilection for the Roman see. It is said that he took but little part in the translation of the New Testament which was published under his and his brother's name, and he subsequently disclaimed any coöperation in it. In 1810, he wrote a History of the Abbey of Huysburg, and, at the time of the Protestant jubilee, in 1817, a Short History of Religion, which was publicly burnt by the scholars in Halberstadt, at the celebration of the festival of the refor mation, and which was answered by some scholars in the vicinity. He died Óct. 22, 1824.-His brother, Leander van Ess, Benedictine of the abbey of Marienmunster, in the territory of Paderborn, and, at a later period, a parish priest at Schwalenberg, in the principality of Lippe, and, since 1813, professor extraordinary of theology, and preacher at Marburg, also one of the directors of the seminary for teachers at that city, has distinguished himself by his translation of the New Testament, published at Sulzbach, by Seidel. The pope, it is true, has lately prohibited this translation; but, in 1820, a new edition appeared, under the name of Leander only. This translation has had a great influence upon the German Catholics. ESSAYING. (See Assaying.) ESSENES, OF ESSEANS; a sect among the Jews, the origin of which is unknown, as well as the etymology of their name. They are first mentioned in the book of Maccabees, about B. C. 150. They lived in solitude, and had all their possessions in common. Certain examinations preceded the admission of candidates to their society. Philo says, that they sacrificed no living creature, and that they shunned cities. Josephus says, that they sent presents to the temple, but offered no sacrifices there. They had purer ideas of God than the Jews commonly entertained, a strict code of morals, and a Pythagorean manner of life. Instead of performing external rites, they devoted theinselves to prayer and silent devotion, scrupulously observed the Sabbath, were extremely abstinent, and healed diseases of every kind by roots and herbs. They rejected the subtilties of the Pharisees and the epicureanism of the Sadducees. History no where supports the supposition that Jesus and John were members of this body. (See Bellermann's Ancient Accounts of the Essenes and Therapeuta, Berlin, 1821.) The principal ancient writers who give an account of this sect are Josephus, Philo and Pliny. ESSENTIAL OILS. This name is applied to those volatile fluids usually obtained from aromatic plants, by subjecting them to distillation with water. The oil is volatilized with the aqueous vapor, and is easily condensed; a small portion of it is retained in solution by the water; but the greater part separates, and is obtained pure from the difference in their specific gravity. In some instances, as, for exain ESSENTIAL OILS-ESTAFET. ple, in the rind of the orange and lemon, the oil exists in distinct vesicles, and may be obtained by expression. The principal volatile or essential oils are those of turpentine, aniseed, nutmeg, lavender, cloves, caraway, peppermint, spearmint, sassafras, camomile and citron. The taste of these oils is acrid and burning; and their odor very pungent, generally resembling the taste and smell of the vegetables affording them. They are generally fluid, and remain so even at a low temperature; but some congeal at a very moderate degree of cold, and others are naturally concrete. They are extremely volatile, and boil at a temperature considerably above that of boiling water; thus oil of turpentine boils at 315. They are very soluble in strong alcohol, but, on adding water largely, are precipitated. They are soluble in ether in like manner, but do not form soaps with the alkalies, by which they are distinguished from the fixed oils. They are readily inflamed by strong nitric acid; especially with the precaution of adding a little sulphuric acid to render the former more concentrated. Exposed to the action of the air, they undergo an alteration in consequence of the absorption of oxygen, become thickened, and gradually change into a solid matter, resembling the true resins. When digested with sulphur, they unite with it, forming what have been called balsams of sulphur. One of the most useful and abundant of the essential oils is that of turpentine, commonly called spirit of turpentine. It is obtained by distilling turpentine and water, in due proportions, from a copper alembic. It is perfectly limpid and colorless, has a strong smell, a bitterish taste, boils at 316°, and is extremely inflammable. It is the solvent employed in making a variety of varnishes; but for purposes of nicety, it requires to be rectified by a second distillation. In general, the volatile oils are used in the practice of medicine, or as perfumes. Those applied to the latter use, as the essence of rose, of jasmine, violet, &c., are possessed of a more feeble odor, and, being obtained from the flowers of their respective plants, require much care in their preparation. This is done by spreading upon white wool, impregnated with olive oil, the petals of the flowers, and leaving them for some time, covered over with a woollen cloth, upon which flowers are also scattered. The flowers are renewed from time to time, until the olive oil employed appears to be saturated with the oil of the flowers, when this last is separated by digesting the wool in alcohol. 583 ESSEQUIBO; a river of English Guiana, which flows into the Atlantic; lon. 58° 30′ W.; lat. 7° N. It is 20 miles wide at its mouth, but difficult of navigation, on account of the sand banks, which run in different directions across its entrance. It contains a number of islands. The influence of the tide is felt about 100 miles up the river. ESSEQUIBO; a settlement of English Guiana, on the borders of the above river, originally belonging to the Dutch, but, after having several times changed possessors, was finally ceded to Great Britain in 1814. The settlement is flourishing, the country well cultivated, and extremely fertile, in coffee, cotton, cocoa and sugar. ESSEX, earl of, (See Devereux.) ESSEX; a post-town in Essex county, New York, on the western shore of lake Champlain; 14 miles south-west of Burlington, 16 from Elizabethtown. There is a flourishing village on the lake in this township, which has considerable trade. The celebrated split rock is in this township, 5 miles south of the village. It projects 50 yards into lake Champlain; the point, consisting of about half an acre, and covered with trees, is separated from the main rock about 20 feet. The height of the rock, on each side of the opening, is about 20 feet. It appears to have been separated by some great convulsion, and is esteemed a great curiosity.. ESSLINGEN. (See Aspern.) ESTACHAR, OF ESTAKAR, or ISTACHAR ; a town in Persia, in Chusistan; 30 miles N. N. E. of Schiras, 160 S. S. E. of Ispahan; lon. 53° 40′ E.; lat. 30° 5 N. Near it are the ruins of ancient Persepolis. These ruins are on a plain, 6 miles in breadth, and 105 in length, from northwest to south-east. It is usually called Murdasjo, and the inhabitants pretend that it included 880 villages. The soil is chiefly converted into arable land, and watered by a great number of rivulets. According to Le Bruyn, no traces of the city now remain; the magnificent ruins which he saw in the year 1704, and of which he has given a description, with many plates, are those of the royal palace of the ancient kings of Persia, which the Persians call Chilminar, or Chalmenaer, which signifies forty columns. Among other ruins are those of a tomb, supposed to be the tomb of Darius. ESTAFET; a particular kind of courier, who goes only a certain distance, when he is relieved, like a mail-carrier. He rides on horseback, and is furnished by the post-office. Estafettes travel faster than the mails, and may be had at any time on the European continent. They are often employed by merchants to convey information of fluctuations in the stocks, the early knowledge of which is often of the highest importance. Estafettes are bound to perform the different stages in a certain time, and not to carry any other letters than those of their employer, without his permission. In Italian, the word is staffetta, in German, staffette, in French, estafette, in Spanish, estafeta, the Italian being the original. It is probably derived from staffa, a stirrup, staffetta signifying a small stirrup, perhaps formerly used in preference by estafettes. ESTAFFETTE D'ALGER, L'. At the time of the French expedition to Algiers, in 1830, a semi-weekly paper of this name was published in Africa; it was a political, military, commercial and maritime journal, containing the bulletins, &c., of the armies, describing the engagements with lithographic plans, giving sketches of the African commerce, and of the resources and customs of the country, military anecdotes, &c. Such a paper is unique. We cannot help wishing that Scipio had published a Cursor Africanus, or Alexander an 'Αγγελος Ασιανός. But we should then, probably, complain as much of the mass of information as we now do of its defectiveness. The Estaffette is regularly sent to France by steam-boats. ESTAING, Charles Henry, count d', admiral and lieutenant-general of the armies of France before the revolution, was a native of Ravel, in Auvergne, and was descended from an ancient family in that province. Count d'Estaing commenced his career by serving in the East Indies under Lally, when he was taken prisoner by the English, and sent home on his parole. Having engaged in hostilities again before he had been regularly exchanged, he was taken a second time, and imprisoned at Portsmouth. During the American war, he was employed as vice-admiral. At the capture of the island of Grenada he distinguished himself; but on every occasion he showed more courage than conduct or professional skill. He promoted the revolution; and, in 1789, he was appointed a commandant of the national guards at Versailles. In 1791, he addressed to the national assembly a letter full of protestations of attachment to the constitution, on the occasion of the approaching trial of the king. He suffered under the guillotine, 1793, as a counter-revolutionist, at the age of 65. ESTAMINET (French); a public place where smoking is permitted, which, in France, is not allowed generally in coffeehouses, &c. In the Netherlands, public houses in general are called estaminets, because smoking is permitted in all. Estaminets, with their floods of beer and clouds of smoke, furnish an important part of a Dutchman's happiness. In London, also, the same name has been given to coffeehouses where smoking is permitted. ESTATE, in law, signifies the title or interest which a person has in lands, tenements, hereditaments, or other effects, the word being derived from the Latin status, which means the condition or circumstance in which a person stands in regard to his property. Estate is real or personal. The phrase personal estate is applicable not only to movables, goods, money, bonds, notes, but also to some fixtures temporarily attached to lands or buildings; and the distinction between those fixtures which are temporarily such, and those which belong to, and form a part of the house, or other real estate, is of importance, as this distinction will determine how it is to be attached on mesne process, or seized and sold, or set off on an execution, and also how it descends on the decease of the proprietor. But personal estate also applies to some interests in lands or houses; thus a lease of them for a certain number of years, though it be more than a hundred, and so longer than any person is likely to live, is personal estate; and yet an estate for the life of the owner, or of any other person, in these subjects, though the person, by whose life the interest is limited, may be ever so old or infirm, and likely to survive ever so short a time, is real estate, and is subject to the law regulating such estate, in regard to sales and descents. Real estate in lands is of various kinds and descriptions, according to the quantity of interest, its duration, or the time by which it is limited in respect to its commencement or termination, and the number and condition of the owners. A fee simple is the amplest estate which the law admits of. (See Fee.) A freehold is an estate for the life of any person or persons, or any greater estate. An estate in tail is one limited to certain heirs. (See Entail.) Only real estate and a freehold greater than for the life of one person, can be entailed; but such an estate is of various kinds, such as tail-male, where it descends, in successive order, to the male heirs of the grantee in direct descent; tail-female, where it is thus limited to the female de |