Aerology

(a-er-dl'o-je.) [Gr. aër, and logos, a treatise.] The science, theory, or doctrine of air. SeeAIR, ATMOSPHERE, and Gas. Aerometry, (a-er-om'e-tre.) [Gr. aer, and met reo, I measure.] The art of admeasurement of the air, so as to determine its weight or pre ure, its elasticity, refraction, and the like. - Also, the art or science of measuring the full volume of gases. Aeronaut, (a-er-o-nawt'.) [Gr. aër, and nautés, a sailor.] One who navigates the air in a balloon. Aeronautics, or Aerostation, (-stā'shun.) [Gr. aër, and ist emi, I stand.] The art of navigating the air. The term is commonly applied to balloon-voyaging, but should properly be limited to the as yet unlearned art of guiding aërial ve els. It seems to have been abundantly demonstrated that balloons cannot be guided through the air; their very buoyancy placing them beyond the control of those whom they support above the level of the earth; but recent inquiries have tended to show that the art of aërial voyaging is not so hopele ly unattainable as had been supposed. The inquirer should consult on this interesting question the valuable paper on Flying Machines, by Dr. Brearey, honorary secretary of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain. See BAL, LOON. Æsc hines. (ěs-ki'nez,) a Greek orator, B. at Athens, B. c. 389, was the contemporary and rival of Demosthenes. D. at Samos, 318. Æschynite, (eski-nīt.) (Min.) A titanate of zirconia and cerium. Æschylus, (es -ki'lus,) the first of the three great tragic poets of Greece, B. at Eleusis, B. c. 525, and distinguished himself in the battles of Marathon, Salamis, and Platœa. A., who was the inventor of the trilogy, is author of the Pro me the us Bound, as well as the complete trilogy of the Oresteia-comprising the Agamemnon, the Choephoræ, and the Eumenides. An eagle soaring above him dropped a tortoise on the bald head of the poet, and killed him, B. c. 456. Esculapius, (ěs-kū-lā'pe-us.) (Myth.) The god of medicine, was a son of Apollo and Arsinoë, and is usually represented as a venerable old man with a flowing beard. Æscul in, (ěs'ku-lin.) (Chem.) A highly florescent substance extracted from the bark of Esculus hippocastanum. It forms colorle needle-shaped crystals, which have a bitter taste. Form. C21H24013Æscul us, (ès'ku-lūs.) (Bot.) A gen. of shrubs or trees, O. Sapindaceæ, inhabiting temperate regions, and consisting of the horse-chestnut, Æ. hippocastanum, and allied species. Æsop, (e's op,) a famous Greek fabulist, flourished in the 6th cent. B. c. Born a Phrygian, he was sold into slavery, but obtaining his freedom, resorted to the court of Crœsus, king of Lydia, where his wit and wisdom achieved him popularity. Sent by Cræsus to Delphi, in Greece, he was killed there by some citizens whom he had offended. His fables, delivered by word of mouth, became universally popular, and were pa ed on in the same manner from generation to generation. How much of the original fables is preserved in the collections that have come down to us, it is impo ible to tell. Esthetics, (es-the tiks.) [Gr. æsthetikos, adapted to perception.] (Philos.) That branch of philosophical investigation which relates to and includes all things pertaining to the Beautiful, in literature and the fine arts. The æsthetic quality of a work of art is that which is apprehended by the perceptions of feeling, irrespective of the understanding. Æstivation, (ès-ti-vā'shun.) [From L. æstivus, belonging to the summer.] (Bot.) The manner in which the parts of a flower are arranged before they unfold. Ætho gen, (e'tho-gen.) [Gr. ai thon, glittering, and gino mai, I become.] (Chem.) A compound of boron and nitrogen, which yields a brilliant phosphorescent light when heated before the blow-pipe. Eth rio scope, (e'thri-o-skop.) [Gr. aithros, clear, and skopeo, to view.) (Phys.) A kind of differential thermometer, used to measure the radiations towards the sky. Etiology, (e-te-ol'o-je.) [FromGr. ai tia, a cause, and logos, a discourse.] The doctrine of the causes of disease; also, that branch of science or philosophical inquiry which treats of the reasons of phenomena. Actius, (a-e's hus,) a Roman general, and thrice consul, lived under Val ent in i an II., nobly defended the declining fortunes of his country; thrice vanquished the Burgundians and Franks, and drove Attila beyond the Rhine. Val ent in i an, jealous of his fame and influence, slew him with his own hand, 454. Ætolia, (e-to'le-ah,) a mountainous country of Greece, situate on the N. shore of the Gulf of Corinth, or Lepanto, now forming, with A carn an i a, a prov, or nomarchy of the kingdom of Greece. Its climate is delicious; the plains are rich and fertile; the mountain scenery is magnificent; but now, as in ancient times, the Ætolians are fierce, fickle, faithle , reckle , and predatory, [s. 10]