EARWIG

and Volcano; to which articles we must refer the reader for an account of the various theories that have been maintained in regard to the origin or cause of earthquakes, as well as for a view of the grand permanent changes which these convulsions have produced on the surface and in the internal structure of the earth's crust. See BakeweU's Introduction to Geology; LyelVs Geology; TrailVs Physical Geography; and Phillips's Geology. EA'RWIG. See Derm apter a Forficula. EA'SEL. (Germ, esel, an a .) In Painting, a wooden fi-ame used for supporting » picture during the progre of its execution. _..,. EA'SEL PIECES. In Pamtmg, pictures whose size is small enough to be painted on an easel. EA'SEMENT. In Law, a convenience which oneman has of another, his neighbour, by grant or prescription. Easements were included in the Roman law under the title servitutes; such are a way over the lands of another, or a water-course., ^.,,. EAST. (Germ. Ost.) The point of the horizon at which the sun rises at the time of the equinoxes; or the point determined by a perpendicular to the meridian drawn towards the quarter of sunrise. The east is one of the four cardinal points of the compa . EA'STER. (Germ. Ostem.) The festival which is held In comm anti oration of our Lord's resurrection. The term seems to be derived from a Saxon word signifying rising. The Jews celebrated their pa over, in conformity with the directions given them by Moses, on the 14th day of the month Nisan, being the lunar month of which the 14th day either falls on, or next follows, the day of the vernal equinox. In the year of our Lord's crucifixion this fell on a Friday: the resurrection, therefore, took place on the first day of the next week, which from thence is denominated the Lord's day. The primitive Christians in their desire to celebrate this anniversary fell into two different systems. The We stem churches observed the nearest Sunday to the full moon of Nisan, taking no account of the day on which the pa over would be celebrated. The Asiatics, on the other hand, following the Jewish calendar, adopted the 14th of Nisan upon which to commemorate the crucifixion, and observed the festival of Easter on the third day following, upon whatever day of the week that might fall; hence they obtained the name of Quartodeciman tes: the former appealed to the authority of St. Peter and St. Paul, the latter to that of St. John. The dispute which took place upon this point in the 2d and 3d centuries of our era is remarkable, as connected with perhaps the first event which can be brought to bear upon the question of the primacy of the Roman bishop; and it is the more interesting as both parties are accustomed to claim it as a testimony in favour of their own views. Victor, bishop of Rome, wrote an imperious letter to the Asiatic bishops, requiring their conformity to the Western rule; which was answered by Poly crates, bishop of Ephesus, in the name of the rest, expre ing their resolution to maintain the custom handed down to them by their ancestors. The Roman bishop thereupon broke off communion with them; but he was rebuked by Irenaeus of Lyons, and it was agreed by his mediation that each party should retain its customs. Such continued to be the practice till the time of Const an tine, when the Council of Nice determined the matter by the following canons: — 1. Easter must be celebrated on a Sunday. 2. This Sunday must /o«oti) the 14th day of the paschal moon; so that if the 14th day of the paschal moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter must be celebrated on the Sunday following. 3. The paschal moon is that moon of which the 14th day either falls on, or next follows, the day of the vernal equinox. 4. The 21 st day of March is to be accounted the day of the vernal equinox. The new moons, it is nece ary to observe, are those of the ecclesiastical calendar, which are determined arbitrarily (by the lunar cycle in the Julian calendar, and by means of the table of epacts in the Greg or i an); so that the above rules define Easter without ambiguity. The new moons of the calendar are in general one or two days, sometimes even three days, later than the astronomical or true new moons; and the 14th day of the moon is accounted the full moon, although the opposition takes place more frequently on the 1 6th day. See Calendar, Epact. EAST INDIA COMPANY. A famous joint stock a ociation originally established to carry on the trade between this country and the East Indies, or rather with the countries to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope. It was constituted by royal charter in 1600, and continued, notwithstanding repeated eiforts to open the trade, to enjoy the exclusive privileges originally conceded till 1688. At that period the power of the crown to restrain the freedom of trade without the sanction of parliament having been denied, a rival a ociation obtained an act of parliament in its favour; but after a variety of negotiations, which it is unuece ary to specify, the two cor376 EAST INDIA COMPANY. por a tions were joined in 1702 under the name of " Ths United Company of Merchants trading to the East Indies; " an appellation which has been continued to the present day. In 1708 the United Company was secured by parliament in the exclusive privilege of trading to all places eastward of the Cape of Good Hope to the Straits. of Magellan; and this privilege, with some modifications, was confirmed and prolonged by succe ive acts of parliament down to 1814. By tlie act 53 Geo. 3. c. 133., pa ed in 1813, the East India Company's charter was renewed for twenty years; but it then received some important modifications, by which a restricted intercourse was permitted to all British mercliants with the whole of the Company's Indian po e ions; the monopoly of the trade between England and China being, however, retained in the hands of the East India Company. These conce ions paved the way for the act of 1833, by which, though the Company's charter was prolonged till 1854, not only was the monopoly of the China trade abolished, but an end wholly put to the Company's original character of a commercial a ociation. But it is not as a commercial a ociation so much as a great territorial power, that the East India Company has become so distinguished. The first establishments of the English in India, as of other European nations, arose out of the alleged nece ity of providing armed factories or strongholds, where the adventurers might warehouse their goods, and reside in safety for the purpose of carrying on their intercourse with the natives; but the factories speedily degenerated into fortifications, and the garrisons into armies. For a while the power of the English and French was pretty nearly balanced in India; but the talents and victories of the famous Lord Clive gave us a decided superiority over every competitor, foreign or native, and extended our sway over some of the largest and finest portions of the Mogul empire. The policy of Clive, whether it were really approved by the succeeding governors-general of our Indian dominions, or were forced upon tliem by nece ity, has, some few short intervals excepted, been steadily followed up; and with such signal succe , that our Indian empire comprizes at present the whole of Hindostan from the Himalaya Mountains to Cape Com or in, with a population of above 120 millions! The most exaggerated accounts have been at air times current in Europe of the extraordinary wealth of India, and of the importance of the commerce with that part of the world. After the victories of Lord Clive, the most sanguine expectations began to be entertained, not only of a vast increase of trade with India, but that we should draw from her an immense amount of surplus revenue, or tribute. Perhaps it is not going too far to say that these expectations have been entirely disappointed. Great abuses existed in the govermnent of the Bengal provinces when conquered by Clive; the servants of the East India Company making large fortunes by the oppre ion of the natives and the ruin of the country. But, notwithstanding the eradication of the abuses in question, the immense additions that have since been made to our empire, and the oppre ive taxes laid on the natives, it is not very clear that England has hitherto derived any direct revenue from India. The distance of the country, and the totally di imilar language and customs of tlie people, are very great obstacles to our governing it with the economy nece ary to make it yield any considerable amount of surplus revenue. The East India Company always contended that the profits made by their monopoly of the China trade were nece ary to enable them to conduct the government of India. But, though there are strong grounds on which to impeach the accuracy of this statement, still it is abundantly clear that the surplus revenue we have derived from India, supposing there has been any such, has been comparatively inconsiderable; and quite trifling, indeed, compared witli our own anticipations, and with the notions entertained by others of its magnitude. Until 1815and 1816, when the continued fall in the price of cotton goods, caused by the astonishing discoveries and inventions of Ark wright, and the other founders and improvers of the cotton manufacture, enabled us to export cottons to India and to undersell the natives, the trade between this country and India was of the most limited description. Previously to tlie opening of the trade in 1813-14 the total amount of the exports of all sorts, including the important item of military stores, by the East India Company and by private traders in the Company's ships, did not amount to 1,400,000/. a year; and even on this a considerable lo is believed to have been incurred! But such has been the increased demand for British cottons, that the value of those exported to India amounts, at present, to above 2,500,000/. a year, and the whole of our exports to her to near 4,000,000/. Even this, considering the vast extent of India, is but a trifling export; it is, in fact, le than half the amount of our exports to the United States. The restricted amount of our commerce with India may, perhaps, be in some degree ascribed to its having Page 390