Al'ba, Sylvius

son of Latin us Sylvius, succeeded his father in the kingdom of Latium, and reigned 36 years. Alba de Tormes, a town of Spain, on the Tormes, 14 m. from Salamanca. Pop. 2,300. Albacete, a town of Spain, cap. of prov. of A. area of prov. 5,972 Sq. M. Pop . 222,028. Al'bacore, or ALBICORE, n. ( Zoël .) See BONITO. Alban, (St.,) the first Christian martyr in Great Brit ain, lived in the 3d century. After having served seven years as a soldier under the Emperor Diocletian, he returned to Britain, embraced Christianity, and suffered martyrdom in the great persecution of Diocletian. Numerous miracles are attributed to this saint. Alban's, (St.,) a small and ancient borough of England, Hertford co., 20 miles N.N.W. of London, by the London and North Western railway. It is the ancient Roman Verulamium. Pop . of parish, 3,679. The abbey church is the most imposing object in the place. It was built in 796, in honor of St. Alban, by the king Offa. Of this first abbey there remains but a gateway. The present abbey is an object worthy the attention of the antiquarian and the student of architecture. It is built in the form of a cro , running 547 feet from east to west, and having a breadth of 206 feet, at the intersection of the transept. Its tower has an elevation of 146 feet, crowned with battlements, and is one of the most perfect parts of the building. Every style of architecture, from the time of the Romans to that of Henry VII., may be traced in it. The abbot of St. Alban's was mitred, and as a peer of the realm had a seat in Parliament He took prece dence of all other English abbots from the time of Pope Adrian IV., q. v. -Near the town of St. Alban's,two battles were fought between the houses of York and Lancaster. In the first, May 22, 1455, Richard, Duke of York, obtained a victory over Henry VI. In the second, Feb. 2, 1461, Margaret, of Anjou, defeated the army of the Yorkists, commanded by Warwick. Al'ban's Head, (St.,) a cape of England, on the coast of the county of Dorset, 441 feet above the level of the sea. Lat. 50° 4' N.; Lon. 2° 10' W. Alba'nese, an Italian musician of high reputation. D at Paris, 1800. Alba'ni, a powerful family of Rome, which has supplied the Catholic church with several cardinals. Two of them are well-known as patrons of the fine arts. -1. A., AL ESSANDRO. B. 1692; D. 1779; he was a great virtuoso, and po e ed a collection of drawings and engravings which, at his death, was purchased by George III. for 14,000 crowns.-2. A. , GIOVANNI FRANCESCO, nephew of the former, B. 1720, a great friend to the Jesuits, but in other respects liberal and enlightened. His palace was plundered by the French in 1798, when he made his escape to Naples, stripped of all his po e ions. D. 1803.