AIDIN—AINMULLER.
a great share in bringing about the revolution of
July 1830, and was at first countenanced by the
new government; but after a short time it was
dissolved (1832).
AIDI'N, or GUZEL-HISSAR, a town of Asiatic
Turkey, on the river Meander, in the pachalic of
Anatolia, built out of the ruins of the ancient
Tralles, which was situated on a plateau above the
present town. It lies sixty miles south-east of
Smyrna, contains 6000 houses, and 30,000 inhabit-
ants, is four miles in circuit, and carries on a
trade next in importance to that of Smyrna. It is
adorned, like all eastern -cities, with numerous
mosques and other religious edifices, and has a
picturesque appearance.
AIDS. These were originally mere benevolences
granted by a tenant to his lord, in times of distress ;
but gradually they came to be regarded as matters
of right, and not of discretion. There were three
principal objects for which A. were demanded: 1st,
To ransom the person of the lord when taken pri-
soner; 2d, To make his eldest son a knight; and 3d,
To provide a suitable portion to his eldest daughter
on her marriage. These A. were abolished by 12
Car. IL c. 24.
A or tHE KINg is where the king’s tenants
pray A. of the K. on account of rent demanded of
them by others. In such cases, the proceedings are
stopped till the king’s or queen’s counsel are heard
to say what they think fit for avoiding the king’s
prejudice.
AT'GRETTE, a French word, used to denote the
down or plume (botanically, pappus) which is found
attached to many vegetable seeds, as the thistle and
dandelion. It is also used in reference to the feathery
tuft on the heads of several birds, as the heron ; and
in English zoology the name aigret or egret (q. v.) is
applied to the lesser white heron, an elegant bird, with
a white body and a feathery crest. Hence the term
A. came to be used to designate the long, delicate
white feathers which, being stuck upright in a lady’s
head-dress, are calculated to give a majestic appear-
ance to the person. More recently, the usage has
been still further extended, and any head-dress
bearing an analogy to a plume, even a bouquet of
flowers, fastened with precious stones, is denominated
an A.
AIGUES MORTES (Aque Mortuz), a small
town in France (pop. 3000), in the department of
Gard, which claims to have been founded by the
Roman Marius. It is situated in an extensive
marsh, impregnated with sea-salt, and is about
three miles from the Mediterranean, with which it
is connected by a canal. It was from A. M. that
St Louis sailed in 1248, and again in 1270, for the
Crusades—a proof that the sea then reached this
spot. In 1538, Francis L. had an interview at A. M.
with Charles V.
AIGUT'LLE (Fr. a needle), an instrument often
used by military engineers, to pierce a rock for the
reception of gunpowder, when any blasting or blow-
ing-up is to be effected. ]
AIGUILLE'TTE, a part of the decorations of
military dress. It was formerly worn on the right
shoulder by general officers of various grades; but is
now chiefly confined to officers of the Life-Guards
and Horse-Guards. It is merely an ornament, com-
posed of gold or silver cords and loops.
AT'GULET, a rope called a lashing-rope,
employed in ships-of-war for securing the breeching
of a gun.
AILANTO (didlanthus glandulosa), a lofty and
beautiful tree, of the natural order Xanthoxylacee
(see XANTHOXYLON), a native of China, but now
92
frequently planted to shade public walks in the
south of Europe, and not uncommon in England.
The styles are combined at the base, the fruit con-
sists of 3-5 samare (or winged achenia, q.v.). The
leaves are large and pinnate, with an odd leaflet,
resembling those of the ash. The tree grows better
than almost any other on chalky soils, and is
t hardy enough to endure the climate even of the
north of Scotland. It is easily propagated by
suckers and cuttings of the roots. The wood is fine
grained, satiny, and suited for cabinet-making.
ATLETTES (Fr. little wings) were appendages
to the armour worn by knights in the 13th c.
They were sometimes made of leather, covered
with a kind of cloth called carda, and fastened
with silk laces. The form was sometimes cir-
cular, sometimes pentagonal, cruciform, or lozenge
shaped, but more usually square. Sometimes they
were not larger than the palm of the hand ; in other
instances, as large as a shield. In most instances,
the A. were worn behind or at the side of the
shoulders. Whether the purpose of these append-
ages was as a defence to the shoulders in war; as
an ensign or mark, to indicate to the followers of
the knight his place in the field; or as armorial
bearings, is not now clearly known ; but the first
supposition is the most probable. A. are figured on
many effigies, monumental brasses, and stained
windows, 1n our cathedrals and old churches.
AT'LSA CRAIG, a remarkable islet about 14
miles from the southern coast of Ayrshire, opposite
Girvan, lat. 55° 15’ 12" N.; long. 5° 7 W. Rising
abruptly out of the sea to a height of 1098 feet, it
forms a most striking object, even at a considerable
distance. It is about two miles in circumference,
and is accessible only at one point, where the
accumulation of débris has formed a rough beach.
The rock may be described generally as a mass of
trap, assuming in some places a distinct columnar
form, with dimensions far exceeding those of the
basaltic piMlars of Staffa. On the north-west, per-
pendicular cliffs rise to a height of from 200 to 300
feet ; on the other sides, the Craig descends to the
sea with a steep slope, covered with grass and wild-
flowers, with numerous scattered fragments of
rock. The only inhabitants are goats, rabbits,
and wild-fowl. Solan geese, in particular, breed
i the cliffs in countless numbers. About 200
feet from the summit are some springs, and on the
ledge of a crag on the eastern front, are the remaing
of an ancient stronghold. In 1831, the Earl of
Cassillis, the proprietor of A. C., was raised to the
dignity of Marqus of Ailsa.
AIN, a river in France, rises in the mountains of
the Jura, flows through the departments of Jura and
Ain, and after a course of about 100 miles, falls into
the Rhone, 18 miles above Lyon.
AIN, a frontier department of France, is bounded
on the N. by the departments of Jura and Sadne-et-
Loire, on the E. it is separated from Switzerland and
Savoy by the Rhone, which also divides it from Istre
on the S., while on the W. the Sadne separates it
from the departments of the Rhone and Sa0ne-et-
Loire. The eastern part is mountainous; but the
southern portion of that part which lies to the west
of the Ain, forms an argillaceous plateau, abounding
with marshes, which occasion epidemic fevers. This
department is divided into the five arrondissements
of Bourg, Belley, Gex, Nantua, Trévoux, and into
35 cantons. Pop. 370,900. The chief town is Bourg.
AINMULLER, Max. EmAN., to whom we owe
the restoration of the art of painting on glass, was
born at Munich, 1807. !
architecture, but afterwards entered the royal por-
celain manufactory as decorator; and it was here
He began the study of *
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