Encyclopaedia Americana: a popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, brought down to the present time : including a copious collection of original articles in American biography : on the basis of the seventh edition of the German Conversations-Lexicon (Volume 13).

Date:: 1830-33

Credit: Encyclopaedia Americana: a popular dictionary of arts, sciences, literature, history, politics and biography, brought down to the present time : including a copious collection of original articles in American biography : on the basis of the seventh edition of the German Conversations-Lexicon (Volume 13). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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$structed in decimal progression, fiom 10,000 grains downwards to one hun- dredth of a grain. By comparing the number of grains in the avoirdupois and troy pound and ounce respectively, it ap- pears that the troy pound is less than the avoirdupois, in the proportion of fourteen to seventeen nearly; but the troy ounce is greater than the avoirdupois, in the proportion of seventy-nine to seventy-two nearly. The carat, used for weighing diamonds, is 3^ grains. The term, how- ever, when used to express the fineness of gold, has a relative meaning only. Every mass of alloyed gold is supposed to be divided into twenty-four equal parts : thus the standard for coin is twen- ty-two carats fine; that is, it consists of twenty-two parts of pure gold, and two parts of alloy. What is called the newstand- arrf, used for watch-cases, &c., is eighteen carats fine. 3. Ancient Weights.—It is well known that this subject is involved in consider- able difficulty. The following table gives the estimates of different authors, in re- gard to some of the ancient weights. Attic obolus . . . Attic drachma,. . Lesser mina . . . Greater mina . . . Medical mina . . . English Troy Grains. . J 8.2 Christiani. I 9.1 Arbuthnot. (51.9 Chr. : ^ 54.6 Arb. ([ 69. Paucton. : 3,892 Chr. ( 5,189 Chr. : { 5,464 Arb. ( 6,900 Pauc. : 6,994 Arb. Talent =: 60 minae =: h. cwt. English. Old Greek drachm Old Greek mina . Egyptian mina . . Ptolemaic mina of Cleopatra Alexandrian mina of Dioscorides Grains. = 146.5 Arb. — 6,425 « =: 8,326 = 8,985 ;= 9,992 Roman denarius . . = 51.9= J Roman I oz. Chr. 162.5=1 Roman oz. Arb. Denarius of Nero . . = 54 Pauc. Ounce Pound = 12 Roman 415.1 Chr. 437.2 Arb. 431.2 Pauc. Weigl, Joseph, a distinguished opera composer, bom in 1766, at Eisenstadt, in Hungary. In his fifteenth year, he com- posed a small opera. Gluck and Salieri aided him, and he became director of the Italian opera. In 1807, he was in 3Iilan, where his R Rivale di se Stesso attracted much attention. He now resides in Vi- enna. His genius is more adapted to the agreeable and gay than to the grand. Some of his most admired productions are. La Principessa d'AmalJi; Giidietta e Pierotto ; I solitarj ; UAmor marinaro ; U Uniforme ; and, in a different style, his Orphan Asylum (1808] ; Swiss Family (1809); the Hermit of the Alps ; Francis- ca de Foix; the Fall of Goldau (1812). He has also written other operas, besides some oratorios. Weimar, Saxe (in German, Sachsen- Wevmar); a sovereign grand-duchy of Germany, lying on the south of the Prus- sian government of Erfurt, and bordering on Gotha. It is composed of two parts or provinces, separated from each other— the principality of Weimar, and tlie principality of Eisenach, with a popula- tion of 226,628 souls, on 1400 square miles. The province of Weimar com- prehends the duchies of Weimar and Jena, with a part of the principality of Altenburg, the chief part of the circle of Neustadt, and the petty districts of Ilme- nau, Oldisleben, and Alstadt, which lie scattered in Thuringia. The province of Eisenach lies on the west side of Gotha, and to the east of Hesse-Cassel. (See Eisenach.) The surface of the province of Weimar is agreeably diversified; the soil fertile, producing corn sufficient for consumption ; and it has good pastures, which feed numerous flocks of sheep ; but large cattle are less attended to. The province of Eisenach is more mountain- ous and less fertile. The revenue is about $800,000. The government is a limited monarchy, administered by the grand-duke, \vith a representative consti- tution, granted by the duke May 5, 1816, which established a diet composed of deputies from the nobles, citizens and peasants, and guarantied the freedom of the press. The gi-and-duke of Saxe- Weimar-Eisenach has the twelfth vote in the German diet, in conjunction with the other princes of the Ernestine line (see Saxons), and one vote by himself in the plenum. The grand-duchy has one luiiversity, that of Jena (q. v.), with (in 1829) 619 students, two gymnasia, and numerous inferior institutions for educa- tion. The religion is Lutheran.$

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