There are 3even principal editions of the Alcoran, two atMedina, one at Mecca , one at Cufa, one at Bassora, one inSyria , and the common or Vulgate edition. The first contains6,000 verses; the others surpassing this number by 200 or236 verses : but the number of words and letters is the same,in all, viz : 77,639 words, and 323,015 letters. The Koranis universally allowed to be written with the utmost eleganceand purity of language, in the dialect of the tribe of Koruish,the most noble and polite of all the Arabians , and is confes-sedly the standard of the Arabic tongue.

ALCOVE. No mention is made either by Vitruvius orPliny in their description of the lioman villas, of any recessesin their sleeping rooms for beds, except such as have windows,which may therefore be considered as separate rooms. Thisstile of architecture originated in Africa or Asia , for we readof alcoves perpetually in the Arabian stories, and in the de-scription of Asiatic palaces and gardens, it was introducedamong the Spaniards by their Saracen conquerors, and bythem called Alcoba, which, in the Spanish language, signifiesa vaulted cabinet in a chamber, open on one side, without win-dows, and large enough to contain a bed. After the expul-sion of the Moors by the Spaniards, at the close of the fifteenthcentury, Alcoves were introduced into Germany , France ,England, and other nations. Swinburne mentions two Alcovesyet remaining in the royal bed-chamber of the Moorish palaceof Alhambra, at Grenada , which are probably the oldest inEurope .

ALDERMAN. Saxon , ^Elderman; formerly the secondrank of Nobility among our Saxon ancestors, equal to theEarl of the Dano-Saxon. There were also several magis-trates who bore the title of Alderman, and, according toSpclman, the Aldermanus totius Anglise seems to have beenthe same officer who was afterwards styled capitalis justiciarius