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ancients ; at least they were only acquainted with the nativePlum Allum, procured from Lipari and the neighbouring vol-canic islands. What the Romans called Alumen was vitriol -,the term Allum being first used in the eleventh century. Itwas manufactured at Rocca in Syria , and also at Smyrna, inthe twelfth century ; and the method of procuring it wasbrought from thence into Europe , by Bartholomew Perdix,a Genoese merchant, who founded Allum Works at Iseria, in1458 j a manufactory was afterwards established near Rome ,by John de Cestro, in 1465, with such success, that it wastaken under the immediate protection of the Popes , who,with the view of monopolizing the trade, prohibited its im-portation from the East, and compelled the workmen to takean oath of secrecy, as to the mode of preparing it; however,Sir Thomas Chandoler, of Gisborough, ventured to enticesome of the Pope ’s workmen into England, and erectedAllum Works at Whitby , in 1607, for which he had the ho-nour of being personally excommunicated. These works wereconsiderably improved by Sir John Bouchier, in 1609, andmuch encouraged by James , I., who, as well as his son Charles,prohibited the importation of Allum into this country j butthough the art of manufacturing Allum had not been acquiredin England previous to the time above stated, yet the saltitself was introduced about the middle of the fifteenthcentury ; and Hen. VII. made a monopolizing grant of thiscommodity to Augustine Chigi, a merchant of Sienna.

ALMANAC. Some contend that the Egyptians publishedthe predictions of events annexed to the months prior to theArabs , though the word itself, Almanac , is derived from twoArabic words, A1 and Manak, signifying the diary. All theclasses of Arabs , and indeed the Asiatics in general, are muchgiven to the study of astronomy and astrology, and they en-gage in no business of importance without previously con-sulting the stars. From these people the custom of forming