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to follow the proper bent of his genius. Dr. Nicolas, a relationof his master’s, happened to die. The doctor’s books were re-moved to au apartment occupied by Edwards, who eagerly em-ployed all his leisure hours, both in "the day and night, in perusingthose on natural history, sculpture, painting, astronomy, and anti-quities. The reading of these books entirely deprived him of allinclination for mercantile business, and he resolved to travel intoforeign countries. In 1710, lie visited the principal towns inHolland. Two years after, he took a voyage to Norway , and thenext rear visited Paris by the way of Dieppe . On his arrival inEngland, Mr. Edwards closely pursued his favourite study of na-tural history, applying himself' to drawing and colouring such ani-mals as fell under his notice. A strict attention to natural, morethan picturesque beauty, claimed his earliest care: birds tirst en-gaged his particular attention; and having purchased some of thebest pictures of these subjects, he was induced to make a fewdrawings of his own; which were admired by the curious, whoencouraged our young naturalist to proceed, by paying a goodprice for his early labours. Among his tirst patrons and benefac-tors maybe mentioned James Theobalds, Esq. of Lambeth; agentleman zealous foi the promotion of science. Our artist, thusunexpectedly encouraged, increased in skill and assiduity; andprocured, by his application to his favourite pursuit, a decent sub-sistence and a large acquaintance. However, in 1731, in com-pany with two of his relations, he made an excursion to Holland and Brabant, where he collected several scarce books and prints,and saw the original pictures of several great masters at Antwerp ,Brussels, Utrecht , and other cities. In Dec. 1733, by the re-commendation of the great Sir Hans Sloane , Rart. president ofthe college of physicians, he was chosen librarian, ami tiad apart-ments in the college. This office was peculiarly agreeable to Instaste and inclination, as he had the opportunity of a constant re-course to a valuable library, tilled with scarce and curious bookson the subjects of natural history, which lie so assiduously studied.By degrees he became one of the most eminent ornithologists inthis, or any other country. Ilis merit is so well known in this re-spect, as to render any eulogium on his performances unnecessary:he never trusted to others what he could perform himself; andoften found it so difficult to give satisfaction to his own mind, thathe frequently made three or four draw ings to delineate the objectin its most lively character, attitude, and representation. In 174-3,the first volume of his History of Birds was published in 4to. Ilissubscribers exceeding even his most sanguine expectations, a se-cond volume appeared in 1747. The third was published in 1750;and in 1751, the fourth came out. This volume being the last heintended to publish at that time, he seems to have considered itas the most perfect of bis productions in natural history: and there-fore devoutly offered it up to the great God of nature, in humblegratitude for all the good things lie had received from him in thisworld. Our author, in 1758, continued his labours under a newtitle, viz. Gleanings of Natural History. A second volume ofthe Gleanings was published in 1760. The third part, whichmade the seventh and last volume of his work, appeared in 1764.Ilis collection of drawings, which amounted to upwards of 900,were purchased by the earl of Bute. They contain a great num-ber of British as well as foreign birds, and other animals hithertonot accurately delineated or described. Having entered his80th year, emaciated w ith age and sickness, he died July ”3, 1773,much lamented by a numerous acquaintance.
EDYSTONE EIGHT-HOUSE. See Eudystone.
EEL, in ichthyology. See Mur/f.na.
Eli,, in geography, a lake of North America . Lon. 98. 50.W. Lat. 49,’O. N.
Eel-shear, a forked instrument with three or four jagged teeth,used lor catching eels: that with the four teeth is best, whichthey strike into the mud at the bottom of the river, and if it strikeagainst any eels, it never fails to bring them up.
Eel Town, or Kenapacamaoua. a town of N. America , W.of the United States . Eon. 86. L’5. \V. Eat. 40. 30. N.
EEMS, a department of Batavia, or Holland . Leevvarden isthe capital.
EiTARE', or EE ERA YE', in heraldry, a term applied to abeast rearing on its hind legs, as if it were frighted or provoked.
EFEEC'l, in a general sense, is that which results from, orisproduced by, any cause. See Cais».
Effects, in commerce, law, &c. the goods possessed by any 1person, whether moveable or immoveable.
Effects, in die manege, the motions of the hand that serve toconduct the horse. See Aids. There are four effects of thehand, or four ways of making use of the bridle, viz. to push ahorse forwards, to give him head, to hold him in, and to turn thehand either to the right or left.
EEFECTIONS, in geometry, are used in the same sense withthe geometrical construction of propositions, and often of problemsand practices, which, when they are deducible from, or foundedupon, some general proposition, are called the geometrical effec-tions thereunto belonging.
EFEENDI, in the Turkish language, signifies master: and ac-cordingly it is a title very extensively applied ; as, to the muftiand emirs, to the priests of mosques, to men of learning, and ofthe law. The grand chancellor of the empire is called reis effendi.
EFFERD1NG, or EVERD1NG, a town of Germany , in thearchduchy of Austria, 10 miles AV. of Lintz.
EFFERVESCENCE, [from efferveo, Latin, ] in chemistry, isa rapid disengagement of gas taking place within a liquid ; in con-sequence of this, numerous bubbles rise to the surface, forming ahead of froth, and bursting with a hissing noise. There is someresemblance between effervescence and fermentation; the latteris, however, slower and more durable. Hence chemists formerlyapplied the term fermentation to all the pha'iiomena which areat present denoted hv effervescence.
EFFLORESCENCE, in botany. See F.fflorescrntia.
Efflorescence, in chemistry, denotes the formation of a kindof mealy powder on the surface of certain bodies, Effioresceuceis occasioned either by decomposition or drying. The effloros-ceuce which happens to cobalt and pyrites is of tiie first; and thatobserved on the crystals of marine alkali, Glauber’s salt, Ax. ofthe latter kind. An efflorescence is sometimes also a species ofcrystallization, as the beautiful vegetations which shoot up fromvitriolated tartar acidulated either with the vitriolic or nitrous acids,tiie saline spicuhe which are observed to shoot from salt-butter, &c.
EEFI.ORESCENTIA, or rather EKFEORESCENTLETEM BUS, [from ctflorescn, to bloom,] in botany, tiie precisetime of tiie year and month in which every plant shews its firstflow-el's. Some plants flower twice a year, as is common betweentiie tropics: others oftener, as the monthly rose. The for-mer are called biferx; the latter, multifer.x. Tiie time of flow-ering is determined by tiie degree of beat which each species re-quires. Mezereon and snowdrop produce their flowers in Febru-ary ; primrose in tiie beginning of March ; the greater number ofplants, during tiie month of May ; corn and other grain in tiie be-ginning of June; tiie vine, in tiie middle of the same month ; se-veral compound flowers in the months of July and August; lastly,meadow saffron flowers in October, and announces tiie speedy ap-proach of winter. Grass of Parnassus always flowers about tiietime of cutting dow n tiie hay ; and in Sweden the different speciesof thistle, mountain lettuce, succory, and balsam, seldom flowertill after the summer solstice: the countrymen know, as by a ca-lendar, that the solstice is past when these plants begin to producetheir flowers. The temperature of the seasons lias a great influ-ence both in accelerating aiul retarding the flowering of plants.
EFFLUVIA, [of c.r, from, and_//«o, I flow,] in physiology, aterm much used by philosophers and physicians, to express tiieminute particles which exhale from most, if not all, terrestrialbodies in form of insensible vapours. Nothing can exceed tiiesubtilty of the odoriferous effluvia of plants and other bodies. Mr.Bovle tells us, that having exposed to the open air a certain quan-tity" of asafa-tida, lie found its weight diminished only tiie eighthpart of a grain in six days: hence, il we suppose, that during all thattime, a man could smell the asiifortida at the distance of five feet, itwill appear that its effluvia cannot exceed tiie , -r, ,t o^cJcr- ct- y-s'cispart of an inch in magnitude. The effluvia of mineial substancesare called steams; and when collected in mines, or other closeplaces, damps. Malignant effluvia are assigned- by physicians, asthe causes of the plague, and other contagious diseases; as the jail-distemper, hospital-lever, and tire like.
KFFKON'J ES, in church history, a sect of heretics, in 1534,who soaped their forehead with a knife till it bled, and thenpoured oil into the wound. This ceremony served them insteadof baptism. They are likewise said to have denied the divinity ofthe lJoly Spirit.
Ef 1,