ALARIA, a genus of sea-weeds belonging to the order fucaceæ, or sea-wracks, and the tribe luminaridæ. One species, alaria esculenta, called by the Scotch balderlocks, is used for food in Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Denmark, and the Faroë Isles.
THE ALAMO, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
ALARIC (al′ar-ik), a celebrated conqueror, King of the Visigoths. He was a commander of the Goths in the service of Rome, and in 395 revolted and invaded Greece, capturing Athens. He was opposed by Stilicho, and retreated to Epirus; was then made prefect of Illyricum by the Emperor Arcadius, and was elected king by his own people. In 400 he invaded the Western Empire, reaching Milan in 403. He besieged the Emperor Honorius in Asto, who was relieved by Stilicho, and a drawn battle was fought at Pollentia; soon afterward he suffered a serious defeat at Verona. He was again appointed prefect of Illyricum. On the death of Stilicho, Honorius repudiated his obligations to Alaric, who immediately marched upon Rome and laid siege to it (408); but was induced to leave by the promise of 5,000 pounds of gold and 30,000 pounds of silver. Enraged by further breach of covenant, he advanced on Rome a third time (410), and his troops pillaged the city for six days, Alaric, who was an Arian Christian, like his people, forbidding his soldiers to dishonor women or destroy religious buildings. When Alaric quitted Rome, it was only to prosecute the conquest of Sicily. In 410 he died at Cosenza, in Calabria.
ALARIC II., eighth King of the Visigoths, ruled, from 484 onward, Gaul S. of the Loire, and most of Spain. An Arian, he was attacked, completely routed near Poitiers, and slain by the orthodox Clovis, King of the Franks (507).
ALASKA, a Territory in the Western Division of the North American Union, comprising the extreme northwestern part of the American continent; bounded by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, Bering Sea, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories of Canada; gross area, as far as determined, 581,107 square miles; purchased from Russia, in 1867, for $7,200,000; given a territorial district government in 1884; administrative districts 4; pop. (1910) 64,356; (1920) 54,718; seat of government, Juneau.
Topography.— The Territory includes Prince of Wales Island, the Alexander or King George Archipelago, and the Kadiak, Aleutian, Pribiloff, and St. Lawrence Islands. The coast line exceeds that of the entire Atlantic seaboard of the United States, and has several notable
