of Somerset, raised a fort at Athelney. In May he defeated the Danes at Edington, Wiltshire; and by the Peace of Wedmore, Guthrum had to receive baptism, and to acknowledge the supremacy of Alfred, who retained the country S. of the Thames and most of Mercia, while ceding to the Danes East Anglia and the rest of Mercia. In 884 Alfred sent a fleet against the Danes of East Anglia; in 886 he took and fortified London; and about the same time Northumbria made submission to him—thus he became overlord of all England. On the whole, he enjoyed a much-needed period of peace, till 893, when a fresh swarm of Danes, under Hasting, invaded the country. They were supported by their fellow-countrymen in East Anglia and Northumbria, and for four years gave much trouble. Alfred died Oct. 27, 901, and was buried at Winchester.
ALFRED UNIVERSITY, a coeducational (non-sectarian) institution in Alfred, N. Y.; organized in 1836; reported in 1919: Professors and instructors, 40; students, 400. President, Booth C. Davis, Ph. D.
ALGÆ, the general name for the seaweeds and similar plants, mostly growing in salt and fresh water. Vast masses of gulf-weed float in the Atlantic Ocean over an area called the Sargasso Sea. Some kinds are used for food, and others for making iodine and soda.
ALGEBRA, that department of mathematics which enables one, by the aid of certain symbols, to generalize, and, therefore, to abbreviate, the methods of solving questions relating to numbers. It is now regarded as the most extensive department of mathematics. It was called by Isaac Newton universal arithmetic, employing letters of the alphabet as symbols of known or unknown quantities and signs ( + , — , √, etc.), to indicate addition, subtraction, and similar arithmetical processes. Of the letters, those near the beginning of the alphabet (a, b, c, d, etc.) usually stand for known quantities, and those toward its end for unknown ones. The difference between algebra and arithmetic consists in the universality of the former, its conclusions being true for any number of specific cases, while the results of an arithmetical process can be applied to a single case only. The earliest extant treatise on algebra is that of Diophantus (4th century A. D.). The Hindus transmitted the science to the Arabs, whose writings on the subject were brought to Italy by Leonardo Fibonacci (1202 A. D.) of Pisa.
ALGECIRAS, or ALGEZIRAS (al-he-thē-ras), a seaport on Gibraltar Bay, province of Cadiz, Spain; anciently known as Portus Albus. It was the first landing place of the Moors, who held it from 713 till 1344, when Alfonso XI. of Castile obtained possession of it after 20 months' siege. The city was entirely destroyed, remaining in ruins till 1760. In 1801 two engagements took place near Algeciras, between the English and the allied French and Spanish fleets. Here the important Morocco conference met in 1906. See MOROCCO.
ALGER, HORATIO, an American writer of juvenile books, born at Revere, Mass., Jan. 13, 1834; graduated from Harvard in 1852, settled in New York in 1866, and became interested in the condition of self-supporting boys, described in his series of more than 50 books, including "Ragged Dick," "Tattered Tom," "Luck and Pluck," which became very popular. He died in Natick, Mass., July 18, 1899.
ALGER, RUSSELL ALEXANDER, an American merchant, capitalist, and politician, born in Lafayette, O., Feb. 27, 1836. He served in the Civil War, rising from a captaincy to the rank of brevet Major-General of Volunteers. He was Governor of Michigan from 1885 to 1887; a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1888; Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (1889-1890); and became Secretary of War in President McKinley's Cabinet in 1897. Almost from the beginning of the Spanish-American War of 1898 he was the object of much public censure for shortcomings in his department, and finally resigned in 1899. He became U. S. Senator in 1902. He died Jan. 4, 1907.
ALGERIA, one of the Barbary states of north Africa, belonging to France, extending from 20° W. to 10" E. longitude. Area, 184,474 square miles. It is divided into the three departments of Oran, Constantine, and Algiers. It is regarded as part of France, but has a civil governor-general and a Council. The principal rivers—none of which are navigable—are the Shelif, Wadel-Kebir, and Seybus. There are several saltwater lakes, some of which are temporary; the largest of these is Shot Melrhirh, 100 feet below sea-level. In the district of the Tell Atlas, grain, sorghum, vegetables, and tobacco are produced; on the slopes the vine is cultivated, the wine being exported to France for re-export as French wine. The chief products of the country are wheat, barley,
