Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/170

flattened as though it had undergone great pressure. The whole body had been converted into this fatty matter, except the bones, which remained, but were extremely brittle. Fourcroy, who had observed the substance before, and had given it the name of adipocere, read a paper on the subject before the Academy of Sciences in 1789. Chemically, adipocere is found to consist principally of margarate of ammonia. A similar substance, found in peat, is known as bog-butter.

Adipose (adeps, fat), a term in Anatomy, signifying fatty; as adipose tissue, adipose cell, &c.

Adirondack Mountains, a group of mountains in the N. of the state of New York, North America, lying between Lakes Champlain and Ontario. They rise from an extensive plateau about 2000 feet above the level of the sea, and are chiefly of granite formation. Mount Marcy, the highest summit, has an altitude of 5337 feet, and others of the group are from 4000 to 5000 feet high. The two principal streams which take their rise in this region—the Hudson flowing south, and the Richelieu flowing northwards from Lake Champlain—afford abundant means of conveying from the mountains the valuable timber, chiefly pine, with which they are covered. Extensive deposits of magnetic iron ore, of great value, have been discovered; and a village, called Adirondack, has recently sprung up, where smelting is extensively prosecuted. Emerson, in his poem Adirondack, has familiarised the literary world with the scenery of these mountains.

Adit (from adire, to go to), a passage or door. The doors of porticoes in ancient theatres were called adits. In mines the name is given to a gallery or passage, nearly horizontal, by which water is carried off. Ores also are sometimes removed by the adit. Some works of this kind are of great magnitude. The great Cornish adit at Gwennap, near Falmouth, extends, with its branches, to from 30 to 40 miles in length, and drains a tract of 5500 acres.

Adjudication, in Scottish Law, the name of that action by which a creditor attaches the heritable, i.e., the real, estate of his debtor, or his debtor's heir, in order to appropriate it to himself either in payment or security of his debt. The term is also applied to a proceeding of the same nature by which the holder of an heritable right, labouring under any defect in point of form, gets that defect supplied by decree of a court.

Adjudication in Bankruptcy, in English Law, is equivalent to the Scotch award of sequestration.

Adjustment, in Commerce, the settlement of a loss incurred at sea on insured goods. If the policy be what is called an open one, and the loss of the goods be total, the insurer must pay for them at the value of prime cost, which includes not only the invoice price of the goods, but all duties paid, the premium of insurance, and all expenses incurred on them when put on board. If the policy be a valued one, and a total loss be incurred, then they are settled for at the valuation fixed at the time of the insurance, unless the insurers can prove that the insured had not a real interest in the goods, or that they were over valued. In case of a partial loss, the value of the goods must be proved. (See Arnould On Marine Insurance.)

Adjutage, a short tube or nozzle, inserted in an orifice, by means of which liquids flow from a vessel more freely.

Adjutant, a military officer whose duty it is to assist the commanding officer of a regiment or battalion. Every battalion of infantry, regiment of cavalry, and brigade of artillery, has an adjutant, who keeps the regimental books, records, and correspondence; acts as the commanding officer's representative in matters of regimental detail; superintends the drill of recruits; keeps the roster (i.e., register of order of service) for all duties; details the guards, piquets, detachments, &c., that are furnished by the regiment; and is responsible for the receipt of the daily divisional or brigade order from the superior staff-officer, and the preparation and issue of regimental orders. The Adjutant-General is the staff-officer specially charged with all matters relating to the discipline and drill of the army.

Adjutant, the Ciconia Argala, or Leptoptilos Argala, a species of stork found in tropical India. It is of great size, sometimes six or even seven feet in height, the body and legs bearing nearly the same proportion as in the common stork. The bill is long and large; while the head, neck, and pouch are bare, or covered only with a few scattered hairs.

At the back of its neck there is a second pouch-like appendage, which the bird inflates during flight. The general colour of the body is an ashen gray above and white below. The adjutant is extremely voracious, and, feeding on offal, reptiles, and other vermin, acts the part of a scavenger. It is often to be seen in camps and parade-grounds; hence its name. A similar bird, which, however, has been differentiated as Ciconia Marabou, occurs in different parts of Africa—Marabou being the native Senegal name. The brilliant white marabou feathers of commerce are the under feathers of the tail and wings of both species, but those of the C. Argala are the most valuable.

Adjygurh, a town and fort of India, in the presidency of Bengal, 130 miles S.W. of Allahabad. The fort is situated on a very steep hill, more than 800 feet above the town; and contains the ruins of temples adorned with elaborately-carved sculptures. It was captured by the British in 1809. The town is a neatly-built place, but subject to malaria. Population, 5000.

Administrator, in English Law, he to whom the ordinary or judge of the ecclesiastical court, now the Court of Probate, acting in the queen's name, commits the administration of the goods of a person deceased, in default of an executor. The origin of administrators is derived from the civil law. Their establishment in England is owing to a statute made in the 31st year of Edward III. Till then no office of this kind was known besides that of executor; in default of whom, the ordinary had the disposal of goods of persons intestate, &c.

Administrator, in Scottish Law, a person legally empowered to act for another whom the law presumes incapable of acting for himself, as a father for a pupil child.

Admiral, a great officer or magistrate, who has the government of a navy and the hearing of all maritime causes.

There can be little doubt of the Asiatic origin of the name given to this officer, which does not appear to have been known in the languages of Europe before the time of the Holy Wars. Amir, in Arabic, is a chief or commander of forces; it is the same word as the ameer of the peninsula of India (as ameer al omrah, the chief of lords or princes), and the emir of the Turks or Saracens, who had and still have their emir or ameer'l dureea, commander