Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/93

ACRELIUS AOTA DIURNA 73 St. Jean d'Acre. N. of Mt. Oarmel, 64 m. S. of Beyrout, in lat. 32 54' K, Ion. 35 4'E. ; pop. about 5,000. It is on an almost triangular peninsula, and on the land side is surrounded with beautiful new forti- fications ; remains of the old fortifications still project from the sea. Its harbor is the best on that part of the coast, although very shal- low. The place is of the highest antiquity, mentioned in the history of the Jews, Per- sians, and Ptolemies, and is renowned for its desperate sieges and defences. In 1104 it was taken by the Genoese, from whom Saladin re- took it in 1187. The assault upon it by Rich- ard Coeur de Lion in 1191 was one of the most daring feats in the crusades. After its cap- ture by the Christians in that year, it remained in the custody of the knights of St. John, who fortified it strongly, till 1291, when they were compelled to evacuate it by the sultan of Egypt. The Turks occupied it early in the 16th century. In 1799, supported by Sidney Smith and a few British sailors, they kept Bona- parte and the French army at bay for 60 days, when he raised the siege and retreated. In 1832, when Mehemet AH revolted from the Porte and seized upon Syria, Ibrahim Pasha, after a long siege, took Acre by storm. In 1839 Syria was restored to Turkey, but Ibrahim refused to evacuate Acre till after a bombard- ment by the combined British, Austrian, and Turkish squadrons, Nov. 4, 1840. ACRELIUS, Israel, a Swedish clergyman, born Dec. 25, 1714, died April 25, 1800. He studied in Upsal, and was ordained in 1743. In 1749 he was appointed provost of the Swedish con- gregations on the Delaware, and pastor of Rac- coon and Pensneck, and subsequently of Chris- tiana. He managed the ecclesiastical affairs of the Swedish colonists, which he found in great disorder, with zeal and prudence. Ill health, however, compelled him to resign his situation in 1756, and return to Sweden. The king bestowed upon him a large pension, and the lucrative living of Fellingsbro. Be- sides some articles on American affairs in the Swedish journals, and numerous religious works, Acrelius published a description of the Swedish colonies in America (4to, 1759). ACROCERAUNIA (Gr. &npov, peak, and K epaw6s, thunderbolt), in ancient geography, the N. W. extremity (now Cape Linguetta) of the Cerau- nian mountains in Epirus, so called from its being often struck by lightning. The name is sometimes improperly applied to the wholo range. (See CERAUNIAN MOUNTAINS.) ACROPOLIS (Gr.), the highest point of a city, or its citadel, usually on a rock or hill. The ruins of the most celebrated, that of Athens, still exist for the delight of travellers. It had five gates, the principal a splendid structure of Pentelican marble, and within its bounds still stands the Parthenon or temple of Minerva. ACT. See BILL. ACTA DIURNA (Lat., daily doings), the name of daily reports issued in ancient Rome, chiefly under the empire. They were published by authority, and contained a brief chronicle of the proceedings at public assemblies, and in the tribunals both civil and criminal, together with a register of births, deaths, marriages, and some other interesting matter. Divorces, being matter of scandal, were a staple item of domestic intelligence in an age when printing was unknown. The circulation must have been very limited, and the transcripts chiefly for the use of the patricians. Reporters (actuarii) were employed to procure interesting news not to be found in official registers.