Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/411

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EDGAR space between being roofed over with stone, forming a covered portico about 35 ft. high. From the entrance to the court there is a gradual ascent to the portico of the temple, which is supported by 18 pillars in three rows, the whole height being 56 ft. Within the temple are several chambers, the last of which was the sanctuary, 33 ft. by 17, in which was placed the image of the god Num or Kneph, to whom the temple is generally supposed to have been dedicated. Champollion, however, supposed that it was dedicated to the worship of a triad, answering to the Greek Apollo, Aphrodite, and Eros. The whole is enclosed by lofty walls, and is 414 ft. long and 154 ft. wide. Every part of the temple and walls is covered with hieroglyphics, representing the daily progress of the sun through the heavens. This great structure is the most perfect ex- ample remaining of an Egyptian temple. The smaller temple, it is supposed, was dedicated to Horus, the son of Kneph ; but Champollion thinks it was an adjunct of the great temple, and marks the birthplace of the third person of the triad. About three miles from Edfoo are many grottoes, excavated in the hillside, which probably served as the cemetery of the city. EDGAR, an E. county of Illinois, bordering on Indiana ; area, about 600 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 21,450. It is drained by a branch of the Em- barras river, and by Brulette and Clear creeks, affluents of the Wabash. The surface is nearly level, and occupied partly by prairies and tim- ber. The soil is fertile. The Indianapolis and St. Louis railroad passes through it. The chief productions in 1870 were 260,643 bushels of wheat, 37,508 of rye, 2,107,615 of Indian corn, 290,679 of oats, 88,508 of potatoes, 36,638 tons of hay, 457,104 Ibs. of butter, and 164,105 of wool. There were 10,294 horses, 6,666 milch >ws, 20,935 other cattle, 42,786 sheep, and 58,654 swine; 3 manufactories of boots and 15 of carriages and wagons, 5 of furni- ire, 10 of saddlery and harness, 1 of sashes, doors, and blinds, 4 flour mills, 1 planing mill, and 3 saw mills. Capital, Paris. EDGAR, a king of the Anglo-Saxons, son of Edmund I., born about 943, died in 975. He succeeded his brother Edwy about the begin- ning of 959, and made Dunstan his chief coun- sellor, whose influence continued paramount throughout his reign. While he was king Eng- land was disturbed neither by foreign invasions nor by the attacks of the northern pirates, and he was consequently surnamed " the Peaceful." He favored the monasteries, and especially contributed to increase the power of the Bene- dictines, about 50 monasteries of that order having been established during his reign. Hav- ing carried off a young lady from the convent of Wilton and made her his mistress, he was ordered by Dunstan, as a penance, to abstain for seven years from wearing his crown. His first wife was Elfleda, and his second Elfrida, the daughter of Ordgar, earl of Devonshire. William of Malmesbury, on the authority of a EDGARTOWN 403 Saxon ballad, relates that Edgar, having heard of the great beauty of Elfrida, sent his minis- ter Ethelwold to ascertain whether the re- ports were true. Ethelwold on seeing the lady was captivated by her charms, repre- sented to the king that she was unworthy of his admiration, and married her himself. Ed- gar having discovered the deceit caused Ethel- wold to be put to death and married Elfrida. The story has been made the theme of an English tragedy by William Mason, and of a French opera by Guillard. He was succeeded by his son Edward II. EDGAR ATHELING (that is, Edgar the Noble), an Anglo-Saxon prince, in the second half of the llth century. He was the grandson of Edmund Ironside by his exiled son Edward, and was born in Hungary. In 1057 he followed his father to England, after whose sudden death in 1066 he became heir to the crown, being the nearest relative to Edward the Con- fessor. Yet he was young and feeble, and presented no claim, while Harold and William of Normandy fought for the kingdom at Has- tings. After that battle (1066) he was received at court by William, confirmed in the earldom of Oxford, which had been granted him by Ha- rold, and treated with the greatest kindness. He accompanied the king in his visit to Nor- mandy, but after his return, persuaded by the discontented Northumbrian lords, he took ref- uge with his followers in Scotland, and sought to lead a rebellion in Northumberland. Fail- ing in this and in other enterprises, he re- turned to England in 1073, having previously rendered his submission to the king and re- ceived pardon. He was afterward engaged in a Scottish war to place a relative upon the throne of that country. The best result of his career was the introduction of the superior cultivation of the south into Scotland. EDGARTOWN, the shire town and a port of entry of Dukes co., Mass., comprising Chappa- quiddick island and the E. portion of Martha's Vineyard, about 75 m. S. S. E. of Boston; pop. in 1870, 1,516. The harbor is well shel- tered, and has a depth of four or five fathoms. At the entrance is a lighthouse showing a fixed light 50 ft. above the sea, erected on a pier 1,000 ft. long. Steamers run daily to Wood's Hole, the terminus of the Falmouth branch of the Cape Cod railroad, and to New Bedford. In Edgartown is Wesleyan grove, the seat of a celebrated Methodist camp meet- ing, at which yearly in August about 20,000 visitors assemble. Near the camp ground, on bluffs 30 ft. high, overlooking the sea, the vil- lage of Oak Bluffs has recently been laid out, and has become a summer resort ; it contains several hotels and numerous cottages of sum- mer residents. The inhabitants are mostly engaged in navigation and fishing. For the year ending June 30, 1872, 25 vessels entered at the port and 16 cleared ; 4 were engaged in the whale fishery, and there were 20 registered, enrolled, and licensed. The town contains the