a charter of 1890, revised in 1897, which provides for a mayor, elected biennially, and a city council, composed of the mayor and six aldermen. Annual town meetings are held to nominate the city council. The water supply and sewerage system are under municipal control. Pop., 1890, 2362; 1900, 3414.
AIKEN, William (1806-87). An American legislator. He was born in Charleston, S. C., and graduated at the College of South Carolina (1825). After serving in the State Legislature (1838-43) he was governor of South Carolina (1844-46), and was a Democratic representative in Congress from 1851 to 1857, during which time he lacked only one vote of becoming speaker of the House of Representatives. He opposed both nullification and secession, and after leaving Congress took no active part in politics, except in 1866, when he was again elected to Congress, but was not admitted to a seat.
AIKIN, John., M.D. (1747-1822). An English physician and author. He had only moderate success as a physician, but gained considerable reputation as a scholarly writer. With his sister, Mrs. Barbauld, he published Evenings at Home (six volumes, 1792-95), together with a number of biographical works, including General Biography (ten volumes, 1799-1815). He edited the Monthly Magazine (1796-1807), and Dodsley's Annual Register (1811-1815).
AIKIN, Lucy (1781-1864). An English writer, daughter of John Aikin, and his assistant in much of his work. She wrote one novel, Lorimer (1814). but her reputation rests on her series of court memoirs, beginning with Memoirs of the Court of Elizabeth (1818), and on her Life of Addison (1843). She also wrote memoirs of her father and of her aunt, Mrs. Barbauld.
AIKMAN, āk'man, William (1682-1731). A Scottish portrait painter. He studied in Edinburgh and Rome, traveled in Italy and Turkey, and practiced his art first in Edinburgh and afterward in London. He painted portraits of Allan Ramsay, Gay, Thomson, and John, Duke of Argyll.
AILANTHUS, a-lān'thūs, or AILANTO
(Malacca name, tree of heaven). A lofty,
spreading tree (Ailanthus glandulosus) , of the
natural order Simarubaceæ, a native of China,
but now frequently planted to shade public
walks in the south of Europe, in England,
and in North America. The flowers of the male
plant have a disgusting odor. The leaves resem-
ble those of the ash. The tree nourishes on
light soils, and is hardy enough to endure even
the climate of the north of Scotland. It has been
somewhat extensively planted in the United
States. The tree is easily propagated by suckers
and cuttings of the roots. The wood is fine-
grained, satiny, and suitable for calunet making.
Ailanthus imberbiflora and Ailanthus punctata
are among the important timber trees of Australia.
Another species, Ailanthus excelsus, is
common in India. The genus Ailanthus has been
recognized by fossil fruits and leaves in Tertiary
beds in Europe and North America.
AILANTHUS MOTH. A large, hardy, silk-spinning moth (Philosamia cynthia), introduced from China into the United States on the ailanthus tree. The caterpillar may be identified by its rows of tufts of white hairs.
AILETTE, a-let' (Fr. little wing). An appendage to the armor worn by knights on each shoulder. Ailettes were of various forms and sizes, and bore the heraldic device of the knight. They were not intended primarily for defense, as is evident from the fact that most of them stood up straight in the air, but in some cases they seem to have been adapted as a defense for the shoulders. They were in use between 1280 and 1330. Epaulets are said to have been derived from these.
AILLY, a'ye', Pierre d', or Petrus de Alliaco (1350-1420). A French theologian. He
studied theology in Paris, where, in 1380, he
became a doctor of the Sorbonne. He was leader
of the Nominalists, asserted that the Church
rests on Christ, not on Peter, and derives its
authoritative teachings from the Scriptures, not
from canon law. He became grand master of the
College of Navarre, Paris, in 1384, and in 1389
confessor and almoner to Charles VI., and the
same year Chancellor of the University of Paris.
His defense, two years previous, of the Immaculate Conception, won him the epithets "Eagle of France" and "Hammer of Heretics." He became Bishop of Le Puy, 1395, and of Cambrai in 1397. He induced the calling of the Council of Pisa, of which he was an active member. He was made cardinal by John XXIII. (1411), and was sent as legate to Germany in 1413. He was prominent in the Council of Constance, 1414-18, furthering the condemnation of Huss and Jerome of Prague, but strenuously advocating reform in the Church; maintaining the authority of councils over that of popes, and aiding in the election of Martin V. in place of three rival popes. He was afterward made papal legate at Avignon until his death. His writings are numerous. Among them is an attempt to harmonize astronomy and theology. For his biographiy, consult: P. Tschackert (Gotha. 1877), and L. Salembier (Lille, 1886).
AILRED, āl'rēd, Saint, Æthelred, Ethelred (1109-66). English ecclesiastic and historian, born at Hexham, Northumberland. He was educated at the Scotch court, became a Cistercian monk in Rievaulx Abbey, Yorkshire, then abbot of Revesby, 1142, then'of Rievaulx, 1146, remaining so till his death, January 12, 1166. He was canonized in 1191. He was the author of many historical and theological works, the former of little value, owing to their unlimited credulity. Leland says he saw Ailred's tomb at Rievaulx adorned with gold and silver ornaments. His works are in Migne, Patrol. Lat., cxcv.
AILSA CRAIG, āl'sȧ krāg. A small island off the western coast of Ayrshire, Scotland (Map: Scotland, C 4). It is only two miles in circumference and rises to a height of 1114 feet above the sea. It terminates in high cliffs on the northwest, and contains some springs near its summit. It is well known for its columnar form, and has a lighthouse, erected in 1836.
AIMAK, i-mäk'. A term of Mongolian origin signifying "clans," and, with the prefix char ("four"), employed as a designation for a number of tribes inhabiting the central and north-western part of Afghanistan. Little is known concerning them except that they are a Mongolian people dwelling in the midst of an Aryan population, and speaking a dialect that seems closely related to the Calmuck, though largely
