ment in the iris renders an albino's eyes sensitive, and partially blind in the sunlight. Albinism, or alphosis, is found in many races as a rare condition. Cushing found it among the Zuñi. It is sometimes a family trait. It occurs frequently among rabbits, mice, birds, and other lower animals. See also Somatology; Vitiligo; Melanism and Albinism.
AL'BINOVA'NUS, Gaius Pedo. A Roman epic writer: a friend and contemporary of Ovid, who addressed to him one of his Epistolæ ex Ponto. In addition to his epic on the exploits of Germanicus, fragments of which are preserved in the Suasoriæ of Seneca, he is said to have written a poem entitled Theseïs, an epic on contemporary history, and numerous epigrams; but he was probably not the author of the elegy on the death of Drusus, Epicedion Drusi, which has been attributed to him. Albinovanus is quoted by the younger Seneca, who calls him Fabulator Elegantissimus, and is mentioned by Martial and Quintilian. Consult: Wernsdorf, Poetæ Latiui Minores, Volume IV.; Bährens, Poetæ Latini Minores, Volume I. (Leipzig, 1879); and Haupt, Opuscala, Volume I. (1875).
ALBI'NUS, Clodius, the popular name for
Decimus Clodius Ceionius Septimius Albinus
(?-107 A.D.). A Roman commander. He was a
governor of Gaul and Britain at the time of
the death of the Emperor Commodus (192), and
was made Cæsar by Septimius Severus in 194.
After defeating his rivals, however, Severus
turned his arms against Albinus, and at the
battle near Lugdunum (Lyons) in Gaul (197
A.D.), Albinus was defeated and killed. (Dio.
Cass. lxx. 4, Vita Alb.)
AL'BION AND ALBA'NIUS. An opera or masque by John Dryden. written to celebrate the successes of the Stuarts after the restoration. It was produced, with music by Louis Grabut, in 1685, and first published the same year. It is an allegory, with classical nomenclature.
Albion represents Charles II., and Albanius, James, the Duke of York.
ALBION (Lat., Gtk. 'A?.oi>icjv, Aloii'iftn. from
Lat. albus, white, referring to the chalk cliffs of
the southern coast). The most ancient name
on record of the island of Great Britain. See
Albany.
ALBION. A city in Calhoun Co., Mich., 20
miles west of Jackson, on the Michigan Central,
Lake Shore, and Michigan Southern railroads
(Map: Michigan, J 6). The city owns its water
supply, has a city library and park, and is the
seat of Albion College, under Methodist Episco-
pal control. Its principal manufactures are
plow works, carriage works, malleable iron
works, flour mills, and agricultural implements.
Albion was first settled in 1830. and is governed
under a charter adopted in 1896, revised in 1897
and in 1899, which provides for a mayor, elected
annually, and a city council, composed of the
mayor, city clerk, and eight aldermen. Pop.,
1890: 3763; 1900, 4519.
ALBION. A village, the county seat of Orleans Co., N. Y., 30 miles west of Rochester, on the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad (Map: New York, B 2). The Western House of Refuge for Women, the Swan Library, the high school, the court house. Pullman Memorial Church, and Mt. Albion Cemetery are the more prominent features of interest. Agriculture and quarrying are the leading industries. Albion is governed, under a revised charter of 1890, by a mayor, elected every three years, and a board of trustees. Pop., 1890, 4586; 1900, 4477.
ALBION, New. The name given by Sir Francis Drake to the western coast of North America, which he visited in 1579. It was originally applied to the whole region including the peninsula of Lower California, but was restricted by Humboldt and other geographers to the section actually explored by Drake between San Francisco Bay and the Columbia River. Consult the map in the Hakluyt Society's edition of Fletcher's World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake.
AL'BION COL'LEGE. An American college, situated at Albion, Mich. It was established as a seminary in 1835, and organized as a college in 1861. In 1901 it had 21 professors and instructors, and 224 students in the college department, 245 in the schools of music, oratory, and painting, 115 in the business department, and 133 in the preparatory department. The endowment fund is $225,465, the value of buildings and grounds $140,000, and the annual income from $32,000 to $35,000, The library contains 13,800 volumes and 4000 pamphlets.
ALBION'S ENG'LAND. A long narrative
poem on English history, by William Warner
(c. 1558-1609). It was first published in 1586,
in four books on legendary incidents from Noah's
time to that of William the Conqueror; but other
books were successively added, till there were six-
teen, bringing the story down to the reign of
James I. Many of its materials have been used
by later poets.
ALBISTAN, al'be-stan', or EL-BOSTAN, el'
bo-st.'iu' (Turk. The Garden). A town in the
Turkish vilayet of Aleppo, about 40 miles noi-th-
northeast of Marash, on the small river of Jihun
(Map: Turkey in Asia, G 3). It is situated in
a fertile portion of Anatolia, and has a consid-
erable trade in grain. Its population is about
8000.
AL'BITE (Lat. albus. white). A sodium
feldspar or sodium aluminum silicate that crys-
tallizes in the triclinic system. It is a constitu-
ent of many alkaline rocks, and is found exten-
sively in the United States. Certain varieties
called moonstones, having a blue chatoyant effect,
are cut and polished as gems.
ALBO, itl'bo, Joseph (c. 1380-1444). A Jew-
ish preacher and theologian of Spain. He was
born probably at Monreal, Aragon, studied un-
der the speculative philosopher Hasdai Crescas,
and in 1413-14 seems to have taken part in the
extended theological discussion at Tortosa. He
is known chiefly for his apologetic entitled, Ik-
karim (Principles), which has exerted wide in-
fluence. The work was first published in 1485,
and was translated into German by Schlesinger
(1844). Consult: Back, Joseph Albo (1869),
and Tänzer, Die Religionsphilosophie des Joseph
Albo (1890).
ALBOIN, ;-il'boin
(?-c. 573). The founder of the Lombard dominion in Italy. He succeeded his father in 561 A.D. as King of the Lombards, who were at that time settled in Noricum and Pannonia. He first aided Narses against the Ostrogoths, and afterward, allying himself with the Avars, attacked the Gepidæ and defeated them in a great battle (566), slaying their king,
