Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/847

ELBURZ. 735 ELDAD AND MEDAD. toward the Caspian depression, and is a unit in the great niouiilain system that stretches from southern Kurope eastward into central Asia. The northern sUipes of the Elhurz. receiving an abundant rainfall, are intersected by fertile val- leys that support a rich tropical vegetation, while the interior slopes are generally dry and almost barren. A single river, the Kizil Uzen, crosses the range to enter the Caspian Sea. There are several passes, of which the most im- portant are those connecting Teheran with Amol and Balfrush, near the centre of the range, and, farther westward, that between Kasbin and Kcsht. The Elburz has an average altitude of about oOOO feet, the highest peak being Dcnia- vend with an estimated elevation of 18.500 feet. EL CANEY, el kii'na-e. A town of Cuba, four miles from Santiago de Cuba (Map: Cuba, K C). Here on .luly I, 18118. during the Spanish- American W ar. occurred an engagement between about 5'2() Spaniards, intrenched, under (icneral Vara del Ivey. and about 4.J00 Americans under General Lawton. The Spaniards made a desper- ate resistance, but were finally overcome by the American infantry. The Americans lost 443 in killed and wounded and missing, the Spaniards 420 (including 100 prisoners). Consult: Lee, "The Regulars at El Caney" in Scribner's Maga- zine, vol. xxiv. (Xew York. 1808) : Xorris, "Bat- tle of El Canev" in The Ceiiturt/ (Xew York, 1899) : and Bonsai. "Battle of El Caney," in 3IcClure's, vol. xii. (New York, 1899). ELCANO, el-ka'no, Jiax Seb.sti.x de ( ?- I.rit'i). A Spanish navigator and explorer. He was born at the seaport of Guetaria, in the Province of Guipuzcoa. As captain of the Con- ccpcion, he accompanied Magellan, and after the death of that olTicer (April 27, 1521), re- turned to Spain on the Victoria by way of the Cape of Good Hope, arriving September 8. 1522, at San Lucar. and thus, after an absence of more than tlirce years comideted for the first time the circuit of the globe. In 1525 he accompa- nied Garcia .Jofre de Loaysa as chief pilot on the westward voyage to the Moluccas, hut died after passing the Straits of ilagellan and reaching the Pacific. In 1861 a bronze statue was erected to his memory at Guetaria. Consult "Diseorso sobre Colon y Juan Sebastian de Elcano," in Boletin de la iiociedad Geogrdfica de Madrid, vol. vi. (Mad- rid, 18711). EL(IESAITES, 6l-ses'a-its. See Elkesaites. ELCHE, el'cha. A town in the Province of Alicatilc. Spain, 16 miles southwest of the city of -Alicante; on the River Vinalnpo. about two leagues from the sea, and on the -Mieante-Murcia Railway (Map: Spain. E 3). The town is strikingly Oriental in appearance: its architec- ture in general has retained much of the Moorish character. Elelie is well built and has several public squares, while it is partly surrounded by proves of date-palms. The Church of Santa Maria is an imposing edifice with a large dome and a tabernacle of precious marbles. Other important structures are the Casa Consistorial, bishop's palace, the hospital and barracks. The dates galhercd frfiTii the palm plantation are ex- ported in considerable quantities-: also the palm branches, which are used for religious purposes. Poinegraniites are extensively cultivated, and constitute another important article of com- merce. The chief manufactures include woolens, articles of esparto grass, brandy, wine, oil, soap, leather, etc. I'opulalion, in 1900. 27.430. Elche, anciently called lllici or llici, was raised by the Romans to llie dignity of a colony with the jus llulicuni. It increased in importance under the tioths, as evidenced by its erection into an epis- copal see, which, however, ended with the ^los- lem occupation. Excavations have brought to light objects of considerable areha:ological inter- est. ELCHINGEN, ClK'ing-cn. A village of Ba- varia near the left bank of the Danube, about five miles northeast of Ulm (Map: Germany, C 4). It is noteworthy for its celebrated mediiE- val Benedictine abbey, founded in 1128. and as the scene of a battle fought on October 14. 1805, between the French, under Ney, and the .Aus- trians, under Laudon, which resulted in the de- feat of the latter and the surrender of Ulm. Xey's victory obtained for him tlie title of Due d' Elchingen. ELCHO, Lord. See Wemvss, Xi.vth E.rl of. EL 'DAD AND ME'DAD. (1) Two persona mentioned in Xum. xi, 26-29 as prophesying, though not present with iloses and tlie seventy elders at the tent of the meeting when Jehovah gave His spirit. .Joshua is said to have de- manded that they be forbidden. But Closes him- self is credited with a wish that all Jehovah'.s people were prophets. The story is held to be- long to a late stratum of the Elohistic narrative, and to reflect a tendency to look with more gen- erous sympathy upon men of the spirit c(m- demned as false prophets in leading Ephraimit- ish circles, as is suggested by the hostile altitude ascribed to .loshua. The name of the second prophet is given as ilodad by the Greek version. Both names are compounded with Dad, who may be identical with Hadad. In that case their meaning would probalily be 'Hiulad is my god' and 'Water of Hadad.' i.e. 'Seed' or 'Offspring of Hadad.' Targum Jonathan to Xum. xi. 20 sqq. makes these ;)rophcts predict the death of Closes, the succession of Joshua to the lead- ership, the coming of the king of ilagog. the victory over him. and the resurrection of Israel to take part in the meal when the bull Leviathan is to be served. The Fragment Targum makes Eldad and Mcdad prophesy the destruction of Gog and Magog through Messiah, the King. (2) An apocalyptic work ascribed to Eldad and jledad is quoted in the Shepherd of Hernias, vis. ii. .3, 4. The quotation reads, "Near is the Lord to those who return." As Targum Jonathan quotes a similar expression of the two prophets. "Xear is the Lord to those that are in the hour of need." it is not impossible that the author was familiar with the same work. In his Chroixjfiraphia Compcudiaria, Xicephorus gives a list of canonical and apocryphal books which contains this work and states that it has 400 stiehi. This list is found also in the Synopsis ascribed to .thanasius. Lightfoot and Holtz- mann think that the quotations in I. Clem, xxiii. 3. '4, and II. Clem. xi. 2. have been drawn from the same source. Consult: Fabrieius, Cudcjo I'scudcpi'iriipiius Vclcrix Tcstamenti (Hamburg, 1722) ; Holtzmann. Einleitunfi in das Xeue rcstament (Freiburg. 1892)': Harnack. fie- schichte der altchristlichcn Lilteratiir (Leipzig, 1893); Zahn, llcschichic des nrutestumenllicheii Kanons (Leipzig. 18!)0-1892) ; Schiirer, Oe-