ECOUENS—I

Davoust, duke of Auerstadt, received the title ofmince of Eckmiihl. The same day, Napoleon abo-lished the Teutonic order in all the states of the con-federation of the Rhine. The consequences of thebattles of Eckmiihl and Ratisbon were very impor-tant. The Austrian general Jellachich was obligedto evacuate Munich, which the king of Bavaria re-entered on the 25th. The Austrian main army,strengthened by the corps of Bellegarde, retired, underthe archduke Charles, to Budweis, in Bohemia, andwas concentrated on the left bank of the Danube, atthe foot of the Bisamberg, and on the Marchtield,ready for the more famous combats at Aspern andWagram. Charles, however, was not able to saveVienna. Napoleon advanced along the right bankof the Danube, notwithstanding the insurrection inthe Tyrol, and passed the Inn. On the 3rd of May,general Hiller made an obstinate resistance at Ebens-berg, with 35,000 men, but was compelled to retreatto the left bank of the Danube. The French passedthe Ems, and advanced to the capital of Austria,which capitulated May 12. On the 13th, Napoleonfixed his head-quarters at Schdnbrunn. May 20,Napoleon crossed to the left bank, and thus broughton the memorable battles upon the Marchfield, thatof Aspern, or Essling, and that of Wagram.

Ecouens. A town of France. It is situated onan eminence, and contains many handsome villasbelonging to the citizens of Paris. It contains amagnificent palace which was built in the reign ofFrancis I., and is now the property of the royalfamily of France. This town is twelve miles fromParis.

Edda. Is a system of the ancient Icelandic orRunic mythology, containing many curious par-ticulars relating to the theology, philosophy, history,and manners of tWe northern nations of Europe ; orof the Scandinavians, who had migrated from Asiaand from whom our Saxon ancestors were descended.Mr. Mallet considers it to have been compiled soonafter the pagan religion was abolished, as a course ofpoetical lectures, for the use of such young Icelandersas devoted themselves to the profession of a scald orpoet. It consists of two principal parts; the firstcontaining a brief system of mythology, properlycalled the Edda ; and the second being a kind of artof poetry, and called scalda or poetics. The mostancient Edda was compiled by Soemund Sigfusson,suruamed the Learned, who was born in Icelandabout the year 1057. This was abridged and ren-dered more easy and intelligible about 120 yearsafterwards by Snorrow Sturleson, who was supremejudge in Iceland in the years 1215 and 1222 ; and itwas published in the form of a dialogue. He addedalso the second part in the form of a dialogue, beinga detail of different events transacted among thedivinities. The only three pieces that are known toremain of the more ancient Edda of Soemund, arethe Yoluspa, the Havamaal, and the Runic chapter.

Eddystone Rocks. A series of dangerous ridgeson the coast of Devonshire, extending 000 or 700yards in length. They lie nearly in the way fromthe Start to the Lizard, and are therefore an objectof the utmost importance to mariners. Hence it is,that on the summit of the largest rock a light-househas been erected to serve as a beacon or signal toavoid the danger, as they are covered at the floodtide, but become dry at the ebb. The foundation ofthe light-house is one entire solid mass of stones to

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the height of about thirty-five feet, engrafted intoeach other, and united by every means of additionalstrength. The swell at these rocks is tremendous.After a storm, when the sea is to all appearance quitesmooth, and its surtace unruffled by the slightestbreeze, the ground-swell or under-current meetingthe slope of the rocks, the sea often rises above thelight-house in a magnificent manner, overtopping itas with a canopy of foam. These rocks are fifteenmiles S. S. W. of Plymouth, and forty-five E. ofLizard Point. Lon. 4“ 15' W., lat. 50° IP N.

Edict. A public proclamation. In ancient Rome,the higher officers of state, who were elected annually,publicly declared, at their entrance upon office, theprinciples by which they should conduct their ad-ministration. This was done particularly by the.iEdiles, who superintended buildings and markets,and by the praetors, as supreme judges. These annualproclamations, by which the deficiencies of the generalstatutes were supplied, and the laws were adapted tothe peculiar wants of the period, gradually acquireda certain permanency, as each officer retained, un-altered, most of the regulations of his predecessor;and they became, in fact, the source of the wholesystem of Roman law, which, being founded on theofficial authority of the authors, was called jus hono-rarium, and was opposed to the strictly formal law,jus civile. The edictum prcctoris, under the emperorAdrian, A. D. 131, was reduced to a regular form bySalvius Julianus, and received the sanction of legalauthority, although the prsetors seem to have retainedfor a long time their privilege of issuing edicts, till alllegislative power fell exclusively into the hands ofthe emperor. The form of the edict was still madeuse of occasionally, although general principles wereoften brought forward in the decision of particularcases (decrees and rescripts). The name edict hassince been applied in several monarchical countries,as a general term, to an ordinance of the supremeauthority.

Edinburgh. This city, which has not unaptlybeen termed the “ Northern Athens,” is one of themost ancient in this country. Its schools for the ac-quirement of useful knowledge have long held a highrank amongst the universities of Europe, and theyhave supplied some of the most distinguished states-men, warriors, poets, and divines, which have gracedour annals. Edinburgh appears to have existed as afortress, if not as a city, long prior to the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England. The oldest appellationgiven to this fortress is, “ The Castle of Agnes Hill.”It was likewise distinguished by the name of CastrumPucllarum, or “ The Maiden’s Castle,” from a fabu-lous belief that it was employed as the residence ofthe daughters of the kings of the Piets. QueenMargaret, the widow of Malcolm of Canmore, is saidto have taken refuge in the castle along with herchildren, and died there a few days after her husbandwas slain. Donald Bain, the uncle of Malcolm’schildren, having seized the government, besieged thecastle, in which the heir to the crown resided. Theusurper presuming, from the steepness of the rock,that Malcolm’s children could escape only by thegates, ordered these alone to be guarded; but thesoldiers of the garrison, knowing this, conveyed thebody of the queen through a postern gate on the westside of the castle to the church of Dunfermline, whereit lies interred; and the children escaped to England,where they were protected and educated by their