produce contraction of the blood vessels, as in hæmoptysis, hæmatemesis, aneurism, varix, and congestion of the spinal cord and brain. It is probably by this action upon the blood vessels that the epidemics of ergotism, from the use of diseased grains as food, have occurred in different parts of Europe. Ergotism assumes two forms, spasmodic and gangrenous, and probably requires for its production not only the poisonous action of ergot, but the additional depressing influences of cold, moisture, and in- | sufficient food; a combination which is likely to take place in seasons favorable to the growth of the fungus.-Ergot may be administered in substance, infusion, decoction, fluid extract, or tincture. The dose for a woman in labor is about 20 grains of the substance repeated every 20 minutes till its physiological action is obtained; for other purposes, the dose is from 3 to 10 grains, according to the result sought for. It is apt to deteriorate by keeping, and therefore should be freshly prepared when used. A drop of the fluid extract is intended to represent a grain of the substance. The tincture is a little weaker.

ERIC IX. (according to some historians, VIII.), king of Sweden, called after his death St. Eric, the son of "a good and wealthy yeoman" (in the words of an old Swedish chronicle) named Jedward, died May 18, 1160. His mother was Cecilia, sister of a former king. His wife was Christina, also of royal blood. He was elected to the throne of the Upper Swedes, or as it was called the "royal chair of Upsal," in 1150. With a view to the spread of Christianity he undertook in 1157 a crusade against the heathen of Finland, and by transplanting Swedish colonists thither laid the foundation of the conquest of that country. On his return to Upsal he was attacked by a Danish prince, Magnus Henrikson, and in the battle that followed, at East Aras (modern Upsal), he fell covered with wounds. His virtues and the austerity of his life procured him the reputation of a saint; but he was never canonized. His rule, which at first extended only over Sweden proper (or Upper Sweden), after the death of King Swerker in 1155 also embraced Gothland (Lower Sweden). The effigy of St. Eric is preserved upon the arms of the city of Stockholm; and his remains are in the cathedral of Upsal.

ERIC XIV., king of Sweden, the son and successor of Gustavus Vasa, born Dec. 13, 1533, died Feb. 26, 1577. In youth he was distinguished for his handsome person, his intelligence, and numerous accomplishments; but his passionate and suspicious disposition and immoderate indulgence in pleasure early awakened the apprehensions of his father. Toward his brothers, John, Magnus, and Charles, who had been created dukes of Finland, East Gothland, and Södermanland, he was always jealous and hostile. He succeeded to the throne in 1560, inheriting the good will of his people, a full treasury, and a prosperous

and happy kingdom, and inaugurated his reign by expending what seemed to the Swedes incredible sums on the festivals and pageants attending his coronation. Gustavus shortly before his death had made overtures of marriage to Elizabeth of England in behalf of his son, who, besides keeping alive these negotiations, opened similar ones with Mary queen of Scots, the princess Renée of Lorraine, and the princess of Hesse. But he married Katrina Mansdotter, the daughter of a corporal of his guards, whose beauty attracted his notice as she was selling fruits in the market place of Stockholm. Katrina seems to have been sincerely attached to Eric, and remained true to him amid all his misfortunes. In the beginning of his reign he displayed considerable executive ability, and made several judicious reforms in the civil and ecclesiastical government of the kingdom. He was a patron of science and art, and was the first to introduce the titles of baron and count into Sweden. During nearly his whole reign he was engaged in wars with Denmark and Poland, in the course of which the Swedes acquired from the latter country the Baltic provinces of Livonia and Revel, although at great cost of men and money, whole provinces having been depopulated to supply the army. The animosity of the king toward his brothers increased with years, and finally led to violent measures. John, who had married Catharine, daughter of Sigismund I., king of Poland, without Eric's consent, was besieged in his castle at Abo, and condemned to an imprisonment of four years, and the others were in constant fear of their lives. Assassination became frequent, and under the influence of the royal favorite, Göran Pehrssen, some of the oldest nobility, including the Sture family, were put to death. In the midst of these excesses Eric was attacked by madness, the effect of remorse, and for several days wandered alone in the forest. His brothers John and Charles at length rose in rebellion, and besieged Eric in Stockholm, who after some resistance capitulated, Sept. 30, 1568. He was deposed by the Swedish diet, and after languishing more than eight years in prison was poisoned by order of his brother John, who had succeeded to the throne.

ERICSSON, John, a Swedish engineer and physicist, born in the province of Wermeland in 1803. In 1814 he was appointed a cadet in the engineers, and in 1816 was employed as a leveller on the grand ship canal between the Baltic and the North sea. In 1820 he entered the Swedish army as an ensign, was soon promoted to a lieutenancy, and was employed in surveys in northern Sweden, attaining the rank of captain. In 1826 he visited England, with the view of introducing his invention of a flame engine; but with mineral fuel it proved a failure. Soon afterward he resigned his commission and devoted himself to mechanical pursuits. Numerous inventions followed, among others the steam boiler on the principle of artificial draft, which was extensively adopt

tions in 1870 were 436,193 bushels of wheat, 58,283 of rye, 346,128 of Indian corn, 1,125,339 of oats, 246,551 of barley, 21,804 of buckwheat, 643,932 of potatoes, 143,683 tons of hay, 503,073 lbs. of cheese, 2,149,358 of butter, 158,353 of wool, and 83,015 of hops. There were 16,154 horses, 40,323 milch cows, 17,016 other cattle, 33,324 sheep, and 17,043 swine. There were 1,429 manufactories; capital employed, $13,043,790; value of products, $27,446,683. The most important of these were 13 of agricultural implements, 8 of boats, 18 of boots and shoes, 70 of wagons, 87 of clothing, 45 of furniture, 1 of gas, 38 of iron and products of iron, 9 of dressed skins, 23 of machinery, 16 of malt, 8 of soap and candles, 55 of tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware, 19 planing mills, 63 saw mills, 4 distilleries, 42 breweries, 23 tanneries, 14 currying establishments, and 36 flour mills. Capital, Buffalo. II. A county of Pennsylvania, forming the N. W. extremity of the state, bordering on New York, Ohio, and Lake Erie; area, 740 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 65,973. With the exception of a high ridge, several miles from the lake, and running nearly parallel with its shore, the surface is generally rolling and well watered. The soil is clayey, and in the N. part produces good crops of grain. The S. portions are mainly occupied by pasture lands. It is traversed by the Erie and Pittsburgh, the Lake Shore, the Philadelphia and Erie, the Oil Creek and Alleghany River, the Atlantic and Great Western, and the Buffalo, Corry, and Pittsburgh railroads; also by the Beaver and Erie canal. The chief productions in 1870 were 308,315 bushels of wheat, 531,584 of Indian corn, 743,106 of oats, 100,014 of barley, 27,464 of buckwheat, 415,989 of potatoes, 90,551 tons of hay, 165,739 lbs. of cheese, 1,896,701 of butter, and 170,825 of wool. There were 11,117 horses, 20,140 milch cows, 16,781 other cattle, 40,746 sheep, and 11,364 swine. There were 928 manufactories, with an aggregate capital of $5,717,993. The principal establishments were 19 flour mills, 15 iron works, 20 tanneries, 9 currying establishments, 14 breweries, 14 planing mills, 56 saw mills, 9 manufactories of agricultural implements, 6 of boots and shoes, 15 of bricks, 45 of carriages and wagons, 1 of cars, 5 of rectified coal oil, 20 of barrels and casks, 9 of machinery, 9 of pumps, 12 of sashes, doors, and blinds, 29 of tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware, 3 of wooden ware, 1 of wood work, and 8 of woollen goods. Capital, Erie. III. A N. county of Ohio, bordering on Lake Erie and Sandusky bay; area, 250 sq. m; pop. in 1870, 28,188. It is drained by Huron and Vermilion rivers. Near Huron river are several ancient mounds and enclosures, and at Sandusky are extensive quarries of valuable limestone. The surface is generally level, the soil alluvial and exceedingly fertile. It is traversed by the Cincinnati, Sandusky, and Cleveland, the Sandusky, Mansfield, and Newark, and its Huron branch, and the Lake Shore and Michi

The chief produc

gan Southern railroads. tions in 1870 were 239,874 bushels of wheat, 550,026 of Indian corn, 307,089 of oats, 22,865 of barley, 259,960 of potatoes, 19,523 tons of hay, 339,958 lbs. of butter, 169,905 of wool, and 54,701 gallons of wine. There were 4,813 horses, 4,700 milch cows, 3,527 other cattle, 39,751 sheep, and 7,863 swine; 2 manufactories of cars, 20 of barrels and casks, 2 of cutlery and edge tools, 13 of cured fish, 2 of hubs and wagon material, 2 of iron castings, 5 of machinery, 1 of printing paper, 3 of sashes, doors, and blinds, 10 of tin ware, 7 of cigars, 4 establishments for turning and carving wood, 15 for ship building, 2 for pork packing, 7 saw mills, 6 flour mills, 4 breweries, and 33 manufactories of wine. Capital, Sandusky.

ERIE, a city, port of entry, and the seat of justice of Erie co., Pennsylvania, situated on Lake Erie, nearly midway between Buffalo and Cleveland, 117 m. N. of Pittsburgh; pop. in 1840, 3,412; in 1850, 5,858; in 1860, 9,419; in 1870, 19,646, of whom 6,928 were foreigners. It stands upon an elevated bluff commanding a fine view of the lake. The streets are broad, and laid out at right angles with each other. State street is the principal business thoroughfare. The city contains several parks. Among the public buildings are the post office, the custom house, and the opera house, recently constructed. The union depot, of brick, in the Romanesque style, is 480 ft. long, 88 ft. wide, and two stories high, and is surmounted by a cupola 40 ft. high. The Erie cemetery, occupying a plot of 75 acres on Chestnut street, near the city limits, is beautifully laid out with drives and walks, and is adorned with trees, flowers, and shrubbery. The Erie Extension canal (abandoned) connected the city with the Ohio river, and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, the Philadelphia and Erie, and the Erie and Pittsburgh railroads afford communication with Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and the west. The harbor, which has been artificially improved, is 33 in. long, over 1 m. wide, and from 9 to 25 ft. deep, and is protected by Presque Isle, formerly a peninsula, lying in front of the city. At the entrance are two lighthouses. There are several large docks, some of which are furnished with railroad tracks, so that the transfer of merchandise takes place directly between the vessels and the cars. For the year ending June 30, 1872, there were entered in the coastwise trade 429 steamers of 370,231 tons, and 796 sailing vessels of 267,466 tons; cleared, 427 steamers of 363,105 tons, and 867 sailing vessels of 286,960 tons; entered from Canadian ports, 59 American vessels of 16,137 tons, and 52 Canadian vessels of 8,604 tons; cleared for Canadian ports, 16 American vessels of 2,809 tons, and 41 Canadian vessels of 6,739 tons; value of imports from Canada, $131,500; exports to Canada, $48,823. There were belonging to the port 88 vessels of 16,669 tons, of which 23 of 9,376 tons were steamers, 19 of 5,231 tons

sailing vessels, and the rest canal boats and barges; built during the year, 5 vessels of 3,760 tons. The principal articles of shipment are lumber, coal, iron ore, and petroleum. The leading manufactures are of iron, embracing stoves, steam engines, machinery, car wheels, and car work, besides which there are several manufactories of bricks, leather, organs, pumps, furniture, and other wood work, a brass foundery, six petroleum refineries, five beer breweries, two ale breweries, three malting establishments, &c. There are four national banks, with an aggregate capital of $850,000, a safe deposit and trust company, three savings banks, and four insurance companies. Erie is divided into six wards, and is governed by a mayor, and a select council of two members and a common council of three members from each ward. It is lighted with gas, and is supplied from the lake with water, which is forced by powerful engines to the top of a tower 200 ft. high, whence it is distributed through the mains. In 1872 there were 49 public schools, viz., 1 high, 16 grammar, 30 primary, and 2 evening, having 53 teachers and an average attendance of 2,154 pupils. St. Benedict's female academy (Roman Catholic) had 17 teachers and 60 pupils. The young men's Christian association has a library of 4,710 volumes. There are one daily and six weekly (two German) newspapers, an academy, marine hospital, city hospital, jail, orphan asylum, and 29 churches. The French had a fort on the site of Erie, known as Fort de la Presqu'isle, about 1749, The town was laid out in 1795. A portion of it was incorporated as a borough in 1805, and in 1851 a city charter was granted. The fleet of Com. Perry during the war of 1812-'15 was built and equipped here.

ERIE, Lake, the most southern of the five great lakes of the northern United States and of Canada, and the lowest of the chain, except Lake Ontario, which lies below it to the northeast. It is bounded N. by the province of Ontario, Canada, S. E. and S. by New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and W. by Michigan, and lies between lat. 41° 25′ and 42° 55′ N., and lon. 78° 55′ and 83° 34′ W. Both the lakes named lie nearly in the extension of the line of the river St. Lawrence, the outlet of all these bodies of fresh water. The mean length of Lake Erie is about 240 m.; mean breadth, 40 m.; circumference, 660 m.; elevation above the level of the sea, 565 ft.; area, 9,600 sq. m. Its surface is 333 ft. above that of Lake Ontario, this great descent being made in the Niagara river, which connects the two lakes. The form of the lake is elliptical, its maximum length exceeding the mean by only about 15 m., and the breadth varying from 30 to 60 m. Its western extremity receives from the north the waters of the upper lakes, discharged by the Detroit river. At this extremity are many islands clustered together, the largest one about 14 m. in circumference. They are well wooded, with a fertile soil de

rived from the limestone rocks of which they are composed, and to some extent they are under cultivation. The peculiar features of Lake Erie are its shallowness and the clayey nature of its shores, the depth, except near its lower end, rarely exceeding 120 ft. The United States engineers found three divisions in the floor of the lake, of increasing depth toward the outlet. The upper portion, above Point Pelee island, has a level bottom with an average depth of 30 ft. The middle portion takes in the principal part of the lake, extending to Long Point. The bottom is here level also, and from 60 to 70 ft. below the surface. Below Long Point the depth varies from 60 to 240 ft. Its bottom is a light clayey sediment, which rapidly accumulates from the wearing away of the strata that compose its shores. Along the coast the loosely aggregated products of the disintegrated strata are frequently seen forming high cliffs, which extend back into elevated plateaus. The rivers cut deep channels through these, discharging the excavated matters into the lake. The underground watercourses penetrate through the base of the cliffs and undermine them, and the waves aid to break them down. Slides are of frequent occurrence. The water takes up the earthy materials, and is rendered turbid by them a long way out from the land. This may be seen on both sides of the lake; and about Cleveland in Ohio the wearing back of the coast line has been particularly remarked. For 40 m., extending E. to Fairport, the shores are of this character, the stratified clays and sand forming a terrace, the height of which at Cleveland is 103 ft.. above the water. Owing to the shallowness of the lake, it is readily disturbed by the wind; and for this reason, and for its paucity of good harbors, it has the reputation of being the most dangerous to navigate of any of the great lakes. Long continued storms, with the wind setting from one extremity of the lake toward the other, produce disastrous effects upon the land to leeward by the piling up of the waters. From this cause the city of Buffalo at the foot of the lake has suffered serious damage in its lower portions. The return of the waters after the storm is in some instances so rapid, when driven along by a wind setting in the same direction, that powerful currents are produced. In October, 1833, a current thus caused burst a passage through the peninsula on the N. coast called Long Point, and excavated a channel more than 9 ft. deep and 900 ft. wide. The natural harbors around the lake are few, and these have required artificial improvement. They are generally at the mouths of the small rivers which flow into the lake, the channels of which are carried far out by piers, constructed on one or both sides. Erie in Pennsylvania has a large natural harbor, formerly known as that of Presque Isle, which has been improved. The best harbor between it and Buffalo is Dunkirk. The other principal harbors on the S. side are those of