Alabama City
a city of Alabama It is on the Louisville the Nashville, the Chattacipal universities and colleges are the University of Alabama (opened 1831; non-sectarian) ; the Tuskegee Normal and nooga and St. Louis, and the Southern railroads. It is the center of an im- portant agricultural region producing sectarians the uses Normand Southern, the ; ham Southern College, Woman's College railroads. It is the center of an imthe chief varieties of grain. Coal is of Alabama, Spring Hill College, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Howard College, portant agricultural region producing St. Bernard College, Judson College, found in the vicinity. The city has a claims made in 1871 by the United ALABAMA CLAIMS, a series of Athens Female College. tions numerically in the State are the Baptist; Methodist Episcopal, South; Roman Catholic; Methodist Episcopal; and the Protestant Episcopal.
Railroads. The total railway mileage in the State in 1919 was 5,420. During the year there were built about 12 miles of main track. Recent developments in the coal, iron, and manufacturing industries have greatly stimulated railroad construction and extension.
State Government. The governor is elected for a term of four years. Legisconstruction and extension. elected for a term of four years. Legis- State Government.-The governor is are limited to 50 days each. The Legislature has 35 members in the Senate and 106 in the House, each of whom receives $4 per day and mileage. There are 10 representatives in Congress. In politics, the State is strongly Democratic. 31° which History. Alabama was first settled $4 per day and mileage. There are 10 31°, which belonged to France, was ceded to Great Britain in 1763, transferred to the United States in 1783, and attached to South Carolina and Georgia till 1802, when it was organized as the Mississippi Territory. The region S. of 31°, belonged to Spain, was seized and joined to Mississippi Territory in 1812, and with Florida was purchased from Spain in 1819. The great Creek Indian war of 1813-1814 was waged within the present limits of the State. After Alabama was admitted to the Union, it became one of the strongest slave-holding States in the Union. It was one of the first of the Southern States to favor secession, and Montgomery, its capital, became the first capital of the Southern Confederacy.
During the Civil War its soil and waters were the scenes of memorable conflicts, especially the Federal naval operations against MOBILE (q. v.). Since the war, the State has had an era of uniform prosperity. a series of ALABAMA CLAIMS, (1910) 4,313; (1920) 5,432.
States against the English Government claims made in 1871 by the United for damages done to shipping during the Civil War, after a formal discussion between the two governments in 1865, and fruitless conventions for their settlebama," an armed vessel of the Con- federate States, which was fitted out in ment in 1868 and 1869. These dam- ages were inflicted chiefly by the "Alafederate States, which was fitted out in a British port and permitted to sail in violation of existing international law. A tribunal, created in 1871 to pass upon these claims, held its sessions in Geneva, Switzerland, during the year 1872, and claims at issue. awarded the United States the sum of $15,500,000 in gold, in satisfaction of all ALABAMA POLYTECHNIC INSTI- TUTE, a coeducational (non-sectarian) institution in Auburn, Ala., organized umes in the library, 13,000; grounds and $58,182; gradin 1872; reported in 1899: Professors and instructors, 31; students, 347; volbuildings valued at $136,500; productive funds, $253,500; income, $58,1 funds, $253,500; income, $58,182; grad- uates, 522; president, W. Le Roy Broun, LL. D. a Confederate ALABAMA, THE, cruiser which devastated American shipcruiser which devastated American ship- ALABAMA, THE, a Confederate ping during the Civil War. She was a under secret instruction at Birkenhead, England. Her destination was suspected by the United States minister, but when obtained, she had departed (July 31, 1862). She made for the Azores, where she was equipped and manned by an English crew, under the command of vessels bearing the American flag, and she was equipped and manned by an She then proceeded to capture and burn ALABAMA, UNIVERSITY OF the destruction wrought in less than two years amounted to 65 vessels, and about $4,000,000 in property. In June, 1864, she put into Cherbourg, France, for repairs. Here she was intercepted by the Federal corvette "Kearsarge," Captain Winslow, and, after an hour's battle, Semmes surrendered. An account of her history is given in "Two Years on the Alabama," by Arthur Sinclair (1895).
ALABAMA, UNIVERSITY OF, or ganized in 1831; location, Tuscaloosa.
Besides a curriculum of science and belles-lettres, it has a medical school at Mobile. In 1919 it had a teaching corps of 125 instructors and was attended by 1,800 students. It has 6,000 graduates.
President, G. H. Denny, LL. D.
ALABASTER (from Greek alabastros, or the earlier form, alabastos), a tapering box, made for holding ointment; a rosebud; a measure of capacity, holding 10 ounces of wine or 9 of oil. The word is also applied to the mineral now called granular gypsum, and to any vessel made of it. Alabaster was named from Alabastron (near modern Antinoë), an Egyptian town.
In mineralogy, massive gypsum, either white or delicately shaded.