_History._--Arnhem, called _Arnoldi Villa_ in the middle ages, is,
according to some, the _Arenacum_ of the Romans, and is first mentioned
in a document in 893. In 1233 Otto II., count of Gelderland, chose this
spot as his residence, conferred municipal rights on the town, and
fortified it. At a later period it entered the Hanseatic League. In 1473
it was captured by Charles the Bold of Burgundy. In 1505 it received the
right of coining from Philip, son of the emperor Maximilian I. In 1514
Charles of Egmont, duke of Gelderland, took it from the Spaniards; but
in 1543 it fell to the emperor Charles V., who made it the seat of the
council of Gelderland. It joined the union of Utrecht in 1579, and came
finally under the effective government of the states-general in 1585,
all the later attacks of the Spaniards being repulsed. In 1586 Sir
Philip Sidney died in the town from the effects of his wound received
before Zutphen. The French took the town in 1672, but left it dismantled
in 1674. It was refortified by the celebrated Dutch general of
engineers, Coehoorn, in the beginning of the 18th century. In 1795 it
was again stormed by the French, and in 1813 it was taken from them by
the Prussians under Bullow. Gardens and promenades have now taken the
place of the old ramparts, the last of which was levelled in 1853.
ARNICA, a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Compositae, and
containing 18 species, mostly north-west American. The most important
species is _Arnicamontana_ (mountain tobacco), a perennial herb found in
upland meadows in northern and central Europe (but not extending to
Britain), and on the mountains of western and central Europe. A closely
allied species (_A. angustifolia_), with very narrow leaves, is met with
in Arctic Asia and America. The heads of flowers are large, 2 to 2-1/2
in. across, orange-yellow in colour, and borne on the summit of the stem
or branches; the outer ray-flowers are an inch in length. The achenes
(fruits) are brown and hairy, and are crowned by a tuft of stiffish
hairs (pappus). The root-stock of _A. montana_ is tough, slender, of a
dark brown colour and an inch or two in length. It gives off numerous
simple roots from its under side, and shows on its upper side the
remains of rosettes of leaves. It yields an essential oil in small
quantity, and a resinous matter called arnicin, C12H22O2, a yellow
crystalline substance with an acrid taste. The tincture prepared from it
is an old remedy which has a popular reputation in the treatment of
bruises and sprains. The plant was introduced into English gardens about
the middle of the 18th century, but is not often grown; it is a handsome
plant for a rockery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account