[1] Gen. v. 32, vi. 10, vii. 13, x. 1; cf. 1 Chron. i. 4.
[2] Gen. ix. 27, x. 2, J. c. 850-750 B.C. In ix. 18 Ham is an
editorial addition.
[3] Gen. x. 1-5; cf. I Chron. i. 5-7. For the significance of the
genealogies in Gen. x. see HAM.
[4] See GOMER, GOG.
[5] So we should read with 1 Chron. i. 7 (LXX.) for Dodanim.
JAR, a vessel of simple form, made of earthenware, glass, &c., with a
spoutless mouth, and usually without handles. The word came into English
through Fr. _jarre_ or Span, _jarra_, from Arab, _jarrah_, the
earthenware vessel of Eastern countries, used to contain water, oil,
wine, &c. The simple electrical condenser known as a _Leyden Jar_ (q.v.)
was so called because of the early experiments made in the science of
electricity at Leiden. In the sense of a harsh vibrating sound, a sudden
shock or vibrating movement, hence dissension, quarrel or petty strife,
"jar" is onomatopoeic in origin; it is also seen in the name of the bird
night-jar (also known as the goat-sucker). In the expression "on the
jar" or "ajar," of a door or window partly open, the word is another
form of _chare_ or _char_, meaning turn or turning, which survives in
charwoman, one who works at a turn, a job and _chore_, a job, spell of
work.
JARGON, in its earliest use a term applied to the chirping and
twittering of birds, but since the 15th century mainly confined to any
language, spoken or written, which is either unintelligible to the user
or to the hearer. It is particularly applied by uninstructed hearers or
readers to the language full of technical terminology used by
scientific, philosophic and other writers. The word is O. Fr., and
Cotgrave defines it as "gibridge (gibberish), fustian language." It is
cognate with Span. _gerigonza_, and Ital. _gergo_, _gergone_, and
probably related to the onomatopoeic O. Fr. _jargouiller_, to chatter.
The root is probably seen in Lat. _garrire_, to chatter.
JARGOON, or Jargon (occasionally in old writings _jargounce_ and
_jacounce_), a name applied by modern mineralogists to those zircons
which are fine enough to be cut as gem-stones, but are not of the red
colour which characterizes the hyacinth or jacinth. The word is related
to Arab _zargun_ (zircon). Some of the finest jargoons are green, others
brown and yellow, whilst some are colourless. The colourless jargoon may
be obtained by heating certain coloured stones. When zircon is heated it
sometimes changes in colour, or altogether loses it, and at the same
time usually increases in density and brilliancy. The so-called Matura
diamonds, formerly sent from Matara (or Matura), in Ceylon, were
decolorized zircons. The zircon has strong refractive power, and its
lustre is almost adamantine, but it lacks the fire of the diamond. The
specific gravity of zircon is subject to considerable variation in
different varieties; thus Sir A. H. Church found the sp. gr. of a fine
leaf-green jargoon to be as low as 3.982, and that of a pure white
jargoon as high as 4.705. Jargoon and tourmaline, when cut as gems, are
sometimes mistaken for each other, but the sp. gr. is distinctive, since
that of tourmaline is only 3 to 3.2. Moreover, in tourmaline the
dichroism is strongly marked, whereas in jargoon it is remarkably
feeble. The refractive indices of jargoon are much higher than those of
tourmaline (see ZIRCON). (F. W. R.*)
JARIR IBN 'ATIYYA UL-KHATFI (d. 728), Arabian poet, was born in the
reign of the caliph 'Ali, was a member of the tribe Kulaib, a part of
the Tamim, and lived in Irak. Of his early life little is known, but he
succeeded in winning the favour of Hajjaj, the governor of Irak (see
CALIPHATE). Already famous for his verse, he became more widely known by
his feud with Farazdaq and Akhtal. Later he went to Damascus and visited
the court of Abdalmalik ('Abd ul-Malik) and that of his successor,
Walid. From neither of these did he receive a warm welcome. He was,
however, more successful with Omar II., and was the only poet received
by the pious caliph.
His verse, which, like that of his contemporaries, is largely satire
and eulogy, was published in 2 vols. (Cairo, 1896). (G. W. T.)
JARKENT, a town of Russian Central Asia, in the province of
Semiryechensk, 70 m. W.N.W. of Kulja and near to the Ili river. Pop.
(1897), 16,372.
JARNAC, a town of western France in the department of Charente, on the
right bank of the river Charente, and on the railway 23 m. W. of
Angoulême, between that city and Cognac. Pop. (1906), 4493. The town is
well built; and an avenue, planted with poplar trees, leads to a
handsome suspension bridge. The church contains an interesting ogival
crypt. There are communal colleges for both sexes. Brandy, wine and
wine-casks are made in the town. Jarnac was in 1569 the scene of a
battle in which the Catholics defeated the Protestants. A pyramid marks
the spot where Louis, Prince de Condé, one of the Protestant generals,
was slain. Jarnac gave its name to an old French family, of which the
best known member is Gui Chabot, comte de Jarnac (d. c. 1575), whose
lucky backstroke in his famous duel with Châteigneraie gave rise to the
proverbial phrase _coup de jarnac_, signifying an unexpected blow.
JARO, a town of the province of Iloílo, Panay, Philippine Islands, on
the Jaro river, 2 m. N.W. of the town of Iloílo, the capital. Pop.
(1903), 10,681. It lies on a plain in the midst of a rich agricultural
district, has several fine residences, a cathedral, a curious
three-tiered tower, a semi-weekly paper and a monthly periodical. Jaro
was founded by the Spanish in 1584. From 1903 until February 1908 it was
part of the town or municipality of Iloílo.
JAROSITE, a rare mineral species consisting of hydrous potassium and
aluminium sulphate, and belonging to the group of isomorphous
rhombohedral minerals enumerated below:--
Alunite K2 [Al(OH)2]6 (SO4)4
Jarosite K2 [Fe(OH)2]6 (SO4)4
Natrojarosite Na2 [Fe(OH)2]6 (SO4)4
Plumbojarosite Pb [Fe(OH)2]8 (SO4)4
Jarosite usually occurs as drusy incrustations of minute indistinct
crystals with a yellowish-brown colour and brilliant lustre. Hardness 3;
sp. gr. 3.15. The best specimens, consisting of crystalline crusts on
limonite, are from the Jaroso ravine in the Sierra Almagrera, province
of Almeria, Spain, from which locality the mineral receives its name. It
has been also found, often in association with iron ores, at a few other
localities. A variety occurring as concretionary or mulberry-like forms
is known as moronolite (from Gr. [Greek: môron], "mulberry," and [Greek:
líthos], "stone"); it is found at Monroe in Orange county, New York. The
recently discovered species natrojarosite and plumbojarosite occur as
yellowish-brown glistening powders consisting wholly of minute crystals,
and are from Nevada and New Mexico respectively. (L. J. S.)
JARRAH WOOD (an adaptation of the native name _Jerryhl_), the product of
a large tree (_Eucalyptus marginata_) found in south-western Australia,
where it is said to cover an area of 14,000 sq. m. The trees grow
straight in the stem to a great size, and yield squared timber up to 40
ft. length and 24 in. diameter. The wood is very hard, heavy (sp. gr.
1.010) and close-grained, with a mahogany-red colour, and sometimes
sufficient "figure" to render it suitable for cabinet-makers' use. The
timber possesses several useful characteristics; and great expectations
were at first formed as to its value for ship-building and general
constructive purposes. These expectations have not, however, been
realized, and the exclusive possession of the tree has not proved that
source of wealth to western Australia which was at one time expected.
Its greatest merit for ship-building and marine purposes is due to the
fact that it resists, better than any other timber, the attacks of the
_Teredo navalis_ and other marine borers, and on land it is equally
exempt, in tropical countries, from the ravages of white ants. When
felled with the sap at its lowest point and well seasoned, the wood
stands exposure in the air, earth or sea remarkably well, on which
account it is in request for railway sleepers, telegraph poles and piles
in the British colonies and India. The wood, however, frequently shows
longitudinal blisters, or lacunae, filled with resin, the same as may be
observed in spruce fir timber; and it is deficient in fibre, breaking
with a short fracture under comparatively moderate pressure. It has been
classed at Lloyds for ship-building purposes in line three, table A, of
the registry rules.
JARROW, a port and municipal borough in the Jarrow parliamentary
division of Durham, England, on the right bank of the Tyne, 6½ m. below
Newcastle, and on a branch of the North-Eastern railway. Pop. (1901),
34,295. The parish church of St Paul was founded in 685, and retains
portions of pre-Norman work. The central tower is Norman, and there are
good Decorated and Perpendicular details in the body of the church.
Close by are the scattered ruins of the monastery begun by the pious
Biscop in 681, and consecrated with the church by Ceolfrid in 685.
Within the walls of this monastery the Venerable Bede spent his life
from childhood; and his body was at first buried within the church,
whither, until it was removed under Edward the Confessor to Durham, it
attracted many pilgrims. The town is wholly industrial, devoted to
ship-building, chemical works, paper mills and the neighbouring
collieries. It owes its development from a mere pit village very largely
to the enterprise of Sir Charles Mark Palmer (q.v.). Jarrow Slake, a
river bay, 1 m. long by ½ m. broad, contains the Tyne docks of the
North-Eastern railway company. A great quantity of coal is shipped.
Jarrow was incorporated in 1875, and the corporation consists of a
mayor, 6 aldermen and 18 councillors. Area, 783 acres.
JARRY, NICOLAS, one of the best-known 17th century French calligraphers.
He was born at Paris about 1620, and was officially employed by Louis
XIV. His most famous work is the _Guirlande de Julie_ (1641). He died
some time before 1674.
JARVIS, JOHN WESLEY (1780-1840), American artist, nephew of the great
John Wesley, was born at South Shields, England, and was taken to the
United States at the age of five. He was one of the earliest American
painters to give serious attention to the study of anatomy. He lived at
first in Philadelphia, afterwards establishing himself in New York,
where he enjoyed great popularity, though his conviviality and eccentric
mode of life affected his work. He visited Baltimore, Charleston and New
Orleans, entertaining much and painting portraits of prominent people,
particularly in New Orleans, where General Andrew Jackson was one of his
sitters. He had for assistants at different times both Sully and Inman.
He affected singularity in dress and manners, and his _mots_ were the
talk of the day. But his work deteriorated, and he died in great poverty
in New York City. Examples of his painting are in the collection of the
New York Historical Society.
JASHAR, BOOK OF, in Hebrew _Sepher ha-yashar_, a Hebrew composition
mentioned as though well-known in Josh. x. 13 and 2 Sam. i. 18. From
these two passages it seems to have been a book of songs relating to
important events, but no early collection of the kind is now extant, nor
is anything known of it. Various speculations have been put forward as
to the name: (1) that it means the book of the upright, i.e. Israel or
distinguished Israelites, the root being the same as in Jeshurun; (2)
that Jashar ([Hebrew: yashar]) is a transposition of shîr ([Hebrew:
shir], song); (3) that it should be pointed Yashir ([Hebrew: yashir],
sing; cf. Exod. xv. 1) and was so called after its first word. None of
these is very convincing, though support may be found for them all in
the versions. The Septuagint favours (1) by its rendering [Greek: epi
bibliou tou euthous] in Samuel (it omits the words in Joshua); the
Vulgate has _in libro justorum_ in both places; the Syriac in Samuel has
_Ashir_, which suggests a Hebrew reading _ha-shir_ (the song), and in
Joshua it translates "book of praises." The Targum on both passages has
"book of the law," an explanation which is followed by the chief Jewish
commentators, making the incidents the fulfilment of passages in the
Pentateuch. Since it contained the lament of David (2 Sam. i. 18) it
cannot have been completed till after his time. If Wellhausen's
restoration of 1 Kings viii. 12 be accepted (from Septuagint 1 Kings
viii. 53, [Greek: en bibliô tês ôdês]) where the reference is to the
building of the Temple, the book must have been growing in the time of
Solomon. The attempt of Donaldson[1] to reconstruct it is largely
subjective and uncritical.
In later times when it became customary to compose midrashic works
under well-known names, a book of Jashar naturally made its
appearance. It need hardly be remarked that this has nothing whatever
to do with the older book. It is an anonymous elaboration in Hebrew of
the early part of the biblical narrative, probably composed in the
12th century. The fact that its legendary material is drawn from
Arabic sources, as well as from Talmud, Midrash and later Jewish
works, would seem to show that the writer lived in Spain, or,
according to others, in south Italy. The first edition appeared at
Venice in 1625, and it has been frequently printed since. It was
translated into English by (or for) M. M. Noah (New York, 1840). A
work called _The Book of ... Jasher, translated ... by Alcuin_ (1751;
2nd ed., Bristol, 1829), has nothing to do with this or with any
Hebrew original, but is a mere fabrication by the printer, Jacob Hive,
who put it forward as the book "mentioned in Holy Scripture."
BIBLIOGRAPHY.--M. Heilprin, _Historical Poetry of the Ancient Hebrews_
(New York, 1879), i. 128-131; Mercati, "Una congettura sopra il libro
del Giusto," in _Studi e Testi_ (5, Roma, 1901). On the medieval work
see Zunz, _Gottesdienstliche Vorträge der Juden_ (Frankfurt a. M.,
1892), 2nd ed., p. 162.