captivated Napoleon that it was carried off to Paris, and only restored in 1815 to the Pinakothek at Munich, where is also his '"Susanna at the Bath" (1526). His work on copper, of which a hundred examples remain, entitles him to a place anion^ the "little masters"; and he was also a practical architect. Consult Friedländer, Albrecht Altdorfer (Leipzig, 1891).
ALTEA, al-ta'a.
A seaport town of Valencia, Spain, in the province of Alicante, 25 miles northeast of Alicante (Map: Spain, E 3). It stands on a rising ground at the head of a bay. It is known for its exports of raisins, and has a lighthouse on the bay. Pop., 1900, 6179.
ALTEN, al'tcn.
A portion of the province of Finmarken, in northern Norway, surrounding the Altenfjord. It consists of fertile tracts, where, in spite of the high latitude, much grain is grown.
ALTEN, al'tcn,
Karl August, Count of (1764-1840). A celebrated Hanoverian general in the Napoleonic wars. He entered the army in 1781, and gained distinction at Valenciennes and Hondschooten. He was first lieutenant in 1800, but after the capitulation at Lauenburg went to England, where he was made commander of a battalion in the German Legion (1803). In 1808 he assisted as general of brigade in covering the retreat of General Moore to Corunna. In 1811 he took part under General Beresford in the siege of Badajoz and the battle of Albuera, and in the following year was promoted by the Duke of Wellington. In almost all the engagements of the Spanish war of liberation — at Salamanca, Vitoria, in the Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthez, Toulouse — Alten took a prominent part. At Waterloo he held La Haye-Sainte for hours against the French. He commanded the Hanoverian contingent of the army of occupation in France (1818), and after his return to Hanover was made Minister of War.
ALTENA, al't'i-na.
A town of Westphalia, Prussia, in the district of Arnsberg, on the Lenne, 40 miles northeast of Cologne (Map: Prussia, B 3). The town possesses several churches and the ancestral castle of the counts of the mark. Its principal manufactures consist of iron, copper, brass, and nickel goods, one of its specialties being metal ecclesiastical vessels. Pop., 1890, about 11,000; 1900, 12,800.
ALTENBURG, al'tcn-burK. The capital of
the German Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, situated in
a fertile country in lat. 50° 59' N.. and long. 12°
2.5' E., about 24 miles south of Leipzig, near the
River Pleisse (Map: Germany, E 3). Preëmi-
nent among the noteworthy buildings is the ducal
castle, built upon an almost perpendicular por-
phyry rock, and celebrated as the scene of the
abduction, in 1455, of the two Saxon princes,
Albert and Ernest. A curious building is the so-called Rothen-Spitzen, composed of two connected towers, containing the State archives. Altenburg possesses several excellent educational institutions, a museum, a picture gallery, and a theatre. Its benevolent institutions include an infirmary and a hospital for poor citizens. Brushes, gloves, hats, and cigars are among the chief manufactures carried on in Altenburg, and it has a considerable trade in woolen yarn and produce, largely grain. Pop., 1890, about 31,000; 1900, 37,100.
ALTENDORF, jil'tcn dOrf.
A commune consisting of a number of manufacturing villages in Rhenish Prussia, one mile west of the city of Essen. Altendorf is liberally supplied with schools, one of the largest being that of the famous Krupp iron works, which are located here. In addition to the iron industry, Altendorf has extensive coke, brick, and cement works. Pop., 1890, 31,900; 1900, 63,300.
ALTENESSEN, •ll'tcn-es'sen.
A city in the Prussian Rhine province, about 2 miles north of Essen. It has important coal mines and machine works. Pop., 1890, about 18,000; 1900, 33,400.
ALTENSTEIN, iil'tpn-stin.
A castle in the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, near the watering-place of Liebenstein, and about 13 miles southeast of Eisenach, on the south slope of the Thüringerwald, the summer residence of the reigning dukes. It has a fine park, in which is a cavern 500 feet long, through which flows a large stream. St. Boniface, "the apostle of Germany," lived and preached here from 724 to 727; and near by is the place, marked by a monument, where, in 1521, Luther, while returning from Worms, was seized and carried off to the Wartburg.
ALTENSTEIN, Karl, Baron von Stein zum (1770-1840). A Prussian statesman. He was born at Ansbach, and studied at Erlangen and Göttingen. After the Treaty of Tilsit he became the head of the finance department. In 1815 he went to Paris with Wilhelm von Humboldt to claim the restoration of works of art taken from Prussia by the French armies. He was Minister of Public Worship and Education during 1817-38, and did great service for the universities and schools. Under his direction the University of Bonn was founded, and a great number of gymnasiums were opened.
AL'TERA'TION (From Lat. alter, other, different). In its most general sense, with reference to a written instrument or a property interest, alteration is such a change as, if effective, would result in substituting a different instrument or interest for the original. An alteration of an easement, as a right of way, consists in changing its course or boundaries. An alteration of a written instrument consists in making any material change in its language or character, such as erasing, interlining, or adding terms, or removing a seal from a deed. An immaterial change does not come under the description of an alteration. At common law, the alteration of a written instrument avoided it as against a party not assenting thereto. In England it does not matter whether the alteration is made by a party or by a stranger. In this country, a distinction is made between the two cases, and alteration by a stranger, or spoliation (q.v.), as well as alteration by a party through pure accident or innocent mistake, does not invalidate the instrument, if its original language or tenor remains discoverable. The common-law rule rests upon considerations of public policy, its object being to deter the holder of a written instrument from tampering with it, and to force him to carefully guard its integrity. By the Bills of Exchange Act in England and the negotiable instruments law in several of our States, a holder in due course of an altered negotiable instrument may enforce it according to its original tenor. See the authorities referred to under Contract; Deed; Negotiable Instrument.
