TO DETERMINE WHAT ALIMENT IS MOST WHOLESOME IN ANY GIVEN CASE, THE DIGESTIVE POWER OF THE INDIVIDUAL IS TO BE CONSIDERED. ALK] MANY A SIMPLE ALIMENT IS MADE INDIGESTIBLE BY MODERN COOKERY. A New Dictionary of the Belles Lettres. of parliament, has a right to enjoy offices, or can be returned on any jury, unless where an alien is party in a cause; and then the jury is composed of an equal number of denizens and alieus. ALIENATION, in law, the act of making a thing another man's: or the altering and transferring the property and possession of lands, tenements, or other things, from one man to another. To alienate, in mortmain, is to make over lands or tenements to a religious community, or other body politic. To alienate in fee, is to sell the fee-simple of any land, or other incorporeal right. ALIGNMENT, in naval affairs, a supposed line drawn to preserve a fleet in its just direction. ALIMENT, whatever serves as nutriment to animal life. Climate, custom, and the different degrees of want and of civilization, give rise to an innumerable diversity of food and drink, from the repast of a savage to that of an epicure; or from the diet of the carnivorous native of the north to that of the Brahmin, whose appetite is satisfied with vegetables; but all kinds of aliment must contain nutritious substance, which, being extracted by digestion, enters the blood, and effects the repair of the body. ALIMENTARY, in a general sense, is a term applied to whatever belongs to aliment or food. -ALIMENTARY DUCT, a name by which some call the intestines, on account of the food passing through them. -ALIMENTARY LAW, among the Romans, that whereby children were obliged to maintain their aged parents. ALIMONY, in law, the maintenance sued for by a wife, in case of a legal separation from her husband, wherein she is neither chargeable with elopement nor adultery. ALIPTA, amongst the Romans, was a slave, whose province it was to anoint his master when he bathed. ALIQUANT PARTS, such numbers in arithmetic as will not divide or measure a whole number exactly, as 7, which is the aliquant part of 16. ALIQUOT PARTS, such parts of a number as will divide or measure a whole number exactly, as 2 the aliquot part of 4, 3 of 9, and 4 of 16. Aliquot parts must not be confounded with commensurable ones; for though the former be all commensurable, yet these are not always aliquot parts: thus 4 is commensurable with 6, but is not an aliquot part of it. ALITES, in Roman antiquity, a designation given to such birds as afforded matter for auguries by their flight; in which sense, they are contradistinguished from those called oscines, or those which gave auguries by singing or croaking. AL'KA, in ornithology, a bird of the anseres, or goose kind, about the size of a duck, and quite black, except on the breast and belly, which are white: it is commonly called the awk or razor-bill. AL'KAHEST, an universal menstruum possessing the virtue of pervading every [ALL substance, and capable of resolving all bodies into their ens primum, or first matter. It is explained by Van Helmont to signify a salt of the highest sort, that had attained to the highest state of purity and subtilty. AL'KALI, among chemists and physi cians, an appellation given to all sub. stances which excite a fermentation when mixed with acids. Originally the term alkali signified only the salt extracted from the ashes of kali or glass-wort; afterwards, it was used for the salts of all plants, extracted in the same manner; and as these were observed to ferment with acids, the signification of the term was still farther extended, so as to comprehend whatever substances had this effect. POTASH is called the vegetable alkali, because it is procured from the ashes of all vegetables, in a greater or less proportion, except marine plants, and a few that grow near the sea-shore, which yield soDA. This latter is termed the mineral alkali, because it is not only obtained from the ashes of the lastmentioned plants, but is sometimes found native in the earth. AMMONIA, or the volatile alkali, is procured by decomposition, from all animal, and from some vegetable substances; and by putrefaction from all these matters. It is distinguished from the fixed alkalies by its volatility, which is so great that it very easily assumes a gaseous form, and is dissipated by a very moderate degree of heat; and by its pungent smell. Its purest form is that of a gas: it is never solid, unless combined with some other substances; nor liquid but when it is united with water. It is weaker in all its affinities than the fixed alkalies; and is composed of hydrogen and azote, in the proportion of 193 parts of the former to 807 of the latter. ALKAKEN'GI, or WINTER CHERRY, the fruit of which is a species of nightshade. -ALKAKENGI, in medicine, is used as an abstergent, dissolvent, and diuretic, and is celebrated for its lithotriptic quality. ALKALIM'ETER, a scientific instrument invented by Descroizelles to measure the purity of different alkalies. ALKALINE, in a general sense, is applied to all such things as have the properties of an alkali. ALKALIZATION, the impregnating a liquor with alkaline salts. ALKANET, the bark of a root used in dyeing; also for the colouring of oils, in compositions for giving colour to mahogany furniture, and other purposes. It imparts a fine deep-red colour to all unctuous substances and to spirits of wine; but it tinges water with a dull, brownish hue. It is chiefly imported from the Levant, and the plant is a species of bugloss. ALKER'MES, in pharmacy, a compound cordial medicine, of the form and consistence of a confection. AL'LAH, the Arabian name of God. ALLEGIANCE, in law, the faithful obedience which every subject owes to his prince; being the tie or bond of fidelity ALKALIES AND ACIDS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS ANTAGONIST SUBSTANCES. IT IS SUPPOSED THAT THE VEGETABLE AIKALIES MAY BE FOUND TO BE AS NUMEROUS AS THE VEGETABLE ACIDS. 23 IRONY IS DISTINGUISHED FROM ALLEGORY BY CONVEYING A MEANING DIRECTLY CONTRARY TO THE TRUE SIGNIFICATION OF THE WORDS. 24 NATIVE ALLOYS ARE THOSE METALS FOUND COMBINED WITH OTHER METALS. ALL] The Scientific and Literary Treasury; which binds the governed to the governor. The oath of allegiance is that which everyperson is required to take before he enters on any office. ALLEMAN'NIC, in a general sense, denotes any thing belonging to the ancient Germans. Thus we meet with Allemannic history, Allemannic language, Allemannic law, &c. ALLEGORY, a series or chain of metaphors continued through a whole discourse. The great source of allegory, or allegorical interpretations, is some difficulty, or absurdity, in the literal and obvious sense. ALLEGRO, an Italian word used in music, to denote that the part is to be played in a brisk and sprightly manner. The usual distinctions succeed each other in the following order: grave, adagio, largo, vivace, allegro, presto. Allegro time be heightened, as allegro assai and almay legrissimo, very lively; or lessened, as allegretto or poco allegro, a little lively. Piu allegro is a direction to play or sing a little quicker. ALL-HAL'LOWS, or ALL-SAINTS, a festival observed by many denominations of Christians, in commemoration of the saints in general. It is kept on the first of November, Gregory IV. having in 835 appointed that day for its celebration. ALLIANCE, in the civil and canon law, the relation contracted between two persons or two families by marriage.--ALLIANCE is also used for a treaty entered into by sovereign princes and states, for their mutual safety and defence.-ALLIANCE, in a figurative sense, is applied to any kind of union or connection: thus we say, there is an alliance between the church and state. [ALM chanting ornament, and will equally contribute to softness, to energy, and to solemnity. ALLO'DIAL LANDS, are those which, under the feudal system, were free. Their owners owed no service to a superior lord. AL'LOPHANE, a mineral, or aluminous earth, of a blue, and sometimes of a green or brown colour, which occurs massive, or in imitative shapes. It gelatinizes in acids. ALLOY', a proportion of any baser metal mixed with one that is finer; thus the gold coin has an alloy of silver and copper, as silver has of copper alone. Alloy also means any compound of any two or more metals whatever; thus, bronze is an alloy of copper and tin; brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, &c. One metal however, does not alloy indifferently with every other metal, but it is governed in this respect by peculiar affinities. ALL'SPICE, so called from its flavour, which unites that of the cinnamon, of the nutmeg, and of the clove, is the pimenta, or Jamaica pepper. ALLUVIAL, a term used by mineralogical and geological writers. By alluvial depositions is meant the soil which has been formed by the destruction of mountains, and the washing down of their particles by torrents of water. The alluvial formations constitute the great mass of the earth's surface. ALLU'VION, in law, a gradual increase of land along the sea-shore, or on the banks of rivers. This, when slow and impercep tible, is deemed a lawful means of acquisition; but when a considerable portion of land is torn away at once, by the violence of the current, and joined to a neighbouring estate, it may be claimed again by the former owner. ALLIGATION, a rule in arithmetic, teaching how to compound several ingre- ALMACAN TAR, in astronomy, a name dients for any design proposed. It is either for the parallels of altitude on the celestial medial or alternate. The former shows globe, whose zenith is the pole or vertical the rate or price of any mixture, when its point.-ALMACANTAR'S STAFF is an inseveral quantities and their rates are strument for observing at sea the sun's known. The latter is the method of find-amplitude rising and setting. ing the quantities of ingredients necessary AL'MADIE, a kind of canoe, or small to form a compound of a given rate. vessel, about four fathoms long, usually made of bark, and used by the negroes of Africa. AL'LIGATOR, an amphibious animal, so nearly resembling the crocodile of the Nile as to be considered a mere variety. It abounds in the torrid zone, will sometimes grow to the length of 18 or 20 feet, and is covered by a dense hardness of horny scales, impenetrable in most parts to a musket-ball. ALLITERATION, a figure or embellishment of speech, which consists in the repetition of the same consonants, or of syllables of the same sound, in one sentence. The Greek and Roman literature afford many instances of this; and in Eng. lish poetry there are also many beautiful specimens of alliterations; though it must be confessed that it is too often used without the requisite skill, and carried too far. In burlesque poetry it is frequently used with excellent effect; though even there the sense should never be sacrificed to the sound. Tastefully used, it is a most en AL'MAGEST, the name of a celebrated book, composed by Ptolemy; being a collection of many of the observations and problems of the ancients, relating both to geometry and astronomy. AL'MAGRA, a fine deep-red ochre, with a faint admixture of purple, used both in painting and medicine. ALMA MATER, a title given to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge by their several members who have passed their degrees in either of these universities. ALMANAC, a calendar or table, containing a list of the months, weeks, and days of the year, with an account of the rising and setting of the sun and moon, the most remarkable phenomena of the heavenly bodies, the several festivals and fasts, and other incidental matters.-The NAUTICAL ALMANAC, a most valuable work for ALLOY IN GOLD AND SILVER MAKES THOSE METALS WEAR BETTER. WHOLE POEMS ARE SOMETIMES ALLEGORICAL; AS "SPENSER'S FAIRY QUEEN," AND "BUNYAN'S PILGRIM'S PROGRESS." DURING THE CIVIL WARS OF CHARLES I. AND UNTIL VERY LATELY, ENGLISH ALMANACS HAVE BEEN CONSPICUOUS FOR ASTROLOGICAL PREDICTIONS. ALP] THE EARLIEST ENGLISH ALMANACS WERE PRINTED IN HOLLAND. A New Dictionary of the Belles Lettres. mariners, is published in England two or three years in advance. It was commenced in 1767, by Dr. Maskelyne, the astronomer royal, and has been regularly continued ever since. AL'MONER, an ecclesiastical officer of the king, appointed to distribute the king's alms to the poor every day. ALMS, a general term for what is given out of charity to the poor. In the early ages of Christianity, the alms of the charitable were divided into four parts, one of which was allotted to the bishop, another to the priests, and a third to the deacons and sub-deacons, which made their whole subsistence; the fourth part was employed in relieving the poor, and in repairing the churches. [ALT the first and second letters of the Greek alphabet. It is undoubtedly the most important of all inventions, for by means of it sounds are represented, and language made visible to the eye by a few simple characters. The five books of Moses are universally acknowledged to be the most ancient compositions, as well as the most early specimens of alphabetical writing extant; and it appears that all the languages in use amongst men which have been conveyed in alphabetical characters, have been the languages of people connected, ultimately or immediately, with the Hebrews. Hence a most extensive controversy has existed amongst learned men, whether the method of expressing our ideas by visible symbols, called letters, be really a human ALMS'-HOUSE, a building erected for invention; or whether we ought to attrithe maintenance of a certain number of bute an art so exceedingly useful, to an impoor, aged, or disabled persons. Of these mediate intimation of the Deity. An opi. there are a great number in London, West- nion upon such a subject would necessarily minster, and other towns of note in Eng-be mere conjecture, and therefore useless; land; some endowed by public companies, but we feel that we could not properly pass and others by charitable individuals. over in silence a matter which has so often ALMU'TEN, in astrology, the lord of a engaged the attention of the most crudite figure, or strongest planet in a nativity. controversialists. A'LOA, in Grecian antiquity, a festival kept in honour of Ceres, by the husbandmen, and supposed to resemble our harvest-home. AL'OE, a tree which originally came from India, remarkable for a bitter juice, called aloes, which is extracted from its leaves, and is very useful in medicine as a purgative. The Socotrine aloe, the leaves of which afford a beautiful violet colour, is an European species much cultivated in Spain. Aloes are an extensive tribe of plants; and while some of them are not more than a few inches in height, others occasionally exceed thirty feet. All the leaves are fleshy, thick, and more or less spinous at the edges or extremity. The great American aloe (agave Americana), when in full flower, presents a most splendid appearance. The stem, which bears the blossoms, rises from the centre of the leaves, branching out on all sides in such a manner as to form a kind of pyramid, composed of greenish-yellow flowers, which stand erect, and are seen in thick clusters at every joint. It is an erroneous notion, though a very generally received one, to suppose that the American aloe does not bloom till it is 100 years old; the fact is, in hot countries it will flower in a few years; but in colder climates, the growth being slower, it is necessarily longer in arriving at maturity. ALOETICS, a general term for all medicines, the basis or principal ingredient of which is aloes. ALOGOTROPHIA, in medicine, unequal growth or nutrition in different parts of the body. ALOPECIA, in medicine, a falling off of the hair, occasioned either by a defect of nourishment, or by a bad state of the huALPHABET, the natural or customary series of the several letters of a language. The word is formed from alpha and betu, mours. ALPHON'SINE TABLES, astronomical tables made in the reign of Alphonsus X., king of Arragon, who was a great lover of science, and a prince of rare attainments; but though these tables bear his name, they were chiefly drawn up by Isaac Hazan, a learned Jewish rabbi. ALT, in music, that part of the great scale lying between F above the treble cliff note, and G in altissimo. ALTAR, a place upon which sacrifices were anciently offered to the Almighty, or some heathen deity. Before temples were in use, altars were erected sometimes in groves, sometimes in the highways, and sometimes on the tops of mountains; and it was a custom to engrave upon them the name, proper ensign, or character of the deity to whom they were consecrated. Thus St. Paul observed an altar at Athens, with an inscription, To the unknown God. In the great temples of ancient Rome, there were ordinarily three altars; the first was placed in the sanctuary, at the foot of the statue of the divinity, upon which incense was burnt and libations offered; the second was before the gate of the temple, and upon it they sacrificed the victims; and the third was a portable altar, upon which were placed the offerings and the sacred vessels. The principal altars of the Jews were those of incense, of burnt-offerings, and the altar, or table, for the shewbread.-ALTAR is also used among Christians, for the communion-table. ALTARAGE, the profits arising to a priest on account of the altar, as well the offerings themselves made upon it. ALTERATIVES, such medicines as induce a favourable change in the system, without any manifest operation or evacuation. as ALTERNATION, a rule in arithmetic, by which the changes in any number of things may be determined. It consists of CHRIST, THE ATONING SACRIFICE FOR SIN, IS CALLED THE ALTAR OF CHRISTIANS. ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE FIRST AND LAST LETTERS OF THE GREEK ALPHABET, ARE USED IN SCRIPTURE AS A SYMBOL OF THE DIVINE BEING. [D 26 ALUM WORKS EXISTED MANY CENTURIES AGO AT ROCCHA, IN SYRIA, WHENCE THE ANCIENT NAME OF ROCH ALUM IS DERIVED. ALUM, IN ITS PURE STATE, APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN UNKNOWN TO THE ANCIENTS. ALU] The Scientific and Literary Treasury ; multiplying the numbers one into another, and the product is the number of possible changes. ALTHE'A, a plant, the root of which abounds with a mild mucilage, and is of great efficacy in medicine as an emollient. It is well known by its English name, the Marsh-mallow. ALTIMETRY, the art of taking heights by means of a quadrant, and founded on the principle that the sides of triangles having equal angles, are in exact proportion to one another. ALTIS'SIMO, in music, an Italian epithet for notes above F in alt. ALTIS'TA, in music, an Italian name for the vocal performer who takes the alto primo part. ALTITUDE, the height of an object, or its elevation above that plane to which the base is referred; thus in mathematics, the altitude of a figure is the perpendicular or nearest distance of its vertex from the base. The altitude of an object is the elevation of an object above the plane of the horizon. or a perpendicular let fall to that plane. -ACCESSIBLE ALTITUDE of an object, is that to whose base there is access, to measure the nearest distance to it on the ground, from any place.-INACCESSIBLE ALTITUDE of an object, is that to whose base there is not free access, by which a distance may be measured to it, by reason of some impediment, such as water, wood, or the like. The instruments mostly used in measuring altitudes, are the quadrant, theodolite, geometrical square line of shadows, &c.ALTITUDE OF THE EYE, in perspective, the perpendicular height of the eye above the geometrical plane.-ALTITUDE OF A STAR, &c., in astronomy, the height of any star, &c. above the horizon, or an arc of a vertical circle, intercepted between the star and the horizon. This altitude is either true or apparent, according as it is reckoned from the rational or sensible horizon, and the difference between these two is termed, by astronomers, the parallax of altitude.-ALTITUDES OF MOUNTAINS may be determined either by trigonometry or by the barometer; for as the weight and elasticity of the atmosphere diminish as we rise, so the fall of the barometer determines the elevation of any place. If very great accuracy is not required, their altitude may be ascertained by the length of shadows, moveable staves, &c. LAMA sweetness, accompanied by considerable astringency. There are two sorts of alum, the natural and the artificial. In a natural state, it is said to be met with in Egypt, Sardinia, Spain, Bohemia, and other places, and the counties of York and Lancaster, in England. On account of its astringent qualities, it is used in several mechanic arts, and in medicine.-ALUM SLATE, a slaty rock, found abundantly in most European countries, and from it is obtained, by a complicated process, the largest part of the alum of commerce.-ALUM STONE, a mineral, of a greyish or yellowish-white colour. It is found at Tolfa, in Italy, and from it is obtained a very pure alum, by simply subjecting it to roasting and lixiviALUMINA, an earth which is the basis of clay, basalt, slate, &c. It is of the greatest importance to mankind, for it enters largely into the composition of the best arable land, and is the base of all earthenware and porcelain. ation. ALUMINITE, a mineral, of a snowwhite colour, dull, and opaque; found chiefly near Halle, in Saxony. ALU'MINOUS, an appellation given to such things as partake of the nature and properties of alum. ALVEA'RIUM properly signifies a beehive, from alveus, a channel, or cavity. Hence, ALVEARIUM, among anatomists, denotes the hollow of the auricle, or outer ALVEOLATE, in botany, an epithet applied to the receptacle when it is divided into open cells, like a honey-comb, with a seed lodged in each. ear. ALVEOLUS, in natural history, properly denotes one of those waxen cells, whereof the combs in bee-hives consist. -ALVEOLUS, in anatomy, is the socketlike cavity in the jaws, wherein each of the teeth is fixed.ALVEOLUS is also the name given to a marine fossil. The alveoli are of a conic shape, and composed of a number of cells, like so many bee-hives, jointed into one another, with a siphunculus, or pipe of communication, like that of the nautilus. AL'VEUS, a boat formed from the trunk of a tree hollowed out, which was in use among the ancients, and in one of which, according to Ovid, Romulus and Remus were exposed. ALYS' MOS, a term frequently used by Hippocrates to express the restless uneasiness attendant on sickness. ALYS'SUM, the plant madwort; so called because it was supposed to cure the bite of a mad dog. AMALGAM, or AMAL'GAMA, the mixture of mercury with some other metal. Amalgams are used either to render a metal fit to be spread on some works, as in gilding, or else to reduce it to powder. There are two methods generally used in the making of amalgams. The first is merely by trituration in a mortar, and without heat: the second is by fusing the metal which is to be amalgamated, and by ALUM CLEARS FOUL WATER BY A KIND OF DEPURATION OR FILTRATION. THE ALUM MANUFACTURED IN GREAT BRITAIN CONTAINS POTASH AS ITS ALKALINE CONSTITUENT; THAT MADE IN FRANCE, AMMONIA. THE BIVER AMAZON RISES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF QUITO, AND RUNS 3400 MILES BEFORE IT DISCHARGES ITSELF INTO THE ATLANTIC. AMA] TRINKETS MADE OF AMBER ARE MOSTLY PRIZED BY ORIENTAL NATIONS. A New Dictionary of the Belles Lettres. adding to it, when fused, the intended AMARANTH, a plant cultivated in the Indies and South America, and famed for the beauty with which the colours are elegantly mixed in its leaves. By ancient poets the amaranth was made the emblem of immortality, in consequence of its flowers retaining their colours after they were plucked and dried.AMARANTHUS, in the Linnæan system, is a genus of plants, of which there are many varieties. AMA'RUM, in mineralogy, sulphate of magnesia, or Epsom salts; a genus of mineral substances, class salts, of a bitter taste, easily soluble in water, and melting in heat. AMA'RUS, in mineralogy, a genus of earths, of the class silices, consisting of silica, with a small proportion of magnesia, alumina, and carbonate of lime. AMARYLLIS, LILY ASPHODEL; a genus of perennial plants, of which there are several species, mostly natives of the East and West Indies. AMARYNTHIA, festivals anciently celebrated in honour of Diana at Amarynthusa, a village of Euboea. AMATEUR, a person having a taste for a particular art, yet not professing, nor being dependent on it. AMATO'RII MUSCULI, in anatomy, a term sometimes used for those muscles of the eyes that draw them sideways, and assist in ogling. The AMATORII MUSCULI are generally called the obliquus superior, or trochlearis, and the obliquus inferior. AMAURO'SIS, among physicians, a disease of the eye, otherwise called gutta serena. AM'AZONS, a nation of female warriors, who are said to have founded an empire in Asia Minor. According to tradition, supported by the authority of the most ancient Greek writers, they permitted no males to reside among them, but had intercourse with the men of the neighbouring nations merely for the sake of preserving their community. Their male children they either killed or sent back to their fathers, but they brought up the females to war, and burned off the right breast, that this part of the body might not impede them in the use of the bow. It was from this practice that they derived the name of Amazons, i. e. wanting a breast. Their existence, however, has not only been controverted, but ridiculed and treated as fabulous, by Dr. Bryant, in his Analysis of Ancient Mythology, and even by some ancient writers. But still there are too many concurrent testimonies in their favour for us to suppose that they were altogether creations of the fancy. The last account we have of them is about 330 years before Christ, when their queen, Thalestris, made a visit to Alexander of Macedon, at the head of 300 of her Amazons, having left the rest of her troops behind.The old geo vest. [AMB graphers gave the name of AMAZONIA to a large tract of country in the interior of South America, because Orellana, the first discoverer of the country, relates, that as he sailed up the stupendous river Maranon, or Amazon, which inundates and fertilizes the land as the Nile does Egypt, he found on its banks a nation of armed women, who made war on the neighbouring people. AMBARVA'LIA, a festival among the Romans, celebrated annually in honour of Ceres, in order to procure a plenteous harAMBASSADOR, the representative of one sovereign power to another, to which he is sent properly accredited. Ambassadors are either ordinary or extraordinary. The chief duties of an ordinary ambassador consist in the signing and countersigning of passports, the general protection of trade, and the transmission of such intelligence as can interest his court. Ambassadors extraordinary are sent on some important occasion, and are generally surrounded with superior pomp and splendour; but they quit the country as soon as the affair is despatched. The persons of ambassadors are sacred, both in peace and war: so that according to the law of pations, if hostilities break out between two nations, the respective ambassadors are permitted to depart without molestation. AM'BER, a hard, brittle, tasteless substance, mostly semitransparent, or opaque, and of a glossy surface. This curious production of nature is inflammable, and, when heated, yields a strong and bituminous odour. Its most extraordinary properties are those of attracting, after it has been exposed to a slight friction, straws, and other surrounding objects; and of producing sparks of fire, visible in the dark. Many thousand years before the science of electricity had entered the mind of man, these surprising qualities were known to exist in amber, and hence the Greeks called it electrum. The Romans, supposing it to be a vegetable juice, named it succinum; by the Arabs it is denominated ambra, whence the French write it ambre, and the English amber. Several hypotheses have been set up, respecting the nature of amber. By some, it is supposed to be resinous gum, oozing from pines, and falling on the earth, or into the sea; by others, a fossile formed in the earth, and washed ashore by the sea; and, by Dr. Girtanner, an animal product, nearly resembling wax. He relates, that the old pine-forests are inhabited by a large species of ants which form hills of about six feet in diameter, and that it is generally in these ancient forests, or in places where they have been, that fossil amber is found. This substance is not hard, like that taken up on the shores of Prussia: it has the consistence of honey, or of half-melted wax but it is of a yellow colour, like common amber: it gives the same produce by chemical analysis; and it hardens, like the other, when it is suffered to remain for some time in a solution of common salt. Insects are found in amber; among these, THE OIL OF AMBER WAS MUCH USED IN MAKING EAU DE LUCE. WHEN JOINED BY THE APURIMAC, THE RIVER AMAZON IS 150 MILES WIDE, AND IT IS FORTY FATHOMS DEEP 1500 MILES FROM THE SEA. 27 |