Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/699

Rh A M B A M B 661 use of ambergris in Europe is now entirely confined to perfumery, though it formerly occupied no inconsiderable place in medicine. As a material of perfumery its price varies from 15s. to 25s. per ounce; and in minute quantities its alcoholic solution is much used for giving a &quot;floral&quot; fragrance to bouquets, washes, and other preparations of the perfumer. It occupies a very important place in the perfumery of the East, and there it is also used in phar macy, and as a flavouring material in cookery. The high price it commands makes it peculiarly liable to adultera tion, but its genuineness is easily tested by its solubility in hot alcohol, its fragrant odour, and its uniform fatty consistence on being penetrated by a hot wire. AMBERT, chief town of an arrondissement of the same name in the department of Puy de Dome, France, situated on the Dore, 35 miles from Clermont. Its chief manu factures are paper, linen, lace, ribands, and pins; it has also an extensive trade in cheese of a very fine quality. Population in 187 2, 7G25. AMBLESIDE, a small market town in Westmoreland, situated about a mile from the head of Lake Windermere, and 14 miles from Kendal. During the summer it is much frequented by tourists on account of its beautiful situation. In its vicinity is Rydal Mount, for many years the resi dence of the poet Wordsworth. Some indistinct remains of Roman fortifications, in which coins, urns, and other relics have been frequently discovered, exist in the neigh bourhood. Coarse woollen cloths are manufactured at Ambleside. Population in 1871, 1988. AMBLETEUSE, a seaport town of France, in the department of the Pas de Calais, on the English Channel, 6 miles north of Boulogne. From the accumulation of sand in its harbour it has lost its importance as a seaport, and the town is now almost deserted. It possesses an historical interest as the landing-place of James II. after his abdication in 1688; and Napoleon I. in 1804 attempted to improve the harbour for the flat-bottomed boats by means of which he was to invade England. Near Amble- teuse is the column which he erected to the grand army in 1805. Population, about 700. AMBO, or AMBON (Gr. a^jB^v, from dva/Jaivw), a read ing-desk or pulpit in early Christian churches which was placed in the middle of the nave. It was ascended by a flight of steps on both the east and west sides, and was in some cases so large as to accommodate fifty persons. From it the lessons were read, and hence it was sometimes called suggestus lectorum and firj/jia TWV drayvcoo-Toiv. It was also occasionally used by the preacher. Two movable ambos may be seen in the church of St John Lateran at Rome. The purposes of the ambo were served in mediaeval churches by the rood-loft, a gallery across the chancel-arch, and in modern churches it has given place to the lectern and the pulpit. AMBOISE, a town situated in a rich wine-producing district in the department of Indre-et-Loire, France, on the left bank of the Loire, 14 miles east of Tours. Its chief manufactures are cloth and files. At Amboise the French Protestants were first called Huguenots, and 1200 of them were massacred there in 1560 on the discovery of their conspiracy against the Guises. The ancient castle, which is situated on a height above the town, was a seat of the French kings, and it was set apart as a residence for the Arab chief Abd-el-Kader during his captivity in France. Population, 4570. AMBOYNA, one of the Moluccas or Spice Islands, be longing to the Dutch, lying south-west of Ceram, in 3 41 S. lat. and 128 10 E. long. It is 32 miles in length, with an area of about 280 square miles, and is of very irregular figure, being almost divided into two. The south eastern and smaller portion ( called Leitimor) is united to the northern (known as Hitoe) by a neck of land about a mile broad. The island is mountainous, but is for the most part fertile and well-watered. Large tracts are covered with rich tropical forests, which embrace a great variety of trees, although ordinary building timber is scarce. The climate is comparatively pleasant and healthy; the average temperature is 80 Fahr., rarely sinking below 72. The rainfall, however, after the eastern monsoons, is very heavy, and the island is liable to violent hurricanes and earthquakes. Amboyna produces most of the -common tropical fruits and vegetables, including the sago-palm, bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, sugar-cane, maize, coffee, pepper, and cotton. Cloves, however, form its chief product, and the only one that is of any real commercial import ance. The Dutch have done much to foster the cultiva tion of this article in the island, and at one time prohibited the rearing of the clove-tree in all the other islands subject to their rule, in order to secure the monopoly to Amboyna. Each tree yields annually from 2 to 5 5&amp;gt; of cloves, and sometimes even more; while the total annual quantity produced probably averages about 500,000 Ib. The animal kingdom is poorly represented. Indigenous mammals are feeble in species as well as few in number; birds are more abundant, but of no greater variety. The entomology of the island is, however, very rich, particularly among the Lepi- doptera. The aborigines of Amboyna are a race called Horaforas, but Malays constitute the main body of the population; there are also Chinese, Dutch, and a few Por tuguese. The Malays in most points resemble those of Java. They are naturally lazy and effeminate, but when properly trained make good soldiers. The inhabitants are mostly Christians or Mahometans. Amboyna is the chief island of the Dutch residence of the Moluccas, which comprises, in addition, the islands of Boeroe, Amblauw, Ceram, Manipa, Kilang, Bonoe, Haroekoe, Honimoa or Saparoa, Noesa-laut, and Hila. The Portuguese were the first European nation to visit Amboyna (1512). They esta blished a factory there in 1521, but did not obtain peace able possession of it till 1580, and were dispossessed by the Dutch in 1605. About the year 1615 the British formed a settlement in the island, at Cambello, which they retained iintil 1623, when it was destroyed by the Dutch, and frightful tortures inflicted on the unfortunate persons connected with it. In 1654, after many fruitless nego tiations, Cromwell compelled the United Provinces to give the sum of 300,000, together with a small island, as compensation to the descendants of those who suffered in the &quot;Amboyna massacre.&quot; In 1796 the British, under Admiral Rainier, captured Amboyna, but restored it to the Dutch at the peace of Amiens in 1802. It was recaptured by the British in 1810, but once more restored to the Dutch in 1814. Population, about 50,000. See MOLUCCAS. AMBCTYHA, the chief town of the above island, and also of the Dutch Moluccas, is situated towards the north-west of the peninsula of Leitimor. The streets are broad and unpaved, running at right angles to one another, and inter sected by numerous rivulets. The houses are of wood, roofed with palm leaves, and mostly of one storey, on account of the frequent earthquakes. An esplanade of 250 yards reaches from Fort Victoria to the town, and is terminated by a handsome range of houses. The town- house is a neat structure of two storeys; and among the other buildings are two Protestant churches and a hospital. The government offices are in Fort Victoria. The road stead of Amboyna is safe and commodious. Population, about 13,000. AMBRACIA, or AMPEACIA, an important city of ancient Epirus, situated on the eastern bank of the river Arach- thus, about seven miles from the Ambracian Gulf.