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 A M H ( 135 ) AMI difference of circumftances may make fome diflimila- Walaca; and on the weft, by the Nile, which feparity. They have all originally a red copper colour, rate.s it from the kingdom of Gojam. This country and every part of their bodies without hair, except is remarkable for the mountains Ghefghen and Amb^the, head, where it is black, ftraight, and coarfe. In cel, where the children and near relations of the kings the Spanifh and portuguefe fettlements, gold is found of Abylnnia were, formerly confined; upon which acin great plenty. Its remarkable rivers are, St Lau- count it is regarded as the native country of the morence and the Miihfippi, in N. America; and the A- dern emperors. mazons and Rio de la Plata in S. America. The An- AMIA, in ichthyology, the trivial name of a fpecies of des, which bound Chili on the eaft, are the highell fehomber. See Schomber. mountains in the world. AMIANTHUS, or earth-lax, in natural hiftory, a fiAMPRICIMA, in zoology, an obfolete name of a fpe- brous, flexile, elaftic mineral fubftance, confifting of cies of lacerta. See Lacerta. ftiort, abrupt, and interwoven filaments. It is found AMERSFORT, a town of the Dutch Netherlands, in in G ermany, in the ftrata of iron ore, fometimes formthe province of Utrecht, fituated on the river Ems, ing veins of an inch in diameter.' There is another-kind about fourteen miles north-eall of Utrecht, in j° 2c/ of amianthus, which is to be met with in the marble E. long, and 520 2*,' N. lat. quarries of Wales. But this kind Linnaeus affirms to AMER.SHAM, a market-town of Buckinghamfnire, a- be an albedos. The amianthus does not give fire with bout twenty-feven miles well ward 0of London. It is ftCel, nor ferment with acids. It endurqs an intenfe fituated in 4c/ W. long, and 51 40' N. lat. and heat without injury to its-texture. fends two members to parliament. AMICABLE, in a general fenfe, denotes any thing done AMETHYSTUS, amethyft, a trahfparent gem of a pur- in a friendly manner, or to promote peace. ple colour, arifing from a mixture of red and blue. Amicable tawin Roman antiquity, were, accorctHowever, their colour is ^various : Some have a ing to Pitifcus, lower and lefs honourable feats allotmixture of yellow, and fome refemble red wine and ted for the judices pe-danei, or inferior judges, who, water ; but the bell kind is tranfparent and colourlefs, upon being admitted of the emperor’s council, were and refembling fo much the diamond, that the differ- dignified by him with the title amici. ence can only be diilinguilhed by the foftnefs of the AMICITIA, or tenure in Amicitja; tensre in aniiciamethyft. This gem is found of various fizes, from tiam, in the feudal cuftoms, were lands granted freely the bulk of a fmall vetch, to an inch and an half in to be enjoyed only fo long a« the donor pleafed. diameter. Its ftiape is fometimes foundilh, fometimes AMICTUS, in Roman antiquity, was any upper garoblong, and fometimes flatted a little on one fide; but ment worn over the tunica. its moft common figure is that of a cryftal, compofed Amictus, among ecdefiaftical writers, the uppermoft of four planes, and terminated by a flat Ihort pyra- garment anciently worn by the clergy; the other five, mid. The aniethyft is-found in India, Arabia, Ar- being the alba, fingulum, ftola, manipulus, and planeta. menia, Ethiopia, Cyprus, Germany, Bohemia, and The amictus was a linen garment, of afquare figure^ Mifhia; but as they are generally as foft as cryftal, covering the head, neck, and fhouiders, and buckled they are not much valued. It may be counterfeited or clafped before the breaft. It is ftill worn by the many ways ; but the Germans hardly think it worth religious abroad. the counterfeiting. AMICULUM, in Roman antiquity, a woman’s upper AMETHYST, in heraldry, a term for the purple colour garment, which differed from the pala. It was worn, in the coat of a nobleman, in ufe with thofe who bla- both by- matrons and courtezans. zon by precious ftones, inftead of metals and colours. AMICUS curia-, a law-term,'to denote a by-ftander This, in a gentleman’s efcutcheon, is called Purpure, who informs the court of a matter in law that is doubtful or miftaken. and in thofe of fovereign princes, Mercury. AMETHYSTEA, in botany, a genus of the diandria AMIENS, the capital city of Picardy, in0France, fituambnogynia clafs, of which there is hut one fpecies, ted on 0the river Somme, ituE. long. 2 3a, and N viz. the caerulea, a native of the mountains of Sibe- lat. 49 50'. It is a beautiful town, and a biflrop’i ria. The corolla of this plant is r uinquefide, the ca- fee, under the arChbiffiop of Rheims. Here too is an lix a little bell-fhaped, and the capfole contains four univerlity of confiderable note. AMIGDALUS, in botany; See Amygdalus. gibbous feeds. AMETHYSTINE, in a general fenfe, an appellarion AMIESTIES, cotton cloths, which come from the E^ given to whatever partakes of the nature, or emulates Indies. AMILICTI, in the ancient Chaldean theology, one of the colour of the amethyft.' AMEY, a city of Savoy, fituated in a plain, upon the the triads of psrfons in the third order of the divine lake Nicy. hierarchy. See Hierarchy. AMGAILA, or Amgailam, an obfblete name of a AMINA, a city of Ethiopia in Africa, nine miles from Albcar. foecies of acanthus. See Acanthus. AMHAR, or Amh ara, a kingdom of Abylfinia in Afri- AMINEUM criuni, the name of a vinegar .made of the ca, fubjedt to the great'Negus. It is bounded on thb. v/ine of A mi rife, a town of Campania in Italy. north by the kingdom of Bajemder; on the eaft, by AMIRANTE, in the Spanilh polity, a great officer of that of Angote j on the fouth, by the kingdom of ftate, aafwering to Our lord high-admiral. AMIS IA,