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 164 AVOLA is very unlikely that these small weights have been preserved uniformly the same for so long a period. The old term avoirdupois is first met : with in 1532, in some orders of Henry VIII. ; and in 1588 a pound of this weight was depos- ited, by order of Queen Elizabeth, in the ex- chequer, as a standard. This, when examined in 1758 by the committee appointed by the gov- ernment, was found to be li grain deficient in weight; and the troy weight was thereafter made the standard. The standard grain, pre- scribed by act of parliament in the reign of George IV., is such that " a cubic inch of dis- tilled water weighed in air by brass weights, at the temperature of 62 Fahrenheit's ther- mometer, the barometer being at 30 inches, is equal to 252-458 grains." AVOLA (anc. Abolla), a town of Sicily, on the E. coast, 13 m. S. W. of Syracuse; pop. about 8,000. It was rebuilt after its destruc- tion by the earthquake of 1693. The exquisite honey, so renowned in antiquity as honey of Hybla, is still produced in its vicinity. Avola has a tunny fishery and a refinery for home- grown sugar. AVON, the name of several English rivers, the most important of which, the Upper Avon, rises near Naseby, in Northamptonshire, flows through the counties of Leicester, Warwick, and Worcester, and entering Gloucestershire, empties into the Severn near Tewkesbury, after a course of about 100 m. Stratford, the birth- place of Shakespeare, is situated on the bank of this stream. AVON SPRINGS, a village of Avon township, Livingston co., N. Y., 19 m. S. S. W. of Roches- ter ; pop. about 900. It is situated on a terrace 100 feet above the Genesee river, commanding beautiful views in all directions, and is reached by the Erie and New York Central railroads. The place is visited by large numbers in sum- mer for its mineral waters, which are deemed beneficial in rheumatism, dyspepsia, and cuta- neous diseases. AVOYELLES, a parish of Louisiana, intersected by Bed river, which joins the Mississippi near its S. E. angle ; area, 800 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 12,926, of whom 6,175 were colored. The sur- face is nearly level and is subject to inundation. The western portion is fertile. In 1870 the parish produced 175,330 bushels of Indian corn, 24,985 of sweet potatoes, 78,385 Ibs. of rice, 10,139 bales of cotton, 325 hhds. of sugar, and 25,600 gallons of molasses. Capital, Marksville. AVRANCHES, a town of France, in Normandy, capital of an arrondissement in the department of La Manche, situated on the S(5e, within 3 m. of the sea and 66 m. S. of Cherbourg ; pop. in 1866, 8,642. It stands upon a hill looking toward the Channel islands, and contains the remains of a fine cathedral, consecrated in 1121, and possessing the stone on which Hen- ry II. of England knelt to do penance for the murder of Becket. The cheapness of living and attractive scenery of the town have made it a resort for English families. In the 14th AXAYACATL century it came into the possession of the English, who retained it till 1450. Avranches has several public institutions, including a libra- ry, and some manufactures of lace and blonde. AWE, Loeh, a lake in Argyleshire, Scotland, 8 m. N. W. of Inverary. It is 24 m. long, and in few places more than 1 m. wide, encircled by rugged and precipitous mountains, the lof- tiest, Ben Cruachan, 3,670 feet in height. Its surface is dotted with small islands. On In- nishail are the remains of a small Cistercian nunnery, and a churchyard containing many curious old tombstones. On Innis Fraoch are some traces of an ancient castle, formerly the residence of the chief of the M'Naughtons. Innish Chounel was for several centuries the residence of the Argyll family. The castle of Kilchurn, whose square tower was built in 1440 by one of the Campbells, the founder of the Breadalbane family, stands on a rocky point of land, near the head of the lake. It was garrisoned as late as 1745 by the king's troops, but is now deserted. Several small streams flow into Loch Awe, one of which connects it with Loch Avich, and another with Loch Etive, an arm of the sea. The lake is celebrated for its trout and salmon. AX, a town of S. France, in the department of Ariege, 21 m. S. E. of Foix ; pop. 1,679. It is situated at the foot of the Pyrenees, over 2,000 feet above the level of the sea, in the midst of granitic mountains and at the junction of three valleys out of which flow the sources of the Ari6ge. It is celebrated for picturesque scenery, and especially for containing the greatest number and the hottest sulphurous springs in the Pyrenees. Near the hospital is a bath established in 1200 for the cure of lep- rosy, and still called leper's basin. Ax has been widely known as a watering place nearly 100 years, and contains now a number of. bathing establishments, the so-called gun spring being the hottest. Over 50 springs issue from the junc- tion of the slate and limestone with the gran- ite, varying in temperature from a little over 100 to nearly 200 F. ; and they burst forth so abundantly on all sides that the place has been figuratively described as being built over a sub- terranean reservoir of boiling water. AXAYACATL, a Mexican emperor, died about 1477. He was the father of Montezuma II., and reigned 14 years. He was already famous as a warrior when he became emperor of the Az- tecs, and inaugurated his reign by a successful expedition against Tehuantepec, and in 1467 conquered anew the cities of Cotasta and j Tochtepec. A little later he repelled the tribes i who strove to get possession of the Mexican capital, and maintained a vigorous warfare against his neighbors. He was defeated by the natives of Michoacan, whom he attacked with inferior forces, and on his return to Mexico celebrated funeral solemnities. He was pre- paring another expedition when he died sud- denly and prematurely. The palace of Axaya- catl, a gigantic pile of stone buildings, became