Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/178

ASSAYING. The manner of using the stone is to draw a streak upon it with the auriferous article ; and from the color of the streak the richness of the gold can be very accurately determined by the jiraeticed assayer. The subsequent action of nitric acid on the golden streak serves still fur- ther as a means of determining the puritj' of the metal, as the acid readily dissolves the cop- cise treatise on assaying see H. Van F. Fur- man. A Mrniual of Practical Assaying (Glasgow, 1893).
 * ier and silver and leaves the gold. For a con-

ASSAY' OF'FICE. A government bureau where gold and silver bullion is assayed and re- fined. (See Ass.^yiNG.) The assay offices of the United States are included in the Mint Service of the Treasury Department, and are located at the coinage mints of Philadelphia. San Fran- cisco, and New Orleans; at the mints at Carson, Nev. ; and Denver, Colo. : and at New York, N. Y.; Helena, Mont.; Charlotte, N. C. ; St. Louis, Mo. ; Deadwood, S. D. ; and at Seattle, Wash. From the gold and silver deposited at the mints and assay offices, bars are manufac- tured, which are graded as follows: Fine bars, mint bars, standard bars, and unparted bars. The New York assay office is the largest, and more than half the gold and the greater part of the silver refined by the mint service is manu- factured there. See Mint.

ASSE, as. A fennec. See Caama.

ASSEGAI, as'se-ga (Sp. azagaya, Ar. az- zagJii'ifinh, from ul, the + Berber za ghay ah, spear) A short spear used by natives of South Africa, especially the warlike Zulus, with a very thin shaft of hard wood of about live feet in length, and an iron blade secured by a strip of raw-hide. When used for throwing, the blade is convex on one side and concave on the other, for the pur- pose of transmitting a rotary motion.

ASSELYN, as'se-lln, ,Tam (1610-60). A Dutch painter, pupil of Isaiah Van der Velde, and ert'ective in landscape and animal pictures. He was one of the first Dutch artists to adopt Claude Lorraine's style.

ASSEMANI, iis'ss-mil'ne (Arabic, Al-Sam- ANi). Glu.SEPl'E SiMOKE (1087-1708). A Syrian Orientalist. He was born at Taralnilus, Syria. He collected a large number of Oriental manu- scrijits in Egypt and Syria for the library of the Vatican, of which he was the custodian. His principal works are: Bihliotheca Orientalis Clementino-Vaticana (4 vols., Rome, 1719-28), containing the Syrian manuscripts of the library of the Vatican; Opcm Ephracmi Syri (6 vols., ib. 1732-40) ; Kalundaria Ecclesiw Vniversw (6 vols., ib. 17.5.5-.57); Bihliotheca Juris Orien- talis Canonici et Cirilis (5 vols., ib. 1762-66).

ASSEMANI, (17.52-1821). An Ori- ental scholar, a relative of Giuseppe Assemani. He was born at Tarabulus, Syria. Avas educated at Borne, and in 1785 was appointed professor of Oriental languages at Padua. His principal works are: Museo cufico ?aniano illiistrato (2 vols., Padua, 1787) — an imjiortant contribu- tion to numismatics; and l^aggio sulV originc, riiUo. Icttcrahiru, e costnmi (Icgli Anihi arnnti Maoiiirttii (Padua, 1787).

ASSEMANI, (1707-82). A Syrian Oricntnlisl. He followed the studies of his uncle, Giuseppe Simone Assemani. whom he succeeded as custodian of the Vatican Library. He was titular Archbishop of Apamæa. He published works on Oriental manuscript literature.

ASSEM'BLY (Fr. asscmbtce, ultimately from Lat. afl, to -f sinitil, together, Any drum-beat or bugle-call designated to bring troops into ranks or to appointed stations. See Bugle and Trumpet Calls; and Drum.

ASSEMBLY, General. See Presbyterianism ; also Leglslatuee.

ASSEMBLY, (France). The States-General ( q.v. ), convoked by Louis XVI. of France, and opened May 5, 1789, consisted of the two privileged orders, the clergy and the nobles, and of the tiers-^tat, or commons. The Third Estate, composed of representatives from the towns and rural communities, outnumbered the other orders, and demanded that the voting should be by heads, in united assembly, and not by orders sitting separately. Upon the refusal of the privileged orders to concede this demand the Third Estate, on June 17, assumed the title of Assemhlce Xationale, and the right to .act in the name of France. The court attempted to annul this i-esolution in a royal sitting, June 23, but the deputies of the Third Estate, together with the liberal members of the other two orders, had bound themselves three days before by tlie so-called Oath of the Tennis Court not to sepa- rate until they had given France a constitu- tion, and declared every attempt at violence on the part of the court treason. The King yielded, commanding the nobles and clergy to join the National Assembly. The Revolution had begun. The Assembly proceeded with astounding rapid- ity to metamorphose old France. Feudal rights and hereditary privileges were abolished on Au- gust 4, and the Declaration of the Rights ot Man followed. In February, 1790, succession by primo- geniture was abolished; in March, lettres de cacliet and the oppressive salt tiix were abol- ished; in June all ^orders and titles of nobility were annulled. In .July the civil constitution of the clergy was decreed : at the same time non- Catliolics were reinvested with the property for- feited by their ancestors on account of their faith ; Jews were relieved from personal taxa- tion, and the game-laws done away with. In September the Parliaments were suppressed. A decree of October IS abolished the cruel criminal penalties of Louis XIV. In January, 1791. all corporations and guilds were abolished and free trade introduced. In February political rights were conceded to Quakers. In September all citizens, of whatever color or religion, received political rights.

The principles on which the Assembly proceeded were the sovereignty of the people, the limitation of the royal power through a conditional veto (q.v.), the separation of the legislative and the executive powers, and the responsibility of ministers. Accordingly, the Assembly, shortly after it was constituted, declared that to it alone, subject to the Royal veto, belonged the legislative power. Several decrees in September, 1789, determined that the legislative body should form only one chamber, and should be renewed every two years; other decrees declared that the King was inviidable and the throne inalienable. .V decree of November 7 forbade the deputies to luidertake the place of ministers; and in December the new organization