Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/395

AZIMUTH. Pule is elevated, the azimuth is measured fniin till' south point, so that the east point, for in- stance, has an azinuith of 270°. Navigators and surveyors generally reckon azimuth from the nearest principal point of the compass. Thus, W. 'H° 8. would mean an azimuth 24° from west in the direction of south; and astronomically thi-* would lie simply 06°. See Amplitude.

AZINCOURT, a'zfiN'koor'. See Agincourt.

AZ'OBEN'ZENE, C„H;.N=N.C„H,. A valu- iihle compound of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. It is a red, crystalline suhstance, insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol or in ether. When pure, it melts at 08° V. and boils, without being decomposed, at 203° C. It may be jirepared by treating nitrobenzene (q.v. ) with a solution of stannous chloride in soda, the precipitate thus produced being washed with water and recrys- tallized from petroleum-ether. By the reducing action of tin and concentrated hydrochloric acid, azobenzene is converted into the substance called benzidine (NH:.C'„H,.C,H4.NH.,), which is exten- sively used in making the so-called azo dyes. See CoAi.-T.K Colors.

AZ'O COL'ORS. See C:oal-Tar Colors.

AZO'IC (Gk. 4fuos, azoos, lifeless, from d, a priv. + fwi}, zoc, life). A name applied by Sir Roderick Murchison, in 184.5, to the old crystal- line rocks of the Scandinavian Peninsula, in rec- ognition of the fact that they contain no traces of organic life. Later the name was adopted by both European and American geologists to des- ignate similar rocks that lie at the bottom of the geological column beneath all the fossiliferous rocks of the earth's crust. Eventually, a con- flict arose between the advocates of the name azoic and those who preferred the term 'primi- tive,' the conflict being over the theories of ori- gin involved in these names, rather than in the use of the names themselves. With a view to terminating this discussion, J. D. Dana pro- posed, in 1872, the name 'archa'an,' thus avoid- ing all theory of origin, with the result that the terms 'azoic' and 'primitive' shortly ceased to be applied by the leading geologists to rock forma- tions. Azoic is, however, still employed in another sense (Dana's Mnnual of (ieoljfiii [4th ed.]. New York, 1806, p. 440), being applied to the second 'ipon' or great period of time, without organic life, through which the earth passed before the advent of those conditions that permitted the growth of living matter. Rocks of this aeon have not as yet been definitely recognized in the earth's crust. For the description of the rocks originally considered as azoic, the reader is re- ferred to the article on Pre-Cambria.v Forma- tions; and also to .loonkian System; and ARCH.EAN Sv-STEM.

AZORES, a-zCirz' (Portug. Acores, so called from agores, hawks, found there). A group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, situated about 800 miles west of Portugal, to which they belong (Map: Africa, B I). They extend over 400 miles, from about latitude .37° to 40° N., and from longitude 2.5° to 31° 16' W., and occupy an area of 100.5 square miles. Excluding the unin- habited reefs, the group numbers nine islands, divided into three sub-groups ; the eastern, con- sisting of the islands of Sao Miguel, or Saint Michael's (290 square miles), and Santa Maria (38 square miles) ; the central group, embracing the islands of Pico (173 square miles), Terceini (164 square miles), S.~io Jorge (91 square miles), Faj'al (60 .square miles), and Uraciosa (24 square miles) ; and the western group, consisting of f lores (54 square miles) and Corvo (7 square miles). The entire archi- pelago is of volcanic origin and very mountain- ous, the highest volcanic summit being Pico Alto (7540 feet) on the Island of Pico. The volcanic origin of the islands is shown by the large num- ber of hot springs scattered all over the group, and by the earthquakes from which the islands have suffered even in comparatively recent times. Streams are abundant. The climate is mild, and snow is seen very seldom. The highest tempera- ture is about 86°, but the humidity is sometimes excessive. The Azores are becoming gradually a winter resort. The native flora is very poor, numbering only 40 out of the 440 species found on the islands. The same is even more true of the fauna, the indigenous species being confined only to a variety of cow of a very low breed and a bullfinch. The soil is very fertile, and the mild climate allows of the cultivation of southern fruits, such as olives, oranges, grapes, and bananas. In general the flora of the Azores re- sembles that of Spain.

Agriculture is greatly impeded by the un- equal distribution of land, and the emigration of the landless population to British Guiana, West Indies, and South America is steadily in- creasing. The Azores carry on a considerable trade in fruit with Portugal, England, Brazil, and North America. Oranges, formerly the chief article of export, are now gradually being re- placed by pinea]iples and corn. The imports come chiefly from Great Britain. The Azores have only a few safe harbors, the chief among which is that of Angra. the capital of the archi- pelago, on the Island of Terceira. Administra- tively, the archipelago is considered a province of Portugal, and is divided into the three dis- tricts of Angra do Heroismo, Horta, and Ponta Delgada. Population, in 1800, 255,594, consist- ing chiefly of Portuguese, with a slight admix- ture of negroes, mulattoes, and some settlers from Great Britain.

The discovery of Phoenician coins on the Island of Corvo woidd indicate that the Azores were visited by Carthaginian traders. They appear on the maps of the mediaeval Arabian geograph- ers, and on an Italian map of 1351. They were discovered for Portugal by Cioncalo Velho Cabral and others, between 1431 and 1460. The_y were then uninhabited. Two of the islands were named Corvo and S.lo Jorge, from Corvos Ma- rinos and Saint .Torsi, which, according to the maps of the Fourteenth Century, had been pre- viously seen in the western ocean. In I4C6. Alfonso V. made a life-grant of the Island of Fayal to his aunt, the Duchess of Burgundy, and from this circvimstance many settlers migrated thither from Flanders.

Consult: Ray, The Azores (Washington, 1802) ; P. T. L., "Azorean Economics," in The Nation, Vol. LXXIII. (New York, 1901).

AZ'OTH (Ar. al, the -f zau;/. Pers. zhlwah, quicksilver ). The panacea of Paracelsus, re- garded by his followers as 'the tincture of life.' See Paracelsus.

AZ'OTIN (Fr. azote, nitrogen, from Gk. d, o, priv. + ^ijv, Zen, to live). A nitrogenous fertilizer prcoared from meat-refuse, practically identical with Ammonite (q.v.).