ABACA, a kind of hemp or flax, made
from the fibrous part of an Indian plan-
tain ; the white makes very fine cloth,
but the gray is used for cordage and ca-
bles.

Ahrotanoiaes, a kind of coral like
southern wood, whence it takes its
name, according to Clusius. It is found
on rocks in the bottom of the sea.

Acacia, a species of mimosa, Egyptian
*hom. The flowers of this plant are
used, by the Chinese, to produce that
fellow color, which we see in their
silks and stuffs. Gum Arabic is pro-
duced from a species of acacia.

Achia, a sort of cane which grows in
the East Indies, is pickled green, and
sent to Europe in stone or earthen jars.

Acori, or Blue Coral, is fished up on
the coast of Africa, from Rio-del-re to
the river of the Camarones, where the
Dutch traffic for it.

Adamant, an ancient name for the dia-
mond. It is also used for a very hard
species of iron, and for the magnet or
loadstone.

Adamantine Spar, a stone of peculiar
hardness, approaching to that of the
diamond, it will cut glass easily and
mark rock crystal. It is found in China
and India, and, as M. Pini alleges, in
Italy.

Adatis, a fine Bengal muslin, 13 yards
to the piece.

Admos, a kind of cotton, otherwise
called murine cotton. It comes from
Aleppo by the way of Marseilles.

Aestuary, in geography, denotes an
arm of the sea which runs a good way
within land.

Afioume, or Fiume, a kind of flax,
which comes frota Fgypt by way of
Marseilles and Leghorn.

Agate, a genus of semi-pel'.ucid gems,
Which takes its name from the river
Achates, on the banks of which it is
found. These gems are composed of
crystal, colored by a large quantity of
earth. Agates are arranged according
to the different colors of their grounds ;
white, reddish, yellow and green. Of
these there are many varieties, some of
them having natural representations of
animals, trees, letters, &c. No country
affords finer agates, or in greater abun-
dance, than Germany. They are also
found in France, Great Britain, Sicily,
Siberia and the East Indies. Agates
may be stained artificially by a solution
of silver in nitric acid, and afterwards
exposing the part to the sun.

Agio, a bank term in Holland, ex-
pressing the difference between money,
bank money, or current money and cash.
It is synonymous with premium, when
Ihe bank money is worth more than the
same nominal amount of the current
coin, and with discount, when its value
is less.

Aigris, a stone which serves instead
of current coin, among the Issinais, a
nation of Africa, on the coast of Guinea,
where the river Asbin runs, near the
Gold Coast; it is of a greenish blue
color, without any lustre, hard, but does
not take a good polish ; they give its
weight in gold for it.

Alabaster, a kind of stone resembling
marble, but softer. It is of various
colors, but the white shining alabaster
is most common ; it is used by sculptors,
for the formation of small statues, vases,
tolumns, &c. It is found in many parts
xc2xaef England, especially in Derbyshire and
Nottinghamshire.

Alcanna, a drug used in dyeing, which
comes from Egypt and other parts of
the Levant.

Alcohol, is a name applied to highly
rectified spirit of wine. When pure, it
is perfectly the same whether obtained
from brandy, wine, or any other fluid
which has undergone the spirituous fer-
mentation. It is a light, transparent,
colorless liquid, of a sharp, penetrating,
agreeable smell, and of a warm, stimu-
lating taste. It is extremely inflamma-
ble, and burns with a pale blue flame,
scarcely visible in bright daylight. Al-
cohol is used in medicine and the arts
for a variety of purposes. xe2x80xa2

Alder, a tree according to the classi-
fication of botanists of the birch kind,
it is common in Europe and Asia, and
the United States of America. The
wood of the alder is in great demand for
machinery, and is peculiarly adapted
for all kinds of work which are to be
kept constantly in water. With the ad-
dition of copperas, the bark yields a
black dye, used to a considerable ex-
tent in coloring cotton.

Ale, a fermented liquor, obtained from
an infusion of malt; differing from
strong beer chiefly in having a less pro-
portion of hops. The duties on beer
and ale make a principal branch of the
revenues m Engiand.

Alkalies, a class of saline substances,
possessing in general the following pro-
perties : they have an acrid taste ; they
change the blue juices of vegetables to
a green, and the yellow to a brown
color; and render oil miscible with wa-
ter. They are mainly characterized,
however, byxc2xbba power of combining with
acids so as to impair the activity of the
latter and form neutral salts.

Alkanet, a dyeing drug, which grows
naturally in the Levant. The root im-
parts an elegant red color to oily sub-
stances, and improves the color of ma-
hogany.

Allspice. See Pimento.

Almagra, a fine deep-red ochre, with
some admixture of purple, very heavy,
of a dense, yet friable structure, and
rough dusty surface. It is used in paint-
ing, and in medicine as an astringent.

Almonds, a kind of medicinal fruit,
contained in a hard shell, which is en-
closed in a tough cottony skin. Al-
monds are of two kinds, sweet and bit-
ter : the Jordan almond is of the first
quality; next the Valencia (a smaller
sort of about half the price,) and the
inferior almonds are from Barbary.
whence principally come the bitter ones.
From the port of Malaga in Spain come
the finest almonds, both in the shell
and kernel. In medicinal cases, the
oil from almonds is found useful ; and
that extracted from the bitter one, if
dropped into the ear, proves effectual
against deafness. Almonds are im-
ported in casks, boxes, and serons.

Aloes, the inspissated juice of the plant
aloe, produced in many of the hot cli-
mates. It is brought from Jamaica and
Barbadoes, in both of which islands
large quantities are prepared, and gen-
erally conveyed in the shells or skins
of large gourds. The medicinal proper-
ties of aloes have been long known.

Aloes Wood, the product of a tree
growing in China, and some of the In-
dian islands.

Alquifo-u, or Arquifou, a sort of leaden
ore, which, when broken, looks like an-
timony. It is used by potters to give a
green varnish to their works.

Alum, a mineral substance composed
of a peculiar earth termed ahimine, and
sulphuric acid ; that sold under the
name of common alijin, contains a por-
tion of potash and ammonia. Most of
the alum to he met with is artificially
prepared. Native alum, which contains

a greater quantity of aluminous earth
and a portion of iron, is found at Gott-
wig in Austria, in Carinthia, in the
clefts and caverns on Stromboli, the
Solfatara near Naples, the grotto of San
Germano, Iliseno, and other placps in
Italy. It is found in the United States
in mica-slate rocks. Alum is extremely
useful for dyeing and o’her purposes
its importance, in the arts, is very great
and its annual consumption is im
rnense.

Amber, a pellucid and very hard in
flammable substance, of a fragran
smell, and possessed of a resinous lus- ¹
tre. Its natural color is a fine pale yel-
low, hut it is often made white and
sometimes black : by friction it becomes
strongly electric. It is found in masses
from the size of a coarse sand to that of
a man’s head, and occurs in beds of
bituminous wood situated upon the
shores of the Adriatic seas ; also in Po-
land, France, Italy and Denmark. More
recently it has been found in the United
States, at Cape Sable in Maryland.
Amber frequently contains flies and
other insects, curiously preserved : it is
manufactured into beads, crosses, and
other ornaments.

Ambergris, a substance found floating
in the sea near the coasts of various
tropical countries, and also taken from
the intestines of the spermaceti whale,
where it is supposed to originate. Its
color is a yellow^h or blackish white
its odor is very agreeable, and hence
arises its only use. In the state of an
alcoholic solution, it is added to laven-
der-water, tooth-powder, &c. to which
it communicates its fragrance. Amber-
gris is chiefly found in the Atlantic
Ocean, on the seacoast of Brazil, of the
E. Indies, China, Japan and the Moluc-
ca islands; but much of jj comes from
the Bahama islands.

Amber Seed, a small odoriferous seed
used as a perfume. It is sometimes
brought from Egypt, but is likewise im
ported from Martinico.

Amethyst, a gem of a purple color
which, in its purest, state, is of the same
hardness and at least of equal value
with the ruby or sapphire. It is found
in the E. and W. Indies, and in several
parts of Europe.

Ammonia., an alkaline substance,
which, in a state of purity, is in form
of a gas, of a very pungent smell, ex-
tremely volatile. It may be obtained
from all animal bodies in a state of pu-
trefaction, and is found native in com-
bination with muriatic acid, in ciystal-
lized masses, called sal ammoniac, in the
neighborhood of volcanoes, in some of
the mountains of Tartary and Thibet,
and in the waters of some of the lakes
in Tuscany. This salt is applied to
many useful purposes: a considerable
portion of it is consumed by dyers, cop-
persmiths, tinners, &c.

Anata, or Anotto, a kind of buff-color-
ed dye, which has acquired the name
of JVmikeen, from JVangking in China,
whence the calico so colored first came.

It is brought, from Brazil.

Anchor, in maritime affairs, is a very
large and heavy iron instrument, with
a double hook at one end, and a "ring at
the other, hy which it is fastened to a
cable. It is cast into the bottom of the
sea, or rivers, where taking its hold, it
keeps ships from being drawn away by
the wind, tide, or current. There are
several kinds of anchors : 1. The sheet
anchor, which is the largest, and is
never used but in violent storms, t.<
hinder the ship from being driver,
ashore. 2. The two bowers, which are
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