Axis

(Zool.) The Cervus Axis, a species of Indian deer, of which there are three varieties. 1. The Common Axis is about the size of a fallow-deer, and of a light red color. Its body is beautifully marked with white spots; its horns are slender and tri-forked. It is extremely docile, and po e es the sense of smelling in an exquisite degree. Though it is a native of the banks of the Ga: ges, it appears to bear the temperate climates without injury. 2. The Great Axis. This animal, native of Borneo and Ceylon, is about the height of a horse, and of a redd i-hbrown color. The horns are trifurcated, thick, strong, and rugged. 3. The Le er Aris is a gregarious animal, inhabiting Java. Ceylon, Borneo, . It is hunted with ardor, the sport affording the highest diversion, and the flesh being esteemed excellent. Axle, Axle-tree, ( aks'l , aks'l -trē,) n. [A. S. az , axis.] The shaft or pole on which a wheel turns, or winch drives or impels the wheels of a vehicle. The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia affirmative; as, "the ayes have it." This expre ion is more particularly applied to the voting of the members of the English House of Commons, whose affirmative voices are called "Ayes;" their negatives, " Noes ." In the U. States Congre , the demonstration by votes bears the correlative denominations of " Yea ," and " Nay ." Aye-green, n. ( Bot . ) The House-leek, Sempervivum arboreum . - See SEMPERVIVUM. Ayers'burgh, in Kansas , a post-village, former cap. of Ottawa co. exist of its former importance. A fine obelisk is still Ayers'ville, in Mi ouri , a post-office of Putnam co. seen here. Adulis , on Annesley Bay, in the Red Sea, was Ayers'ville, in North Carolina , a P.O. of Stokes co. Ayant Cause, n . [Fr., concerned in the cause.] ( Law . ) A French legal term, used in Louisiana. It signifies one to whom a right has been a igned, either by will, gift, sale, bill of exchange, or the like; an a ignee.- An ayant cause differs from an heir who acquires the right by inheritance. Ayasalouk', in Asia Minor. See EPHESUS. Aye-Aye', n.; pl. AYB-AYES. (Zool.) The Cheiromys Madagascar i ens is, a sin- gular quadruped (which in some descriptions has been confounded with the Ai , or Sloth, whose habits it somewhat re- sembles.) It is placed by Cuvier in the order Ro- dentia, but other natu- ralists have cla ed it with the Monkey tribe, from the hand-like struc- ture of its hinder feet. It is a native of Mada- gascar; it burrows un- der the ground, is very slothful, and is alto- gether a nocturnal ani- mal. It has large flat ears, like those of a bat, and a tail resembling a squirrel's; but its most distinguishing peculiar- ity is the middle toe or finger of the fore-foot, the two last joints of which are very long, slender, and destitute of hair. It measures about eighteen inches from the nose to the tail; and its general color is a pale ferrugi- nous brown, mixed with gray. Aye, adv . [A.S. aa , a, or awa ; Gr. aei , ever, forever; allied to iỡn , a lifetime, an age, eternity; Lat. ævum.] Always; ever; continually; for an indefinite time. For aye, always; eternally; for ever. "The soul, though made in time, survives for aye; And, though it hath beginning, sees no end." - Davies. Ayers'ville, in Ohio , a post-office of Defiance co. Ayesha, ( ai -e's ha,) or Aixa, one of the wives of Mo- hammed, the daughter of Abu-Beker, the first caliph, and succe or to the prophet. She was only 9 years of age when she married her husband. The latter loved A. deeply, although she bore him no i ue; and he died in her arms. After the death of the prophet, she became venerated by the Moslems, who styled her " Mother of the Faithful ." A. , after an eventful life, D. in the 58th year of the Hægira, 677 A. D., aged 67. Ay'ish Bayou, in Tezas , a small stream of San Augus- tin co., intersecting it from N. to S., and emptying into the Angel in a river. Ayle, n. [0. Eng. ayel , aiel ; O. Fr. ayle ; Fr. ayeul, aïeul ; Lat. avolus , avus , grandfather.] ( O. Eng . Law .) A grand- Aylesbury, a borough and par. of England, in the co. of Bucking ham, 38 m. N.W. of London. It is a flourish- ing town, situate in the centre of the celebrated Vale of Aylesbury, one of the richest pasture and dairy districts in the kingdom. A. is celebrated for its ducks, of which vast numbers are sent to the London markets. Aylesford, a town and par. of England, in the co. of Kent, 3 m. from Maid stone. In its vicinity is the re- mark able monument called Kit's Coty House, a kind of Druidical cromlech of which the origin is obscure, and much contested among antiquaries. Fig . 253. -KIT'S COTY HOUSE, ( a Druidical cromlech.) Ay'lett's, in Virginia , a post-village of King William's co. on the Matt a pony river, 25 m. N.E. of Richmond. Ayl'mer, JOHN, an English prelate, who was tutor to Lady Jane Grey. On the acce ion of Mary, he was forced to leave his country, but found a quiet retreat amid the beautiful scenery of Zurich. When Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, he returned to England; and in 1576 was made bishop of London. He was a very diligent prelate, and severe against the Puritans, for which he has been severely censured by their writers; but it is said that he was learned in the languages, a deep divine, and a ready disputant. B. in Norfolk, 1521; D. at Fulham, 1594. An instance of the humor with which this prelate roused an inattentive audience while preaching, is given by Wood. "When his auditory grew dull and inatten- tive, he would, with some pretty and unexpected conceit, move them to attention. Among the rest was he read a long text in Hebrew; whereupon all seemed to listen what would come after such strange words, as if they had taken it for some conjuration; but he showed their folly, that, when he spake English, whereby they might be instructed and edified, they neglected and hearkened not to it; and now when he read Hebrew, which they understood no word of, they seemed careful and atten- tive." Ayl'mer, a lake in the Northwest Territories, about 80 m. N. of the N.E. end of Great Slave Lake. Its length is about 50 m.; its breadth, 30 m. Ayl'mer, a post-town of Quebec, former cap. of Ottawa co., on Chaudière Lake, 8 m. from Ottawa. Ayl'mer, a post-village of Ontario, co. of Middle sex, Ay me! interj. Used instead of Ahme ! -In Spanish, Ay di mi ! as, " Ay di mi , España!" Ay'mon, the surname of four brothers, called respeс- tively Alard, Richard, Guiscard, and Renaud, sons of Ay- mon or Haimon, Count of Dordogne, who figure among the most illustrious heroes of the chivalric poetry of the Middle Ages; but their historic existence must be con- sidered problematical, as the deeds attributed to them po e in so large a measure a miraculous character. Their career belongs to the cycle of marvels of which Charlemagne is the central point, and their adventures furnished rich material to the romantic narratives of Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, and, in fact, were the Ayora, a town of Spain, on a river of the same name, in the prov. of Valencia, 52 m. S.W. of Valencia; pop . 5,840. Ayoti'tan, a village of Mexico, dep. of Jalisco, 120 m. S.W. of Guadalaxara. Ayot'la, a town of Mexico, 20 m. E. of the city of Mexico. Ay'oubites, or AYYUBITES, the Saracenic dynasty founded by Salad in, which in Egypt supplanted the Fati- mite caliphs, about A. D. 1171. Several of the descend- ants of Salad in, known as A. , afterwards ruled in Egypt, Syria, Armenia, and Arabia Felix. In the 13th century their power was destroyed by the Mamelukes. AYR, a seaport and borough of Scotland, and cap. of the above co. is 65 m. S.W. of Edinburgh, and 30 S.S.W. of Glasgow. It is a fine and prosperous town. Manf . Cot- ton and carpets; iron foundries and tanneries are also in full work. There is here a splendid monument to the Scottish hero Wallace, consisting of a tower 115 feet high. Near Alloway Kirk, is still seen the cottage in which the poet Burns was born. (See ALLOWAY.) A. is a very ancient borough, and po e es a good and com- modious harbor, with an extensive coasting-trade. Pop . about 24,000 in 1897. Ayr, in Minnesota , a post-office of Goodhue co. Ayr, in Pennsylvania , a township of Fulton coun- ty. Ay'rao, a town of Brazil, prov. of Para, 110 m. N.W. of Rio Negro. Ayr, (POINT OF,) the N. promontory of the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea; Lat. 54° 24' 59" N.; Lon. 4° 21′ 59′′ W. There is a lighthouse here with a revolving light in its lantern, 106 feet above the sea. Ay'rer, Jacob, next to Hans Sachs the most prolific and important German dramatic writer of the 16th century. His history is involved in obscurity; but it is known that he was a citizen of Nürnberg in 1594, and a pro- curator in the courts of law. It was not till after his death, in 1605, that a collection of his pieces was pub- lished, consisting of 66 tragedies, comedies, and carnival plays (Nürnb. 1618.) A. has the same garrulous breadth of dialogue as Hans Sachs, but is inferior to him in wit and humor. Ay'ry, n. A hawk's nest. See AERIE. Ayscue, or Ayscough, ( aisku ,) SIR GEORGE, an Eng- lish admiral in the service of the Commonwealth, and Charles II. He captured Barb a does in 1651, and in 1658 entered the service of the King of Sweden. Returning to England, he commanded in the batt'es fought against the Dutch; and in the attack on Van Tromp, lost his ship, and was taken prisoner to Holland. His after fate is unknown. Ayth'ya, n. (Zool.) The Pochards, a gen. of ducks, sub- family An at in a . It comprises two American species: the Red-Head, A. American a , and the Canvas-Back, A. IMG:content-0437.png:[graphic] Ayu'thia, in Siam. See YUTHIA. Azad'erine, n. ( Chem .) An alkaloid found in the root of the Malea azadirachta , which is useful in fevers, and forms a crystalline salt with sulphuric acid. Azalea, n.; pl . AZALEAS. [Gr. azaleos , dry, in allusion to its growing in dry places. ( Bot .) A genus of plants, order Ericacese , consisting of shrubs remarkable for the beauty and fragrance of their flowers, on which account they are generally cultivated. By some botanists, the genus is esteemed the same as Rhododendron ; and it must be confe ed that it is difficult to point out any positive character, except the thin and generally decidu- ous leaves, by which the A. may be distinguished from the Rhododendron . It will, however, be more conform- able to popular usage if we speak of them apart; and as the subject is of general interest, we shall do so at some length. - The species are not very numerous; but the varieties have of late years been so exceedingly mul- tiplied, and rendered so exce ively intricate, as to be almost bewildering. No fancy ornamental shrub has been more profusely kale i do scoped by the recent and powerful appliances of scientific culture. The Clammy species, A. viscosa , formerly called the white A. , and of which we have about 100 varieties, is a native of N. America, and is found in rocky woods from Canada to Georgia. From its root rise several slender brown stems to the height of about 4 feet. Its leaves are spear-shaped, narrow at the base, rough in the border, and grow in clusters. Its flowers come out between the leaves, and terminate the branches; they diffuse an agreeable fra- grance; they closely resemble in their form the flowers of the honeysuckle, each having a tube of nearly an inch in length, divided at the top into 5 segments, 2 of which are reflexed; they are white, with a yellowish exterior in the normal plant, but are red in two of the varieties, and variegated in some others, and they bloom in July. The Naked Flowered species, A. nudiflora , for- merly called the Red A. , is also a native of N. America, and is widely spread over forests throughout the U. States. About 50 varieties are known. Its stems rise, and its flowers are formed like those of the preceding species; its leaves are oval, smooth, and entire, and are placed alternately on the branches; and its flowers appear in May and June, are produced in clusters on long, naked footstalks, from the sides of the branches, and are red in the normal plant, but exhibit the various hues of pink, scarlet, blush, and even white in the several var i- eties. - The Marigold-like species, A. calendulacea , about 4 feet high, and with twelve varieties, produce severally yellow, orange, saffron-colored, or red flowers in May and June. The Pontic species, A. pontic a , is a native of Turkey, is 6 feet high, and has about 10 varieties. It produces yellow, white, and copper-colored flowers, some in May and June, an 1 others from March till May. The Canescent species, A. canescens, grows to the height of 3 feet, and produces red flowers. The Arborescent, A. arbores cens, produces red flowers in July, and attains a height of 10 to 20 feet. The Showy species, A. speciosa , has been multiplied into a number of varieties, most of which carry red, scarlet, or orange-colored flowers. All the preceding species are hardy and deciduous, and, ex- cepting the Pontic, are natives of N. America. But the Indian species, A. indica , is an evergreen, and a native of China, and requires, in temperate countries. a green- house culture. - The Chinese species, A. sinensis , is also native of China, and produces flowers of a carmine color. The Indian and the Shining species are propagated from cuttings in peat and loam, and all the other species are propagated from layers, or by the dividing of the root. The young shoots selected for layers must be slit and laid down, in the same manner as the layers of carn a- tions: when the layers have struck good root, they may be removed into the nursery, and planted in lines at a small distance from each other, there to stand during at least one year preparatory to final planting. The best season for layering is autumn. After a plant has stood during a few years, it throws up many stems, and some of these may easily be taken off with a portion of root at each, and planted either in the nursery ground, or in places where they are to remain. All the A. love a dry situation, and they are most at home in a soil of peat and loam or sandy peat. Azalia, in Indiana , a post-village of Bartholomew co., on the E. fork of White River, 51 m. S.S.E. of Indianapolis. Azamor', a fortified seaport of Morocco, on the Atlan- tic, 122 m. N.N.W. of Morocco; at the mouth of the river Morbeya, 8 m. N.E. of Mazagan. Lat. 33° 17′ 37′′ N.; Lon. 80 15 W. Pop . about 2,000. Aza'ni, an ancient city of Phrygia, on the Edrenos, (Rhyndacus.) The small modern village of Tjandere- Hi ar, 22 m. W. by S. of Kutalch, is built on its ruins. The latter, which are very fine, consist of two bridges connected by a superb quay, with a temple and a theatre, the latter being 232 ft. in diameter. Aza'ra, DON FELIX DE, a Spanish author and traveller, B. 1746. His work entitled Descripcion y Hist or i a del Paraguay , y del Rio de la Plata , was published at Mad- rid, in 2 vols., 1847. It is considered an authority on the natural history of Paraguay, and of the countries on the Plate. D. 1811. Azari'ah, a king of Judah (2 Kings xv. 1-7), also called Uzziah (2 Chr . xxvi.) He began to reign at 16 years of age, в. с. 806. The first part of his reign was prosperous and happy; but afterwards, presuming to offer incense in the Temple, he was smitten with leprosy, and continued a leper till his death (2 Chr . xxvi. 16-23).-This name was very common among the Jews, and was borne by many who are briefly referred to in Scripture. Az'arole, n. [Fr. azerole .] ( Bot . ) The Cratægus azarolus , a shrub of the genus CRATAGUS, q. v. Azcoi'tia, a town of Spain, prov. of Biscay, 20 m. from Tolosa. Pop . about 4,000. Aze'glio, MASSIMO TAPARELLI, MARQUIS D', an Italian author, artist, diplomatist, and statesman, B. at Turin, 1801, was the descendant of an ancient and noble Pied- montese family. At the age of fourteen he was excom- municated for an a ault upon his teacher, who was an ecclesiastic. In 1816 he accompanied his father to Rome, and there occupied his time principally with painting and music. He was already favorably known as a painter, when, in 1830, he went to Milan, married the daughter of Manzoni, the great novelist, and wrote sev- eral romances. The earliest of these was Ettore Fiera- mosca , published in 1833, which, conceived in the style of Manzoni, and full of patriotic sentiments, was re- ceived with great enthusiasım. His next romance, Nic- colò de Lapi , published eight years afterwards, became equally popular, and is esteemed, by Italian critics, the best historical novel in any language. Deeply imbued with the spirit of Italian nationality, in 1842 A. aban- doned his favorite pursuits, and with his friends Balbo and Gioberti he made a tour through the provinces of Italy, awakening the revolutionary spirit which troubled the last years of Gregory XVI. After the revo- lution of 1848 he supported the cause of the king of Pied- mont, and, at the head of the Papal troops, fought against the Austrians at Vicenza, where he was wounded. In 1849, Victor Emmanuel appointed him president of the cabinet of ministers, an office he undertook solely out of love for his king and country, and which he resigned in 1852 to his political adversary Count Cavour. In 1859, after the peace of Villa franc a, he undertook a confiden- tial mi ion as amba ador-extraordinary to England; and was afterwards appointed governor of the city of Milan. His failing health, his love of art, and some dif- ferences of opinion with his colleagues, caused him, how- ever, to withdraw finally from public life. D. Jan. 15, 1866. Aze'kah, (Anc. Geog .) a town of Judah, lying in the low land, near Socoh. ( Jos . xv. 35). Between A. and Socoh the Philistines encamped before the battle in which Goliath was killed (1 Sam . xvii. 1). It was fort i- fied by Rehoboam (2 Chr . xi. 9), was still standing at the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar ( Jer . xxxiv. 7), and was re- occupied by the Jews after the captivity ( Neh . xi. 30). The site of A. is po ibly found at Tell - zakarîya , a hill near Ain -shems (Beth-Shemesh). Azerbi'jan, in Persia. See ADERBEITZAN. A'zergue. See AZREK. Azevedo-Continho, MARCOS, a Brazilian traveller, B. in the 16th century. He was an intrepid explorer of the virgin solitudes of Brazil; and, in 1596, is said to have discovered the famous emerald mine, during an ex- pedition known under the name of Jornada das Esme- raldas. D. in the early part of the 17th century. Az'im-Ed-Dowlah-Bahadoor', the last titular Nabob of the Carnatic, in Hindostan; B. 1770; D. 13th Aug., 1819. Azimghur, ( a'zim - gur ',) an inland town of Hindos- tan, in the British presidency of Bengal, prov. of Allaha- bad, cap. of a district of its own name; 40 m. N.N.E. of Benares, in 26° 6' N. Lat.; Lon. 83° 10. Cotton stuffs are largely fabricated here. A. was ceded to the English by the Nabob of Oude, in 1801. Az'imuth, n. [Ar. As - samt ; from al , the, and samt, way, road, path, tract, country, quarter.] ( Astron .) The A. of a body is an arc measured on the horizon, in- A'zor, a town of Ru ia in Europe, prov. of Ekaterinos- lar, near the N.E. extremity of the above sea, to which it gives its name, and about 20 m. from the mouth of the Don. It is the anc. Tanais , a Greek colony mentioned by Strabo. In the Middle Ages it was called Tana by the Genoese, and received its present name from the Turks, who took po e ion of it in 1474. A. has been in the po e ion of Ru ia since 1774. The sand and mud of the river having obstructed its port, the trade of A. has been transferred to Tagaurog. and it is now but a poor place. It was bombarded by an allied French and Eng- lish squadron in 1855. Pop . (1895) 18,738. Azo'ic, a . [Gr. a, priv., and zoč , life.] Destitute of or ganic life. The azoic period of the geologists is that be- fore any living being appeared. Azoleic Acid. (Chem.) An oily fluid, insoluble in water; soluble in boiling nitric acid, and re-precipitated by water. Obtained from the oily substance which swims after the treatment of olive oil with nitric acid, by boil- ing with alcoholic sulphuric acid. Azolit/mine, n. (Chem.) A dark-red substancé, which is the principal coloring matter of the litmus. It differs from orcéine by its insolubility in alcohol. Form . C18H10