A XI 



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A X U 



Aaamnt AUXONNE, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Cote d'Or, situated near the river Saone. 

 Axim. j t remar ] ta l J l e f or a double wall built around it in 

 v the 17th century, and for a bridge of 23 arches over 



the Saone. The principal articles of trade are corn 

 and wood. Population 5282. East Long. 5 23' 35" ; 

 North Lat. 47 11' 24". See Peuchet's Diet. Com- 

 mere. vol. i. p. 673. (v) 



AUZOUT, Adrian, a French astronomer, and 

 one of the earliest members of the Academy of 

 Sciences, was born at Rouen, and died in the year 

 1693. The honour of having invented the micro- 

 meter has generally been ascribed to Auzout by the 

 French astronomers, but it is now perfectly ascer- 

 tained, that he was merely an improver of that use- 

 ful instrument. M. de la Hire, (Mem. Acad. 1719), 

 M. le Monnier, (Hist. Celeste, p. 2.), and other 

 French astronomers, maintain, that Auzout, at the 

 same time with Picard, proposed to apply the te- 

 lescope .to the quadrant. It is a remarkable cir- 

 cumstance, that both these inventions have been 

 claimed by the English for Mr Gascoigne. Auzout 

 was the author of some ingenious and interesting ex- 

 periments on the light and heat of the different 

 planets, which are contained in the Memoirs of the 

 Academy, torn. vi. part ii. See Montucla, Hist. 

 Math. torn. ii. p. 569. Bailly, Hist. Astron. Mod. 

 torn. ii. p. 293, 400. See also the article MICRO- 

 METER, (tv) 



AWENYDHION, a name given to a set of en- 



* thusiasts in Wales, who are supposed to possess a 



gift, resembling what is called the second sight in 



Scotland. See Warrington's Hist, of Wales, p. 102. 



0) 



AWNING, a covering of canvas extended over 

 the decks of a ship, to shelter it from the sun, rain, 

 or wind. See Clerke's V.lemenls and Practice of 

 # *Rigfi'ig, vol. i. p. 119, 230. (j) 



AXlM, or Akim, a country of Africa, situated 

 on the Gold Coast, and extending about seven leagues 

 from the river Serpentino to the village of Bosna. 

 The French, who were for some time masters of this 

 country, were expelled in 1515 by the Portuguese, 

 who protected themselves by a fort. Axim remain- 

 ed in their possession, and they engrossed all the 

 commerce of the Gold Coast till the 9th February 

 1692, when the Dutch attacked them, and made 

 themselves masters of the district. Some time after- 

 wards the Prussians arrived, and allured from their 

 allegiance to the Dutch about one half of the na- 

 tives. The fort belonging to the Dutch is called St 

 Anthony, and that of the Prussians, Fredericksburg. 



The soil of Axim is extremely fertile, and pro- 

 duces great quantities of rice, which the inhabitants 

 export to the other kingdoms on the coast for palm- 

 oil, yams, and millet. Its other productions are fruits of 

 all kinds, black cattle, sheep, goats, and fowls. The 

 gold of Axim, which is reckoned the best on the 

 Gold Coast, is a considerable object of commerce. 

 The Dutch have used every exertion to exclude 

 other nations from this valuable traffic ; and the ne- 

 groes find it difficult to deceive them, as the chief 

 village Ahambene, or Axim, is under the cannon of 

 Fort St Anthony. The negroes, however, often 

 arry the gold which they collect in the rivers, and 



in the interior of the country, to the English and 

 Irish smuggling vessels, from whom they obtain ar- 

 ticles of European merchandize at a much cheaper 

 rate than they do from the Dutch. 



The inhabitants of Axim also carry on a traffic in 

 ivory and slaves, and likewise in large canoes, which 

 they sell to foreigners for the convenience of landing 

 with facility on their rocky coast. Salt is manufac- 

 tured in considerable quantities by the female ne- 

 groes. 



The government of Axim is entrusted to two 

 classes of the natives ; the Caboceroes, or chief men, 

 and the Muncaroes, or young men. The principles of 

 equity and humanity guide them in the administra- 

 tion of justice, and in the management of their pub- 

 lic concerns ; but bribery and corruption often de- 

 feat the great ends of public justice. See Modem 

 Univers. Hist. vol. xiii. p. 391. (q) 



AXIOM, a truth, or proposition, which is self- 

 evident. 



AXIS in Peritrochio, or Wheel and Axle. 

 See Mechanics. 



AXMINSTER, an ancient town in Devonshire, 

 is pleasantly situated on a rising ground upon the 

 western banks of the river Axe, 26 miles east from 

 Exeter. It is famous for the burying-place of the 

 Saxon nobles, who fell when resisting an invasion of 

 the Danes, in the battle of Bruneburg ; and for the 

 monastery which King Athelstan founded for seven 

 priests to pray for the souls of the departed warriors. 

 This building, however, has been almost entirely de- 

 stroyed, and from what now remains, it is impossible 

 to distinguish either its character or original size. 

 The town contains 406 houses, and is clean, neat, and 

 healthy. It has an extensive manufactory for wea- 

 ving carpets after the Turkish fashion, whose pecu- 

 liar make and character have obtained them the name 

 of A xminster carpets. The weekly market, which 

 is held here on Saturday, is reckoned the first in the 

 county. Population 2154. W. Long. 3 8'; N. 

 Lat. 50 45'. See Beauties of England and Wales, 

 vol. iv. and Polwhele's Hist, of Devon, vol. ii. p. 288. (p) 



AXUM, a town of Abyssinia, in the province of 

 Tigrc, is remarkable only for its extensive and mag- 

 nificent ruins, from which may be traced its ancient 

 splendour and importance. In one square, which 

 appears to have been the centre of the town, are 

 forty obelisks of granite. On the top of one is a 

 patera, exceedingly well carved, in the Greek taste; 

 but the sculptures on the face of the obelisk are 

 Gothic ; and from its form and situation, Mr Bruce 

 supposes it to have been erected by Ptolemy Ever- 

 getes, for the use of the philosopher Eratosthenes, in 

 ascertaining the latitude, or, according to others, in 

 measuring the obliquity of the ecliptic. Two flights 

 of steps, several hundred feet long, are the only remains 

 of a magnificent temple ; and in the vicinity are a 

 considerable number of pedestals of statues; and the 

 remains of a causeway, formed of large stones stand- 

 ing edgewise, or heaped upon one another. 



The ancient city of Axum is supposed, by Mr 

 Bruce, to have been built by a colony of Cushites, 

 or Troglodyte Ethiopians. It was one of the most 

 flourishing and populous cities of Abyssinia, and it 

 continued to be the capital of the kingdom till the 



Axiom. 



Axum. 



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