AMA 



AMB 



tne queen's birth-clay : the roots were 

 brought from Mexico, and therefore Mr. 

 Fairchild called it Mexican lily, the name 

 which it has retained. It flowers in the 

 spring- in a very warm stove ; is jn heauty 

 in February; and in a moderate tempera- 

 ture of air wil! flower in March or April. 

 A. surniensis, lilium sarniense of Douglas, 

 who published a description of it in 5.725 ; 

 narcissus of others ; Guernsey lily, so 

 called by Mr. Ray in 16G5 ; with petals 

 line ar, flat, stamens and pistils straightish, 

 longer than the corolla, stigmas parted, 

 and revolute. The bulb is an oblong- 

 spheroid ; the leaves are dark willow 

 green ; the number of flowers is common- 

 ly from eight to twelve, and circumfer- 

 ence of each about seven inches ; the co- 

 rolla, in its prime, has the colour of a fine 

 gold tissue, wrought on a rose-coloured 

 ground, and when it begins to fade, it is 

 a pink: in full sunshine, it seems to be 

 studded with diamqnds, but by candle- 

 light the specks or spangles appear more 

 like fine gold dust; when the petals be- 

 gin to wither, they assume a deep crim- 

 son colour. The flowers begin to come 

 out at the end of August, and the head is 

 usually three weeks in gradually expand- 

 ing. This beautiful plant is a native of 

 Japan, and has been long 1 naturalized in 

 Guernsey. It is said to have been brought 

 from Japan to Paris, and cultivated in 

 Morin's garden before 1634. It was cul- 

 tivated at Wimbledon, in England, by 

 General Lambert, in 1659, and in 1664 be- 

 came more common : it does not seem to 

 have been in Holland before 1695. The 

 plants are reputed to owe their origin in 

 Guernsey to the shipwreck of a vessel re- 

 turning from Japan, probably before the 

 middle of the seventeenth century. The 

 bulbs, it is said, being cast on shore, took 

 root in that sandy soil, and produced beau- 

 tiful flowers, which engaged the attention 

 of Mr. Hatton, the governor's son, who 

 sent roots to several of his friends. A va- 

 riety of this, found at the Cape of Good 

 Hope, is described by Jacquin with a ma- 

 ny -flowered spathe, corollas very patent 

 and reflex at the apex, stamens and pistil 

 somewhat straight, longer than the corol- 

 la, and leaves ensiform-linear. Most of 

 these species have very beautiful flowers, 

 and merit the attention of the botanist and 

 florist. The first, or yellow autumnal A. 

 is very hardy, and increases by offsets. 

 The season for transplanting these roots 

 is from May to the end of July, when the 

 leaves are decayed. They will grow in 

 any soil or situation ; but they will thrive 

 best in a fresh, light, dry soil, and open 

 VOL. I. 



situation, and will keep flowering from 

 the beginning of September to the middle 

 of November, provided that they escape 

 severe frosts ; and a succession of flowers 

 will spring from the same root. The 

 Guernsey lily has been cultivated for ma- 

 ny years in the gardens of Guernsey and 

 Jersey, whence the roots are sent to most 

 parts of Europe . The bulbs are common- 

 ly brought over in June and July, and 

 they should then be planted in pots filled 

 with fresh, light, sandy earth, mixed with 

 a small quantity of very rotten dung, 

 placed in a warm situation, and occasion- 

 ally refreshed with water. About the 

 middle of September the stronger roots 

 will shew their red-coloured flower-stem ; 

 and then the pots should be removed into 

 a situation where they may have the full 

 benefit of the sun, and be sheltered from 

 strong winds ; but not placed under 

 glasses, or too near a wall, which would 

 draw them up, and render them less beau- 

 tiful. When the flowers begin to open, 

 the pots should be put under shelter, so 

 as to be secure from too much wet, but 

 not kept too close or too warm. The 

 flowers will continue in beauty for a month; 

 and, though without scent, their rich co- 

 lour entitles them to the first rank in the 

 flowery tribe. 



AMASONIA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Didy namia Angiospermia class and order : 

 calyx five cleft: corolla tubular, with a 

 small five-cleft border : berry four-seeded. 

 There are two species. 



AMATEUR, in the arts, denotes a per- 

 son understanding, loving, or practising- 

 the fine arts, without any regard to pecu- 

 niary advantage. 



AMBASSADOR, a person appointed by 

 one sovereign power to another, to super- 

 intend his affairs at some foreign court, 

 and supposed to represent the power from 

 which he is sent. The person of an am- 

 bassador is inviolable. 



AMBER, in mineralogy, a resinous sub- 

 stance, called by the ancients electrum, 

 found in different countries ; but most 

 abundantly in Prussia, either on the sea- 

 shore, or under ground, at the depth of 

 100 feet, reposing on wood coal. It is ob- 

 tained in lumps of different sizes. There 

 are the white and the yellow amber. 1. 

 The white amber is in colour straw-yel- 

 low, inclining to yellowish white ; but 2. 

 The yellow amber is a wax-yellow, pass- 

 ing to a honey-yellow, yellowish brown, 

 and hyacinth-red. It is found in blunt 

 pieces, with a rough surface. It is rather 

 brittle, and its specific gravity is from 1.07 

 to 1.08. Amber burns with a vellow-co- 

 S 



