AME 



AME 



amercement, whether the escape hap- 

 pens by day or night. 



The statute of Magna Charta ordains, 

 that a freeman is not to be amerced for a 

 small fault, but in proportion to the of- 

 fence, by his peers and equals. 



AMERIMNUM, or AMEIUMBTOX, in bo- 

 tany, a genus of the Biadelphia Decan- 

 dria class and order ; of the natural order 

 of Papilionaceae or l-eguminosae ; the cha- 

 racters of which are, that the calyx is a 

 one-leafed perianthium; tube bell saap- 

 ed, five-toothed, the teeth sharp ; the co- 

 rolla papilionaceous, standard with an ob- 

 long- cla\v, roundish, heart-shaped, ex- 

 panding 1 and convex wings lanceolate, 

 short <n than the standard, and keel i-.hcrt; 

 the stamina have ten filaments conjoined, 

 anthers roundish; the pistillum has -i ^erm 

 pedicelled, oblong, compressed, leafy, va- 

 ricose, with lateral veins, within woody, 

 notgapmg; cells disposed longitudinally 

 within ; the seeds solitary, kidney-shaped, 

 thicker at the base, appendicted at the 

 top. There are two species, viz. 1. A. 

 Br wnei : this shrub rises commonly to 

 dit often feet, and supports itself 

 on oth<-v shrubs. It is a native of Cartha- 

 gena, Jamaica, and Domingo. 2. A. ebe- 

 nus, Jamaica ebony, which is common \n 

 Jamaica and several other parts of the 

 idies, where the wood is cut, and 

 sci. iii'.o England uncu-r the name of ebo- 

 ny, though the true ebony is a native of 

 the eastern country, and of a different 

 genus. This wood is of a fine greenish 

 brown colour, admits of polishing well, 

 so that it is much valued by the instru- 

 ment makers, and it is of a very hard du- 

 rable nature. Dr. Browne says, that the 

 trunk seldom exceeds three or four inch- 

 es in diameter; that the slender branches, 

 being very tough and flexible, are used 

 for riding" switches, and kept at all the 

 wharfs about Kingston, to scourge the re- 

 fractory slaves. 



AMETHYST, in mineralogy, is one of 

 the Quartz family ; it occurs massive and 

 in rolled pieces, but most frequently crys- 

 tallized. The crystals are six-sided pyra- 

 mids; colour violet blue, passing on the 

 one hand to plum blue, brown, brownish 

 black ; on the other to pearl and ash grey, 

 greyish white, greenish white, olive 

 green, and in some rare cases pistachio 

 green. In massive varieties several co- 

 lours appear together in stripes : in this 

 state they are composed of thick prismatic 

 distinct concretions, often shooting- into 

 crystals at their extremities. Specific gra- 

 vity 2.75. It is found in veins, and in the 

 follow cavities of agate. It is composed of 



Silica 



Alumina ... 

 Oxide of iron . 

 and a 

 Trace of manganese 



0.25 

 0.50 



98.25 



It is found abundantly in different parts 

 of Saxony : also in the Hartz, in the Ura- 

 lian mountains, and in the East Indies. 

 The most beautiful varieties are found at 

 Catharmaburp; in Russia. It is cut into 

 rings, seals, and boxes, but it is not very 

 highly valued. The green is the chryso- 

 lite of some Authors : the oriental amethyst 

 is the Ki'pphire : it is sometimes covered 

 with capillary crystals of iron mica, and 

 wl.fM viewed in certain positions appears 

 red ; this variety is named the hair ame- 

 thyst. 



AMETHYST, in heraldry, a term for the 

 purple colour in the coat of a nobleman, 

 in use with those who blazon by precious 

 stones instead of metals and colours. 

 This in a gentleman's escutcheon is call- 

 ed purpure, and in those of sovereign 

 princes mercury. 



AMETHYSTEA, amethyst, so called 

 from the amethystine colours of the flow- 

 ers, in botany, a genus of the Diandria 

 Monogynia class : the characters are, that 

 the calyx is a perianthium, one-leafed, 

 tube bell-shaped, angular, semiquinque- 

 fid, subequa!, acuminate, and permanent ; 

 the corolla is one-petalled, ringent, little 

 longer than the calyx; border five-parted 

 and subequal : upper lip erect, roundish, 

 concave, two-parted, gaping; lower three- 

 parted; the sides rounded, erect, shorter; 

 the middle quite emire, concave, the 

 length of the upper lip; the stamina have 

 filaments, filiform, approximating, under 

 the upper lip, and longer than it; anthers 

 simple and roundish ; the pistillum is a 

 quadrifid germ, style size of the stamens, 

 stigmas two, and acute ; no pericarptum, 

 but the calyx becomes more bell-shaped 

 and spreading; the seeds are four, short- 

 er than the calyx; obtuse, and angular 

 within. There is one species, viz. A. 

 coerulia, mountain upright A. which is u 

 native of the mountains in Siberia, from 

 whence the seeds were sent to the Impe- 

 rial garden at Petersburg!!, and in 1759 to 

 Chelsea garden, where the plants annu- 

 ally produce seeds. It is annual, and hath 

 an upright stalk, which rises about a 

 foot high, and towards the top puts out 

 two or three small lateral brunches; these 

 are garnished with small trifid leaves, 

 sawed on their edges, and of a very dark 

 green colour; at the extremity of the 



