AMN 



AMO 



gun-powder, imported without licence 

 from his majesty, are, by the laws of Eng- 

 land, forfeited, and triple the vulue. 



And again, such licence obtained, ex- 

 cept for furnishing his majesty's public 

 stores, is to be void, and the offender to 

 incur a prxmunire, and to be disabled to 

 hold any office from the crown. 



AMNESTY, in matters of policy, an act 

 by which two parties at variance promise 

 to pardon and bury in oblivion all that is 

 past. 



Amnesty is either general and unlimit- 

 ed, or particular and restrained, though 

 most commonly universal, without con- 

 ditions or exceptions ; such as that which 

 passed in Germany at the peace of Osna- 

 burg, in the year 1648. 



Amnesty, in a more limited sense, de- 

 notes a pardon granted by a prince to his 

 rebellious subjects, usually with some ex- 

 ceptions: such was that granted by 

 Charles II. at his restoration. 



AMN1OS, in anatomy, a thin pellucid 

 membrane, which surrounds the foetus. 



The foetus in the uterus is enveloped in 

 a peculiar membranaceous covering, to 

 which anatomists have given the name of 

 amnios. "Within this there is a liquid, 

 distinguished by the name of the liquor of 

 the amnios, which surrounds the foetus on 

 every part. This liquid, as might have 

 been expected, is very different in dif- 

 ferent animals ; at least the liquor amnii 

 in women and in cows, which alone have 

 hitherto been analysed, have not the 

 smallest resemblance to each other. The 

 liquor of the amnios of women is a 

 fluid of a slightly milky colour, a weak 

 pleasant odour, and a saltish taste. The 

 white colour is owing to a curdy matter 

 suspended in it, for it may be obtained 

 quite transparent by filtration. Its spe- 

 cific gravity is 1.005. It gives a green 

 colour to the tincture of violets, and yet 

 it reddens very decidedly the tincture of 

 turnsole. These two properties would in- 

 dicate at once the presence of an acid and 

 of an alkali. It froths considerably when 

 agitated. On the application of heat it 

 becomes opaque, and has then a great re- 

 semblance to milk diluted with a large 

 quantity of water. At the same time it 

 exhales the odour of boiled white of egg. 

 Acids render it more transparent. Alka- 

 lies precipitate an animal matter in small 

 fiakos. Alcohol likewise produces a 

 flaky precipitate, which, when collected 

 and dried, becomes transparent, and very 

 like glue. The infusion of nut galls pro- 

 duces a very copious brown coloured 

 precipitate, Nitrate of silver occasions a 



white precipitate, which is insoluble in 

 nitric acid, and consequently is muriate 

 of silver. The liquor of the amnios of 

 the cow has a viscidity similar to mucil- 

 age of gum arabic, a brownish red colour, 

 aii acid and bitter taste, and a peculiar* 

 odour, not unlike that of some vegetable 

 extracts. Its specific gravity is 1.028. 

 It reddens the tincture of turnsole, and 

 therefore contains an acid. Muriate of 

 barytes causes a very abundant precipi- 

 tate, which renders it probable that it 

 contains sulphuric acid. Alcohol sepa- 

 rates from it a great quantity of a reddish 

 coloured matter. The animal matter 

 possesses the following properties : It 

 lias a reddish brown colour and a peculi- 

 ar taste ; it is very soluble in water, but 

 insoluble in alcohol, which has the pro- 

 perty of separating it from water. Wh eiv 

 exposed to a strong heat, it swells, ex- 

 hales first the odour of burning gum, 

 then of empyreumatic oil, and of ammonia, 

 and at last the peculiar odour of prussic 

 acid becomes very conspicuous. It dif- 

 fers from gelatine in the viscidity which 

 it communicates to water, in not forming 

 a jelly when concentrated, ami in not be- 

 ing precipitated by tannin. It must be 

 therefore ranked among the very unde- 

 fined and inaccurate class of animal muci- 

 lages. When burnt, it leaves a large por- 

 tion of coal, which is readily incinerated 

 and leaves a little white ashes, composed 

 of phosphate of magnesia, and a small 

 proportion of phosphate of lime. 



AMOMUM, in botany, a genus of the 

 Monandria Monogynia class and order, 

 the characters of which are, that the 

 calyx is a peria lithium, oneHeafed, cylin- 

 draceous, and unequally trifid : the co- 

 rolla is monopetalous and funnel-shaped, 

 tube cylindraceous, border three-parted, 

 parts oblong and spreading" : the nectary 

 two-leaved or two-lipped, lower lip in- 

 serted under the upper segment of the 

 corolla, spreading almost erect, entire or 

 three-lobed ; the stamina have no fila- 

 ment, except the upper lip of the necta- 

 ry smaller than the lower, and opposite 

 to it, accuminate or three-lobed at the 

 tip ; along the middle or at the end of 

 which grows longitudinally a large ob- 

 long anther, germinate, or divided by z 

 longitudinal furrow into two, which are 

 one-valved; the pistillum has an inferior, 

 oblong germ, style filiform, drawn through 

 the suture of the anther, stigma turbi- 

 nate, obtuse and ciliate ; the pericarpi- 

 um a flt:shy capsule, ovate, three-corner- 

 ed, three-celled, and three-valved ; the 

 seeds arc several, covered with a sort of 



