ASB 



u coriaceous capsule, divided into six 

 cells, and containing- a great many oval 

 seedb. There are three species. The 

 common asarabacca is a native of many 

 p;>rts of Europe, in woods and shady 

 places, flowering in April and May. 

 With us it is found only in Lancashire. 

 The rout finely powdered excites vomit- 

 ing ; coarsely powdered it purges The 

 powder of the leaves is the basis of most 

 cephalic snuffs, which occasion a consi- 

 derable discharge of mucus from the nos- 

 trils v ou niich sner-zing. 



ASBESTUS, in mineralogy, a species 

 of the 'i\,o family 5, we'll known to the an- 

 cient';, \, ! 10 made a kind of cloth from 

 one of the varieties, winch was famous 

 for its incombustibility. It is found in 

 primitive mountains, especially in serpen- 

 tine, which it traverses in veins. It is di- 

 vided by Werner into four sub-species, 

 viz. 1. The elastic asbest, or rock-cork, 

 which is of a yellowish grey, of various 

 intensity : occurs sometimes massive, 

 sometimes in places, and with impres- 

 sions. At first sight it appears to be fine 

 grained, uneven. Opaque very seldom ; 

 translucent on the edges ; somewhat 

 elastically flexible ; cracks when handled. 

 Specific gravity .09 to .068. 2. The ami. 

 anthus, of a greenish white, passing into 

 a greenish grey, sometimes blood red. 

 Massive, also in plates and small veins, 

 and in capillary crystals. Internally its 

 lustre is glistening, passing to shining: 

 fracture parallelly fibrous, and sometimes 

 a little curved. It is found in primitive 

 rocks in Sweden, Bohemia, Silecia, Italy, 

 Hungary, Siberia, France, Spain, and 

 Scotland. From its flexibility, and its 

 resisting the effects of fire, it is said to 

 have been by the ancients woven into a 

 kind of cloth, in which they wrapped the 

 bodies of persons of distinction before 

 they were placed on the funeral pile, that 

 the ashes might be collected free from 

 admixture. It was also used for incom- 

 bustible wicks ; but is now considered 

 only as an object of curiosity. To these 

 may be added, 3. The common asbestus ; 

 and 4. The rock- wood : which differ too 

 little from the former sub-species to de- 

 mand particular notice. According to 

 Cheneviz, the amianthus consists of 

 Silica . . 59.0 

 Magnesia . 25.0 

 Lime . . 9.25 

 Alumina . 3.0 

 Iron . . . 2.25 



Loss 



98.5 

 1.5 



100. 



ASC 



ASCARINA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Dioecia Monandria class and order. 

 Ament filiform : no corolla. Mule, an- 

 thera worm- shaped, four-grooved : . fe- 

 muie, stigmata three-lobed: drupe. One 

 species, in the Society Isles. 



ASCARIS, in natural history, a genus 

 of worms of the order Iritesiina. Body- 

 round, elastic, and tapering- v.nvaaU eiO;i 

 extremity; heaa with three vesicles; 

 tail obtuse or sulmiaie ; inu-e.ints s, iial : 

 milk white and pellucid. There are 

 about 80 species, ^ejj uaic-u in.o divi- 

 sions, viz. A. iiriesfiiijg- mammalia; U. 

 found in birds; C. infesting reptiles; D. 

 infesting fish; and E. infesting w>.nns. 

 A. vermicularis ; head subulate ; skin at 

 the sides of the body very finely crenate, 

 01- wrinkled; inhabits iiie intestines of 

 children and thin people, prin, ;pally in 

 the rectum. They are generally found 

 in considerable numbers, and occasion 

 many troublesome symptoms, creeping 

 sometimes up into the stomach. 1 hey 

 are viviparous, and about half an inch 

 long. The female has a small punctifbrm 

 aperture a little below the head, through 

 which the young are protruded. A. luin- 

 bricus, inhabits the intestines of thin per- 

 sons, generally about the ileum, but 

 sometimes ascends into the stomach, and 

 creeps out of the mouth and nostrils. 

 They are frequently very numerous and 

 vivacious, from twelve to fifteen inches 

 long : body transparent, of a light yellow, 

 and with a faint line down the side. 

 They are oviparous, and distinguished 

 from the earth worm, in wanting the 

 fleshy ring below the head, and in having 

 three vesicles. 



ASCENSION, in astronomy, the rising 

 of the sun or star, or any part of the equi- 

 noctial with it, above the horizon : is ei- 

 their right or oblique. 



Right ascension is that degree of the 

 equator, reckoned from the beginning of 

 Aries, which rises with the sun, or a star, 

 in a right sphere. It is found by the fol- 

 lowing proportion. As the radius to the 

 cosine of the sun or star's greatest decli- 

 nation, so is the tangent of the distance 

 from Aries to Libra to the tangent of 

 right ascension. 



Oblique ascension is that degree and 

 minute of the equinoctial, counting from 

 the beginning of Aries, which rises with 

 the centre of the sun, or a star, or which 

 comes to the horizon at the same time as 

 the sun or star in an oblique sphere. In 

 order to find the oblique ascension, we 

 must first find the ascensional difference. 



The arch of right ascension coincides 



