A L M 



lymg between Numidia inclufive, and tl\e entire Icngt'i of the 

 Bail^aiy coafts from Tripoli to the kingdom of Moroceo, 

 comprehending a!fo thofo of Fez, Trcmecen, Tiiin';-, and 

 Tilpoli, and extending above 1200 leagues in length, and in 

 depth from the Mediterranean to the fandy defcits of Libya, 

 above 4S"o, exclufively of his Spanifli dominions, where he 

 was acknowledged as fovereign by moll of the Arabian 

 M'xiriOi princes. The clofe of this prince's hillory is wrap- 

 ped up ill obfcurity ; for about the year 1206, having 

 ^^nelled a revolt in Morocco, and violated his faith with the 

 governor of the capital which he reduced, and his adherents, 

 in the moll perfidious and cruel manner, he difnppearcd ; 

 and, as it is laid, touched with remorfe in the recolleCV'"!! of 

 liis condncl, wandered about obfcure and unknown, and at 

 lall died a poor d^'fpiled baker at Alexandria. He was fuc- 

 ceeded in the kingdom by his fon Mohammed, fnrnamed Al 

 "Nakcr, who, on his accefiion to the crown, parted over into 

 Spain with a very large army, coufiiling of more than 

 .120,000 horfe, and 300,000 foot, and engaged the whole 

 force of the Chrillians on the plains of Tholofa, where he 

 was totally defeated with the lofs of above 150,000 foot, 

 30,000 horle, and 50,000 prifoners. This famous battle 

 was foxight, according to fume Arabic writers, in the year 

 of tlie Hegira 609, A. D. 121 2; but, according to the 

 Spanifh and other liillorians, in 617, A. D. 1220. After 

 this defeat he returned to Africa, where he was received 

 with coldnefs and dilgud, and foon died of vexation, having 

 appointed his grandimi Zeyed Arrax to fucceed him. Al 

 Zeyed was foon aflairniated by order of Gamarazan Ebn 

 Zcyen, of the tribe oi the Zeneti, a defcendant of the Ab- 

 dolwates, ancient monarchs of the kingdom, but at this time 

 vaffals to the Almohedes ; and with him terminated tlie dy- 

 nalty or government of the Almohedes, after having held it 

 for about 170 years ; which was fucceeded by that of the 

 Benimerini, another brancli of the Zeneti. Thefe laft, hav- 

 ing held the government during the fpace of i i 7 years, en- 

 larged their conqueils, and enriched themfelves by frequent 

 incurfions not only into all the neighbouring kingdoms ; 

 but even Nubia, Libya, and Numidia were at length fwal- 

 iowed up by the general inundation of Mohammedilm. Mod. 

 Un. Hift. vol. xiv. p. 301 — 316. 



ALMOL hi Geography, a town of Pruflia, in the pro- 

 Tince of Natangen, eight leagues fouth-weft of Raften- 

 turg. 



ALMOIN, in Law. See Frank Almoin. 



ALMON, in Ancient Geography, z. town of Judxa, in the 

 tribe of Benjamin, alTigned by Jofhua to the Levites of this 

 tribe who were of the family of Aaron. 



Almon, a town of Greece, in Ba:otia ; and alfo a town 

 or diftrift of ThcfTaly. 



ALMONACID, in Geography, a town of Spain, in 

 Old Caftile, three leagues fouth-eaft of Toledo. 



ALMOND, African, in Botany. See Brabeium. 



Almond, Dmar-find Tree. See Am vgdalus. 



Almond, in the ALUeria MecUca, is a kind of fruit which 

 is the produce of the almond-tree, or Amygdalus Communis. 

 There are two principal varieties of this tree, diftinguilhed by 

 the quality of the fruit ; and hence we obtain two kinds of 

 almonds, 'oi-z,. the fweet and the bitter. Neither the kernels 

 themfelves, nor the trees that produce them, allowing for 

 fomc difference in the iize of the flowers and fruit, are dif- 

 tinfr.ilhable by the eye ; and it is faid that the fame trees, 

 which in a wild ftate bore bitter almonds, have, when culti- 

 vated, afforded the fweet kind ; and that the fweet, for want 

 of culture, have degenerated into bitter. The almonds 

 which we receive from Barbary, where the tree is indigenous, 



A L M 



are bitter; snd thofc of Europe and of other parts, where it 

 is cultivated, arc in general fweet. In the choice of thefo 

 kernels, particularly thofc of the fweet fort, care fliould he 

 taken, as they arc very apt, on account of the oil with which 

 they abound, to become rancid in kce]>lng, and to be preyed 

 upon by an infert, which cats out the internal part, and 

 leaves tlic almond apparently entire. 



S'u<ei-I ahnoiids are, lor moll purpofes of medicine and diet, 

 blanched, or freed from the outer, thin, acrid (kin, by ilcep- 

 ing them in hot water till it is fufhcienlly foftened to be 

 peeled off. Sweet almonds are more ufed as food than as 

 medicine, and like others of the nurts ohnf-, or oily nuto, 

 they are confiderably nnti-itious ; but they are faid to be of 

 difficult digellion, unlefs they are extremely well commi- 

 nuted. Dr. Cullen GiggeRs, that this inconvenience, no- 

 ticed by Dr. Lewis, may be in a great meai'ure obviated by 

 a very diligent triture, uniting veiy intimately the farinaceous 

 and the oily part. As medicines, they contribute, by their 

 foft unftuous quality, to blunt acrimonious humoui-s in the 

 firll padages, and thus fometimcs give prefent relief in 

 heart-burns and limilar comjilaints. Their medicinal quali- 

 ties depend upon the oil which is blended with the farinaceous 

 matter, and which they yield, on cxpreflion, nearly in the 

 proportion of half their weight. Murray fays, that 5^ 

 pounds of wnpeeled almonds have yielded, by cold expref- 

 lion, one pound fix ounces of oil ; and afterwards, on heal- 

 ing the almonds, three quarters of a pound. I'his oil is more 

 agreeable to the palate than moll other cxprcfFed oils, and is 

 therefore preferred for iuternal ufe, in order to obtund 

 acrid juices, and to foften and relax the folids, in tickling 

 coughs, hoarfenefs, coltivenefs, nephritic pains, &c. and ex- 

 ternally in tenfion and rigidity of particular parts. The 

 milky folution of almonds in watery liquors, ufually called 

 emulfions, polFefs in a degree the emollient qualities of the 

 oil, and are prefcribed with the fame intention, particularly- 

 in heat of urine and llranguries ; and they are alfo given as 

 diluents in acute difeafes, and for fupplying the place of ani- 

 mal milk, to which they bear a great analogy. Thefe emul- 

 fions are formed of a due confiftence, with tlie proportion of 

 an ounce of almonds to a quart of water, which fliould be 

 gradually poured in after the almonds have been firil tho- 

 roughly pounded ; and the London College direfts the ad- 

 dition of gum arable, which renders it a ilill more ufeful 

 demulcent in catarrhal affcftions, llranguries, &c. But if tl c 

 water is heated for hallening the folution of the gum, it 

 Ihould ftand to grow cold before it is poured on the almondr, 

 otherwife the emulfion will be impeifeft. Sugar, or fomc 

 other grateful material, is commonly added, in order to 

 make the hquor more palatable. The oil, after being ex- 

 pofed for a few days in a heat equal to that of the human 

 body, becomes rancid and acrimonious. Emulfions, on 

 Handing for fome hours, throw up a white cream on the 

 furface, and the whey-like liquor underneath grows not ran- 

 cid but four. The latter are therefore prefeired in inflam- 

 matory diftempers, becaufe they are not fubjeft to become 

 acrid and irritating by tlie heat of the body, but tend rather 

 to a ftate in which they may fen-e to abate inflammation. 

 Acids, mixed with emulfions, feparate the oily and feiou* 

 parts, and produce a thick curd, much after the fame man- 

 ner as they do in mUk. A more permanent emulfion may be 

 formed by triturating the pure oil with a thick mucilage of 

 gum-arabic, from which the oil will not feparate on llandiuf 

 for fome days, nor on the addition of acids, though it mav 

 be fpecdily difengaged by alkalies, both fixed and volatile. 

 One part of gum, made into a mucilage with an equal 

 quantity of water, is fufBcient for four parts <jf the oil. The 

 5 B 2 wliite 



