A T L 



of tliefe riches : they confider their liberty, which their 

 fituation enables them to defend, as the moll ineitimHble of 

 all trtafiiies. 



As the province of Morocco lies to the weft of mount 

 Atlas, part of the ancient Nnmii'ia, called the kingdom of 

 Tafilct, fituate in a fandy plain, lies to the eaft : and from 

 Morocco to this province there is no way but by cvofiinii 

 one of the extremities of the Atlas, either by the fide of 

 the province of Sus, or by that of Fez ; the latter road, 

 being lefs fultry than the otlier, is moll frequented. 



Atlas, in yinatrjniy, the name of the full vertebra of the 

 neck, which fnppoits the head. See Vertebra, and Ske- 

 leton. 



Atlas, in Commerce, a filk fattin manufaftured in the 

 Eall: Indies. It muH be owned that the manutaclure of 

 thefc lilks is wonderful, efpccially of the flowered atlaffes ; 

 in which the gold and filk arc wrouglit together in iuch a 

 manner, as no workman in Europe can imitate : yet tliey are 

 far from having that fine glofs and lullre, which the French 

 know how to give their filks. 



In the Chinefe manufactures of this fort, they gild paper 

 on one fide with gold leaf, then cut it into long flips, and 

 ■weave it into their filks ; which makes them with vei-y 

 little coll look very rich and fine. Tiie fame long (lips are 

 twilled or turned about filk threads fo artificially, as to look 

 finer than gold thread, though it be of no great value. 



Atlas, in Enlomo/o-ry, a fpccies of Phal.ena, belong- 

 ing to the Binihyx tribe. The wings are falcated or 

 hooked, yellow-brown and varied ; a tranfparent fpot in 

 the middle of each wing, with a finallcr one next that on 

 the anterior pair. Linn. Fabr. &c. 



" Phalaena Atlas is the largcft infeft of the moth tribe 

 hitherto dilcovered, and is indeed a gigantic creature. The 

 fpecies is common in China, but is not peculiar to that 

 country, being found in other parts of Afia, and in Ame- 

 rica. The influence of cUmale may be eafily traced in the 

 varieties from different countries ; that from Surinam is 

 the largell, and of the deepeil colours. The Chinefe kind 

 is the next in fize ; the colours incline to orange, and the 

 anterior wings are more falcated or hooked at the ends ; 

 there are two other Afiatic varieties known, that arc Hill 

 fmaller, and have the wings extremely falcated. 



" The larva of Phalaena Atlas is figured by M. Merian 

 in her Infctta Surinamenfia, Plate 52.; it is about four 

 inches ir length, green, with a yellow ftripe difpnled lon- 

 gitudinally. Upon each legmcent are four dillinft round 

 tubercles, of a coi-al-like oiaiige colour, which are fur- 

 rounded with very delicate hairs. The pupa is large, and 

 is inclofed in a web of an ochraceous colour. The filk of 

 this web is of a ftrong texture, and it has been imagined, 

 if woven, would be fuperior in durability to that of the 

 common filk-worm. Seba has alfo rcprefented the larva, 

 (f. i. pi. 57. vol. iv,), in his Thefaurus Natura;. It is 

 figured by him nearly fix inches in length, and bulky in 

 proportion ; the Phalaena or Moth is alfo larger than that 

 figured by Merian, which is a fmall fpecimen of the Surinam 

 kind. According to Merian, there are three broods of this 

 infeft in a year ; they are veiy common, and feed on the 

 orange trees. LinnsEUS fays, that they adhere fo tenaci- 

 ouflv to the leaves, tliat they can fcarcely be taken off. 

 An opinion has been long prevalent, that the web of this 

 jnfeft might eafily be manulaclured into a very durable 

 filk ; and it certainly admits of doubt whether the Chinefe 

 do Bot aftualiy rear the moth for this purpofe. Silk is an 

 important ariicle in China, and other Eallern countries, 

 where the uft of linen is l:tt!e known ; the Jefuit milHon- 

 arics mention feveval forts in ufe among the Chinefe, fome 



ATM 



of which is admired for its beauty, and others for dura- 

 bility ; thefe kinds are probably the produce of different 

 infects, and Phahcna Atlas may be of that number. Lef- 

 ferand Lyonet, in their " Theologie des Iiifedes,"fay, that 

 at this day there are to be found in China, in the province 

 of Canton, filk worms in a '.vlld Hate, which, without any 

 care being taken of them, make in the woods a kind of 

 filk, which the inhabitants afterv.ards gather from the 

 trees ; It is grey, without lullre, and is ufed to make a 

 very thick and Ilrong cloth, named there Kien Tcheon ; 

 and by fome European naturalills, it is Imagined to be the 

 produd of this very fpecies.". Vide Donov. Inf. Ciiina 

 (Atlas). We (liall again rcfume this fubjeft under llie 

 articles Phal/ena, Silk-worms, &c. in treating of thofe 

 analogous creatures which produce a filk of Iuch ilrength 

 or beautv as to be ufeful, or promife to become fo, in the 

 concerns of inan : a fubjett this that highly merits con- 

 fideration ; and which we fhall endeavour to elucidate as 

 eopioufiy and accurately, as the magnitude and importance 

 of the articles demand. 



Atlas, a fpecies of Scarab^f.us, found in South Ame- 

 rica. I'he thorax is armed with three horns, the middle 

 one of which is very fhort ; horn on the head recurved. 

 Linn, and Fabr. Eut. Syfl. 



Atlas Amho'inenjis [PapiUof.), a name given by fomo 

 Entomological writers to the Llnna:an Papilio Priamus. 

 Muf. petrop. 644, &c. 



Atlas is alfo a title given to books of unlverfal geogra- 

 phy, containing maps of the known parts of the world ; 

 as if they were viewed from the top of that celebrated 

 mountain, which the ancients elleemed the higheft in the 

 world ; or rather on account of their holding the whole 

 world like Atlas. The fame name is given to maps of the 

 liars. 



ATLENBUIIG, or Attelneurgh, in Gcngraphy, a 

 town of Germany, in the circle of Lower Saxony, and 

 duchy of Lauenburg, on the Elbe ; four miles wefl of 

 Lauenburg. 



ATLITA, in Eiitomnlo^y, a fpecies of Papilio found 

 in the Eaft Indies. This butterfly is indented, brown, 

 plofTcd with blue ; beneath fulvous, with undulated glaucous 

 ilreaks, and five blind-eye Ihaped Ipots. Fabiicius and 

 Donov. Inf. India. Gmelin has overlooked this fpecies in 

 his Syft. Nat. 



ATLITES,a name under wliich the fpecies of Papilio 

 Laomedia, was at firfl delcnbed in Amocn. Acad. 6. 

 p. 407. 72.^ 



ATMOSPHERE, formed of a'/^o,-, •uapour, and ;r(f«i-a, 

 afphert, an appendage of our earth ; confilling of a thin, 

 fluid, elaftic fubftance, called air, which furrounds the ter- 

 raqueous globe to a confiderable height, gravitates towards 

 its centre, on its fuiface, is carried along with it round the 

 fun, and partakes of all its motions both annual and diurnal. 

 By atmofphere is underltood the whole niafs, or affem- 

 blage of ambient air: though among fome of the more 

 accurate writers, trie atmofphere is rellraincd to that part 

 of the air next the earth, which receives vapours and ex- 

 halations, and refrafts the rays of light. 



The farther or higher fpaces, though perhaps not wholly 

 deftitute of air, are fuppofed to be poffcifcd by a liner fub- 

 flitute called cihcr, and are hence called ether'uil regions. 



For the nature, conftitution, properties, and different 

 ftates and ufcs of the atmofphere, fee Air, the fcquel of 

 this article, Eudiometer, and Eudiometky; where this 

 fubjecl will be treated of at large as its importance re- 

 quires. 

 A late (jminent author coniiders the atmofj)here as a large 



chemical, 



