A X I 



ftandine; on a high rock, which projefls into the fea in the 

 form of a peninfiila, and fo environed by dangerous Iho.iU 

 and iinpcrccived rocks, as to be inaccellible to an enemy 

 except by land, on which fide it is fortified by a parapet, 

 draw-bridge, and battery of heavy cannon. The Poituguclc 

 were the "firft founders of this fettlement ; but they were 

 driven from it by the Dutch, in 1642. Its form is trian- 

 gular; and it has three batteries ; one towards the fea, and 

 two towards the land. The fituation of the fort is caft of 

 the river Axim, called by the Portugucfc Rio Manco, 

 which is navigable only by canoes ; but it is rich in gold 

 duft, wadied down by the ftream from the inland countries. 

 2. Mount Manfore, three Icr.gues dillant from fore St. An- 

 thony ; near which is the large and populous town of 

 PoCKESO. Mount Manfore is well fituatcd for a fort, being 

 the firft point of c?pe Tres Puntas. Here the Brandcn- 

 burghera or PrniTians had one principal fatlory, called 

 Frf.dericsbvrgh : but it was taken by the Dutch, and 

 remained in th^-ir poffcffion. 3. Cape Tres Puntas, fo 

 called from its being compoftd of three points or emi- 

 nences, projeding into the fea ; on which are the three vil- 

 lages, Ako-a, Akron, and De Jufiamma or Dickscove. 

 See the feveral articles. 



The government of Axim is compnfed of two bodies of 

 the natives : the cahoceroes, or chief men ; and the manceroe?, 

 or young men. To the former belongs the cognizance of 

 civil affsTrs; but whatever is of general concern, and may 

 properly be called national, appertains equally to both mem- 

 bers of the (late. The caboceroes are lefs wealthy in gold 

 and flaves, and of courfe Icfs regarded by the people, and 

 they are often impeached before the bar of the mancerocs : 

 whereas no manceroe can be tried for crimes of a public 

 nature, but by his own affembly. in the dillribution of 

 juftice, there is a great degree of partiality and corruption : 

 prtfents of gold or brandy, conveyed to the caboceroes, 

 enfure a favourable verdirt • and juftice is frequently delayed 

 as well as perverted by the influence of bribes. The defend- 

 ant, in defett of fufficient teftimony on either fide, by wit- 

 neffes or probable circumftances, clears himfclf by oath : and 

 the oath of purgation is always preferred to that of accufa- 

 tion. As to penalties in criminal cafes, murder is pnniflied 

 either by death or a pecuniary mulil. However, the fine 

 for murdering a flave is very trifling in comparifon to that 

 exafted for the life of a free man ; and execution feldom 

 takes place, unlefs the crimmal be poor, and unable to an- 

 fwer the demands of his judge. The only punifhment for 

 thefts is reftitution, or a fine proportioned to the quality of 

 the offender : and the creditor may feize on the property 

 of the debtor to the amount of twice the value of what is 

 due to him : but the ufual method is to fettle the account by 

 arbitration, or reftitution of the goods and chattels bought. 

 Mod. Un. Hift. vol. xiii. p. 391 — 401. 



AX IMA, in Jndetil Geography, a town of Afia, in Per- 

 fia Proper, or Perfis.— Alfo, a town of Italy, in the Alps, 

 i)elonging to the Centrones. Ptolemy. 



AXINAE'E, Axin«;e, in Natural Hlflory, a genus of 

 the MoLLUscA tribe [Tejlacea), eftabliflied by Poli, in his 

 hiftory of the fliells of the two Sicilies. The charafter is 

 taken from the form of the animal ; the fliell it inhabits be- 

 longs in the Linna;an arrangement to the Arca gcnur;. 



AXINCES, in yiticient Geography, the Bog or ylkfou, a. 

 br<re river which traverfed Sarinatia, feparated the Calhpides 

 Axiaci, to whom it gave name, and difcharged itlclt into 

 the Boryfthenes. 



AXINIA, the ancient name of a mountain of Pelopon- 

 fiefus, in Arcadia. 



A X I 



AXTNIUM, the name given by Appian to an ancient 

 city of Spain. 



AXINOMANCY, Axinomantia. from a Jim, yfcunV, and 

 pavl^ix, di'viualio, an ancient fpecies of divination, or a method 

 of foretelHng future events by means of an ax or hatchet. 

 This art was in confiderable repute among the an- 

 cients ; and was perform.d, according to fomc, by laying 

 an agatc-ftone on a rtd-hot hatchet ; and alfo by fixing a 

 hatchet on a round ftake, fo as to be exaftly poifed ; thea 

 certain formula: of devotion were pronounced, and the 

 names of fufpeited perfons were repeated, and he at whofe 

 name the liatchet moved was pronounced guilty. 



AXIOM, Axioma, from a|iou, / am 'worthy., a felf-evi- 

 dent truth, or a propofition whofe truth every pcrfon re- 

 ceives at firft fight; and to which the term dignity 13 applied, 

 on account of its irnportance in a procefs ot reafoning. 

 Thefe axioms are felf-evident truths that are necefiary, and 

 not limited to time and place, but muft be true at all times 

 and in all places. 



Thus, that the whale is greater than a part ; that a thing 

 cannot be and not be at the fame time; and that from no- 

 thing, nothing can arife, are axioms. 



By axioms, called alfo maxims, are underftood all com- 

 mon notions of the mind, whofe evidence is fo clear and 

 forcible, that a man cannot deny them without renouncing 

 common fenfe, and natural reafon. 



Self-evident propofition? furuifn the firft principles of rea- 

 foning; and it is certain, tl.at if in oar refearches we merely 

 employ fuch principles as thefe, and apply them properly, 

 we (h?ll be in no danger in advancing frem one difcovery 

 to another. For this we may appeal to the writings of ma- 

 thematicians, which being condui^^ed agreeably to this 

 ftandard, inconteftibly prove the liability of human know- 

 ledge, when it is made to reft on fo fure a foundation. 

 The propofitions of this kind of fcience have not only 

 flood the tell of ages; but they are foiind to be attended 

 with that invincible evidence, which conftr?.ins the affent of 

 all vvlio confider the proofs by means of which they are 

 eftablithed. 



Lord Bacon propofes a new fcience, to confift of general 

 axioms, under the denomination oi philofophia prima. For 

 an account of the origin and evidence of thofe truths called 

 axioms, as well as of their importance and utility in the 

 purfuit of knowledge and truth, fee Intuition, Princi- 

 ples, and Common Sense. 



Axiom is alfo an eftablifhed principle in fome art or fcience. 

 Thus, it is an axiom in Phyfics, that nature does nothing 

 in vain ; that eftefts are proportional to their caufes, &c. 

 So it is an axiom in Geometry, that things equal to the fame 

 third are alfo equal to one another; that if to equal things 

 you add equals, the funis will be equal, &c. It is an axiom 

 in Optics, that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of 

 reflection, &c. In this fenfe the general laws of motion are 

 called axioms; as that all motion is rtftillnear, that aftion 

 and reattion are equal, &c. See Laws of Motion. 



Thefe particular axioms, it may be obferved, do not im- 

 mediately arife from any firft notions or ideas, but are de- 

 duced from certain hypothefcn; this is particularly obfcrv- 

 abie in phyfical matters, wherein, as feveral experiments con- 

 tribute to make one hypothefis, fo feveral hypothefes con- 

 tribute to one axiom. 



The axioms of Euclid are very general propofitions, and 

 fo are the axioms of the Newtonian philoluphy; but thefe 

 two kinds of axioms have very different origins. The 

 former appear true upon a bare contemplation of our ideas; 

 whereas thelatterare the reftilt of themoft laborious indudtion. 



Lord 





