A X U 



above, there is to the fouth a road cut !n a mountain of 

 red marble, having on the Lfl a parapet wall about five feet 

 high, folid, and of the fame materials. In this wall, at 

 equal diilances, are hewn folid pedeftals, bearing on their 

 tops the marks where ftood the colofTal ftatucs of Sinus, 

 the latrator anubis, or dog-liar. Of theft pedtftals, with 

 the marks of the ftatuesjuft mentioned, there are 133 dill 

 in their places ; but there remained only two figures of the 

 dog, which were much mutilated, and evidently in the 

 Egyptian taile. Thefc are compofed of granite ; but feme 

 of them appeared to Mr. Bruce to have been mjtal. There 

 are alfo ptdeilals, on which the figures of the fphinx have 

 been placed. Two magnificent fligiits of fteps feveral hun- 

 dred feet long, all of granite, exceedingly well fafliioned, 

 and ftill in their places, are the only remains of a magni- 

 ficent temple. In the angle of this platform, where the 

 temple ftood, is the prefent finall church of Axum, fubfti- 

 tuted for one deftroycd by Mahomet Gragnc in the reign 

 of king David III., and which %vas probably the remains 

 of a temple built by Ptolemy Euergctes, if not the work 

 of more remote times. The church is a mean, fmall build- 

 ing, and very negligently kept. Mr. Bruce apprehends, 

 that fome ancient copy of the O. T. was depofited here, pro- 

 bably that from which the firlt verfion was made ; but what- 

 ever it might be, it was deftroyed, together with the church 

 itfelf, by Mahomet Gragne ; though the fuperlhtious peo- 

 ple have a tradition that it ftill fubfifts there. Another 

 relic, preferved in this place, is a pitlure of Chrift's head 

 crowned with thorns, faid to have been painted by St. 

 Luke, which, upon occafions of Angular importance, is 

 brought out and carried with the army, efpecially in a 

 war with Mahometans and Pagans. Within the outer gate 

 of the church are three fmall fquare inclofures, all of gra- 

 nite, with fmall octagon pillars in the angles, apparently 

 Egyptian ; on the top of which were formerly fmall images 

 of the dog-ftar, probably of metal. Upon a ftone, in the 

 middle of one of thefe, the king fits and is crowned, and 

 this ceremony has always fubfifted fince the days of Pagan- 

 ifm ; and below it, where he places his feet, is a large 

 oblong flab of free-ftone ; bearing the following infcriptien, 

 much defaced, 



" nrOAEMAIOT ETEPFETOT BASIAEOY." 

 Adjoining to Axum is a road, formed by large ftones 

 ftanding edgeways, or heaped upon one another, which is 

 apparently the remains of an old caufcway, part of the 

 magnificent works about this city. 



The prefent town of Axum ftands at the foot of a hill, 

 and contains about 600 houfcs. It is watered by a fmall 

 ftream, which flows conftantly from a fountain in the narrow 

 vallcv, where the rows of obelifts ftand. The fpring is 

 received into a magnificent bafon, i 50 feet fquare, and th.nce 

 it is carried, at pleafure, to water the neighbouring gardens, 

 where there is little fruit, except pomegranates, wliich are 

 not very excellent. In the town are fcveral manufaclures 

 of coarfe cotton cloth ; and here alfo the beft parchment 

 is made of goats' fl<ins, which is the ordinary employment 

 of the monks. Every kind of vegetation fecmtd later at 

 Axum, and its vicinity, than at Adowa. N. lat. 14° 6' 

 36". E. long. 3S" 39'. Bruce's Travels, vol. iii. p. 128, 

 &c. „ ^ 



AXUNGIA, a kind of fat, the hardeft and dneft of 

 any in the bodies of animals. 



The word is fuppofcd to be formed ab axe rotarum qua 

 un^imtur, from it- bemg ufed as the greafe of wheels. 



'The Latins dillinguifh fat into pn^ucJo, and adc/'S, or 

 fevum ; which lalt, when old, is particularly called axun- 

 gia: but many of our modern writers confound them. Plrf 



ATA 



Jic'iant make ufe of the axungia of the goofe, the dog, the 

 viper, and fome others, which is held by fome to be of 

 extraordinary fervice in the drawing and ripening of tu- 

 mours, &c. 



AxuNGiA of glafs, czWed zi^o the gall, indja/l of gla/t, 

 is a fcum taken from the top of the matter of'^glals before 

 it be thoroughly vitrified. It is ufed in cicanfing the 

 teeth, and by farriers for clearing the eyes of horfes. 



AXYLON, in ytnaent Geography, a country of Afia, 

 towards Bithynia and Cappadocia. Livy. 



AXYRIS, in Botany. Lin. g. 1047. Schreb. 1409. 

 JufT. 86. Gsertn, t. 128. Clafs, monoecia Iriandria. Nat. 

 Order, holoracen. — ^Iriplices, JufT. Gen. Char. * Male flow- 

 ers in an ament. Cal. perianth three-parted, fpreading, ob- 

 tufc. Cor. none. Slam, filaments three, capillary, Ipreadr 

 ing. Anthers roundifh. * Female flowers fcattered. Cal. 

 perianth five-leaved (two-leaved, Sy/l.), concave, obtufe, 

 converging, permanent ; the two outer leaflets (horter. Cor. 

 none. Pl/l. germ roundifti ; ftyles two, capillar^" ; ftlgma9 

 acuminate. Per. none. Calyx, clofely involving the feed 

 with its three leaflets. Seed one, ovate, compreflcd, obtufe. 



EIT. Gen. Char. Male. Calyx three parted. Cor. none. 

 Fern. Cal. two-leaved. Cor. none. Styles two. Seed one. 



Species, I. A. amaranthoides, fimple fpiked axyris. Gmel. 

 lib. 3. 21. t. 2. f. 2. and t. 3. " Leaves ovate, ftcm ereft, 

 fpikes fimple." Lea\es rough, with ftellate hairs; furit- 

 bearing branches, naked at the bafe ; fpike very fmall, fub- 

 felTiie, quite fimple, terminal. It is obfervcd by Gmelin, 

 that the caKx of the female flower is two or three-leaved. 

 Cultivated by Miller in 175S. 2. A. hyLrida. Gmd.y. c. 

 " Leaves ovate ; ftem ereci ; fpikes conglomerate." This 

 differs from the firft, in the fpike of flowers being on long 

 peduncles, conglomerate, or direftcd the fame way, twifted, 

 with the fruit bearing-branches crowded clofe to the ftem, and 

 the leaves more rough. Pallas fuppofes this to be only a varie- 

 ty of the former plant. According to Gmelin, the calyx is 

 thret--leavsd, and there is but one llyle in the ttmale flower. 

 3. A. pro/lratn. Gmel. I.e. " Leaves obovate ; ftem fub- 

 divided ; flowers headed." Stem much branched, Gx or 

 feven inches high ; leaves on ftalks ; flowers at the ends of 

 the branches, conglomerate, with numerous leaflets among 

 them. The female calyx has alfo three leaflets according 

 to Gmelin. AU thefe are annual plants, and natives of 

 Siberia. 



AxvRis Ceraloides now conftitutes a new genus, under 

 the name Dions; which fee. 



AY, in Geography, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Marne, and'chicf place of a canton in the diftricl 

 of Epernay, ieatcd on the Mame ; famous for its good 

 wines ; four leagues, fouth of Rheims, and one N. E. of 

 Epernay. N. lat. 49° 4'. E. long. 2° 15'. 



Ay, Polo, one of the Banda iflands, in the Indian fea, 

 about three leagues in circumference, where the Dutch have 

 ereded a fort. 



AYAG, or KAYACHu,one of the Andreanofskie iflands, 

 in the Eaftern or Pacific Ocean, about 150 verfts in cir- 

 cumference, and confifting of feveral high and rocky moun- 

 tains, the intervals of which are bare heath and moor groimd; 

 but in the whole ifiand, there is not one foreft tree. The 

 vegetables refemble thofe of Kamtfchatka. It furniflies 

 fmall quantities of crow or crake-berries, and the larger fort 

 of bilberries ; but of the roots of burnct andal! kinds ot fnake- 

 weed, fuch abundance as to afi"ord, in cafe of necefiity, a plen- 

 riful provifion for the inhabitants. There is one fmall rivulet ; 

 and there are many good bays and anchoring places. The 

 population cannot be prccifely afcertair.ed, as the natives are 

 continually emiffratinK from iHand to ifland in their baidars. 

 ^ *" ^ AYAMONTE, 



