A F F 
the rest of the pebble, they shrink and 
contract themselves into a smaller size ; by 
which means they will be separated from the 
surrounding crust, and become loose. 
/ETNA, a famous volcanic or burning 
mountain in Sicily. It is one of the highest 
mountains of the whole island, and situated 
on the eastern coast, not far from Catania. 
The height of this mountain is said to be 
above ten thousand feet above the surface of 
the sea, and its circumference at the base one 
hundred and eighty miles. This may pro- 
bably be exaggerated; but over the sides 
there are seventy-seven cities, towns, and vil- 
lages, and allowing from twelve to fifteen 
hundred persons to each, the number of in- 
habitants of mount /Etna will be from 92,400 
to i 15,500. The ascent of this mountain is 
tedious, difficult, and dangerous. From Ca- 
tania to the summit, the distance is about 
thirty miles, and the traveller must pass 
through three distinct climates, which may 
properly be denominated the torrid, the tem- 
perate, and the frigid. 
/Etna-salt, a name used by some writers 
for saline substances, found near the openings 
of mount /Etna, and other volcanos ; being a 
concrete of sulphur and nitre, sublimed toge- 
ther. 
/ETOLARCHA, in Grecian antiquity, the 
{ jrincipal magistrate or governor of the' iEto- 
ians. 
AFFA, a weight used on the gold coast of 
Guinea, and equal to an ounce. 
AFFECTIO bovina, a disorder incident 
to cattle, occasioned by a small worm, which 
eats its way all over the body. 
AFFEERERS, or Affeerors, in law, 
persons appointed in courts-leet, courts-ba- 
ron, &c. to settle upon oath the fines to be 
imposed upon those who have been guilty of 
faults which have no express penalty assigned 
by statute. 
’ AFFETTUOSO, or con Affetto, in the 
Italian music, intimates that the part to which 
it is added ought to be played in a tender af- 
fecting way ; and consequently rather slow 
than fast : 
AFFIDATIO DOMINORUM, in old 
law books, denotes an oath of allegiance, 
taken by the lords in parliament. 
AFFIDAVIT is an oath in writing, taken 
before some person who is legally authorized 
to take the same. 
In an affidavit, the time, place of habitation, 
and addition, of the person who makes it, are 
to be inserted. 
Affidavits should set forth the matter of fact 
to be proved, without taking any notice of the 
merits of the cause. They are read in court 
upon motions, but are not admitted in evi- 
dence at trials. 
By statute, the judges of the courts at West- 
minster may commission persons in the seve- 
ral counties in England to take affidavits re- 
lating to any thing depending in their seve- 
ral courts ; but there is ati al’iidavit office in 
the court of chancery, under the direction of 
a master. 
AFFINITY, (iffinitas, among civilians, de- 
notes the relation of each of the parties mar- 
ried to the kindred of the other. Affinity is 
distinguished into three kinds : 1 . Direct af- 
finity, or that subsisting between the husband 
and his wife’s relations by blood, or between 
the wife and her husband’s relations by blood. 
2. Secondary affinity, or that which subsists 
VOL. I. * 
A F F 
between the husband and his wife’s relations 
by marriage. 3. Collateral affinity, or that 
which subsists between the husband and the 
relations of his wife’s relations. The degrees 
of affinity are always the same with those of 
consanguinity. Hence, in whatever degree 
of consanguinity the kindred of one of the 
parties married are, they are in the same de- 
gree of affinity to the other. 
By the canon law, direct affinity renders 
marriage unlawful to the fourth generation, 
inclusive: but the case is otherwise with re- 
spect to the secondary and collateral kinds, 
it is likewise to be observed, that the affinity 
contracted by a criminal commerce, is an im- 
pediment to marriage so far as the second 
generation: thus, a man is not allowed to 
marry the sister of a woman he has lain with. 
Nay, with regard to contracting marriage, 
affinity is not dissolved by death ; for, though 
a woman may be admitted a witness for the 
brother of her deceased husband, she is not 
allowed to marry him. 
In the Romish church, a kind of spiritual 
affinity is supposed to be contracted by bap- 
tism ; so that it is not deemed lawful for a 
godfather to marry his god-daughter without 
a dispensation. 
AFFINITY, chemical, denotes an attrac- 
tive pow er by which substances of different 
natures will combine with others. It is some- 
times called elective attraction, or elective 
affinity. See Chemistry. 
AFFIRMATION is used for the ratifying 
or confirming the sentence or decree of some 
inferior court : thus, we say, the house of lords 
affirmed the decree of the lord chancellor, or 
tiie decree of the lords of session. 
Affirmation also denotes a solemn attes- 
tation of the truth of some fact which the 
quakers are allowed to make instead of an 
oath. This sect hold ail kinds of swearing to 
be unlawful; and therefore the legislature 
has appointed the following affirmation to be 
taken instead thereof, viz. I A. B. do sin- 
cerely, solemnly, and truly declare and af- 
firm, &c. This affirmation is by statute put 
upon the same footing with an oath ; every 
person convicted of affirming a falsehood, 
being liable to the penalties provided against 
wilful and corrupt perjury. It is also deemed 
equivalent to an oath, except in criminal 
cases, upon juries, and in places of profit or 
trust under the government. 
AFFIRMATIVE, in the Roman inquisi- 
tion, is a designation given to such heretics as 
openly avow the opinions they are charged 
with. 
AFFIX, among grammarians, denotes 
much the same with prefix. In the He- 
brew language there are a multitude of af- 
fixes, ‘ i. e. single letters or syllables, which, 
being prefixed to nouns and verbs, serve in- 
stead of pronouns and particles, and contri- 
bute greatly to the brevity of that language. 
AFFLATUS, among heathen mytholo- 
gies and poets, denotes the actual inspiration 
of some divinity. Thus Virgil : 
Afflata est numine quaudo 
Jam propriore Dei. 
Tully, however, must be understood to ex- 
tend the meaning of the w-ord farther, when 
he attributes all great actions to a divine 
afflatus. 
AFFRAY, or Affrayment, in law, for- 
merly signified the crime of affrighting other 
A G A 25 
persons, "by appearing in unusual armour* 
brandishing a weapon, &c. But, at present, 
affray denotes a skirmish or fighting between 
two or more; and there must be a stroke 
given, otherwise it is no .affray. It must also 
be public, for in private it is not an affray but 
an assault. 
An affray is a common injury, punishable 
by the justices of the peace in their sessions, 
hy fine and imprisonment. 
A constable may also seize and carry af- 
frayers before a justice, or confine them till 
they provide sureties for the peace. Any 
private person may also part an affray, or 
bring the parties before a magistrate. 
AFFRONTE'E, in heraldry, an appella- 
tion 'given to animals facing one another qu 
an escutcheon, a kind of bearing which is 
otherwise called carfrontee, and stands op- 
posed to adossee. 
AFRICA, one of the quarters of the world. 
See Geography. 
AFRICAN cotnpany, a Society of mer- 
chants established by king Charles II. for 
trading to Africa ; which trade is now laid 
open to all his majesty’s subjects, pacing ten 
per cent, for maintaining the forts. 
African association, was formed in 1788 
with a view of promoting the discovery of the 
interior parts of Africa. Mr. Mungo’ Park® 
and others are now employed in this impor- 
tant work. 
Ah F, in the sea language, the same with, 
abaft. 
AFTER -birth, in midwifery, the mem- 
branes which surrounded the infant in the 
womb, more usually called the secundines. 
See Midwifery. 
After -math, in husbandry, signifies the 
grass which springs or grows up after mow- 
ing ; or the grass or stubble cut after corn. 
In some counties it is called rowen. 
After -pains. See Midwifery. 
AGA, in the Turkish language, signifies a 
great lord or commander. Hence, the aga 
of the janissaries is the commander in chief of 
that corps; as the general of the horse is de- 
nominated spahielar aga. The aga of Al- 
giers is president of the divan or council. 
AG AP/E, or Ag apes, love-feasts kept bv 
the antient Christians as tokens of brotherly 
charity and mutual benevolence. 
AGAPANTHUS, a genus of the hexan- 
dria monogynia class and order. This is the 
African tuberose hyacinth, or African blue 
lily, with an umbellated flower. The coralla 
is one-petalled and funnel-shaped, hexape- 
taloid, regular, and this forms its essential 
character. 
A\ e have only one species, the flowers of 
which are absolutely those of the hemerocal- 
lis, but this genus is distinguished by its spathe. 
It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, was 
cultivated at Hampton-court in 1692 ; but 
now forms a frequent and most beautiful ojy 
nament of our green-houses. It flowers in 
September, and continues a long time in 
bloom. 
AGA PET JE, an order of nuns among th® 
primitive Christians, who attended on and 
served the clergy. At first there was nothing 
scandalous in these societies, thdffgh they 
gave great offence afterwards, and were 
wholly abolished by the council of Lateran. 
in 1139. 
AGAPIS lapis, a name given bv antient 
writers to a stone of the colour of the lion’s 
