AGA 
subsists between the husband and the rela- 
tions 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 
degree 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 
impediment 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 mar- 
riage, 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. 
Affinity, in chemistry, the attraction 
manifest between the part of bodies in che- 
mical combination is, by many authors, dis- 
tinguished by this name. See Chemistry. 
AFFIRMATION, an indulgence allowed 
by law to the people called Quakers, who, 
in cases where an oath is required from 
others, may make a solemn affirmation that 
what they say is true. But their affirma- 
tion is confined to civil cases, and is not al- 
lowed in any criminal cause, nor with regard 
to places of profit or trust under the govern- 
ment. 
AFFRAY, or Affrayment, in law, for- 
merly signified the crime of affrighting other 
persons, by appearing in unusual armour, 
brandishing a weapon, &c. But, at pre- 
sent, affray denotes a skirmish or fighting 
between two or more : and there must be a 
stroke given, otherwise it is no affray. 
AFFRONTEE, in heraldry, an appella- 
tion given to animals facing one another on 
an escutcheon, a kind of bearing, which is 
otherwise called confrontce, and stands op- 
posed to adosste. 
AFT, in the sea language, the same with 
abaft. See Abaft. 
AFZELIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Didynamia Angiospermia class and order : 
the calyx is quinquepartite, the corolla cam- 
panulated, and the capsule rotnndated with 
hemispheric receptacles. There is blit one 
species, found in Africa, near the equinoctial. 
AGAPANTHUS, in botany, a genus of 
the Hexandria Monogynia class and order, 
of the natural order of Liliacae : the calyx 
is a spathe ; the corolla is one petalled ; the 
Stamina are six filaments, inserted into the 
AGA 
throat, shorter than the corolla ; the anthers 
kidney-shaped and incumbent ; the pistillum 
is a superior germ ; the style filiform, of the 
length of three stamens ; the stigma simple 
or trifid ; the pericarpium is an oblong cap- 
sule ; the seeds numerous, oblong, com- 
pressed, and enlarged with a membrane. 
There is one species, viz. A. umbellatus, or 
African blue lily. This is the African tube- 
rose hyacinth with a blue umbellated flower. 
The root of this plant is composed of thick 
fleshy fibres ; from the same head arises a 
cluster of leaves, which are thick and suc- 
culent ; and of a dark green colour. Be- 
tween these issues the flower stalk, support- 
ing an umbel of blue flowers in a sheath, 
and each flower standing on a pedicle, about 
an inch long. The umbel being large, the 
flowers numerous, and of a light blue co- 
lour, make a fine appearance. They come 
out at the end of August, or beginning of 
September, and frequently continue in 
beauty till spring. It is a native of the 
Cape of Good Hope, from whence it was 
brought to Holland, and in 1692 it was cul- 
tivated at Hampton Court. 
This plant is propagated by offsets, taken 
at the latter end of June, planted in sepa- 
rate pots, with light kitchen-garden earth, 
and placed in a shady situation. In five 
weeks the offsets will put off new roots, and 
the pots should then be removed to a more 
sunny situation, and have more water. In 
September they will put out their flower- 
stalks, and toward the end of the month 
the flowers will begin to open, and should 
be removed under shelter in bad weather, 
but in good weather exposed to the free air. 
Toward the end of October they should be 
removed to the green-house, and have the 
benefit of free air, and be occasionally wa- 
tered during winter, in mild weather, but 
in frost they should be kept dry, 
AGARIC, in botany, a genus of the or- 
der of F'ungi, and class of Cryptogamia ; 
the pileus or cap has gills underneath, and 
the gills differ in substance from the rest of 
the plant, being composed of two lamina, 
and the seeds are in the gills. There are 
nearly 400 species. Dr. Withering distri- 
butes them into three general classes, com- 
prehending those which have central stems, 
those with lateral stems, and those which 
have no stems ; and he again subdivides the 
two former classes into such as have solid, 
and such as have hollow stems, with decur- 
rent, fixed, and loose gills respectively. 
Under these heads he arranges the species 
by the colour of the gills, into those whose 
