AME 
at all the wharfs about Kingston to scourge 
the refractory slaves. 
AMETHYST, in mineralogy, is one of 
the Quartz family; it occurs massive and 
in rolled pieces, but most frequently crys- 
tallized. The crystals are six-sided pyra- 
mids : colour violet blue, passing on the 
one hand to plum blue, brown, brownish 
black ; on the other to pearl and ash grey, 
greyish white, greenish white, olive green, 
and in some rare cases pistachio green. In 
massive varieties several colours appear to- 
gether in stripes : in this state they are com- 
posed of thick prismatic distinct concre- 
tions, often shooting into crystals at their 
extremities. Specific gravity 2.75. It is 
found in veins, and in the hollow cavities of 
agates. It is composed of 
Seleca 97.50 
Alumina 0.25 
Oxyd of iron 0.50 
and a 
Trace of mangenese 
98.25 
It is found abundantly in different parts 
of Saxony : also in the Hartz, in the Uralian 
mountains, and in the East Indies. The 
most beautiful varieties are found at Catha- 
rinaburg in Russia. It is cut into rings, 
seals, and boxes, but it is not very highly 
valued. The green is the chrysolite of some 
authors: the oriental amethyst is the sap- 
phire : it is sometimes covered with capil- 
lary crystals of iron mica, and when viewed 
in certain positions appears red; this va- 
riety is named the hair amethyst. 
Amethyst, in heraldry, a term for the 
purple colour in the coat of a nobleman, in 
use with those who blazon by precious 
stones instead of metals and colours. This 
in a gentleman’s escutcheon is called pur- 
pure, and in those of sovereign princes mer- 
cury. 
AMETHYSTEA, amethyst, so called 
from the amethystine colours of the flowers, 
in botany, a genus of the Diandria Mono- 
gynia class, the characters are, that the ca- 
lyx is a periantbium one-leafed, tube bell- 
shaped, angular, semiquinquefid, subequal, 
acuminate, and permanent; the corolla is 
one-petalled, ringent, little longer than the 
calyx; border five-parted and subequal; 
upper lip erect, roundish, concave, two- 
parted, gaping ; lower three-parted ; the sides 
rounded, erect, shorter ; the middle quite 
entire, concave, the length of the upper-lip; 
the stamina have filaments, filiform, approx- 
imating, under the upper lip and longer 
than it; anthers simple and roundish; the 
AMI 
pistillum is a quadrifid germ, style size o^ 
the stamens, stigmas two and acute; no 
pericarpium, but the calyx becomes more 
bell-shaped and spreading ; the seeds are 
four, shorter than the calyx; obtuse, and 
angular within. There is one species, viz. 
A. ccerulia, mountain upright A. which is a 
native of the mountains in Siberia, from 
whence the seeds were sent to the Imperial 
garden at Petersburgh, and in 1759 to 
Chelsea garden, where the plants annually 
produce seeds. It is annual, and hath an 
upright stalk, which rises about a foot high, 
and towards the top puts out two or three 
small lateral branches; these ure garnished 
with small trifid leaves, sawed on their 
edges, and of a very dark green colour ; at 
the extremity of the branches the flowers 
are produced in small umbels ; these are of 
a fine blue colour, as are also the upper 
part of the branches, and the' leaves imme- 
diately under the umbel ; so that though 
the flowers are small, yet from their colour 
with that of the upper part of the stalks, 
the plants make a pretty appearance during 
their continuance in flower. 
AMIA, in natural history, a genus of 
fishes of the order Abdominales. Generic 
character : head boney, naked, rough, with 
visible sutures. Teeth both in jaws and 
palate, close set, sharp, numerous. Cirri 
or beards two, near the nostrils. Gill-mem- 
brane twelve-rayed: body scaly. There 
is a single species, a small fresh water fish 
inhabiting some parts of Carolina. 
AMIABLE, or amicable numbers, such as 
are mutually equal to the sum of one ano- 
ther’s aliquot parts, as the numbers 284 and 
220 . 
Van Schouten was the first who gave this 
name to such numbers, of which there are 
but very few at least to be set down and 
manageable by us. For 284 and 220 are 
the two least. The aliquot parts of 220 are 
1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 20, 22, 44, 55, 110, and 
the sum of these is equal 284. The ali- 
quot parts of 284 are 1, 2, 4, 71, 142, and 
the sum of these is 220. The second pair 
of amicable numbers are 17296 and 18416. 
The third pair are 9363584 and 9437056. 
AMIANTHUS. S.ee Asbestos. 
AMICUS curia, in law, if a judge be 
doubtful or mistaken, in a matter of law, 
a bystander may inform the court as amicus 
curice. 
AMMANNIA, named by Houstoun in 
honour of J. Amman, in botany, a genus of 
the Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. 
Its characters are, that the calyx is a pe- 
