AQU 
and its elevation 2560 fathoms ; containing 
242 arcades. 
AQUARIUS, in astronomy, a constella- 
tion which makes the eleventh sign in the 
zodiac, marked thus, It consists of 
45 stars in Ptolomy’s catalogue, of 41 in 
Tycho’s, and in tine Britannic catalogue, of 
108. It was called Aquarius, or the Water- 
bearer, as some say, because, during the 
sun’s motion through this sign, it is gene- 
rally rainy weather. 
AQUARTIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Tetrandia Monogynia class and order. Ca- 
lyx campanulate ; corol wheel-shaped, with 
linear segments ; berry many-seeded. There 
are two species. 
AQUATIC, in natural history, an appel- 
lation given to such things as live or grow 
in the water : thus we say, aquatic animals, 
aquatic plants, &e. 
AQUEOUS humour, or the watery hu- 
mour of the eye, it is the first and outermost, 
and that which is less dense than either the 
vitreous or crystalline. It is transparent 
and colourless like water, and fills up the 
space that lies between the cornea and the 
crystalline humour. See Optics. 
AQUILA, the eagle, in ornithology. See 
Falco. 
Agcila, in astronomy, a constellation of 
the northern hemisphere, consisting of 15 
stars in Ptolemy’s catalogue, 19 in Tycho 
Brahe’ 3 , 42 in that of Hevelius, and 71 in 
Flamstead’s ; the principal star being Lucf- 
da Aquila, and is between the first and 
second magnitude. 
AQUILARIA, in botany, a large tree 
affecting a lofty situation. Class Decandria 
Monogynia; cal. perianth one-leated, per- 
manent; tube bell-shaped ; limb five-cleft; 
clefts ovate, acute, flat, spreading; cor. 
none; nectary one-leafed, pitcher-shaped, 
of the length of the tube of the calyx, half 
five-cleft ; clefts bifid, obtuse ; stam. fila- 
ments ten, alternating with the cleft? of the 
nectary ; • anthers oblong, versatile ; pist. 
germ ovate, superior ; style, none ; stigma, 
simple ; per. capsule on a very short pedi- 
cle, obovate, woody, two-celled, two-val- 
ved, with the partition contrary, and bipar- 
tite ; seeds solitary, oblong. There is but 
one species, Aquilaria ovata ; leaves alter- 
nate, ovate, mucronate. This is a large 
tree covered with greyish bark. Its leaves 
are entire, smooth, veined, about eight 
inches long, and stand on short hairy foot- 
stalks. The flowers terminate the branches, 
on many-flowered peduncles. A native ot 
the mountains of Malacca and Cochin-* 
ARA 
China. The wood of this tree has been 
long used as a perfume ; and was formerly 
an article of the materia medica, under the 
name of agallochum, lignum aloes, or aloe's 
wood. This wood in its natural state is 
white and inodorous. That which possesses 
the peculiar aroma for which it is valued, is 
supposed to be the consequence of a dis- 
eased process in the tree, causing the olea- 
ginous particles to stagnate and concrete 
into a resin in the inner parts of the trunk 
and branches, by which the natural appear- 
ance of the wood is altered, sons to become 
of a darker colour, and of a fragrant smell. 
At length the tree dies, and when splitten, 
the resinous part is taken out. The per- 
fumes Which this wood affords are highly 
esteemed by the oriental nations; and 
from the bark of the tree is made the com- 
mon paper which the Cochin-Chinese use 
for writing; in the same manner the Ja- 
panese make use of the bark of a species of 
mulberry (moms papyrifera). This perfume 
is said to be useful in vertigo and palsy : 
given in the form of powder, it is recom- 
mended to restrain vomitings and alvine 
fluxes. To us, however, it seems to contain 
little else than that camphoraeeous matter 
common to many other vegetable sub- 
stances. From its bitter taste it has the 
name of aloes, although no otherwise allied 
to it. 
AQUILEGIA, columbine, in botany, a 
genus of the Polyandria Pentagynia class 
of plants, having no calyx; the corolla con- 
sists of five plane, patent, equal petals, of a 
lancelate, ovate figure ; the nectaria are five 
in number ; they are equal, and stand alter- 
nately with the petals ; the fruit consists of 
five straight, parallel, cylindric, accumulated 
capsules, each of which consists of a single 
valve. The seeds are numerous, oval, cari- 
nated, and adhere to the suture. There are 
five species. 
ARA, in astronomy, a southern constella- 
tion, consisting of eight stars. 
ARABIS, in botany, wall-cross, a genus 
of the Tetradynamia Siliquosa class of 
plants, the calyx of which is a deciduous 
perianthium, consisting of four ovato-ob- 
long, acute, gibbous, concave leaves;, the 
corolla consists of four oval, patent, cruci- 
form petals ; the fruit is a very long com- 
pressed pod, containing several roundish 
compressed seeds. There are twenty-one 
species. 
ARACHIS, in botany, ground-nut, a ge- 
’ bus of the Diadelpliia Decandria. class of 
plants, the flower of which is papilionaceous, 
