ASP 
red colour ; and when evaporated, the as- 
phaltum remained in the state of a semi- 
fluid substance of a reddish colour, still in- 
soluble in alcohol. A hundred grains of 
this asplialtum being distilled in a retort, by 
a heat gradually raised to redness, yielded 
the following products. 
Grains. 
Heavy inflammable air Id 
A light brown fluid oil 32 
Water slightly tainted with ammonia 6 
Charcoal 30 
Ashes 16 
loo 
These ashes consisted chiefly of silica and 
alumina, with some iron, lime, and manga- 
nese. The asphaltum found in Albania is 
supposed to have constituted the chief in- 
gredient of the Greek fire. The Egyp tians 
are said to have employed this bitumen in 
embalming. It was called mumia minera- 
lis. The ancients inform us that it was 
used instead of mortar in building the walls 
of Babylon. The Arabians still use a solution 
of it in oil to besmear their horse harness, to 
preserve it from insects. Buildings are said 
to be constructed with this pitch ; and Peter 
de Vol mentions, that be examined very old 
buildings, the stones of which were ce- 
mented by means of mineral pitch; and 
which were still firm and good. Asphaltum 
is seldom absolutely pure ; for when alcohol 
is digested on it, the colour of the liquid be- 
comes yellow and by gentle evaporation a 
portion of petroleum is separated. Mineral 
tar seems to be nothing else than asphal- 
tum, containing a still greater proportion of 
petroleum. When alcohol is digested on it, 
a considerable quantity of that oil is taken 
lip ; but there remains a black fluid sub- 
stance like melted pitch, not acted upon by 
alcohol, and which therefore appears to pos- 
sess the properties of asphaltum, with the 
exception of not being solid. By exposure 
to the air, it is said to assume gradually 
the state of asphaltum. 
ASPHODEL, in botany, a genus of the 
Hexandria Monogynia class of plants, the 
flower of which is liliaceous, consisting of a 
single petal, divided into six segments; and 
its fruit is a globose-trilocular capsule, con- 
taining a number of triangular seeds, gib- 
bous on one side. 
According to Martyn, there are three 
species. The yellow Asphodel is a native 
of Sicily. Of the white, there are immense 
tracts of land in Apulia covered with it, for 
ASS 
the purpose of feeding sheep. The onion- 
leaved Asphodel is an annual that grows na- 
turally in France, Spain, and the island of 
Crete. The yellow and white are pretty 
ornaments for a flower garden, and culti- 
vated with very little trouble. They may 
be propagated with seeds, which should ba 
sown soon after they are ripe. 
ASPHYXIA, in medicine, a term which 
signifies want of pulsation, and is used to 
denote apparent death. Such suspensions 
of the vital actions are referred by Cullen to 
apoplexy and syncope. See Medicine. 
A S PLE N I U M , milt -least e, or spleen-wort, 
in botany, a genus of Cryptogamia Filices 
plants, the fructification of which is arranged 
in clusters, and disposed in form of straight 
lines, under the disk of the leaf. 
There, are, according to Martyn, 47 spe- 
cies ; and he observes, that! whoever is de- 
sirous of cultivating these ferns, must have 
walls, rocks, or heaps of stones, to set the 
hardy species in; or pots may be filled 
with loamy undunged earth, or sand, gravel, 
and lime rubbish for that purpose, placing 
them in the shade. 
ASS. See Equus. 
ASSAULT, in law, a violent injury of- 
fered to a man’s person, being of a higher 
nature than battery ; for it maybe commit- 
ted by offering a blow, or a terrifying 
speech. In case a person threatens to beat 
another, or lies in wait to do it, if the other 
is hindered in his business, and receives loss, 
it will be an assault, for which an action 
may he brought, and damages recovered. 
Not only striking, but thrusting, pushing, 
casting stones, or throwing drink in the face 
of any person, are deemed assaults. 
In all which cases a man may plead in his 
justification, the defence of his person or 
goods, father, mother, wife, master, &c. 
ASSAYING, is a term particularly ap- 
plied to the separation of gold or silver from 
other metals. In its more extended mean, 
ing it is used for the determination of the 
quantity of any metal whatsoever, in com- 
position with any other metal or mineral. 
The assaying of gold or silver is divided 
into two operations ; by the first they are se- 
parated from the imperfect metals, or those 
easily oxyded ; ,by the second they are part- 
ed from the metals which , resist oxydation 
by simple exposure to air, and which are 
therefore called the perfect metals; this 
second process generally consists in parting 
gold and silver from each other, as the third 
