74 BIX 
>t, we may defcend to the peat, or black earth of the 
moors ; in many fpecimens of which, vegetable remains 
are Hill perceptible ; although in mod they appear, to be 
deprived of every appearance of their organic texture, 
fheir oily and inflammable nature only remaining : and 
from thence the franlition to pit-coal is eafy. For if we 
refle<ffc on the vaft revolutions which the earth has cer¬ 
tainly undergone through a long courfe of ages, by means 
of which its furface has been broken, difplaced, and in¬ 
verted, from the aftions of floods, earthquakes, and the 
great convulflons of nature, can fed by volcanic eruptions, 
it will be no improbable inference, that the thin, although 
extenfive, ftrata of pit-coal, as well as the exfudations of 
naphtha, petroleum, and their modifications, have all 
arifen from the burying of extenfive woody trails of the 
furface, fuch as are common in all uncultivated countries. 
And this probability will be reduced to a certainty, when 
we advert to the natural hiltory of pit-coal, which is met 
with in all the various dates of transformation. Whole 
trees are converted into pit-coal in fuch quantities to¬ 
gether, as to exhibit entire forefts, in which the roots, 
trunks, branches, bark, and even fpeCies, are difcernible. 
Coal-pits and date-quarries exhibit innumerable marks of 
impredions of leaves, and other indications of their ve¬ 
getable origin ; and the analylis of bitumen tends dill 
farther to confirm this truth. On the other hand, if we 
attend to fuch indances as chemical theory might point 
out from the faffs around us, we fliall fee how fmall the 
probability is, that th,e mineral kingdom fliould, after a 
certain limited time, contain inflammable bodies, if they 
Were not occalionally thrown into it, in confequence of the 
operations carried on within organized fubdances. For 
all inflammable fubdances tending to deconipofe the vital 
air of the atmofphere, would, in procefs of time, revert 
to the clafs of uninflammable bodies, if the operation of 
the organized bodies, particularly of the vegetable kind, 
did not tend to difengage the vital air again, and render 
bodies combudible which were not fo w hen they became 
parts of thofe fubdances. 
BITU'MINOUS, adj. [from bitumen.'] Flaving the na¬ 
ture and qualities of bitumen ; compounded of bitumen. 
—Naphtha, which was the bituminous mortar ufed in the 
walls of Babylon, grows to an entire and very hard mat¬ 
ter, like a done. Bacon. 
BITURI'GES, a people in that part of Gallia Celtica 
afterwards afligned to Aquitain. Now called Berry. 
BIVA'LVE, adj. [from binus and valvce, Lat.] Having 
two valves or lhutters : a term ufed of thofe fidt that have 
two fhells, as oyders ; and of thofe plants whole feed pods 
open their whole length, to difcharge their feeds, as peafe. 
BIVAL'VULAR, adj. [from bivalve.] Having two 
valves. 
BIVEN'TER, f. [from bis twice, and venter the belly.] 
A mufcle is fo called w hich has two bellies. 
BHJM'BRES, y. in geography, an appellation given 
to the inhabitants of the torrid zone, by reafon, that at 
two different feafons of the year, their diadows are pro- 
ieffed two different ways. The biumbres are the fame 
'with thofe otherwife denominated amphifcii. 
BIVO'NA, a townof Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, 
and province of Calabria Ultra : ten miles north-ead of 
Nicotera. 
BIX'A, /. [the Indian name ufed by Oviedo in his Hif- 
tory of India, or Spanilh America.] In botany, a genus of 
the clafs polyandria, order monogynia, natural order co- 
lunmifene. The generic characters are—Calyx : perian- 
thium five-toothed ; very fmall, obtufe, flat, permanent. 
Corolla : double, outer with petals five, oblong, equal, 
large, more rude ; inner, with five petals like the outer, 
but thinner. Stamina: filaments numerous, fetaceous, 
Ihorter by half than the corolla. Anthers ereft. Piftil- 
lum : germ ovate. Style filiform, the length of the da- 
mens, Stigma parallelly bifid, compreded. Pericarpium ; 
capfule ovate-cordate, compreded, fenced with bridles, 
bivalve, gaping at the angles, one-celled, with an inner 
? 
B I X 
bivalve membrane. Seeds: numerous, turbinate, with a 
truncated navel, berried. Receptaculum : linear, longi¬ 
tudinal, fadened to the middle of the valves. EJfential 
Character. Corolla ten-petalled ; calyx five-toothed j cap¬ 
fule hifpid, bivalve. 
Only one fpecies, namely, bixa orellana, or arnotto, or 
anotta. This flirub rifes with an upright dem to the 
height of eight or ten feet, fending out many branches at 
the top, forming a regular head. Thefe are garni died 
with heart-fliaped leaves ending in a point, which have 
long foot-dalks, and come out without any order. The 
flowers are produced in loofe panicles at the end of the 
branches, of a pale peach colour, having large petals. 
Native both of the Ead and Wed Indies. The capfules 
in the latter are fmaller, and the prickles not fo clofe. 
Seeds like grape-dones, with fo deep a furrow as to appear 
two-lobed. Seed-lobes lefs flexuofe, and the whole em¬ 
bryo relatively fmaller. It was introduced here in 1690, 
by Mr. Bentick. Linneus has adopted the South Ame¬ 
rican vernacular name of bixa , from Oviedo ; in Holland, 
Denmark, and other northern countries, it is known alfo 
by that name. In Holland, it is likewife called orleane. 
In German, orleanjlmum, bifchofsmutze, anotta. In England 
we have taken the latter of thefe names, fpelling it vari- 
oufly, arnotto, arnolta, anotta, anato, anoto, annoto. The 
French have adopted the Brafilian name uruku, or urucu, 
fpelling it roucouyer, roucou, or rocurier des Indes. The 
Portugueze have alfo the fame appellation, urucu, or uru- 
cucua. In Spanifh it is anato, or atolle. In the Mexican 
language, achiotl. Scaliger calls it, arbor finium rcgundo- 
rum, becaufe the Mexicans made plans, and marked the 
boundaries of their lands on tablets, with the colour pre¬ 
pared from the berries. Tournefort named it mitella, from 
the refemblance of the capfule, when open, to a mitre. 
The drug called terra orellana, or orlcana, roucou, or ar. 
notto, is thus prepared from the red pulp which covers the 
feeds. The contents of the fruit are taken out, and thrown 
into a wooden vefiel, where as much hot water is poured 
upon them as is neceflary to fufpend the red powder or 
pulp ; and this is gradually walked off with the abidance of 
the hand, or of a (patula or fpoon. When thefe feeds ap¬ 
pear quite naked, they are taken out, and the walk is left 
to fettle ; after which the water is gently poured away, 
and the fediment put into fhallow velfels, to be dried by 
degrees in the fiiade. After acquiring a due confidence, 
it is made into balls or cakes, and fet to dry in an airy 
place, until it is perfedfly firm. Some perfons fird pound 
the contents of the fruit with wooden peftles ; then, cover¬ 
ing them with water, leave them to deep fix days, This 
liquor being paded through a coarfe lieve, and afterwards 
through three finer ones, it is again put into the vat or 
wooden vedel, and left to ferment a week. It is then 
boiled until it is pretty thick, and, when cool, is fpread 
out to dry, and then made up into balls, which are ufually 
w rapped up in leaves. Arnotto of a good quality is of the 
colour of fire, bright within, foft to the touch, and dif- 
folves entirely in water. It is reputed to be cooling and 
cordial, and is much ufed by the Spaniards in their cho¬ 
colate and fonps, both to heighten the flavour and to give 
them an agreeable colour. It is edeemed good in bloody 
fluxes and diforders of the kidnies. Mixed with lemon- 
juice and a gum, it makes the crimfon paint, with which 
the Indians adorn their perfons. It was formerly ufed by 
dyers to form the colour called aurora ; but at prefent it 
is not held in fuch edimation as a dye, though it dill main¬ 
tains its ground with painters. Arnotto is well known to 
be the drug which is ufed for dying cheefe in Glouceder- 
fhire, under the name of cheefe-colouring. It is ufed in 
Holland for colouring their butter. The bark makes good 
ropes for the common plantation ufes in the Weft Indies: 
and pieces of the wood are uled by the Indians to pro¬ 
cure fire by friftion. 
Propagation and Culture. This plant is propagated by 
feeds, may be cultivated with great eafe, and is planted in 
many parts of Jamaica, Barbadoes, Cayenne, &c. in rich 
foils 
