47 -© A M E 
tary drengfh lies chiefly in a well-difeiplined militia. . Five 
thoufdhd regular troops were, however, in 1794, enlided 
for the term of three years; and, on account of the pre- 
fent pofture of affairs, it was propofed to cncreafe- the 
number to 15,000; but, after mature deliberation, the 
houfeof reprefentatives refufed to comply, rather chafing-, 
in cafe of a war, to trull to the energy and exertions of 
their militia, than rifle the introdudlion of a handing army. 
With refpetl to religion, we find a vaft number of dif¬ 
ferent feeds difperfed over the United States; yet the fpi- 
rit of toleration prevails among them to the fulled extent. 
In the New England provinces, the prefbyterians and in¬ 
dependents are moll numerous; but, in Connecticut, the 
form of wcrdiip and ecclefiafticaj government of the church 
of England prevail. More to the fouthward the Quakers 
are extremely numerous, and the Moravians are increafing 
and flottrilhing greatly. Methodifm likewife fpreads very 
wide; but it has been faid by an extenfive obl'erver of 
the prefent prevailing manners in thefe States, that the 
prevalent religion of the principal inhabitants of Ame¬ 
rica, and particularly to the fouthward, is pure dcijfin ; 
called by the name of philofophy in Europe. A fpirit 
which has contributed in no fmall degree to the revolu¬ 
tion, and produced their unfettered conditutions of free¬ 
dom and toleration. 
When the independence of the American States was 
acknowledged by the Britilh government, it became ne- 
ceflary that the clergy who adhered to the difeipline of the 
church of England fhould obtain ordination, and that all 
ecclefiaftical affairs fhould be tranfaCled without crofiing 
the Atlantic,'and applying to an Englifh bifliop. At 
length an aCl of parliament was palled in Great Britain, 
authorifing the metropolitan to conlecrate American bi- 
fnops. Thefe now ordain prieds and deacons for the fer- 
vice of the church of England there, but have no reve*> 
nues annexed to their fees, and are no otherwife didin- 
guifiied from the body of the clergy, than by pre-eminence 
of rank. In Ihott, religion, in the United States, is placed 
on its proper bafis. Without the feeble and unwarranted 
aid of the civil power, it is left to be fupported by its own 
internal evidence, by the lives and manners of its profelf- 
ors, and by the almighty care of its Divine Author. 
AME'RICAN NIGHT-SHADE,/, in botany. See 
Phyto lacc a. 
American Earth-nut,/, in botany. See A rachis. 
AME'RICUS VESPUCIUS, a Florentine gentleman, 
from whom America improperly derived its name. The 
merchants of Seville, having obtained permiflion to attempt 
difeoveries as private adventurers, fent out four fhips in 
1499, under the command of Alonzo de Ojeda (who had 
accompanied Columbus in his fecond voyage), aflided by 
Americas Vefpucius, who was known to be deeply (killed 
in. the fcience of navigation. This fleet touched on that 
part of the weftern continent already aifeovered by Co¬ 
lumbus, whofe track Ojeda followed ; and Americas, who 
was a man of much addrefs, as well as polfelfed of conli- 
derable literary talents, by publifliing the fird voyages on 
the fubjedl, and other artful means, gave his name to the 
New World, in prejudice to the illuftrious Genoefe. The 
impofture, though long detected, has been fanclified by 
time; and hence the fourth divifion of the globe, fo long 
unknown to the inhabitants of Europe, Alia, and Africa, 
continues to be diftinguifhed by the name of America. 
AMERIM'NUM,/. Gr. any thing void of 
care, or in a Hate of fecurity ; from the carelefs flow of 
the branches.] In botany, a genus of the diadelphia de- 
candria clafs, ranking in the natural order of papilionacece 
or leguminofae. The generic characters are—Calyx : pe- 
rianthium one-leafed, tube bell-fluiped, five-toothed; 
teeth fitarp. Corolla: papilionaceous; llandard with an 
oblong claw, roundifii, heart-fliaped, expanding, convex; 
wings lanceolate, Ihorter than the llandard; keel fhort. 
Stamina: filaments ten, conjoined; antherae roundifii. 
Pi ft ilium: germ pedicelled, oblong, coinprefied-leafy, va- 
ricofc, with lateral veins, within woody, not gaping; cells 
A M E. 
difpofed longitudinally within. Seeds : * fob tary, kidney - 
fliaped, thicker at the bafe, appendicled at the tip .—EJjen- 
tial CharaBer. Calyx two-lipped; legume compreifed- 
leafy, two-valved, gaping; feeds few, folitary. 
Species, i. Amerimnum Browneir unarmed; leaves 
petioled, alternate, fubcordate-ovate ; racemes compound, 
axillary and la f eral. This fiirub rifes corfunonly to the 
height ci about ten feet, and fupports itfelf upon other 
Ihrubs. It divides into long round branches, covered with 
a blackiili bark, and fub-dividing into a great number of 
alternate twigs. Leaves quite entire, fliarp, thining, two 
or three inches in length. The common peduncles lufiain 
about ten flowers; which are fmall, white, and have a 
very fweet feent: they come out in great abundance-after 
the rainy feafon. The dandard of the corolla after fecun¬ 
dation becomes eredl, whereas before it fpread out wide. 
Native of Carthagena, Jamaica, and Domingo. 
2. Amerimnum ebenus, or prickly amerimnum or Ja¬ 
maica ebony : fpiny; leaves fubfefiile aggregate obovate- 
oblong, peduncles two-flowered. The fecond fort is very 
common in Jamaica, and feveral other places in the Well 
Indies, where the wood is cut, and fent to England under 
the title of ebony, though it is not the true ebony, which 
is a native of the eaftern country, and is a plant of a very 
different genus. The wood of this American ebony being 
of a fine greenifh brown colour, and poliihing very well, 
is much coveted by the inflrument-makers; and is of a 
very hard durable nature. Dr. Browne adds, that the 
fmall dimenfions of this fiirubby tree render it fit only for 
few purpofes, the trunk feldom exceeding three or four 
inches in diameter : but that the (lender branches, being 
very tough and flexile, are frequently ufed for riding 
fwitches, and generally kept at all the wharfs about King- 
fton, to fcourge the refradlory fiaves. This tree has a 
pretty thick Hem which rifes twelve or fourteen feet high, 
covered with a rugged brown bark, and divides into ma¬ 
ny fpreading branches, which grow almod horizontal, and 
are armed with fhort brown crooked fpines. The leaves 
are fmall, did’, and wedge-fhaped, coming out in chillers, 
and fit clofe to the branches. The flowers come out upon 
(lender foot-flalks from the fide of the branches fingiy ; 
they are of a bright yellow colour, and are fucceeded by 
comprefled moon-fliaped pods, which inclofe one kidney* 
fhaped feed. 
Propagation and Culture. The fecond fort is propagated 
by feeds, which mud be procured from the countries of 
its natural growth, for the plants do not produce feeds in 
this climate. Thefe feeds fhould be fown in pots filled 
with light frefii earth early in the fpring, and plunged in¬ 
to a good hot-bed of tanner’s bark, or placed in tan under 
pots, as their covers are very hard. In'about fix weeks 
the plants will appear, when they mud be carefully treat¬ 
ed, being very tender while young; they mud have frefh 
air admitted to them every day when the weather is warm, 
and fhould be frequently refrefhed with water when the 
earth in the pots appears dry. In about five or fix weeks 
after .the plants appear they will be fit to tranfplant, when 
they diould be carefully diaken out of the pots and fepa- 
rated, planting each into a fmall pot filled with light rich 
earth, and then plunged into the hot-bed again, being 
careful to (hade them from the fun every day until they 
have taken root; after which time they mud be treated 
in tiie fame manner as other very tender exotic plants, by 
giving them air every day in warm weather, and watering 
them once in two or three days gently, and, when the 
nights are cold, to cover the glades. In this hot-bed the 
plants may remain till autumn, when they mud be remov¬ 
ed into the dove, and plunged into the bark-bed. Thofe 
of them whofe roots have filled the pots, diould be care¬ 
fully fliifted into pots one lize larger before they are plung¬ 
ed ; but, as thefe plants an? not of quick growth while 
young, they do not require to be often fliifted out of the 
pots. During the winter feafon thefe plants mud be kept 
warm, efpecially the fird year, and mud have but little 
water, and in cold weather it mud be given to them in 
fmall 
