492 A M S 
bly cf the ft ate S of Holland, with this diftinCtion, that, 
whereat other cities fend two members, this fends four. 
1 he militia of Amfterdam is very conliderable. They 
have lixty companies, each of which has from 200 to 500 
men. Jews and Anabaptifts are excluded from this fer- 
vice, not being admitted to bear arms: but they are obliged 
to contribute to the maintenance of the city-guard, which 
confifts of 1400 foldiers ; as alio to the night-watch, w ho 
pat role about the ftreets, and proclaim the hour. Beiides 
thefe, there are trumpeters on every church fteeple, who 
found every half hour ; and, if there happens a fire, they 
ring the fire-bell, and (hew where it is. The inhabitants 
have excellent contrivances to extinguilh it fpeedily. 
The trade of Amfterdam is prodigious: for almoft the 
whole bufmefs of the Eaft-India company centres in this 
city, which befides carries on a commerce with all the reft 
of the world, infonutch that it may be called the magazine 
or ftorehoufe of Europe. They import a vail deal of corn 
from th.e Baltic, not fo much for prefent confumption, as 
to lay up againft time's of fcarcity. The richeft fpices are 
entirely in the hands of the Eaft-India company, who fur- 
r.ifti all Europe therewith. They have vaft quantities of 
military ftores, with which they fupply feveral nations ; 
which is owing to their eiigrofting moil of the iron works 
on the Rhine and other great rivers that run into Holland. 
Notwithftandmg all thefe advantages, and the neatnefs and 
cleanlinefs that is every v/here obferved within doors, 
Amfterdam labours under two very great inconveniencies ; 
bad air, and the w ant of freih wholefome water, which 
obliges, the inhabitants to p.referve their rain-water in re- 
fervoirs. It is fituated 65 miles north of Antwerp, 175 
eaft by north of London, 240 north by eaft of Paris, and 
560 north-weft of Vienna. I.at. 52°23' Ion. 4°5o'E. 
Amsterdam, is alfo the name of an ifland in the South 
Sea, faid to have been di(covered by Tafman a Dutch na¬ 
vigator. It was vifited by captain Cook in his late voyages. 
Its greateft extent from eaft to weft is about twenty-one 
miles, and from north to fouth about thirteen. It is broad 
at the eaft end, and runs taper towards the weft, where it 
turns and runs to a point due north. It is about fix leagues 
to the weft.of MiddLeburgh. The fhore is furrounded by 
a coral rock, and its molt elevated parts are not above fix 
or eight yards above the level ox the fea. Lat. 21. it. S. 
Ion. 175.0. W. It is.wholly laid out in plantations in 
w hich are cultivated fome of the richeft productions of 
nature. Here are bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, plantains, ba¬ 
nanas, (haddocks, yams, and fome other roots, fugar- 
canes, and a fruit like the neCtarine called by the natives 
fiohega. There did not appear an inch of wafte ground : 
the roads occupied no more (pace than was ablolutely ne- 
ceifary : the fences did not take up above four inches.each ; 
and even thefe were not wholly loft, for in many grew 
fome ufeful trees or plants : it was every where the fame, 
change of place altered not the feene : nature, allifted by 
art, no where appeared with more fpiendour than on this 
illand. Cafuarinas, pandangs, and wild fago-palms, ap¬ 
pear here with their various tints of green, and barringto- 
nire as big as the loftieft oaks. 
Both men and women are of the common fize of Euro¬ 
peans, and their colour is that of a lightifti copper; they 
are well-(hapecl, have regular features, are aCtiVe, brifk, 
snd lively. They have fine eyes, and in general good 
teeth, even to an advanced age. The women are the mer- 
rieft creatures imaginable, and inceftant talkers. In ge¬ 
neral, they appear to be modeft ; although there was 110 
want of thofe of a different (lamp. Among the natives 1 , 
who fwam about- the. (hip very vociferoufly, were a conli- 
derable number of women, who wantoned in the water 
like amphibious creatures, and were eafily perfuaded to 
come on-board perfectly naked ; but none of them ven¬ 
tured to ftay alter funfet, but returned to the fhore to pafs 
the night, like the greater part of the inhabitants, under 
the (hade of the wild woods which lined the coaft. There 
they lighted great fires, and were heard converting almoft 
the whole night. The hair of both fexes in general is 
AMU 
black, but efpecially that of the women ; both fexes wear 
it (hort, except a (ingle lock on the top of the head, and 
a fmall quantity on each fide. 1 he drefs of both fexes 
confifts of a piece of cloth or matting wrapped round the 
waift,. and hanging down below the knees. From the waift 
upwards they are generally naked, and it feems to be a 
cuftom to anoint thefe parts every morning. The practice 
of tattovving, or puncturing the (kin, likewife prevails. 
The men are tattowed from the middle of the thigh to 
above the hips ; the women have it only on their arms and 
fingers, and on thofe parts but very (lightly. Their orna¬ 
ments are amulets, necklaces, and bracelets, the bone, 
(hells, and beads of mother-of-pearl, tortoife-fhell, &c, 
which are worn by men as well as women. They have 
alfo a curious apron, made of the cocoa-nut, (hell ; and 
compofed of a number of fmall pieces fewed together in 
fuch a manner as to form ftars, halt-moons, little fquares, 
&c. it is lludded with beads and (hells, and covered witir 
red feathers, fo as to have a pleafmg effeCt. They make 
the fame kind of cloth, and of the fame materials, as at 
Otaheite, though they have not fuch a variety, nor do 
they make any fo fine ; but, as they have a method of glaz¬ 
ing it, it is more durable, and will refift rain for fome time, 
which the other cloth would not. Their colours are 
black, brown, yellow, purple, and red ; all made from 
vegetables. They make various forts of matting, fome of 
a very fine texture, which is generally ufed for cloathing ; 
and the thick and ftronger fort ferves to deep upon, and 
to make fail's for their canoes. .Among other ufeful uten- 
fils, they have various forts of balkets, made of the twifted 
fibres of cocoa-nuts. Thefe tire not only durable, but 
beautiful, being generally compofed of different colours, 
and ftudded with beads made of (hells or bones. They 
have many little nicknacks among them, which (hews that 
they neither want tafte to defign, nor (kill to execute what¬ 
ever they take in hand. 
AM'ULET,y! \_amulette , Fr. amuletum, or amoletum, quod 
malum amolitum, Lat.] a charm, or prefervative againft mif- 
chief, witchcraft, or difeafe. Thefe the Latins called 
amuleta, probably from amovere, “to remove, or take a- 
way.” They alfo called them preobia, or preebra, from 
pro/iibere, “ to guard, or defend.” The Greeks call them 
apctropcea, phylatteria, amyteria, alexiteria , and alcxiphar- 
maca , becaufe they imagined that thefe remedies could 
defend them, not only againft fuch difeafes as pi-oceed from 
natural eaufes, bat alfo againft the power of other inchant-. 
ments. Amuletsweremadeof (tone, metals,fimples; animals, 
and in a word of every thing that imagination fuggefted. 
Sometimes they confided of words, characters, and fen- 
tences, ranged in a particular order and engraved upon 
wood, See. and worn about the neck, or fome other part 
of the body. At other times they were neither written nor 
engraved ; but prepared with many fuperftitious ceremo¬ 
nies, great regard being ufually paid to the influence of 
the ftars. The Arabians have given to this fpecies of 
amulet the name of talijman. All nations have been fond 
of amulets : the Jews were extremely fuperftitious in the 
ufe of them, to drive away difeafes ; and the Mifna for- - 
bids them, unlefs received from an improved man who 
had cured at lead three perfons before by the fame means. 
Amulets are now much fallen from the repute they were 
anciently in ; yet the great Mr. Boyle alleges them as an 
inftance of the increafe of external effluvia into the habit, 
in order to (hew the great porofity of the human body- 
He adds, that he is perfuaded fome of thefe external me¬ 
dicines do anfwer ; for that he Jiimfelf, having once been 
fubjeCt to bleed at the nofe, and reduced to ufe feveral 
remedies to check it, found the mofs of a dead man’s 
Ikull, though only applied fo us to touch the (kin till the 
mofs was warm thereby, the mod effectual of any. The 
fame Mr. Boyle ftxews how the effluvia, even of cold amu¬ 
lets, may, in traCt of time, pervade the pores of a living 
animal ; by fuppofing an agreement between the pores of 
the (kin and the figure of the corpufcles. Bellini lias de- 
monftrated the poilibility of the thing in his laft propofi- 
tipns 
