A Z O 
AztSTUTH-CoMPASS, an instrument for finding either 
the magnetical azimuth or amplitude of a celeftial objedt. 
The defeription and itfe of this instrument See under the 
article Compass. 
Azimuth-Dtal, a dial whofe (tile or gnomon is per¬ 
pendicular to the plane of the horizon. 
A'ZIMUTHS, or Vkrtica l Circles, are great cir¬ 
cles of the fphere interfering each other in the zenith and 
nadir, and cutting the horizon at right angles. Thefe azi¬ 
muths are represented by the rhumbs on common Sea- 
charts; and on the globe by the quadrant of altitude, when 
fere wed in the zenith. On thefe azimuths is counted the 
height of the fun or (fats, See. when out of the meridian. 
A'ZIO, a town of European Turkey, in the province 
of Livadia, (ixty-four miles north-end of I.epanto. 
AZN ALCACAR',or Azn alc ac ak', a town of Spain, 
in the province of Andalulia, Seven leagues from Seville. 
AZO'GA SHIPS, are thole Spanish Ships commonly 
called the quickfelver [hips, from their carrying quickfilver 
to the Spamfh Weft Indies, in order to extract the lilver 
out of the mines of Mexico and Peru. Thefe (hips, ftriflly 
fpeaking, are not to carry any goods unlefs for the king of 
Spain’s account. 
AZO'NI,_/i in ancient mythology, a name applied by 
the Greeks to fuch of the gods as were deities at large, 
not appropriated to the worfhip of any particular town or 
country ; but acknowledged in general by all countries, 
.and worshipped by every nation. Thefe the Latins called 
diicommunes. Of this fort were the Sun, Mars, Luna, &c. 
A'ZOPH, a town of Tartary, fituated at the eaftern 
extremity of a large lake, or inland fea, called the. Sea of 
Azoph , at the mouth of the Don. It was taken from the 
Turks, and fortified by Peter the Great, emperor of Ruf- 
fia, in the year 1696; but, in 1711, he was compelled to 
abandon it to the Turks; and, by a treaty of peace made 
in 1719, the fortifications were demolilhed. By another 
treaty, in 1774, it was ceded to RuiTia, and has Since been 
put into a better (late of defence. The polTeftion of this 
place induced the late emprefs Catharine to extend her do¬ 
minions between the Don and Kuban, to the Cafpian Sea. 
It is 320 miles eaft of Otchakov, 368 fouth-weft of Saratov, 
and 812 fouth-fouth-eaft of Peterfburgh. Lat. 47. o. N. 
Ion. 57. o. E. Ferro. 
Azoph (Sea of), a large lake, or inland fea, in Tarta¬ 
ry, fituated in the dominions of Ruffia, about 210 miles in 
length, and from forty to lixty in breadth. It communi¬ 
cates with the Black Sea nearly in the centre, and is called 
alfo Palus Mczolis , and Zabacii Sea. Lat. 45. 20. to 47. 20. 
N. Ion. 52. o. to 57. o. E. Ferro. 
AZO'RES, Terceras, or Western-Islands, in the 
Atlantic, which fome deferibe as belonging to Africa, fome 
to America, and others, perhaps on better grounds, to Eu¬ 
rope ; called Azores, from flights of hawks which the firfl 
difeoverers faw. They are nine in number, and their 
names are Tcrcera, St. Michael, Fayal, Gratiofa, St. 
George, Pico, Corvo, Flores, and St. Maloes. They were 
formerly called the Tlemifh Ifics, as fuppofed to have been 
difeovered by a Flemish merchant, who, in his voyage to 
Lisbon, was driven fo far to the weft by a ftorm, as to fall 
in with thefe iflands, which he found uninhabited. They 
are called weftern from their fituation, and they are alfo 
called Terceras, from Tcrcera, one of the principal of them. 
They are fertile, but Subje£t to dreadful earthquakes and 
tempefts. They fay, that, as foon as (hips bound front Eu¬ 
rope to America touch here, they are immediately freed 
from all the vermin that before infefted them; no fpecies 
.of noxious or poifonous animal being able to live above a 
few hours in the Azores. Lat. 36. o. to 40. o. N. Ion. 
25.0. to33.o.W. Greenwich. 
AZO'TE,y. [from «. priv. and & 7 t, life.] The bafe of 
that part of the atmofpheric air which is unfit for refpi- 
ration, and which deftroys animal life. It has been called 
azotic by modern chemifts, becattfe, the chemical proper¬ 
ties of the noxious portion of atmofpheric air being hither¬ 
to little known, they have thought it right to derive the 
Vol. II. No. 90* 
A Z U 
589 
name of its bafe from the known quality of killing fuclt 
animals as breathe in it. The'weight of this gas, at the 
temperature of 54 0 30', and under a preflure equal to 2S 
inches of the barometer, is 1 oz. 2gros. and 48 gr. to the 
cubical foot, or 0-444 of a grain to a cubical inch. See 
Chemistry. 
A'ZOTH,/. in ancient chemiftry, the firft matter of 
metals, or the mercury of a metal ; more particularly that 
which they call the mercury cf philofophers, which they pre¬ 
tended to draw from all forts of metallic bodies. 
AZO'TUS, A'zoth, or Ash'dod, one of the five ci¬ 
ties of the Philistines, and a celebrated fea-port on the Me¬ 
diterranean, fituated about fourteen or fifteen miles foutU 
of Ekron, between that and Afcalon. It was-in this city 
that the idol Dagon fell down before the ark ; and fo ftrong 
a place it was, if we may believe Herodotus, that it Sus¬ 
tained a liege of twenty-nine years by Pfanuniticus king 
of Egypt. It was, however, taken by the Maccabees ia 
a much Shorter time; who burnt both City and temple, 
and with them about 8000 men. The town is called by 
the Arabs Hafancyun. The mod remarkable thing in this 
place is an old ftrudhire with fine marble pillars, which the 
inhabitants fay was the houfe that Samfon pulled down; 
and, to the fouthward, juft out of the town, the water in 
which the eunuch Candace was baptized by the apoftle 
Philip: befides thefe two, there are ieveral ancient build¬ 
ings with capitals and pillars (Sanding. 
A'ZUA DE COMPOSTEL'LA, a fea-port town, on 
the fouth coaft of St. Domingo, twelve leagues fouth- 
fouth-eaft of Cape Salinas. 
AZUA'GA, a town of Spain, in the province of Eftre- 
madura, three leagues fouth-eaft of Llerena. 
A'ZUI ,,f [Vis* Arab, durable,] The lapis lazuli. 
AZUMAR', a town of Portugal, in the province of 
Alentejo, five miles weft-north-weft of Aranches. 
A'ZURE, adj. \_azur , Fr. azurro, $p. lazar, Arab, front 
lazuli, Lat. a blue (tone.] Blue; faint blue.—The blue of 
the firft order, though very faint and little, may be the co¬ 
lour of fome fubftance; and the azure colour of {he (kies 
feeins to be this order. Newton. 
Thus replies 
Minerva, graceful, with her azure eyes. Pope. 
Azure, f. among painters, which at prefent Signifies in 
general a fine blue,, colour, was formerly applied to lapis - 
lazuli, called azurc-Jlone, and to the blue prepared from it. 
But, fince a blue has been extracted from cobalt, cuftbm 
has applied to it the nahid of azure, although it differs con- 
fiderably from the former, and is incapable of being tiled 
for the lame purpoSes', and particularly for paintirig in oil. 
The former at prefent is called lapis lazuli, or only lapis\ 
and the blue prepared from it for painting in oil, i's called 
ultramarine. The name azure is generally applied to the 
blue glafs made from the earth of cobalt and vitrifiable 
matters. This glafs, which is called J'nialt when in inaffeS, 
is called azure only when it is.reduced to a fine powder. 
Several kinds of azure are distinguished, according to its 
degrees of beauty, by the names of fine azure, powdered 
azure, and azure offour fires. In general, the more iri- 
tenfe the colour, and the finer thepovVder, the more beau¬ 
tiful-and dear it is. Azure is employed to colour ftarclv; 
hence it lias alfo been called f arch-blue. It is ufed for 
painting with colours, and for a blue enamel. 
Azu re, in heraldry, the blue colour in the arms of any 
perfon below the rank of a baron. In the elcutcheon df 
a nobleman, it is-called fap'phtre ; and, in that of Sovereign 
princes, Jupiter. In engraving, this colour is exprelfed by 
lines or Strokes drawn horizontally. 
Azure is emblematical of juftice, chaftity, humility* 
loyalty, and eternal felicity; of worldly virtues, beauty* 
praife, meeknefs, humility, vibfory, perseverance, riches, 
vigilance, and recreation; of the planets, Venus and Jupi¬ 
ter ; of metals, tin ; of precious (tones, the Turkey (tone'; 
of the months of the year, September; of the days of tile 
weekj Wednesday tuid Friday; of trees, the poplar; of 
?L 
flowers 
