| ARG | (365-(Arithmetick)) | ARI |
ARGILLA, clay, in natural hiſtory. See Clay.
ARGO, in aſtronomy, a conſtellation of fixed ſtars in the ſouthern hemiſphere; whoſe number of ſtars, in Ptolemy's catalogue, is eight; in Tycho's, eleven; and in Mr Flamſtead's, twenty-five. See Astronomy.
ARGONAUTA, the name of a genus of ſhell-fiſh belonging to the order of vermes teſtacea. The ſhell conſiſts of one ſpiral involuted valve. There are two ſpecies of argonauta, viz. The argo with a ſubdented carina, which is found in the Mediterranean and Indian oceans. This is the famous nautilus of other authors. It lies on the ſurface of the water, and extends an exceeding thin membrane, which it uſes in ſome meaſure both as ſails and oars; and in this manner it ſwims from one place to another. 2. The cymbium with a blunt plaited carina. This ſpecies is very ſmall, and is found in the Mediterranean.
ARGONAUTS, in Grecian antiquity, a company of illuſtrious Greeks, who embarked along with Jaſon, in the ſhip Argo, on an expedition to Colchis, with a deſign to obtain the golden fleece.
ARGOS, a ſea-port town of European Turky, in the Morea, ſituated on the bay of Napoli de Romania, in 23° E. long, and 37° 30′ N. lat.
ARGUIN, an iſland on the coaft of Negritia. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean, about 20′ N. lat.
ARGUMENT, in rhetoric and logic, an inference drawn from premiſes, the truth of which is indiſputable, or at leaſt highly probable. See Logic.
Argument, in aſtronomy, denotes a known arch, by means of which we ſeek another one unknown.
Argument, in matters of literature, denotes also the abridgment or heads of a book, hiſtory, comedy, chapter, &c. See Syllabus.
ARGUN, a river of Tartary in Aſia, ſerving as a boundary between the Chineſe and Ruſſian empires.
Argun is alſo a city of Aſiatic Tartary, ſituated on the above river, in 104° E. long. and 51° 30′ N. lat.
ARGUS-SHELL, a ſpecies of porcelain-ſhell, beautifully variegated with ſpots, reſembling in ſome meaſure thoſe in a peacock's tail.
ARGYLESHIRE, a county of Scotland, lying weſtward of Glaſgow, and comprehending the countries of Lorn, Cowal, Knapdale, Kintyre, together with the islands Mull, Jura, Iſla, &c. It gives the title of duke to the noble family of Campbell.
ARGYROPOEIA, among alchemiſts, a pretended art of tranſmuting or charging other metals into ſilver.
ARHUSEN, a city of Jutland in Denmark, ſituated at the entrance of the Baltic ſea, in 10° 20′ E. long. and 56° N. lat.
ARIANO, a town of the kingdom of Naples, and province of Principata, ſituated about 15 miles eaſt of Benevento, in 15° 35′ E. long, and 41° 16′ N. lat.
ARIANS, in church-hiſtory, a ſect of ancient heretics, who denied the three ſons in the Holy Trinity to be of the ſame eſſence, and affirmed Chriſt to be a creature.
ARICA, a ſea-port town of Peru in South America, ſituated on the Pacific Ocean, in 70° 20′ W. long. and 18° 20′ S. lat.
ARIDAS, a kind of taffery, manufactured in the E. Indies, from a ſhining thread which is got from certain herbs, whence they are ſlyled aridas of herbs.
ARIDULLAM, in natural hiſtory, a kind of zarnich found in the E. Indies. See Zarnich.
ARIES, in zoology. See Ovis.
Aries, in aſtronomy, a conſtellation of fixed ſtars, drawn on the globe, in the figure of a ram. It is the first of the twelve ſigns of the zodiac, from which a twelfth part of the ecliptic takes its denomination. See Astronomy, Of the fixed ſtars.
ARISARUM, in botany. See Arum.
ARISH, a Perſian long meaſure, containing about 38 English inches.
ARISI, the Indian name for the plant which produces the rice. See Orysa.
ARISTA, or Awn, among botaniſts, a long needle-like beard, which ſtands out from the huſk of a grain of corn, graſs, &c.
ARISTIDA, in botany, a genus of the triandria digynia class. The calix has a double valve; the corolla has one valve, and three awns at the points. There are 3 ſpecies of ariſtida, viz. the adſcenſionis, a native of the island of Aſcenſion; the Americana, a native of Jamaica; and the plumoſa, a native of America.
ARISTOCRACY, a form of government where the ſupreme power is veſted in the principal perſons of the ſtate. See Government.
ARISTOLOCHIA, in botany, a genus of the gynandria hexandria claſs. It has no calix: the corolla conſiſts of one entire petal; and the capſule, which is below the flower, has 6 cells. There are 21 ſpecies of ariſtolochia, none of which are natives of Britain.
ARISTOLUS, an obſolete name of a ſpecies of clupea. See Clupea.
ARITHMETICK.
ARITHMETICK is a ſcience which explains the properties of numbers, and ſhews the method or art of computing them.
We have very little intelligence about the origin and invention of arithmetick; but probably it muſt have taken its riſe from the introduction of commerce, and conſe-quently
