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are wilhinand sonicSee P ar-
he taken in a lawful sense. Cases of the same naturethe intention, though without the letter, of tin: act;acts extend by equity to tilings not mentioned therein.
1,1 A MEN I*.
Acts, Public. The knowledge of public acts forms part of apeculiar science, called the Diplomatic, of great importance to ahistorian, statesman, chrouologer, and even critic. 1 lie preserva-tion of them was the first occasion of erecting libraries. The styleof acts is generally barbarous Latin . Authors arc divided as tothe rules oi judging of their genuineness, and even whether therebe any certain rules at all. 1''. Germon will have the greater partof the acts of former ages to he spurious. honVamm asserts^ thatthe number ot forged acts now extant is very small, ft is certainthere were severe punishments inflicted on the forgers and talsiflersof acts. The chief of the English acts, or public records, arc-published by Rymer, under the title of Ftedera, and continuedby Saunderson; an extract whereof has been given in French byltapin, and translated into English under the title of Acta Regia.
ACTJEA, Aconitum Racemosum, Herb Christopher, or Bane-berries; a genus of the monogyuia order, and polyandria class ofplants; natural order Mullisiliquax Calyx a perianlhiuin having fourobtuse leaves, corolla four petaled; no stylus; stigma thickish;berry one-celled; seeds flat, very numerous, semiorbicular, andincumbent in a double order. Thereare four species; viz, 1. A. alban native of North America , sometimes used as an emetic, andcalled ipecacuanha. 2. A. Cimicifuga, a native of Siberia ; theleaves resemble those of thefeathered columbine. 3. A. Racemosa,or American black or wild snakeroot, is a native of North Ame-rica . The root is supposed to be an antidote against poison, ortiie biting of a rattle-snake. 4. A- Spicata, or common herb-chvisfopher, is a native of Britain , it grows to the height of abouttwo feet and a half. This plant is a powerful repellent, and the loothas been used internally in some nervous cases, but must be ad-ministered with caulion. The berries are highly poisonous.
ACT TON, in fabulous history, Hie son of Aristatus and Au-tonoe; a great hunter, lie was turned by Diana into a stag, torlooking on her while bathing; and was torn to pieces by his owndogs.
ACT AN 1A, an island near the mouth of the Eydev and Elbe ,and is now called Heyligoland.
ACT IAN games, in Roman antiquity, were solemn games in-stituted by Augustus, in memory of his victory over Mark An-thony at Actium , held every fifth year, and celebrated in honourof Apollo, since called Actius.
Actian Years, Anni Actiaci, a series of years commenc-ing from the a;ra of the battle of Actium; called the aira of Au-gustus .
ACTIFS, an order of Friars, who wear tawny-coloured ha-bits, and feed oil roots.
ACTILIA, military utensils,
. ACTINIA, a genus of the lnollusca order of vermes; its body
is oblong, rough, and wrinkled; it attaches itself firmly to rocks
anil other substances, among which it is found. These animals
are called, urtica marina, sea-nnemonies, sea-nettles, animal-
Jlouiers, and Jloxeer-Jlsh. 'I'he appellation sea-nettles is given from
the painful sensation felt when they are handled. It has 36 species.
they form one of those wonderful links in the chain of creation,
ia connect the animal and vegetable kingdoms, by partaking ofthe nature of mo. " ° J
cies are uxeu like vegetables; in others, progressive motion is soslow, that it is difficult to perceive any, as they scarcely advance thelength of one inch in an hour. They are viviparous, and feed on
shell-fish.
Actinia, in botany, a genus of the syngenesia polygamia su-perliua class and order. Calyx many leaved; chaff many leaved,awned; receptacle naked. There is but one species.
ACTINOLITE, in mineralogy, a genus of the ordertalcose andclass earths. It consists of carbonate of magnesia, ox yd of iron,and silex; it is soft, shining, rigid, brittle, naturally separatinginto granular fragments, and. melting before the blowpipe. It hasthree species. 1. A. fibrosus, found in Saxony . S3. A. vulgaris,the asbestos native in Sweden . 3. A. vitreus, the glassy actinoliteof Kinvan , and Malacolite of Thompson.
AfTTAxt •
ACTION, in general denotes the exercise of a power by somebeing called the 'agent. According to Dr. Reid, a being cannotVOT, I. —NO. 2.
be an agent in the proper sense of the word, except it possess insome degree the powers of will and understanding. 1 his may betrue according to Dr Reid’s idea of the term, yet such agents cancommunicate a power of agency to inanimate beings; thus, when aman projects a stone lie gives it the power to perform an action.
It is a clear axiom that a being cannot perform an action before itexists, and it is equally evident that a being cannot act where it.isnot, tor it does not exist there. See Attraction, and Physics ,where the actions of bodies are considered.
Action, by Grammarians, is distinguished from act; the for-mer being generally restricted to the common or ordinary transac-tions, the latter used to express those which are remarkable.
Action, in commerce, is a term used abroad for a certain partor share of a public company’s capital stock. Thus, if a companyhas 400,000 livres capital stock, this may be divided into 400 ac-tions, each consisting of 1000 livres.
Action, in ethics, denotes the external signs or expressions ofthe sentiments of a moral agent. See Active Power.
Action, in farrier)-, spoken of a horse, the agitation of thetongue and mandible, which is a sign of mettle.
Action, in law, a lawsuit; the term is used with the preposi-tion against before the person, and/or before the thing. Actionsare personal, real, and mixt; action personal belongs to a managainst another, by reason of any contract, offence, or cause, oflike force with a contract or offence made or done by him or someother, for whose fact he is to answer. Action real is given to anyman against another, that possesses the thing required or sued forin his own name, and no other man’s. Action mixt, is thatwhich lies as well against or for the tiling which we seek, asagainst the person that hath it; called mixt, because it hath a mixtrespect both to the thing and to the person. Action is dividedinto civil, penal, and mixt. Action civil is that which tends onlyto the recovery of that which is due to us; as a sum of moneyformerly lent. Action penal is that which aims at some penalty,or punishment in the party sued, be it corporal or pecuniary: as,in common law, the next friends of a man feloniously slain shallpursue the law against the murderer. Action mixt is that whichseeks both the tiling whereof we are deprived, and a penalty alsolor the unjust detaining of the same. Action upon the case, isan action given lor redress of wrongs done without force againstany man, by law not specially provided for. See Suit.
Action, in mechanics, implies either the effort which a bodyor power makes against another body or power, or the effect itselfof that effort. The proper signification of the term is the motionwhich a body really produces, or tends to produce, in another;that is, such as the motion it would have produced, had nothinghindered its effect. The resistance of the body moved, or thatwhich opposes the action, is termed reaction. In all cases actionand reaction are equal. See Mechanics.
Action, in rhetoric, is the outward deportment of the orator,or the accommodation of his countenance, voice, and gesture, tothe subject of his discourse. See Oratory.
Action, in painting and sculpture, is the attitude or positionot the several parts of flic face, body, and limbs, of such figuresas are represented, and whereby they seem to be really actuatedby passions.
Action, in physiology, is applied to the functions of the body,whether vital, animal, or natural. The actions or functions,are those which are absolutely necessary to life, and without whichthere is no life, as the action of the heart, lungs, and arteries.Tile natural functions are those which are instrumental in repair-ing the several losses .which the body sustains. The animal func-tions are those which we perform at will, as muscular motion, andall the voluntary actions of the body.
Action, in poetry, the same with subject or fable. Critics ge-nerally distinguish two kinds; the principal generally called thefable, and the incidental the episode.
Action, Quantity of, a name given by M. dc Maupertuis,to the product of the mass of a body by the space which it runsthrough, and by its celerity. He lays it down as a general law,“ that, in the changes made in the state of a body, the quantityof action, necessary to produce sucli change, is the least possi-ble.” This principle he applies to the investigation of the laws ofrefraction, of equilibrium, &c.
Action, in soldiery, an engagement between armies; also somesignal performance of an officer.