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AMBER 139 AMBOYNA for the advantage of his own nation. At the outbreak of war between his own government and that to which he has been sent, the ambassador is dis- missed or summoned to return. If the ambassador appointed by one govern- ment be considered by the state to which he is assigned personally disagreeable or not calculated to produce friendly rela- tions between the two countries, he may be objected to as a persona non grata, and his reception refused; but if he is actually received he is entitled to each and every privilege of his office. These privileges have never been closely de- fined, but include the inviolability of the person of the ambassador from public and private violence; immunity from all jurisdiction, both civil and criminal, of the country in which he is a resident; and similar exemption from local juris- diction for his family, household, and retinue. His house is sacred, but he cannot harbor malefactors. He must re- gard the laws and customs of the country in which he is a resident, or complaint may be made to the government he rep- resents, and his recall demanded, or if his offense be serious, he may be sent beyond its borders by the offended power and a trial in his own country exacted. In the United States, jurisdic- tion in all diplomatic cases is by the Constitution delegated to the Supreme Court. The term ambassador was not formerly applied to American diplomatic agents, the highest rank being envojr ex- traordinary and minister plenipotentiary, until 1893. AMBER, as a mineral, called also suc- cinite, from Latin succinum=^Sirabev. Its color is generally yellow, but sometimes reddish, brownish, or whitish and clouded. It is resinous in luster, always translu- cent, and sometimes transparent. It is brittle, and yields easily to the knife. It fuses at 287° C. It is also combustible, burning readily with a yellow flame, and emitting an agreeable odor. It is also highly electrical, so much so that elec- tricity is derived from the Greek word elektron, or e/e/cfros=amber. It is found in Europe, Asia, and America. It is valued as a gem. Pliny was correct when he considered it to be an exudation from trees of the pine family, like gum from the cherry, and resin from the ordinary pine. Its exact age is as yet undetermined. Of 163 species of plants found in it, 30 still exist. Eight hundred species of insects have also been met with in it, with re- mains of animals of other classes. In Scripture, the word amber, Hebrew chasmal (Ezek. i: 4, 27; vii: 2), is not what is now called by the name, but a mixed metal. AMBERGRIS, a substance derived from the intestines of the sperm whale, and found floating or on the shore; yel- lowish or blackish white; very light; chiefly composed of a peculiar fatty sub- stance. Its odor is very agreeable, and hence it is used as a perfume. AMBLYOPSIS, a North American bony fish, found in the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, and interesting as illustrat- ing in the rudimentary condition of its eyes the effects of darkness and conse- quent disuse. It only measures a few inches in length, is colorless, and has its small eyes covered by the skin. It seems able, however, to hear acutely, and the wrinkles of skin on its head are regarded as special feeling organs. Wholly blind fishes are found only in the unsunned ocean depths. AMBOISE (amb-waz'), a French town in the department of Indre-et-Loire, on the Loire, 15 miles by rail E. of Tours. It lies in a region rich in vine- yards. The town is memorable for the Huguenot conspiracy (1560), which cost the lives of 1,200 Protestants, and as the place whence was issued the Edict of Amboise (1563), conceding certain priv- ileges to the Huguenots. The castle of Amboise, from 1431, was a frequent resi- dence of the Valois kings; the birth and death place of Charles VIII. Pop. about 5,000. AMBOISE, GEORGE D', a French Cardinal, and Minister of State, born in 1460. He became successively Bishop of Montauban, Archbishop of Narbonne, and of Rouen. Louis XII. made him Prime Minister. He reformed the Church, remitted the people's burdens, and conscientiously labored to promote the public happiness. Died in 1510. AMBOYNA, AMBOINA, APON, or THAU, the most important of the Moluccas or Spice Islands belonging to the Dutch, lies S. W. of Ceram, and N. W. of Banda. Area, 265 square miles. Population about 40,000, near- ly a third Mohammedans. A bay runs into the island lengthwise, forming two peninsulas, the noi'thern called Hitu, and the southern Leitimor. Amboyna is mountainous, well watered, fertile, and healthy. Clove, sago, mango, and cocoa- nut trees are abundant, also fine timber for cabinet work. The Dutch took Am- boyna from the Portuguese in 1605. The British settlement was destroyed by the Dutch in the terrible Amboyna massacre of 1623, for which, in 1654, Cromwell