AXAYO.YTL. Emperor of Mexico, the father of the second Montezuma. About 1467 he led his Aztecs to the conquest of Tehuantepec, and afterwards defeated n rebellion that threatened his capital, the city of Mexico. He died suddenly, about 1477. Half a century later the soldiers of Cortes occupied A.'s palace, and discovered an itnmensc treasure of gold and silver in ore and bars, with' jewels, and many curious articles of manufacture.
AXE, the name of two small rivers in the s.w. of England. One rises in the Mendip n. of Somerset, runs first s.w. and then n.e., through a carboniferous limestone, trial, and diluvial basin, past Wells and Axbridge, into the Bristol channel. The other rises in west Dorset, and flows 21 m. s. and s.w., through east Devonshire, in an oolitic and trias basin, past Axminster into the English channel. A. is only another of Exe. See A.
AXE, one of the oldest tools used by man; formed in the early ages of stone, bronze, copper, and iron. At present an A. is mainly of wrought iron, with a cutting edge of fine steel. The butt or main part, is made of good rolled iron, cut into suitable lengths,
hollowed at the middle so that when the ends are 'brought together the hollow will form the eye for the handle. Between the ends is welded ina 'cutting piece of steel, an inch or more beyond the iron, and thinned flown nearly to an Having been properly tempered and ground, and fitted with a wooden helve, the axe is ready for use. Forms and weights vary according to the use to which the tool is to be put. For very hard timber the cutting edge is narrow, and the whole instrument heavy; for carpenter work on soft timber, the edge is of 8 to 12 in., as in the broad-axe. Com mon forest axes weigh from 3 to 7 lbs. Besides these forms, there are the adie, a tool used for chipping. or rough planing by carpenters, and the pickaxe (which is not an axe in any sense) for digging in hard ground. American axes have a high reputation in Europe, and have to some extent supplanted the English article in the markets of that country.