The effect of pressures up to 3 kbar on the rate of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of acetamide and benzamide in both dilute and concentrated perchloric acid has been measured. The volumes of activation in dilute acid are consistent with a transition state that is not highly polar. It follows from this that if the attacking water molecule adds to the amidium ion then the reactive amidium ion is the O-protonated form, and if the attacking water molecule substitutes then the reactive amidium ion is the N-protonated form.The volume of activation for acetamide in concentrated acid provides no additional information about the mechanism. That for benzamide in concentrated acid is tentatively interpreted as favoring the O-protonated benzamidium ion as the reactive ion.