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jurisdiction of the justice. If a justice of the peace will not, ou complaint to him made, execute his office, or if he shall misbehave in his office, the party grieved may move the Court of King's Bench for an information, and afterwards may apply to the Court of Chancery to put him out of the commission. But the most usual way of compelling justices to execute their office, in any case, is by writ of mandamus out of the Court of King's Bench.

Where the plaintiff in an action against a justice shall obtain a verdict, and the judge shall in open court certify on the back of the record, that the injury for which such action was brought was wilfully and maliciously committed, the plaintiff shall have double costs. And if a justice of peace act improperly, knowingly, information shall be granted. No justice shall be liable to be punished both ways, that is, criminally and civilly; but before the court will grant an information, they will require the party to relinquish his civil action, if any such be commenced. And even in the case of an indictment, and though the indictment be actually found, the Attorney General, on application made to him, will grant a noli prosequi upon such indictment, if it appear to him that the prosecutor is determined to carry on a civil action at the same time.

If any action shall be brought against a justice for any thing done by virtue of his office, he may plead the general issue, and give the special matter in evidence; and if he recover, he shall have double costs. Such action shall not be laid but in the county where the fact was committed. And no suit shall be commenced against a justice of the peace till after one month's notice. And unless it is proved upon the trial that such notice was given, the justice shall have a verdict and costs. And no action shall be brought against any constable or other of ficer, or any person acting by his order and in his aid, for any thing done in obedience to the warrant of a justice, till demand hath been made, or left at the usual place of his abode, by the party or by his attorney, in writing, signed by the party demanding the same, of the perusal and copy of such warrant, and the same has been refused or neglected for six days after such demand. And no

action shall be brought against any justice for any thing done in the execution of his office, unless commenced within six months after the act committed.

JUSTICIA, in botany, so named from James Justice, a genus of the Diandria Monogynia class and order. Natural order of Personatæ. Acanthi, Jussieu. Essential character: corolla ringent; capsule twocelled, opening with an elastic claw; stamina with a single anther. There are eighty species, mostly natives of the Cape of Good Hope and the East Indies. There are only two commonly known in our English gardens, viz. J. adhatodar, Malabar nut; and J. hyssopifolia, snap tree.

JUSTICIES is a writ directed to the sheriff to do justice in a plea of trespass vi et armis, or of any sum above 40s. in the county court, of which he hath no cognizance by ordinary power. It is in the nature of a commission to the sheriff, and is not returnable.

IXIA, in botany, a genus of the Triandria Monogynia class and order. Natural order of Ensatæ. Irides, Jussieu. Essential character: corolla one-petalled, tubu lar; tube straight, filiform; border sixparted, bell-shaped, regular; stigmas three or six, simple. There are fifty four species. Ixia differs from anthrolyza in having the seg ments of the corolla nearly equal; from gladiolus, in the situation of the segments of the corolla, and in having the tube straight. Almost all the species are natives of the Cape of Good Hope.

IXORA, in botany, a genus of the Te. trandria Monogynia class and order. Natural order of Stellatæ. Rubiaceæ, Jussieu.

Essential character: corolla onepetalled, funnel-form, long, superior; stamina above the mouth; berry four-seeded. There are nine species, of which I. Americana, American ixora, has a shrubby stalk, four or five feet high, sending out slender opposite branches; leaves nearly six inches long, on short foot stalks. Flowers at the ends of the branches in a loose spike; they are white, and have a scent like jasmine, whence in Jamaica and other islands of the West Indies, where it is a native, it is called wild jasmine.

K.

K, Ork, the tenth letter, and seventh honey after it is deposited in the hive cells,

consonant of our alphabet; being formed by the voice, by a guttural expression of the breath through the mouth, together with a depression of the lower jaw, and opening of the teeth.

Its sound is much the same with that of the hard c, or qu; and it is used, for the most part, only before e, i, and n, in the beginning of words; as, ken, kill, know, &c. It used formerly to be always joined with c at the end of words, but is at present very properly omitted: thus, for publick, musick, &c. we say, public, music, &c. However, in monosyllables it is still retained, as jack, block, mock, &c.

The letter k is derived from the Greek kappa, K or x; it being unknown to the Romans, though we sometimes meet with kalendæ instead of calendæ.

As a numeral K dénotes 250; and with a line over it, K250,000.

KÆMPFERIA, in botany, so named from Engelbert Kæmpfer, a celebrated traveller, a genus of the Monandria Monogynia class and order. Natural order of Scitamineæ. Cannæ, Jussieu. Essential character: corolla six-parted, three of the parts larger, spreading, one two-parted; stigma two-plated. There are two species, riz. K. galanga, galangale; and K. rotunda. As these are both natives of the East

falls a victim to his repast.

Some very singular cases in proof of this assertion occurred at Philadelphia no longer ago than the year 1790, in the autumn and winter of which an extensive mortality was produced amongst those who had partaken of the honey that had been collected in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, or had feasted on the common American pheasant. The attention of the American government was excited by the general distress, a minute examination into the cause of the mortality ensued, and it was satisfactorily ascertained, that the honey had been chiefly extracted from the flowers of kalmia latifolia, and that the pheasants which had proved thus poisonous had fed harmlessly on its leaves: in consequence of which, a public proclamation was issued, prohibiting the use of the pheasant, as a food, for that season. See Good's Oration before the Medical Society.

KAMSIN, the name of a hot sontherly wind, common in Egypt. The wind is said to prevail more or less for fifty days, hence it is called "the wind of fifty days." Travellers who have experienced the effect of it have described it as a poisonous wind. When it begins to blow, the atmosphere assumes an alarming appearance. The sky, at other times so clear in this climate, becomes dark and heavy; the sun loses its

Indies, they require a warm stove to pre- splendour, and appears of a violet colour; serve them through our winter.

KALI. See ALKALI and POTASH.

KALMIA, in botany, a genus of the Decandria Monogynia class and order. Natural order of Bicornes. Rhododendra, Jussien. Essential character: calyx five-parted; corolla salver form, with the border fivehorned beneath; capsule five-celled. There are four species, of the K, latifolia, broadleaved kalmia, we shall give some little account, taken from the fifth volume of the American Philosophical Transactions. The leaves of this shrub are feasted upon by the deer and the round horned elk, but are mortally poisonous to sheep, to horned cattle, to horses, and to man. The bee extracts honey, without injury, from its nectary, but the man who partakes of that

the air is not cloudy, but grey and thick, and is filled with a dust so subtile, that it penetrates every where.

This wind, always light and rapid, is not at first remarkably hot, but it increases in heat in proportion as it continues. All animated bodies soon discover it by the change it produces in them. The lungs, which a too rarefied air no longer expands, are contracted, and become painful. Respiration is short and difficult, the skin parched and dry, and the body consumed by an internal heat. In vain is recourse had to large draughts of water; nothing can restore perspiration. In vain is coolness sought for; all bodies, in which it is usual to find it, deceive the hand that touches them. Marble, iron, water, notwithstanding the sun no

longer appears, are hot. The streets are deserted, and the dead silence of night reigns every where. The inhabitants of towns and villages shut themselves up in their houses, and those of the desert in their tents, or in wells dug in the earth, where they wait the termination of this destructive heat. It usually lasts three days, but if it exceeds that time it becomes insupportable. The danger is most imminent when it blows in squalls; for then the rapidity of the wind increases the heat to such a degree as to cause sudden death. This death is a real suffocation. The lungs being empty are convulsed, the circulation is disordered, and the whole mass of blood driven by the heat towards the head and breast; whence the hæmorrhage at the nose and mouth, which happens after death. This wind is especially destructive to persons of a plethoric habit, and those in whom fatigue has destroyed the tone of the muscles and the vessels. The corpse remains a long time warm, sweils, turns blue, and soon becomes putrid. These accidents are to be avoided by stopping the nose and mouth with handkerchiefs. An efficacious method, likewise, is that practised by the camels. On this occasion these animals bury their noses in the sand, and keep them there till the squall is over. Another quality of this wind is its extreme aridity; which is such, that water sprinkled on the floor evaporates in a few minutes. By the extreme dryness it withers and strips all the plants; and by exhaling too suddenly the emanations from animal bodies, crisps the skin, closes the pores, and causes that feverish heat which is the constant effect of suppressed perspiration.

KAOLIN, in the arts, the name of an earth used in the manufacture of oriental porcelain china. A specimen of this earth was brought from China, and examined by Reaumur, who found it to be infusible by fire. He thought it was a talcy earth; but Mr. Macquer says, it is more probably of an argillaceous nature, from its forming a tenacious paste, with the other ingredient called petunse, which has no tenacity. A French chemist, M. Bomaire, analized it, and found it was a compound earth consisting of clay, to which it owed its tenacity; of calcareous earth, which gave it a mealy appearance; of sparkling crystals of mica; and of small gravel, or particles of quartzcrystals. He found a similar earth upon a stratum of granite, and conjectures it may be a decomposed granite.

KEDGING, in the sea-language, is when a ship is brought up or down a narrow river by means of the tide, the wind being contrary. To do this, they use to set their fore-course, or fore-top-sail and mizen, that so they may flat her about; and if she happen to come too near the shore, they let fall a kedge-anchor, with a hawser fastened to it from the ship, in order to turn her head about; which work is called kedging.

KEEL, the lowest piece of timber in a ship, running her whole length from the lower part of her stem to the lower part of her stern-post. Into it are all the lower futtocks fastened; and under part of it a false keel is often used.

By comparing the carcass of a ship to the skeleton of a human body, the keel appears as the back bone, and the timbers as the ribs. Accordingly, the keel supports and unites the whole fabric, since the stem and stern-posts, which are elevated on its ends, are, in some measure, a continuation of the keel, and serve to connect and inclose the extremities of the sides by transoms, as the keel forms and unites the bottom by timbers.

The keel is generally composed of several thick pieces placed lengthways, which, after being scarfed together, are bolted and clinched upon the upper side.

KEEL huuling, a punishment inflicted for various offences in the Dutch navy. It is performed by suspending the culprit by a rope from one yard-arm, with a weight of lead or iron upon his legs, and having another rope fastened to him, leading under the ship's bottom, and through a block at its opposite yard-arm; he is then repeatedly and suddenly let fall from the one yard-arm bottom, he is hoisted upon the opposite side into the sea, where, passing under the ship's

of the vessel to the other.

KEELERS, among seamen, are small tubs, which hold stuff for the caulking of ships.

KEELSON, a principal timber in a ship, fayed within-side cross all the floor timbers; and being adjusted to the keel with suitable scarfs, it serves to strengthen the bottom of the ship.

KEEP, in ancient military history, a kind of strong tower, which was built in the centre of a castle or fort, to which the besieged retreated, and made their last efforts of defence.

Of this description is the keep of Windsor Castle.

KEEPER of the great seal, is a lord by virtue of his office, and styled the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. He is one of the King's Privy Council, through whose hands pass all charters, commissions, and grants of the King under the great seal; without which, all such instruments by law are of no force, the King in this being a corporation, whose acts are evidenced by his seal. This Lord Keeper, by the statute of 5 Elizabeth, cap. 18, has the same place, anthority, pre-eminence, &c. as the Lord Chancellor of England for the time being. He is constituted by the delivery of the great seal to him, taking his oath.

KEEPER of the privy seal, is a lord by virtue of his office, through whose hands pass all charters signed by the King before they come to the great seal. He is of the King's Privy Council, and was anciently called Clerk of the Privy Seal.

KEEPING, in painting, signifies the representation of objects in the same manner that they appear to the eye at different distances from it, which is only to be done with accuracy by attending to the rules of perspective.

KELP, an impure alkali, obtained in the north of Scotland, from different kinds of fuci, or sea-weed. The sea-weeds being dried, are put in pits dug in the sand, or on the surface, surrounded with loose stone, forming what is called a kiln; fresh quantities being added, and the whole being frequently stirred until it become semi-fluid, which, when cold, forms hard masses.

KELP, a fixed salt, or particular species of a potash, procured by burning the weed called kali.

KERMES, in natural history, a species of the Coccus, which see.

KERMES mineral, in chemistry, an antimonial compound of great celebrity as a medicine about the beginning of the seventeenth century; in the new chemical arrangement it is denominated hydro-sulphuret of antimony.

The substance is prepared in the following manner: sixteen parts of sulphuret of antimony, eight parts of potash, and one of sulphur, are triturated together in a mortar, melted in a crucible, and the mass poured into an iron vessel. When cold it is pounded, and boiled in a sufficient quantity of water, and the solution is filtered while hot. On cooling, it deposits the kermes abundantly in the state of a yellow powder, which is edulcorated with a sufficient quan

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KETCH, a vessel equipped with two masts, viz. the main-mast and the mizenmast, and usually from 100 to 250 tons burthen. Ketches are principally used as yachts for conveying princes of the blood, ambassadors, or other great personages, from one place to another. Ketches are likewise used as bomb-vessels, and are therefore furnished with all the apparatus necessary for a vigorous bombardment.

KETCHES, bomb, are built remarkably strong, as being fitted with a greater number of riders than any other vessel of war; and indeed this reinforcement is absolutely necessary to sustain the violent shock produced by the discharge of their mortars, which would otherwise in a very short time shatter them to pieces.

KEY, a well known instrument for opening and shutting the locks of doors, chests, &c. See Lock.

KEY, or key note, in music, a certain fundamental note or tone, to which the whole of a movement has a certain relation or bearing, to which all its modulations are referred and accommodated, and in which it both begins and ends. There are but two species of keys: one of the major, and one of the minor mode: all the keys in which we employ sharps or flats being deduced from the natural keys of C major and A minor; of which they are mere transpositions.,

KEYS of an organ, those moveable, projecting levers in the front of an organ, so placed as to conveniently receive the fingers of the performer, and which, by a connected movement with the valves or pallets, admit or exclude the wind from the pipes. When a single key of an organ is pressed down, as many sounds are heard as all the stops which are then out furnish to that key; in other words, all those pipes are heard which are permitted by those stops and that key to receive the wind.

KEY stone of an arch, or vault, that placed at the top or vertex of an arch, to bind the two sweeps together. This, in the Tuscan and Doric orders, is only a plain stone, projecting a little; in the Ionic it is cut and waved somewhat like consoles; and

in the Corinthian and Composite orders it is a console, enriched with sculpture. Keystones, made in the manner of consoles, and placed projecting in the middle of arches and porticos, are particularly designed to sustain the weight and pressure of the entablature, where it happens to be very great between the columns; for which reason, they should be made so as to be a real support, and not stand for mere ornaments, as they too frequently do.

KIDNAPPING, is the forcibly taking and carrying away a man, woman, or child, from their own country, and sending them to another. This is an offence at common law, and punishable by fine, imprisonment, and pillory. By statute 11 and 12 William III. c. 7, if any captain of a merchant vessel shall, during his being abroad, force any person on shore, and wilfully leave him bebind, or refuse to bring home all such men as he carried out, if able and desirous to return, he shall suffer three months imprisonment. Exclusive of the above punish ment for this, as a criminal offence, the party may recover upon an action for compensation in damages for the civil injury.

KIGGELARIA, in botany, so named from Francis Kiggelar of Holland, a genus of the Dioecia Decandria class and order. Natural order of Columniferæ. Euphorbiæ, Jussieu. Essential character: male, calyx five-parted; corolla five-petalled; glands five, three-lobed; anthers perforated at the tip: female, calyx and corolla as in the male; styles five; capsule one-celled, fivevalved, many-seeded. There is but one species, viz. K. africana. This plant grows naturally at the Cape of Good Hope, where it rises to a tree of middling stature; the branches have a smooth bark, which is at first green, afterwards it changes to a purplish colour: the leaves are about three inches long and one broad, sawed on their edges, standing upon short foot-stalks alternately. The flowers come out in clusters from the side of the branches, hanging downwards: they are of an herbaceous white colour, appearing in May, at which time the plants are thinly garnished with leaves, most of the old ones dropping off just before the new leaves appear. The male flowers fall away soon after their farina is shed; but the hermaphrodite, or female flowers are succeeded by globular fruit the size of common red cherries; the cover of these is very rough, and of a thick consistence, opening in five valves at the top, having one cell filled with small angular

seeds. These fruits have grown to their full size in the Chelsea garden; but the seeds have rarely come to maturity.

KILDERKIN, a liquid measure, contaning two firkins, or eighteen gallons.

KING of England. The executive power in England is vested in a single person by immemorial usage, to whom the care of the people is entrusted, and to whom, therefore, allegiance is due. Formerly the suc cession being interrupted, there was occasionally a distinction between a rightful king, or king de jure, and a king in possession of the throne, or king de facto; and in cases of treason, and also with respect to many acts done by kings de facto, which were necessary to be recognised by kings de jure afterwards, this distinction was of great importance: but it seems now only necessary to consider the rightful power and authority of the King, lawfully and peaceably in possession of the throne. And in this country the erown is by common law hereditary in a peculiar manner, but not de jure divino; and it may be changed in the limitation of its descent by the authority of the King, Lords, and Commons in parliament assembled, but it is not elective. As to the mode of inheritance, it is generally the same as other feodal descents, but it differs in one or two particulars; for it descends regularly to lineal descendants by right of primogeniture: but in case of no male heir, it descends to the eldest daughter only, and to her issue, and not in coparcenary to all the daughters. In failure of lineal heirs it goes to collateral descendants, but there is no failure on account of half blood. Lands also purchased by the King descend with the crown. The inheritance is not indefeasable, but may be altered as above, and therefore the statutes have expressed "his Majesty, his heirs, and successors." But however limited or transferred, it still retains its hereditable quality to the wearer of it; and hence the King never dies, but his right vests ea instanti in his heir; so that Hall says, there can be no interregnum, and the death of the King is called the demise of the crown, which or dinarily means only a transfer from one to another. If the throne becomes vacant, whether by abdication, as in the time of James II., or by failure of all heirs, the two houses of parliament may, it is said by Blackstone, dispose of it,

The preamble to the bill of rights expressly declares, that the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, assembled at

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