VET
V O M
Venus's comb, the Englifh name of a genus of plants, called by botanical writers fcandix. See the article ScanDix, SuppL
Venus's hoklng-glafs, a name fometimes ufed for the campa- nula, or bell-flower. See the article Campanula, Suppl.
Venus's navel-wort, the name by which fome call the ompha- lodes, a diftinct genus of plants. See the article Ompha- lodes, Suppl.
VERGE, among gardeners, generally denotes the edge or out- iide of a border; but more particularly, is ufed for a flip of grafs adjoining to gravel-walks, and dividing them from the borders in the parterre-garden. Miller, Gard. Diet.
VERMIS aureus, the name by which' Bartholine, and others, call the aphrodite, a genus of fea-infects. See the article A- phrodita, Append.
VERVAIN mallow, the Englifh name of a diftinct genus of plants, called by botanical writers alcea. See the article Al- cea, Suppl.
VESSEL (Cycl.)— Chemical Vessels, The article of chemi- cal Apparatus, Suppl. having been accidentally forgot, we are forced to infert it under this title Vessel, though fbmewhat improperly, the word Apparatus being of much more extenfive fignification.
Dr. Shaw, in his Eflay on the ufe of a portable laboratory, has given a lift of all the apparatus neceflary for it, which will ferve alfo, in general, for a complete chemical appara- tus for all ordinary cafes, and common courfes of chemical experiments: for extraordinary purpofes it may be enlarged at difcretion, according to the views of the operator. The chemical apparatus may be divided into two kinds, the remote and immediate ; or, in other words, fuch as are pre- paratory to the operations, and fuch as are actually em- ployed in them. The remote apparatus confifts of feveral particulars. Among thefe are firft fuch as are neceflary to the exactitude of the procefs, for every chemical operation is to be performed in an exact manner. Good fcales and weights are necefTary for the exactly determining the quan- tity of the fuhject to be employed, weight being the true in- dex of the quantity of matter in bodies ; but in common cafes, or where water, or other liquors of nearly the Mime fpecitic gravity with water are ufed, the work is confiderably fhort- ened by the ufe of a meafure, which in water very nearly correfponds to weight in the common acceptation, a pint of it very nearly anfwering to a pound in weight. Hence the next thing to a fet of fcales and weights, in the chemical apparatus, is a fet of nice meafures ; but they muft be ufed with great difcretion, and though ever fo exact as to their contents, they muft not be trufted to in the nicer opera- tions. A pint of fpirit of wine falls confiderably fhort of a pound, and a pint of quiclcfilver weighs fourteen pounds; between the feveral weights ot thefe there is a great va- riety.
Many folid fubftanccs require to be reduced into fmall parts, before they can be made the fubjects of chemical operations ; and for this reafon there will be a neceflity for mortars, iievee, rafps, files, hammers, flJcers, and forceps. Next to thefe come the inftruments ufed in the management of the fire; thefe are fhovels, hooks, tongs, and blow-pipes: and for charging the vefTels with the fubject matters to be worked upon in the operations, there are required hollow fhells, horns, tin plates, brufhes, hares feet, fpoons, and fpatulas. Rounds are alfo required to fet certain glafles on; and for emptying their contents, and thofe of other vefTels, hooked tongs, cones, ingots, bafons, funnels, and ftore-glafles, fur- nifhed, according to the nature of the things to be kept in them, with common cocks, wax floppies, and glafs floppies ; and for the tying down of thefe, bladders, leather, and the like. In the laft place come the inftruments for making certain utenfils, as moulds for muffles, tefts, crucibles and melting-pots, and iron rings for cutting glafles and the necks
■ of retorts. The more immediate apparatus, or that employed in the operations themfclves, are veflels containing the fubjects to be wrought upon ; particularly glafs eggs, and bodies for digeftion ; retorts and receivers for diftillation ; blind heads for bodies in fublimation ; ftone pans and cut glafles for eva- poration; peculiar fpout-receivers, and glafles for feparation ; ftrainers for percolation; paper for filtration; muffles and tefts for cupellation ; crucibles-for melting; pots for cement- ing ; and lutings to clofe the junctures of the veflels when- ever neceflary. Shaw's Chemiftry, p. 384. See Tab. of Chemical Furnaces, Veflels, and Utenfils. VESTIBLE (Cycl.)— Vestjble is alfo ufed for a kind of little antichamber before the entrance of an ordinary apart- ment. VETCH (Suppl.) — A-Vetch, in botany, the Englifh name of a genus of plants, called by authors fecur'tdaca. See the article Securidaca, Suppl. Bitter-V et ch, the Englifh. name of a genus of plants, known among botanical writers by that of orobus. See the article Orobus, Suppl. Bindweed- leaved-V etch, a name fometimes given to thevetch-
ling. See the article Vetchling, infra. Chickling-V etch, the Englifh name of the lathyrus, a diftinct genus of plants. See the article Lathyrvs, Suppl.
Crimfon-grafs-V etch, a name fometimes ufed for the nijfolia^
a diftinct genus of plants. See the article Nissolia, SuppL Hatchet-V etch, the name by which fome call the fecuridacd
of botanical writers. See the article Securidaca, SuppL Kid?:ey-VETCH, the name by which fome call a fpecies of vul-
nerarin. See the article Vulneraria, Suppl. Liquorice-V etch, the Englifh name of a genus of plant**
known among botanifts by that of glycine. See the article
Glycine, SuppL Medic-VETCH, the name by which many call the onobrychis,
a diftinct genus of plants. See the article Onobrychis,
Suppl. Milk-VETCH, the Englifh name of a genus of plants, called
by botanical writers ajlragalus. See the article Astraga- lus, SuppL YETCH-grafi, in botany. See the article Grass, Append. VETCHLING, the Englifh name of a diftinct genus of plants*
known among botanifts by that of aphaca. See the article
Aphaca, SuppL VIGILIA, watch, in anticnt chronology. See the article
Watch, Append. VINE (Suppl.) — -Black-ViKE, a name by which the tamnus,
or black briony is fometimes called. See the article TaM-
NUSj Suppl.
Spanifl)-arbor-V 'ink, a name by which feveral fpecies of convol- vulus are fometimes called. See the article Convolvulus, SuppL
JVhite-Yi^E, or iVUd-ViKE, a name fometimes given to the bryonia alba. See the article Bryonia alba, Suppl.
VINEGAR (Suppl.) is faid to be a good remedy for the fting of wafps. Perhaps it might alfobefuccefhfully applied to thefting of bees, gnats, c5V. A late author pretends, that taken' in- ternally, efpecially if mixed with the powder of cantharides, vinegar is a remedy againft the hydrophobia. Vinegar ana honey, or oxymel, of the confiftence of a fyrup, (wallow- ed warm, is very good in many cafes of fure throats avifing from colds.
VIOLET (Suppl) — Dame's, or Queen's Violetj the Englifh name of a diftinct genus of plants, called by botanifts hefpe- ris. See the article Hesperis, SuppL
Bulbous-V iolet, a name fometimes given to the fnow-drop, a plant which Limueus makes a diftinct genus under the name galanthus; but which Tournefort comprehends among the narcijjb-leucoiums. See the article N ARCisso-leucoium, SuppL
Corn-VioLET, 2 name fometimes given to the campanula, or bell-flower. See the article Campanula, SuppL
Dog's tooth Violet, the name by which fome call the dens canis of botanical writers. See the article Dens cams, SuppL
VlPER's bughfs. See the article Bugloss, fupra.
Viper's grafs, the Englifh name of a diftinct genus of plants, called by botanical writers J'corzonera. See the article Scor* zonera, Suppl,
VIS viva, in mechanics, a term ufed by Leibnitz and his difciples for force, which they dtftinguifli into two kinds, vis mortua, and vis viva; underrtanding by the former any kind of preflure, and by the latter that force or power of acting, which rcfides in a body in motion* See Force.
VISNAGA, in bo;any, a genus of plants, according to Ray, but comprehended by Linnatus nnder the article daucus. See the article Daucus, Suppl.
Visnaga is alfo ufed by J. Bauhine as the name of a fpecies of foeniculwn. Seethe article Foeniculum, Append.
VITRUM Archimedeum, Archimedes s glafs, a name given by' Swedenborg to an inftrument which he invented for the ex- amination of mixt metals, and by means of which he could difcover the quantities, without the trouble of the apparatus, and calculation commonly ufed for this purpofe.
VIXEN, or Fixen, among fportfmen, denotes a fox's cub. Ruft. Diet, in voc.
UMBER (Cycl. and SuppL) — This earth when burnt makes a good fhade for gold. It need only be put into the naked, fire in large lumps, which fhould not be taken out till they be thoroughly red hot. Build. Diet, in voc.
UNACCENTED part of a bar. See Accent, Cycl,
UNILOCULAR, in botany, is applied to a capfule haying but one cell. See Capsule, Cycl.
UNRECLAIMED hawk, in falconry, one that is wild and untamed. Ruft. Diet, in voc.
UNSUMMED, a term ufed by falconers for a hawk's feathers' before they have arrived at their fall length. Ruft. Diet, in voc.
VOLUBILIS, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, ac- cording to Dillenius ; but comprehended by others under con- volvulus, ox bind-weed. See the article Convolvulus, SuppL
VOMIT (Suppl.)— Black-M 'omit, a diftemper frequent in the Weft-Indies, particularly at Carth' agena. The following ac- count of this diftemper has been communicated to us by a : friend.
The city of Carthagena is fituate 10 degrees 25 minutes 484 feconds of north latitude. The weather there is always- fultry hot. A thermometer conftructed by Monfieur de Reaumur gave on the 19th of November, 1735, one of their winter months, the degree of the warmth of the air 1025 ^ dWifion.
