MIL
( tti )
Aries Milk is faid to be a great Beautifier and Preferver ef the Skin. Vo^fea, Wife of the Emperor Nero, ufed it for that purpofe > having four or five hundred Affes con- flan tly in her Retinue, to furnifh her every Morning with a frefliBath. 5
We have feveral artificial Milks, fo call'd from their re- femblanceof natural ones. As,
Milks/ Sulphur, a Preparation of Flowers of Sulphur, and Salt of Tartar ; prefcribed by thePhyficians, as a Su- dorific. See Sulphur.
Virgin* b Milk, Lac Virginale, compofed of Rock Alum, Spring Water, Litharge, and Vinegar ; ufed as a Cofmetic, to drive in Pimples, and check any cutaneous Eruptions, by its cooling, reftringent Quality.
Milk of the Moon, Lac Luna, is a Name given by the Katural'ifts to a kind of fcffil Agaric. See Agaric.
Milk, of the Moon, or of Silver, is alfo the Name of a white, porous, friable, infipid Earth, extracted by fubli- mation from a Matter frequently found in Silver-Mines : Whence alfo it has the Name of Bowers of Siher. See Silver.
MILKY WAY, ViaLaBea, or Galaxy. See Galaxy.
MILL, in propriety, is a Machine ufed for Grinding : But the Word in its general Signification is ufed for all Machines vvhofe Action depends on a circular Motion. See Grinding, Machine,^.
Of thefe there are various kinds, which acquire various Names according to the various manners in which the moving Power is apply'd 5 but they may all be reduced to three heads, -viz. Wind-Mills, Water -Mils, and Hand-Mills 5 under which laft, are alfo comprehended thofe worked by Horfes, g?r. '
Water-M i-l-ls are thofe turned by the force or fall of a River, ££c Of which, again, there are two kinds 5 thofe where the force of the Water is apply 'd above the Wheel, call'd Over-Shot $ and thofe where it is apply'd below the Wheel, call'd Under-Shot Mils. See Water- Mil.
Jfwrf-MiLLs, are thofe turned by the force of Wind ga- thered in their Sails. Of thefe, fome are call'd Verti- cal, others Horizontal, according to the pofition of the Sails 5 or rather according to the direction of their Motion with regard to the Horizon. See Vertical and Horizontal,
For the beft Form of Horizontal Sails, as alfo for deter- mining the Pofition of the Axis of Wind-Mills, fee Wind- Mi//.
Portative, or Hand-Mihhs, are thofe kept in Motion by the Hand ; or whofe Mill-Stones are turn'd, or Piftons driven by the force of Horfes, or other Beafts.
The Ufe of Mills and Mil 1-f tones, according to Paufanias, was fir ft invented by Miletus, Son of Meleges, firft King of Sparta, Tho Pliny attributes the Invention of every thing belonging to Bread and Baking, to Ceres. Polydore Virgil was not able to difcoverthe Author of fo ufeful a Machine. s Tis doubted whether or no Water-Mills were known to the Romans ; there being no mention made in the Digeft but of Mills turned by Slaves and Affes.
Salmajius, however, and Gothofrid, will not allow Water- Mills to have been unknown to the antient Romans, though they were not in ordinary ufe.
Wind-Mills are of much more modern Invention : The firlt Model of thefe was brought from Jjia into Europe, in the time of the Holy-Wars.
Mill is alfo ufed, in the general, for all Machines, which being moved by fome external Force, ferve to give a violent Imprefiion on things apply'd thereto.
Mills in this fenfe, are Machines of vaft ufe in the Manufactures, Arts, and Trades ; for the making and pre- paring divers kinds of Merchandizes. The principal are thofe which follow.
Payer-Mux, a Water-Mill furnifti'd with feveral Ham- mers, which beat, or pound the Rags or Cloth in a kind of Wooden-Trough : and thus by reducing them to little pieces, turn them into a kind of Pulp, by means of Water con- vey'd into the Troughs by a Pipe for the purpofe. See Paper.
TuBing-MiVL, is a Water-Mill which raifes and beats down large wooden Piftons in proper Veffels, call'd Peels or Troughs 5 in order to full, fcowcr, and clean fe Woollen Stuffs. See Fulling.
■L/hcm-Mills don't differ much from Fulling-Mills. Their Ufe is to fcower Linens, after having been firft cleans'd when taken out of the Lixivium, or Lye. See Bleaching.
Some of thefe go by Water, the generality by Horfe*.
Mill in Coinage, is a Machine ufed to prepare the La~ min* or Plates of Metal, and to give them the proper thicknefs, hardnefs, and confidence before they be ftruck or ftamped. See Coining.
This Machine has not been long known among us ; but is of fome ftanding in Germany. It confifts of feveral Wheels dented like thofe of Clocks, &c. which move two Cylinders of Steel, between which the Metal is paffed
MIL
to be brought to its proper thicknefs. It was firft turned in order w.rh Water, afterwards with Cattcl, fgc
Mill among the Gold Wire-Drawers, is a little Ma- chine confiflmg of two Cylinders of Steel, ferving to flat- ten the Gold, or Sdver Wire, and reduce it into Lamm*, or Plates. See Gold-Wire.
They have alfo Mills to wind the Gold. Wire or Thread on the Silk ; compofed of feveral rows of Bobins all turned at thefametime. Sec Ductility
iWMiLts, is a Machine that ferves"to bruife the bugar-Canes, and exprefs the Liquor or Juice contain'd therein. See Sugar.
The Sugar-Mills are very curious Contrivances. Of thefe there are four kinds ; being turned either by Water, Wind Men, or Horfes.
Thofe turned by the hand were firft in ufe 5 but are now laid afide, as being an intolerable Hard/hip on the poor Negroes, who were doom'd thereto 5 befides the fluwnefs of their Progrefs.
Wind-Mills are the moft Modetn, but they are yet fomewhatrare: excepting in St. Ckriflopber's and Barbathes and among the Portugueze. Thefe make good difpatch, but have this Inconvenience, that they are not eafily ilo'p'd ; which proves frequently fatal to the Negroes who feed them.
Oi7-Mills, whether turned by Men, Water, Hand, or Horfe, ferve to bruife or break the Nuts, Olives, and other Fruits and Grains, whofe Juice is to be taken byExprcflion to make Oil. See Oil, Olive, f$c.
Tan, or itertMiLLS, wrought by Water or Horfes, ferve to cut certain Barks into a coarfe fort of Powder, proper for the Tanning of Hides, Igc. See Bark and Tanninc.
Saivixg-M ill is a Water-Mill, ferving to faw feveral Planks or Boards at the fame time. See Sawing.
Thefe are frequent in France, efpecially in Daupbine. They were lately prohibited in England, where they were begun to be introduced, from a view to the Ruin of the Sawyers, which mult have enfued.
forge-MiLLS, turn'd by Water, ferve to raife and let fall one or more huge Hammers, to beat and form the Iron into Bars, Anchors, or other maifive Works. See Forge.
Mills for Sword-Blades, are likewife moved by Water. They are frequent at Vienne in Dauphine. By working heavy Hammers, they forge thofe excellent Sword-Blades, call'd Blades of Vicnne.
Lealher-M.ii.LS, are ufed to full, and prepare with Oil, the Skins of Stags, Buffalo's, Elks, Bullocks, ££c. to make what they call Buff -Leather, for the ufe ofMilitary- Men.
This is effected by means of feveral large Piftons riling and falling on the Skins in large Wooden-Troughs, by means of a Wheel without-fide, turn'd by the force of the Water. See Buff.
Gun- Powder Mill, isthatufed to pound, and beat to- gether the Ingredients whereof Gun-Powder is compofed.
This is done in a kind of Iron or Brafs Mortar by means of Iron Peftles wrought by a Wheel without the Mill, turn'd by the Water falling on it. See Gun-Powtjer.
There are alfo .SV/^-Mills, for fpinning, throwing, and twilling Silks 5 which are large round Machines in form of Turrets, five or fix Foot high, and fix Yards in diameter 5 which being turn'd either by the force of Water, or that of Men, work at the fame time an infinity of Bobins fallned thereto, whereon the Silk had been wound to be here fpun, and twilled. See Silk and Throwster.
There are abundance of Mills of thiskind in France, efpe- cially about Lyons and Tours, fome of which are fo dif- pofed, as that three of them will go at the fame time, and by the fame Wheel wrou ght by Water, or by ftrength of Hand. That in the Hopital de h Charite at Lyons, is wonderful, a Angle Man working no lefs than forty-eight of thefe Mills. See Millinc.
MILLDEW, RWutjo, a Difeafe happening to Plants, caufed by a dewy Moifture, which falling on them, and continuing, for want of the Sun's heat, to draw it up , by its Acrimony corrodes, gnaws, and fpoils the inmott Subtlance of the Plant, and hinders the Circulation of the nutritive Sap ; upon which the Leaves begin to fade, and the Blof- foms and Fruit are much prejudiced.
According to Meff.Coo^ and Mortimer, Milldetn is a thick, clammy Vapour exhaled in the Spring and Summer from Plants, Blofloms, and even the Earth itfelf, in clofe flill Weather, when there is neither Sun enough to draw it on high, nor Wind enough to difperfe ir. Hanging thus in the lower Regions, when the Evening's Cold comes on, it condenfes and falls on the Plants ; withits thick clammy Subilance flops up their Pores, and thus prevents Per- fpiration, and hinders the Sap from afcending to nouriiri its Flowers, Shoots, %£c. See Dew.
'Tis added, this Dew falling on the top of the Shoot of a Cherry-Tree about Midfutnmer, has been found to flop the Shoot ; fo as the Tree has fhot fotth in other places.
Blights
