CAR
C A R
. ;|1 egregious error, the difference in colour, and even in figure, between ihefetwo gems being obvious and eflential. '( 'he carbuncle is ufually found pure and faultlefe, and is of the fame degree of hardnefs with the fapphire, being fecond only to the diamond. It is ever found naturally of an angular figure, fmaller at one end than at the other, and at that fmall end ta- pering to a pointed pyramid, compofed of the fame number of planes with the column, which is fix, and thofe ufually very unequal. It is found adhering by its bafe to a heavy and hard ferruginous Hone of the emery kind, and is always more fine- ly coloured toward the point than at the bafe of the column. Its ufual fize is near a quarter of an inch in length, and two thirds of that in diameter in its thicken: part. Its colour is a ve- ry beautiful, and very deep red, refembling that of a mulberry when nearly ripe, and where paleft, going off into a fine fear- let, not into the purplifh or violet tinge of the garnet; but when held up againft the fun, it lofes its deep dye, and becomes exactly of the colour of a burning charcoal ; fo that the pro- priety of the name given it by the antients immediately firikes one on making the trial. It bears the force of fire unaltered, not parting with its colour by it, as do moil of the gems, nay, it even will not be at all affected by fire, nor become a whit the paler. This has been an experiment diligently tried by fome of our jewellers, who being difgufted by its too deep colour, have endeavoured the rendering it more vivid and ftriking to the eye, by d [veiling it of a part of it by this means,but always without fuccefs. It is found only in the Eaft Indies fo far as is yet known, and that but very rarely.
The difHnclions between the feveral red gems are very nice, and their names in fome degree arbitrary. Many authors have confounded the carbuncle with the ruby, and determined with Garcias, that every ruby which exceeded twenty-four caracts in weight, was properly a carbuncle. This gem, however, is by all trials proved to be evidently the carbuncle of the anticnts and effentially different from the ruby in wanting the purplifh tinge into which the colour of that gem goes off, as is extreme- ly evident in all the deep ones ; this going off into a true fcar- iet, and for that reafon giving the colour of a lighted charcoal in the fun, which neither the ruby, garnet, nor any other gem can do which has the blue or purple caff. Hill's Hilt, of FofT. p. 589.
The fineft carbuncles are fa'id to be produced in the ifland of Ceylon, the king of winch country is poffefled of a carbuncle a palm broad, and three inches thick, of the brightnefs of fire. PaulVenet. ap. Erafm. Francifc. Hort. Indie. P. 2. p. 1229. D'Herbei Bib?. Orient, p. 780.
Some include granats and hyacinths under theclafs of carbuncles. Caft. Lex. Med. p. 135. See Granat,&c.
Carbuncle is alfo, in medicine, fometimes ufed for the furun- culus. Junck, Confp. Chir. Tab. 8. p. 81. SecFuruncu- lus.
This is more particidarly called carbunculus benignus, by way of contra-diftindtian from that mentioned in the Cyclopaedia, which is of the malignant kind. "Junck. loc. cit.
Car buncle is alfo frequently ufed to denote a fmall eruption, which, coming on any part of the body, foon difcharo-es its contents, and afterwards appears in form of a crufty tubercle, of the fize of a millet feed, furrounded with a red fiery circle. Shaw, New Pra&. Phyf. p. 170: See Pestilential car- buncle.
Carbuncle, carbunculus, alfo denotes a fort of fandy matter found in Hetruria, formed of a hard earth of the fame name, concocted in the vifcera of the mountains, by the heat of the fubterranean vapours. Vitruv. de Archit. 1. 2. c. 4. & c. 6. Bald. L. Vitruv. p. 20.
Pliny and Varro fpeak of the carbunculus, as a peculiar kind of hot, dry, lean foil. Plin. Hill. Nat. 1. 17. c 4. Varro, de Re Ruff. 1. i.e. 2.
CARBUNCULATION, (Cycl) a difeafe of plants, otherwife called pruina a . It happens chiefly in the fpring and autumnal feafons, when vegetables being covered with dewy vapours, a fudden cold comes on them, which, congealing thofe vapours, the nutritious juice of the plant is coagulated, and the texture of its fibres deftroyed b . — £ " Plin. Hift. Nat. 1. 17. c. 24. b Vat. Phyf. Expcr. P. 2. Sec 6. c 4. p. 511.]
CARCARIAS cants-. See Lamia and Shark.
CARCASSES, {Cycl.) in war, are come to difufe, being found not to anfwer what was expected from them. Bombs and fire- balls prove equally ferviceable, though of much lefs trouble and expence. Rem); Mem. Artill. T. 1. p. 343. St. Julien, Forgede Vulcan, p. 78. Guill. Gent. Diet. P. 2. in voc Fafch. Ing. Lex. p. 153. Wolf. Lex. Math. p. 310. In lieu of the anticnt carcajjes, a new fort has been introduced made of iron bands, or ribs, which inclofc a canvafs bag, filled with combuitible matter, hardly to be extinguished. Fafcb. loc. cit.
We have alfo a third fort of car cafes, of a late invention, for the fea fervice, differing in nothing from a bomb, except in their being filled with acompofition like that above mentioned, and having five holes all primed with powder and quick match, which take fire from the fiafh of the mortar, and having fired the compofition, it burns vehemently from thofe holes. Gull. Genl. Diet. P. 2. in voc.
CAE.CERES, in antiquity, were the lifts, or barriers of the cir- cus, within which the horfc-s were confined, till the fignal was given by the magihVatc for flatting;.
The word is Latin, fuppofed to be formed a coercen'h, as they ferved as a reftraintto the horie; ready to run. Varr del inff Lat.I. 4.0 32. a
'I he number oi'carares was twelve. In the earlv days of Rome they were made of wood, which Claudius afterwards changed for marble K They were kept faff with bolts, fuftaincd by ropes, which, the moment the fignal was given, flew open all at once. Some thick that only four were ufed at a time ». — [ a Suet, in Claud, c 2 1 . n. 6. " Pklfc. Lex. Ant. T. 1 . p. 362 J
^AD^it^-^ S Canis ' SeC t,ieartIc!e Canis and Shark.
CAKUJSOMA {Cycl.) is fometimes ufed to denote a diforder of the tunica cornea of the eye, wherein the little veins of the part appear turgid and livid. Caft. Lex. Med. p. 136, item p. 126, voc cancer.
CARCINOMATOUS, the fame with cancerous, fee Can- cerous.
Schirrhi and ftrums, which are formed of the humors flopped by their vifcidity, or coagulated by an acid, as alfo polypus's, wherein the veflels retain their order and diftribution, are ori- ginally different from carcinomatous tumors, which, according to Gendron, arife from an indifpbfition of the glandular vefieis Yet, when the ftructure of the veflels is once deftroyed, the for- mer degenerate into a hard indiflblvable lump, capable offfer- mmatiou,fo that they lofe their former nature, and "become can- cerous.Vid.GwM&rflB^Recherch. fur les cancers c.6. PhilTranf N° 260. p. 479.
CARD,((Vj*/.) in the woollen manufactory, a fort of inftrument befet with fmall teeth of iron wire, ferving to range the hairs of wool, hemp, and the like. See Carding, Cycl and Suppl. The word feems formed from the Latin carduus {fuilomtm) which denotes the fuller's teazle ; a kind of thiftle whole head is ufed to range and fmooth the nap of doth, &c. Skin. Etym Angl. in voc. '
There are divers forts of tbefe cards, as ftock-awvfr, hand-card;, wool-cards, tow- cards, Sec.
Cards for play. — Among fharpcrs divers forts of falfe or frau- dulent cards have been contrived j as maiked cards, breef-cards corner-bend, middle-bend, &c.
Marked Cards are thofe where the aces, kings, queens and knaves, are marked on the corners of the backs with fpots of different number and order, either with clear water, or water tinged with pale Indian ink, that thofe in the fecret may dif- tinguifh them. Aces are marked with fingle fpcts on two corners oppofite diagonally ; kings with two fpots at the fame corners ; knaves with the fame number tranfverfed, &c.
Breef Cards are thofe which are either longer or broader than the reft ; chiefly ufed at whiff and picquet. The broad cards are ufually for kings, queens, knaves and aces - the long for the reft. Their defign is to direct the cutting, to enable him in the fecret to cut the cards difadvantageoufly to his adverfary, and draw the perfon unacquainted with "the fraud to cut them favourably for the {harper. As the pack is placed either end wife or fidewife to him that is to cut, the long or broad cards naturally lead him to cut to them. Breef cards are fometimes made thus by the manufacturer, but in defeat of thefe, (harpers pare all but the breefs with a razor or pen- knife.
Corner bend denotes four cards turned down finely at one corner to ferve as a fignal to cut by.
Middle bend, or Ivingjlon-lridge, is where the tricks are bent two different ways, which caufes an opening or arch in the middle to direct like wife the cutting. My ft. of Mod. Gam. p. or feq.
The inventor of cards is not known, nor even the age when they firft appeared; but by the matter they were always made of, viz. leaves of paper, they mould feem to be much posterior to the time of Charlemaign. F. Meneftrier fhews, that they were unknown in France 400 years ago. According to this jefuit they had their origin foon after the year 1 39 2 , about the time when Charles VI. was feized with aphrenfy, to divert whofe melancholy they feem to have been at firff intended. In an antient account of that king's filverfmith, mention is made of three packs of cards, gilt and covered with divers devices carried to the king for his amufement. Wht feems to con- firm their having been invented in France, is that all the figures had antiently flower de luces in their habits. Perhaps la Hire might be the inventor, whofe name was put at the bottom of the knave of hearts ; being partner in this honour with Hector and Ogier the Dane, which are the knaves offpadesand dia- monds. Others make cards of earlier date, and to have hem invented by the Germans, adding that, in lieu of the kings queens, knaves, and other figures now reprefented on them' they had antiently the figures of heathen gods and idols and had even miniftred to the purpofes of idolatry. Meneflr. Bib] Cur. T. 2. p. 174. Mem.deTrev. 1720. p, 935, feq. Be this as it will, we know not whether any exprefs mention is made of cards before the year 14O4, when a fynod held at Langres prohibited the clergy the ufe of them. Meneflr. loc. cit. Nouv. Rep. Lett. T. 35. p, 514, feq.
CARDA-
