S T A
Metiodof making Starch of Wheat.
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S T A
The Grain being well cleaned, is put to ferment in Veffels full of Water, which they expoie to the Sun, when in its greateft. Heat 5 changing the Water twice a Day, for the Space of 8 or 12 Days, according to the Seaibn. When the Grain burits eafily under the Finger, they judge it fufHcient- ly fermented. The Fermentation perfected, and the Grain thus foften'd ; 'tis put, handful by handful, in a canvas Bag, to feparate the Flower from the Husks, which is done by_ rubbing and beating it on a Plank, laid acrols the Mouth ot the empty VefTel that is to receive the Flower.
As the Veffels are filled with this liquid Flower, there is feen fwimming a top, a reddifh Water, which is to be care- fully fcum'd oft* from time to time, and clean Water put in its Place j which, after ftirring the whole together, is all to be {trained through a Cloth or Sieve, and what is left be- hind, put into the VcflH with new Water, and expafed to the Sun for fbme time ; and as the Sediment thickens at the Bottom, they drain off the Water four or five Time?, by inclining the Veffel, but without paflingit through the Sieve. What remains at bottom, is the Starch, which they cut in Pieces to get out, and leave it to dry in the Sun. When dry, 'tis laid up for Ufe.
To ule Starch, they take as much as is needed, and fteep in Water over Night, changing the Water four or five Times.
The Starch-ram ufing the Refufe of Wheat, only obferve a Part of all thefe Things in their Procefs , but their Starch falls far fhort of this.
Starch is ufed along with Smalt or Stone-blue, to fliffen and clear Linnen. The Powder thereof is alio ufed to whiten and powder the Hair. 'Tis alio ufed by the Dyers to difpofe their Stuffs to take Colours the better.
STAR-Chamfar$ was a Chamber ztWepninfter, former- ly fo called, from its Roof being painted with Stars. See Chamber.
Henry the Vllrh and "Vlllth, ordered, by feveral Statutes, that the Chancellor, a flitted by others there named, fhould have Power to punifh Routs, Riots, Forgeries, Embraceries, Perjuries, and fiich other Mi/demeanors, as were not fufE- ciently provided for by the common Law, and lor which the inferior Judges were not fo proper to give Correction. But this Court, by 17 Car I. c, io. was intirely diffolv'd, and i'o continues to this Day.
STAR-Iwr, in Fortification, is a Work with feveral Faces, generally compofed of from 5 to 8 Points, with Saliant and Re-entring Angles flanking one another 3 every one of its Sides containing from 12 to 25 Fathoms,
STARTING, among Brewers, is the putting of new Beer or Ale ro that which is decayed, to revive it again.
STATER A Romana, or Sreelyard, a Name given to the Roman Balance. See Steelyard-
Statera was alfo an ancient Silver Coin, weighing four Attic Drachms, or Half a Roman Ounce. It was worth about two Shillings or two Shillings and Two-pence Sterling* See Coin.
STATE, or Eflate, an Empire, Kingdom, Province or Extent of Country under the lame Government. See Empire, Kingdom, &c.
The State, or States of the King of England, include the Britip Iilands and the Weft India Plantations, as Virginia, Carolina, Mary-land, ££?£. to which may be added, the Dutchies of Brunfzk-Lmienbourg, "Bremen, £$c.
State is alio ufed for the Policy or Form of Government of a Nation. Hence, Minifers of State ; Reafons of State, tfc. See Ratio Status, &c.
Politicians make feveral Forms of State, viz.. the Mo- narchic, as that of England; fee Monarchy : The demo- cratic, as that of Rome and Athens 5 fee Democracy: The Oligarchic^ as that of Venice ; fee Oligarchy : And the Aristocratic, as that of Sparta; fee Aristocracy, £*fa
STATE of a "Difeafe. See Acme.
STATES, a Term applied to the feveral Orders, or Gaffes of a People, affembled to confult of Matters for the publick Good. See Estates.
STATES-General, the Name of an Affembly, confifting of the Deputies of the Seven United Provinces.
In this Affembly, the Deputies of each Province, what Number foever they be, have only one Voice, and are efteem'd as but one Perfon ; the Votes being given by Pro- vinces. Each Province prefides at the Affembly in its Turn, according to the Order fettled among them 5 Gtielderland prefides 'firft, then Holland, $$c. This Affembly is the Re- prefentative of the Soveraignty of the Union, which refutes principally in the General Affembly of the States themfelves of all the Provinces : But as the Affembly ordinarily confifts of 7 or 800 Perfons, it was refblved, afrer the Departure of the Earl of Leicefler, in order to avoid Expence, and the Confufion of fb numerous a Body, that the Provincial Eflates ihould, for the future, be ordinarily rcprefented by their
Deputies, under the Name of the States-General, Wn0 w always to refide at the Hague, and who alone are now callcrf States General. a
Since that new Regulation, there have been two Gcner ] Aflemblies of the States of the Provinces 5 the former held ' 1600 at Berg-cp-Zoom, to confirm the Truce agreed on with the Arch-duke Albert, with the greater Solemnity- atK } . latter in 165 r.
States of Holland, an Affembly confifting of the Dcu ties of the Councils of each City 5 wherein refides the Sovp" ralgnty of that Province.
Originally, none but the Nobility and the Six principal Cities had Seats or Voices in the States. At prefent thereare the Deputies of 18 Cities.
The Nobility have the firfl Voice. The other Provincesof the Union have likewife their States, reprefenting their Soveraignty. .
STATICAL Barofcofe. Sec Baroscope.
STATICKS, STATICE, a Branch of Mathematics which eonfiders Weight or Gravity, and the Motion of Bodies arifing therefrom.
Thofe who define Meehanicks, the Science of Motion, make Staticks a Member thereof, viz,, that Part which eonfiders the Motion of Bodies arifing from Gravity. See Gravity.
Others make them two . diftinct Doctrines 5 retraining Meehanicks to the Doctrine of Motion, and Weight, in re- ference to the Structure and Power of Machines 5 and Staticfa to the Doctrine of Motion, confider'd merely as arifing from the Weight of Bodies, without any immediate refpedt to Machines : On which footing, Staticks /hould be the Doctrine or Theory of Motion ; and Meehanicks the Applica- tion thereof to Machines. See Mechanicks.
For the Za-zvs of St ATicKs-) g £Gravity,Descent,£s?c. Statical Barometer 5 t Barometer.
Staticks, Static'i, in Medicine, a kind of Epilepticfcs, or Perfons feiz'd with Epilepfies. See Epilepsy.
The Staticks differ from the Cataleptieks, in that, thefe laft have no Senfe of external Objects, nor remember any thing that paffes at the Time of the Paroxyfm : Whereas the Statici are all the while taken up with fome very flrong lively Idea, which they remember well enough, out of the Pit, See Epilepsy.
STATION, in Geometry, £e?c. a Place pitch'd upon to make an Obfervation, take an Angle, %$c.
An inacceffible Height or Diftance is only to be taken, by making two Stations, from two Places, whofe Diftances are known. In making Maps of Provinces, &c. Stations are fis'd on all the Eminences, l$c. of the Country, and Angles taken thence to the feveral Towns, Villages, ££r.
In Surveying, the Instrument is to be adjufted by the Needle, toanfwer the Points of the Horizon; at every Station, the Diftance from the laft Station to be meafured, and an Angle to be taken to the next Station 5 which includes the whole Bufinefs of Surveying. See Surveying.
In Levelling, the Inftrument is rectified, that is placed level, at each Station, and Obfervations made forwards and backwards. See Levelling.
Station, in Aftrononiy, the Pofition or Appearance of a Planet in the fame Point of the Zodiac for feveral Days. See Planet.
As the Earth, whence we view the Motions of the Planets, is out of the Centre of their Orbits, the Planets appear to proceed irregularly ; being fometimes feen to go forwards, that is from Wert to Faff, which is called their faireclion; fome- times to go backwards, or from JEaft to Weft, which is call'd their Retrograde ion. See Direction and Retrogra-
DATION.
Now between thefe two States, there muft be an intermedi- ate one, wherein the Planet neither appears to go backwards nor forwards, but to ftand frill and keep the ""fame Place in her Orbit, which is call'd her Station. See Stationary.
STATION, in Church Hiftory, is ufed for the Farts of the 4th and 6th Day of the Week 5 that is, thofe of Wednefdty and Friday, which many among the Ancients obferved with much Devotion.
Thefe Faffs only held to 3 o'Clock in the Afternoon. See Fast.
S.Tetero? Alexandria, in his Canonical Epiftle, Qn.iS- obferves, that it was appointed in conformity with the ancient Tradition, to fail weekly on thofe Days: On Wednefday* 1" Memory of the Counfcl the Jews took to put our Saviour to Death ; and on Friday, on account of his Pafiion j fome regard to which is ftill had by many in the Church of England.
Station is alfo ufed in the Church 0$ Rome, for certain Churches where Indulgences are to be had on certain Days. See Indulgence.
"Twas St. Gregory that fix'd the Stations at Rome, '• e. the Churches where the Office was to be perform 'd each .Day of Lent, and on Solemn Feaft Da vs. Thefe Stations he
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