CAPTAIN'. 



CARAVAN. 



In 1S42, and again in 1849, Messrs. Bette took out patents for the 

 manufacture of metallic capsule*, to cover the corked mouth* of bottle* 

 and jar*. Before that time, such article* had usually been made wholly 

 of tinfoil ; but the patentee* devised a mode of coating lead with tin, 

 which would enable them to prepare the capsule* at a cheaper price. 

 They placed a tin-plate on a thicker lead plate, united them, and rolled 

 them to the required thickness. For some purpose* they coated the 

 lead on both sides with tin, producing a brilliant white ribbon, con- 

 taining nine time* as much lead a* tin, and capable of resisting acids. 

 The ribbon*, whether singly or doubly coated, were cut into discs, and 

 made into capsule*. The manufacture entailed a lose at first, but 

 brought in greet profit afterwards. One pickle-merchant was accus- 

 toned too** the** capsules to the value of 250/. a month. The prepared 

 metal itself, under the name of Belts'* metal, was used for other 

 purposes beside* capsule*. The extent of the trade in these small 

 article* was illustrated in two or three ways before the law-courts. In 

 1826, the patentee* applied for an extension of the patent of 1842, on 

 the plea that the early years of it* exercise had been unsuccessful ; but 

 this was refused, on toe ground that there was no special merit in the 

 invention, and that a profit of 20.000A had already been made out of 

 it. About the same time, these capsule* became the subject of a 

 chancery-suit between the four brothers Betts, which ended in an 

 award of the property in the capsules to one brother, and sums of 

 money to the other three. A patent trial also occupied one of the 

 Courts, to decide whether certain patents token out in 1804 and 1820 

 were of such a kind as to invalidate Betta' patent : another example of 

 the high mercantile value often attached to article* comparatively 

 insignificant. 



The capsule* which belong to medicine, rather than to manufactures, 

 ore sweetened envelope* for nauseous or repulsive medicines. They 

 are generally made of gelatine and sugar, sometimes with a little gum. 

 The mod* of producing and filling them is curious. The bulbous end 

 of a metal rod is oiled, and dipped into a strong solution of sweetened 

 gelatine ; the rod is whirled round a few times, to diffuse the gelatine 

 ever toe surface of the bulb ; the little gelatine globes are removed 

 when sufficiently dry, placed on large-headed pins to harden, and the 

 pin* (tuck into a piece of, cork. When dry, each little globe or capsule 

 i* filled with the liquid medicine by mean* of a small tube, and tbe 

 orifice is finally closed with melted gelatine. Some of the capsules are 

 made of gut or fine membrane, shaped by being stretched over an oiled 

 bulb of (rlin The medicines administered in capsule* are such as 

 balsam of copaiba, castor oil, cod-liver oil, ic. 



CAPTAIJT (from the French eajiitauw, which come* from the Latin 

 eapttt, a head), in the naval service, is an officer having the government 

 of a ship of war ; and, in the army, is one who commands a troop of 

 cavalry or a company of infantry. 



In military affair*, the title of captain seems to have been originally 

 applied, both in France and England, like that of General at present, 

 to officers who were placed at the head of armies or of their principal 

 divisions, or to the governors of fortified places. Pere Daniel relate* 

 that it was at one time given to every military man of noble birth ; 

 and add* that, in the sense in which it is at present used, it originated 

 when the French kings gave commissions to certain nobles to raise 

 companies of men, in proof of which he quotes an ordonnanoe of 

 Charles V. This must have been before 1880, in which year that king 

 died. In the Rns^'^i service the denomination of captain, in the same 

 seme, appears to have been introduced about the reign of Henry VII., 

 when it was borne by Ike officer* ~~""-*^ ; "e the yeomen of the 

 guard, and the band of gentlemen penmonera. (Grose's ' Military 

 Antiquities,' voL i.) 



Tbe established price of a captain'* commission is, in the Life Guards, 

 UOCt; in the Dragoon*, 322W. ; in the Foot Guard*, with the rank of 

 lieutenant-colonel, 46001 ; in the infantry of the line, 18CW/. ; and no 

 officer eaa be promoted to the rank of captain until he has been two 

 years an effective subaltern. The full pay of a captain in the Life and 

 Foot Guard* i* 1 61. per day ; in the Dragoon*, 14*. J4. ; and in the 

 infantry of the line is 1 li. Id. per day. 



The duty of a captain in the army i* one of considerable importance, 

 sine* that officer is responsible for the etteieaey of U* eranany in every 

 by which it i. rendered fit fereervioe: be has to attend 



to eee that the clothing, arms, *c , of the men ore in good 

 .and that their pay and allowance* are duly supplied. Whenthe 

 army ie enaamped.ene captain of each rngimiat, i* appointed a* oajitAin 

 for the day; hi* duty is to superintend the camp of hie regiment, to 

 attend the parading of the regimental guard*, to virft the hospital, to 



to 



tbe roll to be 

 rtererythi 



: 



.;,.... 



end at uncertain hours, and 



A high degree of reaponeibility" rest* upon the commander of a xhip 

 to him ia committed the care of a numerous crew, with 



whom he has to encounter tbe ilogiin of the ocean and the chances of 

 bottU ; and as the floating fortress, with it* costly artillery and stores, 

 when tnmfoiiad to the enemy, increases by so much his naval strength, 

 '* * evident that nothing but utter iBabuity to prevent him from 

 ting possession can justify the commander in surrendering. In the 

 Fr*noh^*enrice the captain wo* prohibited from abandoning hi* 

 ioflrtli; and in action he wms bound nnder the same 

 I it to t*. bat sienuV> : hem* even to How up hi* 



fsun of aBth 

 deasnd it to tb 



The pay of a captain in tbe navy varies with the rate of the ship, 

 from 811. 7$. per month for a first-rate, to 26i 17*. for a sixth-rate. 

 Commanders of sloops have 2jU., and a captain of marine* 14'. 14i. I-T 

 month. 



From the book of general regulations and orders, it appear* that 

 lieutenant* of her majesty's ships rank with captains of the army. 

 Commanders (by courtesy entitled captains) rank with majors. 

 Captains (formerly designated post-captains) with lieutenant-colonuls ; 

 but after three years from the date* of their commissions they rank 

 with full colonel*. 



The rank of post-captain was that at which when the comma). 

 a ahip of war had arrived, his subsequent promotion to a jl. 

 place only in consequence of seniority, a* colonels of the army obtain 

 promotion to the rank of general officer*. Such captain was then said 

 to be podtd ; but this title does not now exist. 



Several petty officers in a ship bear the title of captains : thus there 

 is a captain of the forecastle, a captain of the hold, captains of tin- 

 main- and fore-tops, of the mast, and of tin; after-guard. 



CAPIVIIINS. [ K.IAN. I^ASB.] 



CAR, HUSH. [.STAGE CARRIAGES..] 



CAIIAI'.IM-:. [Anns.] 



CAKAMKi, i< Y.H^Oj is a name given to cane-sugar when it ha* 

 been exposed to a temperature of 420, The sugar loses three equi- 

 valents of water, and becomes converted into a brown mass. It is 

 used as a colouring matter by cooks and confectioners, and is also 

 employed for colouring spirits. 



CAKAPIKE, an alkaloid found in the Caraput guianauit. It forms 

 crystallisable salts with hydrochloric and acetic acids. Its composition 

 is not known. 



CARAT, KARAT. The karatium (atfariwl) was originally the 

 twenty-fourth part of the marc, or half-pound, among the French, from 

 whom the word came : go that three carats made an ounce. Eiseu- 

 M-hmidt cites a coin of Charles VII., of an ounce weight, bearing ii..- 

 legend 



" D'or fin <uis, txtrait d daoaU 

 Kt fus fait pcsaut trois korau." 



The carat was a small weight used for gold and jewels, and (Paucton) 

 varied greatly in different countries. But at last it went out of use, 

 except only in the sense in which it still exists, namely, that a carat 

 means the twenty-fourth part of any weight of gold or gold alloy. If 

 such a weight be all gold, it is said to be twenty-four carats fine ; if 

 one-third only be gold, it is said to be eight carats fine. 



The karath occurs (Ducange) in an old English charter a> a measure 

 of wine ; but this is the carrada or carraia formerly used as a measure 

 of liquids, and supposed to be the quantity which could be carried in a 

 cornu or car. 



The carat is also used in the weighing of diamonds, and is equal to 

 8J grains troy. 



CARAVAN, a travelling body of merchant* or pilgrims, who join 

 company for safety and convenience. The term, which is of Persian 

 origin (Kdncdn in Persian having the same signification as Caravan 

 in English), is applied to journeys in the East, more particularly to 

 those made in Arabia, Nubia, Syria, Persia, and Asia Minor; but tb- 

 practice obtains, though mostly on a smaller scale, in many other 

 countries. 



In the East the caravans have a commercial or religious character, 

 and very frequently both ; the greatest of them all, or those which 

 proceed annually to the holy city of Mecca, have always trade as well 

 as prayers in view. These caravans are regularly organised by govern- 

 ment, and placed under the direction of office of high rank, \\]m 

 assign to the different travellers their ] .r. >] KT place in the long 

 march, aud see that good order is maintained. Sixty thmiwmcl mm 

 and twenty thousand camels have sometimes arrived at Mecca with 1 1n- 

 Had ji or pilgrim caravans. But this amount in insignificant, compared 

 with the numbers that flocked to tli>- Imly i-ity in other age. Tin- 

 Syrian caravan, as it is called, though it first starts from Turkey, is 

 now the most numerous and the best regulated. This caravan sets out 

 from Constantinople, or rather from the Asiatic subnrl. Scut.'iri, nn.t 

 collect* pilgrim* and traders all through Anatolia and Syria. On 

 arriving at Damascus, the caravan is under the pn>t< Pasha 



of Damascus, who derives both honour and profit from iln- charge. 

 At this pleasant city it generally remains three or four weeks, in order 

 to prepare for a journey of thirty days across the desert. Here also 

 the camels ore changed, the Anatolian camel not being c<m*i<ln <<! fit 

 for soeh a journey. When all is ready, the Pasha of Damascus, or <MH- 

 of his chief offkoen, puts himself at the head of the cnravan, which he 

 accompanies to Mecca. The signal for encamping and starting i the 

 firing of a musket. On its route across the desert, where maraudiiiK 

 Arab* are always on the look out, a troop of horse rides in fnn,: 

 another in the rear to bring up the stragglers. The different ; 

 of travellers, who are distinguished by their provinces or towns, keep 

 close together, and each party knows its proper station. The usual 

 arrangement of tbe badji* i* to contract with a mekowcm, a man who 

 peculate* hi the furnishing of animals and provisions, ha* his camels, 

 tents, servants, meat, coffee, Ac., and who takes upon himself 

 tronUi sod expense for a given sum. 



