WHIN WHIST. 



35 



h\s ministers at every step, and openly giving his 

 countenance to their enemies his ministers occu- 

 pied with their mutual jealousies and hatreds, ne- 

 glecting the business of the nation, and, at length, 

 in the midst of a rebellion which had grown to a 

 formidable height from their supineness and incapa- 

 city, resigning, in a body (Feb., 1746), to force Mr 

 Pitt into office, whom they equally feared and 

 hated." The death of Mr Pelham, in 1754, was 

 followed by new dissensions and political in- 

 trigues a mere scramble for office terminated by 

 the formation of the Pitt (see Chatham') and New- 

 castle (brother of Pelham) administration, in 1757- 

 This ministry, which was forced upon the king, in 

 direct opposition to his own wishes, carried Eng- 

 land triumphantly through the seven years' war, 

 but was dissolved in 1761, on the accession of 

 George III. See Walpole's Memoirs of the last ten 

 Years of the Reign of George II. (2 vols., 4to., 

 1822) ; and Coxe's Memoirs of the Pelham Ad- 

 ministration (2 vols., 4to., 1829). 



WHIN, in agriculture ; a term sometimes applied 

 to furze ; which, when cut in the sap, and bruised 

 in a proper way, by flails, or in other modes, makes 

 excellent green fodder, in winter, for horses. It is 

 also useful, in some measure, to sheep stock, as well 

 as the bees. 



WHIPPING. See Flagellation. 



WHIP-POOR-WILL (caprimulgus vociferus, 

 Wilson). This remarkable bird arrives in the 

 Middle States of America, about the close of April 

 or the beginning of May, and continues his mi- 

 grations to the centre of Massachusetts. In the 

 interior, it is said to proceed as high as Hud- 

 son's bay. It is a nocturnal bird, and continues 

 the cry, from which it derives its name, till mid- 

 night, except in moonlight nights. The Whip- 

 poor-will, when engaged in its nocturnal rambles, is 

 seen to fly within a few feet of the surface of the 

 earth, in quest of moths and other insects. During 

 the day, these birds retire into the darkest woods, 

 usually on high grounds, where they pass the time 

 in silence and repose, the weakness of their sight 

 compelling them to avoid the glare of the light. 

 Their food appears to be large moths, beetles, 

 grasshoppers, ants, and such insects as frequent the 

 bark of decaying timber. Sometimes, in the dark, 

 they will skim within a few feet of a person, mak- 

 ing a low chatter as they pass. They also, in com- 

 mon with other species, flutter occasionally round 

 domestic cattle, to catch the insects which approach 

 or rest on them ; and hence the mistaken notion 

 of their sucking goats. 



WHIRLIGIG; an instrument of punishment, 

 frequently used in the middle ages, and, in later 

 times, on the continent of Europe. In England, it 

 seems to have been employed chiefly in the army, 

 to punish trifling offences, committed by sutlers, 

 Jews, brawling women, and such persons. It is a 

 kind of circular wooden cage, turning on a pivot, 

 and, when set in motion, whirling round with such 

 velocity that the delinquent becomes extremely 

 sick. The punishment was generally public. This 

 instrument is sometimes used in insane hospitals, to 

 overcome the obstinacy of lunatics. 



WHIRLPOOL. When two opposite currents, 

 of about equal force, meet, they sometimes, especi- 

 ally in narrow channels, turn upon a centre, and 

 assume a spiral form, giving rise to eddies or whirl- 

 pools. The most celebrated of these are the Euri- 

 pus, near the island ,of Euboea, in the Grecian 

 Archipelago; Charybdis, in the strait between Si- 



cily and Italy ; and the Maelstrom, off the coast of 

 Norway. When agitated by tides or winds, they 

 sometimes become dangerous to navigators. 



WHIRLWINDS sometimes arise from winds 

 blowing among lofty and precipitous mountains, 

 the form of which influences their direction, and 

 occasions gusts to descend with a spiral or whirling 

 motion. They are frequently, however, caused by 

 two winds meeting each other at an angle, and then 

 turning upon a centre. When two winds thus en- 

 counter one another, any cloud which happens to 

 be between them is, of course, condensed, and 

 turned rapidly round; and all substances, sufficiently 

 light, are carried up into the air by the whirling 

 motion which ensues. The action of a whirlwind 

 at sea occasions the curious phenomenon called a 

 water-spout, which is thus described by those who 

 have witnessed it : From a dense cloud a cone 

 descends, in the form of a trumpet, with the small 

 end downwards: at the same time, the surface of 

 the sea under it is agitated and whirled round, the 

 waters are converted into vapour, and ascend, with 

 a spiral motion, till they unite with the cone pro- 

 ceeding from the cloud : frequently, however, they 

 disperse before the junction is effected. Both 

 columns diminish towards their point of contact, 

 where they are not above three or four feet in dia- 

 meter. In the middle of the cone forming the 

 water-spout, there is a white transparent tube, 

 which becomes less distinct on approaching it ; and 

 it is then discovered to be a vacant space, in which 

 none of the small particles of water ascend ; and in 

 this, as well as around the outer edges of the water- 

 spout, large drops of rain precipitate themselves. 

 In calm weather, water-spouts generally preserve 

 the perpendicular in their motion ; but when acted 

 on by winds, they move on obliquely. Sometimes 

 they disperse suddenly ; at others, they pass rapidly 

 along the surface of the sea, and continue a quarter 

 of an hour or more before they disappear. A notion 

 has been entertained that they are very dangerous to 

 shipping, owing to the descent, at the instant of 

 their breaking, of a large body of water, sufficient to 

 sink a ship ; but this does not appear to be the case, 

 for the water descends only in the form of heavy rain. 

 It is true, that small vessels incur a risk of being 

 overset if they carry much sail; because sudden 

 gusts of wind, from all points of the compass, are 

 very common in the vicinity of water-spouts. 



WHISKEY, (a corruption of the Gaelic word 

 usquebaugh, which, we believe, signifies water,} is 

 the name applied to a well-known liquor distilled 

 from barley, and in great repute both in Scotland 

 and Ireland. It may, indeed, be considered the 

 national beverage of both these countries. Aqua 

 vitce (water of life} is its commercial appellation. 

 For an account of its manufacture, see the article 

 Distillation in Supplement. 



WHIST. The laws of this game, as taken from 

 Hoyle, are as follows. 



Of Dealing. 1. If a card is turned up in deal- 

 ing, the adverse party may call a new deal, if they 

 think proper ; but if either of them have been the 

 cause of turning up such card, then the dealer has 

 the option. 2. If a card is faced in the deal, there 

 must be a fresh deal, unless it happens to be the 

 last deal. 3. It is the duty of every person who 

 plays, to see that he has thirteen cards. If any 

 one happens to have only twelve, and does not find 

 it out till several tricks are played, and the rest 

 have their right number, the deal stands good, and 

 the person who played with the twelve cards is to 



2 



