CAR 



198 



CAR 



pass to the rear of the squadron. 2. A 



stair-case in a helix or spiral form 



CAR'ACOLI, an alloy of gold, silver, and 



inferior j 

 made. 



copper, of which 



rior jewellery is 



CAR'AMEL (French), sugar partially de- 

 composed by the action of heat. 



CARAN'KA (Spanish), a resin called also 

 caragua and caranna-gum. It exudes 

 from a large tree of New Spain, the bo- 

 tanical characters of which are not well 

 ascertained. 



CA'RAPA'cE.Lat. clypetis, the hard cover- 

 ing or shell which protects the upper 

 part of the body of the Chelonian reptiles. 



CARA'ss>,the bony vault or shell which 

 protects the upper part of the turtle and 

 tortoise ; also the analogous part in the 

 crab. 



GAR'AT (Arabic). 1. A weight used in 

 Mecca, equal to the twenty-fourth part 



of a denarius or denier. 2. A weight 



of four grains, used in weighing dia- 

 monds. 3. A term used in expressing 



the fineness of alloys of gold. The whole 

 mass is supposed to be divided into 24 

 jqual parts, and as many of these parts 

 &3 it contains of pure gold, are taken as 

 the number of carats. Thus if a mass 

 contain 22 parts of pure gold out of every 

 24, it is gold of 22 carats. The term carat 

 is by some derived from the name of a 

 'bean, the produce of a species of Erythina, 

 a native of Shansallas, in Africa, a fa- 

 aious mart of gold-dust. The tree is called 

 kuara. As the dry seeds are nearly of 

 c-nifnrm weight, the savages have used 

 them from time immemorial to weigh 

 gold. The beans were anciently trans- 

 ported to India, and have been long used 

 there to weigh diamonds. 



CAR'AVAN, an organised company of 

 merchants or pilgrims, or both, who as- 

 sociate together in many parts of Asia 

 and Africa, that they may travel with 

 rrsater security through deserts and 

 ether places infested by robbers, or where 

 the road is naturally dangerous. The 

 word is derived from Persian, kdrvan, a 

 trader. 



CAKAVAN'SERA, a large public building 

 in oriental countries, appropriated to the 

 reception and lodgement of the caravans. 

 The traveller must take his provisions 

 ar.d all necessaries with him to the cara- 

 vansera, where nothing is provided but 

 lodging and water. 



CAR'AVL, Tr. caravelle, a small vessel 

 of 25 or 30 tons' burden, used on the coast 

 of France in the herring fisheries; written 

 also carvel. 



CAR'AWAT, a small biennial plant (the 

 carwn carui) much cultivated in Essex 

 for. its seeds (caraway -teed), which are 

 small, cblong, pointed at both ends, and 

 curved. These seeds are chiefly used by 

 In Scotland they are 



called cany ; iu France and Italy, cam. 

 The term caraway is Arabic, k&rawia. 



CARBAZOT'IC ACID , a peculiar acid formed 

 by the action of nitric acid on indigo, and 

 thus named by Liebig, from carbon and 

 azote. It is a powerful narcotic poison. 

 Its salts are named carbazotates. 



CAR'BON, from Lat. carbo, coal. C?.ar- 

 coal, a peculiar substance, which may be 

 obtained from most organic substances 

 by ignition in close vessels. It is com- 

 monly prepared from wood. Diamond is 

 pure carbon. 



CARBONATE, a salt formed by the union 

 of the carbonic acid with a base. When 

 the base is imperfectly saturated with the 

 acid, the salt formed is called a subcar- 

 bonate ; when there is an excess of acid, a 

 bicarbonate. 



CAR'EOSATED WATER, water either pure 

 or holding various saline matters in so- 

 lution, impregnated with carbonic acid. 

 The carbonated water made for sale, con- 

 tains usually a little soda, which being 

 charged with the gas, is called soda-water. 



CARBON'IC ACID, called also fixed air, 

 carbonaceous acid, calcareous acid, and 

 agrial acid, is a compound of carbon and 

 oxygen, and is formed during the com- 

 bustion of charcoal. It is gaseous, co- 

 lourless, and cannot support respiration 

 or combustion. It composes 44 of the 

 weight of limestone, marble, &c., and ia 

 readily disengaged by any of the strong 

 acids. It is much heavier than common 

 air, and therefore occupies the lower part 

 of mines, caverns, &c.,and for this reason 

 it is called by miners choke-damp. Sym. C. 



CARBOS'IC OXIDE, called also oxide of 

 carbon ; a gaseous compound of carbon 

 and oxygen; transparent, inodorous, in- 

 flammable, burning with a pale blue 

 flame. It does not support respiration or 

 combustion. It differs from carbonic acid 

 in having only one equivalent of oxygen. 

 Symb. C. 



CARBONIF'EROCS (carbon and/ero); con- 

 taining or yielding carbon. 



CAR'EONISED, converted into charcoal 

 (carbon). 



CARBOY, a large globular bottle of green 

 glass protected by basket-work. 



CAR'BCNCLE, Lat. carbtmcultu. 1. The 

 name of a gem highly prized by the an- 

 cients. It is a species of the ruby, of a 



very rich glowing blood-red colour. 



2. A disease. See ANTHRAX. 



CAHBO-'CULATE, Lat. carbunculatus ; ap- 

 plied, 1. To the nose and face when 

 affected with the disease called acne rot- 



acea. 2. To small protuberances on any 



part of animals, vegetables, or minerals. 



CARBUJJCDLA'TION, the blasting of the 

 buds and leaves cf trees, &c., by excess of 

 hsat OF cold: iron; carbuncido, to blast. 



CAR'BCRET, a compound formed by the 

 chemical combination of carbon nith, 



