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CCM'BRIAN SYSTEM. In geology, another 

 name for the slate or grauwacke system, 

 from its being most remarkably developed 

 in Cumberland. It includes the Plynlym- 

 mon and Snowdon rocks, and Bala lime- 

 stone. The strata are of great but un- 

 known thickness. 



CUNETTE', CUVETTE' (Fr.), a deep trench 

 in the middle of a dry moat, to obstruct 

 the enemy's approach to a fortified place. 



CU'PEL, from cvpella, a little cup. A 

 shallow vessel like a cup, used in refining 

 metals. It is made of phosphate of lime, 

 which suffers the baser metals to pass 

 through it, when exposed to a meltiug 

 heat, and retains the pure metal. The 

 process is called cupellation. 



CCPELLA'TION, the purifying of gold, 

 ilver, palladium, and platinum, by an 

 addition of lead, which at a due heat be- 

 comes vitrified, and promotes the vitrifi- 

 cation and calcination of inferior metals 

 in the mixture, so that they are carried 

 off in the fusible glass which is formed. 



CC'POLA (It.), a dome (see DOME). The 

 word signifies also the founder's furnace 

 for melting cast iron. 



CCP'PING. In surgery, the application 

 of curctMtula or cupping-glasses to the 

 fleshy parts of the body, for the purpose 

 of effusing the blood into the cellular 

 tissue (as in dry nipping), or of actually 

 extracting it after scarification. To apply 

 the cupping-glass, all that is necessary is 

 to heat the bottom of it slightly over a 

 spirit-lamp: this rarefies the air within 

 it, so that when applied and reduced to 

 the ordinary temperature, a partial 

 vacuum is fonned into which the blood 

 is determined. 



CUP'PING-GLASS, a glass vessel like a 

 cup, but more ample and round at the 

 bottom part. 



CrpREs'srs, the cypress-tree: a genus. 

 MoncenaXonadelphia. So called (O.TO rov 

 xuiiv nayo-rov; rovs {6,aovaf), because 

 it produces equal branches. There are 

 even species. See CYPRESS. 



CCRACO'A, a liquor prepared in great 

 perfection by the Dutch. 



CC'RATE, Lat. curator (from euro, cure) ; 

 a clergyman of the Church of England 

 who is employed to perform divine ser- 

 vice in the place of the incumbent parson 

 or vicar. 



CCRA'TOR, Lat. from euro, cure ; a trus- 

 tee or person appointed, according to the 

 forms of civil law, to manage the affairs 

 of minors and persons incapable of ma- 

 naging their own concerns. 



CURB, Fr. courier, to bend. 1. In the 

 manege, a chain of iron made fast to the 

 upper part of the branches of the bridle, 

 and running over the beard of the horse. 

 Au \Fr. CLftr6, It. corba) a hard and cal- 

 lous swelling on the hind part of the hock 



of a horse's leg. 2 In bricklaying, a 



noose of oak for brick steps, to prevent 

 the bricks from being dislocated. 



CCRB- PLATE. In architecture, the wall 

 plate of a circular or elliptically-riblx'd 

 dome; also the horizontal rib at top, and 

 the circular frame of a well, the horizon- 

 tal piles of timber at the junction of the 

 upper and lower rafters of a curb-roof, 

 and the plate of a skylight are thus deno- 

 minated. 



CCRB-RAFTERS, the upper rafters on both 

 sides of a curb- roof. 



CCRB-ROOF, a roof formed of four con- 

 tiguous planes, each two bavins an ex- 

 ternal inclination : called also a Ifansard- 

 roof. It gives more space to the upper 

 rooms of the house. 



CURB-STONES, the stones placed at the 

 edge of a pavement to hold the work to- 

 gether : written also kirb. 



CCHCU'MA, the Turmeric: an extensive 

 genus of perennial plants. Monandria 

 jfonogynia. Name from Arabic, Kurkittn, 

 a general name for all roots of a saffron 

 colour. 



CCRETTE' (Fr.), a surgical instrument, 

 shaped like a little scoop, for taking away 

 any opaque matter that may be left be- 

 hind the pupil, after extracting the cata- 

 ract from an eye 



CCR'FEW, Fr. cotivre-feu, cover-fire ; a 

 signal given in cities taken in war, &c., 

 to the inhabitants to put out their fires 

 and retire to rest. The most celebrated 

 curfew in England was that established 

 by AVilliam the Conqueror, who appointed 

 that, under severe penalties, at the ring- 

 ing of a bell at eight o'clock, every one 

 should put out his light and go to bed : 

 hence still, a bell rung about that time of 

 the evening is called a curfew-bell. 



CO'RIA, anciently a court or senate- 

 house. 



CU'RIES, a subdivision of the Roman 

 patrician tribes, each of which were di- 

 vided into ten curies. 



CCR'LEW, Fr. corliev or courlis, a bird 

 belonging to the genus ScolojMu;, Lin., but 

 formed by Cuvier into a separate genus, 

 ywmenitis. It frequents the sea-shore. 



CUR'RENT, a flowing; applied to fluids, 

 as a stream or flux of water moving some- 

 times rapidly in any direction, and com- 

 mon in various parts of the ocean ; e. g., 

 the gulf stream is a remarkable current. 

 The setting of the current is that point of 

 the compass to which the water runs, 

 and the drift of the current is the rate it 

 runs per hour. 



CURRICC'LUM, Lat. from ciirro, to run; 

 the complete course of studies of a uni- 

 versity, school, &c. 



CCRRO'CA., a sub-genus of passerine 

 birds, the most celebrated of which is the 

 nightingale (JHotacilla Imcinia, Lin.). S~ 

 MOTACILLA. 



