DAM 



2(53 



DA P 



a position that the image of the object 

 to be represented is perfectly clear and 

 distinct upon it. In a short time tlie 

 plate is withdrawn, and is now ex- 

 posed at an angle of 45 to the action 

 of the vapour of mercury, at 60 Reau- 

 mur, and finally plunged into a solu- 

 tion of hyposulphate of soda. The 

 picture is now complete. 

 DAHL'IA (so named from Dahl, a Swedish 

 botanist), a genus of flowering perennials. 

 Syiigetiesia Poly, superfliia. Natural or- 

 der Composites. Mexico. 



DAHLI'NE, the same as Inuline. The 

 fecula obtained from elecampane, analo- 

 gous in many respects to starch. 



DAI'SY, day's-eye, a plant, the Sellis 

 perennis of several varieties, thus named 

 from its eye-like appearance, and expan- 

 sion during the day. The blue daisy be- 

 longs to the genus Globnlaria, as does the 

 globe daisy ; and the ox-eye daisy to the 

 genus Chrysanthemum. 



DAKIR. In English statutes, ten hides, 

 or the twentieth part of a last of hides. 



DAL'BY'S CARMINATIVE, a nostrum too 

 much used as a carminative for children. 

 It consists of magnesia, oils of pepper- 

 mint, nutmeg, and aniseed ; tinctures of 

 castor, assafcetida, and opium ; and spirit 

 of penny-royal, with peppermint- water 

 ad libitum. 



DALMA'TICA, a long white gown with 

 sleeves, worn by deacons in the Roman 

 Catholic church. 



DAM, Dutch dam, Germ, dnmm, a pond. 

 A water-tight mole, bank, or weir, erected 

 across a river or stream, for the purpose 

 of raising the level of the water by con- 

 fining it, and which is employed for va- 

 rious purposes, as for irrigation, impelling 

 water-wheels, &c. 



DAM'AOE-FEASANT, in law. is when one 

 person's beasts get into another man's 

 grounds, without license of the owner or 

 occupier of the ground, and do damage 

 by feeding or otherwise to the grass, 

 corn, woods, &c., in which case the 

 party injured may distrain or impound 

 them. 



DA'MAN,an animal resembling the rhi- 

 noceros in miniature. See HYRAX. 



DA'MAB, a kind of indurate pitch or 

 turpentine, exuding spontaneously from 

 various trees, indigenous to most of the 

 Indian islands. Different trees produce 

 different species of the resin. One is 

 called damar-batu in Malay, and damar- 

 ttlo in Javanese, which means hard or 

 stony resin ; another in common use is 

 dainar-putch, or white resin. 



DAMASCUS BLADES, swords or scimitars, 

 presenting upon their surface a variegated 

 appearance of watering, as white, silvery, 

 or black vins, in fine lines or fillets, 

 fibrous, crossed, interlaced, or parallel. 

 They are brought from the East, being 



fabricated chiefly at Damascus, whence 

 their name. 



DAM'ASK, a silk stuff with a raised pat- 

 tern, consisting of figures and flowers: 

 originally from Damascus, whence the 

 name. 



DAMASKEE'NING, the art of ornamentine 

 iron, steel, &c.,by making incisions upon 

 the surface of the article, and filling them 

 up with gold or silver wire ; chiefly used 

 in enriching sword-blades, locks of pistols, 

 &c. Originally practised at Damascus. 



DAM'ASK-STEEL a fine sort of steel from 

 the Levant, used for swords and cutlass- 

 blades, called more correctly Damascus 

 steel. See DAMASCUS BLADES. 



DAM'ASSIN, a sort of damask, with gold 

 and silver flowers woven in the warp and 

 woof. 



DAME-WORT, or DAME'S- VIOLET, a plant 

 of the genus Hesperis, called also queen's 

 gillyflower or rocket. It is remarkable 

 for its fragrance, and ladies are fond of 

 having it in their apartments. 



DA'MIANISTS. In ehurch history, a sect 

 who denied any distinction in the God- 

 head. 



DAM'PER. 1. A valve or sliding-plate 

 in a furnace, to regulate the draught, and 



thus consequently the heat. 2. A part 



in a piano-forte, by which the vibration 

 of a string is modified. 



DAMPS. In mining, noxious exhalations, 

 or rather gases, are so called from Germ. 

 dampf, vapour. 



There are two principal kinds of 



mine gases : the choke-damp, or carbonic 



acid ; and the fire-damp, or carburetted 



hydrogen. 



DANCETTE'. In heraldry, is when the 

 outline of any bordure or ordinary is very 

 largely indented. 



DAXDELI'OX (see LEO: ->DON), a name 

 corrupted of dent de lion, or dens leonis, 

 from the shape of the jagged leaves of the 

 "ant. 



DANE'GELT, from Dane, and gelt or geld, 

 money. An annual tax formerly levied 

 the English nation, for maintaining 

 forces to oppose the Danes. It was made 

 a national tax by Ethelred, and abo- 

 " shed by Stephen. 



DA'NICH, an Arabian weight of eight 

 grains. 



DAN'NEBHOO, an ancient Danish order 

 of knighthood. 



DA'OURITE, a mineral called also rubel- 

 lite, and siberite, by Lermina. It is a ya 

 riety of the red schorl of Siberia. Silica, 

 alumina, with oxides of iron, and manga- 

 nese. 



DAPH'NE, the laurel or bay-tree. A 

 genus. Octandria Monogynia The me- 

 zereon or widow- wail, and spurge-laurel, 

 are British species. Name. Jajv*;, from 

 Saw, to burn, and <?*m, & noiae, because 



