F i s :> 



naceo- argillaceous deposit, of a greyish- 

 green colour, composed of marl and grains 

 of silicate of iron. In some places it is in 

 the state of sand, in others it forms a 

 tone sufficiently hard for building. 



FIRE- WORKS. This name comprises 

 squibs, rockets, serpents, &c.,all of which 

 are declared to be a common nuisance by 

 9 & 10 Will. III., and the makers or 

 sellers of the same are liable to a fine of 

 61., and any one casting or firing a squib, 

 &c., is subject to a penalty of 1J. 



FIRING. In farriery, cautery ; the ap- 

 plication to the skin of a hot iron, called 

 & firing-iron. 



FIR'KIN, an old measure of capacity 

 containing the fourth of the barrel. 



FIR'LOT, a Scotch measure of capacity. 

 The barley firlot contains 31 standard 

 pints; the wheat firlot, 2211 cubic 

 inches. 



FIR'MAMENT, Latin firmamentum, from 

 firmns; a term which has been used with 

 great latitude as well by astronomers as 

 by poets. Some old astronomers re- 

 garded the orb of the fixed stars as the 

 firmament, but in scripture and common 

 language it is used for the middle regions 

 or expanse, appearing like an immense 

 concave hemisphere. Many have consi- 

 dered the firmament a fluid matter, but 

 those who first used the term must have 

 considered it a solid. In astrology, the 

 firmament is the eighth heaven. 



FIRMAN', Ar. firmaun; an order, man- 

 date, permit, passport, &c., in India. 



FIRST COAT. In architecture, the laying 

 the plaster on the laths, or the rendering 

 on brick when only two coats are used. 

 "When three coats are used, it is called 

 respectively pricking up and roughing in. 



FIRST FRCITS. In church government, 

 the primitive; the profits of every spiri- 

 tual living for one year, given anciently 

 to the pope and afterwards to the sove- 

 reign. 



Fisc, "Lat.fiscus, a basket; the treasury 

 of a prince, state, &c., or that to which 

 all things due to the public do fall. 



FISCAL (see Fisc). 1. Revenue. 2. 



An officer who has charge of the fisc. 



3. In Scotland, a public officer appointed 

 to prosecute in petty criminal cases. 



FISH. 1. (See ICHTHYOLOGY). 2. A 



machine to hoist and draw up the flukes 



of a ship's anchor. 3. A long piece of 



timber concave on the one side and con- 

 vex on the other, used to strengthen 

 masts, &c., when sprung or damaged. 



FISHED-BEAM, a beam bellying on the 

 underside. 



FISHERY, a place where fish are caxight 

 plentifully, as salmon among the lochs of 

 Scotland, herrings among the Hebrides, 

 pilchards on the coast of Cornwall, corf on 

 the banks of Newfoundland, and inhales 

 oa the coasts of Greenland. 



1 FIX 



FISH Gio, an instrument used to strike 

 fish at sea. It is similar to an w'-ipw. 



FISH-ROOM, a space between the after- 

 hold and spirit-room of a ship. 



FIS'SILITY, from fissus ; that property of 

 some bodies, as minerals, which renders 

 them divisible in the direction of the 

 grain or natural joints. Bodies of this 

 nature are called fissile. 



FISSI'PARA, Lat. findo, I divide, and 

 pario, I engender ; applied to those ani- 

 mals which propagate by spontaneous fis- 

 sion, or the detachment of a portion of 

 the body, having an inherent power of 

 growth. 



FIS'SIPED, from^ssus and pes ; an animal 

 whose toes are not connected by a mem- 

 brane. 



FISSIROS'TRES, from fissus and rostrum; 

 a family of passerine birds of which the 

 beak is short, broad, slightly hooked, un- 

 emarginated, and with an extended com- 

 missure, so that the opening of the mouth 

 is very large. The family comprises the 

 swallows and goat-suckers. 



Fis'sus, cleft, cloven ; applied to leaves 

 and pods which are divided into segments 



FIS'TIC-NL-T, the pistachio-nut, the fruit 

 of a large tree, the Pistacia vera. It re- 

 sembles a filbert. 



FIS'TCLA (Latin), a pipe. A wind in 

 strument originally a reed (a whistle). In 

 surgery, a long and sinuous ulcer that has 

 a narrow opening, and is callous within. 



FISTCLA'NA, a genus of molluscs: order 

 Acephala testacea ; family Inclusa. Brought 

 recently only from the Indian Ocean ; but 

 form a fossil throughout Europe. The 

 tube resembles a bottle. 

 I FISTULA'RIA, a genus of Acanthoptery- 

 ] gious fishes, the name of which is derived 

 in particular from the tube (fistula^ com- 

 mon to the whole family offistularidep. 



FISTCLAR'IDJS, a family of Acanthopte- 

 rygious fishes, characterised by a long 

 fistula or tube in the fore-part of the 

 cranium. 



FIS'TCLIFORM, from fistula and forma. 

 In round hollow columns. 



FIVE POINTS. The principal points of 

 controversy between the Calvinists and 

 Arminians, brought to a decision by the 

 Synod of Dort. They were predestina- 

 tion, satisfaction, regeneration, grace, 

 and final perseverance. 



FIXED AIR, the old name for carbonic 

 acid, because found fixed in limestone. 



FIXED ALKALIES. Potash and soda, in 

 contradistinction to ammonia, the volatile 

 alkali. 



FIXED BODY, a body which bears a high 

 heat without evaporation or volatilisa- 

 tion. 



FIXED ENGINE. On railways, a station- 

 ary engine. 



FIXED OILS, oils not r?adiiy volati!sed; 

 in distinction frczi rolatZe nnd t-Mtntcuuotf* 



