H A R J 



of England for holding and carrying with 

 them their money, as they travelled from 

 place to place, it was a kind of basket 

 or./Zsrus,and hence came to be considered 

 the king's treasury. 



HANCH'ES. In architecture, the ends of 

 elliptical arches, which are arcs of smaller 

 circles than the scheme or middle part of 

 the arch. 



HAND, a measure of four inches, used 

 in taking the height of horses. 



HAND'BREADTH, a measure of three 

 inches; a palm. 



HAND'CCFFS, an instrument for pre- 

 venting a malefactor from using his 

 hands. It consists of iron rings for the 

 wrists, with a connecting chain, or simply 

 a short iron bar. 



HAN'DLING. In painting, management 

 of the pencil by touch. 



HAND'SPIKE, a wooden bar used by the 

 hand as a lever for various purposes, as 

 in raising weights, turning a wind- 

 lass, &c. 



HANO'ING-STILE (of a door), that on 

 which the hinges are fixed. 



HANK. In spinning, two or more skeins 

 of yarn, silk, or cotton, tied together. 



HANKS, wooden rings fixed upon the 

 stays to confine the staysails thereto at 

 different distances. 



HANSEATIC LEASTFE, from hansa, an old 

 gothic word signifying a society or an 

 association. An association of the prin- 

 cipal cities of the north of Germany for 

 the mutual safety and the better carry- 

 ing on of their traffic from one kingdom 

 to another. The cities of the League 

 were called Hanse Towns, a name not yet 

 forgotten, though the league is. 



HARD, a term used to signify a ford or 

 passable place in a river or fen, consisting 

 of a hard bottom of gravel. 



HARD-A-LEE, an order on ship-board 

 to put the helm close to the lee side of the 

 ship, to tack her head to the wind. 



HARD-A-PORT, an order on board a ship 

 to put the helm close to the larboard 

 side. 



HARD-A-STARBOARD, an order on board 

 a ship to put the helm close to the star- 

 board side of a ship 



HARD-A-WEATHER, an order on board a 

 ship to put the helm close to the weather 

 or windward side of a ship. 



HARD'XESS. In physics, that quality of 

 bodies by which they resist the action of 

 external force, tending to alter the rela- 

 tive positions of their particles. The re- 

 lative hardness of bodies (as minerals), is 

 measured by the power they possess of 

 cutting or scratching other substances 



HARD'WARE, a term which includes 

 every kind of goods manufactured from 

 metals, comprising iron, steel, brass, and 

 copper articles of all descriptions. 



HARD WA'TERS, such as hold earthy 



16 H A II 



salts in solution, which decompose com- 

 mon soap, and form with it insoluble 

 earthy soaps. 



HARE'-I.IP, a peculiar malformation of 

 the lip, consisting in a longitudinal fissure 

 like the upper lip of a hare. Children are 

 frequently born with this malformation. 



HA'REM, Arabic, h&rama, to seclude. The 

 seraglio or place where oriental princes, 

 &c., confine their women. 



HAR'ICOT, Fr. from ^OLKO?. A kind ol 

 ragout of meat and roots. 



HAR'IOT, ) In law, a due belonging to a 



HER'IOT. j lord at the death of his ten- 

 ant, consisting of the best beast, &c., in 

 his possession at the time of his demise. 



HAR'LEOUIN (Fr.), a buffoon dressed in 

 party-coloured clothes, and forming the 

 principal character in the English panto- 

 mime. The character was originally in- 

 troduced into Italian comedy. 



HARMAT'TAN, a prevailing and peculiarly 

 diy wind, on the coast of Africa, between 

 Cape Verd and Cape Lopez. It blows from 

 the interior, and is particularly destruc- 

 tive of vegetation, but is not pestilential. 



HARMON'ICA, a musical instrument, in 

 which the sounds are produced from 

 glasses blown as nearly as possible in the 

 form of hemispheres, "but all of different 

 diameters. 



HAHMON'ICAL. In mathematics (tee MEAN 

 and PROPORTION). 



HARMON'ICS. 1. The science of musical 



sounds. 2. All the derivative sounds, 



which, on the principle of resonance, ac- 

 company every single sound and render 

 it perceptible, are termed harmonics. The 

 shorter vibrations produce acute sounds, 

 and are called acute harmonics; the low 

 sounds which accompany every perfect 

 consonance of two sounds are termed 

 grave harmonics. In this manner all the 

 aliquot parts of a string produce harmony. 



HAR'MONITES, a sect of enthusiasts, 

 founded by Rapp in Wurtemburg, about 

 1780, who were forced afterwards to emi- 

 grate to America. 



HAR'MON ?, Lat. harmonia, from a, {fttnet, 

 from afu, to adapt. 1. In music, the 

 agreeable result or union of several sounds 

 heard at the same time. Natural har- 

 mony consists of the harmonic triad or 

 common chord. Artificial harmony is a 

 mixture of concords and discords. Fi- 

 gured harmony is when one or more of the 

 parts move during the continuance of a 

 chord, through certain notes which do not 

 form any of the constituent parts of that 

 chord. Perfect harmony implies the use 

 of untempered concords only. Tempered 

 harmony is when the notes are varied by 



temperament. 2. In designs, plans, 



paintings, &c., harmony denotes a just 

 and agreeable relation among the parts in 

 their distribution and proportions. 



