PAS 



544 



PAS 



at sea in passing from one country to an- 

 other; also the time occupied on such 

 passage. A north-east passage to India has 

 been sought by coasting along the north- 

 ern parts of Europe and Asia ; and a north- 

 west passage has been found to the same 

 place, by' sailing round the northern 

 part of the American Continent. Birds of 

 passage are such as migrate, at certain 

 seasons, from one climate to another. The 

 swallow is an example. 



PAS'SAST. In heraldry, walking : Fr. 

 passant, a passenger. 



PASSAR'EE. In a ship, a rope to confine the 

 tacks, when going at large in a light breeze. 



PAS'SERES. The sixth order of birds, 

 according to the arrangement of Linn6. 

 See PASSERINE. 



PASSERI'N.I. An order of birds formed 

 by Cuvier, on the basis of Linnaeus's 

 order passeres, of which the sparrow 

 (passer) is the type. This order is the 

 most numerous of the whole class. The 

 birds which compose it have neither the 

 violence of the birds of prey, nor the fixed 

 regimen of the Gallinacese, nor of the 

 water-birds. Insects, fruits, and grain, 

 constitute their food, which consists the 

 more exclusively of grain in proportion to 

 the largeness of their beak, and of insects, 

 as the beak is the more slender. All the 

 singing birds are found among them. 

 They are divided into families according 

 to the form of the beak : these are Den- 

 tirostres, Fissirostres, Conirostres, and 

 Tenuirostres. Epithet Passerine. 



PASSIFLO'RA. Passion-flower. A very 

 extensive genus of plants. Monadelphia 

 Pentandria, and N. order Cucurbitaceee. 

 Name altered by Linne' fromflospassionis, 

 the name given to this beautiful genus by 

 preceding botanists, because the instru- 

 ments of Christ's passion were thought to 

 be represented in the parts of the fructi- 

 fication. The species are all natives of 

 warm climates. 



PAS'SIM. A word of reference in books, 

 signifying everywhere, in many different 

 places, here and there. 



PAS'SISO BELL. The bell that rings at 

 the hour of death, to obtain prayers for 

 the passing soul, called vulgarly the sotil- 

 bett, it being originally intended to drive 

 away any demon that might seek to take 

 possession of the soul. 



PASSING NOTES. In music, graces where- 

 in two notes are connected by smaller in- 

 tervening notes. 



PAS'SION, from patior, to suffer. 1. The 

 impression or effect of an external agent 

 upon a body: that which is suffered or 

 received. 2. Strong feeling or emotion 

 of the mind, impelling the individual to 

 act according to the general tenor of the 

 feeling which excites him. Man has pas- 

 ,1-ms in common with the inferior ani- 

 mals: these are animal pauioiu, and con- 



sist of animal wants become excessive ; 

 but he has likewise others which are dis- 

 played only in the social state, and which 

 are really social wants grown to excess. 

 The animal passions are essential to the 

 preservation of the individual and of the 

 species: to this class belong fear, anger, 

 desire, jealousy, love, hatred, &c. The 

 passions which belong to the social state 

 owe their development in part to the 

 circumstance of our civilisation, and to 

 the universal bent of mind to increase the 

 feeling of existence, as ambition, envy, 

 avarice, gaming, and indeed all active 

 virtues and vices. Some passions are al- 

 layed by gratification, others are irritated 

 by it : the first sort are therefore sources 

 of happiness, the latter often causes of 

 misery. Philanthropy and love are ex- 

 amples of the one class ; avarice and am- 

 bition of the other. If our necessities 

 develope the intellect, the passions are 

 the principle or cause of everything great 

 which man performs, whether good or bad. 

 Great poets and heroes.great criminals and 

 conquerors, are men of strong passions. 



PAS'SION-WEEK. The week immedi- 

 ately preceding Easter, named in comme- 

 moration of the Saviour's crucifixion. 



PAS'SIVE, Lat. passivus, suffering. A 

 passive verb is one which expresses the 

 effect of an action of some agent, as, " she 

 is loved by her friends." Passive obedience, 

 as used by political writers, means not 

 only quiet, unresisting, submission to 

 power, but implies the denial of the right 

 of resistance ; or the recognition of the 

 duty to submit, in all cases, to the exist- 

 ing government. Passive commerce is 

 that species of trade in which the produc- 

 tions of a country are carried in foreign 

 bottoms. 



PASS'OVER. The solemn festival of the 

 Jews, celebrated on the 14th day of the 

 month following the vernal equinox, and 

 instituted in commemoration of their pro- 

 vidential deliverance on the night before 

 their departure from Egypt, when God, 

 smiting the first-born of the Egyptians, 

 passed over the houses of the Israelites, 

 which were marked with the blood of the 

 paschal lamb. 



PASTE. 1. Any cement, as that which 

 holds together the fragments composing 



conglomerate rock. 2. A factitious 



gem. The base of the pastes is a vitreous 

 body, called Strass (from the name of its 

 inventor, a German) composed of rock- 

 crystal (8), salt of tartar (24), white lead 

 (12), and borax (12) fused together. To 

 this glass some metallic oxide or salt is 

 added, according to the gem to be imi- 

 tated, as oxide of antimony for oriental 

 topaz ; chloride of silver or glass of anti- 

 mony for yellow diamond ; oxide of co- 

 balt for sapphire; manganese, or preci- 

 pitate of cassius and peroxide of iron fci 



