BRA 



BRA 



versed even in the most abstruse parts of 

 geometry. 



Mr. Boyle left also several papers be- 

 hind him, which have been published 

 since his death. Beautiful editions of all 

 his works have been printed at London, 

 in five volumes foho, and six volumes 4io. 

 Dr. Shaw also published, in three vo- 

 lumes 4to. the same works, " abridged, 

 methodized, and disposed under the ge- 

 neral heads of Ph\ sic. Statics, Pneuma- 

 tics, Natural History, Chemistry, and Me- 

 dicine ; to which he has prefixed a short 

 catalogue of his philosophical writings, 

 according to the order of time when they 

 were first published. The character of 

 this great man can be only estimated by 

 an attention to his works, reflecting, at 

 the same time, on the state of science at 

 the period in which ne lived. He was 

 distinguished by the comprehensiveness 

 of his views, and the extent and variety 

 of his researches; by indefatigable dili- 

 gence, and invincible perseverance, in 

 his collection of facts and investigation of 

 their causes ; by a total freedom from 

 any preconceived attachment to theories, 

 and systems ; by candour in discussing 

 the opinions of others; and by fidelity 

 and modesty in the narration of his own 

 performances. 



B QUADRO, QUADRATO, or DURALE, in 

 music, called by the French b quarre, 

 from its figure jjf. This is what we call 

 B natural or sharp, in distinction to B mol 

 or flat. See FLAT, and 



If the flat |? be placed before a note 

 in the thorough bass, it intimates that its 

 third is to be minor ; and if placed with 

 any cypher over a note in the bass, as \? 6, 

 or [?5, &c. it denotes that the fifth or 

 sixth thereto are to be flat. But if the 

 quadro $ be placed over any note, or 

 with a cypher, in the thorough bass, it 

 has the contrary effect; for tli ere by the 

 note or interval thereto is raised to its 

 natural order. 



BRABE1UM, in botany, a genus of the 

 Polygamia Monoecia class and order. 

 Essential character : herm. scales of the 

 ament ; corol four-parted, revolute above; 

 stamens four ; pistil one ; drupe roundish; 

 seed globular; male, scales of the ament ; 

 corol four or five-parted; stamens four, 

 inserted into the throat ; style bifid, abor- 

 tive There is only one species, with its 

 varieties, viz. B. stellulifolium, or African 

 almond, rises with an upright stem, which 

 is soft and full of pith, and covered with 

 a brown bark. Horizontal branches are 

 sent out at every joint, the lower ones be- 

 ing longest, and every tier diminishing to 



the top so as to form a sort of pyramid. 

 The flowers are produced near the ends 

 of the shoots, coming out from between 

 the leaves, quite round the branches, 

 they are of a pale colour inclining to 

 white, they appear early in the spring, 

 and fall away without any fruit succeed- 

 ing' them in this country. It is a native 

 of the country about the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



BRACE, in architecture, a piece of 

 timber framed in with bevil joints, the 

 use of which is to keep the building from 

 swerving either way. When the brace 

 is framed into the king-pieces, or princi- 

 pal rafters, it is by some called a strut. 



BRACES, in the sea-language, are ropes 

 belonging to all the yards of a ship, ex- 

 cept the mizen, two to each yard, reeved 

 through blocks that are fastened to pen- 

 nants, seized to the yard arms. Their use 

 is either to square or traverse the yards. 

 Hence, to brace the yard, is to bring it to 

 either side. All braces come aft ward on, 

 as the main brace comes to the poop, the 

 mam-top-sail brace comes to the mi/en- 

 top, and thence to the main shrouds the 

 fore and fore-top-sail braces come down 

 by the main and main-top-sail stays, and 

 so of the rest. But the mizen-bowline 

 serves to brace to the yard, and the cross- 

 jack braces are brought forwards to the 

 main-shrouds, when the ship sails close 

 by a wind. 



BRACES, in music, are those double 

 curves which are placed at the beginning 

 of the stave? of any composition. Their 

 use is to bend together the harmonizing 

 parts, and lead the eye with facility from 

 one set of staves to another. In those 

 scores which include a part for a keyed 

 instrument, as the organ, harpsicord, or 

 piano-forte, it is usual to draw a smaller 

 brace within the great one, to include 

 and to distinguish from the other parts of 

 the score the two staves designed for ei- 

 ther of those instruments. 



BRACES to a drum, the cords which are 

 distended in oblique lines from the heatf 

 to the bottom round the exterior of the 

 drum, and which, by tightening or relax- 

 ing the parchment, serve to raise or flat* 

 ten the tone. 



BRACELET, an ornament worn on 

 the wrist, much used among the ancients ; 

 it was made of different materials, and in 

 different fashions, according to the age 

 and quality of the wearer. Bracelet* 

 are still worn by the savages of Africa, 

 who are so excessively fond of them, as 

 to give the richest commodities, and 

 even 'heir fathers, wives, and children, 

 in exchange for those made of no richer 



