CAN 



CAN 



CANDLEMAS, a feast of the church, 

 held on the second day of February, in 

 honour of the purification of the Virgin 

 Mary. It is borrowed from the practice 

 of the ancient Christians, who on that day 

 used abundance of lights, both in their 

 churches and processions, in memory, as 

 is supposed, of our Saviour's being on 

 that day declared, by Simeon, " to be a 

 light to lighten the Gentiles." In imita- 

 tion of this custom, the Roman Catholics, 

 on this day, consecrate all the tapers and 

 candles which they use in their churches 

 during the whole year. 



CANDY, or svgar CANDY, a prepara- 

 tion of sugar, made by melting and crys- 

 tallizing it six or seven times over, to ren- 

 der it hard and transparent. It is of three 

 kinds, white, yellow, and red. The white 

 comes from the loaf-sugar, the yellow 

 from the cassonado, and red from the 

 muscovado. 



CANE is the name of a long measure, 

 which differs according to the several 

 countries where it is used. At Naples, 

 the cane is equal to 7 feet 3 in- 

 ches English measure ; the cane of Tou- 

 louse, and the upper Languedoc, is equal 

 to the varre of Arragon, and contains 5 

 feet 8| inches : at Montpellier, Provence, 

 Dauphine, and the lower Latiguedoc, to 

 6 English feet 6J inches. 



CANELLA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Dodecandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Essential character ; calyx three-lobed ; 

 corolla five-petalled ; anthers twenty -one, 

 fastened to a pitcher shaped nectary; 

 berry three-celled ; seeds two to four. 

 There is but one species, viz. C. alba, lau- 

 rel leaved canella, is a tree, the stem of 

 which rises from ten to fifty feet in height, 

 straight upright, branching only at the 

 top. The flowers grow at the tops of 

 the branches in clusters, upon divided 

 peduncles. It is common in most of the 

 West India islands. The $whole tree is 

 very aromatic, and when in blossom per- 

 fumes the whole neighbourhood. The 

 flowers, dried, and softened again in 

 warm water, have a fragrant odour, re- 

 sembling that of musk. 



CANEPHORA, in botany, a genus of 

 the Pentandria Monogynia class and or- 

 der : common calyx tubular, toothed, ma- 

 ny flowered.; perianthura five or six-cleft ; 

 corolla campanulate, five or six-cleft ; 

 fruit p inferior, two-seeded. There are two 

 species, viz. the axillaris and capitata, 

 natives of Madagascar. 



CANES, -walking) are said by Bradley 

 to be joints of the roots of a sort of reed, 

 called Canna Indica. This plant shoots in 

 joints of about three or four feet long, 



VOL. III. 



near the surface of the ground, and at 

 every knot produce great numbers of 

 fibres, by which it receives its nourish- 

 ment. The joints are made straight by 

 the fire, which occasions those shades 

 or clouds frequently seen in them. 

 Bradley thinks the cane-tree might be 

 propagated here, by planting some of the 

 roots with their knots in artificial bogs,&c. 



CANES, rattan, are a smaller sort, brought 

 from China, Japan, and Sumatra, very 

 tough ; which, being split, are used for 

 making of cane chairs. They are the pro- 

 duce of a reed called rattang malabarica 

 minor, or lesser rattan. The specific name 

 is rotang, whence rattan, and in the Ma- 

 layan language signifies a staff or walk- 

 ing stick. These, when dry, being struck 

 against each other, will give fire, and are 

 used accordingly in some places in lieu 

 of flint and steel. Being twisted to- 

 gether, they make cordage of them. 

 The Chinese and Japanese vessels are 

 said to have their cables made of them, 

 which are less liable to rot in the water 

 than hemp. 



CANES venatici, in astronomy, the grey- 

 hounds, two new contellations, first es- 

 tablished by Hevelius, between the tail 

 of the great Bear and the arm of Bootes, 

 abore the Corona Berenices. That next 

 the Bear's tail is called Asterion, the 

 other Chara. 



CANICULA, or CANICTJI.US, in astro- 

 nomy, the same as the Canis Minor. See 

 CANIS MINOR. 



It is also a name given to one of the 

 stars of the constellations, Canis Major, 

 called the Dog-star, and by the Greeks 

 Sirius. 



CANICULAR days, commonly called 

 dog days, a certain number of days pre- 

 ceding and ensuing the heliacal rising of 

 the Canicula, or the Dog-star, in the 

 morning. The Ethiopians and Egypti- 

 ans began their year at the rising of the 

 Dog-star, reckoning to its rise again the 

 next year, which is called the annus cana- 

 rius. The Romans supposed it to be the 

 cause of the sultry weather usually felt in 

 the dog-days, and, therefore, sacrificed 

 a brown dog every year, at its rising, to 

 appease its wrath. 



CANINE teeth, in anatomy, are two 

 sharp -edged teeth in each jaw ; one on 

 each side, placed between the incisores 

 and molares. 



CANINE muscles,, a pair of muscles com- 

 mon to both lips. They arise from the hol- 

 low on each side under the os jugularis, in 

 the os maxillare, and are inserted into the 

 angle of the lips. 



CANIS, the dog, in natural history, a 

 I 



