CAP 



CAR 



lives of both the Indies, but they are 

 chiefly brought to Europe from America, 

 where they abound in all the Caribbee 

 islands, and are greatly used in sauces, 

 whence the fruit is called Guinea-pep- 

 per. From the C. minimum is obtain- 

 ed the Cayenne-pepper, so much used in 

 highly-seasoned cookery. See CAYENNE- 



CAPSTAN, or main-capstan, in a ship, 

 a great piece of timber in the nature of a 

 windlass, placed next behind the main- 

 mast, its foot standing in a step on the 

 lower deck, arid its head between the 

 upper deck ; formed into several squares 

 with holes in them. Its use is to weigh 

 the anchors, to hoist up or strike down 

 top-masts, to heave any weighty matter, 

 or to strain any rope that requireth a main 

 force. 



GA.psTAS-bars, the pieces of wood that 

 are put into the capstain-holes to heave up 

 any thing of weight into the ship. 



CAPSTAN, pawl of a, a short piece of 

 iron made fast to the deck, and resting 

 upon the whelps, to keep the capstain 

 from recoiling, which is of dangerous con- 

 sequence. 



CAPSTAN, -whelps of a, are short pieces 

 of wood made fast to it, to keep the ca- 

 ble from coming too nigh in turning it 

 about. 



CAPSULE, among botanists, a species 

 of pericarpium, or seed-vessel, composed 

 of several dry elastic valves which usu- 

 ally burst open at the points when the 

 seeds are ripe: it differs from a pod in be- 

 ing roundish and short. This kind of peri- 

 carpium sometimes contains one cell or 

 cavity, sometimes more ; in the first case 

 it is called unilocular, as it is bilocular, 

 trilocular, &c. when it contains two, three, 

 &,c. cells or cavities 



CAPTION, in law, is where a commis- 

 sion is executed, and the commissioners 

 subscribe their names to a certificate, de- 

 claring when and where the commission 

 was executed. It relates chiefly to com- 

 missions to take answers in chancery, and 

 depositions of witnesses, and take fines of 

 lands, &c. 



CAPTION and horning, in the law of 

 Scotland. When a decree or sentence is 

 obtained against any person, the obtainer 

 thereof takes out a writ, whereby the 

 party discerned is charged to pay or fulfil 

 the will of the decree, under the pain of 

 rebellion : this writ is called letters of 

 horning. If he refuse to comply, then 

 the writ or letters of caption may be rais- 

 ed, whereby all the inferior judges and 

 magistrates are commanded to assist in 



apprehending the rebel, and putting him 

 in prison. 



CAPTURE, a prize taken by a ship of 

 war at sea : vessels are looked upon as 

 prizes, if they fight under any other stand- 

 ard than that of the state from winch they 

 have their commissions, if they have no 

 charter-party, invoice, or bill of lading 

 aboard ; if loaded with effects belong- 

 ing to the king's enemies, or even contra- 

 band goods. Those of the king's subjects 

 recovered from the enemy, after remain- 

 ing twenty-four hours in their hands, are 

 deemed lawful prizes, if taken. In ship* 

 of war the prizes are to be divided among 

 the captors, f. e. officers, seamen, &c. as 

 his Majesty shall appoint by proclama- 

 tion; but among privateers the division is 

 according to agreement among the own- 

 ers. See PRIZE. 



CAPURA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Hexandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Essential character ; calyx none ; corolla 

 six-cleft; stamina \vithin the tube ; germ 

 superior ; stigma globular ; pericarp ber- 

 ry. There is but one species, viz. C. pur- 

 purata, native of the East Indies. 



CAPUT Draconis, the Dragon's head, 

 in astronomy, the ascending node of the 

 moon See NODE. Caput Draconis is al- 

 so a starof the first magnitude in the head 

 of the constellation Draco. 



CAPUT mortuum, in chemistry, that thick 

 dry matter which remains after distil- 

 lation of any thing, but of minerals es- 

 pecially. These residues were formerly 

 thrown away as of no value. Glauber 

 was the first person who examined them 

 with minuteness, and in the research he 

 discovered the sulphate of soda, then 

 named after himself, Glauber's salt. This 

 he obtained in the caput mortuum re- 

 maining after the distillation of muri- 

 atic acid from common salt and green 

 vitriol. 



CARABINE, afire-arm, shorter than a 

 musket, carrying a ball of twenty-four in 

 the pound, borne by the light-horse, 

 hanging at a belt over the left shoulder. 

 The barrel is two feet and a half long, and 

 is sometimes furrowed spirally within, 

 which is said to add to the range of the 

 piece. 



CARABUS,in natural history, a genus 

 of insects of the order Coleoptera. Gene- 

 ric character: antennae filiform, feelers 

 mostly six; the last joint obtuse and trun- 

 cate ; thorax flat, margined ; shells mar- 

 gined. This is an exceedingly numerous 

 genus, and the insects of it are extremely 

 active and quick in running ; they devour 

 the larva: of other insects,and all the weaker 



