CAR 



CAR 



apotheosis; sometimes a procession of the 

 images of the gods at a solemn supplica- 

 tion ; and sometimes of those of some il- 

 lustrious families at a funeral. The can-, 

 covered and drawn by mules, only signi- 

 fies a consecration, and the honour done 

 any one pf having his image carried at the 

 games of the circuLc 



CARRIAGE, letter or bill of, a writing 

 given to a carrier, or the master of any 

 carriage, containing the number and qua- 

 lity of the pieces, bales, Sec. of merchan- 

 dises, which he is intrusted with, that he 

 may demand the payment of the carriage, 

 and that the person to whom they are ad- 

 dressed may see whether they are deli- 

 vered in the same number, and in as good 

 condition as they were given to the carrier. 



CARRIAGE?/ a cannon, the frame or tim- 

 ber-work on which it is mounted, serving 

 to point it for shooting, or to carry it from 

 one place to another. It is made of two 

 planks of wood, commonly one half the 

 length of the gun, called the cheeks, and 

 joinedby three woode n transoms,strength- 

 ened with three bolts of iron. It is mount- 

 ed on two wheels ; but on a march has 

 two fore-wheels, with limbers added. The 

 principal parts of a carriage are, the 

 cheeks, transoms, bolts, plates, train 

 bands, bridge, bed, hooks, trunnion holes, 

 and capsquare. 



CARRIAGES. This subject, in detail, 

 would form many an ample volume. The 

 great variety of opinions, the imperious 

 demands of locality, and the appropriation 

 to particular purposes, must inevitably 

 create a curious diversity in the practices 

 of a nation. Confining ourselves to gene- 

 ral principles, we shall discuss only those 

 points which serve as a general guide, and 

 may prove useful in giving the reader 

 some idea as to the several properties of 

 the vehicles now in use. 



1. We consider ease of draught as in- 

 dispensible. For this purpose the fore- 

 wheels of a carriage should always be 

 sufficiently large to bring the centre of 

 the axle to an angle, of about fifteen de- 

 grees, with that part of the haime, or 

 collar-frame, on which the trace fixes ; 

 that being ascertained to be the best rela- 

 tive position between the animal and what 

 he has to draw at. 



2. We look to proximity of rotation, 

 that is, the place where the wheel touches 

 the ground, and its relation to a perpen- 

 dicular draft from the croup of the horse, 

 as being an essential matter : for the draft 

 will assuredly be naore oppressive in pro- 

 portion as the point of rotation is removed. 

 Hence long shafts, great space between 

 the fore and hind wheels, and all the re- 



presentatives of those primary errors, 

 should be, in toto, abolished. 



3. We judge the size of wheels, that is, 

 the length of lever, by which they are 

 moved around their axis, to be of the 

 greatest moment. 



4. Where a road is firm, we hold it ex- 

 pedient to reduce the bearing point, name- 

 ly, the edge of the wheel, into as small a. 

 diameter as may be found capable of sus- 

 taining the incumbent pressure. 



5. Where roads are soft and quaggy, w 

 deem the broad tire to be preferable; 

 both because it bears up the load, and 

 allows of less sinking, whereby consider, 

 able opposition would be created; and 

 that such a construction is more favour- 

 able to the track in which the carriage 

 may have often to travel. 



6. The axis of every wheel ought to 

 move with as little friction as possible : 

 this may be effected by making the spin- 

 dle as small and as short as circumstances 

 may allow ; taking care to lubricate the 

 connecting parts well, so as not to allow 

 of the smallest tendency to adhesion. 

 Wheels intended for travelling over un- 

 equal surfaces should be dished, so that 

 the spokes may successively be upright 

 whenever they come under the axle. The 

 bend of each end of the axle downwards 

 is a convenience, and contributes to the 

 foregoing effect, while it causes^the up- 

 per parts of the wheels to diverge, and 

 gives more scope for the body of the ma- 

 chine : in some instances, where light but 

 bulky burthens are in question, this is a 

 desideratum; though it contracts the 

 space bet ween the points of rotation, and 

 renders the machine more liable to over- 

 turn. The load should generally be car- 

 ried more in the centre of four-wheeled 

 carriages than is usually done. Carmeti 

 have a great partiality for burthening the 

 fore- wheels : this is a most absurd prac- 

 tice, because they, being less in diame- 

 ter, are more subject to be impeded by 

 low obstacles than the hind wheels, which, 

 being larger, travel over ruts and clods 

 with much more facility. In regard to the 

 height of loads, it is proper to state, that 

 whenever a line drawn perpendicular to 

 the horizon, and touching the corner of 

 a square load, touches the ground on the 

 outside of the tire of the opposite wheel, 

 the carriage must overset, the line of 

 gravity then becoming exterior to the 

 support; and vice versa. From this we see, 

 that loads carried low are in general very 

 safe ; while such as are injudiciously ele- 

 vated, which too many of our stage- 

 coaches are, teem with danger. In two 

 wheel carriages, the load in going down 



