CAS 



CAS 



&c. wrote to prove it a comet, and the 

 same which appeared to the Magi at the 

 birth of Jesus Christ, and that it came to 

 declare his second coming : they were 

 answered on this subject by Tycho. Se- 

 veral astronomers are of opinion,that this 

 star has a periodical return, which Keill 

 and others have conjectured to happen 

 every 150 years. Mr. Pigott adopts the 

 same opinion ; and he accounts for its not 

 being noticed at the completion of every 

 term, by its variable lustre at different 

 periods, so that it may sometimes increase 

 only to the ninth magnitude ; and if this 

 be the case, its period is probably much 

 shorter. 



CASSIUS, precipitate of, obtained from 

 the muriate of gold by the means of tin. 

 It is highly valued for the beauty of the 

 colour which it gives to glass or enamel. 

 It may be obtained by simply immersing 

 a plate of tin in a dilute solution of muri- 

 ate of gold : but the usual mode is to dis- 

 solve pure gold in a nitro- muriatic acid, 

 composed of three parts of nitric acid and 

 one of the muriatic. The tin is prepared 

 by dissolving it, without heat, in an acid 

 composed of two parts of nitric and one 

 of muriatic acid, previously diluted with 

 an equal weight of water. This solution 

 being saturated, is diluted with one hun- 

 dred parts of water, to which the solution 

 of gold, in quantity equal to half the quan- 

 tity of solution of tin, is added : the liquor 

 becomes of a beautiful purplish red co- 

 lour, and a precipitate subsides, which is 

 to be washed and dried. This is the only 

 preparation capable of giving a red co- 

 lour to glass, which then serves as an 

 imitation of the ruby. 



CASSYTA, in botany, a genus of tiie 

 Enneandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Essential character : corol calycine, sex- 

 partite ; nectary of three truncate glands, 

 surrounding the receptacle; interior fila- 

 ments glanduliferous : drupe monosper- 

 mous. There are but two species, of 

 which C. filiformis is a plant which rises 

 with taper succulent slalks, dividing into 

 many slender succulent branches ; these 

 come out frequently by threes or fours at 

 the same joint, afterward they send out 

 side brandies singly, without order, and 

 become very bushy ; the flowers come out 

 on the side of the branches, having no 

 calyx ; the corolla is oval, white, with a 

 small tincture of red, opening like a na- 

 vel at the top, including the germ, sta- 

 men, style, and nectareous glands so 

 closely, as not to be discovered till the 

 corolla is cut open. This plant grows 

 naturallv in both Indies. 



CAST, among the Hindoos, denotes a 

 tribe or number of families of the same 

 rank and profession. There are in India 

 four principal casts : the first is called 

 the cast of " Brahmins," from the mouth 

 or wisdom, and deemed the most sacred. 

 These are to teach the principles of reli- 

 gion, to perform its functions, and to cul- 

 tivate the sciences. They are the priests, 

 the instructors, and philosophers of the 

 nation. The second order called " Cheh- 

 teree," from arms or strength ; to draw 

 the bow, to fight, to govern : these are 

 entrusted with the government and de- 

 fence of the state. The third order call- 

 ed "Bice," from the belly or nourish- 

 ment, are to provide the necessaries of 

 life by agriculture and traffic ; these are 

 composed of husbandmen and merchants. 

 The fourth class denominated " Sooder," 

 from the feet or subjection; to labour, 

 or serve, consisting of artisans, labour- 

 ers, and servants. Besides these, there 

 is a fifth class, denominated " Burrun 

 Sunker," supposed to be the illicit union 

 between persons of different casts : they 

 are mostly dealers in petty articles of re- 

 tail trade. 



CAST iron. See IRON. 



CASTILLEIA, in botany, so named in 

 memory of Castilleius, a botanist of Ca- 

 diz, a genus of the Didynamia Angios- 

 permia class and order. Natural order 

 of Personatx. Pediculares, Jussieu. Es- 

 sential character : calyx tubular, com- 

 pressed ; upper lip bifid, lower none ; 

 corol lower, lip trifid, with two glands 

 between the segments ; capsules two- 

 celled. There are two species, C. fissi- 

 folia and C. integrifolia, both native's of 

 New Granada. 



CASTING, in foundery, the running of 

 a metal into a mould prepared for that 

 purpose. See FOUNDEKY. 



CASTING, a term used for the quitting 

 or tin-owing aside any thing from the 

 body of an animal, by an effort of nature. 

 Thus deer cast their horns, snakes their 

 skins, lobsters their shells, hawks their 

 feathers, annually. When birds cast their 

 feathers, it is called moulting. A horse 

 casts his hair in the spring, and sometimes 

 in the autumn ; also horses sometimes 

 cast their hoofs. 



CASTING of drapery, among painters, 

 denotes the distribution of the folds ; and 

 the drapery is said to be well cast, when 

 the folds are distributed in such a manner, 

 as to appear rather the result of mere 

 chance than of art, study or labour. In 

 that style of painting which is called 

 <{ the grand," the folds of the draperies 



