CAU 



CAY 



frequently changed abodes, and in which 

 they, are almost uniformly found alone ; 

 or the female with its young ones They 

 hold their food in the same manner as 

 the squirrel ; they make their excur- 

 sions for food during the day, and may 

 be easily domesticated, though not so 

 completely as to exclude altogether their 

 natural \nlclness. See Mammalia, Plate 

 VII. fig. 4. 



C AUKING, or CAULKING of a ship, is 

 driving oakum, or the like, into all the 

 seams of the plank of a ship, to prevent 

 leaking and keep out the water. 



CAULKING irons, are iron chissels for 

 that purpose. Some of these irons are 

 broad, some round, and others grooved. 

 After the seams are stopped with oakum, 

 it is done over with a mixture of tallow, 

 pitch, and tar, as low as the ship draws 

 water. 



CAUL, in anatomy, a f membranaceous 

 part of the abdomen, covering the great- 

 est part of the intestines. 



CAULIFLOWERS, in gardening, a 

 much esteemed species of brassica, or cab- 

 bage. 



CAUSE, causa, that from whence any 

 thing proceeds, or by virtue of which any 

 thing is done : it stands opposed to effect. 

 We get the ideas of cause and effect, says 

 Mr. Locke, from our observation of the 

 vicissitude of things, while we perceive 

 some qualities or substances begin to ex- 

 ist, and that they receive their existence 

 from the due application and operation 

 of other beings. That which produces, 

 is the cause, and that which is produced, 

 the effect : thus, fludity in wax is the 

 effect of a certain degree of heat, which 

 we observe to be constantly produced by 

 the application of such heat. 



CAUSE, first, that which acts of itself, 

 and of its own proper power or virtue : 

 God is the only first cause in this sense. 



CAUSES, second, are those which de- 

 rive the power and faculty of action from 

 a first cause ; these are improperly called 

 causes, as they do not, strictly speaking, 

 act at all, but are acted on : of this kind 

 are all those that we term natural causes. 



CAUSES, final, are the motives indue- 

 ing an agent to act ; or the design and 

 purpose for which the thing was done. 



Lord Bacon says, that the final cause is 

 so far from being serviceable, that it cor- 

 rupts the sciences, unless it be restrain- 

 ed to human actions : however, continues 

 he, final causes are not false, nor unwor- 

 thy of inquiry in metaphysics : but their 

 excursions into the limits of physical 

 causes hath made a great devastation in 



VOL. III. 



that province ; otherwise, when contain- 

 ed within their own bounds, they are 

 not repugnant to physical causes. 



CAUSEWAY, or CAUSET, a massive 

 construction of stones, stakes, and fas- 

 cines ; or an elevation of earth, well beat- 

 en ; serving either as a road in wet mar- 

 shy places, or as a mole to retain the 

 waters of a pond, or prevent a river from 

 overflowing the lower grounds. 



CAUSTIC, ; a substance is said to 



CAUSTICITY, 5 be caustic, when it 

 produces the same effect on the tongue 

 as that of actual fire, that is, an imme- 

 diate sensation of burning, followed with 

 a slight disorganization of the surface ac- 

 tually in contact. Thus alkalies are call- 

 ed caustic when deprived of carbonic 

 acid, because, when concentrated, they 

 then burn and blister the tongue almost 

 instantly. Caustic substances are also 

 generally corrosive, or such as act upon 

 organized matter, and decompose it with 

 rapidity. The term caustic prefixed to 

 the alkalies and earths, to distinguish the 

 pure or decarbonated state, is now almost 

 always omitted, as unnecessary, by the 

 use of the term carbonate ; thus, to the 

 terms caustic potash, anri mild potash, are 

 substituted those of potash, and carbonate 

 of potash, respectively. We also say 

 lime, and the carbonate of lime. There 

 is still some confusion with regard to the 

 term soda among others ; soda meaning 

 in chemical language pure or caustic so- 

 da, but in commerce, and in common use, 

 the mild or carbonate of soda. 



CAUSTIC, lunar, the old name for ni- 

 trate of silver, melted and cast into cy- 

 lindrical pieces about the size of small 

 black-lead pencils, for the use of sur- 

 geons : and the solution of lunar caustic 

 is the proportion of from 8 to 12 grains 

 in an ounce of water, and has been found 

 an excellent remedy in cases of ring- 

 worm, as it is called, that is, when the 

 hair falls offin patches from the head 



CAUSTIC curve, in the higher geome- 

 try, a curve formed by the concourse or 

 coincidence of the rays of light, reflected 

 or refracted from some other curve. See 

 CATACACSTIC. 



CAYE\NE/>e/>/>er. This is the levigat- 

 ed or ground pod of the plant common- 

 ly known to us by the name of capsi- 

 cum. There are many va)*ieties; but 

 the principal are : l.Tlie berberry cap- 

 sicum, much resembling that fruit in size 

 and colour, though infinite!} more glow- 

 ing. It is perhaps the most p in ;/ of 

 all the vegetable sn:p'?- with ^ hich 

 we are acquainted. 2. The long-pod, 



