CON 



CON 



supposed ; and then that, which in the 

 other was supposed, is now drawn as 

 a conclusion from it : thus, when two 

 sides of a triangle are equal, the angles 

 under these sides are equal ; and, on the 

 converse, if these angles are equal, the 

 two sides are equal. 



CONVERSION of equations, in alge- 

 bra 1 , is when the quantity sought, or any 

 part or degree thereof, being in frac- 

 tions, the whole is reduced to one com- 

 mon denomination, and then omitting 

 the denominators, the equation is conti- 

 nued in the numerators only. Thus sup- 



pose a b = aa + cc +h+b; multiply 

 all by d, and it will stand thus, da d 



CONVEX, an appellation given to the 

 exterior surface of gibbous or globular 

 bodies, in opposition to the hollow inner 

 surface of such bodies, which is called 

 concave : thus we say a convex lens, mir- 

 ror, superficies, &c. 



CONVEXITY, that configuration or 

 shape of a body, on account of which it is 

 denominated convex. 



CONVEYANCE, in law, a deed or in- 

 strument that passes land, &c. from one 

 person to another. The most common 

 conveyances now in use are, deeds of 

 gifts, bargain and sale, lease and release, 

 fines and recoveries, settlements to uses, 

 &c. A conveyance cannot be fraudulent 

 in part, and good as to the rest ; for if it 

 be fradulent and void in part, it is void 

 in all, and it cannot be divided. Fraudu- 

 lent conveyances to deceive creditors, 

 defraud purchasers, &c. are void by stat. 

 50 Edw. III. c. 6. 13 Eliz. c. 527. 

 Eliz. c. 4. 



CONVICT, in common law, a person 

 that is found guilty of an offence by the 

 verdict of a jury. The law implies that 

 there must be a conviction before punish- 

 ment for any offence, though it be not 

 mentioned in any statute. On a joint in- 

 dictment, or information, some of the de- 

 fendants may be convicted and others ac- 

 jquitted. 



CONVICT recusant, a person who has 

 been legally presented, indicted, and 

 convicted, for refusing to come to 

 church to hear the common prayer, ac- 

 cording to the statutes 1 and 23 Eliz. and 

 3 Jac. I. 



CONVOCATION, an assembly of the 

 clergy of England, by their representa- 

 tives, to consult of ecclesiastical matters. 

 It is held during the session of parlia- 

 ment, and consists of an upper and a 

 lower house. In the upper sit the bishops, 

 and in the lower the inferior clergy, who 



are represented by their proctors, con- 

 sisting of all the deans and archdeacons, 

 of one proctor for every chapter, and two 

 for the clergy of every diocese, in all 

 one hundred and forty-three divines, viz. 

 twenty-two deans, fifty-three archdea- 

 cons, twenty-four prebendaries, and for- 

 ty-four proctors of the diocesan clergy. 

 The lower house chooses its prolocutor, 

 whose business it is to take care that the 

 members attend, to collect their debates 

 and votes, and to carry their resolutions 

 to the upper house. The convocation is 

 summoned by the King's writ, directed to 

 the archbishop of each province, requir- 

 ing him to summon all bishops, deans, 

 archdeacons, &c. 



The power of the convocation is limit- 

 ed by a statute of Henry VIII. They 

 are not to make any canons or ecclesias- 

 tical laws without the Kings's licence; nor, 

 when permitted to make any, can they 

 put them in execution but under several 

 restrictions. They have the examining 

 and censuring all heretical and schisma- 

 tical books and persons, &c. but there 

 lies an appeal to the King in chancery, or 

 to his delegates. The clergy in convo- 

 cation, and their servants, have the same 

 privileges as members of parliament. See 

 PARLIAMENT. 



CONVOLVULUS, in botany, a genus 

 of the Pentandria Monogynia class and 

 order. Natural order of Campanaceae, or 

 bell-form flowers. Convolvuli, Jussieu. Es- 

 sential character : corolla bell- shaped, 

 plaited ; stigmas two ; capsules two-celled, 

 with two seeds in each cell. There are 

 110 species of this very numerous genus ; 

 not more than thirteen species are natives 

 of Europe ; the others are mostly inhabi- 

 tants of the warmer climates of Asia and 

 America. Very few of them are cultivated 

 in our gardens, except C. purpureus, pur- 

 ple bindweed ; and C. tricolor, trailing 

 bindweed, more commonly known by the 

 names of convolvulus major and minor ; 

 the stems are herbaceous and milky, in 

 the greater part twining, in a very few 

 shrubby ; leaves alternate ; peduncles ax- 

 illary or terminating, one flowered, with 

 two bractes, or many flowered. 



CONVOY, in marine affairs, one or more 

 ships of war, employed to accompany and 

 protect merchant-ships, and prevent their 

 being insulted by pirates, or the enemies 

 of the state, in time of war. 



CONVOY, in military matters, a body of 

 men that guard any supply of men, money, 

 ammunition, or provisions, conveyed by 

 land into a town, army, or the like, in time 

 of war. 

 CONVULSION. See MEDICINE. 



