FAC 



FAC 



F. 



O the sixth letter of the alphabet, and 

 .1? 9 fourth consonant, is by some rec- 

 koned a mute, and by others a semi-vowel : 

 it is formed by forcing the breath out 

 strongly, and at the same time joining 1 

 the upper teeth and under lip : it has 

 much the same sound with the Greek 

 q>, or ph in English words, and is only 

 written in the words of Latin origin, ph be- 

 ing used instead of it in those derived 

 from the Greek. Suetonius tells us, 

 that the Emperor Claudius invented the 

 ft and two other letters ; and that it had 

 the force of v consonant, and was wrote 

 inverted j. 



As a numeral, F denotes 40, and with 

 a dash over it thus~F, 40,000 : in music, 

 it stands for the bass clef; and frequently 

 for forte, as Jf does for forte forte. 



As an abreviation, F stands for jilius, 

 fellow, and the like ; thus F. R. S. signi- 

 fies Fellow of the Royal Society. 



FA, in music, one of the syllables in- 

 vented by Guido Aretine, to mark the 

 fourth note of the modern scale, which 

 rises thus, ut t re, mi, fa. 



Musicians distinguish two fa's, viz. the 

 flat, marked with a [7, and the sharp or 

 natural, marked thus , and called bi- 

 quadro. 



FABER, a fish of the zeus kind, call- 

 ed in English doree, or John doree. See 

 ZEUS. 



FABLE, is used for the plot of an epic 

 or dramatic poem, and is, according to 

 Aristotle, the principal part, and, as it 

 were, the soul of a poem. 



FABR1CIA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Icosandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Calyx five-cleft, half superior; five pe- 

 tals, without claws ; stigma capitate ; cap- 

 sule many-celled ; seeds winged. There 

 are two species, viz. the myrlifolia and 

 the laevigata, both found in New-Holland. 



FACE, comprehends all that part of 

 the head which is not covered with the 

 common long hair. See ANATOMY. 



FACE, or facade, in architecture, the 

 front of a building, or the side which 

 contains the chief entrance. Sometimes, 

 however, it is used for whatever side 

 presents to the street, garden, court, &c. 

 or its opposite to the eye. 



FACE, in fortification, an appellation 

 given to several parts of a fortress, as the 

 face of a bastion, & c . 





FACET, or FACETTE, among jewellers, 

 the name of the little faces or planes to 

 be found in brilliant and rose-diamonds. 



FACTITIOUS, any thing made by art, 

 in opposition to what is the produce of 

 nature. Thus factitious cinnabar is op- 

 posite to native cinnabar. See CINNABAR. 



FACTOR, in commerce, is an agent or 

 correspondent residing beyond the seas, 

 or in some remote part, commissioned by 

 merchants to buy or sell goods on their 

 account, or assist them in carrying on 

 their trade. 



A factor, in law and in merchandise, is 

 one authorized to sell goods and mer- 

 chandise, and otherwise act for his prin- 

 cipal, with an allowance or commission 

 for his care. He must pursue his orders 

 strictly. He is accountable for all lawful 

 goods coming to his hands; yet if the 

 factor buy goods for his principal, and 

 they receive damage in his possession, 

 through no negligence of his, the princi- 

 pal shall bear the loss ; and if a factor is 

 robbed, he shall be discharged ; if a fac- 

 tor act contrary to his orders in selling 

 goods, he is liable for the loss, though 

 there may be a probability of advantage 

 by his act : so he is liable for not making 

 insurance, if ordered to do so. 



FACTOR, in multiplication, a name given 

 to the multiplier and multiplicand, be- 

 cause they constitute the product. See 

 ARITHMETIC. 



FACTORAGE, called also commission, 

 is the allowance given to factors by the 

 merchant who employs them. 



FACTORY, is a place where a consi- 

 derable number of factors reside, to nego- 

 ciate for their masters and employers. 

 The most considerable factories belong- 

 ing to the British are those established 

 in the East Indies. There were also fac- 

 tories in Portugal, Turkey, and at Ham- 

 burgh, Petersburg!), Dantzic, and Amster- 

 dam, all endowed with certain privileges. 

 The ascendency of the French Emperor, 

 for the present, at least, has put an end 

 to these, or to the most of them. We 

 trust, however, that a change of circum- 

 stances may hereafter place things on 

 their old footing. 



FACULJE, in astronomy, certain bright 

 and shining parts, which the modern as- 

 tronomers have, by means of telescopes, 

 observed upon or about the surface of 



