HAN 



HAH 



HA MELT A, in buiany, so called from 

 Jeuu Baptiste du Hamel du Monceau, a 

 ge .us of Ihe Pentandria Monogynia class 

 and order. Natural order of Rubiaeeae, 

 Jui^ieu. Essential character : corolla 

 five-cleft; berry five-celled, inferior, ma- 

 ny serded. There are four species, ail 

 natives 01 the West Indies. 



HAMMER, a wtll known tool used by 

 mechanics, consisting of an iron head, 

 tixv ;i crobs-wise upon a handle of wood. 



There are several sorts of hammers 

 used by blacksmiths; as, 1. The hand 

 hummer, which is of such weight that it 

 may be wielded or governed with one 

 hand at the anvil. 2. The up-hand sledge, 

 used with both hands, and seldom lifted 

 above the head. 3. The about-sledge, 

 which is the biggest hammer of all, and 

 held by both hands at the farthest end of 

 the handle, and being swung at arms- 

 length over the head, is made to fall up- 

 on the work with as heavy a blow as pos- 

 sible. There is also another hammer used 

 by smiths, called a rivetting hammer, 

 which is the smallest of all, and is seldom 

 used at the forge, unless upon small work. 

 HAMMOCK, in naval affairs, a piece 

 of hempen cloth, six feet long and three 

 feet wide, gathered together at the two 

 ends by means of a clue, and slung hori- 

 zontally under the deck, forming a re- 

 ceptacle for a bed. There are about from 

 fourteen to twenty inches in breadth al- 

 lowed between the decks for every ham- 

 mock in a ship of war. In preparing for 

 battle, the hammocks, with their contents, 

 are all firmly corded, taken upon deck, 

 and fixed in various nettings, so as to 

 form a barricade against small shot. 

 HAMSTER. See Mus. 

 HAN APER office, in the Court of Chan- 

 cery, is that out of which all original writs 

 issue that pass under the great seal, and 

 all commissions of charitable uses, sewers, 

 bankrupts, idiocy, lunacy, and the like. 

 These writs, relating to the business of 

 the subject, and the returns to them, were 

 originally kept in a hamper, in hanaperio ; 

 the other writs, relating to such matters 

 wherein tke crown is immediately or me- 

 diately concerned, were preserved in a 

 - little sack or bag, in parva baga ; and 

 thence arises the distinction of the hana- 

 per office, and petty bag office ; both of 

 which belong to the common law court in 

 Chancery. 



HAND. See ANATOMY. 

 HAND breadth, a measure of three inches. 

 By this standard the height of horses is 

 estimated. 

 HAXB ci'/s, an instrument formed of 



two circular pieces of iron, each fixed on 

 a hinge on the ends of a very short iron 

 bar, which being locked over the wrists 

 of a malefactor, prevents his using his I 

 hands. 



H-iyv-spikes, wooden levers used at sei. ; 

 to traverse the ordnance, or to turn the* ) 

 windlass in weighing up the anchor, & 

 They are more commodious than iron j 

 crows, because their length allows a bet- j 

 ter poize. 



HANDS, in heraldry, are borne in coat- I 

 armour; dexter and sinister, that is, right ( 

 and ieft, expanded or open. These are 

 the most necessary parts of the human 

 body, as they serve to express all sort* 

 of actions, and even our very thoughts 

 and designs; inus joining of hands is an 

 universal token of friendship, and" 

 clapping of hands a general mark of ap- 

 plause. 



HANKS, in naval affairs, are wooden, 

 rings fixed upon the stays to confine stay- 

 sails at different distances. They are 

 in place of gromets, being more conve- 

 nient, as well as of a later invention. They 

 are formed by bending a tough piece of 

 wood into the form of a wreath, and fast- 

 ened at the two ends by means of notches, 

 thereby retaining their circular ' g-ure 

 and elasticity, whereas the gromets, 

 which are formed of rope, are apt to 

 relax in warm weather, and which ad- 

 here. 



HANSE towns, port -towns of Germany, 

 of which Lubec'and Hamburg were the 

 chief. They were formerly all of them 

 imperial cities, confederated for their mu- 

 tual defence, and the protection of their 

 trade. 



HARBOUR, a place where ships may 

 ride safe at anchor, chiefly used in speak- 

 ing of those secured by a boom and chain, 

 and furnished with a tnole. The bottom 

 of a good harbour should be free from 

 jocks and shallows : the entrance should 

 be of sufficient extent to admit large 

 ships : it should have good anchoring 

 ground, and be easy of access; it should 

 have room and convenience to receive 

 the shipping of different nations; it 

 should be furnished with a good light- 

 house, and have at command plenty of 

 wood and other materials for firing, be- 

 sides hemp, iron, &c. 



HAHBOUK master, an officer appointed 

 to inspect the moorings, and to see that 

 the laws and regulations of the harbour 

 are strictly attended to by the different 

 ships. 



HARDNESS, in physiology, is the re- 

 sistance opposed by a body to the sepai 



