IMP 



IMP 



or deficient. Thus 12 is an abundant im- 

 perfect number, because the sum of its 

 parts 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 6=16, which is 

 greater than 12. But 10 is a deficient im- 

 perfect number, because 1 + 2 + 5 = 8 

 only, which is less than 10. 



IMPERSONAL verb, in grammar, a 

 verb to which the nominative of any cer- 

 tain person cannot be prefixed ; or, as 

 others define it, a verb destitute of the 

 two first and primary persons. 



IMPETIGENES,in medicine, descrip- 

 tive of those disorders, which, from a ge- 

 neral bad habit, manifest themselves prin- 

 cipally, by disfiguring the skin and exter- 

 nal parts of the body. 



IMPETUS, in mechanics, the force 

 with which one body impels or strikes 

 another. 



IMPLEAD, to sue or prosecute by 

 course of law. 



IMPLICATION, in law, is where the 

 law implies something that is not declar- 

 ed between parties in their deeds and 

 agreements, and when our law gives any 

 thing to a man, it gives, by implication, 

 whatever is necessary for enjoying it. An 

 implied contract is such, where the terms 

 of agreement are not expressly set forth 

 in words, but are such as reason and jus- 

 tice dictate, and which therefore the law 

 presumes that every man undertakes to 

 perform. Estates often arise by implica- 

 tion in a will, and sometimes in a deed ; 

 but they are more readily implied in the 

 former than in the latter, in which the 

 words must be more strict. 



IMPONDERABLE substances. See 

 SUBSTANCES, imponderable. 



IMPORTATION, the act of bringing 

 goods into a country from foreign parts. 

 It has generally been considered, that for 

 any country to carry on a profitable trade, 

 it is necessary that the value of the goods 

 sent out of it should be greater than that 

 of the articles imported: this, however, 

 is a very erroneous axiom, unless it is un- 

 derstood with great limitations. All arti- 

 cles of merchandize, imported merely 

 for re-exportation, and also such as are 

 used or worked up in British manufac- 

 tures, are far from being hurtful to their 

 commerce, and may even, in many re- 

 spects, be deemed of equal profit with 

 their own native commodities. It is there- 

 fore an excess of such importations alone, 

 as are either for mere luxury, or mere ne- 

 cessity, or for both together, which is 

 disadvantageous to the country, and not 

 such importations as, like many of theirs, 

 consist of raw silk, Spanish wool, cotton, 

 wool and yarn, mohair, flax and hemp, 

 oils, potash, dyeing stuffs, naval stores, 

 &c. either used in their ship -building, or 

 worked up in their manufactures, a prin- 

 cipal part of which /are for exportation : 

 neither can their importations of East In- 

 dia goods and colonial produce, which 

 are chiefly designed to be afterwards ex- 

 ported, be deemed unprofitable, but are, 

 on the contrary, some of the most lucra- 

 tive branches of their foreign trade. The 

 following statement of the total value of 

 the imports of England, in the year 1354, 

 furnishes a good comparison with their 

 present magnitude. 



L. s. d. 



1831 Fine cloths, at 61. per cloth, which, with the cus- 

 toms, come to . 11,083 12 



3971 Hundred weight of wax, at 40s. per hundred 



weight, which, with the customs, come to . 815 7 5 

 1829| Tons of wine, at 40s. per ton, which, with the 



customs, come to 3,841 19 



Linen cloth, mercery, grocery, and all other wares 22,943 6 10 



On which the customs were 285 18 3 



Total ...... 38,970 3 6 



At this period, and for a long time af- 

 ter, foreigners were the principal import- 

 ers of goods in that country ; and as it 

 was thought that many of them, after dis- 

 posing of their merchandize there, re- 

 turned with the value in money to their 

 own country, which was deemed a se- 

 rious injury, many laws were made 

 against carrying out of the realm any 

 gold or silver, either in coin, plate, or bul- 

 VOL. VI. 



lion ; and merchant strangers were com- 

 pelled to give security, that they would 

 lay out ali the money they received for 

 the wares they imported in English mer- 

 chandize, to be exported. These injudi- 

 cious restrictions have been long since 

 done away, and, excepting the prohibi- 

 tion of some foreign manufactures, the 

 import trade of that country is probably 

 as free as the regulations necessary to se- 

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