KAO 



KEE 



are contracted, and become painful. Re- 

 spiration is short and difficult, the skin 

 parched and dry, and the body consumed 

 by an internal heat. In vain is recourse 

 had to large draughts of water ; nothing 

 can restore perspiration. In vain is cool- 

 ness sought for ; all bodies, in which it is 

 usual to find it, deceive the hand that 

 touches them. Marble, iron, water, not- 

 withstanding the sun no longer appears, 

 are hot. The streets are deserted, and 

 the dead silence of night reigns every 

 where. The inhabitants of towns and 

 villages shut themselves up in their 

 houses, and those of the desert in their 

 tents, or in wells dug in the earth, where 

 they wait the termination of this destruc- 

 tive heat. It usually lasts three days, but 

 if it exceeds that time it becomes insup- 

 portable. The danger is most imminent 

 when it blows in squalls ; for then the 

 rapidity of the wind increases the heat to 

 such a degree as to cause sudden death. 

 This death is a real suffocation. The 

 lungs being empty are convulsed, the 

 circulation is disordered, and the whole 

 mass of blood driven by the heat towards 

 the head and breast; whence the haemorr- 

 hage at the nose and mouth, which hap- 

 pens after death. This wind is especially 

 destructive to persons of a plethoric habit, 

 and those in whom fatigue has destroyed 

 the tone of the muscles and the vessels. 

 The corpse remains a long time warm, 

 swells, turns blue, and soon becomes 

 putrid. These accidents are to be avoided 

 by stopping the nose and mouth with 

 handkerchiefs. An efficacious method, 

 likewise, is that practised by the camels. 

 On this occasion these animals bury their 

 noses in the sand, and keep them there 

 till the squall is over. Another quality 

 of this wind is its extreme aridity ; which 

 is such, that water sprinkled on the floor 

 evaporates in a few minutes. By the ex- 

 treme dryness it withers and strips all 

 the plants ; and by exhaling too suddenly 

 the emanations from animal bodies, crisps 

 the skin, closes the pores, and causes 

 that feverish heat which is the constant 

 effect of suppressed perspiration. 



KAOLIN, in the arts, the name of an 

 earth used in the manufacture of oriental 

 porcelain china. A specimen of this earth 

 was brought from China, and examined 

 by Reaumur, who found it to be infusible 

 by fire. He thought it was a talcy earth ; 

 but Mr. Macquer says it is more proba- 

 bly of an argillaceous nature, from its 

 forming a tenacious paste, with the other 

 ingredient called petunse, which has no 

 tenacity. A French chemist, M. Bomaire, 

 analyzed it, and found it was a compound 



earth, consisting of clay, to which it owed 

 its tenacity ; of calcareous earth, which 

 gave it a mealy appearance ; of sparkling 

 crystals of mica ; and of small gravel, or 

 particles of quartz-crystals. He found a 

 similar earth upon a stratum of granite, 

 and conjectures it may be a decomposed 

 granite. 



KEDGING, in the sea-language, is 

 when a ship is brought up or down a 

 narrow river by means of the tide, the 

 wind being contrary. To do this, they 

 use to set their fore-course, or fore-top- 

 sail and mizen, that so they may flat her 

 about; and if she happen to come too 

 near the shore, they let fall a kedge-an- 

 chor, with a hawser fastened to it from 

 the ship, in order to turn her head about ; 

 which work is called kedging. 



KEEL, the lowest piece of timber in a 

 ship, running her whole length, from the 

 lower part of her stem to the lower part 

 of her stern-post. Into it are all the 

 lower futtocks fastened ; and under part, 

 of it a false keel is often used. 



By comparing the carcass of a ship to 

 the skeleton of a human body, the keel 

 appears as the back bone, and the tim- 

 bers as the ribs. Accordingly, the keel 

 supports and unites the whole fabric, 

 since the stem and stern-posts, which are 

 elevated on its ends, are, in some measure, 

 a continuation of the keel, and serve to 

 connect and inclose the extremities of the 

 sides by transoms, as the keel forms and 

 unites the bottom by timbers. 



The keel is generally composed of 

 several thick pieces placed lengthways, 

 which, after being scarfed together, arc 

 bolted and clinched upon the upper side. 



KEEL hauling, a punishment inflicted 

 for various offences in the Dutch navy. It 

 is performed by suspending the culprit 

 by a rope from one yard arm, with a 

 weight of lead or iron upon his legs, and 

 having another rope fastened to him, lead- 

 ing under the ship's bottom, and through 

 a block at its opposite yard-arm ; he is 

 then repeatedly and suddenly let fall 

 from the one yard- arm into the sea, where, 

 passing under the ship's bottom, he is 

 hoisted upon the opposite side of the 

 vessel to the other. 



KEELERS, among seamen, are sma]-! 

 tubs, which hold stuff for the caulking oi 

 ships. 



KEELSON, a principal timber in :>. 

 ship, fayed within-side cross all the floor- 

 timbers; and being adjusted to the keel 

 with suitable scarfs, it serves to strengthen 

 the bottom of the ship. 



KEEP, in ancient military history, a 

 kind of strong tower, which was built in 



