KIG 



KIN 



Ionic it is cut and waved somewhat like 

 consoles ; and in the Corinthian and Com- 

 posite orders it is a console, enriched 

 with sculpture. Keystones, made in the 

 manner of consoles, and placed projecting 

 in the middle of arches and porticos, are 

 particularly designed to sustain the weight 

 and pressure of the entablature, where it 

 happens to be very great between the 

 columns ; for which reason, they should 

 be made so as to be a real support, and 

 not stand for mere ornaments, as they 

 too frequently do. 



KIDNAPPING, is the forcibly taking 

 and carrying away a man, woman or child, 

 from their own country, and sending them 

 to another. This is an offence at com- 

 mon law, and punishable by fine, impri- 

 sonment, and pillory. By statute 11 and 

 12 William III. c. 7, if any captain of a 

 merchant vessel shall, during his being 

 abroad, force any person on shore, and 

 wilfully leave him behind, or refuse to 

 bring home all such men as he carried 

 out, if able and desirous to return, he 

 shall suffer three months imprisonment. 

 Exclusive of the above punishment for 

 this, as a criminal offence, the party may 

 recove't' upon an action for compensation 

 in damages for the civil injury. 



KTGG.ELAKTA, in botany, so named 

 from .Francis Kiggelar of Holland, a genus 

 of the Dioecia Decandria class and order. 

 Natural order of Columniferx. Euphor- 

 bia;, Jussieu. Essential character: male, 

 ralyx five-parted ; corolla five-petall- 

 ed; glands five, three-lobed; anthers 

 perforated at the tip : female, calyx 

 and corolla as in the male ; styles five ; 

 capsule one-celled, five valved, many- 

 seeded, There is but one species, viz. 

 K. afric.sTi:i. This plant grows natural- 

 ly at the Cape of Good Hope, where it 

 rises to a tree of middling stature; the 

 branches have a smooth bark, which is 

 at first green, afterwards it changes to a 

 purplish colour: the leaves are about three 

 inches long and one broad, sawed on 

 their edges, standing upon short foot- 

 stalks alternately. The Hewers come out 

 in clusters from the side of the branches, 

 hanging downwards; they are of an her- 

 baceous white colour, appearing in May, 

 at which time the plants are thinly gar- 

 nished with leaves, most of the old ones 

 dropping off just before the new leaves 

 appear. The male flowers fall away soon 

 after their farina is shed ; but the herma- 

 phrodite, or female flowers,are succeeded 

 by globular fruit, the si/e of common red 

 cherries ; the cover of these is very rough, 

 and of a thick consistence, opening in five 



valves at the top, having one cell filled 

 with small angular seeds. These fruits 

 have grown to their full size in the Chel- 

 sea garden ; but the seeds have rarely 

 come to maturity. 



KILDERKIN, a liquid measure, con- 

 taining two firkins, or eighteen gallons. 



KING of England. The executive 

 power in England is vested in a single 

 person by immemorial usage, to whom 

 the care of the people is entrusted, and 

 to whom, therefore, allegiance is due. 

 Formerly, the succession being interrupt- 

 ed, there was occasionally a distinction 

 between a rightful king, or king dejure, 

 and a king rn possession of the throne, 

 or king de facto ; and in cases of trea- 

 son, and also with respect to many acts 

 done by kings de facto, which were ne- 

 cessary to be recognised by kings de 

 jure afterwards, this distinction was of 

 great importance : but it seems now on- 

 ly necessary to consider the rightful 

 power and authority of the King, law- 

 fully and peaceably in possession of the 

 throne. And in this country the crown 

 is by common law hereditary in a pe- 

 culiar manner, but not de jure divi-uo ,- 

 and it may be changed in the limitation 

 of its descent by the authority of the 

 King, Lords, and Commons, in parlia- 

 ment assembled, but it is not elective. 

 As to the mode of inheritance, it is ge- 

 nerally the same as other feodal descents, 

 but it differs in one. or two particulars ; 

 for it descends regularly to lineal descen- 

 dants by right of primogeniture : but in 

 case of no male heir, it descends to the 

 eldest daughter only, and to her issue, 

 and not in coparcenary to all the 

 daughters. In failure of lineal heirs it 

 goes to collateral descendants, but there 

 is no failure on account of half blood. 

 Lands also purchased by the King de- 

 scend with the crown. The inheritance 

 is not indefeasible, but may be altered 

 as above, and therefore the statutes have 

 expressed " his Majesty, his heirs, and 

 successors." But, however limited or 

 transferred, it still retains its heredita- 

 ble quality to the wearer of it ; and 

 hence the King never dies, but his right 

 vests ea instanti in his heir ; so that Hall 

 says, there can be no interregnum, and 

 the death of the King is called the de- 

 mise of the crown, which ordinarily 

 means only a transfer from one to an- 

 other. If the throne becomes vacant, 

 whether by abdication, as in the time 

 of James II., or by failure of all heirs, 

 the two houses of parliament may, it U 

 said by Blackstone, dispose of it. 



