PYR 



PYR 



mizen-mast, to the top-mast shrouds and 

 jf there be any top-gallant musts, there 

 are puttocks to go from ihe top-mast 

 shrouds into these. These puttocks are 

 at the bottom seized to a staff, or to some 

 rope which is seized to a plate of iron, or 

 to a dead man's eyes, to which the lan- 

 niards of the fore-mast shrouds do come. 

 PUTTY, in the arts, is a substance 

 used in polishing metals, precious stones, 

 and glass ; it is also the base of most of 

 the opaque enamels. It is made by cal- 

 cining equal parts of tin and lead. Gla- 

 zier's putty was probably composed of 

 this true putty and oil ; but what they 

 now use is a mixture of whiting and lin- 

 seed oil, which has the property of be- 

 coming very hard and durable by expo- 

 sure to the air. 



PUZZOLANA, or POZZULA.XA, a kind 

 of earth found about Puteoli, Baiae, and 

 Cumx, in the kingdom of Naples. It is 

 thrown out from the burning mouths of 

 volcanoes, in the form of ashes ; some- 

 times in such large quantities, and with so 

 great violence, that whole provinces 

 have been covered with it at a consider- 

 able distance, Puzzolana is of a grey, 

 brown, or blackish colour ; of a loose, 

 granular, or dusty and rough, porous or 

 spongy texture, resembling a clay hard- 

 ened by fire, and then reduced to a gross 

 powder. It has various heterogeneous 

 substances mixed with it. Its specific gra- 

 vity is from 2.5 to 2.8 ; and it is, in some 

 degree, magnetic : it scarcely efferves- 

 ces with acids, though partially soluble 

 in them. It easily melts per se ; but its 

 most distinguishing property is, that it 

 hardens very suddenly when mixed with 

 one-third of its weight of lime and water ; 

 and forms a cement which is more dura- 

 ble in water than any other. According 

 to Bergman's analysis, 100 parts of it con- 

 tain from 55 to 60 of siliceous earth, 20 

 of argillaceous, 5 or 6 of calcareous, and 

 from 15 to 20 of iron. Its effects, how- 

 ever, in cement may perhaps depend on- 

 ly on the iron, which has been reduced 

 into a particular substance by means of 

 subterraneous fires ; evident signs of 

 which are observable in the places where 

 it is obtained. 



PYRAMID, in architecture : this form 

 \ve derive from the Egyptians, a people 

 who conceived and executed unparallel- 

 ed works, which are, however, more re- 

 markable for their strength and durabili- 

 ty than elegance ofotuline, and beauty 

 of execution. According to Herodotus, 

 the people alluded to considered the py- 

 ramidal form as emblematic of human life, 



VOL. V. 



the broad base representing the com- 

 mencement, and the gradation, to a 

 point, the termination of our existence 

 in the present state ; hence they used it 

 for sepulchral purposes : it would be ab- 

 surd to contradict this assertion, as the 

 period of their erection is too remote 

 for enquiry, with any probable success ; 

 but there is another obvious reason for 

 the adoption of the shape, which of all 

 others is most decidedly calculated to re- 

 sist the operations of time. Admitting a 

 monarch to have conceived an idea of 

 rendering his tomb almost everlasting, it 

 was impossible to invent an outline less 

 liable to injury from the assaults of wind 

 and rain, and the very disposition of the 

 stones made it impossible that it should 

 fall even through the operations of an 

 earthquake, besides the immense extent 

 of their bases, and the solidity of the 

 workmanship made it highly improbable 

 that his successors, or the people, would 

 be at the trouble and expense of destroy- 

 ing it through disrespect to his memory ; 

 this circumstance, perhaps, united with 

 the former consideration, were sufficient 

 inducements for the selection of the py- 

 ramid for monuments. 



Some authors derive the word from the 

 Greek for wheat and its receptacle, and 

 those assert that pyramids were original- 

 ly built by the Patriarch Joseph as gra- 

 naries ; others derive it from the word 

 srv, fire, thinking that the pyramidal 

 shape resembles the ascent of flame. 



There are several pyramids in Egypt, 

 but those at Gizeh are the most gigantic; 

 and the most enormous, or the great py- 

 ramid, is situated near Memphis. Hero- 

 dotus says he was informed the latter co- 

 vered the remains of Cheops, and an- 

 other adjoining those of his brother Ce- 

 phrenes, who succeeded him ; the first 

 only having inner galleries, or passages. 

 Although much dependence cannot be 

 placed upon the further accounts of ' his 

 ancient writer, it seems highly probable 

 that 100,000 men may have been con- 

 stantly employed, for 20 years, in erect- 

 ing the immense pile, and that Cheops 

 became detested by the people, who 

 were thus taken from more useful em- 

 ployments, as well as by the bulk of the 

 population, who found the tuxes de- 

 manded of them appropriated to u pur- 

 pose utterly unproductive of future ad- 

 vantage. 



When M. Savary visited the pyramids 

 of Gizeh, the country was under ilit. go- 

 vernment of its present natives, whose 



o T 



