QUA 



QUA 



In freeing the stone from the bed, they 

 proceed thus : as common stones, at least 

 the softer kinds, have two grains, a cleav- 

 ing grain, running parallel with the hori- 

 zon, and a breaking grain running perpen- 

 dicular thereto ; they observe by the grain 

 where it will cleave, and there drive in a 

 number of wedges, till they have cleft it 

 from the rest of the rock. This done, they 

 proceed to break it; in order to which, ap- 

 plying the ruler to it, they strike a line, 

 and by this cut a little channel with their 

 stone-axe ; and in the channel, if the stone 

 be three or four feet long, set five or six 

 wedges, driving them in very carefully 

 with gentle blows, and still keeping them 

 equally forward. Having thus broken 

 the stone in length, which they are able 

 to do of any size within half an inch, 

 they apply a square to the straight side, 

 strike a line, and proceed to break it in 

 breadth. This way of managing stone is 

 found vastly preferable to that where 

 they are broken at random : one load of 

 the former being found to do the business 

 of a load and a half of the latter. But it 

 may be observed, that this cleaving grain 

 being generally wanting in the harder 

 kinds of stones, to break up these in the 

 quarries, they have great heavy stone-axes, 

 with which they work down a deep chan- 

 nel into the stone ; and into this channel, 

 at the top lay two iron bars, between which 

 they drive their iron wedges. 



QUARRY, among glaziers, a pane of 

 glass cut in a diamond form. Quarries 

 are of two kinds, square and long, each of 

 which are of different sizes, expressed by 

 the number of the pieces that make a foot 

 of glass, viz. eighths, tenths, twelfths, eigh- 

 teenths, and twentieths ; but all the sixes 

 are cut to the same angles, the acute an- 

 gle in the square quarries being 77 19', 

 and 67 21' in the long ones. 



QUART, a measure containing the 

 fourth part of some other measure. The 

 English quart is the fourth part of a gal- 

 lon, or two pints. See PINT. 



QUARTER, the fourth part of any 

 thing, the fractional expression for which 

 is i- Quarter in weights, is generally 

 used for the fourth part of an hundred 

 weight, avoirdupois, or twenty-eight 

 pounds. Used as the name of a dry 

 measure, quarter is the fourth part of a 

 ton in weight, or eight bushels. 



QUARTER, in law, the fourth part of a 

 year ; and hence the days on which these 

 quarters commence, are called quarter- 

 days, viz. March 25, or Lady-day ; June 

 24, or Midsummer-day ; September 29, 

 or Michaelmas ; and December 21, or St. 



Thomas the apostle's day. On these days 

 rents on leases, &c are usually reserved 

 to be paid ; though December 25, or 

 Christmas-day, is commonly reckoned the 

 last quarter-day. 



QUARTER, in astronomy, the fourth 

 part of the Moon's period : thus, from the 

 new moon to the quadrature is the first 

 quarter ; from this to full Moon, the se- 

 cond quarter, &c. 



QUARTER, in heraldry, is applied to 

 the parts or members of the first division 

 of a coat that is quartered or divided into 

 four quarters. 



QUARTER sessions. The sessions of 

 the peace is a court of record holden be- 

 fore two or more justices, whereof one is 

 of the quorum, for the execution of the 

 authority given them by the commission 

 of the peace, and certain statutes and acts 

 of parliament. The justices keep their 

 sessions in every quarter of the year at 

 least, and for three days, if need be ; to 

 wit, in the first week after the feast of 

 St. Michael, in the first week after the 

 Epiphany, in the first week after Easter, 

 and in the first week after St. Thomas, 

 and oftener, if need be. 



Any two justices, one whereof is of the 

 quorum, by the words of the commission 

 of the peace, may issue their precept to 

 the sheriff, to summon a session for the 

 general execution of their authority ; and 

 such session, holden at any time within 

 that quarter of a year, is a general quar- 

 ter-session, and the sheriff must summons 

 a jury under their authority. 



There are many offences, which, by 

 particular statutes, belong properly to this 

 jurisdiction, and ought to be prosecuted 

 in this court as the smaller misdemeanors, 

 not amounting to felony, and especially 

 offences relating to the game, highways, 

 alehouses, bastard children, the settle- 

 ments and provision of the poor, vagrants, 

 servants' wages, apprentices, and popish 

 recusants. Some of these are proceeded 

 upon by indictment, and others in a sum- 

 mary way, by motion and order, which 

 may, for the most part, unless guarded 

 against by any particular statute, be re- 

 moved into the Court of King's Bench by 

 certiorari, and be there either quashed or 

 confirmed. 



The business done at quarter sessions 

 is become of the highest importance to 

 the country, and the public are greatly 

 indebted to those magistrates who have 

 sufficient knowledge of law to perform 

 the duties of their office and give their 

 attendance. In Ireland a practising bar- 

 rister is appointed at each session to assist 



