Diss, 



Dissima. 



D I S 753 D I S 



lescope; but particularly Optics, where our readers from the town and mainland, at low water, by a ditch, 

 will find the most copious table of Dispersive powers that over which there is a bridge to form the commuriica- 

 has yet been published. tion at high water. This island is planked in on all 

 DISS, a market town of England, in the hundred of sides, and has two gates, one towards the town near the 

 Diss, of the parish of Norfolk. It is said to derive its bridge, and the other towards the water side. The first 

 . name from a large muddy pool of water, lying on the is always guarded in the day-time, and locked at night, 

 south side of the town, and abounding with eels. Diss and the latter is only open when the Dutch ships are 

 < is situated on the northern bank of the river Waveney, loading or unloading, 

 which here separates the counties of Norfolk and Suf- . This island is let to the Dutch Company by the in- 

 folk. It consists of several streets, the principal of habitants, who build and keep in repair all the dwelling 

 which are paved, and the houses have a comfortable houses. The emperor's edicts for the regulation of the 

 and respectable appearance. The church consists of Dutch trade, are hung up on several tables, upon a large 

 a chancel, nave, and two aisles, with a square tower at stone pillar, at the entrance of the bridge ; and such is 

 the west end, and is remarkable for the cleristory tier the jealousy of the Japanese government, that they 

 of windows. They are arranged in pairs, five of which have three watch houses in the island, and a guard- 

 are on each side of the nave, and there is a plain pilas- house where every person is searched. The Dutch are 

 ter between each pair. The arch which forms the head not even permitted to converse with the guards or 

 of the windows is a waving line. There is a semi- with the natives, excepting those who are appointed 

 circular arch above the door of the south porch, and factors and brokers by the governor of Nangasaki. They 

 over it is a window formed of seven arched lights. The were not even allowed to have lighted candles in then 

 other establishments are a neat Presbyterian and Qua- houses, or on ship-board, and if any noise or disturbance 

 ker meeting, and a charity school, kept in a building was heard, the ottonas or reporting officers immediately 

 which was formerly the guild-hall. gave notice of it by blowing a horn, and a party was 

 In the year 1773, when a vault was sinking in the instantly dispatched by the governor, to inquire into 

 church, the workmen discovered a stone coffin contain- the cause of it. 



ing a skeleton in high preservation, with a pewter cha- The houses and store-houses of the Dutch Company 



lice near the head ; two large empty earthen urns were are built lengthwise upon the island, in the form of a 



found near the coffin. The principal manufactures of small town. They have also an hospital, and separate 



this town are hempen cloths, hose, and stays. houses for their servants, who inhabit the upper story, 



The following is an abstract of the population return while the lower one is filled with stores and lumber, 



for the parish of Diss in 1811. Two streets crossed by a third, run between these store- 



Number of inhabited houses, 348 h ° US *?' , The store-houses are all fire-proof, but the 



Families that occupy them, 520 dwelling houses are made of wood and clay and cover- 



Ditto employed in agriculture, 60 * d ™ th ' ' *S w PEp f windows ' ? nd st ™ w mats 



Ditto in trades and manufacture, ... 78 f° r th f fl ° or ' ^ he interpreters have a large house on 



1^1 j . , 8 . the island, called their college, and there is another 



Females ' 1 4.0Q house for the ottonas. According to the observations 



Tntal *JL,ww.' .v. i aYi o-(\r\ of Krusenstern, the flag-staff of Dezima is in north lati- 



Total population in 1811, 2o90 tude ^^ ^ The f ast i ongitude of the centre ofthe 



See Blomefield's History of Norfolk ; and Evans' and town of Nangasacki, according to the same observations, 



Britton's Beauties of England and Wales, vol. xi. p. is 30° 7' 53". See Krusenstern's Voyage round the 



228, 229. (tv) World, vol. i. ; and Milburn's Oriental Commerce, (tt) 



DISSIMA, Disnia, Disma, or more properly Dezi- DISSIPATION or Light. See Optics. 



ha, is the name of an island or peninsula of Japan, DISTANCES of the Planets. See Astronomy. 



situated near the town of Nangasacki. This island is DISTANCES, Methods of Measuring. See Tri- 



about 600 feet long, and 120 broad, and is separated gonometry. 



l)i*sinw 



II 

 Distances, 



DISTILLATION, 



Distilla- A. process in chemistry, by which one body is sepa- 

 tion. rated from another, by taking advantage of the rela- 

 *~~Y~ mm/ tive temperatures at which they assume the elastic 

 form, and afterwards condensing the vapour in a sepa- 

 rate vessel. 



When the vapour condenses into the solid form, such 

 as sulphur, corrosive sublimate, calomel, &c. the pro- 

 cess is termed sublimation. In this case, the sub- 

 stance to be distilled may be placed in the bottom of 

 the vessel where the heat is applied. The vapour 

 rising to the upper part, adheres to it. It is more com- 

 mon to have an upper vessel inverted directly over the 

 lower one, for the reception of the vapour, which, when 

 it is condensed upon its interior surface, can be removed 

 in the form of a cake. The sub-ammoniac of commerce 

 is sublimated in this form, and also corrosive sublimate 

 and arsenic. 



When the condensed vapour is obtained in the liquid 



VOL. VII. PART II. 



form, the shape and situation of the vessels are very dif- 

 ferent. The vapour should be kept completely in its 

 elastic form, to a certain height. The neck of the ves- 

 sel should then turn by a sharp curve, on an elbow, so that 

 the substance, after condensation into the liquid form, 

 may, by its gravity, descend as quick as possible. The 

 height of the elbow above the point where the heat is 

 applied, should be only sufficient to guard against the 

 mass below getting over the neck, by boiling or any 

 other cause of agitation. When the neck of the 

 lower vessel is liable to be Ion?, it should be defend- 

 ed in some way, either by being polished or cloth- 

 ed, to prevent the escape of heat, in order to allow the 

 vapour to be carried over into the descending part, before 

 it condenses. The vessel from which the vapour rises, 

 when of large size, and used for distilling simple li- 

 quids, is called a still. Those used for experiments in 

 a small way, and also for distilling acids, ammonia . 

 5c 



