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depending in the king's court, for the better execution of 

 juilice ; as of baftardy, or the like. Reg. Jiulic. 



ADINSEIK, in Geography, a town of Afiatic Turkey, 

 three leagues fouth-eall of Artaki. 



ADjODIN.a town of HiiuloHan, in the Subahof Moiil- 

 tan, 95 milts call of Moultan, and 68 foulh of Lahore. 



ADJOINING is particularly ufcd for the aflbciatiiig of 

 B perfon to another, or appointing him a colleague, or ad- 

 junct. 



ADJOURNMENT, fomed oi ad, to, and Yr. jour, day, 

 q. d. another day, in I.a'tu, the putting off a court or 

 meeting ; and appointing it to be kept at another time or 

 place : in which fenfe we meet with the phrafe adjournment in 

 cyrc, for an appointment of a day when the juilices in eyre 

 intend to fit again. Adjournment of parliament is a conti- 

 nmncc of the feffion from one day to another, and is done 

 bv the authority of each houfe feparatcly, every day, and 

 fometimes for a fortnight or month together ; and differs 

 from PROROGATION and dissolution. The adjournment 

 of one houfe is no adjournment of the other. After an 

 adjournment, all things continue in the fame ftate as at the 

 lime of the adjournment, and may be proceeded on with- 

 out any frelh commencement ; whereas, after a prorogation, 

 fucli bills as are only begun and not perfected, mull be re- 

 fumed de nivo (if at all) in a fubfequent feffion. 



ADIPOCIRE, Gras, matiere grajfe, matiere adipo-ii- 

 Veufe, is a term formed of adeps, J'at, and cera, wax, and 

 denotes a fubftance, the nature and origin of which are ex- 

 plained in the fequol of this article. 



The changes which animal matter undergoes in its progrefs 

 towards total decompofitlon, have been fijr many obvious 

 reafons but little attended to : the difgulling circumftanccs 

 by which they are accompanied, the real danger to health, 

 and the decent reverence for the receptacles of the dead 

 which prevails in all countries, have hitherto oppofed almoit 

 infuperable obftacles to the inveftigations of fcience on this 

 moll interefting fubjett ; it is therefore a pecuharly fortu- 

 nate circumftance, when from motives of police or general 

 Convenience, the great progrefs of the refolution of or- 

 ganifed into inorganic matter, with all its various modifica- 

 tions, is fubmittcd to the infpeftion of chemical philofophy. 

 An opportunity of this kind was offered at Paris in 1786, and 

 1787, when the old burial ground of the Innocens was laid 

 out for building upon, in confequence of which, the furface 

 foil, and the animal remains contained therein, were re- 

 moved. This cemetery having been for ages appropriated 

 to the reception of the dead, in one of the moil populous 

 diilricls of Paris, was eminently well calculated to exhibit 

 the various proceffes of animal decompofition ; another fa- 

 vourable circumftance was, that it contained feveral of thofe 

 large pits (fojfes communes) in which the bodies of the poor 

 are depofited by hundreds. Thefe pits are cavities 30 feet 

 deep, with an area of 20 feet fquare, in which the (hells 

 containing the bodies are cloftly packed in rows over each 

 other, without any intennediatc earth, and with only a flight 

 fupcrficial covering of foil, not more than a foot thick : 

 each pit contained from 1200 to 1500 bodies, and may be 

 confidered as a mafs of animal matter of the dimenilons 

 above-mentioned. M. M. Fourcroy and Thouret were pre- 

 fent at the opening of feveral of thefe receptacles, and it is 

 from a memoir by the former of thefe, that the principal 

 part of til is article is compofed. 



The firft pit that was examined, had been filled and clofed 

 up 1 5 years before : on opening fome of the coffins (for the 

 wood was ftiU quite found, only tinged of a yellow colour) 

 the bodies were found within, (hrunk fo as to leave a confi- 

 deiable vacant fpace in the upper pait of the coffin, and 



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flattened as if they had been fubjeftto aftrong comprefflon ; 

 the hnen v>hich covered them adhered firmly, and upon be- 

 ing removed, prefcnted to view only iiTCgular maffes of a 

 fott ductile grcyifli-white matter, apparently intermediate 

 between fat and wax : the bones were enveloped in this, 

 and were found to be veiy brittle. 



The bodies thus changed, being but little offenuve to the 

 fmell, a great number were dug up and minutely examined ; 

 in fome this alteration had, as yet, only partially taken 

 place, the remains of mufcular fibres being llill vifible, but 

 where the converfion had been compleat, the bones through- 

 out the whole body were fotmd covered with this grey iub- 

 ilance, generally foft and duclilc, fometimes dry, but al- 

 ways readily feparating into porous cavernous fragments, 

 without the (lighteil trace of mulcles, membranes, veffels, 

 tendons, or nerves : the ligaments of the articulations had 

 been in like manner changed, the connexion between the 

 bones was deftroyed, and thefe la'l had become fo yielding, 

 that the grave-diggers, in order to remove the bodies more 

 conveniently, rolled each upon itfclf from head to heels, 

 without any difficulty. The whole contents of the abdominal 

 cavity were wanting, and the mufcles and integuments con- 

 verted as above-mentioned, lay fiat on the vertebral column ; 

 in like manner the heart and other vifcera of the thorax were 

 diffolved, nothing being left but a little white grumous mat- 

 tei\ The glandular part of the breaft in the female corpfes 

 frequently afforded this foapy matter of a homogeneous tex- 

 ture, and a pure wliite colour : the hair appeared to have 

 undergone no alteration ; the brain was not wanting in any, 

 it was fuperficially of a blackilh grey, and had experienced 

 the fame change as the integuments. According to the 

 tcilimony of the grave-diggers, to whom the rafts jufl 

 mentioned had been long familiar, this converfion of animal 

 matter is never obfen'ed in thofe bodies that are interred 

 fingly, but always takes place in the fojjcs communes ; to ef- 

 fcft this change nearly three years are required. The foapy 

 matter of lateil formation is foft, very duttile, fight and 

 fpungy, and contains much water ; in 30 or 40 years it be- 

 comes much dr^-er, more brittle, and affumes the appearance 

 of denfe laminae, and where the furrounding earth has been 

 dryer than ufual, it is femitranfparent, of a granulated tex» 

 tuit, brittle, and bears a confiderable refemblance to wax. 



Animal matter having once paffed into this llage of de- 

 compofition, appears to refill for a long time any further al- 

 teration : fome of thefe pits that had been clofed above 40 

 years, were upon examination, found to be little elfe than a 

 folid mafs of foapy matter, nor is it yet afcertained how long 

 in common circumllances it would continue unchanged, the 

 burial ground of the Innocens being fo fmall in comparifon 

 to the population of the dillritl, as to require each pit in 

 30 or 40 years to be emptied of its contents, in order to 

 receive a new fuccefiion of bodies : it appears, however, 

 that the ulterior changes depend in a great meafure on the 

 quantity of moifture draining through the mafs. 



From the hiftor)* of this fingular fubilance, we proceed 

 to an examination of its chemical properties. It was firll, 

 however, purified by gently heating in an earthen veffel, till 

 it became of a pally confillence, and then rubbed through 

 a fine hair fieve, by which means the hair, fmall bones, and 

 remains of the mufcular fibre were feparated with tolerable 

 exaftnefs. In this ftate, being expofed in an earthen veffel 

 to the naked fire, it readily became foft, but did not hquefy 

 without confiderable difficulty, rather fiying as a piece of 

 foap would do, and difengaging at the fame time ammo- 

 niacal vapours. Four pounds being put into a glafs retort, 

 and fubmitted to flow diftillation in a water bath, afforded 

 ia th'C fpace of three weeks, eight "ounces of a clear watery 



fluid, 



