B O R 



BO R 



allowed R pood deal of air. The fixtli Is n perennial, eafily 

 propagated by the root, wh.ich may hz parted in autumn, 

 and planted in a diy f '1 and warm Ihuation. 



BoRAOO (Morf.-ii). Sea Cynochosswi o/r/'/ja/oifas. 

 BORAHS, Lat. Boao/ia, in Geography, a town of 

 Sweden, in the province of W-ll Gotlih;id, lituate in a mild 

 and nminitainous country, on the river Wiilo. It was 

 founded by Giiitavus Adolj'hn?, and in 1622 endowed v/ith 

 fcvtral privileges. Its inhabitants are a fort of itinerant 

 pedlars, who deal in I'men, and traverfe the kniirdom for this 

 purpofe. Tliis town was delboyed by fire in 1727 ; but 

 %vas afterwards rebuilt, and continues in a good condition. 

 It has a fprin r of medicinal water ; and has the farty-third 

 vote in the diet. 



BORAK, among Muhonutims., a fabulous animal, fnp- 

 pofed to be ot a middle ki.id between an afs and a mule, 

 whereon the prophet was carried in his nofturnal flight from 

 Jerufalem into the Heavens. 



This animal the Arabs called Al Borah, q. d. J]:.'imi)g. 

 Tlie night when the journey was performed is called Lcilat al 

 Jileerage, i. e. ihe ni«/j/ of ofcenjion ; and the flight itfelf 

 yll Al^fra, concerning which there is a multitude of -tradi- 

 tions. 



BO R ANA, in Entomology, a fpecies of Tortrix that 

 inhabits Sweden. Tnis is of a large fize, with the head 

 cinereous, and thorax fufcous. Fabricius, who deferibes it 

 in his MantifTa, thus defines it fpeeifically : wings 

 varied with cinereous and fufcous, with elevated fcattered 

 dots. 



BORANI, in Anckut Geography, a people of Scythia, 

 who, after having inhabited the borders of the Danube, 

 pafTed the Cimmerian Bofphorus, under the emperor Julli- 

 nian, and ellablidied themfelves in Afia, 



BORANO, Cape, in Geography, lies near the N.W. ex- 

 tremity of the large gulf of Venice, and forms the N.E. point 

 to the duller of iflands that impede the entrance into that 

 city. N. lat. about 45° 16'. E. long. 12'' 30'. An ifland 

 of the fame name lies within the cape. 



BORASSUS, in Botany {/Sopacrcro;, Diofcorides). Linn. 

 1220. Reich. 1336. Schreb. 16S9. Clafs, appendix palms, 

 J_.inn. dl^cia hexandria, Thunb. 



Gen. Char. Male, ampana, Rheede Hort. Mai. Cal. 

 fpathe univerfal, compound ; fpadix amentaceous, imbricate ; 

 perianth proper, thtee-leaved ; leaves ovate, concave. Cor. 

 none. Stam. filaments fix, thickifh ; anthers thicker, 

 ftriated. 



Female on a diftinft plant, car'impana, Rheede. Cal. 

 fpathe and fpadix as in the male ; perianth proper, three- 

 leaved, permanent ; leaves roundifh, obtufe. Cor. petals 

 three, rounclhh, permanent ; in La Marck's figure cxaftly 

 fimilar in form and fize to the leaves of the calyx. Pifl, 

 germ roundilh ; flyles three, fmall ; ftigmas fimple. Peri- 

 carp, dnipe, roundilli, obtufe, rigid, one-celled. Seeds three, 

 fub-ovate, compreffed, diilindt, filamcntofe. 



Species, B. fahellijonms. La Marck Illuft. tl. 898. 

 " Fronds palmate, cowled ; ftipes ferrate." Linn. A tree 

 twenty live or thirty feet higli ; two feet thick at bottom, 

 and one at top. Trunk, bai k of a dark colour ; wood dark 

 rufous red, with a foft pith in the middle ; fronds about 

 eight, decuffate (umbellate. La Marck), at the top of the 

 trunk ; ft;pe near fix feet long, round, and near a fpan in 

 breadth below, flat, fomewhat concave, and not more than a 

 p<dm above, rough with fpines along the edges. The leafy 

 part large, widely expanded, folded like a fan, and uftd as 

 fuch in its native countries ; at the edges of the folds, fur- 

 uiflied with prominent rough ribs ; gafhcd at the extremity ; 

 of a deufe and thick texture, ftriated lengthways with clofe 



Veins ; fruit flzf of a child's ht-ad ; extcr .\\ rind or fjifli, 

 when ripe, hlackifh and fliining near the calyx, lo-igititdin dijr 

 ftriated with furrows and fifTur's <Treeni(h yllow above ; 

 containing a denlc pidp, at firll fo*t a;,d wliite, afterwards 

 filamentous and fucrulent, of a (weetifli not ui'plcaf.nt taftc, 

 and ftrong fmell. In the pulp are feparately iTil^edded two 

 or three oblong flat nuts, with a thick ji'oody fliell, contain. 

 ing, when young, a blue, gelatinous, tfculent kernel, of a 

 fweet, pleafant flavour, which finally becomes too hard to be 

 eaten. Ray HilL Plant. A wine and a Ingar arc made 

 from the fap of the tree. Native of the Eall Indies. 

 BORAX, in Chcm'ijlry, fub-borat of ioda. 

 Borax is a faline fubllance, which has hitherto been found 

 onlv in Tibi.'t, an extenfive mountainc*. i diltrlc'l to the north 

 of Hindoftan. According to the molt authe:uic recent ac- 

 counts, cfpecially the report of Mr. Saunders, who vifitcd 

 Tibet, in company with Mr. Turner, in the year 17S3, borax 

 ii procured from a mountain lake, fittien days' journey from 

 the capital of Tibet. Tliis lake is encompafltd by rocky 

 hills, and is entirely fupplied by fprings, no ftrcam either 

 falling into it or flowing from it. The water has a fait 

 taftc, and contains both borax and common fait ; and, on 

 account of its elevated fituation, is fro'/en for a great part of 

 the year. The edges and fliallows of the lake are covered 

 with a ftratum of borax, which ii dug up in coiifiderable 

 maflt's, and the holes thus made are gradually filled by a 

 frelh depofition ; from the deeper parts of the lake, roek fait 

 is procured. The borax, in its rough ifate, is called tincal, 

 and is brought to Europe in the form of a brownifli grey 

 impure amorphous fait, or in detached cryftals, about an 

 inch in length, of the form of comprelfeJ hexahedral 

 prifms. 



The purification of borax is an art which was firft appro- 

 priated by the Venetians, afterwards pafled to the Dutch, 

 and is now praftifed in great petleftion by fome Englifh 

 chemifts. The procefs is as yet kept a fecret, but in all pro« 

 bability confifts of calci)iation and folution. 



The crude borax is often covered with an oily or greafy 

 matter, to prevent it from efHorefcing, and, on this account, 

 is not eafily aftcd on by hot water. It appears, however, 

 that by expofing the tincal to a calcining heat, lower than its 

 point of fufion, the greafe may be burjied ofl, and other in- 

 flammable impurities may be got rid of; the rcfidue being 

 then reduced to a fine powder, anddigelted in boiling water, 

 the faline parts will be diffolved, leaving nioft of the impuri- 

 ties behind. The further completion of the purification is 

 probably eff'eded by the common clarifying fubllaiices, and 

 repeated folution and cryftallization. 



Borax, when quite pure, is in colourlcfs cryfialliiie mafies, 

 very flightly efllorefcent on expofure to the air. Its Ip. gr. 

 according to Kirwan, is I.74. Its talle is fomewhat 

 fweetifii, and fcnfibly alkaline. It turns fyrnp of violets 

 green ; fliewing, therefore, an excefs of alkali in its compo- 

 fition. It contains, according to Kirwan, 

 3.J. boracic acid 

 17 foda 

 47 water of cryftallization 



9^ 

 Borax, when expofed to a dry heat, fpecdily diflblves in its 



water of cryflallization ; it then, as the mciilure evaporates^ 

 becomes of an opaque white colour, and a volimanous fpungy 

 texture, like burnt alum. If the heat is increaied to a mode- 

 rate rednefs, it hquefits, and when cool, appears as a colour- 

 lcfs traiifparent glafs. If poured out of the crucible in order 

 to cool, it fliould be transferred, as foon as it become.t folid, 

 to a covered baloU; or other proper vcflU, for it always. 



craciiS 



